MARTINS FERRY — Martins Ferry City Council hopes that residents will support an income tax increase to bolster the city’s budget.
During its regular meeting Wednesday, council considered placing on the ballot a proposal to raise the city income tax from 1 percent to 2 percent. Residents of Martins Ferry would decide whether to raise the income tax or keep it the same during the election on Nov. 7.
Councilman Bruce Shrodes said the city needs the additional funding to maintain recreation and support the police department.
“We have one of the finest police departments in the valley if not the state. It’s undermanned right now because we do not have the money to fund more officers. … It’s a safety issue, it really is,” he said.
Shrodes said that funding for the police department has been suffering due to inflation, meaning that the city must pay more for gasoline, salaries and insurance.
“The bottom line is the cost of living is up on everything. If you don’t believe me, walk into Kroger,” he said.
Shrodes also said that the city has many houses that need to be torn down without the funding to do so.
“It’s up to the citizens of this city how much they want to give up. If they want to give up the rec center, the swimming pool, have a police department that’s undermanned, it’s up to them,” he said.
Council members discussed having a town hall meeting to outline the city’s financial situation and encourage residents to vote to raise the income tax.
Tom Burns, council at large, said the income tax has been an issue that council has been discussing for many years.
“Our demographics in our town have decreased tremendously. Our tax base is not what it was five or 10 years ago, and what we could buy five or 10 years ago even with the increased tax base, you can’t buy now. We’ve been hit with a lot of things. Our infrastructure is deteriorating. Our workers deserve better wages. Insurance costs have gone up. Paving costs have gone up. It’s to the point now with our budget where we’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. There’s just no money left to cut anymore and still provide services,” Burns said.
In other news, council heard about electric aggregation. Representatives from Regor Energy, Aspen Energy and Palmer Energy presented the benefits of electric aggregation and discussed what each of their companies can offer the city. John Ney, a representative for Regor Energy, said that aggregation would help cut utility costs for residents.
“We’re basically pooling our energy usage among the community and negotiating the rate based on that aggregated energy usage,” Ney said.
If council approves the program, it will go to ballot for the Nov. 7 election. If the legislation passes, eligible residents will automatically be enrolled in the program. Individuals will be able to opt out at any time with no fees or penalties.
Council would not have to decide on an energy provider before placing the issue on the ballot.
Members also talked about replacing the air conditioning unit for the recreation center. Service Director Andy Sutak said he has received an estimate of $41,079 from the H.E. Neumann Co. for replacing the air conditioning unit. Council had previously allotted $40,000 to replace the unit. At Wednesday’s meeting, members unanimously voted to allot an additional $1,500 from the permanent improvement fund for the unit.
Council also unanimously voted to block off the section of Grant Avenue and Zane Highway near the City Park for Martins Ferry Lions Club’s Fall Fest from noon to 7 p.m. on Oct. 14.
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