STEUBENVILLE — Faced with an unexpected $5.15 million price tag to fix an environmental issue that brought work on a costly wastewater project at the north end of town to a standstill, Steubenville Finance Director Dave Lewis was asked Tuesday to paint an accurate picture of the city’s debt position for council.

Councilman Tracy McManamon, who chairs the finance committee, said he requested the debtload chart be added to council’s monthly financial summary so members can better understand the ramifications of the big-ticket funding decisions they’re being asked to make on a regular basis.

“As we continue to improve our infrastructure and take out these loans, I think it’s important to not only look at the revenues — which is what we’ve been focused on — but also at the debt repayment schedules and what do they mean to our bottom line,” McManamon said. “The debt repayment schedule is significant.”

The summary, prepared by the finance department, shows the city is currently repaying a little over $48 million in loans. Lewis said there are several projects that haven’t reached repayment stage yet while several other smaller ones will be satisfied in full soon and will fall off the list.

Lewis also told council tax collections remain strong–through the end of April they were up 6.67 percent–and the city “continues to earn solid returns on invested cash balances and from interest bearing checking accounts.”

“Revenue from the city’s major funds has been coming in about as projected, with most major funds showing slight increases,” he added. “(But) infrastructure remains a key concern: The city has completed a number of infrastructure projects and has a number of projects underway. We discussed the need to balance needed water and sewer projects with utility rate affordability, as city debt stands at $48 million. At this time, the city’s cash position is stable.”

But Lewis also points out its debt that “drives utility rates.”

“It’s good to see needed improvement to the systems but, unfortunately, those improvements impact utility rates for many decades (after),” he said.

Wastewater Superintendent Chuck Murphy told council there was no way to predict the problems they encountered at the CSO3 site, pointing out multiple soil borings were done before work even began and there was no hint of a problem. He said the gas issue that’s surfaced since then is deep and was only detectable at the eastern end of the worksite, but the $5.15 million change order will eliminate the hazard and make it safe for work to resume in the confined spaces they have to work in.

McManamon, meanwhile, said the debt chart is critical for council going forward, adding that while council needs to be concerned with revenues and expenses, “we also have to look at the debt, both short-, mid- and long-term, and what that impact means for our city.” He said they’ve been fortunate in the past to have some of their long-term debt forgiven “and we will continue to work on loan forgiveness with our federal and state partners.”

“Most of our debt service is directly related to our infrastructure,” he said, “and as we all know, it is old and needs to be modified upgraded or replaced.”

“We have to have good infrastructure for not only the residents and businesses that are already here, but also to attract new developments. We are also very cognizant of our current rate structure and want to be very mindful of how we move forward financially,” he added.

Councilman Mike Hernon agreed, noting that they need to keep the city’s existing debt in mind when they’re asked to take more on. “It’s a sobering fact for me, in taking on new projects we should think (about the ramifications),” he said. “It’s good for us to know what we’ve already bitten off before we move forward.”

Council also was updated by its grant writing consultant on the status of several hundred thousand dollars in funding requests filed for various city projects and heard the second reading of a resolution authorizing city officials to submit a grant application to the Ohio Natureworks Program for recreation purposes.

Members also sunshined emergency legislation pertaining to the CSO3 change order; legislation authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract with James White Construction for the bulk water sale project; and adopting the city’s Fiscal Year 2026 tax budget, including a public hearing.