Martins Ferry City Council Meeting Minutes of August 21, 2024
Posted on: September 5, 2024
The Martins Ferry City Council met in Regular Session on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 6:00 p.m., in the Donald Myers Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order by Council President Kristine Davis with the Pledge of Allegiance recited by those present in chamber, followed by a prayer by the Clerk. Answering Roll Call were Bob Hunker, First Ward Council Member, Spencer Echemann, Second Ward Council Member; Suzanne Armstrong, Third Ward Council Member; Rick Rodgers, Fourth Ward Council Member; Ben Neiman and Jim Schramm, Council at Large Members. Rev. James Agnew was unable to attend this meeting due to a death in his family.
Minutes: Minutes of the July 17, 2024 Council Meeting were approved as written.
Correspondence: There was no correspondence.
Reports of Officers of the City:
Mayor: Mayor Davies read a letter from the Martins Ferry Historical Society requesting a monetary donation to help support the organization. Mr. Sutak will check to see if the Society pays city utilities and if so with Council’s approval, these can be waived.
East Road has had several water breaks recently and the line will have to be replaced. Materials have been ordered to repair the line and the project should be finished by the end of September.
City crews are doing general maintenance. The summer employees are finished for the season, therefore grass cutting, for the lots the city maintains, has slowed down.
Mayor Davies remarked that the sanitation line-item has increased on the cash flow report.
There were no bids summited for the 9th Street property that was advertised for a minimum bid of $9,000. Mr. Stecker said if someone bids in the next week or two, it will not have to be re-bid. But if someone shows interest a month from now, the city would have to re-bid it.
Hazardous waste debris continues to be removed from the Austin Masters Building. The Mayor and Service Director will seek permission from ODNR to enter the facility to insure the clean up is progressing.
To prepare for the winter weather, four hundred tons of road salt has been ordered. There is 200 tons of salt left from last year which will bring the total amount of available salt to 600 tons.
An anonymous person called the Ohio EPA complaining about black mold on the second floor of the city building. The Ohio EPA then referred the issue to the Belmont County Health Department. The EPA is waiting for a reply from the city regarding a strategy to fix this problem. The Mayor stated the roof and a wall on the backside of building are deteriorating. Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration has submitted an estimate of $3,493.74 to clean the office where the roof is leaking. Nothing has been done yet because the roof still leaks. The Mayor needs to report to the EPA how the problem will be remedied and where the city will get the money to make the repairs. He estimates the cost will be $300,000 – $500,000.
Service Director: Mr. Sutak updated Council on the Water Plant upgrades which are progressing nicely. In order to save money, after the Pro-Tech Systems Group completed work on the Skadis System, Mr. Sutak had the company stay and complete the subpanels on the 7 remote stations so they would not have to make a return trip to do that job. He asked that Council approve the Pro-Tech invoice for $52,080 which was $7,000-$8,000 short of the purchase order already in place. It is estimated that everything should be completed by the first part of next year.
Two roofing companies and one stone and brick restoration company will submit bids for the possible roof and city building repair project. A couple of fire alarms on the roof will be considered for removal as well as a small building.
Auditor: Auditor Regis distributed the current Statement of Cash Position with MTD Totals. He stated that the Auditors would like it noted in the minutes that Council received the monthly Mayor’s Court Report. Invoices for Forefront Technology for $11,000, Atkinson Enterprises for $24,000 and the Fire Department for $4,051.35 needs approved. The Mayor, Service Director and Auditor Regis met with East Ohio Regional Hospital concerning payments for 2022-2023. Figures will be forthcoming.
Law Director: No report.
Fire Department: Justin Smith, Assistant Fire Chief, thanked Council for their support of Betty Zane Days.
Police Department: Chief Murphy gave the end of July, 2024 report. Fees collected from the impound lot amounted to $1,500. Currently there are 5 vehicles in the impound lot. Maintenance and repairs were done to the department’s firearms range by Office Trigg. Martins Ferry School Resource Officers and members of the Special Operations Team of the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office toured Martins Ferry Schools to get familiarize with any emergency response considerations. The Special Operations Team then followed up with training within the school. Chief Murphy distributed a “Law Enforcement Trust Fund”, which is a Written Internal Control Policy. This Policy now puts the Department in compliance. Mr. Stecker said this internal policy could be adopted by a voice vote. Mr. Sutak was informed that officers were following up on the list of expired tags that he submitted to the Department.
Code Administrator: No report.
Park District: No report.
Water Department: No report.
Reports of Committees of Council:
Finance and Audit: The Finance Committee met on July 22. The Sanitation and Water line items are looking better. Chief Murphy would like to purchase the old cruisers instead of leasing them since there has been problems with the leasing company. The Finance Committee also met on August 16 to discuss the city building’s leaking roof after an anonymous person call the EPA to say there was a black mold problem on the second floor. As soon as bids are received, the committee will meet to discuss funding possibilities. Minutes of these 2 Finance Committee Meetings will be filed with these minutes.
Street: Mr. Rodgers did not have a report but noted there have been several complaints about Tractor Trailer Cabs parking on side streets. Mr. Stecker said that commercial vehicles can’t park on the Street but are allowed in-off street parking or in driveways. Chief Murphy said if someone sees a commercial vehicle parked illegally to call the Police Department and an officer will come and ticket the vehicle. The Mayor suggested putting a 5 ton weight limit signs on residential streets to solve this issue. Later in the meeting, road repairs on Spring Haven Drive were discussed. Mr. Rodgers said that he will discuss the issue with Mr. Stecker and then call a Street Committee Meeting.
Sewer/Sidewalk: No report.
Safety: No report.
Service: No report.
Cemetery: No report but Mr. Neiman stated the Cemetery looks good.
Public Relations: No report.
Real Estate: The committee met on July 22 to discuss the sale of property in Crawford Heights. The Committee agreed that the property should be sold and a minimum bid established. Mr. Sutak will research the property value, set the minimum bid, and get the information to Mr. Stecker. Minutes of this meeting will be filed with these minutes.
Utility: Mr. Hunker will set a date and time in September for the Committee to meet.
Ordinance: No report.
Code Administration: No report.
Income Tax: No report.
Citizens To Be Heard: President Davis reminded citizens to limit their speaking to 5 minutes.
Richard Hord, 915 Virginia Street, commented that the Betty Zane Days Festival was a success again this year. Regarding property clean-up, city crews are cutting the grass and the cost of the time/labor is placed on the property owner’s taxes. The debris from the Austin Masters Facility is being removed in a timely manner but it will take some time to clear the facility. Overall, East Ohio Regional Hospital has a positive impact for city. The Mayor explained that financially the city receives one fourth of 1% of income tax generated and businesses in town benefit from increased visitor traffic created by the hospital. Regarding the city building, the Mayor stated it is a historic icon but the cost of repairing the current building has to be considered compared to the cost of building a new building.
Gary Zelenski, 419 North 9th Street, requests the city cut down a tree across the street from his house that he believes belongs to the city. The debris, such as leaves and fallen branches, is a nuisance to his home and a liability to the city. One fallen branch just barely missed his car. The debris is also filling up catch basins in the area. He also noted there is a stop sign at the intersection of 9th Street and the hill coming off of Delia Avenue that is almost completely obscured because of the high weeds. He wanted to know if Liberty Avenue is part of the city due to recent paving stopping at this road. The Mayor states that the tree Mr. Zelenski is referring to is not on city property. Regarding the stop sign, the Mayor will check into it but the since the summer help is gone now, it limits the city’s manpower on what can be done. Liberty Avenue is a dead end street and according to the County, permissive tax money for paving can’t be used on dead end streets. The catch basin mentioned is on a list to be cleaned out. The Mayor stated the Sewer Department, with only 2 employees, is responsible for over 1,000 catch basins in the city. If more employees were to be hired for the Sewer Department, utility rates would have to be raised. The Mayor states that one of the Administration’s goal is to keep the utility bills as reasonable as possible. Rates have not been raised since this Administration took office. The Mayor and Service Director will research who owns the tree across from Mr. Zelenski’s house & inquire about costs for removal of the tree. Mr. Zelenski will be notified of the results of these findings.
Ordinances and Resolutions:
There were no Ordinances or Resolutions to be read.
AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF MARTINS
FERRY TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR THE ZANE
HIGHWAY 12” WATERLINE CONNECTION TO AETNA
STREET BOOSTER STATION AND DECLARING AN
EMERGENC
Miscellaneous Business:
Mr. Schramm made a motion and Mr. Hunker seconded to authorize payment of the following invoices: ForeFront Technology, $11,000; Pro-Tech, $52,080; Atkinson Enterprises, $24,000 and the Fire Department, $4,051.35. A roll call vote was heard with Schramm, Hunker, Echemann, Armstrong, Rodgers, and Neiman voting yes. The motion carried.
Mr. Echemann was contacted by Phil Wallace, a former Martins Ferry Mayor, who is looking into getting repairs done to Spring Haven Drive. The Mayor said the city can’t use County Permissive Tax Money for dead-end roads. Another citizen contacted Mr. Echemann and expressed appreciation for the recent pothole patching on their street.
The Administration meets regularly with Auditor Regis to work on budget issues in order to avoid raising utility rates.
Mrs. Armstrong made a motion and Mr. Echemann seconded to note that Council has received and reviewed the Financial Statement of Cash Position. After an affirmative voice vote, the motion passed.
Mr. Sutak received a call from a school bus driver asking that the overgrowth of cattails and weeds on the Hill Street Exit be cut down because they are blocking the view to safely enter onto Route 7. Pictures of this area will be taken and sent to the State asking them to address this issue since it is the State’s property and responsibility. The city doesn’t have the manpower to control the overgrowth of weeds on Route 7. Mr. Zelenski asked if the State could also be notified to smooth out the railroad crossings on Route 7. Mr. Sutak said the railroad tracks are under the jurisdiction of the Railroad Company.
Mrs. Armstrong made a motion to reflect Council has received reports from the Officers and Management, and to incorporate these reports into the minutes. Motion was seconded by Mr. Schramm. After an affirmative voice vote, the motion passed.
Mr. Hunker made a motion to excused Rev. Agnew from tonight’s meeting. Mr. Neiman seconded the motion. After an affirmative voice vote, the motion passed.
Mr. Echemann moved to adjourn, which was seconded by Mr. Rodgers. After an affirmative voice vote, the meeting was adjourned with a salute to the flag.
The next meeting of the Martins Ferry Council will be on Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at the City Building.
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Kay H. McFarlan, Clerk of Council Kristine Davis, Council President
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