Full minutes

Members present

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

Vice Mayor Chris Haney presided. Also in attendance: John Elam, Mack Anderson, and Mayor Cramblit. All persons stood for the Lord’s Prayer and then the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Approval of minutes

The Minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of June 11, 2026, the Finance Committee Meeting of June 11, 2026, and the Public Utilities Committee Meeting of June 11, 2026, stood approved as submitted.

Audience participation

Mayor Cramblit said they may have seen the press release from Jason Stephens and Shane Wilkins from the State. He said they did allocate $50,000 towards recreation — it is a capital line item. He said the request was a very vague request for mostly splash park improvements, which was well over $500,000, and for infrastructure upgrades at the recreation site. He said they only got $50,000 and they were working on finding out exactly what that can be used for. He said they are thinking the infrastructure upgrades might be something they can tackle with that, and they definitely cannot build another splash park right now.

Mr. Haney said it was a disappointing number when $3.8 million was the capital bill. The Mayor said he just wanted to let them know in case they had questions, and said they are still figuring it out. Mr. Brown asked whether the Mayor said it was recreation or infrastructure. The Mayor said it was recreation — the request was for splash park upgrades and infrastructure improvements. He said there is a lot of lighting needed and other outdated things, and he knows Ralph and others were working on figuring out what they can do.

Communications

None.

Reports

None.

Ordinances

Ordinance No. 26-38 — Amending Sections 1260.04 and 1262.04 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Ironton, Ohio — first reading.

Mr. Brown said he wanted to reiterate that this came about after the CIC meeting and the realization that the City has multiple lots that would have had houses on them in the past but currently are below the size required by the zoning code, making at least a handful but probably several lots throughout the City unbuildable because they are existing lots that predate the zoning code. He said the legislation he is proposing is intended to create an exception for those lots that existed pre-zoning code so they can be buildable, which would add more homes, more utility connections, and more housing for more citizens. Mr. Brown then moved, seconded by Mr. Scott, to refer Ordinance 26-38 to the Planning Commission.

The Mayor said he is all for it and wanted discussion because the prior day he was sitting in at the Mayor’s Association Conference that ONL holds. He said they had a major segment on housing and ways to tackle the modern needs of getting more development in the community, including zoning changes. He said these types of things are something he was planning on coming back to talk to Council about and suggesting a holistic discussion. He said there are jobs coming such as Vertiv — a lot more than what has been announced so far — and on top of that there is New Core in West Virginia, and he hopes the City can be the leader in housing. He said it is not about a particular type of housing, it is about supporting the workforce that could be coming, which means more utility tax, more utility bills, and more income tax. He said he thinks it is more about finding something that meets the City’s goals with developers’ abilities to tackle some of these things. He noted the City has already made some strides with the R1A. He said modern houses are different and housing needs are through the roof. He said he was thinking more of a Strategic Planning meeting and asked whether Mr. Brown would want to address everything holistically or just work on this one ordinance.

Mr. Haney said he thinks it probably needs to go to Strategic Planning before going to the Planning Commission and to do it holistically instead of trying to piece everything together. Mr. Brown said his personal opinion was to go ahead and push this through — it tackles one segment and the other things could be addressed separately. The Mayor asked about possibly modifying the ordinance. Mr. Brown said this legislation is for lots that existed pre-zoning — specifically lots that existed pre-1977, not the houses per se — and that he is not opposed to something broader but was trying to avoid situations where someone takes a small lot and divides it in two.

The Mayor said the one thing that really stood out to him was capturing housing needs for all generations — getting 18-year-olds out of their parents’ basements, small starter homes, full-size family homes, and senior homes — and taking an approach to zoning where it continuously cycles rather than ending up with people who cannot get out of senior homes because they are stuck in massive houses they cannot take care of. Mr. Brown said with these lots being under 4,800 square feet, the setback requirements still apply, so roughly they would probably be looking at upwards of 1,200 or so square feet as the maximum house size on those smaller lots, depending on how big the lot is. He said he thinks this would be starter homes or senior homes. The Mayor said to go ahead and push it, and if something changes by the time it comes to a vote they could always revisit.

Mack Anderson said the zoning change has to go to the Planning Commission. Mr. Haney said the City needs to contact the Planning Commission to find out when they are available. Mack said they have 30 days to respond. Mr. Haney said the City would send that out and figure it out, and said there is a motion to send it to the Planning Commission. Motion to send to the Planning Commission passed unanimously. REFERRED TO PLANNING COMMISSION.

Mr. Elam asked, since there were not enough to suspend the rules on this and it was referred by a simple majority rather than a major majority. Mack said it only needs four votes to be referred — and you cannot suspend the rules on a zoning ordinance; it has to be given three readings at three separate meetings and cannot go into effect as an emergency. He said this is all in the Charter.

Ordinance No. 26-39 — Authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with Hustle Performance Gyms, LLC to provide the City’s recreation services and declaring an emergency — first reading.

Mr. Kline noted that Ordinance No. 26-39 received a favorable recommendation from Finance Committee.

Ordinance No. 26-40 — Amending the Permanent Operating Budget for the City of Ironton, State of Ohio, for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026, and declaring an emergency — first reading.

Mr. Kline noted that Ordinance No. 26-40 received a favorable recommendation from Finance Committee.

Ordinance No. 26-36 — Authorizing the Mayor to enter into the attached Electronic Payment Support Merchant Agreement and Bill Payment Agreement with Nuvei and its subsidiary Paya, Inc. and declaring an emergency — second reading.

Mr. Haney said this allows for online check payments. Mr. Elam said with the ACH, the City of Ironton will absorb that fee, and if paid by credit card there is still a 3% merchant fee passed on to the consumer. He said this interfaces with the City’s financial software and will allow miscellaneous payments such as a service worker’s license, which has not been possible previously. Mr. Haney asked about rec registration fees and whether those could be paid through this system. Mr. Elam said he believes so — that was his understanding when it was presented. Mayor Cramblit asked whether they could set up a place online for someone to make a donation, noting that a campaign could be set up with required disclosure of information. Mr. Brown mentioned that Beaver Creek, Ohio, is doing a campaign to replace a nostalgic slide that has been gaining momentum. Mr. Kline noted that with the Ordinance No. 26-39 contract with Hustle Performance Gyms, that organization will be in charge of registration fees, so that is not something the City would need to handle itself.

Ordinance No. 26-33 — Repealing Codified Section 474.07 of the Ironton City Code and declaring an emergency — third reading.

Mr. Kline said he missed the meeting when this was given first reading and asked for a high-level summary. Mr. Haney said people probably remember Joe’s law, and this also came about with ebikes. He said the City had some things in its ordinances that go against ORC. Mr. Hock said the local ordinance required riding a bike on the sidewalk, while ORC says bicycles should be ridden on the street. Mr. Haney said basically the City had contradictory legislation from the State and local level, so this refers it back to ORC for bicycles and ebikes — directing them to stay on the street and follow and obey traffic signs and laws. Mr. Scott asked if any types of scooters are included. Mr. Hock said he thinks it is just for bikes. The Mayor said when making it like ORC it probably covers both bikes and scooters. He noted that in places like DC there are areas where riding on the sidewalk is safer because there is no bike lane or the street is not wide enough; he said the ordinance allows sidewalk use where permissible but is more so directing people to obey normal traffic laws. Mr. Haney said motorized vehicles are already following the law and he would consider an ebike a bicycle. Mack said he thinks they are motorized. The Mayor said no, they are electric — that is the difference — and noted scooters might fall under the same thing. Mr. Hock said the City does have ordinances for electric bikes. The Mayor said if scooters are being made like ORC it will cover both. Mr. Haney said the City does not have bike lanes and that could be revisited if and when bike lanes are added, but for now this is reverting back to ORC.

Mr. Haney moved, seconded by Mr. Scott, to adopt Ordinance No. 26-33. Motion passed unanimously. ADOPTED.

Resolutions

None.

Miscellaneous

Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Hock, to file, receive, and make a part of the minutes the May 26 financials. Motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Kline asked the Mayor if John Haskins could attend the July 23, 2026, meeting to give an update on the wastewater treatment plant improvements and the bond that was passed. He also raised the matter of tall grass and weeds near the overpass and across from where Meehan Steel used to be, asking whether someone from the flood department could cut it. The Mayor said he would see about it and noted he does not think the mowers can be used there; he said Jansen’s crew has done it before but City crews could do it. He said after they finish with potholes, crews need to go out to Kelly Cemetery, the historic cemetery next to Indian Hills. Mr. Kline also said there is a tree on Lawrence Street across from Moulten’s Field that has fallen partially onto the street, asking whether the City could cut it and assess that to the property owner, and noting it has caused traffic and parking issues. Mayor Cramblit said it has been on the list.

Mr. Kline said at the last meeting the Council approved a Then and Now for the Egov reporting, which he thinks is for code enforcement. The Mayor said it was Smartgov. Mr. Kline said the Council had talked about wanting to use the same type of software for reporting potholes and other issues in the City, and asked whether something could be made more general with filters for different categories. The Mayor said those systems do filter but are mostly for building, blight, storm, or fire — potholes would not necessarily be a code enforcement issue, but it is a common issue so he is pretty sure they put it on the website. He said Craig said it was working. Discussion followed about whether there could be a dedicated button rather than the pop-up assistant in the bottom right-hand corner, and whether it could be made more general for different issue types.

Mr. Kline asked the Mayor to pass along to Mark Dickess a communication from the Department of Behavioral Health — a list of recovery housing residences that the department has published. He said while the list says Ironton it does not disclose exact addresses; the list shows a total of 35 different locations in the City and 235 beds. He wanted to ask whether those locations have a business license that includes the address of each, and whether they are in compliance with zoning laws regarding the number of unrelated people in the dwelling — noting that what was self-reported through the Department of Behavioral Health exceeds more than three or five in all of those. He also asked whether locations listed as having supervised beds qualify as a health care business and, if so, whether those should be in business zones rather than residential zones. Mack Anderson said he would say locations with supervised beds qualify as a health care business. Discussion followed about which specific addresses could be identified on the list. Mr. Haney said he has tried every way under the sun — some are listed in Ironton by name, others show specific houses. The Mayor noted some say Porter Gap and Etna, and wondered if this covers all of Lawrence County. Mr. Haney said it says City of Ironton and there are probably 35 of them. Mr. Kline said it says 35 locations in Ironton and 235 beds, though he is not certain because exact locations are not disclosed. He said he also has had people contact him concerning people camping under the bridge under the overpass and at those areas, and wondered if any citations have been written for that ordinance; he also said the Family Reunification Fund was refunded for this place.

Chief Wilson said the Police Department has issued one citation for camping on the river bank. He said normally they tell those individuals they have 12 hours to get their belongings and leave; if they return and the individuals have not moved, they issue the citation. He said the one on the river bank moved but left a mess behind, and they contacted Mike Pemberton to try to get it cleaned up. He said he is not aware of a situation at Moulten’s Field but that there are a couple across the road from Moulten’s Field they are dealing with and working to get those individuals to leave. Mr. Kline asked if he had been able to use the Family Beautification Fund. Chief Wilson said no, not yet, and that it has not come up as an issue for the use of that fund. He said a lot of the people living on the river bank are actually locals. Mr. Haney said the Splash Park and underneath the bridge have had issues with vagrants and camping, and they are leaving messes at both locations. He said the tools are there for the City to utilize and a lot of legislation and funding has been put toward it. He said he thinks the purpose of it was for safety and health, noting there have been issues where he has received calls about feces on the ground at the Splash Park and underneath the bridge, and that for the safety and health of residents he would like to see those things taken care of.

Mr. Brown said that Mary Ann Tussey had asked him about some of the lots that have not been mowed on the Rice property and whether that is on the hit list. Ms. Tussey had also asked at the last meeting — when the Mayor was out — about the mosquito spraying on Karin Street, saying that a citizen had apparently told the person spraying that they did not want Karin Street sprayed and that the company skipped it. The Mayor said they usually do not take advice from citizens on that — they just tell people to stay in their house because every block would have someone complaining. Mr. Brown said what Ms. Tussey is saying is that a citizen came out not wanting it done and the company spraying said okay. The Mayor said he will find out. Mr. Brown asked how many times per year the City cuts properties that are chronically not mowing their lawns. The Mayor said it depends on the property — it is case by case — and noted the City does not tidy them up; crews go in with weed eaters. Mr. Brown asked what could be done to get that done more frequently for properties that are chronic offenders that are known to be vacant or where someone has passed away. The Mayor said he would find out and see what the cost is, noting it usually costs a lot.

Mr. Scott said he would like to see if they could call a Strategic Planning meeting sometime before the next Council meeting to discuss Flock cameras and ALPRs, noting people have been talking about it lately and he has seen a lot of things on Facebook. He said he has a lot of information he could bring to the table and some other legislation from other communities. He would also like to have the Police Chief there. Mr. Hock asked whether the zoning discussion related to Ordinance No. 26-38 could be rolled into that meeting. Mayor Cramblit said he feels both of those would be really fresh discussions, almost starting from scratch on both. Mr. Hock called a Strategic Planning Committee meeting for July 5, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. regarding Flock cameras and zoning for Ordinance No. 26-38.

Mr. Scott told the Mayor that there have been Facebook posts about potential sex offenders near the Splash Park and other recreational facilities, and asked whether the department is aware of that or if it is just Facebook posts. He said he was wondering if there is any type of signage the City could put up regarding the ordinance that was passed in some of those more popular areas like the Splash Park, so that parents with a concern are aware there is legislation regarding that in the City. The Mayor said yes, the City needs to put the awareness out somehow. He said he learned about the importance of how parks are presented — for example, Ninth Street Park used to have a neighborhood watch on every fence, which made everyone feel it is not a great place to go. He suggested maybe just handling it if someone there does something, rather than posting signs. Mr. Scott asked Chief Wilson if they received any information about that from the prior week. Chief Wilson said he is aware of one person who posted on social media, but she did not give any information to the department for follow-up. The Mayor said, like the camping issue, if someone is camping the City has to be able to act on it while the person is there; he said these people should call the Police, not Council members. Mr. Scott said he understands the perception issue with a sign but thinks it also lets people know that if they have a concern they should call somebody and not just post it on Facebook. Chief Wilson said the department is also working to make a better presence at those locations during slower hours.

Mr. Brown asked whether the City has any cameras near the Splash Park area and the caboose. The Mayor said they do not really have any cameras that work at all. Mr. Brown asked whether community improvement funds could be useful for that. Mr. Kline said he understands the concern about AI tracking people but thinks there should be some cameras in some areas, especially where the City has made investments, and mentioned the new riverfront development area and the Splash Park area. Mr. Brown agreed. The Mayor said the previous administration had someone do that work but he has never been able to work with that person and they do not really show up to help anymore, so he does not even know how those cameras work. He said the other cameras in town were bought when the new bridge was built and placed on the new light poles and traffic signal poles; they were turned over to the City but it would cost four or five thousand dollars just to have the company come down and assess what is wrong with them. He said that is at a standstill.

Executive session

Mr. Kline moved, seconded by Mr. Haney, to go into executive session to discuss real estate and contracts with the Mayor, Finance Director and Solicitor, with no action to follow.

Attestation

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