Finance committee delays ordinance that would require contractors to notify Safety-Service director before roadwork

The Struthers City Council Finance and Legislation committee debated whether to adopt an ordinance requiring contractors and subcontractors to contact the city—s Safety-Service director before performing work on city and state routes, and agreed to delay formal action so the city law director can review the draft.

Committee members said the draft is intended less to expand the Safety-Service director—s authority than to make it mandatory that outside crews notify the director and pull the appropriate permits. Members repeatedly questioned whether the measure is redundant because the Safety-Service director already oversees traffic and public-safety coordination for public works. The committee asked the law director, John (law director), to review the draft and return it to committee or caucus next week for further consideration.

Why it matters: the ordinance would require permit-holders and contractors to contact Anthony, the city—s Safety-Service director, before starting work on specified roads and could give Anthony clearer enforcement power over traffic control and contractor obligations. The draft discussed by the committee includes a civil fine (committee members referenced a $1,000 penalty for noncompliance) and explicit language that permits and traffic controls must be coordinated through Anthony before work begins.

Committee discussion and context: several members said that, in practice, most large contracts already include traffic-control requirements and that the mayor had told at least one project manager that traffic control was already mandated in bid documents. Members noted that requiring notification would help ensure subcontractors know to contact the Safety-Service director rather than relying on the prime contractor—s practices. The committee agreed that the Safety-Service director should have discretion to require cones or more extensive traffic-control measures depending on the location and duration of work; members pointed to an internal threshold used for major operations (a 400-foot rule for large-scale roadway work) and said the director—s judgment would remain central.

The committee also discussed operational decisions tied to closures: members recalled an arrangement that a police officer would be assigned when a closure lasts longer than two days, with the decision left to the Safety-Service director and the police chief (Chief Roddy). Several members emphasized the draft is intended to give the city a clearer, enforceable pathway to require notification and permit compliance rather than to change fundamental lines of authority.

Next steps: the committee directed that John (law director) review the ordinance language and return recommended revisions. Members agreed to hold the draft for one week, then either introduce it from committee or present it in caucus and adopt it at the next council meeting if no substantive changes are required. No formal motion or vote took place during the committee conversation.

Ending: committee members described the draft as a proactive, limited measure intended to reduce intermittent problems caused by contractors working without coordination. They acknowledged the ordinance would not solve every code-enforcement issue but said it would give staff a clearer enforcement tool and a defined process for notifying the Safety-Service director before work on city roadways.