NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ New Philadelphia City Council has several new faces with the beginning of 2024.

At a ceremony Monday afternoon, three new at large council members received the oath of office ‒ Kris Kreinbihl, Tom Simmelink and Michael Walker. All three were elected in the November general election, where they ran unopposed. They were all sworn in by Law Director Marvin Fete.

That evening, the new elected council members participated in a meet-and-greet session with other New Philadelphia officials prior to the regular council meeting.

Mayor: City reviewing fees charged by service departments

During the brief meeting, council members heard Mayor Joel Day report:

• The city’s cost of providing services continues to rise because of inflation and supply chain issues. Department heads have reported increases anywhere from 30% to 100% for materials and equipment, and delivery dates up to 18 to 24 months in some cases, the mayor said. In addition, landfill fees for sanitation and recycling are expected to increase this year. “To offset these rising costs, I have asked Service Director (Ron) McAbier to review the various fees charged by his service departments and recommend revisions,” Day said.

• A recent donation of property to the city on Bank Lane SE includes a storage building being rented to a Cleveland area company that provides commercial cleaning and maintenance supplies. The mayor said he would like to use the rent money to create an economic development fund that could provide grants and loans to downtown businesses to improve facades and make other improvements. Council will consider the recommendation.

• Day reported that the Tuscarawas County Regional Planning Commission, of which he is a member, will focus on land use in the county this year. “Land available for housing and industrial development is at the top of many lists in state government and among private developers,” the mayor said. “Ohio’s industrial and technological growth, particularly by Intel, is driving the need. The challenge for Tuscarawas County is to protect its agricultural land while identifying logical areas for development.”

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Three people join New Philadelphia City Council