Resident complaints were addressed at the Sistersville Council meeting on Monday at the City Building.

Harold Dally approached council with suggestions of placing a fence around the property beside the new park located behind the American Legion, to keep people from parking in the area and tearing up the terrain while the ground is still soft. Noting that the city is now responsible for the upkeep of the park, Dally suggested either putting up a fence or placing gravel in the area where people park.

Mayor David Fox said he would have Police Chief Howell take a look at the situation and give recommendations to council as to how to proceed.

Sistersville resident, Dan Heintzman addressed council with issues concerning his water bill which was mailed to, but not received by the City. Not wanting to receive a shut-off notice, Heintzman questioned council as to what could be done.

The Public Service Commission will not allow the City to waive the late charges which Heintzman will likely to receive, and it was decided that he should wait until Monday and if the check is still not received by the City Clerk, it was suggested he should stop payment on the check and issue a new one.

Heintzman also questioned council as to who was responsible for street assessments for a property he rents, but does not live in, on Rexford St., himself or the owner of the property. City Clerk, Diana Mace, will look into the matter.

Chairman of the water board and sewer board member, Allen Maxwell, gave updates on the water line projects, saying everything is going according to schedule and the contractor is expected to begin work on April 15. Work on the water tank will begin on May 3.

As for the preliminary proposal with Monroe County, Maxwell reported that discussions were still ongoing.

Tim Meeks, Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council, asked for council to approve the Rural Development draw down to reimburse the city of a payment for $29,000, and requested an amendment be made to the contingency project coordinator agreement compensation. His requests were approved by council.

Mayor Fox read the second reading of an ordinance establishing a floodplain area and establishing penalties for any who fail to comply within the requirements.

He also read the first reading of an ordinance for the city to establish a maintenance account for the municipal wastewater system.

Both were approved by council.

Ryan Morgan reporting for the Planning Commission, said that committee would be meeting again in April to discuss their budget and begin to identify projects to undertake for the future. He said the committee would be open to suggestions by council or residents of the city.

Council also approved the Ferry draw down for $35,819.36 for wages, fuel, upkeep and maintenance to keep the ferry running. Plans for the Ferry include it being open for the season the weekend of April 1.

“One engine needs repaired and since we own the Ohio Landing site, we have to fix it,” Fox said. “They (Ohio) are not going to help us, but it has to be done, it’s in pretty bad shape.”

Council discussed at length an idea to change the city polling places. “The people voted to council make decisions for the entire city, not just the wards they represent, so the general thinking is that the entire city should be able to vote for everybody on the council, not just those from their wards,” the Mayor said.

The idea is to have only one polling place, thereby cutting the costs on city elections probably by half. This change can not take place until a vote by the residents of the city has been cast in favor of, or against it. Details will be worked out and presented to council several more times before the plan appears on a ballot. City attorney, Ryan Morgan, will look into the legalities of the situation.

In other business, a request was read and approved for the Sisters Fest organizing committee to hold a parade through the downtown area of the City on March 20.

Mayor Fox reported the City was still in the process of securing the services of a surveyor to survey the property near the City Park, which is being donated by Bill McCoy.

Council members present at the meeting were: Dave Dietrich, Richard Long, Mike Tuttle, Anne Doig, Doug Williams and JoLeen Sidenstricker.