Full minutes

A regular meeting of Ironton City Council was held on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. Present was Vice Mayor Chris Haney, who presided, and members Brown, Harvey, Hock, Kline, Scott, and Simmons — seven members in all. All persons stood for an invocation by Father Peter with St. Joseph, St. Lawrence, St. Mary’s, and St. Ann’s churches, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Approval of minutes

The minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of March 26, 2026, the Finance Committee Meeting of March 26, 2026, the Parks & Rec Committee Meeting of March 27, 2026, and the Special Meeting of April 2, 2026, stood approved as submitted.

Audience participation

Mr. Haney announced that the Council had an invited guest, Michele Throckmorton from the CAO. Ms. Throckmorton said she passed out a project sheet and would go over it briefly. She said all of the projects directly benefit the City of Ironton, whether the City of Ironton is the applicant, the Port Authority, or Community Action. As an example, the ACGP project had Community Action as the applicant, but the City of Ironton is receiving funds for the riverfront. Council had approved their contract, and a COLA increase was included because costs keep rising. Mr. Harvey noted that the City receives $27+ million of grants for community improvements for $36,750 and asked Ms. Throckmorton to confirm the figure. She confirmed it and noted all projects directly benefit the City of Ironton. The list indicates where each project stands: the Nature Works riverfront project (volleyball court and playground equipment) is complete and pending final reimbursement — it requires a Nature Works sign placed in concrete at a cost of $100, which must be ordered from Nature Works. The ACGP riverfront project is under active construction — Allard is the contractor; the program totals $152 million across 22 projects, with Ironton being one of them; the Ironton riverfront is hoped to be available for use this summer. For the soccer fields, trees were removed before the March 31st deadline because of the Indiana bat; bids were due the following Monday for excavation and work on the fields, with zero bids received as of this meeting but at least one expected. Between her staff they have about 80–90 years of combined experience. Mr. Kline noted that Ms. Simmons does a great job finding grant opportunities as well and asked whether they could collaborate; Ms. Throckmorton said absolutely.

Tom Hall, 414 North 8th Street, addressed Council regarding the ongoing Civil Service process for appointing a new Chief of Police. Mr. Hall said the position had been announced, the highest-scoring applicant had already scheduled an interview appointment, and the process was playing out exactly as mandated. Then for reasons that were unclear, the process was interrupted midstream and legislation was introduced to change the residency requirements for the Chief of Police. He said these new requirements would specifically disqualify the highest scorer of the test — an 18-year officer of the City. He called this unseemly and harmful to the dignity of this Body. He noted the logical problem: Apple Maps shows approximately one hour and five minutes from Vinton in Gallia County to Ironton, one hour and six minutes from Wellston in Jackson County, and one hour and four minutes from Reardon in Scioto County — all within the proposed requirement — yet only about 36 minutes from Barboursville to Ironton, a location that would not meet the requirement. He cited the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 9, Clause 3, which states that “no bill of detainer or ex facto law shall be passed,” meaning laws cannot target specific individuals or apply retroactively. He said applicants became vested in the process under Ohio law once it began, and that there are now discussions about changing the test and starting over. He respectfully requested that Council pause any changes to residency requirements, allow the test already administered to serve its intended purpose, complete the civil service process in good faith, and if changes are needed, make them for the next time the process is used — not in the middle of this one.

Mr. Haney responded with the following timeline of events. On 3/5/26, Mr. Gue emailed the Mayor regarding the civil service exam, asking for clarification on its correlation to the City Charter and the grading process. On 3/9/26, the Mayor requested an opinion from the City Solicitors. On 3/12/26, Mr. Haney was tasked with finding whether the testing company could confirm if the test followed the Charter guidelines. On 3/23/26, the Civil Service Clerk sent an inquiry to the testing company. On 3/26/26, the testing company responded that the current Chief Civil Service Exam is invalid because it does not meet criteria set forth by the Charter. On 3/30/26, the Civil Service Clerk notified the Mayor that the current test does not meet Charter criteria and a new test would need to be created and purchased. Mr. Haney said the Charter requires 30% administrative, 30% budgetary, and 30% department oriented; a 100-question test is mathematically impossible to divide into 90%; the test had five aspects of content area, and the Charter only requires three. The breakdown of the test as received: 32 items, constitutional law; 29 items, leadership; 16 items, tactics and strategies; 13 items, investigations, procedures, prosecution; 10 items, modern policing topics. He also cited the Employee Handbook, Section 2.04, Residency, (a): “It is the goal of the city to employ individuals in the following order first: First, residents of the City of Ironton, second, residents of Lawrence County, and third, residents of the State of Ohio. Ironton residents within a 25-mile radius. All employees, as a condition of employment, are required to report immediately in writing to the Mayor if any change in address.” A back-and-forth discussion followed in which Mr. Hall maintained that the process began with one set of standards and people became dependent on it being what it is, while Mr. Haney maintained that the process started with an invalid set of standards and the Solicitors’ opinion required them to stop and fix it. Mr. Hall said if Council is legally bound on the test, they are legally bound, but on things they are not, he would suggest they take no additional action until this is over. Mr. Haney said the testing process was not finalized for a legally-binding contract and no title was awarded to be stripped from.

Chad Gue, 24 Destiny Drive, Barboursville, West Virginia, said a few things Mr. Haney said were not correct. He stated that under the Ohio Revised Code, a civil service examination must be competitive, based on merit and fitness; all competing officers took the same exam and had the same study materials from Ohio Solutions, an independent contractor. Mr. Haney responded that the City Charter supersedes the ORC and is more restrictive, and that the Solicitors’ opinion governs. Mr. Gue cited the Alfred Precedent, which states: “Under Ohio law the principle protects candidates from government’s own mistakes. A candidate who participates in examination on good faith cannot be stripped of any statutory right standings because of procedural regularities or the commission’s own dereliction of duty.” He said that once he had a vested interest and started that examination, he had the right to finish it. He also cited the Ohio Constitution, Article II, Section 28: “The Ohio Constitution prohibits the State from imposing any new burdens or transactions through a retroactive process. Once that vested interest begins, an examination received, scored and certified — and it was certified by our Civil Service — any new burden would be unconstitutional according to our State Constitution.” He also cited Newell vs. Jackson, another State Supreme Court case, stating that even if the test proved invalid, anything short of criminal fraud means you cannot redo it once it has been sealed by the Civil Service. Mr. Gue asked who had tasked Mr. Haney with investigating; Mr. Haney said other council members and the Mayor’s office. Mr. Gue cited Ohio Revised Code Section 124.44, which places responsibility for the examination with the Civil Service Commission, and said any attempt to intervene holds up due process of law. He also cited Section 29 of the Ohio Revised Code regarding criminal implications of intervening in the civil service process. He said he has in hand a certification letter from the Civil Service Department dated February 27th. He clarified that his original email never questioned the validity of the examination — he simply asked whether the Mayor’s interview was the same as the Civil Service interview, a general inquiry about what came next in the process.

Mr. Harvey thanked Mr. Gue for his 13 years of service to the City of Ironton. He said the only reason he is involved is because Mr. Gue’s inquiry caused the City Solicitors to tag Council in the response. He personally doesn’t like the geographic reach of Ordinance No. 26-16 but thought the residency requirement had always been in place for the Chief position; he learned it was repealed in 2007. When Mr. Kline read the FOP contract at the last meeting that contained language consistent with Ordinance No. 26-16, he came to realize that Council cannot ask the officers on the ground to have a residency requirement but not their leader. He emphasized he is speaking only for himself and is listening to what the City Solicitors tell them in good faith.

Mr. Gue asked if Mr. Harvey was aware of the open-ended Memorandum of Understanding between the FOP and the City of Ironton that started in 2017 — a contract without expiration that allows officers to live within a 40-mile radius of the City. Mr. Kline said the MOU was first brought to his attention on Friday by the Mayor; as he recalls, it was signed in November 2017 and there is no review clause or expiration. He has asked the Solicitors for an opinion on whether it follows the current contract and is valid under the Ohio Revised Code, but had not yet received that opinion. He said he still feels a residency requirement is important for a Police or Fire Chief, and that based on the ORC a mileage radius is not an available option — the language in Ordinance No. 26-16 is the only residency restriction available to Council. Mr. Gue noted that only one person showed up for the examination, doesn’t live in Ironton but was certified, and residency restrictions like those proposed will make it even harder to find good candidates. He said he has been here for 18 years and doesn’t think anyone can question what he has done for the department. He noted he inherited a house when his grandmother passed away, which is why he moved to Barboursville, and he spends more time in the City than he does at home. Mr. Haney said the testing process was not finalized and no title was awarded. Mr. Gue disputed this, pointing again to the certification letter dated February 27th. The exchange continued with Mr. Haney reiterating that the 30% administrative, 30% budgetary, 30% department oriented, and 10% personal interview process did not occur and therefore 100% of the exam scores are not valid, and Mr. Gue stating that the exam is unconstitutional and illegal. Mr. Haney said any future contact from Mr. Gue should go through the City Solicitors due to the thread of imminent litigation. Mr. Gue said any communications would be sent to all of Council as the governing body.

Mary Ann Tussey, 1507 Karin Street, said she wanted to mention that two elderly ladies told her they cannot hear the meetings online. She also asked about the unforgivable loan. She said she was told by Jay Kehoe that a decision was made in February; she saw where a check was made and something was put in the paper about one participant; and she still has not received the list of everyone who received money. She has requested the list of everybody who applied and who received money from Jay Kehoe, without a response. Mayor Cramblit said they have been awarded and he can get the list. Ms. Tussey said this is another issue of transparency — the money was announced, applications were taken last August, the money was assigned, but there is no follow-up on who got it and how much, other than the one in the newspaper. Mr. Haney said this was processed through a board to keep personal affiliations out of it, and is a Board matter directed by the Mayor, not a Council issue.

Ms. Tussey also asked about the waste water money and the fee raising, asking how many Council members had thought about people on Social Security when considering an $8-per-thousand increase. Mr. Harvey clarified that no current legislation raises waste water rates; the discussion has been about storm water — changing the billing model from drinking water usage to storm runoff contribution per parcel. Mr. Kline explained that the proposal would evaluate each parcel’s permeable area and shift more financial burden to larger commercial and industrial sites versus residential properties; for most residents, the change would actually be a decrease. He acknowledged that many people are struggling and noted CAO resources are available to help with bills, with information available at the counter on the second floor. Ms. Tussey said $8 matters enormously to the older folks who don’t get extra money and asked Council to consider that when making these decisions. Mr. Haney noted that wastewater treatment plant bids came in at $70 million to $80 million, but Council and Mr. Haskins have worked to get that number to probably about 20% of the total project. Ms. Tussey asked who sponsored the police residency bill. Mr. Haney said himself, Mr. Scott, and Mr. Harvey.

Terryann Blizzard, Scoutmaster of Girls Troop #106, 710 Park Avenue, Suite 3, passed out an announcement and update. She said the troop previously thought it was 80 years old, then found a charter in Scioto County indicating 95 years old and celebrated the 95th anniversary last year. A man from their District who was an Eagle Scout from their troop in the 1980s found their original charter from Lawrence County: they were Troop #6 and changed to Troop #106 when they moved to councils. The original charter from Lawrence County is dated April 7, 1926, making April 7, 2026, their 100th anniversary. The troop is always recruiting and can be found on Facebook at BSA Troop #106, Ironton, Ohio. They participate in Navy Night, holding flags for the 13 folds, and carry division banners and signs in the Memorial Day Parade. With the 100 years, they have more than 100 Eagle Scouts: Matthew Heighton in about 2022 would have been their 100th. Recent Eagle Scout projects include the floodwall, completed by Anika McCown, and the Military Wall at Woodlawn Cemetery, completed by Luke. Five or six current members are ready for Eagle Scout.

Mayor Cramblit said the Ohio EPA reached out on Tuesday and said the City was approved for $10 million for PFAS treatment through the Dupont settlement, with grant agreements expected within the next couple of weeks. He also said he would like to have an Executive Session to discuss contracts for union negotiations with the Finance Director. Mr. Kline asked where engineering stands on the PFAS plan. Mayor Cramblit said the design was $100,000, which is usually 10% of the design cost, and he hopes the PFAS treatment can be accomplished within $10 million; the City was approved because it is directly impacted by the Dupont settlement and the Ironton water system is among those along the river that qualify. Mr. Brown asked whether any equipment required for PFAS treatment would overlap with existing wastewater infrastructure. Mr. Haskins said the PFAS treatment is specifically for drinking water, but that within the next five years he expects to see PFAS requirements in wastewater as well. Mr. Kline asked that before the City goes too far into the process, they review the settlement dollars and segregate what is restricted from what is unrestricted, noting that the current budget may have comingled settlement funds. Mayor Cramblit said the State Dupont dollars are specifically for that settlement; the ongoing 3M lawsuit out of New Orleans is separate — the City is a Phase 1 community because it is in the Ohio River basin. He said he has signed a few other settlements with 3M, and that settlement is around at least $100,000 (or $700,000) through the other ongoing lawsuit.

Reports

No reports were given.

Ordinances

• Ordinance No. 26-23 — Adjusting Monthly Rates for Waste Water, Water Administrative Fee and Garbage Fee and Declaring an Emergency — given first reading. Mr. Kline noted a favorable recommendation from Finance Committee. Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Hock, to suspend the rules and give Ordinance No. 26-23 second and third reading by title only. Discussion: Mr. Brown asked whether there was a reason the rules needed to be suspended and whether Council could allow more time for public input. Mr. Kline said Ordinance No. 26-23 and Ordinance No. 26-20 would go hand in hand and it is imperative to move on both. Mr. Brown asked Mr. Elam how much time they have before the opportunity goes away. Mr. Elam said it would be prudent to pass it now if that is Council’s intent — the rate increases were based on how many months remain in the year and will go up incrementally as time passes. He noted the bonding underwriter was asking him to call quickly the next morning if it did pass, making the timing sensitive. Mr. Brown said his concern is always allowing the public to have input, and emergency measures limit that opportunity. Mr. Kline confirmed this legislation is a summary of adjustments discussed in committee but not yet enacted. Motion to suspend the rules: Ayes: Harvey, Hock, Kline, Scott, Simmons — five. Nays: Brown, Haney — two.
• Ordinance No. 26-25 — Ordinance Authorizing the City of Ironton, Ohio, to Enter Into a Master Equipment Lease-Purchase Agreement and Property Schedule No. 1 by and Between Santander Bank and the City of Ironton, Ohio, to Finance the Purchase of Police Vehicles for the City of Ironton and Authorizing Other Documents in Connection Therewith, and Declaring an Emergency — given first reading. Mr. Kline noted a favorable recommendation from Finance Committee. Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Hock, to suspend the rules and give Ordinance No. 26-25 second and third reading by title only. Motion passed unanimously, and Ordinance No. 26-25 was given second and third reading. Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Hock, to adopt Ordinance No. 26-25. Motion passed unanimously. ADOPTED.
• Ordinance No. 26-16 — Requiring the Chief of Police Department and the Chief of Fire Department to Be Residents of Lawrence County, Scioto County, Jackson County or Gallia County and Declaring an Emergency — given third reading. Mr. Kline said there needs to be a residency requirement for Police and Fire Chiefs, as officers are asked to serve with a residency requirement; he personally would prefer a mileage radius but the Ohio Revised Code does not allow it; and this is the only residency restriction available to Council. Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Haney, to adopt Ordinance No. 26-16. Discussion: Mr. Brown said he is in 100% agreement in principle with Mr. Kline, but is not comfortable voting in the affirmative until he has a legal opinion on the 40-mile radius in the Memorandum of Understanding; he would be open to tabling until the next meeting. Ayes: Haney, Harvey, Kline, Scott — four. Nays: Brown, Hock, Simmons — three. ADOPTED.
• Ordinance No. 26-17 — Requiring City Department Heads to Provide a List of All Major Vehicles and Equipment to the City Finance Director by November 1st of Each Calendar Year and Declaring an Emergency — given second reading. Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Hock, to suspend the rules for Ordinance No. 26-17 and give it third reading by title only. Motion passed unanimously, and Ordinance No. 26-17 was given third reading. Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Brown, to adopt Ordinance No. 26-17. Motion passed unanimously. ADOPTED.
• Ordinance No. 26-18 — Amending Section 1060.02 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Ironton, Ohio — given second reading. Mr. Kline noted a favorable recommendation from Finance Committee. Mr. Brown said this ordinance does not increase residential rates for single-dwelling units or for someone in an apartment who cannot get trash service — it addresses dumpsters specifically and brings them closer to market rate. It also captures four and five-day pick-up pricing, whereas the previous legislation addressed only one price for three, four, or five-day pick-up. Mr. Haney said he would like to take this to third reading to give the public a chance to come in and state their case. No adoption vote taken at this meeting.
• Ordinance No. 26-19 — Repealing Chapter 876 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Ironton, Ohio Regulating Taxicabs and Declaring an Emergency — given second reading. Ms. Simmons said Chapter 876 dates back to 1950 and has had no meaningful updates since 1965; constituents have been confused about whether services are available, and the ordinance creates unnecessary real and perceived barriers to ride-share businesses. Mr. Scott said he shares Ms. Simmons’s sentiment and has had many people approach him about it; outdated taxicab ordinances can also be a danger to public safety. Mr. Scott moved, seconded by Mr. Hock, to suspend the rules and give Ordinance No. 26-19 third reading by title only. Mr. Kline asked whether a current taxicab contract was in place. Mr. Elam said it expired on March 31st. Motion passed unanimously, and Ordinance No. 26-19 was given third reading. Mr. Scott moved, seconded by Ms. Simmons, to adopt Ordinance No. 26-19. Motion passed unanimously. ADOPTED.
• Ordinance No. 26-20 — An Ordinance Providing for the Issuance of Not to Exceed $3,000,000 of Bonds by the City of Ironton, Ohio, for Acquiring and Constructing Improvements to the Wastewater System — given second reading.
• Ordinance No. 26-21 — Authorizing the Mayor to Enter Into a Professional Services Contract with Arcadis for Design and Construct of the Ironton Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements — Digester, Trickling Filter, and Disinfection Project and Declaring an Emergency — given second reading.
• Ordinance No. 26-22 — Limiting Traffic on South Thirteenth Street Between Vine Street and McGovney Avenue to Operate Only in a Northerly Direction and Prohibiting On Street Parking on Said Street and Declaring an Emergency — given second reading. Mr. Haney noted that a public hearing is scheduled for April 23, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Mr. Harvey noted the hearing is not required but is being held as a courtesy to give residents an opportunity to voice their opinion.

Resolutions

• Resolution No. 26-24 — Resolution Authorizing the Approval of the Contract for Services Agreement with the Ironton-Lawrence County Area Community Action Organization, Inc. (CAO) — read. Mr. Harvey said this is the legislation Ms. Throckmorton from the CAO came to speak to Council about — the trade-off of $27 million for $36,750. Mr. Harvey moved, seconded by Mr. Hock, to adopt Resolution No. 26-24. Mr. Kline stated that Resolution No. 26-24 received a favorable recommendation from Finance Committee, and that he would be abstaining from the vote to avoid a possible conflict of interest. Motion passed unanimously, with Mr. Kline abstaining. ADOPTED.

Miscellaneous

Ms. Simmons noted that the minutes are on the website and thanked whoever made that happen. She observed that the last ordinance on the website was the hotel tax ordinance and asked if those could be next on the list to add.

Mr. Haney asked Mr. Elam about Airbnb and VRBO properties, noting more and more are appearing, and asked whether anything else is needed from Council to capture that tax. Mr. Elam said he doesn’t know where they are. Mr. Haney noted that the tax should be automatically collected once the ordinance was enacted, which was about three years ago. Mayor Cramblit said the ordinance is written so that the owner is required to remit to the Finance Department, which is why the local tax does not appear as an auto-collected line item in some listings. He said Airbnb is fighting collection on behalf of owners in many states. He said he looked at West Virginia listings where the breakdown shows city, local, and state tax; looked at Portsmouth where the local tax is not included; and looked at Cincinnati where it does collect the city tax, suggesting there may be a threshold of users or listings before Airbnb collects on behalf of owners. He concluded that either Ironton doesn’t have enough users for Airbnb to collect on their behalf, or the language specifically requires the owner to remit. Mr. Haney asked Mr. Elam to contact VRBO or Airbnb to ask about the specific situation for Ironton. Mr. Elam said he would do that.

Mr. Brown suggested scheduling a town hall meeting around the utility rates so detailed discussion does not consume the next Council meeting, and offered to join with two other members to call one. He also asked the Mayor to put street lights on his radar — as you get farther from the center of town, there are still a lot of decorative street poles out. Mayor Cramblit said Etna Street has a lot of activity at the court there and people have been raising the lighting situation; accessing those decorative poles would require renting a vehicle, which is quite pricey to rent, but he thinks it is worth it given the level of activity at the site. Mr. Harvey cautioned about holding a town hall meeting without structuring it as a committee meeting or Council meeting because of the related requirements. Mr. Brown said it would be structured like a Special meeting.

Executive session

Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Haney, to go into Executive Session to discuss contracts with the Mayor and Finance Director, with no action to follow. Motion passed unanimously.

Attestation

Minutes were taken by Marta Leach, Clerk. In attendance: John Elam, Mayor Cramblit. Signed by Marta Leach, Clerk, and the Vice Mayor and Mayor.