LEETONIA — The mood quickly turned during village police chief Allen Haueter’s monthly report to council when he asked for the start date to be “retroactively” corrected for an auxiliary officer.

During Wednesday’s regular council meeting, where there was barely enough members present to take action on first readings, Haueter requested that action be taken to add a start date to Richard Newton’s paperwork, as they had never put an effective start day in the minutes when passing the action three years ago.

The oversight had only recently been discovered.

According to other paperwork signed by mayor Kevin Siembida when Newton was commissioned it was effective Aug. 31, 2022. However, with only four members present, Haueter took issue with council members’ decision to table the action until they had all members present.

Missing were J.R. Ferry and Suzanne Toback.

All the current members except William Merdich had served when Newton originally was hired as an auxiliary officer.

Haueter theorized that some council members and the mayor potentially took issue with Newton, who had resigned after being appointed to council.

Auxiliary officers are commissioned as civilian volunteers, receiving no pay and not carrying a firearm.

According to Haueter, he was unaware of the date mishap until it recently was discovered in Newton’s paperwork by another official.

Most municipalities do not retain the actual audio recording of a meeting, after the minutes are compiled and approved.

Haueter said that he was unable to get that 2022 audio recording; however, he reminded officials Wednesday night that he still has a copy of Newton’s actual commission paperwork signed and dated by Siembida back then, as he had to submit it to the state.

In other action, council:

— Removed Daniel Haught from the auxiliary police force as he recently had gotten hired by Lisbon police.

— Approved contracting with Sundance for its EMS records service as a cost of $2200, hiring a new part-time EMS records clerk at $3000 annual salary and to start the process to auction off no longer needed city property next year.

— Asked Siembida to investigate the lack of zoning reports and planning meetings over this month.

— Approved payment of $122,186.96 worth of warrants.

— Approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the village and Leetonia Exempted School District for employment of a school resource officer for the upcoming school year. Although it originally had been intended to pass with emergency language, council members could only muster up a first reading with the four votes.

— Voted to approve a 29-month electric aggregation contract with Dynegy at a cost of 9.29 cents per kilowatt. Their previous contract, which they had adopted in July 2023 had increased almost three cents per kilowatt.

Dynegy appears on participants’ bills as a supply line item.

Households wishing to opt out should contact Dynegy at 888- 682-2170 and then to permanently opt out, visit: https://puco.ohio.gov/utilities/electricity/resources/electric-do-not-aggregate-list.

sujhelyi@mojonews.com