New Covington Mayor Lee Harmon, right, receives the oath of office from Law Director Frank Patrizio during the village council meeting held on Monday, Jan. 8.
Matt Clevenger | Miami Valley Today
Covington Mayor Lee Harmon, right, congratulates newly sworn-in council member Martin Leistner, left, during a ceremony held on Monday, Jan. 8.
Matt Clevenger | Miami Valley Today
Covington Police Chief Timothy Cline, left, receives the oath-of-office from Mayor Lee Harmon, right, during the village council meeting held on Monday, Jan. 8.
Matt Clevenger | Miami Valley Today
Covington Police Officer Phillip Russell, left, receives the oath-of-office from Mayor Lee Harmon, right, during the village council meeting held on Monday, Jan. 8.
Matt Clevenger | Miami Valley Today
COVINGTON- Covington Mayor Lee Harmon and new village council member Martin Leistner received the oath of office during a ceremony at the regularly scheduled village council meeting held on Monday, Jan. 8.
Council member Jesse Reynolds will also be sworn-in at a later date.
New village Police Chief Timothy R. Cline and new police officer Phillip Russell were also sworn-in during Monday night’s meeting.
Council members also voted to elect council member Derrick Canan as council president pro tem, and appointed council member Amy Welborn to serve on the village planning commission. Chris Beckstead was appointed to serve on the board of zoning appeals, and council members Jesse Reynolds and Julie Blumenstock were selected to serve as Fire Department representatives.
In other business, council members also passed ordinances transferring funds, and authorizing re-appropriations for the 2024 budget. Council members also approved an ordinance updating the 2024 salary ordinance, and an ordinance authorizing the mayor to sign all documents previously authorized to the village administrator.
Council members also heard updates on the village’s search for a new administrator, and the opening of temporary village offices during upcoming renovations planned for the Covington Government Center.
“The search for a village administrator continues,” Harmon said. “We have an interview on Wednesday, and we’ll see where we go from there.”
Police Chief Timothy R. Cline delivered an update on the Government Center Project.
“Construction will begin Monday, Jan. 22,” Cline said. “Starting that day, all of the village operations will be out of this building and we will be in our temporary home at 21 N. High St.”
“That building will be open for appointment only,” he said. “Our phone numbers and all that will remain the same; we will just utilize the payment drop box in the parking lot, and anything that they need to come in to sign up for¬¬, accounts and utilities and all that would be by appointment.”
“That’s a great time to utilize the village’s automatic withdrawal out of your checking or savings,” Cline said.
Village council’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at the Covington Government Center; after that council meetings will be held at the Covington Fire Department. A planning commission meeting for May will be held at the J.R. Clark Public Library.
