New Lothrop hires attorney Scott Gould, replacing John Ryan Jan. 1
The village council voted unanimously Oct. 14 to change attorneys, approve a full-time DPW contract for Andy Hobson, sell the paint striper for $5,000 and pick a new health plan.
New Lothrop will have a new village attorney on Jan. 1. The village council voted unanimously at its Oct. 14 meeting to hire Scott Gould to replace John Ryan, according to the October minutes posted on the village website.
Gould spoke during public comment before the vote. The minutes record that he "gave some background information on his experience" and was introduced as the "prospective Attorney Replacement." Mayor Pro-Tem John Maksimchuk made the motion, Besaw supported it, and the roll call was "all yeas." The minutes do not list the terms, the hourly rate or what the village pays for legal work.
Present were Maksimchuk, Tate, Birchmeier, Besaw, Olk, Gauthier and Ustishen. Maksimchuk opened the meeting at 7 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Every vote that night was a roll call and every roll call was unanimous, so the minutes do not record any member voting differently from the rest.
The council also approved a proposed contract for Andy Hobson as a full-time employee of the Department of Public Works, on a motion by Besaw supported by Birchmeier. No wage, benefit figure or start date appears in the minutes.
On a motion by Birchmeier supported by Olk, the village agreed to sell its paint striper for $5,000. That is the only dollar figure in the October minutes; the council voted to pay all the bills without a total listed.
With winter coming, the council talked about snow removal and repairing the front loader. The minutes say the "concensus is to look for a new used back hoe." No vote was taken on buying one and no price range is given, so the village has not committed any money to the equipment yet.
The council closed the meeting at 8:18 p.m. for an executive session and reopened it at 8:33 p.m. The minutes do not state the reason for the closed session. Immediately after returning, the council voted to go with the Simply Blue PPO Gold Option 1 health plan, on a motion by Besaw supported by Olk, following discussion. No premium cost or employee share is recorded. The meeting adjourned at 8:38 p.m.
What happens next
Gould takes over as village attorney on Jan. 1, replacing Ryan. The minutes set no date for a decision on a used backhoe and do not list the date of the council's next meeting; the village posts its minutes at newlothrop.org.
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