Washington City Council approves new contract for fire chief
Washington fire Chief Chris Richer has a new contract.
City Council approved a deal at its meeting Thursday that is retroactive to Jan. 1 and runs through Dec. 31, 2030. Richer’s salary is $97,000 with a 2% increase each year of the contract.
Mayor JoJo Burgess praised the fire chief, who has held the position since October 2021.
“Chief Richer is somebody who displays the utmost professionalism and due diligence when taking care of anything that happens with our fire department,” Burgess said.
Council also approved seven properties listed as public nuisances to be released to the Redevelopment Authority and scheduled for demolition.
Those properties are: 293 Locust Ave., 553 Delaware Ave., 590 West Chestnut St., 825 Addison St., 366 and 368 Houston St., and 14 Acheson Ave.
A demolition hearing for the properties was held prior to Thursday’s council meeting.
Two other properties – 490 Glenn St. and 130 Woodland Ave. – were on the list for discussion at the hearing, but Burgess said those properties are being sold and the new owners have plans to refurbish them.
“While they’re on the list, we’re not going to do anything with them until we make sure that the sales go through and the work has been done. Then they’ll probably come off,” he said.