The subjects of Thursday’s Ironton City Council meeting were septic hauling and budgets.

The only ordinance on the agenda was Ordinance 18-51, which would set prices for residential septic haulers at $25 for up to 1,000 gallons, $50 for 1,001-2,000 gallons, $75 for 2,001-300 gallons and $100 for more than 3,000 gallons.

For non-residential haulers, it would be $50 for up to 1,000 gallons, $100 for 1,001-2,000 gallons, $150 for 2,001-300 gallons and $200 for more than 3,000 gallons.

Vice Mayor Rich Blankenship said that, while he wasn’t crazy about the concept of putting the waste through the city system, he was going to vote for it.

For the year-to-date, the revenue from industrial haulers has been $13,055.53 and from outside haulers was $2,500.

“I though it would be a lot more than that,” he said. “We have people in our own city who are getting flooded by sewage, still today, and then we are taking in (septic waste) and we don’t even know where it is coming from.”

Mayor Katrina Keith said that at one time accepting septic waste was taking in $60,000 a year.

Councilman Jim Tordiff said he was going to vote for it but he wanted to make sure it was monitored so they don’t have cases like in years past when haulers were dumping without paying.

Keith said that it would and they expect to create a positive revenue stream.

In the end, the ordinance passed unanimously after it was given a third reading.

Before the meeting, Keith told council that the street crews would be out putting up Christmas decorations.

Council also passed a resolution for adopting a city budget for 2019.

She said the paving of Park Avenue and Second Street is complete and crews will come back to put stripes on the roads, which will include a lane that will turn onto Ninth Street.

She said the “weeds and seeds” program, in which the city cuts overgrown yards or hauls off trash and then puts a lien on the property taxes, had a successful summer with $41,600 in assessments and 150 owners notified about the issues.

“110 actually responded and corrected their issues,” Keith said. “So it looks to be working.”
Many of the properties are foreclosed homes or property with out-of-state owners.

Keith said they are also looking into getting the council meetings broadcast on Facebook Live.

On Wednesday, council’s Strategic Planning Committee will meet at 6 p.m. to discuss proposed rates and corresponding legislation.

The Public Utility Committee will meet at 6 p.m. on Thursday to discuss a sewer project.

The meetings will be in council chambers on the third floor of the City Center.