Photo by Madeline Murphy Vienna City Councilman Bruce Rogers, at left, discusses how the police fee should be handled, while Councilman Roger Conley, city attorney Russell Skogstad, Vienna Mayor Randy Rapp, Recorder Cathy Smith, Councilman Roger Bibbee and Councilman Mike Elam listen Thursday night.

Thursday evening, Vienna City Council passed the second reading on repealing the senior discount on the police fee.

“The discount creates a separation of classes by age not income, and that is an unlawful basis,” said city attorney Russell Skogstad.

According to Vienna Mayor Randy Rapp, the police fee is included with the water bill each month.

Amending the article that sets a fixed rate for the police fee once again did not pass its first reading.

Photo by Madeline Murphy The cleanup at the Johns Manville site in Vienna was completed on Tuesday. The plant site has been capped with a concrete slab for decades, which has protected the soil and water on the site, officials said. A Brownfield grant enabled the removal of the old factory buildings, remaining steel beams and girders so the site could become suitable for redevelopment.

The tax was originally $4.05 a month for residents below the age of 65 and $2.02 a month for those 65 and older.

Because council has yet to decide on a new dollar amount for the fee, all Vienna taxpayers will be charged the full amount of $4.05 a month.

The fixed rates discussed in the meeting for all residents were $2.02, $3 and $3.50, but these did not pass.

“I am a senior on a fixed income, and I never signed up for the senior discount,” said Councilman Bruce Rogers.

“If the fixed rate was $3, it would only be raising it for seniors by .98. I don’t think $1 a month is going to be very missed,” Rogers said.

According to Rapp, the police fee funds 10 percent of the Vienna Police Department’s budget.

“None of us up here are going to let our police get less than the best. I just believe that we can find the money to pay the difference and use this as a way to give back to the people,” Councilman Roger Conley said.

The article for the fixed rate was amended to add that the fixed amount decided on will not be effective until July 1, 2019, the start of next year’s budget.

“We are hashing this out each week and getting nowhere,” Recorder Cathy Smith said.

“Our opinions are not changing; we need to vote and move on to other topics,” Smith said.

Other topics discussed or announced at the meeting were:

* Council observed a moment of silence in honor of Eli Clark, the 14-year-old Hamilton Middle School student whose battle against cancer drew attention and support from around the region and beyond. He passed away Monday at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.

* The former Johns Manville site cleanup has been completed. Tuesday was the final walk through of the 19 acres, seeing that all the steel and asbestos were gone.

* Oct. 27 from 1-3 p.m. at Jackson Park there will be Halloween for Dogs.

* Trick or Treat will be Oct. 30 from 6-7:30 p.m. in Vienna, Williamstown, Parkersburg and Belpre.