Council seeks state funding for citywide paving
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MARIETTA -- Marietta City Council on Monday approved an application seeking $650,000 in grant and loan funding for a proposed 2027 paving and accessibility project and appropriated $45,000 to cover firefighter overtime.
Council held a special meeting following committee meetings to consider the two time-sensitive pieces of legislation.
Mayor Josh Schlicher and Councilman Harley Noland were absent. Council President Susan Vessels served as acting mayor during the special meeting, while Councilman Bill Gossett filled in as council president.
Council unanimously adopted Resolution 24, authorizing the city to apply to the Ohio Public Works Commission for $400,000 in grant funding and a $250,000 loan for the proposed 2027 citywide asphalt resurfacing and Americans with Disabilities Act curb ramp project.
The application is due Friday.
During a Finance Committee meeting before the special session, council members discussed the financial commitment associated with the loan and its effect on the city's application.
The project is expected to cost approximately $1.75 million. In addition to the requested state funding, the city plans to use money from sources including the Adult Use Cannabis Fund, local street and permissive tax funds, capital improvement funds, water and sewer funds and its Community Development Block Grant.
Officials explained that accepting a loan as part of the funding request could provide additional points during the competitive application process. Those points could make the difference between the city receiving or missing out on grant funding.
"The financial benefits outweigh the financial risks," Councilman Jon Grimm said before the resolution was adopted.
Officials emphasized that council's action authorized the funding application and did not grant final approval for the full paving program. A preliminary list of streets has been developed, but the project and its scope will depend on the amount of money awarded.
Council also suspended the second and third readings of Ordinance 93 and unanimously adopted it. The ordinance appropriates $45,000 from the general fund's unappropriated balance to the Fire Department's overtime account. The money will help cover overtime incurred because of firefighters who have been injured while on duty.
"The original request was $80,000," Grimm said. "We're going to hold off on the balance until later in the year, when we can have a better idea of the overtime costs."
In other business, officials briefly discussed a state requirement for municipalities to establish cybersecurity programs. Council members received information about the law, but a more detailed Committee of the Whole discussion will be scheduled for a later date so additional information can be gathered.
Council was told that a cyberattack against the city of Columbus cost more than $14 million, illustrating the potential financial consequences of failing to prepare for such incidents.
During the special meeting, city officials also announced Lancaster Street had reopened following the completion of repairs after a sanitary sewer pipe collapse. The project took approximately two weeks, with weather slowing the work.
Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com.