Martins Ferry council presses businesses on pallet disposal, shifts downtown parking to two‑hour limits

Martins Ferry — A sustained discussion at the Feb. 18 City Council meeting focused on downtown sanitation and parking policy after city code staff reported dozens of code notices and growing complaints about pallets and bulky refuse.

"We have businesses that have over 200 pallets sitting on the side of the building," Miss Yeso, the city code official, told council, saying staff had issued 37 letters of violation tied to sanitation and code issues and had given property owners seven‑day notices. She said three local pallet‑removal companies and Belmont College (which uses pallets in its wood shop) had been offered as options, but businesses had not arranged pickup.

Council members debated whether the city should resume picking up pallets, a practice several said had in the past led to misuse and dumping of other household debris. "We did it on 1st Street; next thing you know, we had couches and beds and everything else," said one council member, and several colleagues said the city should instead draft an ordinance requiring businesses to dispose of their pallets or arrange private removal.

Miss Yeso recommended an ordinance that would place disposal responsibility on businesses, and council voted to convene the ordinance committee to draft language and consider exceptions (for businesses that genuinely reuse pallets). The committee was asked to work with the law director and return with a recommended draft.

In a related downtown policy change, Miss Yeso said the city would shift to two‑hour customer parking downtown and would not allow exclusive parking spaces assigned to individual businesses. "We are shifting to all two‑hour customer parking, no exclusivity," she said; council asked staff to coordinate with the police chief and publish guidance so businesses and customers understand the rules.

Sanitation staff also reiterated that bulky items such as mattresses must be placed in protective bags for pickup and discussed rental or case‑by‑case dumpster assistance for elderly residents, with council members weighing costs and potential misuse. Staff estimated neighborhood rental dumpsters could start at roughly $100–$150 per week depending on size, but council members expressed concerns about funding and about community misuse of shared dumpsters.

Council directed the ordinance committee and staff to draft the pallet/disposal ordinance, clarify mattress/removal procedures, and prepare communications about the parking change for publication.

What’s next: ordinance committee meeting to draft enforcement language and public notification about the switch to two‑hour customer parking.