The Central City Village Board has named Centralia Police Sergeant Jamie Ramsey as its new chief effective November first.
Mayor Ken Buchanan says as part of the two year contract agreement Central City will pay Ramsey the same salary he is making now until January 1st when his Centralia Police Department pension will kick in. The board also hired Joseph Mueckenheim as a part-time officer. Mueckenheim is currently a part-time officer at the Wamac Police Department where he will also continue to work.
Buchanan says the police department is still one fulltime officer short, but when Ramsey arrives former chief Jim Maloy will return to Central City School as the school resource officer. Bids will be opened October 26th on renovation of the village’s four sewer lift stations. Central City has received a $265,000 loan for the project. Buchanan says the lift stations are so old, it is difficult to get parts if one of them stops operating.
The Central City Board was told the village has been awarded a $151,577 federal COVID-19 relief grant. They have already received half the money and will receive the other half next year.
Buchanan says there are no definite plans yet, but the board believes part of the money can go towards the $5 an hour salary increase recently given to police officers. The village has also passed the first hurdle to getting a demolition grant to tear down derelict homes in the community.
The Parks Committee was also to investigate replacement equipment in the west side park for a slide-climber unit that had to be removed because the village’s insurance company had deemed it hazardous.
