(Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

PARKERSBURG — Parkersburg City Council members are scheduled to vote Tuesday on proposed sewer and sanitation fee increases.

The first readings of both ordinances are part of a longer-than-usual agenda for the 7:30 p.m. Tuesday session, which will be followed by an Urban Renewal Authority meeting with multiple purchase requests, updates and a consideration of increasing the limit for property purchases by the administration.

The sanitation increase was included in the fiscal year 2025-26 budget proposed by Mayor Tom Joyce and approved by council in March. But a separate ordinance is required to raise the fee from $18 to $22 a month, or $264 for the year.

During the budget hearings, Joyce said he proposed the increase after the city’s general fund subsidized the sanitation fund for a combined $882,000 in fiscal years 2023 and 2024.

The vote comes less than two weeks after Joyce announced the suspension of curbside recycling pickup, citing staffing issues in the department, and as some residents continue to advocate for increased pay for sanitation workers.

Councilman Zak Huffman sees a clear link between the two issues.

“We have a staffing shortage. And that’s because we don’t pay them enough,” he said. “I think it’s a very simple solution. We just have to pay a better wage to our sanitation workers so that we can get new staff in there.”

Prior to the suspension of the recycling service, there had been periods where the materials were not picked up, due in part to maintenance issues with the trucks. The agenda also includes an item for discussion of trash and recycling service requested by Huffman on behalf of residents of the Julia-Ann and Avery historic districts.

Joyce said there are 24 medium equipment operator positions in the sanitation department, and between nine and 11 are vacant.

Huffman said the wages of sanitation workers could be improved using the $500,000 the sanitation fund increase is expected to generate.

Council approved a $2-an-hour raise for medium equipment operators with commercial driver’s licenses in the upcoming budget. Joyce pointed out that the raise for those operators in the sanitation department is being paid for with a portion of the revenue from the increase.

Joyce said the city has made efforts to help sanitation workers increase their wages. People can be hired at a training rate generally $1 below the starting hourly pay for medium equipment operators with a CDL. They have six months to get the license and have their pay increased, although he said some exemptions or extensions have been given.

The city also pays for the testing supplies and allows workers to be paid for studying for the test.

“I would say that we’ve done a lot,” Joyce said.

The proposed sewer rate increase was referred to council by the Parkersburg Utility Board to address upcoming projects and rising expenses. It would increase rates by a total of 18.47% in phases spread over four years.

Three ordinances on first reading on Tuesday’s agenda would authorize the issuance of bonds to fund an estimated $26 million project to replace two major lift stations with larger interceptor pipes at deeper elevations, authorize the increase and address other related matters.

Ordinances on final reading would enact the 4.2% pay increase approved in the budget for civil service and part-time employees, as other workers’ pay can be adjusted administratively; authorize a payout program for unused sick time; and establish pay rates for a civilian fire inspector and housing coordinator in the Development Department.

Two resolutions on the agenda would authorize a series of end-of-the-fiscal-year budget revisions referred Thursday by the Finance Committee and reappoint Cindy Lockney to the Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library Board.

The URA agenda includes offers to purchase lots at 1611 Latrobe St., 1211 Williams St., 806 Swann St. and 1409 20th St., as well as updates on properties at 1107 Lynn St. and 714 Market St. The authority, which consists of all nine members of council, will also consider increasing the amount the administration can spend to acquire blighted property without specific URA approval from $2,500 to $5,000.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com