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NEWTON FALLS -- Newton Falls village council voted unanimously to appoint Jeff Limbian as law director at a special meeting Wednesday.
Limbian, of Youngstown, has been serving as interim law director without compensation since the beginning of January.
According to the ordinance, which was adopted as an emergency measure, Limbian will perform the duties of the law director and prosecutor. Limbian will be paid a fixed salary of $7,750 per month, or $93,000 per year. Limbian begins his position today.
The ordinance also said Limbian will be considered a "part-time employee" and that he will be included in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.
Limbian will give attorney Jordan Knabb a 60-day notice of termination as prosecutor and will serve as co-prosecutor with Knabb during that time period.
Second Ward Councilman Brian Axiotis expressed his approval for the Limbian's appointment.
"Jeff has been fantastic in terms of contacting him, making these phone calls and emails, he's been very responsive. I've been very happy with the work (he's) done in the last month," Axiotis said.
Resident Rick Kerlin asked Limbian what sort of hours he would be working as a part-time employee and if he would have an office at the village municipal building.
"I anticipate that this work, while it's part-time, will be anywhere from 20 to 30 hours a week and I anticipate doing that at any given time on any given day," Limbian said. "It's been my experience as a law director for six years that you're expected to be available really 24/7. While I don't anticipate that I'll have an office here in the building, other than the prosecutor's office, I'll certainly be available from my private office at 940 Windham Court in Youngstown."
Limbian said if the village required him to have an office at the municipal building, it would not be a problem for him.
Limbian expects to encounter "significant work" regarding the village's public records system. He asked for patience from citizens.
"I've always believed in transparency in government and that's certainly going to be the operative phrase here," Limbian said.
"But there has to be a reasonableness in which people request amounts of information and the time in which to respond to that. So, I guess I'm just looking for some patience and making sure that citizens know that anything that is a public document that is appropriate for dissemination absolutely will be disseminated."
During the meeting, Axiotis said he received phone calls from residents concerned about the amount of money the village is agreeing to pay Limbian. Axiotis said with Limbian's new contract, the village will be saving money.
"What we were paying the previous law director plus the prosecutor was actually about $40,000 more per year," Axiotis said.
Brad Bryan previously served as law director for Newton Falls. He resigned from the position last fall, but when village officials could not find a replacement, he agreed to return and serve through Dec. 31.
Council did not extend Bryan's contract into the new year.
Before becoming the law director of Newton Falls, Limbian served as Youngstown's law director for six years, which is the longest time for anyone in that job in more than 25 years.
Limbian resigned from Youngstown in November.
Limbian's contract with Newton Falls council is subject to termination by either party with the provision of 30 days written notice to the other party according to the ordinance.