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EAST LIVERPOOL -- The absence of one council member made all the difference Monday at a special meeting when transferring three properties to the city's Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) came up for a vote.
Throughout the whole meeting, which took around eight minutes, action was swift and unanimous except when council members voted on transferring 427 Vine St., 859 Ohio Ave. and 847 Baxter St. to the CIC for disposal.
During the preceding meeting of council's finance committee, Mayor Greg Bricker said there had been interest by a real estate firm in flipping the Vine Street property, while the properties on Ohio Avenue is already a vacant lot and the one on Baxter is expected to be so in the future.
The lots will be offered to the neighbors and other interested parties, who may contact Planning Director Bill Cowan, who is executive director for the CIC, with their bids.
Ultimately that particular piece of legislation failed 5-1 with Craig Stowers dissenting.
Council has no say in the properties once transferred, and Stowers wants to see more people have an opportunity to bid, he said after the meeting.
With Councilman Ray Perorazio's absence, which was excused at the start of the meeting, that left six councilmen present and the vote would have had to be unanimous for emergency passage.
Therefore, the matter will need to be revisited for another reading at the next council meeting.
In addition, Safety-Service Director David Dawson was authorized by council to apply for a Water Pollution Control loan in excess of $280,000 for the planning, design and construction of wastewater facilities. Dawson explained that he also will ask them for a $50,000 forgiveness, which he hopes will be granted.
Council also approved another $30,000 for Omnipro Services, LLC, to cover extra inspections of the Fourth Street project, which is expected to be done by May. According to Dawson, the cost is expected to be $20,000, or $5,000 per week, and the money is expected to come out of street levy funds.
The other measures that gained unanimous support were adjustments to appropriations, payments for emergency pump station repair, and a $30,000-plus mandatory mussel study related to the repair of the water intake.