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No Action on Raises for Bellaire Police Officers

Bellaire resident Cheryl Miller speaks in front of village council regarding community beautification and her continuing work on flower beds. (Photo by J.D. Long)

BELLAIRE — Police Chief Dick Flanagan told Bellaire Village Council on Thursday that he is still working to obtain pay raises for his officers.

The matter had been discussed at the last council meeting with the issue taking hold at the Nov. 15 finance committee meeting.

Treasurer Tom Sable said Thursday that he’s had recent talks with Mayor Vincent DiFabrizio’s secretary, Lawanda Billos, and told Flanagan it would be beneficial for the two of them to meet to share further information on the matter. Sable said the information includes the number of citations issued by officers and the gross dollar amounts they generate.

Sable told Flanagan that Billos has a book on cash matters that she will have to further examine before she reaches out to Flanagan. When Flanagan asked if he would receive an answer about raises by the end of the year, Sable told him he should receive one by then.

“I’d say we’ll have those reports by then,” Sable said, noting there would be a meeting on Dec. 30 and that council would “still conduct business.” He further explained the process, which includes looking over reports Billos is to provide to state auditors, as well as researching three years of revenues and expenses and determining what money is coming in.

“We need to know how much money is coming in so that we can better project to the county, if we get this, this is what we can expect,” Sable said.

He said village leaders need to know the balance of outstanding fines but repeated to Flanagan that they would have something “worked up by the 30th.”

Meanwhile, Bellaire resident Cheryl Miller spoke to council about how well organized the Christmas parade was.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Dugmore agreed that it went well and said she hopes that next year’s event will be as good or better. She touched on the Bellaire Business Alliance that has organized the Bellaire Business Dash, which takes place from Dec. 12-17. It ends on Dec. 18 with a drawing at Bellaire Park.

Miller said she will be assisting the alliance at the park when people hand in the cards they receive from participating businesses in order to take part in the drawing. The public must visit more than 20 listed businesses, though they don’t have to buy anything. They must go to those businesses to get registered for the drawing during that five-day period.

She announced she’s also completed dressing up flower beds around the village and was shocked at how many vehicles she noticed that pass through town.

“It makes me want to do more,” she said after telling council she had the impression there wouldn’t be as many vehicles passing through as she actually observed.

She also wants to clean up some of the “vacant windows” of unoccupied businesses as long as she can get permission from the owners. Currently, though, she doesn’t know who those owners are.

Meeting participants thought one idea could be for the high school art department to paint winter scenes on those windows. Dugmore agreed and encouraged building owners, even if they’re not in use, to fix them up.

“Anytime you do anything remotely beautification-wise, it usually starts the ball rolling,” she said.

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