Ashtabula Council Moves Forward on Wastewater Loan and Tougher Tobacco Penalties

Ashtabula City Council took up a busy agenda Monday night, advancing a 23 million dollar wastewater loan application, tightening penalties for selling tobacco and vaping products to minors, and approving the disposal of about 20 obsolete city vehicles. The pre council session and regular meeting also included a lengthy debate over how committee assignments are decided, a resolution honoring a longtime finance employee, and public comments about vacant and overgrown properties around the city. Committee Shuffle Follows Foglio Departure President John Roskovics opened the pre council meeting by addressing changes to committee assignments following the departure of former Ward I Councilperson Kym Foglio. Council Member Russell Simeone agreed to join the Economic Development Committee, and Council Member Jodi Mills moved to the Finance and Personnel Committee, which meets in the morning. Roskovics said he has taken over as chair of Finance and Personnel. Council approved the changes by voice vote. A vacancy remains on the Safety Forces Committee. Roskovics also updated council on the process to fill the Ward I seat, saying the Ashtabula County Democratic Party moved its application deadline from mid July to July 31 after requesting more time to publicize the opening. He said the party hopes to conduct interviews the first week of August, and the ward will likely remain without a representative until September. Council Member Presses for Formal Assignment Process Council Member RoLesia Holman questioned the process for assigning council members to committees, asking whether it was based on interest, availability or another standard. Roskovics said standing committee assignments have traditionally been made at the discretion of the council president based largely on scheduling. Council Member Jodi Mills noted that council rules require standing committees to be appointed with input from each council member and a simple majority vote. Holman asked that the record reflect her request for council to adopt a more consistent process for future assignments based on criteria such as experience, background, availability and education. Council to Honor Retiring Finance Employee Council Member Mills requested a resolution honoring Carolyn Sheldon, the city’s former assistant finance director, who retired after 37 years with the city. Council approved the request, and Clerk of Council Stacy Millberg will prepare the resolution. City Manager Details 23 Million Dollar Wastewater Loan Request City Manager Jim Timonere asked council to authorize an application for a Water Pollution Control Loan Fund agreement to help pay for repairs and upgrades at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Timonere said the city needs to apply by an August deadline or wait until December. The estimated cost is 23 million dollars, with a completion date in 2029 and the first loan payment not due until 2030. Planned work includes a redundant centrifuge, removal of an old belt press, new digester lids and cleaning, and repairs to the administration building and other tanks. Aeration tank work, grit removal improvements, a new alert system for plant problems, chemical feed upgrades and fleet vehicle purchases are not included in this phase. Timonere said the loan amount will be adjusted once the project goes out to bid. Holman asked about the repayment period, and Timonere said council will receive details on the term, likely 15 or 30 years, and the interest rate once the loan is finalized. He said the upgrades are not required to meet permit standards but will help the plant, which has operated since 1924, continue meeting its wastewater discharge permit requirements. Obsolete City Vehicles Headed for Sealed Bid Sale Timonere also asked council to authorize the disposal of about 20 obsolete or unneeded city vehicles through a sealed bid process. Descriptions of the vehicles will be published and posted on the city website, and the highest bidder for each vehicle wins. Any vehicles that do not sell will go to a scrap yard. Mills asked how proceeds are divided among city funds, and Timonere said the money returns to the fund associated with each vehicle’s original department. Future Tax Abatement Request and Bridge Project Update Timonere told council that a future meeting will include a request for a community reinvestment area tax abatement from River and Rail Development for a long term rental property at a residential site on East 15th Street. The developer is requesting a full abatement for seven years. Roskovics added that a developer at a recent Architectural Review Board meeting described plans for several new homes in the historic district valued at more than a million dollars, crediting the city’s tax abatement program for making the project possible. Mills asked for an update on the railroad bridge replacement project near the Trestle Bridge. Timonere said the new bridge is being built beneath the current structure an