YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s board of control approved paying $23,873.83 in overtime to seven health district employees who normally aren’t entitled to it.

The board approved the payment Thursday. City council authorized the board at a July 28 meeting to make the payments through a temporary change in the city’s salary ordinance that make these workers eligible for the extra money.

The overtime money comes from a state grant of unused federal COVID-19 relief funds.

There were issues about paying the money with some council members concerned it would set a precedent to pay overtime to management employees — six of the seven fall into that category — as the city’s salary ordinance doesn’t permit them to get those additional payments.

Council chose to make these employees eligible for overtime for work they did during the COVID-19 pandemic this year for a temporary period of time.

Health Commissioner Erin Bishop with $9,916.81 and Anthea Mickens, director of nursing, with $8,936.26 received, by far, the largest overtime payments.

The five others received between $524.17 and $1,861.25.

Also Thursday, the board of control approved a $10,000 COVID-19 Microenterprise Grant Program payment to Laugh and Learn Academy, 982 Matthews Road, to help offset some of the money lost by the business during the pandemic.

The board has approved a number of similar grants to companies during the past few months from federal COVID-19 relief funds the city received.

The board also approved accepting $13,500 — $10,000 from Eastgate Regional Council of Governments and the rest from Economic Action Group — to pay Guide Studios, a Cleveland company, to design downtown pedestrian wayfinding signs.