Photo provided Members of Belpre City Council were sworn in by Mayor Susan Abdella during Thursday morning’s organizational meeting.

BELPRE — Belpre City Council met New Year’s Day to swear in a newly elected council member and induct returning officials during the city’s annual organizational meeting.

Mayor Susan Abdella administered the oaths of office Thursday morning, welcoming B.J. Cassidy as the newest member of council. Returning council members were also sworn in to begin their new terms.

The meeting also included the induction of city officers. Erica Campbell, a former council member, was sworn in as Belpre’s new auditor, while previous auditor Tina Nolan took the oath of office as the city’s new treasurer.

Looking ahead to the new year, Abdella said the city is focused on continued collaboration as several major projects move forward.

“Right now, we have several large projects in the works, so we’re looking forward to continuing our collaborative efforts as a city and council and all of our departments working to get those projects finished,” she said.

Among the most significant developments is ongoing preparation related to the Women and Children’s Hospital project, which is currently focused on infrastructure and regulatory work.

“The biggest piece that’s happening there for us is they’re working on stormwater regulations and getting their utilities in place,” Abdella said. “All of that work is happening with the city and with the hospital.”

Abdella also pointed to upcoming planning tied to a new school project following the recent passage of a school levy.

The levy is intended to cover emergency operating needs for the school district and is estimated by the county auditor to generate $825,000 annually over a 10-year period beginning in 2025, with collections starting in calendar year 2026.

According to levy information, the tax is estimated to average 3.18 mills, or about $111 per year for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised property value. School officials have said the levy does not increase property taxes for district residents and will be used to support day-to-day operating expenses, including utilities, transportation costs, textbooks, classroom and curricular supplies, technology and laptops for students, and special education services.

“With the passing of the school levy, we’re getting ready to start working on a new school project,” Abdella said. “We’ll be looking at traffic — how does that work, what has to happen to make both of those areas function with the increased number of traffic that will be on those roads.”

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com