Full minutes

Members present

• Chris Haney, Vice Mayor (presiding)
• Brown
• Kline
• Scott
• Simmons

Vice Mayor Haney presided. Five members were present. All persons stood for an invocation by Assistant Pastor September Detweiler of Real Life Ministries Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Also in attendance: John Elam. Minutes taken by Marta Leach, Clerk.

Approval of minutes

The minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of May 28, 2026; the Finance Committee Meeting of May 28, 2026; the Joint Meeting of Council and Upper Township Trustees of June 2, 2026; and the Special Meeting of June 2, 2026 stood approved as submitted.

Audience participation

Dylan Walden, 2803 South 5th Street, said he had a few questions for Council and that these would be yes or no questions, asking if that was understood. He asked whether, if Flock or another security camera company approaches Council and offers a contract to put up cameras in the city, Council would accept that deal. Mr. Haney said they are not in any position right now to answer any of those questions without more information. Mr. Walden asked if that would be subject to change in the future depending on the circumstances. Mr. Haney said they would have to have a lot more information. Mr. Scott said, regarding the Flock cameras question, that is something he has discussed with another council member before, and he thinks it was going to be brought up in the next few meetings; he invited Mr. Walden to attend future meetings or to chat with him after the meeting.

Mary Ann Tussey, 1507 Karin Street, said that based on her experience with the text.gov system, she submitted a complaint about high grass on the Rice property and it was over four months before it was closed or looked at, and the grass is still not cut. She also submitted a complaint about an asphalt issue at Second Street turning onto Orchard — a large chunk of missing asphalt that is uneven and needs to be smoothed out — and received a confirmation it was received but no follow-up and no work has been done. She further asked about mosquito spraying on Karin Street that was not done the prior Monday, noting that Karin Street has eight pools, six yard drains, two abandoned troughs, and a ditch or creek behind several houses, and that advance notice would be needed because of elderly residents and children. Mr. Haney asked if she had used the actual text message link and followed the steps; Ms. Tussey confirmed she had and received a confirmation but nothing further. Mr. Haney said he hoped it gets done soon and asked her to let him know. He addressed the Orchard Street issue and noted it may relate to Columbia Gas work going across Orchard Street. Ms. Tussey clarified that the problem is not the gas line — it is a chunk of missing asphalt at Second Street turning onto Orchard that needs to be smoothed out. She said kudos to Terri because she had notified the gas company, and Ms. Tussey also went herself and spoke to someone at the gas company who said they were aware of it, but the problem has returned. Mr. Haney said they will check on those things.

Matthew Knight from South Point introduced himself as a member of the Lawrence County Better Broadband Initiative. He said he initially reached out to the Village of South Point due to complaints about internet service, including an inability to upload police bodycam footage. He said he found that 70% of Lawrence County is considered unserved as far as internet speeds. He is collecting data and knocking on doors. He said Broadband Ohio provided a list of approximately 850 addresses that received broadband funding since COVID, totaling about $1.2 million, which works out to approximately $1,400 per house. Mr. Haney asked whether he is in the business of providing better internet service only to Lawrence County; Mr. Knight said yes, for the moment. He said he filed paperwork with the Secretary of State that day and has been doing non-profit work for a couple of months. The organization’s website is LCBBI.org.

Communications

Mr. Haney noted a communication on the agenda from the Division of Liquor Control regarding a new license for Dolgen Midwest LLC — Dollar General Store 24147. Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Haney, for the Clerk to respond that Council does not request a hearing. Ayes: Haney, Kline, Scott, Simmons — four. Nays: Brown — one.

Mr. Haney noted a second communication regarding the Cemetery Committee, which he described as more of an opinion, and asked the Clerk to include it in the minutes.

Reports

None.

Ordinances

Ordinance No. 26-33 — Repealing Codified Section 474.07 of the Ironton City Code and Declaring an Emergency — was given second reading.

Ordinance No. 26-36 — Authorizing the Mayor to Enter Into the Attached Electronic Payment Support Merchant Agreement and Bill Payment Agreement with Nuvei and Is Subsidiary Paya, Inc. and Declaring an Emergency — was given first reading. Mr. Kline noted that Ordinance No. 26-36 received a favorable recommendation from the Finance Committee.

Resolutions

Resolution No. 26-37 — To Approve Then and Now Certificates in Excess of $3,000 for Payment to Granicus and Declaring an Emergency — was read. Mr. Kline noted that Resolution No. 26-37 received a favorable recommendation from the Finance Committee. Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Ms. Simmons, to pass Resolution No. 26-37. Motion passed unanimously. ADOPTED.

Miscellaneous

Mr. Brown asked about the overgrown-yard complaint process, specifically whether the City only cuts twice a year. Mr. Kline said he believes a contracted person handles the cutting but he does not know the schedule or frequency. Terri said she thinks two times, sometimes three, and explained that once the property owner is notified, there is a required waiting period before proceeding; because the cost is placed on the property taxes, the process takes about four weeks before a cutting can occur. Mr. Brown asked about the possibility of one additional cutting cycle per year to improve curb appeal in neighborhoods, noting the cost is passed to the taxpayer and not the City.

Mr. Brown raised the issue of the Second Street overpass, which was previously maintained by a group from Star that is no longer doing so. He said it has not been maintained since and asked that someone take note of it. He also recognized new signage for the courts at Etna Street Park and thanked the Parks Department.

Mr. Haney announced the City-Wide Clean-up is running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for two additional days. He also reported that residents have been contacting him about water bills not being mailed out. Mr. Elam said he heard from a former councilman, Mike Pierce, that the Norfolk & Southern mail train had been doing required repairs to the railroad tracks and that service had been disrupted for five days. Mr. Haney said that was helpful to know, as he had thought it was due to renovations at the Water Department. He asked Terri about the water bills. Terri said she spoke to the Superintendent, who told her the bills were mailed out on May 22nd and that they receive a receipt from the contractors who send them. She said she could have Erin follow up with Mr. Elam. Mr. Haney asked whether a notice could be sent through the website or the text system letting residents know how to access their bill.

Terri clarified that the Mayor is not issuing late fees for this month but that disconnects remain scheduled for the 15th, since disconnects and late fees are handled separately, and she was told not to waive disconnects without direction from the Mayor. Mr. Haney expressed concern that residents would have only one day’s notice. Mr. Brown asked whether there was anything Council could do to extend the grace period. Terri said not without instruction from the Mayor; she knows only that late fees have been waived for the month. Residents can come by, call, or go online to view and pay their bill. Mr. Haney stated on the record that Council recognizes that water bills were not mailed out and that there will be no late fees, but that Council does not have control over the Public Utilities Department. Ms. Simmons suggested sending out guidance on how residents can access their water bill information, even if the grace period is not being extended; Terri agreed she could do that. Mr. Brown encouraged reminding residents that paperless billing by email is also an option and expressed his preference for extending the grace period beyond the 15th given the circumstances. A member of the audience asked about elderly residents who do not use the internet. Mr. Haney noted that paperless billing is not for everyone and asked Terri to send out guidance directing residents to the website and the Water Office where they can look up their bill.

Executive session

Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Haney, to go into executive session to discuss real estate, with the Finance Director and City Engineer, with no action to follow. Motion passed unanimously.

Attestation

Minutes were taken by Marta Leach, Clerk. In attendance: John Elam. Signature lines provided for the Clerk, Vice Mayor, and Mayor.