Ironton City Council will be asking residents to approve a replacement of the existing recreation levy in November.

Although council approved the resolution Thursday, there were only five councilmen present and the city charter requires six “yes” votes for a resolution to take effect immediately.

With only five votes, the resolution won’t take effect for 30 days, which is after the Aug. 23 filing date required to get levies on the November ballot.

So council will have a special meeting on Aug. 15 to pass another resolution with the same wording to get the levy onto the ballot.

The half-mill levy was originally passed in 2003 and expires in 2008. City residents would continue to pay a nickel for each $100 of value on their property, meaning that a house valued at $50,000 would cost a homeowner about $7.66 each year.

The levy renewal is for another five years.

The special meeting will probably hit on the subject of the city’s combined sewer system. The council will be asked to pass a resolution so it can apply for grants in 2008.

Paul Sheets, the city engineering technician, said the Environmental Protection Agency has asked for a clarification of a timeline to separate the wastewater lines from the storm water lines. The city is asking for a 22-year time span to accomplish the task, but the EPA would like the project finished sooner.

Sheets said the current plan is to start on the north end of town.

Mayor John Elam told council that the city has been awarded a $37,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Natureworks program to deal with the erosion on the Center Street Landing.

The bank in front of the Fuzzy Duck has been eroding for a while and the city will now put materials called rip rap and armored rock to halt the erosion.