After barely three months working for the city, two grant writers' contract has been terminated at least until the U.S. Department of Labor completes an audit of the contract with the Scioto County Community Action Organization.

Meeting in regular session Thursday, Council was presented with a memo from City Finance Director Cindy Anderson stating that the Scioto County CAO has been under audit and that the Workforce Investment Act the workers were hired under will not cover the costs incurred for retraining the former employees of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion plant in Piketon.

Because the CAO terminated the contract, Kevin Clausing and Cindy Quillen were sent home Thursday at 11 a.m. and will not return until the audit findings are completed or the contracts are renegotiated, which could take a few weeks, Councilman John Elam said.

The CAO may be reprimanded or be required to repay all or some of the funds, Elam said.

Currently, the city is owed $6,023 but could be reimbursed, according to the memo. There may be other grant programs the city can apply for to pay part of the grant writers' salary.

Although salary was to be paid by the grant, the city was required to pay for insurance coverage and training during the one year employment.

Plans to hire the writers began in January and they were officially hired in June.

In other business, council authorized city attorneys to pursue an eminent domain lawsuit against the owners of the Dockside Grill, Center Street, to accommodate improvements to the floodgate entrance.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft, the Army Corps of Engineers and Norfolk and Southern Railroad have reviewed plans. The single-lane entrance will be modified to a two-lane entrance to allow safer, more convenient entry when crossing the railroad tracks. Signs, lights and curbs will also be added to the crossing. Part of the floodwall will be removed and the gate structure will be modernized from wooden to aluminum.

Work on the three-month project is scheduled to begin this month. The railroad crossing has been a dangerous problem for years and has caused several deaths, said City Engineer Joe McCallister last month when the plans were sent to be reviewed.

The Huntington-Ironton Empowerment Zone and ODNR's Waterway Safety Fund funded the $230,000 project that has been in the planning for almost three years.

The city will seek bids for a complete closure of the entrance and also for a one-way traffic closure. Either way,

alternate access from Second Street will be opened.

Also, Council debated a resolution to adjust the salaries of four department heads, with the resolution passing by a 4-3 vote. The finance director, water treatment superintendent, wastewater treatment plant superintendent and street superintendent received raises.

Council members Jesse Roberts, Richard Price, Robert Isaac and Brent Pyles voted for the resolution that had been discussed several times in executive session.

While they agreed the employees may deserve a raise, Jim Tordiff, John Elam and Bob Lipker opposed it because they felt it may exclude other department heads who are deserving.

"I just don't think we are doing the right thing by picking and choosing," Tordiff said. "I will get calls wondering, 'Why am I not considered? Do I have poor job performance?'"

Councilman Isaac said that Mayor Bob Cleary has evaluated the job descriptions of department heads and made the recommendations. Michael Caldwell/The Ironton Tribune