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Perrysburg debates salary increase for court employee |
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Written by PETER KUEBECK Sentinel Staff Writer
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Thursday, 09 May 2013 10:34 |
PERRYSBURG - The same night that voters went to the polls to narrow down his possible successors, outgoing Municipal Court Judge Dwight Osterud went before City Council for one of his own employees.
Osterud asked for a raise for longtime Municipal Court Clerk Janice Elkes, who had accidentally been overlooked for years due to changing pay processes.
"I'm looking for equity," said the judge.
"As you know, City Council sets the court administrator's salary. I was under the mistaken belief that the council had taken care of Janice from 2005 through 2012. I was mistaken, and when I found that out, I asked that her salary be increased. And that occurred last August," an increase that amounted to about a six-percent raise. However, over that time, her pay would have gone up 19 percent.
With an additional four percent increase requested by the judge, Elkes' salary would go from $83,237 per year to $86,760, retroactive to January of this year.
City Administrator Bridgette Kabat said Elkes was apparently "lost in the shuffle" about seven years ago due to her status as a court employee when the structure of awarding raises for non-bargaining personnel changed.
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BG community embraces 'Wonder' |
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Written by JORDAN CRAVENS Sentinel Staff Writer
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Thursday, 09 May 2013 09:04 |
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| A duct tape art banner made by Bowling Green Middle School students, resembling the cover of the book "Wonder", is seen during a kick off for the Youth Community Reads Program at the Wood County District Public Library on May 1, 2013. (Photos: Enoch Wu/Sentinel-Tribune) |
Bowling Green kicked off its first "Youth Community Reads Month" last week with a book that focuses on acceptance, civility, celebration of differences and choosing kindness.
"Wonder," by R.J. Palacio, follows the story of 10-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with a facial deformity and is about to start fifth-grade at Beecher Prep. Like other kids, Auggie just wants to fit in and have friends.
As part of the kick-off on May 1, those in attendance received "Choose Kind" bracelets, which had suggestions for acts of kindness attached to them. One suggestion was to "apologize for your mistakes and make amends." There was also a large board in the Children's Place filled with suggestions for kindness and supplies for making bookmarks promoting kindness.
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Written by JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN Sentinel County Editor
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Thursday, 09 May 2013 10:32 |
Ohio universities may soon be forced to choose between encouraging student voting and receiving lucrative out-of-state tuition.
An amendment to the budget bill was passed by the Ohio House last month that would no longer allow universities to charge out-of-state tuition if they provide students with proof of residency documents for voting.
For Bowling Green State University, the importance of voting could lose out to the need to boost the budget with out-of-state tuition rates. According to BGSU spokesman Dave Kielmeyer, the university would otherwise lose an estimated $22 million annually, "which would be devastating," if it did not charge the higher rates to its 2,312 out-of-state students.
In the past, BGSU has issued letters to on-campus students stating their local addresses as proof of residency so they could vote in Wood County.
The amendment, however, would force public universities to classify students living on campus as in-state if they receive utility bills or official letters that can be used for identification when voting in Ohio. Consequently, BGSU could no longer charge those students the higher rate for out-of-state tuition.
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Perrysburg passes transit |
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Written by PETER KUEBECK Sentinel Staff Writer
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Wednesday, 08 May 2013 09:10 |
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| Chris Vogel and Rachel Johnson celebrate after reviewing the election results Tuesday night. (Photo: Shane Hughes/Sentinel-Tribune) |
PERRYSBURG - A lower millage. A reduced service plan. And, finally, a more visible and dynamic marketing campaign.
All of these elements helped spur public transportation in the city to a decisive victory.
The five-year, 0.8-mill transit levy found its audience Tuesday, winning with nearly than 72 percent of the vote according to unofficial figures.
"The committee was really energized and everybody worked very hard," said Jack Hoeflinger, chairman of Go Perrysburg, a group advocating for the levy.
The levy will fund a public transportation service offering call-a-ride, ADA paratransit, and a limited commuter service. It will raise about $460,000 a year, and cost the owner of a $200,000 home about $4 each month.
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