Lack of quorum forces Niles to set new meeting

By Jordan Cohen

The ordinance calls for bid advertising for a storm sewer project.

NILES — City council routinely moved several ordinances to second reading Wednesday. There was just one problem: One of the ordinances needed to be passed immediately, and council didn’t have enough members at the meeting to do it.

Council requires six votes for legislative approval in one reading as an emergency, but only five members were present. Councilmen Edward McCormick, D-4th, and Thomas Scarnecchia, D-at large, were absent.

The ordinance in question authorizes the advertising of bids for the second phase of the Stevens Park Watershed Storm Sewer Project.

Mark Hess, the city’s grant and development coordinator, said he already had purchased print advertisements because he assumed the ordinance would be approved Wednesday as an emergency. Hess said he didn’t realize the difficulty while council moved the legislation to second reading, but during closing remarks by department heads, the problem dawned on him and he informed council.

“We’ve bought advertising, and the bid opening is scheduled for Dec. 8,” Hess said. Law Director Terry Dull said the bidding process could not begin without final ordinance approval.

As a result, council has scheduled an emergency meeting for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to pass the legislation so the bidding can go as scheduled.

In another item, council gave first reading to a resolution supporting an application by Youngstown for a $70,000 grant to pay for a feasibility study of Mahoning River development.

Mayor Ralph Infante said nine communities are participating in the Mahoning River Revitalization Initiative, which hopes to spearhead business development on the river corridor.

The mayor said the city’s share for the application cost is $2,000.