Cridersville fills post
An area village will be welcoming a familiar face to a new post come New Year’s Day.
Cridersville Village Council members selected Jarid Kohlrieser as their new village administrator. He will assume the responsibilities of the position starting Jan. 1.
Cridersville Mayor Lorali Myers, who announced his hiring at Monday’s village council meeting, noted that Kohlrieser has a passion and a dedication for the village.
“He knows the village and he will do a wonderful job,” Myers said.
Kohlrieser, who is a resident in the village, holds an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water license and an EPA wastewater license.
He also has training and experience on the utilities in the village, history and experience with the daily operations of the village and has knowledge of the village zoning codes and regulations.
Kohlrieser oversaw several projects including the village sign, village seal, Main Street banners, the Main Street tree project, as well as developing and maintaining the Cridersville Facebook website, and has been in charge of the newly designed website which re-launched this year.
“I am about the village,” Kohlrieser said in a letter of interest for the post in July. “My work ethics, my goals and my passion for the village say a lot about my character. This is my home and the place that I want to raise my children in. My vision is to see the village grow residentially and economically.”
Kohlrieser, who earned a business degree from the University of Northwestern Ohio with a emphasis in information technology, started working for the village six years ago and knows the ins-and-outs of the village.
With his current position of village operator, he was been working closely with Village Administrator John McDonald.
McDonald will be retiring from his post, effective Dec. 31. He has served the village for the past 33 years.
“We were honored to have John in the position,” Myers said. “He dedicated his career to the village.”
McDonald and his wife, Linda, have raised their children in the village.
“He has been a key player for the village,” Myers said.
McDonald had announced this summer of his plans to retire at the end of this year.
Myers said that many changes have occurred in 2012.
“2012 has been a year of opportunity and a year of change and will move us to 2013,” Myers said. “I look forward to new opportunities to take.”
In other business, councilors,
• Scheduled an executive meeting to be held on Dec. 26 to discuss and approve the salary figure of Cridersville Police Chief John Drake. Beginning on Jan 1, 2013, Drake will be switched from an hourly paid employee to a salary paid employee.
• Learned Village Solicitor Jim Hearn will not seek reappointment for 2013, and his last day serving the village will be Dec. 31. The village will be seeking a new solicitor to begin in January.
• Approved the purchase of a new police cruiser.
• Learned village administrators are working with a company to offer an online payment system on the newly launched website for residents to pay their sewage and water bills online. The date for this to begin will be at the beginning of the new year.