SALEM – The city council approved the creation of a new city department Tuesday.

The council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance creating and adopting chapter 170, part one, title five of the codified ordinances of the city of Salem regarding the information technology (IT) department. The ordinance officially creates a dedicated IT department in the wake of the city’s addition of an IT Director position in August.

Councilman Ron Zellers asked if the city’s IT Director should be a bonded position like mayor, treasurer, auditor, and deputy auditor. City Law Director Brooke Zellers said that he felt it was “an important question” and asked what the specific terms of the bonds for those existing positions were, and City Auditor Sal Salvino said that he was unsure of the exact details of the bonds but knew that all of the existing bonds had a $10,000 value except for the bond for treasurer which has a $30,000 value. Councilman Jeff Stockman asked if the retirement could be added to the ordinance at a later date, and Brooke said that it was his opinion that the ordinance could be approved to form the department and a requirement for the IT director to be a bonded position could be added later if needed. The ordinance was ultimately approved unanimously without the emergency clause, meaning that there will be a thirty-day waiting period before it takes effect.

Other matters approved included a resolution adopting an official cybersecurity policy in accordance with the requirements of Ohio Revised Code Section 9.64, and an ordinance modifying the city housing code which will see any issues concerning the housing code and its enforcement be overseen by the board of housing appeals rather than the board of health. Both items were also passed without the emergency clause.

Stockman asked Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey if she had spoken further with the Perry Township Trustees about setting a date for a joint meeting to discuss the proposed intergovernmental annexation agreement. Dickey said that she had “requested a couple times” to be given a date for the meeting without receiving one, and that on Dec. 23 she was told that with newly elected trustee Russ Sinsley taking office in the new year that the trustees would provide a date but had not done so yet.

The council also heard from resident Dennis Plegge, who said that the annual Salem Super Cruise would be held from June 11-14 this year. He also said that been serving as the director of the Super Cruise for the last five years has been both “a pleasure, and a headache and a half” but that beginning this year he would not be the Cruise Director going forward, and that he was currently training Brian May to succeed him. May said that he has been involved with the cruise for years and was committed to ensuring that it continues.

During his report Stockman announced that the rules and ordinance committee would meet at 6 p.m. on Jan. 21.

Following a roughly 30-minute executive session for the discussion of legal matters requested by Dickey, Stockman made a motion to authorize the mayor to enter a contract for legal services which was unanimously approved. When asked what the purpose of the contract was, Stockman and City Council President Evan Newman said that it was to retain an attorney for consultation on employment law.

The meeting concluded with a second executive session for the discussion of legal matters with no action to follow requested by Stockman.

The city council will meet next at 7 p.m. Jan. 13.