BELLAIRE — Bellaire residents brought their concerns about parking tickets to council at its Thursday meeting.

Resident Alex Colvin said the village has been ticketing tenants who live at 4353 Jefferson St. in a property right next door to where Hornswogglers Buy, Sell, Trade wants to claim a garage door loading zone. Colvin said his soon-to-be ex-wife lives on the property and has been driving a car registered in Colvin’s name and receiving the tickets.

Colvin added that a resident living upstairs in the building got a ticket for being parked in the area claimed as a loading zone that he said is classified as customer parking. There is also a parking lot across the street from Hornswogglers where people are getting tickets for parking in the lot or near it.

Colvin met with Mayor Edward Marling Wednesday in an effort to find a solution for the six residences on that block. She added that, from what she sees, there are three duplexes and three private dwelling homes there, and there is not enough parking. There are also two handicapped spots for vehicles there, but one of them is no longer in use because the tenant who used it no longer lives there. The other one is used.

“I know there’s been a lot of issues with parking and paying fees and things like that,” Colvin said, “but I know just general consensus of everybody that lives on that block, they would be willing to somehow come to an agreement to pay for some sort of parking across or wherever they could.

“… So we’re just trying to figure out a way, because with that car being titled in my name, any citation that Officer (Chief J.J.) Watson or any of his other crew may give her is going to come back on me. And I have a CDL, and I can’t lose my job to provide for my son.”

After Colvin gave her speech, Watson said he was going to elaborate on the situation. He said Hornswogglers is going to put an application in for signage on the street, and once Watson receives the application for the signage he and Councilman Jerry Olack will go and make sure it is signed properly.

Olack asked council about black lines painted in the area.

“Who authorized the painting of the loading zones? Did we do it? Did we paint it?”

Marling replied that there has always been a yellow line at the back door of the business, but nobody from the village had painted the rest of the black lines.

Colvin said she and other residents were not there to cause an issue but to get some kind of solution. Councilman Mike Doyle chimed in and switched gears, saying he’s mentioned several times over the years that he thinks the handicapped spots should be an annual issue, because there are people who move or die, and that spot “lives forever.”

Doyle added that the village needs to move forward and do something about the situation instead of just talking about it.

Solicitor Paul Stecker said the village needs to adopt a policy for the use of handicap spots for residents.

Doyle suggested residents could possibly pay a $10 fee for parking in a designated spot near their home. He emphasized that nothing is free, and everything has to be paid for.

“Nothing anymore is free,” he said. “Nothing is free. I mean, it cost somebody something somewhere.”

Council filled the administrative assistant and secretary position, hiring Denise Ramsey.

Ramsey is not the only new village employee. The Finance and Personnel Committee met on March 14 to do the final interview for the full-time water treatment applicant, Rodney Porter, who Councilwoman Elizabeth Dugmore described as meeting all of the requirements.

Council members Robert “Bubba” Kapral, Dugmore, Bill Schmitt and Olack voted in favor of the hirings, while Doyle abstained because he didn’t feel comfortable not seeing a resume.

Clerk Mary Hagliozou read a request from Quality Rentals, which is located in St. Clairsville but wants to expand to Bellaire, stating it would like to use Union Square Park for an Easter egg hunt.

The next request was from Bellaire Marching Band, which wants to have a tag day in the village May 31.

The last request was from St. John Church, where representatives want to utilize the park from 5-10 p.m. June 21 for a church festival.

Council members including Olack, Kapral, Schmitt, Dugmore and Doyle approved of all the requests.

Hagliozou then read the one ordinance of the night, 25-06, authorizing and directing the mayor to execute a contract with the Regional Council of Governments for the purpose of administration and collection of municipal income tax in the village.

Schmitt, Kapral and Dugmore all voted in favor, while Doyle and Olack voted no.