Third reading set for next meeting

COAL GROVE — An ordinance that would get rid of the $5 utility user fee on each water bill for Coal Grove residents was tabled Tuesday evening at the village council meeting, and instead will be given its third reading at the next meeting.

Currently the fee, which goes straight into the capital improvement fund, brings in approximately $90,000 a year. Coal Grove Mayor Larry McDaniel said the money is used to buy parts, clean the well and for maintenance.

The decision was made to table the ordinance so council could have more time to discuss the issue. If passed and the fee is cut, that money would have to be made up somewhere else.

Resolution 2016-03, to disapprove the tentative agreement between the village and the AFSCME union (American Federation of State County and Municipal Employe, Council 8), was given and passed 4-2.

The passage of the resolution means council has reopened negotiations with the union for a contract, beginning in April and running through 2018. The tentative agreement disapproval was put in place in December.