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Merdich appointed to Leetonia Village Council vacant seat

LEETONIA — William Merdich will serve as the village’s newest councilman.

Merdich replaces Leisa Lorch, who was appointed earlier to fulfill the remainder of Roman Ferry’s term.

Earlier this year, both Merdich and Lorch had filed to run for several village council seats coming up for grabs in November.

No one knew if either would apply to fill the Ferry vacancy; however, both had applied for the appointment for council.

Lorch was appointed last meeting and resigned Wednesday. No reason was given, and it appears that she hasn’t withdrawn from the election.

Merdich was in attendance for the regular meeting, which concluded with action following an executive session for the appointment of a public official.

Council voted to appoint Merdich, after returning to the regular meeting and adjourning.

Mayor Kevin Siembida announced that Main Street will used in a movie being filmed on June 29. The production team is looking for local extras clad in mid-70s fashion and driving period vehicles.

The village is also considering if to pursue almost $87,000 in uncollected income taxes. Siembida said that he and fiscal officer Nick Mistovich are going to go through the information provided by RITA and decide whether it is beneficial to pursue it and how they intend to do that .

Council approved action Wednesday that ultimately saved the village $2,000 in late fees, when Mistovich advanced $6,000 from the general fund to the water operation fund, making up a shortfall in the lineup so he could pay the monthly water bill to the City of Salem on time and avoid the late fee earlier in the week.

Mistovich is going to come back to council with a permanent fix, so it doesn’t happen again. Supplementing the Water Operation Fund with $24,000 –or approximately $2,000 per month –or even reallocating some funds were discussed.

The due dates for Leetonia customers to pay their bills has too close of a turnaround to the bill due date currently from the City of Salem.

In other action, council hired Jacob Brooks as the new part-time zoning officer at $23 per hour effective immediately. Although Brooks will be on call 24-7, he will maintain regular office hours from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Starting at $2.99/week.

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