PARKERSBURG -State auditors won't be able to review the city's finance until next month, according to Mayor Bob Newell.

Following Tuesday's city council meeting, Newell said the state auditors would be in Parkersburg Aug. 1 to review the city's finances. The review comes in the wake of last week's arrest of longtime Finance Director Randy Craig, who is accused of making unauthorized purchases totaling about $10,000 over a three-year period.

"They will be here to determine what it is we need to look at and what the price (of the audit) will be," Newell said.

The mayor said the state was unable to send anyone until next month because its fraud investigator, who is on military leave, won't be available until after July.

The city council agenda took little more than 10 minutes to complete as council unanimously approved all eight items.

Several citizens spoke during the public forum, attempting to make council members aware of their plights.

Lucy Phillips and Jerry Kreinik voiced concerns on wood burning stoves and furnaces. Phillips asked council to consider developing a set of codes to regulate the heating devices. City Attorney Joe Santer said that would be difficult, citing the lack of guidelines or emissions criteria from the Environmental Protection Agency.

"We don't have the ability or the skill to define these things," he said.

Another resident requested use of his ATV to patrol his street to pick up trash.

Peg Webster rose to bring council's attention to a curb being too high at the Lakeview Shopping Center. Webster claims the curb is 17 inches high, too high in her opinion. Webster said the curb caused severe injuries to her head, neck and shoulders when she fell.

Council members heard a plea from a representative of the Alliance of American Manufacturing who requested council members consider a buy American resolution.

The resolution would be nearly identical to one passed by West Virginia lawmakers a few months ago.

None of the items brought up during the public forum were on the agenda; therefore council took no action.

Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance for a lease/purchase agreement with BB&T for three pickup trucks for the Public Works Department totaling $87,690.

Council accepted a pair of resolutions relating to Justice Assistance Grants (JAG), one for $62,000 for Prevention Resource Officers for Parkersburg and Parkersburg South High Schools and a second for $64,500 for officer salaries and equipment purchases for the multi-jurisdictional drug and violent crime task force.

Council members recognized 15-year-old Alyssa Roberts, who has been selected to attend the FBI National Academy's Associates Youth Leadership program in Quantico, Va. Roberts, the daughter of Parkersburg police Capt. Keith Roberts and his wife, Lori, was the only individual in the state selected for the one-week program.