As repairs mount, Martins Ferry searches for a way to pay

MARTINS FERRY -- From collapsing sewer lines to aging water mains and a city building in desperate need of repairs, Martins Ferry officials say decades of deferred infrastructure work are catching up with the city -- and without a new source of revenue, the problems are only expected to grow.

A lengthy discussion during Wednesday’s city council meeting centered on a growing list of infrastructure projects that city officials say can no longer be ignored. Council members and administrators agreed the city faces mounting costs for repairs but few options to pay for them, with some suggesting an income tax increase may be the only realistic solution.

Councilman-at-Large Gus Harris said while he doesn’t like the idea of raising taxes, he believes the city has reached a point where difficult decisions can no longer be postponed.

“I brought up a 1% income tax raise for capital improvements,” Harris said. “Apparently we are running right now on I.O.U.s.”

He called the proposal unfortunate but necessary.

“I hate to do that but, unfortunately, that’s the way it’s going,” Harris said. “We need to talk about it and get this done. We have no choice.”

City Service Director Andy Sutak and Mayor John Davies presented council with a list of major infrastructure needs scattered throughout the city, warning that the price tag for many of the projects is substantial.

“We just got some major issues,” Sutak said. “Council needs to find a way or act on something to see how we are going to fund these.”

The discussion comes only weeks after a sinkhole collapsed part of Sixth Street when a boulder blocked a sewer line, causing water to back up beneath the roadway. The damaged section has since been repaired and repaved, but Sutak said the incident illustrates a much larger problem beneath the city’s streets.

“The brick casing put in decades ago just wore out,” he said.

Sutak said Martins Ferry’s aging infrastructure extends far beyond a single sewer line.

“Water lines, sewer lines, pumps, valves -- everything wears out,” he said. “We got to start replacing them and fixing them.”

He said city officials are working with engineers to develop a long-term infrastructure strategy, something he said the city has lacked for years.

“We need to put a plan together,” Sutak said, adding he spent 45 minutes before the meeting discussing future infrastructure planning with an engineer.

Still, he cautioned that planning alone won’t solve the problem.

“You can have the biggest, best plan there is but if you have no money that plan doesn’t go anywhere,” Sutak said.

He warned council that more failures are inevitable.

“It’s coming, gentlemen,” he said. “We are going to do what we can to try to maintain our infrastructure … but I don’t know what the answer is.”

First Ward Councilman Robert Hunker agreed the city can no longer afford to delay major repairs.

“There’s just numerous repairs and projects throughout the city,” Hunker said. “From one rainstorm to the next, you just never know what is going to happen.”

He said the Sixth Street collapse underscored how vulnerable the city’s infrastructure has become.

“We really have to seriously look at the finances and the budget on this and something has to happen,” Hunker said.

Harris said borrowing money is not the answer, circling back to an income tax hike to generate funds desperately needed.

“I hate to say this but there’s no other way out of it,” he said. “We can’t borrow the money because that will put us in a bad situation.”

He said he believes council needs to begin the process of an income tax proposal.

“I think we need to get things started and get it through for a vote,” Harris said.

The conversation echoed recent discussions about the city’s century-old municipal building, which houses city offices and the police department. Officials have estimated roof repairs alone could cost as much as $1 million.

Mayor John Davies said the city remains at a standstill until a funding source is identified, whether for major renovations or construction of a new municipal building.

“You can have all the plans you want,” Davies said. “Unless you have the funding to go along with it, it’s not going to happen.”