Martins Ferry City Council Meeting Minutes of September 2, 2026
Posted on: September 17, 2026
The Martins Ferry City Council met in Regular Session on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 5:30 p.m., in the Donald Myers Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order by Council President Phil Wallace 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; Andrew Smay, Third Ward Council Member; Ryan Robey, Fourth Ward Council Member; and Gus Harris and James Agnew, Council at Large Members. Spencer Echemann, Second Ward Council Member and Jim Schramm, Council at Large Member were not able to attend this meeting.
Minutes: Minutes of the August 19, 2026 Council Meeting were approved as written.
Correspondence: There was no correspondence.
Reports of Officers of the City:
Mayor: Crews have been working on sewer projects throughout the city. The former East Ohio Regional Hospital Building was not sold at auction today. In two weeks, this building will be auctioned again.
Service Director: An emergency grant of $675,000 from the Ohio Public Works Commission was received for the 6th Street Extension Repair Project. A twenty year, no interest loan of $75,000 was also received which the city will try to get as a “forgiveness” loan. Mr. Sutak introduced Bryan May, President of May Engineering Company, who spoke to Council regarding the process needed to receive this money and the next steps, including a timeline, for the project. Council was asked for permission to proceed with this project.
Mr. Sutak thanked Don Neavin for his hard work on the sewer repair issues in the city.
Crews have been pothole patching. A new curb was installed on South Ridge Drive.
The roof over the Recreation Center’s Dining Room has been leaking. The Mansuetto Roofing Company was called to look at the roof. They will submit an estimate for the cost of repairing or replacing it.
Auditor: Mr. Regis was unable to attend this meeting but supplied Council with a Payroll Summary and New Hire/Termination/Retirement Report for 7/16/26 – 8/19/26.
Law Director: Mr. Stecker had no report but said the 72-hour rule needed to be waived for the Resolution to be read tonight.
Police Department: Chief West distributed the Police Department’s August 2026 Report. He thanked Mr. Sutak for patching the roof over the Department’s Jail.
Chief West asked that Council approved a Purchase Order for Shultz Ford in the amount of $4,227.75. Shultz Ford mixed up the dates between the Invoice and the original P.O. that the Chief submitted. A copy of the invoice including the details of the work performed on the cruiser are included with these minutes.
Fire Department: No report.
Safety Director: The section of the Reports and Concerns portion of the GovPilot Project has gone live. Six violations were entered today with no problems. Ms. Yeso informed Council of the many features now available on the GovPilot application.
The Planters have been installed and Ms. Yeso thanked all the volunteers who showed up and helped with this undertaking. All the necessary paperwork has been filed with the J. B. Green Team who helped fund this project.
Code Administrator: No report.
Park District: No report.
Water Department: No report.
Reports of Committees of Council:
Finance and Audit: No report.
Street: No report.
Ordinance: No report.
Sewer/Sidewalk: No report.
Safety: No report.
Service: No report.
Cemetery: No report.
Public Relations: No report.
Code Administration: No report.
Real Estate/Building and Grounds: No report.
Utility: No report.
Income Tax: No report.
Citizens To Be Heard: President Wallace reminded citizens to limit their speaking to 5 minutes.
Richard Hord, 915 Virginia Street, asked what Mayor Davies thought of how things might proceed with the former East Ohio Regional Hospital Building. The Mayor stated a lot of money will have to be put into the building to make it functional again. He said the city will have to wait to see what happens in two weeks when it’s up for auction a second time. Regarding the water running on Hughes Avenue, the Mayor stated that the location and design of the sewer makes it hard to clean out the debri. The city is working on this problem. Mr. Hord announced two events to be held at the Martins Ferry Public Library: 1) on Thursday, September 17 at 6:00 p.m. there will be a presentation on the history of Martins Ferry and 2) on Thursday, September 24 there will be a “Meet the Candidates” Session for all those individuals running for office in November. Currently there are no plans to hire a Recreation Director due to funding.
Ordinances and Resolutions:
An Ordinance Establishing Pool Maintenance Requirements And Penalties For Failure To Maintain Residential Swimming Pools.
This Ordinance was given a second reading.
An Ordinance Approving Amending Chapter 193, Income Tax Sections 193.03 And 193.04 Of The Administrative Code Of The City Of Martins Ferry, Ohio To Provide For Imposition Of Annual Income Tax Rate Of Two Percent (2.00%) Per Year On Income On Or After January 1, 2028 And Declaring An Emergency.
This Ordinance was given a second reading.
Motion was made by Mr. Hunker and seconded by Rev. Agnew to suspend the 72 Hour Rule for reading this Resolution. A roll call vote was heard with Hunker, Smay, Robey, Harris, and Agnew voting yes. The motion carried and the Resolution was given a first reading.
A Resolution Authorizing The City Of Martins Ferry To Prepare And Submit An Application To Participate In The Ohio Public Works Commission State Capital Improvement And/Or Local Transportation Improvement Programs(s) And To Execute Contracts As Required.
Motion was made by Mr. Hunker and seconded by Rev. Agnew to suspend the rules for three readings. A roll call vote was heard with Hunker, Smay, Robey, Harris, and Agnew voting yes. The motion carried. Motion was made by Rev. Agnew and seconded by Mr. Hunker to pass the Resolution as read. A roll call vote was heard with Agnew, Hunker, Smay, Robey, and Harris voting yes. The motion carried and the Resolution was declared passed.
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. Hunker made a motion and Rev. Agnew seconded to pay $124,000 to the May Engineering Company, LLC for the professional engineering services associated with the stabilization and reconstruction of the North 6th Street slip area. This will be paid from the line item that contains the Ohio Public Works Funding. A roll call vote was heard with Hunker, Smay, Robey, Harris, and Agnew voting yes. The motion carried.
Mr. Hunker made a motion and Mr. Harris seconded to approve payment of an invoice from Shultz Ford in the amount of $4,227.75 for cruiser repairs. A roll call vote was heard with Hunker, Smay, Robey, Harris, and Agnew voting yes. The motion carried.
Mr. Robey made a motion and Rev. Agnew seconded to excuse Mr. Echemann and Mr. Schramm from tonight’s meeting. After an affirmative voice vote, the motion carried.
Motion was made by Rev. Agnew and seconded by Mr. Robey to note that Council has reviewed and accepted the Auditor’s Payroll Summary and New Hire/Termination/Retirement Report. After an affirmative voice vote, the motion carried.
Mr. Hunker 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. Robey. After an affirmative voice vote, the motion passed.
Mr. Harris moved to adjourn, which was seconded by Mr. Robey. After an affirmative voice vote, the meeting was adjourned at 6:12 p.m. with a salute to the flag.
The next meeting of the Martins Ferry Council will be on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers.
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Kay H. McFarlan, Clerk of Council Phil Wallace, Council President
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