Fee would be $100 nonrefundable

The Ironton City Council is considering an ordinance that would change the installation fee for the water, sewer and sanitation services in the city.

The ordinance, which was given first reading at the regular council meeting Monday, would change the fee to a $100 nonrefundable fee to the city.

The current payment is a $250 security deposit that is returned to the resident after one year if the customer has not been delinquent on any payments. The payment covers water sewer and sanitation but does not include tap fees.

In a recent meeting of the council finance committee, Mayor Rich Blankenship said the current fee is in place because the city previously shut off the water for a delinquent account after 90 days, in which time a customer could feasibly accumulate $250 in charges. The city now turns off the water for delinquent accounts after 15-30 days, so the fee can be smaller, he said.

One of the problems with the current $250 fee, as discussed at the finance committee meeting, is that some renters cannot afford the fee and therefore don’t rent in the city.

In other business, the Ironton City Council also:

• Heard the first reading of an ordinance to authorize Blankenship to enter into an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the Ironton traffic signal improvements project.

• Passed an ordinance rescheduling the next city council meeting from 6 p.m. Thursday Nov. 25 to 6 p.m. Monday Nov. 22. The change was made because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

• Heard the first reading of an ordinance requiring the city to have competitive bidding for purchases $5,000. The current bidding limit for a single item is $25,000. Councilman Dave Frazer, who is one of the ordinance’s sponsors, said he wants the change so that council has more control over how the city’s money is spent.

Councilmen Bob Cleary, Frank Murphy and Councilwoman Beth Rist also sponsored the ordinance. Councilman Chuck O’Leary requested the ordinance be discussed at an upcoming finance committee meeting, slated for Nov. 17.

“I just want to talk about it is all,” he said. “I just want to know the reasons.”

• Passed an ordinance to rezone the area of the proposed St. Mary’s Medical campus from a residential area to a health service district.

• Passed an ordinance enacting and adopting a supplement to the code of ordinances for the city.

• Passed a resolution authorizing Blankenship to request bids for the phase 1 of the Ironton Riverfront Area. The first phase of the project, which is to take place on the riverfront from Brammer property to Storms Creek, will include an historical assessment of the land.