South Russell council approves payments, contract repair and letters to lawmakers; adopts investment ordinance

At its May 18 meeting, the South Russell Village Council approved a set of administrative and capital actions including contractor payments, a sewer repair contract, and a formal ordinance change on investment procedures.

Payments and contract oversight: Council approved CMG payment application #3 in the amount of $235,259.84 after the engineer’s review, and approved payment application #4 for $120,000 conditioned on written sign‑off from the structural engineer (Verdantis). The conditional approval was explicitly tied to a pending engineer report on anchor‑bolt repairs at the salt barn.

Sewer repair contract: The properties committee presented three bids to repair the village hall sewer line and the council approved hiring Giaga (appears in the transcript with several spellings) Septic for $16,200 to perform the work; the motion passed by voice vote.

Administrative actions and ordinance: The council authorized the mayor to sign two letters to a state representative and senator seeking assistance on an indemnification clause issue and adopted an ordinance amending section 235.02 of the village codified ordinances to eliminate the treasury investment board and adopt investment procedures in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code (the ordinance passed on third reading).

Other administrative items: The fiscal officer noted that the village website is ADA compliant and requested tax‑budget materials; the HR committee was authorized to place a request for proposals for cleaning services. The council also ratified payment registers for May 8 ($21,690.19) and May 18 ($298,280.15).

What happens next: The council conditioned a CMG payment on a written engineer approval and directed staff to process the approved payment application. The properties committee will oversee scheduling for the village hall sewer repair and report back with completion documentation.