STEUBENVILLE — City Council is moving forward with Steubenville’s street and alley improvement programs this year.

Council Tuesday heard the first of three required readings this year’s Community Development Block Grant-funded street improvement program. Two additional readings are required before the measure can come to the floor for a vote.

The CDBG funds can only be spent in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, and this year the target area includes Greenfield Avenue from Arden to Woodfield; Woodland from Greenfield to Alton Avenue; Alton from Woodland to Lincoln Boulevard; North Eighth Street from Franklin to its south terminus, and Acme Street from North Seventh Street to North Eight Street. There is a bid alternate of Franklin Avenue from North Seventh Street to Highland Avenue.

Legislation also was introduced that would authorize City Manager Jim Mavromatis to advertise for bids — and, if necessary, rebid — the alley resurfacing and street sign projects.

City Engineer Mike Dolak said the alley improvements would target Commercial Street between South and North streets and Court Street from South to Washington streets.

Still to come is Steubenville’s own street improvement program, which is funded with revenue from the 0.7 percent income tax. This year the city will be doing Wellesley Avenue from University Boulevard to Belleview Boulevard.

Dolak said they’re hoping for a $299,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission to assist with construction costs.

In other matters:

• Councilman at large Joel Walker said residents upset with water rates are asking why bills continue to go up, and when he researched it, he found out the ordinance (took) effect in 2018.

“In the ordinance … it was supposed to only be for five years — there was a 3 percent plus $1 per year for five years, but there’s a line in there that (it’s in effect) and unless council changes it it will go on. It was supposed to end in 2023,” Walker said, pointing out Steubenville has “pretty much the most expensive water bill in the area, and pretty close in the state of Ohio.”

“We need to figure that out and talk about that,’ he added. “I don’t know how that will affect the budget, but like I said, it’s in there. If we don’t do anything it’s going to go up 3 percent every year and the dollar will keep going up.”

Mavromatis said he will arrange a briefing for this Tuesday’s meeting so council can “see exactly what the impact is if you quit raising the water rate.”

• Fourth Ward Councilman Royal Mayo requested a timeline for getting new batting cages installed at city fields.

• Third Ward Councilwoman Heather Hoover asked council to do a checklist of properties in their wards where weeds and unmowed grass are perennial issues. She said they’re putting together a list of hot spots “so that we have that list ready and (are) ready to move forward on issuing notices, those kinds of things.”

“If it’s not on the list and you don’t bring it to our attention, we don’t know about it,” Hoover said.

• Mavromatis said the end-of-year balances are being tallied by the finance office. He said Finance Director Dave Lewis should have his report ready for the Feb. 3 meeting.

• Walker said the city manager’s job has been reposted, with ads placed with professional associations in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania as well as the International City Managers Association. Resumes are due Jan. 30.

The search resumed after the two finalists in the original round of applicants invited for in-person interviews withdrew their names from consideration: One of the prospects indicated he’d already accepted a position and didn’t feel right about resigning after just two months on the job — even though resumes for Steubenville’s posting were submitted before Christmas and all four candidates who made the cut initially were interviewed in person or on Zoom in mid-December. The other would-be prospect pulled out due to financial concerns.

• Mayor Ralph Petrella reported Homeless Coalition representatives will be at council’s next meeting to discuss their annual Point in Time headcount of the community’s unhoused population. Point in Time, which is mandatory, is a one-night census of a community’s homeless population. HUD uses the information to identify need, assign resources and track progress.

• Second Ward Councilman Tracy McManamon scheduled an economic development committee meeting for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 3 to roll out a tax abatement program the city attorney has been working on and meet with an economic development specialist.