MEETING — Officials listened to a report during Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Mingo Junction Village Council. -- Christopher Dacanay

MINGO JUNCTION — Following multiple special meetings and spending compromises, Village Council has approved its 2025 budget.

During its regular meeting Tuesday, Council passed an emergency ordinance appropriating funds for the village’s current expenditures for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31.

Officials anticipate that the village’s failure to renew its additional 1 percent income tax in 2021 will significantly reduce available revenue. Thus, budget meetings leading up to the ordinance saw council and department heads cutting back on expenses wherever possible to prevent deficit spending.

Village Clerk Jay Fabian thanked council members for their work throughout the budget meetings.

“It was a lot, trying to do what we had to do with what we got,” he said.

Council member Jodilynn Fitzgerald noted that more cuts may become necessary down the road, to which Fabian remarked that the village will have to “tighten up like no other.”

In addition to departmental spending cuts, council has considered other ways to balance its budget, namely through potential recreation adjustments and water rate increases.

The village is pursuing several means to increase revenue for its water department, which will have no room in its 2025 budget for incidental expenditures, based on projections. One of those means is a fee increase for 4-inch water meter users.

Entities in the village that have 4-inch meters include the Indian Creek schools, Indian Village Apartments and certain businesses on George’s Run. Despite using more water than typical 3/4-inch users, those entities pay the same in fees, according to Village Administrator Darrin Corrigan.

The village plans to raise fees for users with 4-inch meters or greater, Corrigan said. Letters have been hand delivered to those users notifying them of the change. An ordinance to enshrine the change is expected to come before Council in May or as early as the next meeting.

Additionally, the village is preparing to renegotiate its contract with the Jefferson County Water and Sewer District, which purchases water from the village to feed customers in its Area J.

The two’s contract has not been changed since 2016, Corrigan said, adding that the village will soon meet with district officials to adjust the rate, taking into account increased costs.

Finally, the village is looking to raise rates for JSW Steel USA Ohio Inc.

The steel manufacturing facility pays a reduced rate per thousand gallons after it reaches 150,000 gallons of water usage. Corrigan said he’d like to have the discount rate raised slightly, and JSW has already been notified of the change.

Corrigan said these three means will ensure village residents’ water rates can stay the same.

At another point in the meeting, Mayor Judy Ruckman reported on various grant pursuits and other ongoing initiatives.

“I’m working (the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association), I’m working with the Mayor’s Partnership for Progress and Verdantas, and we are just trying to see what we can piece together for our community and what we can get,” she said. “Nothing happens overnight, but it’s exciting.”

Ruckman said she attended an event in the Ohio Statehouse organized by the MPP. The event reportedly granted her opportunities to connect with legislators’ offices and hear directly from department-level grant disbursement coordinators about their processes.

Ruckman reported submitting a grant for the second half of the Farmers Lane waterline extension project, with assistance from OMEGA. She is in the process of submitting a grant to have Verdantas perform a $575,000 study, looking at possible alternatives to the underpass that connects South and North Commercial Street.

Also, Ruckman said she’s excited to have signed paperwork giving Siegel Excavating LLC the go-ahead to tear down three dilapidated Commercial Street buildings. Work must be complete within 90 days from April 2.

Council heard a report from Police Chief Willie McKenzie III, who said the department has addressed 600 service calls to date this year — a 200-call increase compared to the same time last year.

The police department has observed a “concerning rise in unruly juvenile behavior,” McKenzie said, reminding parents to keep an eye on their children to prevent further issues. He also addressed “dangerous activity involving mini bikes on local streets” and said parents have been warned that any bikes involved in further reckless driving will be seized.

“Our top priority is ensuring the safety of our community, and we want to avoid any accidents or injuries,” he said.

To celebrate Easter, the department will hold a drawing for 20 Easter baskets for children in the community. Ticket availability will be announced on the department’s Facebook page.

In other business:

• Council scheduled a Parks and Recreation Committee meeting for 5:30 p.m. Monday at Aracoma Park. Committee members intend to walk through the park and discuss needs, as well as potential age restrictions for the village pool this summer.

• Ruckman advised village residents that, if they’re not receiving their water bills, they should contact the post office. The village contracts with another company to mail out water bills, she said, so there’s nothing the village can do if a bill doesn’t arrive. In the event a physical bill is not received, residents are still expected to pay the amount, and they can find out what they owe by calling the water department office.

• Corrigan said he’s waiting to see how certain filled potholes hold up before he decides whether to purchase 22 tons of a different cold patch. More akin to asphalt, the cold patch would be less likely to fall out of potholes when driven over by vehicles — unlike the village’s current material, which has failed in some high-traffic areas.

• A sewer line in the woods near Ravine Street is sucking in water from a nearby Creek, and when it becomes full, it plugs up and leaks sewage. Corrigan said it’s not a major issue but does need to be fixed, so he’s looking to obtain reasonable quotes.

• Council member Pat Cramblett said residents can call the Mingo Junction Senior Center to place orders for lunches, which they can pick up and take to-go on weekdays. Meals are by donation.

• Council heard that the John “Wiz” Fabian Memorial Easter Egg Hunt for children will take place at 11 a.m. April 19 at Aracoma Park.

• Village resident Cathy Stoddart requested that certain comments from Fitzgerald, regarding approval of cameras in the fire station, be reflected in the March 11 meeting minutes. In discussion with Stoddart, Council established that citizen records requests should be directed to Village Solicitor Craig Allen through the village clerk office.