Temporary budget passed

The repaving of some of the city’s brick streets, which have been torn up as a result of the third phase of the Environmental Protection Agency-mandated storm/sanitary separation project, will be rebid by E.L. Robinson Engineering to be replaced with bricks after a stop work order was placed on the project with Tribute Contracting and Consultants, LLC, according to Ironton Mayor Katrina Keith.

The city budgeted for $40,000 to replace the streets with the bricks that came out, which is a city ordinance that any work done in the city must be replaced with what comes out. However, Tribute said it would cost an additional $50,000 for the brick replacement, making the total to repave the streets with brick $90,000, causing the stop work order.

Ironton resident Brent Pyles addressed council at its Thursday meeting, stating the city ordinance needed to be followed and the bricks needed to be replaced.

The new bid for the project is not exclusively open to Tribute, meaning another company may take over the project to replace the bricks.

Ironton City Councilman and Vice Mayor Craig Harvey said the city doesn’t know where the bricks are at this time, but that they were in fact saved.

The city’s temporary budget for the first three months of next year, Ordinance 16-50, to adopt the temporary operating budget for the city of Ironton for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2017, and declaring an emergency, was also given its third reading and unanimously passed at council.

The temporary budget has a 40 percent increase from last year’s budget, to avoid temporary budget adjustments for any line that would exceed its budget with several expenses that will be incurred early in the year.

Also at council:

• Ordinance 16-50, authorizing and directing the mayor to enter into a contract with the Ironton Metropolitan Housing Authority, and declaring an emergency, was favorably recommended by finance committee and given its first reading.

• Ordinance 16-53, authorization with ODOT for repaving of State Route 141, was favorably recommended by finance committee and given its first reading.

• Ordinance 16-55, authorizing and directing the mayor to execute, on behalf of the city of Ironton, a collective bargaining agreement between the city of Ironton and the International Association of Firefighters and declaring an emergency, was favorably recommended by finance committee and given its first reading.

• Ordinance 16-56, authorizing the mayor to enter into a contract for health insurance coverage for the employees of the city of Ironton and declaring an emergency, was favorably recommended by finance committee and given its first reading.

• Ordinance 16-57, authorizing and directing the mayor to execute an agreement with E.L. Robinson Engineering Company, Inc. regarding the design of Ironton, Walnut to Madison streets/South Ironton storm/sanitary sewer separation project phase four and declare it an emergency, was favorably recommended by finance committee and given its first reading.