SALEM–The finance committee discussed several upcoming financial matters during its meeting Tuesday.

The committee reviewed a proposed update to the city’s wage ordinance and appropriations totaling $34,955 within the general fund. City Auditor Sal Salvino said the proposed update to the wage ordinance would add the part-time contract-based animal control officer position created by recently adopted updates to the city’s animal ordinance to the wage ordinance under “safety” forces at an annual salary of $8,000 to be paid out monthly and simplify city payroll. Salvino said appropriations were to cover the costs of the recently created IT Director’s salary and benefits for the remainder of the current fiscal year. Salvino also presented the committee with a routine resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the county auditor for 2026.

The committee voted unanimously to forward the appropriations and the amounts and rates to the city council for review, but no formal action was taken in regard to the wage ordinance. Directly following the committee’s meeting, the city council voted unanimously to approve the appropriations and two resolutions accepting the amounts and rates for Columbiana and Mahoning counties respectively in its meeting.

Councilman and Committee Chairman Andrew Null also asked when council would be presented with a draft of the city’s budget for 2026. Salvino and Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey said proposed budgets had been requested from the city’s department heads and that once they are received, they will begin to work on the city’s budget. They hope to have a completed draft for review by the city council by mid-October.