EAST LIVERPOOL – Funding for “incidentals” anticipated as part of the remediation of a slip along Lisbon Street was approved during a special City Council meeting Friday evening.

With a unanimous vote under suspension of rules, council approved two pieces of legislation earmarking an advance of up to $100,000 from the street levy fund toward immediate needs.

Council’s finance committee called an emergency meeting earlier Friday morning to review the legislation, voting to forward it for council’s consideration.

Service-Safety Director Brian Allen gave the finance committee a report on the continuing saga regarding Lisbon Street, repeating the information for council prior to each vote.

Planning Director Bill Cowan said the proposal from Pusateri Excavating, which was brought in yesterday to clear an old alley to make way for soil testing, is not expected to exceed $13,025.

Cowan told the committee he would take full responsibility for contracting with the company without first going through the proper purchase order procedure, but Auditor Marilyn Bosco assured him she had contacted the state auditor’s office, which is “aware of the extreme circumstances” the city is facing with this slip area.

The soil drilling cost is expected to cost another $15,000 to $25,000, according to Allen, who said traffic lights brought to the location last night will cost another $5,800 per month.

The $100,000 advance from the street levy fund must be repaid back to that fund within a year and will be reimbursed with funding the city expects to receive from the Ohio Department of Transportation as part of its remediation plan for the slip area.

Referring to borrowing the money from the street levy fund, committee Chairman Bill Hogue brought a bit of levity to an otherwise serious situation by quipping before making a motion to recommend the legislation, “It’s Good Friday; it seems a good time to rob Peter to pay Paul.”

Mayor Ryan Stovall emphasized that this advance from the street levy fund will in no way jeopardize plans for this summer’s neighborhood street paving program, pointing out that the money is coming from the portion of the levy set aside as matching funds.