As city council gets ready to stick Ironton residents again, they need to realize that they are the reason businesses don’t want to relocate to Ironton.

None of the council members, except one, owns a business in Ironton. When people look at coming here, they look at the cost of doing business in the community.

Our property taxes are high because of the Ironton school levy, which I helped get approved. Now the Collins Career levy will be added.

If that isn’t enough, our council members want to increase the municipal fee from $8 to $14 per month per household. What are we getting in return with this fee increase? The answer is nothing. Another Band-Aid to put the problem off for a few years.

Chairman of the Ironton Port Authority, Paul Woods, wrote a letter the other day saying we need to pay more to invest in the future. That sounds like a good idea, but he also believes in putting good money after bad into the Ro-Na and Memorial Hall.

Wasteful spending happens in Ironton just as it does in Washington, D.C. Those two projects are in the same category as the famous “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska. If Woods wants to spend money on the infrastructure and job creation in Ironton, that is a different game.

Do you think your congressmen have the ideal health care plan? Better look at the Cadillac plan the city of Ironton has for its employees. I was part of the system for 13 years. Don’t blame the employees. This happened because past councils and mayors didn’t want to rock the boat so they could get re-elected.

Council members and the mayor don’t want to make the tough decisions; they can’t stand that six-letter word: change.

We live in a retirement community. The citizens are on fixed incomes, living month to month. They can’t charge their neighbors an extra fee. Only government seems to do that to the people. City leaders are making it more difficult for citizens. Wouldn’t you think they should try to make it a better place? Several years ago the fee was placed on the ballot and it was defeated overwhelmingly. But instead of listening to the citizens, remember that is who they are working for. Council decided to stick it to the citizens and put the fee on anyhow.

I believe the citizens are getting sick and tired of council taking care of a few and not helping the entire community. Everybody knew months ago that the rhetoric was nothing more than posturing to show a bleak forecast to justify an outrageous fee increase. We were right!

I understand the employees will have to pay their share of PERS, but that money goes into their retirement account, not in the city coffers. Where does Councilman Bob Cleary get the idea to give a 9 percent raise over the next two years? Could he name any businesses that can do this? Maybe he is running for mayor again?

The citizens get nothing for this fee increase.

Council members should realize that the citizens have to cut when the funds are not there. Council should do the same. Run the city like a business. If something is broke, then fix it. Show a little backbone. Remember, we put you in to do a job. Don’t crawl into a corner and hide when a tough choice approaches. Do what is right for all citizens.

Maybe we need some changes in the charter. City leaders are not going to hold the people in Ironton hostage because of their poor business practices.

Remember, council members only get paid $125 per month. Now we know why. You don’t get paid for posturing; you get paid for the decisions that affect the livelihood of the citizens of Ironton!

Jim Kratzenberg

Ironton