SALEM — City council approved several routine money moves Tuesday night, minus a $6,000 appropriation held back by the Finance Committee pending more information from the police chief on the equipment purchased.

Councilman Geoff Goll, a member of the committee, questioned why the money was being moved from training overtime to operating supplies within the enforcement and education fund and wanted to know more about what was being bought, which city Auditor Betty Brothers explained was a voice recorder that measures stress levels.

“What voice recorder costs $6,000?” Goll asked.

He wondered whether the police chief or service/safety director could explain the purchase, prompting Brothers to explain that the money in the fund can only be used for training overtime or equipment and she was the one who suggested the move. Money was already available in the police department general fund budget and the purchase didn’t require approval, but since there was money available in training overtime, she suggested using it instead of taking it from the department budget.

The Finance Committee and then council must approve reductions in line items and appropriations to new line items or transfers. Brothers told the committee members if they don’t want to approve the appropriation, they don’t have to since there’s money in the police budget. She also had told Goll that she might not have been explaining properly everything the equipment could do.

She said during a meeting which included the chief and city Service/Safety Director Ken Kenst, she was told the equipment was advantageous for police departments to have due to requirements when testing new officers and the fact that it could be used during interviews with suspects.

Councilman Brian Whitehill, who chairs the committee, said he would reach out to the chief.

When contacted after the meeting, police Chief J.T. Panezott said the equipment known as CVSA, computer voice stress analysis, is for truth verification to be given to all new sworn officers and to be used in investigations. The purchase included a laptop computer, the software and training.

In other business, city council held second reading on an ordinance for the proposed purchase of 6.88 acres of land on Pennsylvania Avenue for $105,000 for future expansion at the wastewater treatment plant. The first reading had been held in July. The land in question borders property already owned by the city, fronts the street, and is adjacent to the wastewater treatment plant. The Salem Utilities Commission already agreed to the purchase, along with city council’s Utilities Committee.

City council also approved a change in the fringe benefits ordinance requiring all new non-bargaining employees hired after July 1 to pay 15 percent of the premium on their health insurance. Existing employees pay 11.5 percent, with the exception of the mayor, law director and auditor, who already pay 15 percent of the premium. The ordinance also requires that all non-bargaining employees hired after July 1 whose spouse has access to insurance through an employer but chooses the city’s insurance must pay an additional higher percentage towards the insurance. The change reflects what had already been approved for the union contracts.

Council also agreed to update ordinances to reflect any changes in state law, which city Law Director Brooke Zellers said they do every year. Council met in executive session at the end of the meeting at the request of Mayor John Berlin regarding real estate matters, with no action taken.

In reports of city officials, Kenst updated council on the paving project, which has begun, along with the status of a drainage project near Southeast Boulevard and Monroe Street. Goll thanked him for his work, especially on the drainage project. In response to questions about fire department inspections, he said council members can expect a copy of a report in October that includes the International Property Maintenance Code and the fire inspections of commercial property.

When asked if any houses slated for demolition had been torn down yet, Kenst said he was in touch with the Columbiana County land bank and was told the contractor is expected in Salem in the next week or two. He noted that the county just received a reimbursement check from the state to pay the contractor for work done in East Liverpool, noting the contractor wasn’t going to come to Salem until paid for the East Liverpool work.

Utilities Superintendent Don Weingart updated council members on the status of the water line replacement projects, including the one on North Ellsworth Avenue which has been expanded to include a small section on 13th Street. He said the contract has been extended 45 days from the original completion date of Sept. 21.

Councilman Clyde Brown, who gave a report on his Streets, Alleys & Sidewalks Committee meeting from last month, said he spoke with the mayor and presented him with a list of alleys he wants included in next year’s paving project, urging his fellow council members to submit their own lists. Council President K. Bret Apple suggested he share that list with his committee.

Upcoming committee meetings include Rules & Ordinances at 6:30 p.m. Thursday regarding C-2 and C-3 zoning, commercial structure inspections, signs in C-3 and usage of sidewalks, followed by Utilities regarding bidding for the Highland water tank pump station. In the future, Goll said the Utilities Committee will discuss criminal enforcement of illicit discharges into the storm sewers and look at electrical aggregation.

Councilwoman Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, along with Whitehill and Apple, expressed condolences for the passing of Carolyn Saunders, a Salem resident who worked a lot behind the scenes in a number of areas and was especially known for her work at the Salem Community Theatre, where she was costume mistress and handled ticket sales. All three said she will be missed.

The next city council meeting is 7 p.m. Sept. 19.

mgreier@salemnews.net