ST. CLAIRSVILLE — City Council on Monday voted to stop pursuing a potential partnership with Aqua Ohio, a company that had offered to buy the city’s water and wastewater systems.

During a meeting held via teleconference, five council members voted not to proceed with further negotiations with the private, state-regulated entity, while one member abstained and one was absent. Aqua Ohio began negotiating with the city under the previous mayoral administration. While former mayor Terry Pugh favored privatization, challenger Kathryn Thalman vowed to explore options for maintaining local control of the utilities and defeated the incumbent, taking office in January.

The deal with Aqua Ohio would have addressed deficiencies in the systems. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has mandated that the city stop using its water treatment plant an find a source of water other than its surface reservoirs.

The vote Monday came after Thalman hosted a news conference last week to announce it was likely that the city could partner with Belmont County Water and Sanitary Sewer District instead.