Ironton is in financial straits and has to raise revenue somehow.

This is not new information, the city has really been in that situation since the heavy industries that helped build the town faded away.

But the current city council is the one that has to face the combined factors of a town where only 48 percent of its residents are employed. Ironton has a 21.47 percent poverty level. This level doesn’t help when you factor in tax revenue plus aging infrastructure in the water treatment plant, the sewage treatment plant and the flooding defense systems.

These are the main factors that have lead the city to having to raise rates to be able to provide services.

Ironton Mayor Katrina Keith said it doesn’t matter if a city is poor, they still have to produce services like water and sewage treatment.

But rather than just passing fee increases and dealing with the fallout, the Ironton City Council is looking for input from the public. In the near future, they will hold a meeting in Ohio University Southern’s Bowman Auditorium.

We recommend that everyone attend this meeting and hear what city officials have to say. Ask direct questions about it to the city council rather than complaining on social media.

Make your voice heard by those that were elected to run Ironton. It’s how democracy works best.