Two special meetings called for next week

With just five business days left before the deadline, the City of Ironton does not have a permanent budget in place for the year.

By state law, the city must have a 2011 budget approved by March 31.

The first reading of the budget was on the agenda at Thursday’s meeting. Despite a request from Finance Director Kristen Martin, the council didn’t get the votes needed to suspend the regular meeting rules and give the budget ordinance second and third reading before voting on it.

The council typically gives three readings of an ordinance at separate meetings before it votes on the proposed law, but the city charter allows the group to suspend those rules with a three-fourths vote.

A motion by councilman Frank Murphy failed to pass because it deadlocked with a 3-3 result. Councilmen Bob Cleary and Dave Frazer as well as councilwoman Beth Rist voted against suspending the rules and voting on the budget. Councilmen Chuck O’Leary, Frank Murphy and Kevin Waldo voted in support of voting on the budget. Councilman Mike Lutz was absent.

“I want to look over some more things myself,” Rist told the council.

“I want to look over some more things too,” Frazer added.

The finance committee has had at least six meetings about the budget this year. Another was called but canceled because fewer members than what is needed a quorum attended.

Despite a request from Mayor Rich Blankenship that the three dissenting council members ask questions about the budget, Cleary made a motion to adjourn the meeting.

Special meetings have been called for Monday and Tuesday to give the ordinance second and third readings.

“You might as well call two meetings now to get this passed or whatever you guys want to do,” O’Leary said. “You need two more meetings or you won’t get it passed and you’ve got to. You’ve got to have it passed by the end of the month, everybody here knows that.”

Martin initially told council she would be on vacation and not available for the special meetings. She later said she will be available Monday, but not Tuesday.

Blankenship was clearly disappointed in the move and criticized the three dissenting council members, saying they should resign if they will not attend committee meetings to find out about ordinances before being asked to vote on them during council meetings.

“If they don’t want to work for the City of Ironton, let someone else do it,” the mayor said.

Frazer attended Tuesday’s meeting of the finance committee during which time the proposed budget was discussed. He said after Thursday’s meeting that he needs time to compare the 2010 budget with this year’s proposal.

“(The mayor) is trying to save money in a couple of areas and I’m saying we need to look at all areas,” Frazer said.

Though the council did not pass the budget, it did vote 6-0 to execute a collective bargaining agreement between the city and AFSCME Local 771 and to extend the contract for health insurance coverage for city employees.

Calls to Rist and Cleary after the meeting were not returned as of press time.