Steubenville officials look at 2024 budget needs

STEUBENVILLE -- City Council got its first look Tuesday at how much it could cost to run the city in 2024. The first of four budget meetings was held, with a handful of department heads -- among them, Mayor Jerry Barilla, City Manager Jim Mavromatis, Law Director Costa Mastros, Municipal Judge John Mascio, Police Chief Ken Anderson and Fire Chief Carlo Capaldi -- making their case for the coming year.

During the next three weeks remaining departments -- streets, parks and recreation, building, city engineer, water and wastewater departments -- will present their wish lists.

So far there haven't been any big surprises, Finance Director Dave Lewis said.

"Mainly, the increases (they're requesting) are in secretarial/administrative staffing," he said after the finance committee meeting.

"There've been a lot of 'asks' for secretaries for several departments, we'll be looking at ways to fund those positions. I think that's the concern, adding multiple positions at this point with revenue that's relatively flat or increasing just slightly."

Lewis, though, isn't ready to make any budget predictions since they're several months away from closing the books out.

"We're still working on it overall, but the general fund's about the same," he said. "We're not seeing any large increases in revenue. Overall funds we have to pin down a little better."

Lewis said they "plan to go over everything with the budget" during the sessions.

"We're going to pretty much cover the whole budget in four weeks," he told council. "Anything you want changed, we'll make a note of that."

Some of the discussion during the first budget session touched on the $35,000 in the mayor's community celebrations account, with Fourth Ward Councilman Royal Mayo and First Ward Councilwoman Asantewa Anyabwile pushing for council to designate how the money is spent.

Mayo said it "would protect the mayor and protect the city to have it written out exactly what we're asking for money for."

"Personally, I'd rather leave it at the mayor's discretion," Sixth Ward Councilman Mike Hernon countered. "It's not council's money. We allocate it to the mayor who then determines where it should be spent."

Third Ward Councilwoman Heather Hoover questioned "what constitutes a community celebration.

"I get that the Fourth of July and Juneteenth are federally recognized," she said. "What happens if ... someone else comes in?"

Hoover said she doesn't want someone walking in off the street and asking for funds for, say, a block party.

"I have some (concerns) about people walking in and asking for money with no structure in place, no (non-profit status). We can't just hand money out when people come to the door ... we can't just give money to everybody who walks through the door."

Second Ward Councilman Tracy McManamon proposed "leaving it to the mayor to set the structure."

Setting aside funding to for cutting weeds and high grass when property owners cannot or will not do it themselves -- and where in the budget to put that money -- was also a hot topic, with Anyabwile first suggesting they put it in council's budget. She also said they need to look at changing laws to make it easier for city workers to go on private property and said council needs to "come up with better ordinances" so that won't be a reason it's not done.

Mascio, however, pointed out they already have the laws they need at their disposal.

"You've got every law you need on the books already, you don't need to change laws," he said. "What I would tell you is it's a fallacy that you cannot go on private property and cut grass ... the statute is clear, if you give notice and they don't remedy it, the city has the right to go onto that property (and do it). The problem the city has had is the approach that you always want to pass the burden onto the homeowner and the homeowner doesn't always have the wherewithal to get it done."

In many instances, he said drugs or mental illness are factors.

Mastros, meanwhile, voiced frustration at a lack of attention to the advice he's given them in the past when the topic has come up. He said he's sent numerous memos to council and told them in person "many times" that city crews "can go on private property ... we just have to go through procedure."

"It's not new, I don't want to hear that it's new," he said. "I've been here five or six years ... I'm a little frustrated because I keep hearing (that) and I've told you many times ... it's a procedure, we've got to follow procedure."

During its business meeting, council adopted a resolution honoring Hoover for achieving national recognition for her dedication to STEM learning and its importance in the classroom for being the 2023-24 National Project Lead the Way Launch Teacher of the Year.

First readings were given to legislation authorizing Mavromatis to enter into contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the Sunset Boulevard resurfacing project and to join Urban Projects Director Chris Petrossi in executing a sub-recipient contract agreement with Urban Mission Ministries for use of CDBG funds for continuation of the existing Microenterprise Asssistance Program in Steubenville.

Proposed legislation declaring several buildings unsafe structures was tabled for two weeks to allow Petrossi to "tweak the list" to ensure properties that could impede the Choice Neighborhoods grant proposal were addressed.