MARTINS FERRY — Martins Ferry’s municipal leaders will wait until the middle of next month to make a final decision on an ordinance giving tax credit back to East Ohio Regional Hospital.

The second reading of the tax ordinance, which would return 75 percent of the city’s one-percent income tax paid by EORH employees to the hospital, passed quickly Wednesday evening. Martins Ferry Law Director Paul Stecker said he advised the council to wait until the third reading to approve the ordinance, and that he was still in the last phase of negotiations with EORH officials on the minutiae of the agreement.

“Just some of the details — not really anything substantive,” Stecker said of what remained up for discussion. “There’s the ordinance, but then there’s also a contract between the city and the hospital. There’s some details with the hospital, (like) accounting mechanisms.”

Though the third reading was pushed back to the July 15 meeting, Stecker said the passage date wouldn’t affect the tax credit EORH gets, as it retroactively applied to an earlier, May date. The ordinance will grant the hospital tax credit if it employs more than 200 employees during the period.

“They don’t receive the credit until they have 200 employees. At the end of the year, if they don’t have 200, they won’t get the credit for this year.”

Mayor John Davies said the tax credits are to go toward improving the real estate or infrastructure of the hospital, such as air conditioning or elevators, both of which are currently under construction.

“It’s a self-protecting thing. If they default in 10 years, that money comes back to us,” Davies said. “It benefits them to give them money to improve the structure, it benefits us that we’re still getting 25 percent, and the more people they hire, the more people come in from out of town, visit our shops, buy our gas. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

EORH was sold to East Ohio Hospital LLC earlier this year from its previous owner, “a large real estate investment firm,” according to previously published reports. It was shuttered in September of last year by its former owner, Alecto Healthcare Services.

According to council president Kristine Davis, East Ohio Hospital LLC Chief Operating Officer Bernit Albertini said hiring for the hospital was “slow,” due to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

However, work was underway to install chillers and new elevators, which would be going in through the coming weeks.

Council also moved to cancel the July 1 meeting, as some council members had prior obligations.