UPDATE — Cassandra Kokoski, regional liaison for Aspire, Steubenville’s grant-writing consultant, updated council on the projects that were funded in Year 1 of their contract. -- Linda Harris

STEUBENVILLE — Efforts to change Steubenville’s Table of Organization so the city could hire a part-time parking enforcement officer were rebuffed at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Council voted against considering the changes under emergency rules, which would have made them effective almost immediately. With the defeat the measure now will have to go through the traditional three readings.

Voting no were Fifth Ward Councilman Willie Paul, Fourth Ward Councilman Royal Mayo and First Ward Councilwoman Asantewa Anyabwile.

Paul, questioned afterward, said he received an e-mail about the parking ordinance, “but I can’t recall a resolve to the problem.” He also pointed out it was Councilwoman at large Kimberly Hahn who’d moved to amend the TO, “but she is not on the finance committee.”

Paul said that motion should have come from his finance committee.

“I don’t (infringe on) her committees,” he said later. “Stay out of mine.”

Hahn had pushed for a parking enforcement officer to monitor violations in the downtown business district, telling council business owners are complaining that motorists are abusing the city’s free parking policy.

Mayo voiced concern with the wording of the proposed legislation, which authorized City Manager Jim Mavromatis to negotiate a wage of up to $18 an hour for the part-time enforcement officer.

“I’m going to vote no,” Mayo said prior to the vote. “Maybe we can rework the wording of that and come back at some time later and (reconsider.)”

Later, Mayo said the city has “permanent part-time employees at the MLK Recreation Center who are being paid, I believe, about $11.33 an hour, so you run the risk of losing them and not only that, you’re underpaying them.”

He said he’s not convinced the city needs to hire “somebody to write tickets in one block of the downtown.”

“From Washington Street to Market Street, that’s the area you’re talking about,” he said. “And they’re going to pay somebody $18 an hour and we don’t know how many hours they’d work? I don’t think we have enough violations in the downtown area to warrant an $18-an- hour employee.”

Mavromatis said giving him room to negotiate a starting salary — up to $18 an hour — was “just about having the flexibility to do what we need to do.”

Anyabwile said she’d voiced concerns at the July 11 meeting, and recommended council “look at what other similarly sized cities are paying” for the service.

Paul also asked who had come up with the idea of setting the wage at up to $18

“It was recommended by staff who said they couldn’t hire anybody,” Fifth Ward Councilman Mike Hernon said.

“I wasn’t here,” Paul said. “You guys did everything behind my back, (you do) whatever you want to do. It’s not going to happen tonight, though.”

Paul made it clear Tuesday he wasn’t happy council pushed through a vote to shift Steubenville’s Appalachian Community Grant wish list from the application being developed under the auspices of Jefferson County Port Authority’s to Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District without him being able to have his say.

Paul had been out of town and his return unexpectedly delayed, so he missed council’s July 11 meeting. During that meeting council voted, over Mayor Jerry Barilla’s objections, to withdraw from the Jefferson County Port Authority — and instead join JSWCD’s 18-county project in hopes of securing grant money for three city projects — the downtown streetscape, marina and a Miracle Field at Belleview Park.

Barilla wanted the council members present to delay the vote until this week, when Paul could be present, but Hahn, Hernon, Second Ward Councilman Tracy McManamon and Anyabwile chose to proceed.

Cassandra Kokoski, regional liaison for the city’s grant writing consultant, told council her company, Aspire, submitted three grants in 2022 and 15 more so far in 2023, with nearly $554,000 in grants awarded.

Kokoski said eight applications are still pending notifications and two are under congressional review.

Mayo wanted to know who decides what grants they should go after and for what, and said he’d like to be part of the process.

“I’d like to know when you’re coming again,” he said. “The next few meetings you have I’d like to know.”

“It was very nice to see you and I appreciate what you’re doing for the city,” Paul said.

Council recently renewed Aspire’s contract for a second year.

Paul reminded council Water Superintendent Jim Jenkins will be the speaker at a July 25 committee meeting to upcoming projects. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m.

He also said Finance Director Dave Lewis has requested an exit conference with the auditors on Aug. 1. Council will move to the Pugliese room for that discussion.

Parks Director Lori Fetherolf asked council to appropriate $90,230 in American Rescue Plan funds to pay for renovations to the remaining ballfields in need of a facelift. She said she obtained two quotes and the Park Board had recommended accepting the lower bid, from Agricultural Design.

Mayo said he’d like city officials to consult with Little League organizer Ted Gorman to figure out the order in which field upgrades should be done to be least disruptive to fall baseball and softball games.

“Both companies said they could get them done in the fall,” Fetherolf said.

Fetherolf said work has already been scheduled for North End field, but that’s going to be paid for out of grant funds supplemented by her budget.

Hahn sunshined legilations authorizing use of ARPA funds to pay for the field work.

Mavromatis said he’d contacted the owner of a Dresden Avenue property “and told them the deficiencies that were reported.”

“I’m giving them a week to deal with that, then if we have to we’ll take code enforcement out,” he said.

Mavromatis also said the collapse of a neighboring property last week during demolition of the old Moose hall is “in the hands of the insurance companies.”

“That demolition was paid for by the Jefferson County Land Bank,” he said. “I understand the land bank has (turned it over) to insurance.”

Mavromatis pointed out the contractor doing that demolition “spent $5,000 video taping that whole area before he even touched the building.”

After meeting in executive session, council voted to settle a complaint filed by an open meetings advocate. Paul voted no, saying he wanted to know who their accuser was. Details of the settlement were not available.

McManamon sunshined a resolution, to be presented at a future date, honoring Naples Spaghetti House on its 100th year in business

Hahn also sunshined legislation honoring a Belleview Park lifeguard for “rescuing not one, but two children” from drowning.

“Even though it’s her job as lifeguard, she really did save two lives within a hour at the pool,” Hahn said.