Village severs sharing arrangement with recreation district

by Sue Serdinak

Since July 2022, John Piepsny has served as recreation director for Richfield Village and the park director for the Richfield Joint Recreation District. According to the sharing agreement, Piepsny was a full-time employee of the village and worked half-time for RJRD. 

As an employee of the village, he received a salary and benefits from the village including a village vehicle, gas and maintenance; medical, dental and vision insurance; a $50,000 life insurance policy; and five weeks of vacation plus 15 days of sick time annually. In addition, the village has paid related expenses for the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.

The village invoiced RJRD 50% of his salary, which was about $82,000 annually. Each year, all village employees received as much as 3.5% pay increases in accordance with passed legislation. 

In February of this year, Mayor Michael Wheeler notified the RJRD board that the village was canceling the agreement after a 90-day waiting period required in the contract. 

He told The Richfield Times it was in the best interest of the village to cancel the agreement, and Piepsny could remain a full-time employee of the village. Anita Gantner, chairperson of the RJRD board, responded to The Richfield Times request for comment. “The shared agreement represented a significant cost savings for RJRD.  We will have to consider how this will impact our operating budget. The RJRD Board will be meeting to decide how to fulfill the vacancy when the 90-day period expires,” she wrote.