Vacant lots to be charged for stormwater use
Published 12:00 am Saturday, June 3, 2006
Ironton City Council decided that owners of vacant properties will begin paying a $10 monthly fee into the stormwater utility fee, although that ordinance is not as wide-sweeping as it was before Thursday’s meeting of the council.
The change was the last piece of a complete overhaul of the stormwater funding system to be put into place. The new plan charges $2 per 1,000 gallons of water use extra to homes and businesses, doing away with a $14.55 monthly fee that had been on the books.
Before it was passed though, city engineer Phil Biggs had some concerns about the policy that he addressed during the meeting.
“I believe I understand what council’s intent is, but I think it needs to be clarified,” Biggs said.
The basic complaint is that the fee charges a flat fee to vacant properties, which is typically defined by undeveloped properties. As those don’t contribute to the runoff problem, they weren’t the intended targets of the ordinance.
The council agreed to alter the ordinance so that vacant developed properties, anything from parking lots to old homes, would be the only ones charged a $10 monthly fee.
Councilman Leo Johnson, although architect of the plan, admitted that there may be flaws in the ordinance, he said that he though it would be more fair to all parties.
“I will say this, it’s not a perfect plan, but I think it’s a more equitable plan,” Johnson said.
Although the Ironton finance department may be running without leadership right now, the city council took a first step on Thursday to address the issue.
Kathy Elam was hired on as a temporary assistant finance director. The appointment is temporary because the charter specifically states that the finance director must appoint her replacement.
So Elam’s employment will be contingent on whether or not the new finance director, when she is appointed, wants to keep her on.
“It’s not our opinion that the framers of the charter would have wanted the finance department not to have any employees if there was no finance director,” said city solicitor Bob Anderson. “It’s our opinion that we can do it.”
Elam will also have to sign checks for the city when needed.
Council chairman Chuck O’Leary has said that he would probably begin accepting applications for a new finance director, a spot that council has filled with two different individuals who subsequently declined the job. The position has been open since mid-March, when it was vacated by Cindy Anderson.
Councilman Richard Price made a motion to hire Anderson, which failed with only he, Johnson and councilman Bob Cleary voting in favor.
“I don’t know why we keep bringing up this point, I think we should just let this dead dog die,” Meeks said, which he clarified to be in reference to the issue.
Also during the meeting, the council gave first reading to an ordinance that would authorize the mayor to contract disposal of municipal solid waste to Rumpke of Ohio.
Earlier, the Ohio State Patrol announced that they would set up a sobriety checkpoint in Ironton on May 26 in conjunction with the Ironton Police Department.