[0:03] Good evening. Today is August 27th,
[0:06] 2026, and I'd like to call our regular 6
[0:08] PM meeting to order. Please stand for
[0:11] the opening prayer led by Pastor Phil
[0:13] Anderson with Bethl Church of Talmage
[0:15] and remain standing for the pledge of
[0:17] allegiance.
[0:19] Uh correction, we will stand for a
[0:22] moment of silence and then um move into
[0:24] pledge of allegiance.
[0:40] to the flag of the United States of
[0:43] America and to the
[0:46] standy
[0:52] for all.
[0:59] Thank you, madame clerk. Please call the
[1:01] role.
[1:01] >> Jonathan Bolus,
[1:02] >> here.
[1:03] >> Jessica Epstein
[1:04] >> here.
[1:04] >> Lindseay Holm
[1:05] >> here.
[1:06] >> Dave Klein
[1:06] >> here.
[1:07] >> Donald Pavick
[1:08] >> here.
[1:08] >> Tracy Pletcher
[1:09] >> here.
[1:09] >> Ted Roy
[1:10] >> here.
[1:12] >> Thank you. We have seven counselors
[1:14] present this evening. Um, please note
[1:16] that council does anticipate entering
[1:18] into an executive session later on into
[1:21] tonight's meeting to discuss pending
[1:24] litigation.
[1:28] Moving right along, we will um move to
[1:30] correcting and adopting the previous
[1:33] meeting minutes. We are in receipt of
[1:35] regular meeting minutes from the August
[1:38] 13th June uh 2026 meeting. Are there any
[1:41] corrections to the minutes as presented?
[1:43] I'll make a motion to adopt second
[1:45] maintenance as presented.
[1:48] >> We have a first by uh Mr. Pavick.
[1:52] >> Did I hear a second?
[1:53] >> I did second.
[1:54] >> Uh we have a second by Mr. Bolus. Is
[1:56] there any additional discussion?
[1:58] Hearing none. Madam clerk, please call
[2:00] the role.
[2:01] >> Jessica Epstein?
[2:02] >> Yes.
[2:02] >> Lindseay Holm?
[2:03] >> Yes. Dave Klein?
[2:04] >> Yes.
[2:05] >> Donald Pavick?
[2:06] >> Yes.
[2:06] >> Tracy Pletcher?
[2:07] >> Yes.
[2:08] >> Ted Roy?
[2:09] >> Yes.
[2:09] >> Jonathan Bullis?
[2:10] >> Yes.
[2:13] All right, that motion carries with a
[2:15] vote of 7 to zero.
[2:19] We are in receipt of no financial
[2:20] reports this evening and we have no
[2:22] public hearings this evening. So, we
[2:25] will move into community input. This is
[2:28] the point of the meeting where public
[2:29] input is invited to discuss an item not
[2:32] on the agenda. If an item is on the
[2:35] agenda or set for public hearing, input
[2:37] is invited at the appropriate time. Do
[2:40] we have anyone in the audience that
[2:41] would like to come to the microphone and
[2:43] address council?
[2:47] All right, seeing no members coming
[2:49] forward, we will move into agenda
[2:52] additions this evening. We have a
[2:54] certificate of appreciation to Paul
[2:57] Jerkowski and this will be presented by
[2:59] our award for Councilwoman, Miss
[3:01] Pletcher.
[3:08] » Thank you.
[3:09] Tonight I'm very pleased to have the
[3:11] opportunity to recognize Paul Jowski
[3:13] with a certificate of appreciation.
[3:16] Paul's family moved to Townage when he
[3:18] was a young man and his life does for
[3:20] many of us. His path eventually took him
[3:22] away from Townage. But about 20 years
[3:25] ago, Paul and his wife Lisa returned to
[3:27] Townage to raise their two children.
[3:30] Earlier this year, Paul received word of
[3:32] a situation that was taking place that
[3:35] could directly and negatively affect not
[3:37] just his neighborhood, but other
[3:39] neighborhoods around his. He didn't
[3:41] simply sit back and complain. He took
[3:44] action. He put on his walking shoes and
[3:47] went door todo providing information to
[3:50] many residents, many of who were not
[3:52] even aware of what was happening. But
[3:55] tonight isn't specifically about the
[3:57] situation that was taking place. It is
[4:00] about what Paul's actions demonstrated.
[4:03] A genuine commitment to his neighbors
[4:05] and to keeping Townage the wonderful
[4:07] place it is to live. Residents like Paul
[4:10] remind us that a strong community isn't
[4:13] built solely by its officials or city
[4:16] employees. It is also built by the
[4:18] residents who care enough to get
[4:20] involved and make a difference in the
[4:22] lives of their neighbors. His
[4:24] willingness to step up and help his
[4:26] neighbors does not go unnoticed. That is
[4:29] exactly the kind of community spirit we
[4:32] are proud to have here. It is an honor
[4:35] to present Mr. Jacowski with this
[4:37] certificate of appreciation as a small
[4:40] token of our gratitude.
[4:58] if you want to show.
[4:59] >> Oh, absolutely.
[5:07] » All right. Thank you very much.
[5:09] >> I just wanted to give a real quick thank
[5:11] you to everybody here, everybody who's
[5:15] helped. Mayor Kilway Tracy, um you've
[5:18] taken your times out of your lives to go
[5:21] talk to city council. Fight's not over
[5:24] yet. We're continuing to try to get the
[5:27] resolution that we want. Uh but I
[5:30] appreciate all you've done for us and
[5:31] for this award this evening. Thank you
[5:33] very much.
[5:34] >> And thank you, Paul, for all that you've
[5:36] done for us. We really appreciate it.
[5:38] >> Thank you.
[5:47] very much for that
[5:48] recognition, Miss Pletcher. We will move
[5:51] into reports of administrative officers,
[5:53] starting with our mayor and director of
[5:55] public safety, Mayor Co.
[5:57] >> Thank you very much. Um, I'm going to be
[5:59] as brief as I can. We're very busy
[6:01] around city hall. All the departments
[6:03] are working very hard on their operating
[6:04] budgets. It's a fluid process and I just
[6:07] want to commend each department for um
[6:09] really presenting streamlined um
[6:11] budgets. Um thank you you know for all
[6:12] the work that that is being done. Um so
[6:15] there is going to be a ribbon cutting
[6:17] for the new playground at the Howro
[6:19] Park. Um so this um new playground went
[6:22] in and the equipment was supplemented by
[6:24] a donation from the Lions family in
[6:26] memory of their son Matt Lions who
[6:28] passed away suddenly. And the ribbon
[6:30] cutting is scheduled for September 6th
[6:33] which is the Sunday of Labor Day weekend
[6:35] and it will be at one o'clock. So, I
[6:36] would invite all of council um if you
[6:38] could if you could spare some time, it
[6:40] would be great to see you there. Um and
[6:42] I also had the opportunity to attend the
[6:44] convocation for Thomas City Schools.
[6:46] This convocation is held every year. Um
[6:49] and it's a time when the teachers all
[6:50] come together and celebrate each other.
[6:52] They celebrate their anniversaries and
[6:54] new staff is um is introduced. And I
[6:56] want to thank Superintendent Wood for
[6:58] including me in this each and every
[6:59] year. It's a great little event that
[7:01] they do. Um, again, a reminder,
[7:04] September 11th, the 25th anniversary of,
[7:07] um, the attacks on our country, uh, we
[7:10] will have two ceremonies this year. We
[7:12] will have the regular ceremony at 8:00
[7:14] in the morning where our volunteers will
[7:16] gather and, um, place the candles on the
[7:19] sidewalks in the circle, and there will
[7:20] be a small convocation um, and ceremony
[7:23] at 9:00. And then we're going to add an
[7:25] evening ceremony this year in honor of
[7:27] the 25th anniversary. And that ceremony
[7:29] will begin at 8:00. again invite all of
[7:32] council and all of our community to
[7:34] attend that. U quick little update is
[7:36] our electronic recycling um we have
[7:39] twice a year it will be October the
[7:41] 10th. So anyone that has electronics
[7:43] they want to get rid of that are stacked
[7:44] up in their garage um put that date on
[7:47] your calendar. October 10th at the rec
[7:49] center from 10:00 a.m. until 2 p.m. And
[7:51] I want to thank Justin Delaney and his
[7:53] staff Scott and Max for arranging this
[7:56] event twice a year. And then if it's
[7:58] okay with council, I would like to
[8:00] welcome Chief um Doug Bohan um to the
[8:02] podium to give council an update on
[8:04] their traffic concerns um involving the
[8:07] Thomas City School campuses. So if
[8:09] that's okay, we'll go ahead and use this
[8:10] time.
[8:10] >> Sure. You want to do that now or?
[8:12] >> Yeah, let's do that now because he does
[8:14] have some place to go later in the
[8:15] evening.
[8:15] >> Sure.
[8:16] >> All right. Thanks. Chief,
[8:21] » thank you. I'll be brief. I just want to
[8:24] give you an overview of kind of what's
[8:25] been going on. uh this past week. Uh we
[8:28] all know that just for the past two
[8:30] days, it's been K through 12 fully back.
[8:32] Uh since last Wednesday, it was kind of
[8:35] an incremental start in in most areas.
[8:37] Uh what goes on on the campuses is the
[8:40] school's plan and what goes on in the
[8:43] city streets is our concern. Obviously,
[8:45] uh not that those are mutually
[8:46] exclusive. We're working with the
[8:48] schools. We're in constant communication
[8:49] with them as well. any areas that we
[8:51] have that we feel can be improved by
[8:53] something going on on campus that would
[8:55] alleviate traffic on the streets, we're
[8:57] obviously communicating with them.
[8:58] They're very amanable and we appreciate
[9:00] that. But as far as we're concerned from
[9:02] a public safety standpoint, there are
[9:04] really three priorities that we're kind
[9:05] of looking at. One is pedestrian safety.
[9:09] Uh another is the passage of safety
[9:11] forces on these streets during these
[9:13] times to get anywhere in the city to
[9:14] answer calls. And the third, of course,
[9:16] is just maintaining commuter traffic
[9:18] flow. the first week we've seen some
[9:20] challenges and some adjustments already.
[9:23] Uh I will say that there are still a
[9:25] couple areas of concern that we're
[9:26] working with the school on. One in
[9:28] particular is North Monroe uh road at
[9:30] the high school at student pickup time.
[9:32] What we're trying to avoid if at all
[9:34] possible, particularly on North Monroe,
[9:36] but on any street, is the backing up of
[9:38] those vehicles at pickup time onto our
[9:40] roadways. Monroe is particularly
[9:42] challenging because it's a two-lane road
[9:44] with no center turn lane, and that's
[9:46] problematic more than probably any other
[9:48] road. Uh, some things that are good. We
[9:51] know we have traffic that backs up on
[9:53] East Avenue as well, and I'll I'll
[9:54] discuss that in a moment. But as far as
[9:57] pedestrians go, I have had some input
[9:59] and some questions from the community.
[10:01] Perhaps you have as well, uh, about
[10:03] crossing guards at different locations.
[10:05] And right now, there's the crossing
[10:07] guard for the school that is at East at
[10:09] the middle and elementary school campus.
[10:10] and she's out there by East Avenue.
[10:13] She's very enthusiastic, does a great
[10:15] job and we uh we are definitely in
[10:17] communication with her and providing any
[10:19] guidance that we can to make that a
[10:20] little bit more efficient. There's also
[10:22] an auxiliary officer that is inside that
[10:24] campus because there's another crosswalk
[10:26] just south of the superintendent's
[10:28] office. And they're there to direct
[10:30] busing as it's egressing while the
[10:32] parents are coming in. And they're also
[10:33] there to uh help with the students
[10:36] because if you go into that campus,
[10:37] you'll see that there's a sidewalk on
[10:40] the east side of that road and then
[10:41] students have to cross over that road to
[10:43] get to the crossing guard inside the
[10:45] campus. So they they assist with both of
[10:47] those things.
[10:48] at East of Monroe. Uh in the morning,
[10:51] there's very little pedestrian traffic.
[10:52] I've been out there almost every day.
[10:54] The two captains have been out there.
[10:56] Our officers are out there patrolling
[10:57] the school zones every day. We've had
[10:59] the drone up in both morning and
[11:01] afternoon uh monitoring traffic flow
[11:03] from a bird's eye point of view. I don't
[11:05] see too many commuters or pedestrians
[11:08] crossing there at East and Monroe in the
[11:10] morning. It is a little bit heavier in
[11:12] the afternoon. That's not to say that
[11:14] there are a lot, but it is a little bit
[11:15] heavier. We're fortunate there that we
[11:18] have a good traffic light. We have a
[11:19] crosswalk with a a button that can be
[11:22] used for the computer, the pedestrians,
[11:24] and they have the crosswalk sign for
[11:25] pedestrians as well. Haven't noticed any
[11:28] issues there at this time. We we're a
[11:30] week in. Uh I will say that the traffic
[11:33] lights themselves are functioning
[11:34] properly. You'll know that there are
[11:36] pressure plates over there on north uh
[11:38] the north side of the elementary and
[11:40] middle school campus as well as East
[11:42] Avenue.
[11:43] And so when a vehicle is egressing the
[11:45] campus after student pickup, then
[11:47] they're getting them out of there fairly
[11:49] quickly. The problem at both campuses is
[11:52] pretty much more difficult at student
[11:54] pickup because everyone gets out at one
[11:56] time. Parents are coming sometimes very
[11:59] early and there's only so much room on
[12:01] these campuses that we can store
[12:04] vehicles uh and they're getting backed
[12:06] up to East Avenue relatively quickly. To
[12:09] help with that, we have school staff and
[12:11] our SRO's internally. They're walking
[12:13] the line. They're having people, you
[12:15] know, scrunch up a little bit. We're
[12:17] trying to get things moving. We've
[12:18] adjusted, the school has adjusted, I
[12:20] should say, how they're uh doing their
[12:23] internal flow since the original plan at
[12:25] the beginning of the year to help
[12:26] accommodate for that. It's never going
[12:28] to be perfect. It's going to be
[12:30] difficult. And I would just like to
[12:31] remind you and the public as well that
[12:32] we had these issues when we had busing
[12:34] as well at that campus. Um, student
[12:37] pickup has always been kind of a problem
[12:38] at the middle school and elementary
[12:40] school. Um, it's just exacerbated now.
[12:43] Uh, as far as safety, force,
[12:45] accessibility, and commuter traffic on
[12:46] the roadways, you are going to see more
[12:48] congestion. Of course, you probably sat
[12:50] in it yourselves. I know that the people
[12:52] who are watching or listening to this
[12:53] are probably a little bit frustrated,
[12:55] too. But I want to say that those lights
[12:56] at East and Monroe, uh, as well as the
[12:59] light at East and the middle school
[13:00] complex is functioning as it should. and
[13:04] you will end up sitting on East Avenue,
[13:06] particularly if you're coming westbound
[13:09] uh around the rec center and the church
[13:10] there and you're coming up to the Monroe
[13:13] uh intersection
[13:15] in the morning for about I'd say 10 to
[13:17] 20 minutes. We have a lot of congestion
[13:19] there. You may have to sit through that
[13:21] light two to three cycles, maybe four
[13:24] depending, but it is flowing. It is
[13:25] moving. We don't have a gridlock there.
[13:28] The same can be said at that
[13:29] intersection in the afternoon, the
[13:31] opposite way. So when you're coming from
[13:33] the middle school to Monroe, we're
[13:34] seeing a lot of a buildup of traffic
[13:36] there, but it is cycling. It is
[13:38] functioning. And one of the things that
[13:39] we're trying to alleviate for people
[13:41] that are going to be turning north on
[13:42] Monroe at that time is that congestion
[13:44] at the high school on Monroe. We don't
[13:46] want people backing up all the way to
[13:48] the intersection, and that's going to be
[13:49] problematic. We haven't had that yet,
[13:51] but it's getting close.
[13:53] We do have some ideas to bring to the
[13:55] high school uh to hopefully assist with
[13:58] that traffic during student pickup at
[14:00] the high school. And uh we'll be having
[14:02] those discussions very soon.
[14:05] Like I said that they've made some
[14:06] internal adjustments at the schools at
[14:08] the middle school and elementary school
[14:09] which has assisted. It's still not
[14:11] perfect. There is a long center turn
[14:12] lane on East Avenue between the middle
[14:15] school and Monroe as you know. That's
[14:17] actually kind of fortunate for us. We do
[14:20] get a lot of people stacking up there
[14:22] and they're in there. But what that that
[14:23] lane does provide even though the people
[14:25] are stacking up there particularly
[14:27] around pickup time is it it it opens up
[14:30] the westbound lane and it opens up the
[14:32] eastbound lane. So at least our through
[14:34] traffic whether it's commuters or safety
[14:35] forces can still go both ways there.
[14:39] My caution is essentially for people to
[14:41] be of course aware of the increased
[14:43] pedestrian traffic uh to note that we
[14:47] are going to have some congestion. the
[14:48] traffic lights are functioning properly,
[14:50] but things are slower, particularly at
[14:52] those times. And those times generally
[14:54] are 7:15 to 7:40 uh at East of Monroe,
[14:58] predominantly 3:30 to 3:45 also at East
[15:02] Monroe. Uh and then around the middle
[15:04] school and elementary campus, we have
[15:05] some congestion between probably 220 to
[15:08] 225 to 235 and then again at 320 to 325
[15:12] to about 340. things are a lot slower
[15:15] the very latter part of the day due to
[15:17] the fact that your K through four uh
[15:19] pickup is taking place and they're being
[15:21] you have to be very cautious about what
[15:23] car the kids are getting into. So, you
[15:25] know, your fifth through eighth graders,
[15:26] they can run out to their parents car,
[15:27] they know who they are, but the little
[15:28] ones don't. So, it takes a little bit
[15:29] longer to do the drop off or the pickup
[15:32] there.
[15:33] So, those are some of the internal
[15:35] adjustments they have had. Uh our SRO's
[15:38] are on scene. Like I said, they're
[15:39] walking. We're we're in communication
[15:41] with the school. Everything seems to be
[15:44] working as it is supposed to from a
[15:47] traffic light uh standpoint.
[15:50] We've had some people who have asked us,
[15:52] hey, why not have an auxiliary officer
[15:53] or sworn officer direct traffic at like
[15:55] East and Monroe or something? And though
[15:58] I understand that the backup can be very
[16:00] frustrating. I will say that it's been
[16:02] my experience in in all these decades
[16:04] that I've been doing this job that
[16:06] sometimes when you put someone out there
[16:08] with a vest and a light or something,
[16:10] it's more of a distraction to the public
[16:11] than it can be a help sometimes. And
[16:14] since things are flowing, albeit slowly,
[16:17] and we're not having any issues with
[16:18] pedestrian traffic or dangerous things
[16:21] going on right now, I'm reluctant to do
[16:23] that because things are kind of flowing.
[16:25] I don't want to mess that up, and I
[16:26] don't want to distract people from what
[16:28] they should be doing.
[16:30] No plan is perfect. We're still working
[16:33] with the schools. Um we knew that we
[16:36] weren't going to have a perfect plan. We
[16:37] knew we were going to have to kind of
[16:38] observe and see what the change was
[16:40] going to reveal. It's revealed itself to
[16:42] us and we're adjusting as we go along.
[16:46] That's kind of where we are right now
[16:47] after one week. Do you guys have any
[16:49] questions for me?
[16:51] >> Um thank you for coming in and giving us
[16:54] this update. I know um a lot of us have
[16:57] been um like we can't go to cheer
[17:00] practice without somebody saying
[17:02] something to us. So, I appreciate that.
[17:04] Um one note that I had received from a
[17:08] parent um was when you're coming into
[17:11] the middle school and elementary school
[17:14] campus, it now breaks out into the two
[17:16] different lines. And
[17:20] um so in the particular example that
[17:22] this person gave me was they were going
[17:25] straight cuz they have a a fourth grader
[17:28] um but the third and below line where
[17:31] you turn right was full. So the officer
[17:34] was holding the traffic and her and the
[17:38] car behind them were both going
[17:40] straight. So you had like several car
[17:42] lengths of empty space up if you went
[17:45] straight and they weren't letting them
[17:47] go through and it was then it just backs
[17:51] up even further on east. So I just
[17:54] wanted to bring that up because it's an
[17:57] opportunity, you know, two car lengths
[17:58] is two car lengths if it if you can get
[18:01] in two extra cars in there and get them
[18:03] off of east. So I just wanted to bring
[18:05] that up. I don't have an answer for you
[18:07] right now, but I know we observed that
[18:08] on the drone and that was something we
[18:10] were it was almost like a missed
[18:11] opportunity. You know, you have this
[18:12] space. Uh so we're going to be working
[18:14] with the school and trying to figure out
[18:15] how we can do that. You know, um people
[18:17] are still coming out that middle school
[18:19] campus, too, so we can't have two lanes
[18:21] going in. Uh so it's it's challenging.
[18:25] >> Okay. Thank you,
[18:26] >> Chief Bohan. I have a question as well.
[18:28] Um I I'm not dropping any kids off at
[18:31] school right now, but have like for the
[18:33] older kids, have you found like any of
[18:35] them walking to a location off campus um
[18:39] and like having their parents pick them
[18:41] up there?
[18:42] >> Have you?
[18:43] >> Yeah, great question. So the only thing
[18:44] I've observed from that are there are a
[18:46] few that are walking from the high
[18:47] school to the rec center, I think, and
[18:49] we have seen that. It hasn't been an
[18:51] incredible amount at this point in time,
[18:53] but we do see some of it. Yes.
[18:56] >> Yes.
[18:58] Uh we also had some officers that were
[19:00] patrolling back behind Neil in that area
[19:02] behind the elementary and middle school
[19:03] and I think they noted three parent cars
[19:05] back there. That was a problem uh before
[19:08] we had a lot of complaints. So we are
[19:10] watching that. So
[19:12] >> thank you.
[19:13] >> Yes. You're welcome.
[19:15] that area on North Monroe and East was a
[19:19] concern and I because I did have parents
[19:21] ask me about that because their bus did
[19:24] get cut and it is a walkable area for
[19:26] them. I think they just ended up they
[19:29] had the ability where they could take
[19:30] the kids in the morning. It just wasn't
[19:32] ideal. So, they're just they're driving
[19:34] and sitting in the line. They didn't
[19:35] want to risk it. Just made them too
[19:37] nervous sitting in that intersection. So
[19:40] it not surprised that it's not as busy
[19:42] as
[19:44] you know we may have thought.
[19:46] >> It's going to be a challenge.
[19:47] >> Yeah. Thank you for working closely with
[19:51] the school and keeping us updated on it.
[19:53] >> Of course.
[19:53] >> It's not fun for anyone. I know.
[19:55] >> No, it isn't. It's not fun for anyone.
[19:56] That's right. Any other questions?
[19:58] >> Okay. Thank you guys very much, ma'am.
[20:00] Thank you.
[20:00] >> Thank you, Chief.
[20:03] >> And that concludes my report, unless
[20:04] anyone has any questions.
[20:07] >> All right. Thank you very much. And uh
[20:09] thank you again chief for coming in
[20:10] today. We will move into our update with
[20:13] the director of administration Mr.
[20:14] Ignazito.
[20:17] >> Good evening everyone and thank you
[20:18] council president Epstein. Just a brief
[20:20] update tonight. Um today I had an
[20:22] opportunity uh to participate uh in the
[20:26] council's uh daily op visit. daily app
[20:29] visit at the public service center um
[20:32] with uh council uh member uh Pletcher
[20:36] and comp council member Roy. And uh if
[20:39] there's any council members who haven't
[20:41] participated, I would just highly
[20:43] recommend it. I have not uh been down
[20:45] there and gone through a tour of the
[20:47] facility and review their daily ops in
[20:49] quite some time. Uh and it was uh I'm
[20:52] glad I had the opportunity to do it. It
[20:53] was enlightening. And one of the things
[20:55] that I that stood out to me as I was
[20:58] down there, uh, as a retired Army
[21:00] officer, one of the big things you
[21:02] always looked at it when you went and
[21:04] inspected a unit was a motorpool and
[21:06] their garage. When you look and you go
[21:08] into our service center and the way our
[21:11] vehicles are maintained, the way that
[21:13] center is maintained, how clean that is,
[21:16] usually in my experience in the military
[21:20] leads to was the pride in their area,
[21:23] the pride in the team that they're on,
[21:25] uh the cohesive teams, and that usually
[21:27] led to really high quality work. And I
[21:29] think we see that. So, I want to thank
[21:32] uh service director Yuri uh and Miss
[21:34] Ripple for coordinating the event, but
[21:37] uh you know had uh the outstanding job
[21:41] done by all the teams down there,
[21:42] especially uh street superintendent Mike
[21:46] Wagan, uh Rob uh utility superintendent
[21:50] Rob Neheiser and garage lead uh Ben uh
[21:54] Newman. It just it was really eye
[21:56] opening especially during budget budget
[21:58] season as the mayor mentioned and uh
[22:00] just to discuss some of the things that
[22:02] we're talking about current term and in
[22:04] the long term. So if you haven't done
[22:06] that highly recommend it. Thank you.
[22:09] >> All right. Thank you very much. Um next
[22:12] we have economic development. We do have
[22:15] Scott Harrington with Insight Advisory
[22:17] Group here to provide us with your
[22:19] quarterly update. I think. Yes. Thank
[22:21] you, President. Do we have a PowerPoint
[22:24] >> or No.
[22:24] >> No.
[22:25] >> Okay.
[22:25] >> I hope not. I didn't bring one.
[22:28] Am I going to give it up?
[22:29] >> Uh, I did provide a detailed written
[22:31] report earlier this week, so I don't
[22:33] know if you had a chance to go through
[22:34] it yet, but please do that. Um, I won't
[22:37] go through the whole thing here. Um, I
[22:41] did want to start with just a couple
[22:42] anecdotal things that have happened over
[22:44] the last 90 days, conversations we've
[22:47] been having with people. Um, we were
[22:50] speaking with a a very experienced
[22:52] business and property owner with a
[22:55] significant real estate uh portfolio and
[22:58] they told us they are in no hurry to
[23:00] sell their building in Telmage and
[23:03] that's because they see it as a a
[23:05] developing market that's really going to
[23:07] just keep going up in value. So, um,
[23:11] while we would love to see them sell it
[23:12] to somebody tomorrow that would put some
[23:14] jobs in there, um, they are taking a
[23:17] longer, uh, longer approach there. And
[23:20] that's really still in the big picture,
[23:23] um, a very positive sign. This is
[23:25] somebody who knows what they're talking
[23:26] about. So, um, he sees the market moving
[23:30] in a in a good direction here in
[23:31] Talmage. Um, also had a conversation
[23:34] with another business owner that I had
[23:37] worked with previously in a different
[23:39] community. Um, they were trying very
[23:42] hard to find something to stay uh in
[23:44] that community they were in. Um, did an
[23:47] exhaustive search and they've decided to
[23:50] expand that. Um, so they called me to
[23:54] think uh see what I thought and I asked
[23:56] them what they thought of Talmage and
[23:58] their direct quote was Talmage would be
[24:00] perfect for us. So, this is a a great
[24:03] business. Um, so I think that'd be
[24:06] perfect for Talage. Also, the bis the
[24:08] building they're looking for is very
[24:10] unique and does not exist here. But, um,
[24:14] there's one
[24:16] with some work that maybe could do the
[24:19] trick and they also uh theoretically
[24:21] could do a a new build, which they're kind of sour on right now, but
[24:26] they had been considering it before. So,
[24:28] uh, we continue to be diligent with
[24:30] them. Uh, as far as the project
[24:34] pipeline, um, we had a couple wins last
[24:37] time. We're going to declare one win.
[24:39] This time it's three jobs. So, not not a
[24:42] big big number, but, uh, we had nine
[24:48] uh, leads and projects that we were
[24:49] working on last time. And just in the
[24:51] last three months, we're we've added
[24:53] four. So, um I think the report actually
[24:56] says three, but after talking to
[24:58] Samantha this morning, we've got another
[25:00] one that could add another employer with
[25:03] looking for 15 to 20,000 square feet and
[25:06] was it 40 jobs
[25:08] in that neighborhood. So, um the
[25:10] pipeline continues to be strong. All
[25:13] those metrics that we track in far as uh
[25:16] retaining jobs, creating jobs, and the
[25:19] square footage that they're looking for,
[25:21] those are all up from last time.
[25:23] Um I will point out that that uh over
[25:27] 600,000 square ft of industrial space um
[25:30] that is the demand side of the equation.
[25:32] So that's what people are looking for.
[25:35] So theor theoretically if we're able to
[25:38] close all 13 of those projects and get
[25:40] them done, that's the amount of square
[25:41] footage it would take to accommodate
[25:43] those. There's probably 300 350,000 ft
[25:48] of industrial space that's available
[25:50] right now. So just to keep that in
[25:52] perspective. Um
[25:57] so we added uh yeah three new expansion
[26:01] uh opportunities with existing employers
[26:04] in the city. The one that I referenced
[26:06] at the top um which is a a growing
[26:09] business that would be an attraction
[26:11] coming from outside the city. I did have
[26:14] one that I moved from a a project to a
[26:18] lead. So that a lead is just a project
[26:21] that is further out, has a longer
[26:23] timeline or is not as certain to happen.
[26:27] Um, in this case, they still plan on
[26:29] doing it. It just has been listed as a
[26:32] project for a while and has not gotten
[26:33] any closer. So, uh, I I moved it back to call it a lead just to uh to be fair.
[26:41] But in that case, they've actually also
[26:43] identified a plan B in terms of the real
[26:45] estate uh that might solve their problem
[26:48] for them. and the the second one would
[26:50] even be better because I think it would
[26:51] be a win-win uh for the city.
[26:55] Uh with the help of our marketing team
[26:57] at uh Insight, we put together um or we
[27:02] enhanced the marketing brochures for
[27:04] five key properties that are in and
[27:06] around the center of the city. Um their
[27:08] online presence just was not doing them
[27:11] justice. So, we uh did some work
[27:14] including bringing a photographer in to
[27:16] take pictures, put together a a better-l
[27:18] looking brochure ad uh information on
[27:21] the city and the economic development
[27:23] toolbox locally. Um, so we have a more
[27:27] uh enticing
[27:29] digital uh presence for those properties
[27:32] and we're going to be able to be more uh
[27:33] aggressive now trying to find some end
[27:36] users that uh would benefit the city.
[27:40] And
[27:42] one more just one last thing uh kind of
[27:45] I should have probably should have put
[27:46] this with the anecdotes at the top but
[27:48] we had did have discussions with the
[27:49] owner of an industrial property that
[27:52] said they are willing to sell to a
[27:54] developer if there's a project that is
[27:57] identified that would advance the vision
[27:59] of making Talage a more vibrant walkable
[28:02] city. So there's nothing tangible yet
[28:05] there um but it is a strategic piece of
[28:08] property. So, um, that's something that
[28:10] we'll be, uh, certainly drilling down on
[28:14] in the next 90 days before we speak
[28:16] again. So,
[28:18] >> question for you on the West Avenue, the old Rockco skating rink project. I
[28:23] know that was supposed to be in front of
[28:24] planning zoning
[28:26] >> uh next week, but I think it's not on
[28:29] the agenda. Plan zoning was canceled.
[28:31] So, that one I think maybe you'll answer
[28:33] that. Then the A&W, I noticed the sign
[28:36] came down. Uh people were calling me,
[28:38] "Oh, it's sold." No, I don't think it's
[28:41] sold. I
[28:42] >> I don't I don't think it is either. Um I
[28:44] think Well,
[28:46] >> I I can address those in my report.
[28:48] >> Oh, okay.
[28:49] >> Yeah, it's I think it's still available.
[28:53] Yeah.
[28:54] >> Hey, thank you.
[28:55] >> Thanks for the update.
[28:56] >> I have a question. Um the last comment
[28:59] you made about the indust like the
[29:01] business owner who own the industrial
[29:03] space, they'd be interested in adding to
[29:05] it if a if the business was able to help
[29:09] with Telmage's walkability. Can you
[29:11] explain that a little bit more, please?
[29:13] >> Uh well, with the the potential uh the
[29:16] residential development there and um
[29:20] potentially some more uh maybe
[29:22] restaurants and things around the circle
[29:25] that would support that. um there might
[29:28] be an opportunity for something that
[29:29] would complement
[29:31] that. Um this was again this is not the
[29:34] developer, this is the property owner
[29:36] just saying they would love to see more
[29:39] uh projects that would help with that um
[29:42] vision for the city.
[29:46] » Yeah, sure.
[29:49] >> Any other questions from council?
[29:52] All right. Thank you very much for
[29:53] coming in today, Mr. Harrington.
[29:57] And we do have our regular um update
[30:00] with our in-house economic development
[30:03] with Miss P. Good evening. Thank you.
[30:06] Yes, happy to share an update. Um so in
[30:09] addition to the uh state and regional
[30:11] ongoing professional development
[30:13] opportunities covering topics including
[30:15] site development, planning and community
[30:18] funding. um I continue to participate in
[30:20] those and as well as uh the Talmage
[30:23] Chamber monthly events including the
[30:24] August multi-chamber networking event.
[30:28] As far as Talage businesses go, um we've
[30:30] had uh several uh recent new business
[30:33] openings. Um a couple of uh new sole
[30:36] proprietors in the city on August 7th.
[30:39] Three Tree City Gaming, which is a hobby
[30:41] store, opened down on 290 West Avenue.
[30:44] Um, in addition, MLJ Arcade opened um at
[30:49] 29 Midway Plaza. It is a children's um
[30:52] uh or youth entertainment center with uh
[30:55] traditional arcade games, retro arcade
[30:58] games, video games, and that sort of
[31:00] thing. And then on August 12th, uh
[31:02] Milcraft Barnes opened um up at 399 West
[31:07] Avenue, adding Talagement to its
[31:09] portfolio of storefront locations in
[31:12] Northeast Ohio. Um, we conducted four
[31:15] business retention and expansion visits
[31:17] in July with 32 to date, which is up
[31:20] over 6% year-over-year. And that
[31:24] encompasses year-to- date over 1,500
[31:27] local jobs and over 1.48 million square
[31:31] foot of business space. Um, and as Scott
[31:34] alluded to, a lot of these conversations
[31:37] are where projects or leads or potential
[31:40] opportunities are are born. Um, to
[31:43] address um, Councilman Klein's
[31:46] questions, um, at 35 West, I did um, of
[31:50] course, everyone notices the brokerage
[31:52] signs are down. Um, I did reach out to
[31:54] the broker and he advised the property
[31:56] is off the market for the time being. It
[31:59] was not sold. So we will stay tuned for
[32:02] what happens next there. Um and then the
[32:05] Circle West Avenue development um the
[32:09] developer has submitted their general
[32:10] development plan and that came in in
[32:13] time for um that will be heard at the
[32:16] public meeting um the plan planning and
[32:18] zoning commission meeting on October 1st. Thank you. So that will be
[32:23] addressed there and I would encourage
[32:25] everyone to to come if they're
[32:28] interested because that will be reviewed
[32:30] in detail.
[32:34] And then um I might just expand a little
[32:36] bit on what Scott was talking about. So
[32:39] sometimes when uh these properties have
[32:41] been sitting there for some time and we
[32:43] have the opportunity to get into a
[32:45] conversation with a property owner,
[32:47] sometimes they're curious, you know,
[32:49] what would happen if we sell the
[32:50] property? what would h happen if we hold
[32:52] on to the property? Are there you know
[32:54] are there any financial um puts and
[32:57] takes of doing one thing over another
[32:59] and um you know we're able to provide
[33:04] the thought process as to what that
[33:06] might look like if they were to sell or
[33:08] if they were to keep the property and
[33:10] use it for another purpose. And there's
[33:13] a lot of discussion around adaptive
[33:15] reuse, if you will, because we know that
[33:19] more than likely, not to say that it
[33:21] wouldn't happen, but more than likely a
[33:23] root beer stand probably won't go into
[33:25] 35 West. It'll probably be something
[33:27] else. So, um, those are the types of
[33:30] conversations that we're having without
[33:32] getting into too much detail, but
[33:36] hopefully that's helpful. If there's any
[33:38] other questions, I'd be happy to answer
[33:40] them. Otherwise, that concludes my
[33:41] report.
[33:45] » Any questions from council? All right.
[33:48] Thank you very much, Miss P. We'll move
[33:50] into our report with the director of
[33:52] public service, Mr. Yuri.
[33:55] >> Good evening. I just have one item. Um,
[33:58] as I'd mentioned in my report at our
[34:00] last meeting, uh, the last day of the
[34:03] pool and our last event was a doggy dip
[34:05] that was held this last Saturday. It was
[34:07] very well attended. And I do want to
[34:10] recognize some work that uh Nick Corano,
[34:13] our new code and zoning officer, put
[34:15] into that. Um he's also considered our
[34:18] storm water specialist. So he put
[34:20] together the pause for clean water
[34:23] program and he ended up getting 24 uh
[34:26] people there to commit to the uh
[34:29] cleaning up of the dog waste and that
[34:32] will then help us in our MS4
[34:35] uh report. So, uh, Nick did a really
[34:37] good job with that and he's he's, uh,
[34:40] very excited to take projects like that
[34:42] on. So, it's very good to see, very good
[34:44] for the community. It's all I have.
[34:49] » That is super cool. So, thank you for
[34:50] sharing that. Um, all right. Uh, any
[34:54] questions from council?
[34:55] >> I had a question about the repairs to
[34:58] the How Road Park bathroom. Um, were
[35:01] those completed today?
[35:03] >> No. Um,
[35:04] >> I think yeah, I believe they're due to
[35:07] be there tomorrow and hopefully finish
[35:10] up on Saturday. Fingers crossed.
[35:12] >> All right, thank you, Jason.
[35:18] » All right, next up we have our director
[35:20] of finance, Miss Gri.
[35:21] >> Um, thank you. The only thing I have is
[35:23] I would request uh council's
[35:25] consideration of adopting ordinance 66
[35:28] at first reading this evening.
[35:31] >> 66.
[35:41] » public service first one.
[35:44] >> All right. Thank you. Noted and um we
[35:47] will move into our report with director
[35:49] of law Miss Rabber.
[35:53] >> Thank you. Um as mentioned earlier uh I
[35:55] am asking for an executive session this
[35:57] evening. Uh, and then I will ask for
[36:00] action on ordinance 2026-68.
[36:03] I will be asking for first reading
[36:05] adoption of 20 2668 this evening as well
[36:09] as 202669 and 202670.
[36:13] Um, and I will discuss those in greater
[36:15] detail when we get to those on the
[36:16] agenda. uh with regard to 202068
[36:20] that is um actually item B in the under
[36:24] public service and I would ask for a
[36:26] motion to uh amend the agenda to move
[36:30] ordinance 2026-68
[36:33] to the last item under public service so
[36:35] that when we go into executive session
[36:38] it just runs a little bit smoother at
[36:40] that point in the meeting.
[36:42] I'll make a motion to move uh B
[36:46] ordinance 2026-68
[36:49] uh to follow ordinance 2026-70.
[36:53] >> Second.
[36:57] » Um we have a first by Miss Palm and we
[37:00] have a second by Mr. Klein to move
[37:02] ordinance 2026-68
[37:04] on the agenda um to the last of the
[37:07] first readings of public service. Is
[37:09] there any discussion? Hearing none.
[37:12] Madam clerk, please call the role.
[37:14] >> Lindsey Holm,
[37:15] >> yes. Dave Klein,
[37:16] >> yes.
[37:17] >> Donald Pavick,
[37:18] >> yes.
[37:18] >> Tracy Pletcher,
[37:19] >> yes.
[37:20] >> Ted Roy,
[37:20] >> yes.
[37:21] >> Jonathan Bullis,
[37:22] >> yes.
[37:22] >> Jessica Epstein,
[37:24] >> yes. That motion carries with a vote of
[37:27] seven to zero.
[37:28] >> Thank you. Uh, end of my report.
[37:31] >> All right. Thank you very much, Miss
[37:32] Raber.
[37:35] Next, we have our reports of standing
[37:36] committees of council of the whole. And
[37:39] I will recognize our chair, Mr. Roy,
[37:41] with planning and zoning to open your
[37:43] committee.
[37:43] >> Thank you. I'd like to open up planning
[37:45] and zoning. The planning and zoning
[37:47] committee deals with land use, zoning,
[37:50] conditional uses, planning, economic and
[37:52] community development, and public
[37:54] property. Tonight, we don't have
[37:57] anything before us. If anybody else has
[38:00] anything else,
[38:03] if not, I will close committee. Thank
[38:05] you.
[38:06] >> Thank you. I'll recognize council member
[38:08] Mr. Klene with finance.
[38:10] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll call the
[38:12] finance committee to order. Finance
[38:14] committee deals with budget
[38:15] appropriations, reappropriations, bond,
[38:17] franchise, investments, and
[38:19] expenditures. We do have one item at
[38:21] first reading, ordinance 2026-67,
[38:26] appropriating an additional amount for
[38:29] the cemetery management software,
[38:31] reducing the appropriations in the
[38:33] zoning budget to offset the cost of the
[38:36] software, and providing for immediate
[38:38] enactment.
[38:39] Mr. Yuri,
[38:42] thank you. Um, so our cemetery software,
[38:45] we keep track of our records, spaces,
[38:47] and stuff is uh fairly old. It's not
[38:49] being updated or maintained anymore. Um,
[38:52] we're starting to see issues from that
[38:55] not being updated and maintained. I
[38:57] believe it was last week it was down for
[39:00] a day for us. So, um, we are in need of
[39:03] updating that software as soon as
[39:05] possible before we end up losing the
[39:08] data that's in there. So, I would also
[39:10] ask that, uh, council consider adopting
[39:13] this ordinance at first reading as well.
[39:16] Anybody? I know the importance of the
[39:17] software and the for the cemetery and
[39:19] will will this new software program
[39:23] migrate all the old data from the old
[39:26] system that's failing
[39:29] >> some of it. Um what this new program
[39:32] will do is actually fairly broad. They
[39:34] will map the entire cemetery which we
[39:37] currently we have paper maps. So they
[39:41] will map it and then migrate the data
[39:43] that we do have and then go and verify
[39:46] what data is missing from stuff in the
[39:48] cemetery. So this will actually complete
[39:51] our records of the cemetery and have it
[39:53] all in one place.
[39:57] » Make a motion to adopt 2026-67.
[40:00] >> I would second.
[40:01] >> There's a motion on the floor. It's been
[40:03] seconded to approve ordinance 2026-67
[40:07] at first reading. Discussion
[40:11] hearing. None. Clerk, please call the
[40:13] role.
[40:14] >> Dave Klene,
[40:14] >> yes.
[40:15] >> Donald Pab,
[40:16] >> yes.
[40:16] >> Tracy Pletcher,
[40:17] >> yes.
[40:18] >> Ted Roy,
[40:18] >> yes.
[40:19] >> Jonathan Bolas,
[40:20] >> yes.
[40:21] >> Jessica Epstein,
[40:22] >> yes.
[40:22] >> Lindsay Holm,
[40:23] >> yes.
[40:24] >> Ordinance 2026-67
[40:27] is adopted by a vote of 7 to0. Any other
[40:30] items to before the finance committee?
[40:33] >> Hearing none, end committee. Thank you.
[40:40] I'll now recognize Mr. Bolus
[40:42] with personnel.
[40:44] Uh
[40:45] >> good evening. I call the personnel
[40:46] committee to order. Uh the personnel
[40:48] committee deals with personnel, labor
[40:49] relations, insurance claims, rules of
[40:51] council, and state statutes. Uh we have
[40:53] no ordinances or resolutions uh this
[40:55] evening before us. Are there any
[40:57] additional items or matters referred for
[40:59] personnel committee this evening by
[41:01] council or administration?
[41:06] Thank you. I'll close committee.
[41:10] >> Thank you. I'll now recognize uh
[41:12] Councilwoman Fletcher with safety
[41:14] committee.
[41:15] >> Thank you. I'll open safety committee.
[41:16] The safety committee deals with disaster
[41:18] services, communications, fire and
[41:21] paramedics, police and health. There are
[41:23] no items listed on the agenda this
[41:25] evening. Um under additional items, it
[41:28] does show traffic control of the school
[41:31] drop off and pickups for discussion. Uh
[41:34] we did have discussion with Chief Bohan
[41:36] earlier. So is there anything anybody
[41:38] would like to add to that?
[41:40] Okay. Hearing none, I'll close
[41:42] committee.
[41:46] » Thank you. I'll recognize Mr. Pathick
[41:48] with community issues.
[41:49] >> Thank you. I open committee issues
[41:51] committee. The community issues
[41:52] committee deals with parks, recreation,
[41:54] civic affairs, and liaison between
[41:55] council and the recreation board and
[41:57] intergovernmental affairs. Currently,
[41:59] there's no pending legislation before
[42:00] us. Is there anything that needs to be
[42:03] brought before the community issues
[42:06] committee hearing? None. I'll close
[42:08] committee. Thank you.
[42:10] >> Thank you very much. I'll recognize Miss
[42:12] Holm with public service.
[42:13] >> All right. I'd like to call the public
[42:15] service committee to order. The public
[42:17] service committee deals with streets,
[42:18] highways, sidewalks, buildings, and
[42:21] improvements, water, sewer, electricity,
[42:23] gas, energy resources, recycling, waste,
[42:26] and trash. Um, at first reading, we have
[42:29] ordinance 2026-66
[42:32] sponsored by Mayor Kilway, authorizing
[42:34] the city of Talmage to prepare and
[42:36] submit an application to participate in
[42:39] the Ohio Public Works Commission State
[42:41] Capital Improvement and execute
[42:43] contracts as required and providing for
[42:45] immediate enactment. Um, any comments,
[42:47] Mayor Kilway or M? Um this is for uh to
[42:51] allow us to submit the application to
[42:54] OPWC to obtain funding for the East
[42:57] Avenue G Cambrian and Greenbryer
[43:00] waterline project. That is actually on
[43:03] our list of waterline projects to do
[43:05] next year. So we would like to at this
[43:07] time submit that through the application
[43:10] process. If we do not get it, we will go
[43:12] move forward with the project with an
[43:14] OWDA loan. if we can score well enough
[43:17] on this and get some grant money or an
[43:20] OPWC loan, we would would uh like the
[43:23] opportunity to do that. So, we will go
[43:25] through that process and if we are not
[43:27] awarded, we'll still move forward with
[43:30] the project, but we felt that it would
[43:31] be prudent to try to get this money.
[43:34] >> I'll make a motion to adopt 2026-66.
[43:38] >> Second.
[43:39] >> All right. We have a motion from Mr.
[43:40] Pavick and a second from Mrs. Epstein.
[43:43] Any discussion on the motion?
[43:46] Um, all right. Hearing none. Clerk, will
[43:48] you please call roll?
[43:50] >> Donald Pavick,
[43:51] >> yes.
[43:52] >> Tracy Pletcher,
[43:53] >> yes.
[43:54] >> Ted Roy,
[43:54] >> yes.
[43:55] >> Jonathan Bolus,
[43:56] >> yes.
[43:57] >> Jessica Epstein,
[43:58] >> yes.
[43:58] >> Lindseay Holm,
[43:59] >> yes.
[43:59] >> Dave Klein,
[44:00] >> yes.
[44:03] » All right, the ordinance passes with a
[44:05] vote of 7 to Z. Um, next we have
[44:08] ordinance 2026-69
[44:11] sponsored by Director of Public Service Jason Yuri and uh, director of
[44:16] law Megan Rabber declaring the necessity
[44:18] and intention to temporarily appropriate
[44:21] certain property interests adjacent to
[44:23] or abuing East Avenue for purposes of
[44:26] proceeding with the improvement thereof
[44:28] and providing for an immediate
[44:30] enactment. Um, any comments?
[44:32] >> Yes, I'll go ahead and take this one and
[44:34] explain it. Um, so this is for the East
[44:37] Avenue project. Um, we've been talking
[44:39] about for years now. Uh, this is, uh,
[44:42] we're at the step in the process where,
[44:44] um, we're seeking temporary easements
[44:46] from certain property owners that, um,
[44:49] have still, uh, not been not signed off
[44:52] on what that what that easement
[44:54] agreement is. Um, they have been
[44:56] previously contacted and we have reached
[44:58] out with correspondence to them directly
[45:00] from my office as well. Um we have had
[45:04] uh we actually you have an an amended
[45:06] link on there. We've gone from 10
[45:08] property owners to eight just because
[45:10] we're continuing to try to work with
[45:12] them. Um but this allows for the project
[45:14] to proceed. Essentially what happens is
[45:17] um under the Ohio Revised Code, the city
[45:20] is able to initiate the proceedings um
[45:22] following other steps in the code that
[45:24] we will follow. uh we can we can move
[45:27] forward with taking these cases to
[45:29] probate court and we can um deposit the
[45:32] amount of money that we're offering on
[45:34] those um appropriations in court and
[45:37] then the project is able to continue.
[45:39] So, it's an important step for us to be
[45:42] able to move forward um for public
[45:43] purposes to make sure that we can get
[45:45] this roadway done um and it still allows
[45:48] people to negotiate. again can still
[45:50] resolve. Hopefully, we'll resolve with
[45:51] most of these folks, but um it's a
[45:54] matter of timing and we're getting into
[45:56] a colder season and we want to make sure
[45:58] we can still move forward with um
[46:00] whatever is needs to be done in the
[46:02] project um timing wise. So, I'm asking
[46:05] for first reading adoption of this
[46:07] tonight.
[46:08] >> I'd move to adopt ordinance 2026-69
[46:11] at first reading.
[46:12] >> I'll second it.
[46:14] >> All right. We have a motion from Mr.
[46:16] Klene and a second from Mr. Roy. Is
[46:18] there any discussion?
[46:19] >> Just for the record, this is a normal
[46:21] process that we've done on all the ODOT
[46:24] projects or the state projects. It
[46:26] follows the procedure and the property
[46:29] owner still has the opportunity to sign
[46:31] off prior to going to the probates, but
[46:35] uh they will be made whole during the
[46:37] process.
[46:39] >> Question, when were these first these
[46:43] individuals were originally contacted?
[46:45] >> Uh months ago. So we have we so ODOT
[46:48] defined months
[46:49] >> I I don't have the exact date.
[46:50] >> Um I believe
[46:51] >> we've started this process like early in
[46:54] January of this year. It's been
[46:57] >> a long time.
[46:58] >> Okay.
[46:59] >> What was the original is the original
[47:01] deadline um like right around
[47:06] Labor Day
[47:08] for them to
[47:09] >> before we go to we file.
[47:12] >> We we're we're being driven by ODOT.
[47:15] like this is an ODOT project. So my
[47:17] understanding is that they need to be
[47:19] able to proceed with next steps. We need
[47:20] to get this done by October, like
[47:22] October 1. So we need to move this
[47:25] along. So this is going to be moved
[47:28] along. And again, that doesn't mean that
[47:29] we can't resolve with people. We just
[47:31] need to keep moving.
[47:32] >> Do do we know the reasons why these
[47:35] eight are out here? I mean, I know one,
[47:37] but is it monetary? Is it
[47:39] >> It depends. It's case by case. So each
[47:41] one is different. We we've been trying
[47:44] to reach out directly. My office,
[47:46] >> the way that this works through the ODOT
[47:48] projects is that we have a third party
[47:50] that actually does the negotiations and
[47:52] so they have been handling the
[47:54] negotiations up until just recently.
[47:56] Then they hand the files over to my
[47:58] office and my office has been has sent
[48:00] correspondents to all of these parties
[48:02] and then we are initiating conversations
[48:05] with as many as we can prior to filing.
[48:08] But but we are we are just getting these
[48:11] files here from um the contractor who'd
[48:13] been negotiating these easements.
[48:15] >> So do we know
[48:16] >> what the Poland communicates with the
[48:19] service department on a regular basis on
[48:22] each of these parcels if the if
[48:25] somebody's requesting something if we're
[48:27] agreeable to it and those things. So
[48:30] those conversations have been happening
[48:32] all summer and spring long.
[48:36] Um, some of them I know for a fact have
[48:38] just not responded to any of the the
[48:41] communication. So, they all have
[48:43] different reasons. Um,
[48:47] and it I'm sure if you got with the
[48:49] service department with Helaine, she's
[48:51] been the head person on this, she could,
[48:55] you know, provide you with more
[48:57] information
[48:59] on any of them. But we're in constant
[49:01] contact with O colon about what people
[49:04] are requesting, what modifications they
[49:06] want, can we approve it, can we not? Is
[49:08] it within the allowable amount that can
[49:11] be paid? All those are ongoing
[49:14] conversations.
[49:17] >> I just go ahead.
[49:19] >> I was just a follow-up question. Um
[49:22] the process like if they're asking for
[49:25] something like can you walk me through
[49:27] like the the process of decisioning? So
[49:29] like is it it we take that um suggestion
[49:33] from the homeowner and then are we
[49:36] working with ODOT? Are we working with
[49:37] OC?
[49:38] >> We're are working with OC. OC knows the
[49:41] appraisals, the values. We work with the
[49:43] appraiser who appraised the property.
[49:45] The the things that they ask for have
[49:48] monetary values that are placed on them
[49:50] like trees, certain type of trees are
[49:52] worth this, this that and the other. So
[49:54] there's there's an ongoing conversation
[49:56] and then depending on what are they
[49:58] asking for, what would the cost of us
[50:00] taking them to appropriation be, it it's a it's a back and forth that occurs
[50:06] and each property is a unique back and
[50:09] forth.
[50:10] >> And then who's the who's the decision
[50:12] maker?
[50:13] >> So because this is an ODOT project, it's
[50:15] partly them. So we it's kind of a joint
[50:18] effort. So it's a communication
[50:20] >> and a joint effort. But every project
[50:23] I've ever done with the ODOT, we had to
[50:25] do that. And I would always go out and
[50:27] talk to the homeowners. And as Molly
[50:30] said, it's either they want to save this
[50:32] tree, so can you move the sidewalk this
[50:34] way? Or I want my driveway approach to
[50:37] go two foot wider. Would you allow that?
[50:40] U so it was really it's a negotiation
[50:43] back and forth, but it was that was big
[50:46] part of the whole projects.
[50:48] >> So Mayor Kilway, have you talked to
[50:50] these owners?
[50:53] Mayor Kellway hasn't been involved yet.
[50:54] Again, we just got the files. We got the
[50:57] files back from O colon right before
[51:01] they said, "Oh, we need you guys to keep
[51:03] this moving and we need these
[51:04] deadlines." So, she's not had an
[51:06] opportunity to do that.
[51:07] >> I mean, I just to get perspective, we
[51:08] were talking to hundreds of property
[51:11] owners and we're down to eight. So, I
[51:13] mean,
[51:15] it's good.
[51:16] >> Yeah.
[51:19] Sorry. And of those eight, some of them
[51:21] just you have they have not engaged.
[51:24] >> There are some that have just not
[51:25] engaged. They don't respond to the phone
[51:27] call. They don't respond to an email.
[51:28] They don't respond to a letter. Like
[51:30] they just don't there's those people.
[51:33] There's people that what they want can't
[51:36] be done or isn't reasonable. There
[51:39] there's again
[51:41] >> each case is a different scenario here.
[51:43] I can't give you all of them, but that
[51:46] it is all documented
[51:49] as to why there has been no settlement
[51:51] with these property owners
[51:56] >> and then they still so if this were to
[51:59] pass then they still have an opportunity
[52:01] to settle up.
[52:03] >> Yeah. Yeah.
[52:04] >> Correct.
[52:04] >> Yes.
[52:05] >> For a short for a short period of time
[52:07] then it goes through the court process
[52:09] and even then we can still reach
[52:10] settlements with people but it has to
[52:12] continue down that process. so that we
[52:13] continue to be able to move.
[52:15] >> They can negotiate up until the court
[52:17] date.
[52:18] >> I mean, even once the even with the even
[52:20] once the court paperwork is filed, you
[52:23] still have we still have an opportunity
[52:24] to resolve. It just cost us the money of
[52:27] the additional funds of now we have to
[52:29] go through a court process and it costs
[52:31] them, you know, whatever position they
[52:33] want to take on it as well. them.
[52:38] » I would like to know because most of
[52:40] these, if not all, are in my ward.
[52:43] So, I know I've been in contact with
[52:45] one. I called one today and they're not
[52:48] on here anymore. So, you know, it was
[52:51] just because they just didn't get to the
[52:53] paperwork. So, if it's something like
[52:55] that, you know, we clear this up to get
[52:59] from 8 to six or five. Um but I'd le to
[53:03] like to know what the issues are because
[53:06] one's not monetary. One is you know
[53:10] >> well again well everything
[53:13] >> even expanding a driveway etc et is
[53:16] monetary it it translates to it's just
[53:19] whether it's an inind or if it's
[53:21] >> I I understand it's it's a cost
[53:23] adjustment.
[53:23] >> It's a cost adjustment. So all that
[53:25] again all those things have to be taken
[53:27] in consideration but yes I'd be happy to
[53:29] >> what I what I mean by monetary is you'll
[53:32] get a price and then someone you know
[53:34] there'll be an appraised value and
[53:36] they'll have the comps in there of how
[53:38] they can derive that value. when I mean
[53:41] my monetaries people sometimes say no
[53:43] it's worth more than what you know
[53:45] you're stating right so that's the main
[53:48] thing I wanted to make sure if any of
[53:50] those were th those issues
[53:54] >> and even if they are then we still we
[53:56] still need to pro we we still have to
[53:58] proceed through the appropriate process
[53:59] so but I'm be happy to talk with you
[54:01] more afterward if you want to contact my
[54:03] office
[54:06] » all right
[54:07] >> calls over
[54:08] >> okay hearing no further discussion clerk
[54:10] will Will you please call roll?
[54:13] >> Tracy Pletcher,
[54:14] >> yes.
[54:15] >> Ted Roy,
[54:16] >> yes.
[54:16] >> Jonathan Bullis,
[54:17] >> yes.
[54:18] >> Jessica Epstein,
[54:19] >> yes.
[54:20] >> Lindseay Holm,
[54:21] >> yes.
[54:21] >> Dave Klein,
[54:22] >> yes.
[54:22] >> Donald Pavick,
[54:23] >> yes.
[54:25] >> Great.
[54:27] >> Sorry. Ordinance 2026-69
[54:30] passes with a vote of 7 to 0. Um, moving
[54:33] on to ordinance 2026-70,
[54:36] sponsored by Director of Public Service
[54:38] Jason Yuri, authorizing the creation and
[54:41] acceptance of utility easements at
[54:43] various locations on Southwest Avenue
[54:45] and providing for immediate enactment.
[54:48] Um, comments from the sponsor. Um, I'm
[54:50] going to go ahead and take this if you
[54:52] don't mind. So, this is this is on our
[54:54] Southwest Avenue waterline project and
[54:56] this is um where we've already reached
[54:59] agreements with people on the easements
[55:01] that are necessary for that waterline.
[55:03] And so, we're asking for acceptance
[55:05] tonight. Uh we're asking for first
[55:08] reading adoption, but you if you choose
[55:10] not to, you don't have to. But again,
[55:11] these are already signed, the agreements
[55:13] are reached, and um we just want to move
[55:16] forward with getting those filed. We
[55:18] will have that. We will have a similar
[55:20] ordinance that will be coming for East
[55:22] Avenue. So again, we have kind of both
[55:24] of these projects moving.
[55:27] >> H how many on Southwest Havens?
[55:31] >> We're down to two.
[55:32] >> Down to two. Okay. I'll make a motion to
[55:35] adopt ordinance 2026-70.
[55:38] >> A second.
[55:39] >> All right. We have a motion from Mr.
[55:41] Pavick and a second from Mr. Klene. Uh
[55:44] any discussion?
[55:45] >> Mr. Polus.
[55:51] I heard Mr. Klein. Um,
[55:54] >> doesn't matter.
[55:56] >> We'll go with that. Um, any discussion?
[56:02] » All right. Hearing none. Clerk, will you
[56:03] please call a roll?
[56:05] >> Ted Roy,
[56:06] >> yes.
[56:06] >> Jonathan Bullis,
[56:08] >> yes.
[56:08] >> Jessica Epstein,
[56:11] >> yes.
[56:11] >> Lindseay Holm,
[56:12] >> yes.
[56:13] >> Dave Klein,
[56:13] >> yes.
[56:14] >> Donald Pavick,
[56:15] >> yes. Tracy Pletcher.
[56:16] >> Yes.
[56:22] » All right. Megan, do I go with the last
[56:25] one now or do we close committee and go
[56:28] into
[56:28] >> uh No, you would go into the last last
[56:30] one. You can call read that into the
[56:32] record.
[56:32] >> Thank you. Um, now we have ordinance
[56:35] 2026-68
[56:37] sponsored by Mayor Kilway and director
[56:40] of law Megan Rabber authorizing the
[56:42] director of law to settle and resolve
[56:44] all claims and the mayor to execute the
[56:46] required documents for complaints filed
[56:49] with the public utilities commission of
[56:50] Ohio appropriating the necessary funds
[56:53] and providing for immediate enactment.
[56:55] >> Madame Chair,
[56:57] >> uh, Mr. Fine.
[56:58] >> I move I'd make a motion to go into
[57:00] executive session for the discussion of
[57:02] ordinance 2026-68.
[57:05] >> Second
[57:06] >> for the purpose of pending litigation.
[57:10] >> Second.
[57:11] >> All right. We have a motion from Mr.
[57:13] Klein and a second from Mr. Pavick. Any
[57:16] discussion?
[57:17] Hearing none. Clerk, will you please
[57:19] call roll?
[57:20] >> Jonathan Bolus?
[57:21] >> Yes.
[57:22] >> Jessica Epstein?
[57:23] >> Yes.
[57:23] >> Lindseay Holm,
[57:24] >> yes.
[57:24] >> Dave Klene,
[57:25] >> yes. Donald Pavick,
[57:27] >> yes.
[57:27] >> Tracy Pletcher,
[57:28] >> yes.
[57:28] >> Ted Roy,
[57:29] >> yes.
[57:35] » All right, it is 6:58 and we are going
[57:38] into executive session
[57:40] >> and we will be back
[57:45] » asking for action to be taken. Thanks.
[1:09:16] to order. Um,
[1:09:19] do I need to reread the ordinance? Uh,
[1:09:21] >> you do not need to reread it, but I I
[1:09:23] would ask for adoption at first reading
[1:09:25] of uh, ordinance 2026-68.
[1:09:27] >> I'll make a motion to adopt ordinance
[1:09:29] 2026-68.
[1:09:31] >> I'll second it.
[1:09:32] >> All right. We have a motion from Mr.
[1:09:34] Pavick and a second from Mr. Roy. Any
[1:09:37] discussion?
[1:09:39] Hearing none. Clerk, will you please
[1:09:40] call roll? Jessica Epstein?
[1:09:43] >> Yes.
[1:09:44] >> Lindseay Holm,
[1:09:45] >> yes.
[1:09:46] >> Dave Klein,
[1:09:47] >> yes.
[1:09:47] >> Donald Pavick,
[1:09:48] >> yes.
[1:09:49] >> Tracy Pletcher,
[1:09:50] >> yes.
[1:09:50] >> Ted Roy,
[1:09:51] >> yes.
[1:09:51] >> Jonathan Bolas,
[1:09:52] >> yes.
[1:09:57] » All right, the motion I'm sorry, uh,
[1:10:00] 2026-68,
[1:10:02] uh, passes with a vote of seven to zero.
[1:10:04] >> Thank you.
[1:10:08] And that is our last matter. Are there
[1:10:11] any um other matters or items referred?
[1:10:15] Hearing none, I will close committee.
[1:10:20] Thank you very much. Our last item is
[1:10:23] reports of special committee. Do you
[1:10:24] have any updates, Mr. Bolas?
[1:10:26] >> Uh no report this evening.
[1:10:28] >> All right. Thank you. Um I will let
[1:10:31] council know that I did meet with Mr.
[1:10:33] Ignazto and um Rachel to discuss the
[1:10:36] council portion of the 2027
[1:10:39] budget and um so we are working through
[1:10:42] those items but that meeting did happen
[1:10:44] this week. Are there any announcements
[1:10:47] from council?
[1:10:49] All right, hearing uh hearing none. I'll
[1:10:51] entertain a motion to adjurnn.
[1:10:52] >> I'll make a motion to adjurnn.
[1:10:55] >> We have I'll second.
[1:10:56] >> We have a first by Mr. Pavick and a
[1:10:58] second by Miss Holm. Is there any
[1:10:59] further discussion? Hearing none. Madam
[1:11:02] clerk, please call the role.
[1:11:03] >> Lindseay Holm,
[1:11:04] >> yes. Dave Klein,
[1:11:06] >> yes.
[1:11:06] >> Donald Pavick,
[1:11:07] >> yes.
[1:11:07] >> Tracy Pletcher,
[1:11:08] >> yes.
[1:11:09] >> Ted Roy,
[1:11:10] >> yes.
[1:11:10] >> Jonath,
[1:11:11] >> yes.
[1:11:11] >> Jessica Epstein,
[1:11:13] >> yes.
[1:11:17] » All right. Uh, the time is 711 and we
[1:11:21] are draw.
[1:11:21] >> Thank you.