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NEWTON FALLS -- After three months of not having anyone in village council's 3rd Ward seat, Bob Burke is now filling it.
Burke, who said it is first time in public office, said he is excited to be on council and looks forward to working with fellow council members for the betterment of the village.
"I am excited to be on council and helping the village to move forward,'' Burke said.
He said one of his goals will be to get the police department operating again. Burke works for the Youngstown City Health Department and previously was a parks and recreation director in Niles.
Councilwoman Julie Stimpert, D-at Large, welcomed Burke and thanked him for stepping up to fill the seat that became vacant when Brenda Persino left in December.
"We have a great crew of innovative thinkers on council," she said
Mayor David Hanson swore in Burke at the beginning of the meeting.
SHOOTING RANGE
In other business, Village Manager Mike Novotny said the village will work with the school district in allowing teaching staff to train on the police department's shooting range after speaking with the village's insurance carrier about it.
"We will get an agreement in place so they can utilize the shooting range for training purposes for their personnel. We are taking care of all the legalities and will have that finalized in the next couple of weeks," Novotny said.
Stimpert said this is an example of how the school district and village are working together.
The board of education in December passed a new policy allowing one or more people to carry a deadly weapon on school property or in designated school safety zones to ensure the safety of students and staff.
"We already have several staff members who have volunteered to be part of our effort to keep kids and staff safe in the face of a violent attacker," Newton Falls Superintendent Andreas Johansson said previously.
The policy was approved at the December board meeting and notes House Bill 99 of the 134th General Assembly allows a person who has written authorization from the board to convey or possess a deadly weapon after training and a background check.
Former Councilman John Baryak, who attended the meeting, said he feels the contract for the new police chief should be part-time and suggested the police chief and zoning officer ride together to address violations in the community. He said he wants to see the police department brought back.
John Barco was named police chief earlier this month and council members are still working on his contract. Council met in executive session after the meeting on personnel.
Baryak also asked about the status of the annexation of land in Braceville to Newton Falls where the Dunkin is located. He said the village previously agreed to provide utilities to the property, and added lights to brighten the intersection of state Routes 5 and 534. Baryak said talks need to continue to annex into the village which will benefit the school district
He also said there were discussions of a joint economic development district between Braceville and Newton Falls.