STEUBENVILLE — City Council is looking for ways to crack down on delinquent utility customers.

With a water rate discussion on the docket later this month, Councilman-at-large Joel Walker asked City Manager Mike Johnson to compile a list of delinquent utility accounts.

“In the near future we’re going to have a meeting discussing the water rates in the city,” Walker said. “I was wondering if you can get us a list of all delinquent accounts and the names of the people associated with them so we have that when we start discussing water rates.”

He also asked Law Director Costa Mastros to research what they can do with it once they do have it.

“When we get this list, are we legally allowed to publicize the people who have a debt to this city?” he asked. “The reason I’m asking is for (their) future landlords: If you have a person coming to try and rent from you and they already owe the city, say (for) water, that would be beneficial to that person as a landlord not really wanting to rent to that person because they already owe the city money. So would we be able to post that for future landlords to see who owes a debt to us?”

Walker said council “needs to find out how much we are owed and make sure we are doing everything we can to recoup that money.”

“We can’t expect to keep raising the cost (of water) and not hold everyone accountable,” he said. “And we also need to keep track of the people who don’t pay so they don’t rent another place and (put) the water in someone else’s name. Landlords could see that that renter already owes for water.”

Councilman Dave Albaugh questioned if compiling a list of delinquent water customers would be any different than listing those who don’t pay their property taxes, reminding Mastros that, “If you don’t pay your property tax, that becomes public knowledge.”

Johnson, meanwhile, was authorized by council to enter into a contract with James White Construction Co. for the John Scott Connector emergency pavement repair, treating it as an emergency. Resolutions declaring April to be Fair Housing Month and Minority Health Month in Steubenville were also adopted.

He also reported finding a lot of maintenance needs at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, including toilets leaking in both restrooms as well as “evidence of water on the walls, water marks on the walls” that they’re investigating. There’s also a floor scrubber “that hasn’t worked in years,” he said, and the basketball courts “are not in the best of shape, there was a bucket of dirty water in the middle of the floor by the top of the key.”

“I think we need to show more respect to the building and keep it as clean and functional as possible, so we’re looking into that,” he said.

He notified council its Ohio Public Employees Retirement System pension fund will be audited this year, “that’s going to start here relatively soon.” Each year the Auditor of State’s Office chooses cities for OPERS audits, and this year Steubenville made the list.

Johnson asked council to compile a list of “problem lots” in their wards. “I’m going to try and get a handle on that,” he said. “I’m going to work with Judge Mascio … and we might do things a little bit differently this year, we can’t keep doing the same thing that’s not working.”

He also reminded council the Little League parade begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at Harding Middle School, followed by opening day ceremonies. He said a couple of park and recreation employees will be “working overtime on Saturday to get the fields ready.”

In other action, legislation was introduced that will allow the city to seek funding through the Ohio Public Works Commission State Capital Improvement Program for repairs to a section of the John Scott Connector where the pavement is failing and execute contracts as required; participate in ODOT road salt contracts awarded in 2026; and amend the city’s four-year street resurfacing plan, delaying for one year work on streets that had been slated for resurfacing in 2027.

Engineer Mike Dolak said the delay in resurfacing South Forest, North Forest, Cherry, McConnell, McDowell, Martha Place and Orchard would give the city time to address water line issues in that area. With council’s approval, those streets will be moved to 2028, while the streets originally slated for 2028 — Greenwich, West Argonne and two sections of Valley View — would be done next year instead.

Likewise, Dolak said applying for OPWC funding for the road repair will “help us through it.” Because it meets OPWC’s emergency repair standard, the city is eligible for roughly $91,000 in OPWC funding. Total cost of the repairs is estimated at $101,000.

All three of those ordinances would be treated as emergencies, meaning only one reading would be required for passage.