LEWISBURG — Resident will decide if they want a retail cannabis dispensary to locate in the village.

Residents will have that opportunity after council voted to place the issue on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Council decided to let residents decide the issue after village officials were approached by at least two companies wanting to place a retail cannabis dispensary in the village.

Placing the issue on the ballot was suggested by Mayor Dennis Roberts, who stated at the July 3 council meeting it “would relieve any split council vote.”

Councilmember Jackie Sewert also thought allowing the voters to decide the issue was the best solution.

If they want it, they’ll vote yes and if they don’t, they’ll vote no,” Jackie Sewert said on July 3.

Council also voted to rescind the resolution extending the village’s moratorium on retail cannabis dispensaries locating in the village until Jan. 1.

Council opted to rescind the moratorium so that any company wanting to locate a retail dispensary in the village could begin the process while waiting for residents to decide the issue on Nov. 5.

Council’s decision was based on the thought that if voters decided to place a retail dispensary in the village and if one was established, the village would benefit from the revenues collected from the sales of cannabis.

In other business, council approved a resolution to advertise for a fourth police officer.

Chief fiscal officer Susan Laux said if an officer is hired before the end of the year, funds established for the school resource officer position that is currently vacant can be used to help pay for the fourth officer.

“For the rest of the year, which we have about five months, we have SRO funds we haven’t been using. We haven’t had an SRO, so there’s really money sitting there that was already appropriated,” Laux said.

Laux also noted she made some adjustments in the 2005 budget to help pay for the officer.

“At the last meeting, if you remember, I budgeted for a fourth officer by eliminating some overtime for the regular police officers and we will also be using money out of the police levy,” Laux said.

Laux, at the July 3 meeting, stated she dropped the $50,000 budgeted for overtime pay to $10,000.

Laux also said at the July 3 meeting, “part of the funds for the new officer will be taken from the village’s general fund” in 2025.

Council also approved a resolution to advertise for a firefighter/paramedic.

Fire chief B.J. Sewert said the problem of securing a firefighter/paramedic centers on pay.

“It’s simple. Do you want to start someplace at $62,000, or do you want to start someplace at $75,000-$80,000. It’s all about money,” B.J. Sewert said.

In an attempt to attract a candidate for the position, the village is increasing the hourly rate from $20 an hour to $22.50 an hour.

The increase raises the current salary from a guaranteed $62,800 a year to a guaranteed $72,785 a year.

Laux explained the formula used to determine the yearly guaranteed figure for a fire department employee.

“When you talk about a public service employee or a police officer their pay is based on 40 hours a week,” Laux said.

Laux explained a fire department employee’s pay is based on a 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off duty schedule.

“So basically, an average yearly number of hours for the public service employee and a police officer is 2,080 hours, which is 40 hours times 52 weeks,” Laux said.

“With the fire department employee, the average yearly number of hours is 2,544 because they work a 24/48 schedule. When figuring that, you’re basically at 121 days you work a year, but you work 24 hours a day,” Laux said.

Laux said based on the federal standards for paying fire and EMS personnel, “it’s set up that they’re paid 212 hours a month at the regular rate.”

“So, they don’t get any overtime until they hit hour 213. If you are talking about public service employees and police, the number is 180. They are doing 32 hours at regular time based on federal payment. After that it kicks into overtime,” Laux said.

“So basically what I did is I took the guaranteed hours, which are the 2,544 yearly hours at $22.50 an hour and the 164 yearly overtime hours, which is $22.50 times 1½, which is $33.75, and then we also added on top of that they are going to get paid for 12 holidays which is another 96 hours. So that’s the guarantee,” Laux continued.

Laux said “these are guaranteed numbers they are going to get even if they don’t work one extra shift, they don’t work anybody’s vacation or sick day of if they even don’t work on a holiday.”

“This is as if they work on zero holidays, because the way our ordinance reads that if you work on a holiday, you get a half-an-hour extra for every hour you work,” Laux said.

Councilmember Lori Pheanis asked if the two current paramedics will receive the pay increase.

“Yes,” Laux replied.

“What is that going to look like budget-wise?” Pheanis asked.

“It’s basically going to be about $8,000 more a year for each one, which would be $24,000,” Laux said.

Laux said it is hoped the new EMS billing company the village is using will be more aggressive in collecting fees so those funds can be used to help defray the additional costs.

Laux said the additional expense means being frugal with how money is spent.

“The only other choice is you don’t have paramedic coverage 24-7 and you drop down to a lower level of coverage with an EMT, or something like that and you won’t have that paramedic coverage,” Laux said.

Laux said lower-level service is not a viable alternative and that 24-hour paramedic coverage is imperative.

“I don’t think we have any other choice. It’s just a matter of tightening our belt in other places,” Laux said.

Reach Terry Baver at [email protected].