[8:21] Okay.
[8:23] Very good. I'm going to call to order
[8:24] the collective committee meeting for the
[8:26] city of Avon Lake Council for October
[8:27] 5th. It's 7:05.
[8:30] Uh the first item on the agenda is
[8:33] public input. Members of the audience
[8:35] shall be permitted to speak only once up
[8:37] to five minutes on any topics. If you'd
[8:40] like to come forward, please state your
[8:42] name and city you live in. Thank you.
[8:45] >> Gerald Phillips, Avon Lake. To the
[8:47] residents of Avon Lake, vote no on issue
[8:52] 16, acts the tax. Vote yes on issue 36.
[8:56] It'll give you the right to vote if we
[9:00] give a corporate subsidy to the
[9:02] developer for the power plant.
[9:05] Also,
[9:07] it'll give you the right to vote in case
[9:09] there's higher density on the
[9:11] development for the power plant. 60
[9:13] units per acre, 1,200 units, 2400 cars.
[9:19] You need the right to vote on that
[9:20] because you the taxpayer will ultimately
[9:23] bear a burden of any increase in
[9:26] property taxes for the schools because
[9:28] of the loss due to the tiff revenues and
[9:32] the increased cost to the city for the
[9:35] infrastructure caused by that
[9:37] development.
[9:39] Now I want to talk about the city uh
[9:42] forum. Uh on September 30th,
[9:46] I was cut off and I made a comment that
[9:49] Mayor Spzel is a liar and he is and I
[9:52] will prove it because I had the
[9:53] information that he prevented me from
[9:56] speaking at that meeting.
[9:58] He didn't allow me to make a comment to
[10:00] the public so they would be uh aware of
[10:03] the fact that our city income taxes have
[10:06] increased almost 100%. In 2015 it
[10:11] was9,992,454.
[10:17] 2025 it was 18 million158,155,000.
[10:25] Also, I was prevented from indicating
[10:28] that our employment in the city
[10:30] increased from 2021 of 271 full-time
[10:34] equivalent to 289 in 2025. 18 increase
[10:40] in our employment.
[10:43] Also, I was pre prohibited uh from
[10:47] correctly making a statement that the
[10:49] city by their ordinances allocate the
[10:52] city income tax every year and that
[10:54] percentage varies. It's not fixed.
[10:57] He indicated that in essence it's stuck
[11:00] by the city council and it can't be
[11:02] built. Well, he's wrong. In fact, I did
[11:06] a historical analysis from 2021 through
[11:10] 2025 and looked at the allocations
[11:13] between the city uh general fund and the
[11:18] uh capital improvement funds which is
[11:21] needed for the streets. 64% and 21 64%
[11:27] and 22 55 and 23 69 and 24 and 76
[11:33] and 25. for the general fund for the
[11:38] capital improvement fund 19% in 21 n 19%
[11:43] in 22 30 and 23 look at the decrease 16%
[11:49] in 24 and look at the decrease in 25 we
[11:52] allocated 4% of the city income tax for
[11:56] capital funds now you know why we need
[12:00] money for the streets because we
[12:02] underfunded it in previous years because
[12:05] we wasted money and mismanagement for
[12:08] this city 4% and I indicated previously
[12:12] in 2024 2025 and 2026 we drastically
[12:17] reduce the amount of capital
[12:19] expenditures for roads and streets. It's
[12:22] a self-inflicted harm caused by the
[12:25] mismanagement of the city administration
[12:27] and council over those periods of time.
[12:31] To make even matters even worse, this
[12:36] administration, past administration,
[12:38] past council, and this council have
[12:41] acted like drunken sailors. You received
[12:45] $2.4 million from the Arper Fund, the
[12:49] American Rescue Plan Act. $2.4 million.
[12:53] If the streets and the roads were that
[12:55] bad, why didn't you allocate it to that?
[12:58] Where did it go? Do you spend it like a
[13:01] drunken sailor? Is that fiscal
[13:03] responsibility? Is that fiscal
[13:05] management? Not according to me. I'm a
[13:09] certified public accountant. I know
[13:11] governmental accounting for
[13:12] municipalities.
[13:14] In my opinion, that's waste.
[13:17] That's mismanagement.
[13:21] In my opinion, that's administrative
[13:23] malpractice.
[13:25] In my opinion, it's legislative
[13:27] malpractice. And now you want more money
[13:31] to the taxpayers. Do you think that the
[13:34] city will be any better stewards with
[13:36] the money from this uh income tax for
[13:39] issue 16? Absolutely not. Also vote yes
[13:43] on 37. It will repeal the resident
[13:46] income tax increase.
[13:50] >> All right.
[13:50] >> Anyone else wishing to come forward?
[14:03] Good evening, William Zimmerman, my
[14:05] beautiful Avon Lake.
[14:07] >> As I've said many times before, you all
[14:09] forget that you work for us elected
[14:13] officials by the people.
[14:17] Not your own personal agenda, but what
[14:20] the citizens want.
[14:22] Just like this 30 I don't know if it's
[14:25] 36 or 37. I don't. Anyhow, my point is
[14:29] about the power plant. People want to
[14:33] have a final say in that. The citizens
[14:35] want that because they don't trust you
[14:37] all anymore because you as elected
[14:40] officials have let us down
[14:45] for a long time. 20 years between the
[14:48] two of them.
[14:52] from a long time.
[14:54] So, I'd like to also go on the fact that
[14:57] the mayor's a liar.
[15:00] I spoke with the woman at the League of
[15:02] Women Voter in Lurank County today and
[15:06] she recalls the fact that Mr. Shamir was
[15:08] told that he couldn't be on the panel.
[15:11] In fact, Kayla had to fill in. She was
[15:14] the last second fill in because she was
[15:16] supposedly had environmental knowledge.
[15:19] I believe that was quite limited,
[15:21] especially compared to Mr.
[15:24] So again, he wants to say
[15:27] it's not the truth. That's not right.
[15:32] He's a liar.
[15:34] Plain and simple. I have other people
[15:36] who are willing to come to these
[15:37] meetings. They'll be glad to stand up
[15:39] here at the podium and tell them the
[15:40] same thing I just said. He's a liar.
[15:45] Citizens of Avon Lake do not trust these
[15:47] people.
[15:49] So let's go on one other thing not to
[15:51] trust you about and that was the fact
[15:54] that today
[15:56] the Supreme Court ruled at moot about
[15:59] these issues in regards to the one
[16:02] item on the ballot. So 25 days have
[16:06] passed since this was we submitted our
[16:10] information to the board of elections
[16:14] and over
[16:16] I don't know half of that time we waited
[16:18] around while you guys tried to say we
[16:19] need to have three readings not
[16:22] necessary. Supreme Court ruled that
[16:24] today that was the point. So in my eyes,
[16:27] y'all colluded together to delay
[16:32] public election.
[16:34] That's a federal offense chargeable to 5
[16:38] years in prison.
[16:42] And she was the one who was supposed to
[16:44] give the information, chose not to. And
[16:48] when I spoke with her on Friday on the
[16:50] phone, she says, "Oh, I was going to
[16:51] wait a couple more days because there's
[16:53] going to be a special election or this
[16:55] was going to happen or that was going to
[16:56] happen." None of which is factual.
[17:00] None of which is occurring.
[17:04] So, she took it upon herself not to go
[17:06] and do her job.
[17:10] From my standpoint, she should be
[17:12] arrested.
[17:14] She didn't do her job.
[17:17] and she chose to delay it even more. So,
[17:20] delaying interfering with official
[17:24] election business, that's the crime
[17:32] all of you are guilty of cuz you all
[17:35] colluded together to try to do it.
[17:37] That's why you all were not voting.
[17:39] That's why it went three full readings.
[17:42] It wasn't supposed to. It was supposed
[17:44] to be taken to the board of elections
[17:46] the day that it was approved by them.
[17:48] They send it back to her. She's supposed
[17:50] to bring the paperwork to say what's
[17:52] going to be the issue.
[17:54] People aren't doing your jobs.
[17:58] Committing crimes while not doing your
[18:01] job.
[18:04] So, one last thing I would like to say
[18:07] is that I'd like to to thank Bob Brooks
[18:10] and Kowanas for putting on the little
[18:12] function that they did over the weekend.
[18:15] I was there had an opportunity to speak
[18:18] with many families,
[18:20] moms and dads of many little kids, all
[18:22] of whom are against the tax issue
[18:24] because they don't want to pay because
[18:26] they don't have extra money to pay
[18:29] because they don't think it's necessary
[18:31] because you all have mismanaged the
[18:33] money.
[18:35] It's an ongoing theme here. As Mr.
[18:37] Phillips said, mismanagement.
[18:41] These people were very kind. We laughed.
[18:43] We joked. We shared a lot of stories
[18:46] about stuff and they were interested in
[18:49] the information we were passing out.
[18:52] And I truly believe, like I said, no,
[18:54] I'll go somewhere else. So, we'll have a
[18:56] show that's going to be produced here in
[18:58] the next day or two. and then it will be
[19:00] out on Avon Lake Organizational
[19:03] Television so you all can view it.
[19:05] Concerned citizens, Gerald Phillips and
[19:07] myself.
[19:08] >> Thank you, sir. Anyone else wishing to
[19:10] come forward?
[19:20] » Stick around.
[19:21] >> Good evening. Hi, my name is Tony
[19:24] Tomminick and um I'm a 76-y year
[19:26] resident of this wonderful town of Avon
[19:29] Lake. Um I do want to say one word
[19:31] before I
[19:34] those two gentlemen do not represent me.
[19:37] They do not represent a large majority
[19:39] of the citizens of Avon Lake. So you can
[19:43] say whatever you want up here, but I
[19:44] want to share with you some thoughts I
[19:46] had about this weekend. Um, what a
[19:49] wonderful time to celebrate our
[19:51] community, neighbors, families in this
[19:54] beautiful city that we are so fortunate
[19:56] to call home, Avon Lake. This past
[19:59] Saturday, we came together for the third
[20:02] year of Fall Fest. I think it's
[20:04] important, excuse me, important to take
[20:06] a moment to recognize that what made
[20:09] that event so special. It just wasn't
[20:11] the activities, the decorations, the
[20:14] food, the music, the drinks, or the fun
[20:17] that made the day memorable. It's the
[20:19] people.
[20:21] The Avon Lake Kuanos was proud to make
[20:23] Fall Fest possible. The Kanians raised
[20:27] nearly $10,000 to fund this wonderful
[20:30] community event. And what makes that
[20:32] accomplishment even more meaningful is
[20:34] that every dollar came through donations
[20:37] from our community. And there's
[20:39] something truly remarkable about that.
[20:42] The people of Avon Lake came together,
[20:45] raised money, and then because of that
[20:47] generosity, Fall Fest was completely
[20:49] free to everyone who attended. The food
[20:52] was free, the drinks were free, the
[20:55] activities were free. Families could
[20:57] come together, enjoy the evening, make
[21:00] memories, and simply have a great time
[21:01] without having to worry about cost.
[21:04] That's what community is all about. It
[21:07] was generously given freely so that
[21:09] others could enjoy the day at no cost.
[21:12] And it says something pretty wonderful
[21:14] about Avon Lake.
[21:16] I've had the privilege of being part of
[21:18] this community for five generations.
[21:21] And when I think about
[21:24] what that means, I realize how fortunate
[21:26] I am. I've watched families grow here.
[21:30] I've watched children become parents and
[21:31] parents become grandchild grandparents.
[21:34] I've seen neighbors become friends and
[21:36] friends become treated like family. And
[21:39] through all those years, one thing has
[21:41] remained constant in the incredible
[21:43] sense of is the incredible sense of
[21:45] community. There's something special
[21:48] about a place where people can know one
[21:50] another and look out for one another,
[21:52] come together, and when there's
[21:55] something worth celebrating. And Fall
[21:57] Fest is a perfect example of that. It
[22:00] showed what can happen when a community
[22:02] comes together and everyone contributes
[22:04] what they can. Maybe $10, maybe a $100,
[22:08] maybe just some time. Maybe someone
[22:11] volunteered to organize an activity or
[22:13] set up something or clean something up
[22:15] or simply brought their family and
[22:17] supported the event. Every contribution
[22:19] mattered because communities aren't
[22:21] built by one person or one organization.
[22:24] They're built by thousands of small acts
[22:26] of generosity, kindness, and
[22:28] participation. And that's what I saw
[22:30] Saturday. I saw people who cared about
[22:33] Avon Lake. I saw parents creating
[22:35] memories with their children and saw
[22:37] grandparents passing those traditions
[22:39] down to another generation. I saw
[22:42] neighbors enjoying the afternoon. I saw
[22:45] a community that understands where we
[22:47] live is more than just an address. It's
[22:50] home. After five generations here, I can
[22:53] honestly say that I can't think of a
[22:55] better community to live in. There are a
[22:58] lot of wonderful places in this world,
[23:00] but there's something uniquely special
[23:02] about being part of this community. So,
[23:06] I want to say thank you. I want to say
[23:08] thank you to everyone who donated.
[23:12] I want to say thank you to everyone who
[23:13] volunteered. I want to say thank you to
[23:15] everyone who helped organize and create
[23:17] this incredible fall fest. And a special
[23:20] thank you to the Avon Lake Kanians for
[23:22] helping raise nearly $10,000 to make
[23:25] that event possible. But most
[23:28] importantly, thank you to the people of
[23:30] Avon Lake because every dollar that made
[23:33] this event possible came from you. You
[23:36] supported the community. You supported
[23:38] your neighbors and helped create
[23:40] memories that our families will carry
[23:42] from them with them for years to come.
[23:44] So, let's celebrate the third year of
[23:46] the Fall Fest. Let's celebrate Avon
[23:48] Lake. Let's celebrate the generations
[23:50] that came before us and the generations
[23:52] here today as well as those that will
[23:55] follow. And most of all, let's celebrate
[23:57] the spir spirit of generosity and
[23:59] togetherness that makes this place home.
[24:02] Five generations have given me a plenty
[24:04] of reasons to love Avon Lake. And after
[24:07] seeing everyone come together this past
[24:09] Saturday, I was reminded of one more
[24:11] thing. This is what a community does.
[24:15] Thank you, Avon Lake. And here's to many
[24:18] more years of FallFest friendship,
[24:20] family, and community. Everybody have a
[24:22] wonderful evening.
[24:23] >> Thank you, sir.
[24:27] » Anyone else wishing to come forward?
[24:31] >> Seeing no one else ready to come
[24:33] forward.
[24:34] >> Mr. Council President,
[24:35] >> um I have some comments that I'd like to
[24:37] add uh in response to some of the things
[24:39] that were said in public input. Would
[24:40] this be the appropriate time or towards
[24:42] the end?
[24:43] >> Certainly now would be a good time.
[24:44] >> Okay. Um,
[24:48] I thank Mr. Tomminick for his comments,
[24:51] uh, by the way, and I think that is, uh,
[24:53] reflective of a vast majority of this
[24:55] community.
[24:57] So, I'm not going to get into the
[24:59] comments that, uh, uh, Mr. Phillips made
[25:02] about the mayor. The mayor is a, uh, is
[25:04] a dedicated lifetime servant, uh, retired police officer,
[25:09] police chief, and elected mayor. he can
[25:11] respond in due in due kind next week to
[25:14] some of these allegations against him
[25:16] and I expect that he will knowing uh the
[25:18] mayor as I do. Um one thing that was
[25:21] brought up uh by Mr. Phillips was uh
[25:24] something about the ARPA funds and where
[25:26] that money went. um the ARPA fund money
[25:30] the major I don't have all the numbers
[25:32] in front of me the exact amount but the
[25:34] majority of the ARPA funds that we
[25:37] received um from COPA from CO um went
[25:41] back to the community in the form of one
[25:45] of the coolest neatest brand new parks
[25:47] that we have in the city and that is the
[25:49] new Alps that is located over here. It
[25:52] was council's decision at the time um to
[25:56] direct those funds to complete that park
[25:59] and not just create it as just a regular
[26:02] neighborhood park that we have had
[26:03] before, but to have something that has a
[26:06] um that has that wow factor, which is
[26:09] what I think the community envisioned
[26:11] and what uh council envisioned when we
[26:13] first started talking about it. Uh COVID
[26:15] was tough on the whole country, the
[26:17] state, and especially the city. So, we
[26:20] thought it was in the best interest of
[26:21] the city to um as a way of, you know,
[26:25] saying thank you for the community, for
[26:26] their patience and working through this
[26:28] together um with their neighbors and
[26:30] with their locals um to get through that
[26:33] time in our history. We wanted to give
[26:35] the public and the community back
[26:37] something um that they could be really
[26:40] proud of and that grandparents, parents,
[26:42] kids, grandkids um could all enjoy
[26:46] together and make new memories. So,
[26:47] that's where the majority of that um of
[26:50] the uh uh COVID funds went. Um there was
[26:53] also some that did go to infrastructure
[26:55] and I don't have all those numbers in
[26:56] front of me right now, but I know Mrs.
[26:58] Fenderbash is going to jump in here in a
[27:00] minute on that. Um but I wanted to put
[27:02] that part out first. Um the second part
[27:05] is we live in a we live in an amazing
[27:07] country and uh there's a reason that uh
[27:10] freedom of speech is the first amendment
[27:13] in the constitution. um because it
[27:16] allows you to say stupid and disgusting
[27:18] things. And I think what we heard
[27:20] tonight was probably the stupidest and
[27:22] the most disgusting thing I've ever
[27:24] heard. Um if you want to yell at me,
[27:27] fine. I was in the Marine Corps. You can
[27:30] stand in front of my face and scream and
[27:32] yell at me. but to insult, attack and
[27:37] threaten with imprisonment in a crime a
[27:41] dedicated public [snorts]
[27:43] servant like Valerie Ross Marin is
[27:46] disgusting.
[27:48] Thank you.
[27:50] >> Thank you. And why you brought that up,
[27:53] uh, that I believe had to do with the
[27:56] decision that they weren't very happy
[27:58] about from the Supreme Court that we
[28:00] recently received. And I'll turn this
[28:02] over uh to Mr. Eert because we have done
[28:05] everything very much according to how
[28:08] the law is written and so has Miss
[28:10] Rosmarian. So uh that was very uh
[28:13] disheartening to hear that. Uh
[28:15] unfortunately there's not a whole lot I
[28:17] can do to stop someone in the midst of
[28:18] such a thing. But uh Mr. Law Director,
[28:21] if you would explain uh our success on
[28:23] the Supreme Court, please.
[28:25] >> Yes. Thank you, Mr. President. Yes.
[28:27] Today the Supreme Court ruled the um uh
[28:30] dismissed the uh appeal red mandamus
[28:33] filed by Mr. Phillips concerning the
[28:34] income tax issue uh as being moot. Um it
[28:38] was always
[28:38] >> credit issue
[28:39] >> credit is income tax credit issue. It
[28:42] was always the intentions of this
[28:44] council to prove it on three readings.
[28:46] They didn't have to suspend the readings
[28:47] to have an emergency basis because of
[28:49] quite frankly when the petitions were
[28:51] circulated and submitted to the council did not have any time to even
[28:54] discuss it. you know, went right to
[28:56] committee, went right to the first
[28:57] reading, second reading. He knew he knew
[28:59] very well that there was going to be
[29:01] three rings and be passed and it was
[29:03] there was no basis for filing the
[29:05] writing that that matter which is just
[29:08] costing taxpayers more money every time
[29:10] all these lawsuits which are spurious in
[29:11] nature are filed by Mr. Phillips. Um so
[29:15] the issue concerning that will is moot.
[29:18] um whether he tries to file again that
[29:21] what what the council would be doing now
[29:22] is it be a special election within
[29:24] probably 120 days sometime in January
[29:27] probably you're not going to have the
[29:29] special election will be cost you know
[29:31] the council I mean I shouldn't say
[29:32] council taxpayers might have a special
[29:34] election based on how he formed this but
[29:36] it will be held probably sometime in
[29:38] January it's up to council to fit you
[29:40] know where they want to have it what
[29:41] time what's the basis of it but that rid
[29:44] of mandamus had no basis to be filed
[29:47] against the city knowing know full well
[29:48] the council was going to pass it in
[29:49] three readings.
[29:51] >> Thank you. And not only did we pass it
[29:53] in three readings, we also held a
[29:55] meeting earlier than we needed to to
[29:57] hear it. That is correct.
[29:58] >> So the Supreme Court did rule in our
[30:00] favor on this and uh that's appreciated.
[30:04] Uh but to say that things weren't filed in an expedious manner,
[30:09] it's just it's just not not the case.
[30:12] Yes, Mrs. Fenderbush.
[30:13] >> Um thank you and thank you for my
[30:14] colleagues. Um Valerie Ross Marin is the
[30:18] most dedicated um public servant that a
[30:21] council could ever have. When I attended
[30:24] the uh Northeast Ohio council's meeting,
[30:29] committee of councils, everyone came up
[30:31] to me and from others from other
[30:34] councils and said, "Wow, Valerie is
[30:37] yours. She is amazing." And we happen to
[30:39] agree. Um, I wanted I have in front of
[30:42] me what the ARPA distribution is and for
[30:45] those of you that want to look at it,
[30:47] it's it's fund number 218.
[30:50] Um, the expenditures were 2,827,6729
[30:58] and they were expended in the following
[30:59] ways.
[31:01] small business grants, city council,
[31:03] because we were there. Um, we felt that
[31:06] the small businesses really did suffer
[31:10] during COVID and the small business
[31:12] grants, we gave them $150,000.
[31:14] Cardiac Monitor replacement, $63,99742.
[31:21] City Fiber Connectivity Project,
[31:24] $87,877.75.
[31:28] Peter Miller House improvements $49227
[31:33] $49,227
[31:36] Senior Transportation van $46,877
[31:42] ambulance replacement $358,627.
[31:47] Then funds were then allocated to storm
[31:49] water outfalls 920,2
[31:54] 920,299.12
[31:59] pathmaster
[32:00] $296,354
[32:04] Elps $853,88
[32:09] and that is how they were expended.
[32:11] Thank you.
[32:14] >> Yes. One further thing I should probably
[32:16] say that uh concerning that matter that
[32:20] everyone knew by the time this petitions
[32:21] was actually filed ball had already been
[32:24] posted and sent out to the military. So
[32:27] it was not going to make the November
[32:28] ballot. Everybody knew that from the
[32:30] board of elections because I had several
[32:31] conversations with the chairman of the
[32:33] board of elections concerning the issue
[32:35] that it have to be a special election uh
[32:37] based on the timing of it when they were
[32:39] filed with the board of elections.
[32:40] Valerie did exactly what she had to do
[32:42] when they were submitted to things. G
[32:43] she emailed them over to the board and
[32:45] then took over manually the actual uh
[32:48] petitions also the ordinance as far as
[32:50] certified copy of the ordinance. So
[32:52] everyone knew that was in the process.
[32:54] There was no reason to file rid of
[32:55] mandame is concerned yet.
[32:57] >> Thank you Mrs. Goodwin.
[32:59] >> Thank you. Um and I just wanted to
[33:01] address the League of Women Voters
[33:02] event. Um I am not sure where I was a
[33:06] last minute addition to the panel. Um, I
[33:09] was, in case no one else noticed, the
[33:11] only woman on the League of Women Voters
[33:14] panel. Um, and that was done by design
[33:17] because I was because I am a woman and
[33:20] because um, all the other gentlemen um,
[33:23] that our representation were men. Um,
[33:26] and they felt that a female presence was
[33:30] desired on the board. And um, I'm also
[33:32] very close friends with a number of the
[33:34] women who helped put that on and who are
[33:36] members of the organization. So um I was
[33:39] actually an integral part in that from
[33:41] the ve very beginning. I was not a late
[33:44] addition and I addressed them with the
[33:46] caveat that I do not have the
[33:48] environmental experience that Mr. Shamir
[33:50] does. And um that was actually favorable
[33:52] to them because um I could explain how
[33:56] important it was that they be that
[33:58] everyone in the room could become
[34:00] involved in this project by attending
[34:02] committee meetings and learning more
[34:06] about the project and the process. So I
[34:08] just wanted to kind of set that
[34:10] straight.
[34:10] >> All [laughter] right. Thank you.
[34:13] All right. On to our agenda. There was
[34:14] no need for a finance committee meeting
[34:17] uh tonight.
[34:18] uh I didn't feel that the items required
[34:21] such a thing. We do see the tax rate
[34:24] resolution uh which sets forth our
[34:28] local government fund of approximately
[34:30] $52,000
[34:32] that we will receive from the county for
[34:34] the uh 2027
[34:37] year. Um and the other information with
[34:41] it. uh and uh that will be set on for uh
[34:46] a first reading and passage uh by
[34:49] suspension of the rule for our next
[34:51] meeting. Uh the reader report was there
[34:54] which everyone gets shows that we're
[34:57] behind on the tax collections
[35:01] uh approximately 1.41% 41%
[35:04] uh $218,000
[35:08] uh at present and uh from compared to
[35:13] last year
[35:17] uh the August financial report was also
[35:20] submitted uh and uh for your review
[35:27] and consideration.
[35:29] Um, I really didn't have anything major
[35:32] in that report as well to bring up. Does
[35:35] anyone have anything they want to talk
[35:37] about with regard to the financial
[35:38] report?
[35:42] And then the last thing is we've made
[35:44] some adjustments for the budget meetings
[35:47] uh due to some in availab unavailability
[35:49] of some folks. Uh so the first budget
[35:53] meeting is not going to be this Saturday
[35:55] morning. It will be the following
[35:57] Saturday, October 17th at 8 o'clock in
[36:01] the morning uh where we will have the uh
[36:04] we'll talk about it more at our council
[36:05] meeting, but we have moved that to the
[36:08] 17th of October.
[36:11] And anyone else have anything else with
[36:14] regard to the collective committee
[36:16] meeting for finance?
[36:20] All right, seeing none, the next item on
[36:22] our uh
[36:24] collective committee meeting is to
[36:26] discuss any legislation.
[36:29] Uh the first one is the uh become a
[36:33] power of clean future Ohio and adopt the
[36:35] goal of reduce greenhouse emissions. Uh
[36:38] Mrs. Goodwin, anything further on that?
[36:43] Um, no, we this is um not really just
[36:47] that a reminder that this is a
[36:49] opportunity for us to obtain some more
[36:51] technical assistance and open up some
[36:53] more pathways to grant funding moving
[36:56] forward.
[36:58] >> All right. And uh that will be just for
[37:01] the second reading.
[37:02] >> Second reading. Yep.
[37:03] >> Okay. Any questions?
[37:06] Uh the next item is resolution 26-93
[37:11] uh which deals with our decision which
[37:14] has been our decision throughout that
[37:16] should the point4% income tax in issue
[37:19] 16 pass which we certainly hope that it
[37:22] will that we will be uh eliminating uh
[37:26] and stop collecting on an existing 1.5
[37:29] mil property tax uh that is is in
[37:32] effect. Unfortunately,
[37:34] uh we will uh only be able to stop it uh
[37:38] in 200
[37:41] uh 20 well no 20 and 28 that will still
[37:46] be in effect through 2027 I believe. Um
[37:50] but uh hopefully that income tax 70% of
[37:54] which is to um fund fixing our roads uh
[38:00] which we have about a 40 over a $40
[38:03] million backlog on the road work that
[38:05] needs to be done. Uh that will be for
[38:07] six years. And uh if we do what we're
[38:10] supposed to, which I fully anticipate
[38:12] the city will do what they're supposed
[38:13] to should that pass to make sure our
[38:15] roads get get fixed, uh people will be
[38:18] able to uh weigh in on again in the
[38:21] future.
[38:23] Anyone else on this issue? Yes, Mrs.
[38:26] Fenderbos.
[38:27] >> Uh thank you very much. Um, I just want
[38:28] to make sure that the public understands
[38:30] that when this does pass, um, the
[38:32] collection of the money will start
[38:33] January 1st, 27, but it needs to
[38:36] accumulate before we can actually be
[38:38] utilizing it. So, the money will be
[38:41] utilized then for streets and roads
[38:43] beginning in 2028. Thank you.
[38:46] >> Yeah. And then, go ahead, Mr. Cos.
[38:48] >> No, no, go. I I was going to say
[38:50] additionally, not only will we not be
[38:52] collecting the 1.5 property tax, we will
[38:56] also not adjust the uh current credit
[38:59] that's in place.
[39:00] >> The credit
[39:00] >> the the current credit is is a full
[39:03] credit and we had reduced that by 1%
[39:05] should should because of the need and
[39:08] should that point4 pass we will not be
[39:11] going forward with the reduction in the
[39:13] credit.
[39:14] >> Yeah, Mr. K.
[39:15] >> Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Council President.
[39:17] um this issue that's in the resolution
[39:19] as well as the other issues um
[39:22] concerning the um issue 16 um were
[39:26] discussed at last Wednesday's uh town
[39:28] hall meeting. And I would encourage
[39:30] residents uh to go and watch that
[39:32] meeting. I believe it's now available on
[39:35] um Avon Lake ALCTV and on on the city
[39:38] website. If that's not correct,
[39:40] Stephanie, please let me know before the
[39:42] end of the meeting um and when it will
[39:44] be up. Um but all of this was addressed
[39:47] and uh you can see all also the
[39:49] questions and answers uh back and forth
[39:51] from a number of residents that brought
[39:53] some very good questions um about this
[39:56] issue. And uh also I think that it's
[39:59] worth addressing and it needs to be
[40:01] stated that with regards to
[40:04] how the money is spent, it is written in
[40:09] the in the law that where
[40:13] [clears throat] the money has to be
[40:14] spent. So this point4% doesn't fly off
[40:18] into some magical wasteland where
[40:21] nobody's going to know what it's going
[40:22] to be spent on or how it's going to be
[40:24] spent. It is going to be mandated that
[40:28] at least 70% of it is spent on the
[40:33] roads, streets, roads. At least 70%.
[40:38] And no more than 30% is to be spent on
[40:43] the other capital expenditures
[40:46] i.e. uh sewers, uh catch basins, uh
[40:50] culverts, capital equipment and such. So
[40:55] that is what the law says. It's not
[40:58] going to be um or it can't be um spent
[41:02] on anything else but those two things um
[41:07] at those percentages. So I encourage
[41:10] people to um to go back and watch that
[41:13] uh town hall or to contact their council
[41:15] person um if they have any additional
[41:17] questions on it. Thank you.
[41:19] >> Thank you. And what we're talking about
[41:21] is issue 16, which is the 4% uh tax and
[41:26] uh certainly would be very valuable to
[41:29] helping with our property values as
[41:31] well.
[41:32] Anyone else? Anything further? All
[41:34] right. Next is ordinance 26-94,
[41:38] which is our uh comprehensive insurance
[41:41] coverage. And that will be going through
[41:44] three readings. Uh as our insurance will
[41:47] have, we've already had one. It's a
[41:49] second reading which will uh we'll be
[41:52] able to conclude it before the November
[41:54] dead November 1st deadline.
[41:57] Anyone else on that? All right. In first
[42:00] readings, I think we have the tax rates
[42:03] resolution. I don't know if there's
[42:04] anything coming out of public service or
[42:06] public safety uh for next Monday or not.
[42:11] Any other first readings that we're
[42:12] thinking of?
[42:14] >> All right. Any miscellaneous business or
[42:16] announcements?
[42:18] Yes, Mr. Ca.
[42:19] >> Yeah, thank you, Mr. Council President.
[42:21] Um, so, uh, the 13th annual, uh, Boo by
[42:25] the Woods and Trail of Haunted Tales
[42:27] will take place on October the 17th. Um,
[42:30] the tickets, I believe, are now all
[42:32] completely sold out. Um, however, there
[42:35] are a number of free activities that
[42:37] residents are still encouraged to come
[42:39] out and enjoy. Um, those events will be
[42:42] taking place in the parking lot and
[42:43] inside the library. So, please uh come
[42:45] on out and enjoy the free activities as
[42:48] well too. Also, um there is a need for a
[42:52] few additional actors uh for the Trail
[42:55] of Haunted Tales. Um these roles have
[42:58] gone uh almost primarily to our Avon
[43:00] Lake High School students, specifically
[43:02] the drama club. However, if there are
[43:04] any confident um students here in the
[43:08] city of Avon Lake that would like to try
[43:10] haunt acting um and they're above the
[43:13] age of 14, uh we'd love to have you. We
[43:16] have a few spots available. Um these
[43:18] would be indoors inside the Avon Lake
[43:21] Public Library that we would uh find a
[43:23] place for them. So, we have a few spots
[43:24] available. If your teenage student would
[43:27] be interested, uh, please reach out to
[43:29] me um, directly at D as in David, KO S
[43:34] as in SAM at avonlake.org. That's my
[43:37] email or you can call me at 4407552985.
[43:44] All students that volunteer for this
[43:46] would get their volunteer credit hours.
[43:48] U, they also get the the official Boo by
[43:51] the Woods t-shirt. And it's it's
[43:54] official. It's the official shirt, not
[43:55] one of the bootleg ones, the official
[43:57] ones. Um so, and be a part of that boo
[44:00] crew. It's a great night. It's uh for
[44:02] anybody that ever wanted to try haunt
[44:03] acting. Uh there's going to be over
[44:05] 2,000 people um coming through that
[44:07] they'll be able to perform in front of.
[44:09] And uh I will also mention that uh these
[44:11] roles that we have these availability
[44:13] for are not anything complex that they
[44:15] would have to memorize some intense uh
[44:17] dialogue or anything like that. These
[44:19] are genuinely pretty easy roles um that
[44:21] I think that they would have a fun time
[44:22] doing. So, if you're a confident Avon
[44:24] Lake student, uh, please have them reach
[44:26] out. Please, uh, parents, please have
[44:28] them, uh, please reach out to me on
[44:29] their behalf. Thank you.
[44:31] >> Thank you, Mr. Cause. Anything else?
[44:34] Yes, Mrs. Fenerbash.
[44:35] >> Thank you. Um, at the homecoming fall
[44:38] fest, there was also the uh 34th
[44:44] 2026 Arbor Day celebration, and it was
[44:47] wonderful. There were eight little
[44:49] children that that that helped us spread
[44:52] um wood chips around and their parents
[44:54] were there. Um what what was so great
[44:57] was that there was a collaboration
[44:59] between Ava on the Lake Garden Club and
[45:01] the Tree Commission to purchase the
[45:04] seven red sunset maples. And the reason
[45:08] they're called sunset is that begin to
[45:10] go yellow, those leaves, then they go
[45:11] orange, they go red. They're absolutely
[45:13] gorgeous. The trees that were planted
[45:15] were between 18 feet and 20 feet tall.
[45:18] They're going to be growing to 60 feet.
[45:20] And what a beautiful, beautiful entry
[45:22] that will make going into Elps. I just
[45:25] want to thank all the people that
[45:26] attended. There were about 2,000 people
[45:28] at um the fall fest. And it was just a
[45:31] marvelous, marvelous experience. Um the
[45:34] council had their booth there that you
[45:37] could approach us. Um there was also the
[45:39] tree um commission. They had a booth
[45:42] there also and it was just very very
[45:44] positive, very very active. Thank you.
[45:47] >> Thank you. Anything further?
[45:50] All right. Oh, yeah. Go ahead, Mr.
[45:53] >> I did just want to say really quick that
[45:54] um I know Mr. Brooks was thanked for
[45:57] Fall Fest, but um Mrs. Spetzel did
[46:02] >> Christine Spetzel did a wonderful job
[46:03] putting that on. She's worked really
[46:05] hard to make this dream become a reality
[46:07] for the last 3 years and each year it
[46:09] gets bigger and better and the kids
[46:11] enjoy it more and more. So, I just want
[46:13] to say thank you for that.
[46:14] >> Thank you. Thank you for that
[46:15] acknowledgement.
[46:17] >> Anything else? All right, Mr. Ca.
[46:21] >> Um, I move that in compliance with Ohio
[46:24] Revised Code section 121.22G1, 22G1
[46:28] council will adjourn to executive
[46:30] session to conduct interviews for the
[46:32] appointment of a council ward 1
[46:34] representative.
[46:36] >> Please call the role.
[46:37] >> Mr. Reynolds,
[46:38] >> yes.
[46:38] >> Mr. Smith,
[46:39] >> yes.
[46:40] >> Mrs. Fenderb,
[46:41] >> yes.
[46:41] >> Mrs. Goodwin,
[46:42] >> yes.
[46:42] >> Mr. Cos,
[46:43] >> yes.
[46:43] >> Mr. Swagger,
[46:44] >> yes.
[46:46] >> And I say yes, too. I think I did that
[46:48] time.
[46:48] >> You did.
[46:49] >> All right. With that, we conclude the
[46:51] CCM and we're going to go into executive
[46:53] session. Thank you very much.