Martins Ferry alters cleanup week plan as sanitation fund nears deficit; auditor and residents raise concerns about transfers

The Martins Ferry mayor told council members the city will not offer curbside bulky-item pickup during the upcoming cleanup week to avoid returning the sanitation fund to a deficit. Instead, the city will set collection boxes and run a staffed drop-off on Saturday the 11th from 8 a.m. to noon on First Street.

Auditor Jack Regis told council that making council meetings monthly instead of twice monthly had delayed approvals and left sanitation encumbrances behind; he said the sanitation estimate given at a prior meeting showed a likely shortfall and that estimated revenue should have accompanied expense projections. "I'm just trying to do my job," Regis said, urging better communications with council about finance figures.

Resident Rita K. Randall addressed council during public comment, saying she found $93,000 in transfers from the general fund to the sanitation enterprise fund in recent financial reports and that enterprise funds "are supposed to stand alone." Randall said she confirmed with a former state auditor that such transfers are not allowed and asked the council to examine whether that money could have been used for other concerns, such as abatements of condemned houses.

Mayor described the alternate cleanup approach as a way to avoid either raising rates or exhausting the sanitation reserve. The mayor said organizers would revisit the schedule next year with the goal of returning to curbside collection if the fund improves.

Council directed staff to continue routine snow- and winter-preparation maintenance and to follow up on the sanitation fund figures; the auditor and staff agreed to meet to share more detailed revenue and expense estimates.