EAST LIVERPOOL — The East Liverpool City Council Finance Committee met in a special meeting on Thursday to consider passing two pieces of legislation onto city council for approval.

The ordinances are to get Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)’s help with mowing on some of the state highways running through the city and a library renewal levy.

The mowing ordinance gives consent to the city for allowing ODOT to perform certain maintenance and/or repairs on highways inside the city and enter into an agreement with ODOT for the work.

Council Member and Finance Committee Chair Fred Rayl noted that per Ohio Revised Code (ORC), ODOT is required to have municipality approval to provide certain maintenance on highways running the city and agreement to do so.

The ordinance grants ODOT the approval needed.

The city requested ODOT’s help with the mowing on the highways due to a staffing problem leaving them struggling to get it done.

Safety Service Director Bill Jones told the committee that the problem with getting the Mowermax purchased by the city last year out for mowing is due to having Deputy Director Dan Galeotti off and the city being short staffed in the garbage department and having to pull employees of the road department to work with the garbage department. He also said that the city is getting the Mowermax out at night and paying overtime to try to get caught up on the mowing.

Per the legislation and agreement ODOT will complete one round of mowing on U.S. Route 30 through the city’s corporation limit.

Jones said he can’t thank ODOT enough for helping out, and the city will take care of state Route 39.

Rayl said he is very appreciative of ODOT for doing this and he believes the work is pro bono.

The committee then discussed a resolution for a renewal levy for the Carnegie Public Library.

The levy will be a five-year renewal to run from Jan. 1, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2030, and is not to exceed two mills for every $100 dollar of property valuation, which would amount to 20 cents for every $100 of valuation.

Rayl said that the levy, if passed by the council and the citizens, would benefit East Liverpool for sure.

The committee unanimously approved sending both pieces of legislation onto council for approval.

In a special session of council held after the committee meeting, council members voted unanimously to approve both pieces of legislation by emergency measures.

kgarabrandt@mojonews.com