Adelphia cable subscribers will have the chance to ask questions directly to company representatives Thursday at the Ironton City Council meeting.

As always, the regular meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday on the third floor of the Ironton City Center is open to the public.

Mayor John Elam wanted to encourage all residents who have questions about Adelphia's services to take advantage of this opportunity.

"I think it is very important for the citizens of Ironton to be able to speak directly with their cable representatives," Elam said. "Ms. (Tracee) Tackett is making herself available to address their concerns."

Recently, Elam and the council encouraged residents to call the mayor's office with their complaints in addition to calling Adelphia's customer service. Though he said he does not know the exact number at this time, he said he has received several calls.

Tracee Tackett, operations manager for the Ashland-Ironton systems, said she is always happy to hear from customers about their concerns. However, service problems should be handled by calling 1-888-683-1000.

"I had promised the mayor and council that we would attend one council meeting each quarter to see if there are issues they have or questions," she said. "We are just building relationships with the community."

Tackett said Adelphia is doing all it can to provide the best service possible. Although the recent changes are confusing at first, Tackett said she is confident customers will see that the changes are positive.

"The whole reason we did this was to make it more simple, give customers better choices and more value," she said.

Many residents have reported problems with the audio on the analog service but those have been addressed, Tackett said.

"The problem should be cleared up," she said. "But there are several of us that monitor it daily."

Also on the agenda, Council will hear the first reading of an ordinance that would require filling the unexpired term of a council position to be discussed in an open meeting.

As the appointment process is currently defined in the city charter, the council has 30 days to appoint someone to fill any vacant council position. If council cannot do so, the mayor can make an appointment without council's approval.

The Ohio Revised Code allows for the deliberations on council appointments to take place in a closed session, but ordinance sponsor Councilman Jim Tordiff said he thinks it is more appropriate that these discussions take place in public.