Starting April 1, Ironton residents will pay a monthly $2.

Thursday, March 01, 2001

Starting April 1, Ironton residents will pay a monthly $2.50 municipal fee that council hopes will curb the financial crunch faced by the city.

Councilmen Hugh Scott and Bob Vaughn were the only two members of council that voted against the fee.

Council chairman Jim Tordiff asked Scott if he could offer any other alternative to the fee, but the councilman declined to comment.

Ordinance 01-08, sponsored by councilmen Jesse Roberts, Leo Ulery and Richard Price will levy a fee to each household and rental unit in the city and non-residents that subscribe to the city’s water service.

The floor was opened to the public before council voted. A few members of the audience took their chance to air their feelings about the proposed fee.

City resident John Albrink told council that city residents are "fee’d up with fees."

Albrink was also concerned with the temporary municipal fee becoming a permanent bill for Ironton residents.

Tordiff responded by saying the language in the ordinance prohibits the legislation from becoming permanent. In the text of the ordinance, there is a stipulation ending the law March 31, 2002. The law can also be repealed Jan. 1, 2002, if city residents vote for a measure that is planned to go on the November general election ballot.

Tordiff explained the city has lost a large part of its revenue in a short period of time because of closing businesses in the city. He said the ordinance was proposed because it would curtail some of the lost money normally generated by businesses.