Ohio River Valley Youth Football C Team of the Vienna Wildcat Football Team is honored with certificates for their achievement. Vienna City Councilman Jim Leach tells a story about football players who went on to play both in high school and college who started their careers with the Vienna Wildcat Football team. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

VIENNA — Vienna City Council met for its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, during which the council passed the first reading of an ordinance that would alter the process of terminating, hiring and transferring department heads for the city.

The final reading of the ordinance will take place at a future council meeting.

“It shall be wholly reserved unto the Common Council of the City of Vienna, the sole and exclusive power and authority to approve the hiring, termination, transfer, or removal, of all Department Head positions,” states the ordinance.

As a part of this ordinance, this would eliminate the ability of the person in the position of mayor to solely appoint or remove department heads and place the responsibility of that duty onto the city council at large. Additionally, the ordinance stipulates that no new city positions may be created without council approval.

During the public forum portion of the meeting, several citizens spoke in objection to the proposed ordinance. The newly elected mayor, Chad Emrick, who will begin his term in January spoke in response to the ordinance.

“This amendment was first brought to my attention days ago and I have spoken to other municipal leaders and state offices,” said Emrick. “There is great concern shared that this proposal could create a precedent that would have negative implications on how a city could operate if a mayor was not able to remove a department head.”

“I don’t disagree with this change,” said Councilman Chris Mancuso.

However, he expressed concern over the timing, calling it “a bit reactionary” following the recent election.

“Only one of us will still be on council in a few months, so I believe this decision should wait until the next council is seated,” he added, moving to table the ordinance until the new council could take office in January.

However, with no second, the motion to delay the vote failed.

Other council members voiced their views on both the ordinance and its timing. Councilman Jim Leach, who sponsored the ordinance, disagreed and stated that requiring council approval for department head terminations would ensure stability and transparency, consistent with his record on oversight.

“It’s intentional. I will be on council again, and I believe in the need for these checks and balances,” said Leach.

Leach’s sentiments were echoed by Councilwoman Kim Williams who also shared the view that there need to be more checks and balances within Vienna City Council.

The council also reviewed a treasury report from Leach detailing reconciliations completed on Nov. 7. Leach confirmed that all city accounts appeared “in order” and financially sound. Leach highlighted a donation to the city’s Parks and Recreation fund from the late James Midkiff, a former Parkersburg police chief and Vienna resident. Midkiff, a longtime supporter of Vienna’s parks, bequeathed $112,054.93 for park improvements. This donation brings the Parks and Recreation line item to approximately $120,000, with additional funds expected. The council at large expressed gratitude and acknowledged Midkiff’s legacy, noting that discussions on how to best honor his wish to improve the parks would follow.

At the start of the meeting, council honored the Ohio River Valley Wildcat Football Team C for their achievement. The young athletes, from kindergarten through second grade, were joined by their coaches, receiving praise from the council for their hard work, dedication, and success on the field from not only their coaches but from Mayor Randy Rapp and Leach in the form of achievement certificates.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com