Linda Harris DEBATE — A heated discussion erupted Tuesday over changes to the Steubenville clerk of council’s job description which would have her taking on duties that, until recently, had been done by a part-time secretary, making $22,000 a year.

STEUBENVILLE — At least one section of the roof at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Center will have to be replaced in the near future, City Manager Mike Johnson said Tuesday.

“There are three separate roofs on the MLK Center,” Johnson said after the meeting. “One was replaced in 2019 and is in good shape (but) the roof over the gymnasium is leaking and needs replaced. An initial estimate places the cost to replace (that section) at $160,000-$200,000. (And) the back roof over the weight room is not in great shape. If that roof needs replaced, it’s estimated to cost anywhere from $45,000-$60,000.”

The only section of the roof holding up is at the front of the building. That portion was redone in 2019, and Johnson said he had the roofing contractor return to inspect the work and it remains in good condition.

“He said his roof looks really good,” Johnson said. “He said the gymnasium roof looks 30 years old and it’s leaking. He said the back roof, which covers the weight room, does not look good but he didn’t have his guy go out on it because he didn’t want to cause any damage to it.”

He said projects like this add urgency to the levy renewal questions on the May 5 primary election ballot.

“The upcoming levies provide funding that can be used to repair the roofs if the levies are passed,” he said. “If the levies fail, it will be financially very difficult to get the roofs replaced.”

Johnson has been serving as interim parks and recreation director while the search for a new director continues. He reported Tuesday that he offered the job to a candidate who has tentatively accepted, pending routine testing. If all goes as planned, Johnson said the individual will begin work the week of April 27.

Council then entered executive session to discuss changes to the job description for the clerk of council, adding responsibilities previously handled by a part-time secretary who worked 29 hours a week and earned $22,000 annually.

Johnson said council emerged from the closed-door session to approve the changes, overriding criticism from councilman Royal Mayo.

Mayo objected to the process, saying it included “discussions about those duties and responsibilities between Mr. [councilman Ted] Gorman and the city manager, which is out of line, and was supposed to be brought back to this [council] for us to approve or not approve and then discussions about what the new duties and responsibilities would be.”

“I just want to respond to that,” Johnson replied. “I didn’t make her do anything with parks and rec. I said I had a Parks and Rec secretary, and council has told me they don’t think I should replace that parks and rec secretary. I said, ‘Then I need help.” Other council members said the clerk job is not a full-time job, and I suggested, hear me out, I suggested that maybe she helps out on parks and recreation. I met with Ted at Ted’s request. I’m not there running roughshod, making her do whatever, because she doesn’t report to me.”

“We all say she’s doing an excellent job, we say it over and over again,” he said. “But every single time she mentions that something may not be right with her pay, we come back with ‘we’re not going to compensate you on what you’re supposed to get paid because you work from home.'”

Council adopted the new job description but “didn’t vote on a pay raise,” Johnson said after the meeting.

“She will help out in the Parks and Recreation Department,” he said. “Helping out Parks and Recreation is in the new job description so it’s part of the job until changed by council.”