Mentor City Council Hires Labor Relations Company for Union Negotiations

Mentor City Council voted to hire Labor Relations Management Inc. to help with its union negotiations during its meeting Tuesday night at .

All of the city's union contracts expire in March, except for the one it has with part-time firefighters. City Manager Ken Filipiak said how much the city pays Labor Relations depends on how long negotiations between the government and unions take.

"We hope these negotiations are quick and fruitful, but they can drag out," Filipiak said.

Filipiak said he expected the city would pay Labor Relations at least $50,000 to help the city during negotiations.

 Also during the meeting:

• City Council voted to pursue two grants from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. One grant could be worth up to $500,000 and would help the city expand its . If the city received the grant, it could add a bike path connecting Jordan Drive to Morton Community Park. The second grant would help pay for a new, more energy-efficient lighting system at .

• City Council voted to fill the vacancy that Janet Dowling created when she left the Greater Mentor Port Authority to serve on council. They unanimously chose John Konrad, a former Mentor city manager, to replace her.
• The council also reappointed Nancy Donovan-Farina to the Board of Building and Zoning Appeals, Bruce Gamiere to the Municipal Planning Commission, Dawn Krueger and Marianne Coccia to the Beautification Commission, Raysene Barclay to Fair Housing Board and David Snyder to the Greater Mentor Port Authority.
• The city voted for Frank Krupa to replace Cathryn Knezevich on the Community Arts Commission. Knezevich asked not to be reappointed.