STEUBENVILLE — Emergency legislation that would have finalized the city’s end-of-year revenue tax budget was inadvertently derailed Tuesday after questions were raised about how pay raises for a handful of employees had landed in a revised Table of Organization without council’s input.

Eight items on the meeting agenda were listed as emergency legislation, all of them standard, end-of-year ordinances that the city needs in place to start 2026. Six passed outright and took effect immediately, one was tabled and the other delayed a week so council could reflect on the

Councilman Joel Walker, though, questioned the salary changes he spotted in the proposed TO, saying the document would give a few employees $1 more per hour. One would get $2 more per hour.

“I don’t remember it coming up during any budget meetings that this was discussed,” Walker said. “I just want to know how came about … (how do) select people get $1/hour and one get a $2 increase.”

City Manager Jim Mavromatis told Walker it was his idea: As he and Finance Director Dave Lewis did the 2025 tax budget, they realized there was enough money to recognize a few, but not all, city workers for their efforts.

Walker said he “wasn’t happy that (the increases) were in the Table of Organization” without them having had a chance to weigh in on the merits before they were asked to vote.”

“I was concerned that there were raises in the Table of Organization with no explanation,” Walker said later, pointing out their finance department “is telling us we need to watch next year’s budget because if it’s going to be tight and (there) they were dealing these raises with no explanation.”

Councilman Royal Mayo also voiced concerns, questioning how and why other deserving employees were passed over and raises given to just a select few.

With Walker and Mayo opposed, the revenue tax budget fell one short of the five ‘yes’ votes required to pass it on an emergency basis, so it must be read two more times before it can be voted on.

As a result, Law Director Costa Mastros said second reading will be heard Dec. 16, with the third and final reading — and vote — added to the agenda for a special meeting on Dec. 18.

Council subsequently tabled consideration of the revised TO, choosing instead to go behind closed doors to discuss the concerns in private. It is also slated for a vote during the Dec. 16 meeting, which will be Mayor-elect Ralph Petrella’s first.

The remaining six items that had been sunshined as emergency legislation — authorizing appropriations for current and other expenditures through the end of 2025; adopting a revenue tax budget for the 2026 budget year; adopting the 2026 budget; adopting a capital improvement plan for the city in 2026; adopting the city’s indirect cost allocation plan; and reallocating ARPA lost revenue funds currently held in the general fund — all passed without question.