[0:05] [clears throat]
[0:08] Roll call for the city council meeting
of Wednesday, September 2nd at 9:00 a.m.
[0:13] Council members Titus
>> here.
[0:15] » Brzinski
>> present.
[0:17] » Flores.
>> Horton
[0:19] » here.
>> Paul
[0:20] » here.
>> Shaw
[0:21] » here.
>> Troop
[0:23] » yes.
[0:26] » We had a little bit of a a spill issue.
So, we're going to just have to grab a
[0:30] towel. Okay.
>> All right. Pay no attention to what's
[0:34] happening behind the curtain on the left
of stage.
[0:38] [laughter]
>> Um, we will go ahead and stand for the
[0:42] pledge of allegiance. Uh, starting with
a moment of silence.
[0:46] » Dr. Titus, if I may. Um, thank you. I
would, uh, to think of today uh, Sister
[0:54] Maria Assumpta Rousa, Sisters of St.
Joseph who was 89 years old and she had
[1:03] passed away August 31st in her 70th year
of religious life. So um that's
[1:13] remarkable service and uh a friend Pete
Griswinsky who passed away on Sunday uh
[1:22] or Saturday night of uh accident on a
ebike in West Springfield. And for the
[1:30] driver as well because that's a
nightmare. Thank you.
[1:33] » Thank you.
[1:44] I aliance to the flag of the United
States of America and to the republic
[1:51] for which it stands. One nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty and
[1:58] justice for all.
[2:04] Motion to accept the minutes from the
August 19th city council meeting and
[2:08] bills for payment on September 4th and
11th, 2026. Members Brzinski,
[2:14] » yes.
>> Flores,
[2:15] » yes.
>> Horton,
[2:16] » yes.
>> Pull,
[2:17] » yes.
>> Sha,
[2:18] » yes.
>> Troop,
[2:19] » yes.
>> Titus,
[2:20] » yes.
[2:24] » So, I believe there are no presentations
this morning. Um, is there anybody here
[2:30] to speak on a repository sale?
>> Come up to the microphone.
[2:41] » Sir, if you're when you're finished,
could you go into the clerk's office and
[2:44] give her a copy of your license?
>> Of course.
[2:47] » Thank you.
>> And there should be a list of questions
[2:49] that that are up at the podium there. Y
and those are the questions that we if
[2:54] you could read those and then just uh
answer those for us. But if you wanted
[2:56] to just say your name and then the
address of the property as well.
[3:00] » Okay.
>> I'm Cristiano Ferrari. I'm from Las
[3:04] Vegas and uh my company is CJ Ferrari.
Um I
[3:12] p I actually started the purchase of six
vacant lots and one uh duplex
[3:20] um couple weeks ago and that's why I was
called here. So the first uh question is
[3:27] is the property vacant or does it have a
structure on it? So supposedly be six
[3:34] vacant lots but uh few of them have some
kind of structure on it probably from
[3:41] the previous owner as a background uh
backyard uh some playgrounds. So few of
[3:49] them have that and three four of them
have nothing just threes and a high
[3:55] grass. Uh and one has a duplex on it.
Okay. My plans and intentions for the
[4:04] properties. So the last year I've been
um
[4:10] really uh uh merging to
tax property sales. So I've been
[4:17] studying a lot about this and uh my
understanding is not everybody knows
[4:22] about the how the the the properties are
being sold the repository list and my
[4:28] intention of course it's uh um towards
profit but also brings the properties
[4:34] back to the productive use right u
responsible ownership paying taxes and
[4:41] maintaining the lots and developing
whatever I can do to help the city also
[4:46] grows. So that's my my intention. Uh the
condition the properties are in they're
[4:53] vary right ones have a big grass. I have
the pictures. I visited myself the last
[5:01] uh probably year. I've been in Erie
seven times already. I can fly in um in
[5:08] one day. It's a 4-hour flight. So I I
can if anything that needs to be done,
[5:14] I'll be here in one day or or something
like that. Uh
[5:20] do I live near the property? No, I live
in Las Vegas, but again, it's a 4-hour
[5:25] flight. I came yesterday uh um night and
uh I'm flying today. Um how I'm going to
[5:33] provide maintenance of the property. So,
um, the last I I also already have a
[5:41] property near on East 22nd which I
purchased on a judicial sale and got
[5:48] granted the deed couple weeks ago and uh
I'm maintaining the property with uh a
[5:55] relationship that I already made with a
real estate agent, some companies, the
[6:00] construction companies that you know
have providing services. So that's my um
[6:07] basic my my relationship group and and
growing moving forward. If this uh it's
[6:14] something that I'm I'm going to be able
to do in in in Erie um I'm going to have
[6:20] this people around and and partners to
work with. Okay.
[6:26] And uh have you confirmed that any plans
made for the property comply with all
[6:32] codes? So we um me and my wife that
basically do the all the researches. We
[6:38] called the zoning department. We called
everybody and the information was that
[6:43] any that's nothing uh that
[clears throat] doesn't uh uh allowed us
[6:49] to build or any violation on anything
yet. Okay. But if we got granted, then
[6:56] of course we're going to have to go
through the process and see what uh what
[7:00] it needs to be done to bring it up back
to code
[7:05] and uh yeah. No, I didn't have any code
valuation in the last three years.
[7:10] » Okay. Go ahead, council. Sorry.
>> Um I have a question. You said that one
[7:14] of the um prop well one of the I don't
know one of them is a duplex. Do you
[7:19] have renters living there currently or
is it a vacant?
[7:22] » So that's the problem. I didn't want to
step in. So, the only thing I did, I
[7:27] took pictures on the sides. It looks
empty, but I also I saw a cat on the
[7:33] window and I saw some belonging. And
that's my questions like is that any way
[7:38] that I can ask somebody to verify
there's anybody living there? How that
[7:44] works?
Well, if it's on for the sale up on the
[7:50] repository sales, it should be vacant
from
[7:54] » It doesn't look it. Yeah.
>> Are you able to give us the address?
[7:59] » Do you have the address for that?
>> 112 11:22 Wayne Street.
[8:06] » So, I I again, I went there. I look
around. I didn't want to, you know, try
[8:11] to open any doors or anything like that
because I know that's
[8:15] » counselor Flores, Dr. Titus.
>> Yes.
[8:18] » Uh just because it's on the repository
uh sale does not mean uh that it's
[8:24] vacant.
>> The landlord could be losing.
[8:26] » Well, even if there's not a lease
agreement, you just don't know who's
[8:30] living there or or squatted or you we we
just don't know. Uh if it's a someone
[8:37] could have may be deceased and it could
be a family member uh that's been served
[8:42] notice notice notice. Uh but we you
almost have to send somebody out and
[8:47] make sure that nobody lives there or
nobody's there.
[8:51] » Put a point on that. I've been doing
this in the last six months and I've
[8:55] encountered some situations also that
when you buy from the repository there
[9:00] still people living in it because many
factors could be applied as as a you
[9:05] know somebody to seize or nobody knows
about that property and yeah
[9:11] » but I don't have the the way to knock
the door so if you guys can help me out
[9:16] » if you just leave the address and make
sure our clerk has it someone from our
[9:21] I'm Sure, we can send someone out from
our code enforcement. They probably, and
[9:26] if it's on the repository sale, I would
I would go out on a limb and say that
[9:30] they already have extensive records uh
of of trying to make contact uh with
[9:36] someone uh which still uh which still
doesn't mean that someone hasn't taken
[9:42] residency. Yeah. As to your point,
>> of course. Yeah.
[9:46] » And [clears throat] who is the person
that I can't contact or I somebody
[9:50] contact me? how that works.
>> We we'll get your contact information um
[9:55] after. We'll have you go fill out
information with the clerk's office and
[9:57] then um we'll do some internal
discussion around this too. So, no, we
[10:01] won't vote on anything [snorts] today.
So, there's still information has to go
[10:04] with council and then we'll get some
back to you.
[10:06] » Okay.
>> And I just have one more question. You
[10:09] said that you do own a property in the
city that you have tenants as of a few
[10:13] weeks.
>> No, it's a vacant lot.
[10:14] » Oh, so it's a vacant.
>> It's East 22nd Street.
[10:16] » East which I purchased on the judicial
sale. the last judicial show in uh
[10:21] January.
>> Uh what's that address if I may inquire
[10:26] on 22nd Street? I know it's not a
structure there, but what was the
[10:30] » address to it? Um let me get
>> what's the adjoining, you know, is it
[10:35] between German and Holland is my
interest. I have the parcel number and I
[10:40] have the the the address the next door
which
[10:44] » uh the the owner of that house it was
the owner of the property as well and
[10:51] both properties went to judicial
>> if
[10:54] » but he he he paid it back the house. So
>> if you if you would just pro provide the
[10:59] address for that way I can I know I can
tell you what block it is or the block
[11:04] that I'm interested in. The block I'm
more interested in. It's probably the 2
[11:09] to 300 block or the 3 to 400. I mean
excuse me the one to 200 block.
[11:13] » Actually I think it's the 2 to 300
block.
[11:16] » So the properties
>> quite a few vacant lots there and we own
[11:20] quite a few of them through our land
bank. So
[11:23] » for redevelopment
>> 1253 East 22nd.
[11:28] » Okay. So that's
>> next to the corner.
[11:30] » Mhm.
>> Which the old the old owner was Jeffrey.
[11:35] » I know exactly. And it's over by
Mckenley Park or Pennsylvania Avenue I
[11:40] think is or Brandis is the 1200 block
over there. It's a park not far from the
[11:45] park there.
>> Yeah. It's a park
[11:46] » in the school. Mckenley. It's I know
exactly where you're talking about.
[11:51] Yes,
>> sir. Did you say you just put the bids
[11:56] in on these properties?
>> Yes.
[11:58] » I don't think that we've gotten the
information yet to to have council
[12:02] review it.
>> Yes, I got this list from Pamela.
[12:08] » Okay.
>> And that's the reason I'm here.
[12:10] » Okay.
>> So, this is uh
[12:15] I started this uh two weeks, three weeks
ago. two weeks ago.
[12:20] » All right.
>> Yeah. And then they should send me the
[12:27] » So, we will follow up, make sure that
we've got the applications that have
[12:30] been completed. Um, and then we can be
in touch once we get that information uh
[12:36] » here as council, but we won't vote on
anything today. We still have to look at
[12:39] all the packets,
>> of course. Yeah. And I also
[12:43] I also have all the receipts that the
the the
[12:50] Oops.
So, all the payments that I already did.
[12:53] » Okay.
>> So, if any Okay.
[12:56] » We'll have our clerk in the clerk's
office take copies of everything for
[12:59] you. You can just walk right through the
door. She's in there. Thank you so much.
[13:04] » Right [clears throat] through that door.
>> Yeah.
[13:06] » Thank you. Thank you,
>> Dr. Titus. I just want to enter into the
[13:10] record, too, because the duplex you have
a situation where uh it may be someone
[13:16] living in one and not the other. where
they both could be occupied or
[13:21] unoccupied and I just want that to be
duly noted as well.
[13:26] » We'll loop back with um
with the administration make sure that
[13:30] we we go especially over with code and
have that checked out. Thank you. Is
[13:34] there anybody else here for repository
sale? Anyone else here to speak on a
[13:39] repository sale?
Anyone else to speak on repository sale?
[13:45] Okay. At this time then we will move
into uh public comment. Um so when you
[13:51] come up to the podium make sure that you
are signing in uh that's over here this
[13:55] little desk over here printing your name
clearly and that you when you come up to
[13:59] the podium you state your name clearly
and the municipality in which you reside
[14:02] and note that you will have 5 minutes.
We will have a timer go off so please be
[14:06] mindful when that timer goes off your
time is up. Um but once you're signed in
[14:11] go ahead.
[14:14] » [clears throat]
>> I'm going to get to the point.
[14:18] Got a little bit of a frog in the
throat. You know how that goes. Can you
[14:21] hear me?
>> Yes.
[14:22] » All right. Um, what concerns me is these
>> Could you just state your state your
[14:27] name?
>> David French, Lower East Side.
[14:29] » Thank you.
>> These ebikes who choose not to use the
[14:34] bike path, they insist on using the
sidewalks. And when you see them coming,
[14:40] it's not that big a deal. But when
they're coming behind you, they seem
[14:43] like they want to get kind of close to
you. And I've been in a couple pretty
[14:48] bad car accidents in my life and survive
them. But I'm getting a little
[14:52] frustrated with it. A lot of these
people that have the ebikes don't have a
[14:57] driver's license. That's why they got
these. So I think the regulations are
[15:02] need to be um
expedited because there's already been
[15:07] some accidents. the bus drivers are kind
of tired of the whole situation and I'll
[15:13] leave it at that because it's a
technology that is really getting out of
[15:18] hand and I don't want to see anybody get
hurt. Thank you so much.
[15:22] » Thank you.
>> Thank you. And usually we don't do the
[15:24] public comment back and forth, but I do
think that this is an important actually
[15:27] like public service announcement that
the ebikes still are required to follow
[15:31] the rules uh and the laws regarding a
motorized vehicle. And it's correct and
[15:37] but that's more for for ebike riders to
be aware that they are still expected to
[15:43] follow follow those laws and that they
can have consequences when they don't.
[15:46] But absolutely noted.
>> Thank you so much.
[15:49] » Thank you, Dr. Titus. Yes.
>> I'm I'm not sure. I I cuz I I thought I
[15:56] read somewhere it has an engine on
there. They're considering that you do
[16:00] have to have
>> license, driver's license to be on the
[16:04] road. And I'm not sure that the public
is even educated about that stuff. And
[16:10] we're we're educating uh we had a
contract on here to educate about
[16:14] autotheft. Uh maybe we ought to do a
campaign about ebikes too before some of
[16:20] our residents get really really hurt uh
out here. I I think that u summer's
[16:26] coming and we've been blessed not to
have as many motorcycle fatalities as
[16:30] we've had in years gone by. Uh but I
fully expect without an education
[16:35] campaign of some sort uh right down to
proper uh wear and how to protect
[16:40] yourself with protective clothing uh
we're going to see a rise on those type
[16:45] of things. It it was actually covered on
the news last night or the night before
[16:49] that there's more injuries of adolescent
and young adults based off of the ebike
[16:55] because they're getting hit. They're
having upper body um injuries. They're
[17:01] having to um have like broken arms,
broken wrists um and they're not wearing
[17:06] head gear. So, they're having a lot of
concussions. So, it's it's up and a lot
[17:10] of the like um pediat pediatricians on
the national level have brought alert to
[17:16] this issue. So, I'm not sure what we're
doing, but I know that they recommended
[17:20] that even though your older kids don't
want to wear a helmet, please encourage
[17:25] them wear a helmet when they're riding
these ebikes because the the injuries
[17:28] are severe. I actually think I see more
of those on the road than I do pedal
[17:34] bikes
>> nowadays, you know, which I'm very proud
[17:37] to say that I still own and and hope to
get back riding uh soon.
[17:44] » Duly noted by all members of council. Um
and I don't want to get us too far away
[17:47] from from public comment, but I noted
and even put a little asterisk in ink in
[17:52] my in my because this is something that
we do need to and have needed to address
[17:56] for a minute. Um, any other members who
would of the of the public who would
[18:00] like to make public comment are here to
speak.
[18:17] Good morning, Cindy Triber, born and
raised in Erie, currently living in
[18:21] Edinburgh. Um, if I may first just ask
whatever God spiritual entity you
[18:27] believe in, can you please be praying
for our military over in the Middle East
[18:31] right now, including my loved one? Um,
wanted to talk to you all about the
[18:38] Council for Police Review Collaboration,
whatever we're going to be calling this.
[18:44] Um it is my understanding and I would I
really would love to be educated on this
[18:48] because I don't know that I have found
maybe the correct information. Um but
[18:54] whenever we have a board that is being
created is typically created by the
[18:58] council under an ordinance.
Um I do not recall an ordinance being
[19:05] presented or passed on a specific
police collaboration review board. So I
[19:13] I just would like some clarification if
that has been done. I did I'm pretty
[19:17] good at the research but I know that I
am a little bit stressed right now. So I
[19:20] have may have missed it. So I'd like to
know how we created a board without that
[19:25] being done. Um I also have some
questions on that board. Um including
[19:31] who is allowed to sit on the board? What
parameters as far as their education
[19:36] experience
um need to be in place to be on the
[19:40] board? how applications were submitted,
how the selection process was submitted,
[19:44] how the demographics have been chosen,
um where those demographics are from.
[19:50] Are all persons representative? Do we
have veterans on that board? Do we have
[19:54] women on that board? Do we have new
Americans, African-Americans, um
[19:59] different other um cultural groups on
that board? Um, do we have persons who
[20:05] are no longer law enforcement, who may
be retired, who can speak freely about
[20:10] things that they are concerned about or
that they see without the ramifications
[20:16] possibly of union or FOP or bargaining
right um pressure. So I I also it is my
[20:25] understanding that when we have a board
that information is public
[20:30] and we should know all of the afor
mentioned we should know who, why, what,
[20:36] where, when and we should know it before
the meetings happen. Um, so I'm I'm very
[20:43] confused as how we have such a a very
important topic that we have been
[20:48] pressing for over 10 years that has
actually been mentioned in several
[20:54] lawsuits settlements as part of this
settlement should be that we have a
[20:59] police review board. But we are not
talking about any of those things
[21:04] publicly.
For me, it is a like the action should
[21:08] correspond with the intent or the
importance of the event. And I don't see
[21:13] that happening. And that's concerning to
me because that says to me that it's
[21:17] actually not that important because
we're not doing the due diligence to
[21:21] explain. So, I have those questions. Um,
I personally also feel that there should
[21:28] be people outside of the city on that
board. um whether they be subject matter
[21:32] experts, nonprofits,
um a consultant, if we have money to
[21:37] bring in consultants for everything
else, I feel like we should be able to
[21:40] bring a consultant in maybe from cola or
or uh Nicole on on how we are going to
[21:46] do this board and what powers we have
that there's plenty of organizations in
[21:50] Pennsylvania that I know for a fact that
would be willing to help. Um, so I'd
[21:55] just like some clarification on that and
and I really would like for that that
[21:59] board to stop until the public is
um given the information that they are
[22:05] owed since we're the ones paying
everybody and voting for everybody. Um
[22:10] my second concern is um Mayor Daria if
you don't mind when you had originally
[22:17] talked about the policies of the police
um I I know and we have met that it is
[22:22] not it's certainly not anyone's
intention to speak down to the public.
[22:29] Um but I I wondered if you had
considered using the verbiage that you
[22:33] used may have been offensive. It was
offensive to me and I'm high I I
[22:37] consider myself pretty intelligent and
educated. Um when you when we say to the
[22:41] public, you know, even myself
found these policies to be hard to
[22:47] understand with the legal ease. So we
want to, you know, basically dumb them
[22:52] down for everybody. So my concern is
that the population that is having the
[22:57] most interaction with the police is the
new American and African-American
[23:00] communities. I don't know if it's the
best approach to say, "Hey, you're I'm
[23:06] smarter than you. You're not as smart as
me, so let me dumb this down for you."
[23:12] They that population and many others are
being so over inundated, whether it be
[23:20] because of high saturation or not. I
think we need to get more information,
[23:25] not less. like let's have a town hall
and get more and let's stop treating
[23:29] people like they don't know what they're
doing.
[23:32] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[23:36] » We can address um and answer these
comments during our our liaison reports.
[23:41] Um is there anyone else here to speak to
or for public comment? Anyone else to
[23:48] speak during public comment? Anyone else
to speak during public comment?
[23:53] Okay, we will go ahead and move
Move on.
[23:58] » Ordinances for final passage.
[24:06] Council file number 16629, official
ordinance 492026,
[24:11] an ordinance appropriating the sum of
$10,000 from unappropriated and
[24:15] unanticipated revenue to be received
from a community partnership grant
[24:20] administered by the Pennsylvania
Department of Conservation and Natural
[24:23] Resources, which is DCNR, and providing
it for the expenditure thereof.
[24:29] Sponsored by Council Member Shaw,
seconded by Council Member Titus. that
[24:32] council file ordinance bill number 16629
and now known as official file ordinance
[24:37] 492026
be finally passed by city council
[24:41] members Brzinski
>> yes
[24:42] » Flores
>> yes
[24:44] » yes
>> Paul
[24:45] » yes
>> Shaw
[24:46] » yes
>> troop
[24:47] » yes
>> Titus
[24:48] » yes
>> city council read and adopt and pass
[24:53] official file ordinance 49 2026 by yay 7
nay zero Council
[25:05] file number 16630, official ordinance 50
20226, an ordinance appropriating the
[25:10] sum $25,000 from unappropriated and
unanticipated revenue for the
[25:15] expenditure thereof. The contribution is
from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
[25:18] acting through the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission PHMC
[25:22] and from the Keystone Historic
Preservation Grant. Sponsored by Council
[25:26] Member Shaw, seconded by Council Member
Titus. That council file ordinance 16630
[25:31] and now known as official file ordinance
50 2026 be finally passed by city
[25:36] council. Members Brzinski,
>> yes.
[25:38] » Lores,
>> yes.
[25:40] » Horton,
>> yes.
[25:41] » Paul,
>> yes.
[25:42] » Shaw,
>> yes.
[25:43] » Troop,
>> yes.
[25:44] » Titus,
>> yes.
[25:46] City Council pass official file
ordinance 50 2026 finally by yay 7 nay
[25:51] zero.
[25:58] Council file number 16631
official ordinance 512026
[26:03] an ordinance appropriating the sum of
$25,000 from unappropriated and
[26:07] unanticipated revenue for the
expenditure thereof. This contribution
[26:11] is from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
acting through the Pennsylvania
[26:14] Historical and Museum Commission, the
PHMC from the FFY 2025 Certified Loan
[26:20] Government Grant. Sponsored by Council
Member Schoff, seconded by Council
[26:23] Member Titus, that council file
ordinance bill number 16631
[26:28] and now known as Official File Ordinance
51, 2022 be finally passed by city
[26:33] council. Members Brzinski,
>> yes.
[26:35] » Flores,
>> yes.
[26:36] » Horton,
>> yes.
[26:37] » Pull,
>> yes.
[26:38] » Shaw,
>> yes. Troop.
[26:40] » Yes.
>> Titus.
[26:41] » Yes.
>> City council pass official file
[26:45] ordinance 512026
finally by yay 7 nay zero.
[26:54] Ordinances for first reading
or
[27:00] council file number 16632 an ordinance
appropriating the sum of $88,823
[27:07] from unappropriated and unanticipated
revenue for the expenditure thereof for
[27:11] an $88,000 $823 grant from the
Department of Justice fiscal year 25 JAG
[27:19] program local solicitation for police
equipment sponsored by council Member
[27:24] Horton, seconded by council member Shaw,
that council file ordinance 16632 having
[27:29] been read is hereby adopted on first
reading by city council. Members
[27:33] Brzinski,
>> yes.
[27:35] » Flores,
>> yes.
[27:36] » Horton,
>> yes.
[27:37] » Paul,
>> yes.
[27:38] » Shaw,
>> oh, sorry.
[27:40] » Yes.
>> Droop,
[27:41] » yes.
>> Titus,
[27:42] » yes.
>> City council read and adopt council file
[27:47] ordinance 16632 by Yay 7 N0 on first
reading.
[28:00] We don't have any old business. So,
Council President, this takes us to new
[28:05] business.
>> At this point, I would ask for a motion
[28:08] to move the balance of the agenda.
>> Motion.
[28:12] » Second.
>> Any separations?
[28:19] » Um, I'll separate one just so I can make
a comment about it. Which one?
[28:22] » The new business number one, the
recreation, parks, and open space plan.
[28:32] » Any other separations?
[28:36] » That's it. Lori
>> moving the balance of the agenda.
[28:40] Members Brzinski,
>> yes.
[28:43] » Flores,
>> yes.
[28:44] » Horton,
>> yes.
[28:45] » Paul,
>> yes.
[28:47] » Shaw,
>> yes.
[28:48] » Troop,
>> yes.
[28:49] » Titus,
>> yes. Resolution passes. Yay. 7 nay zero.
[28:56] » Um I right right now I can make comment
or we wait.
[28:59] » We'll wait till she reads the actual
plan. This is sponsored by council
[29:03] member Titus, second by council member
Shaw. That the proper city officials
[29:07] hereby formally adopt Erie outside city
of Erie comprehensive recreation parks
[29:12] and open space plan as a shared vision
and practical road map for maintaining
[29:17] improving investing in Eerie's parks to
better serve residents today while
[29:21] preparing the future. Discussion
>> um I just wanted to bring this uh to the
[29:27] community's awareness. We have been
working on this plan for the last three
[29:31] or four years. I know when I first came
on the council, I was um invited to the
[29:36] community centers and asked to come and
look at playgrounds and just see the
[29:39] conditions in which our young people
have to play in. And it really justarted
[29:45] me. It made me sad to see that even our
playgrounds were run down and our kids
[29:49] really don't have much to look forward
to. So, I really pushed to make sure
[29:54] that we're making our community spaces
more representative of what we want to
[30:00] see Erie as. So, I'm happy to see that
the community participated in surveys,
[30:04] were able to formally adopt this plan,
and then go to the state and get grant
[30:08] funding to help increase our remodels of
all of our parks over time. So, it's
[30:14] just a great plan that I think the
community is really going to be able to
[30:17] enjoy during our spring, summers, and
falls. Thank you. Council,
[30:22] » any other discussion?
>> Thank you, Dr. Titus. Um, yes, I am
[30:27] looking forward to this. Um, was very um
interested in the outside park plan and
[30:36] love that um they are being used. I went
to uh
[30:42] the Land Lighthouse Park um with Miss
Pole last week and very nice uh
[30:51] playground opportunities there for the
children as well as a beautiful view.
[30:58] Yesterday,
um the daycare facility on State Street
[31:04] had the children playing a ball type of
game out in front of uh in on Perry
[31:13] Square and looks like they were having a
great time. But um I like how they also
[31:21] broke down the median age of you know
people who use parks and uh how they're
[31:31] foreseeing um seniors um
in their senior years using parks as as
[31:40] well because um that's so important on
the quality of life. Um, I actually have
[31:48] a friend um moving out of Mil Creek um
down south because um she's in her
[31:56] senior years and um she has found a
place near her family, but um they focus
[32:05] on uh senior community and senior
well-being.
[32:11] And this out eerie outside park plan
really has done a great job of
[32:18] recognizing all the people using the
parks. And I also liked how they put the
[32:26] history of it. Andrew Elott was one of
the first surveyors in 1795
[32:34] um who did Perry Square, Gridley Park,
and Wayne Park. um because at that time
[32:41] too they were looking for um civicminded
open spaces. So um they built upon the
[32:49] history of our past and now going
forward to the future and that the last
[32:56] uh park plan hadn't been since 1993
which as we well know was more than 30
[33:03] years ago. So, um, thank you for
everyone who, um, put their, um, stamp
[33:09] on it, effort into it, and did the
research. Thank you.
[33:14] » Any other counselors?
>> Yes, Dr. Titus. Thank you.
[33:18] [clears throat] And thank you, uh,
colleagues Sha and Flores for your
[33:24] comments. Um,
wow. I've been here all my life. I
[33:30] didn't know the city had 32 parks. And
that was the first thing that blew me
[33:34] away. Uh, and some I've never been to.
I'm soon to be a little older.
[33:43] [laughter]
Um, but one thing that I do want to say
[33:47] about the plans from Eerie outside and
that their plans for the future,
[33:54] but when I look at park number five,
which is Perry Square East and West,
[34:02] My colleague to my left can appreciate
it. There are some right now things we
[34:07] need to take care of about our park.
We have It's embarrassing to have a park
[34:14] caddy corner from city hall with no
restrooms, no public restrooms.
[34:20] And I I walk through there at least once
or twice a week. Uh there's that wall
[34:25] that runs diagonal along there. I I call
that Matthew's porch cuz I see some of
[34:31] everything in the net up in there. It's
a lot of good, a lot of good people, a
[34:37] lot of brokenness over there. But surely
uh in the center of our town square, we
[34:44] have statues
uh of our fallen officers and statues of
[34:51] our heroes of years gone by. We can't
have a public restroom
[34:58] or a point of decency.
Uh you got to know where you're at. You
[35:05] got six high-rise buildings down here in
the 16501. They don't deserve basic
[35:12] decency.
And we're spending money on a lot of
[35:16] things.
Uh, and we do have a budget coming
[35:23] and that's one thing that should be
non-negotiable
[35:27] is our our public works. Uh, we have
children, people bringing their kids to
[35:33] play in the fountain as I did as a kid
when they used to have bathrooms.
[35:39] Imagine that.
Uh, so I'm really disappointed. And
[35:43] that's one of the first things we have
the festivals. They bring the
[35:47] portaotties. They got some pretty good
ones now uh that you can put up with
[35:52] wash stations. You can lock them at
night and clean them or whatever at a
[35:56] certain hour, but surely we're a better
city than this.
[36:01] Thank you.
>> Thank you. Any other comments from any
[36:05] other counselor?
>> Dr. guys. Um, I was just curious, this
[36:08] might sound like a silly question, but
with the research that the I don't know
[36:14] the companies are doing with the parks,
um,
[36:18] do they have, um, information on like
how parks can be used like in the winter
[36:23] time? I mean, I don't know. You know
what I mean? That's like time that
[36:28] they're unused. So, do cities have ways
of using
[36:35] the parks in the wintertime?
Are there things that can be done like
[36:40] events or I I'm not sure if other cities
do that, but that's just a curiosity.
[36:45] » I do recall um just I guess jump and
answer that that was actually put in
[36:50] quite a bit of quite a bit of thought
and and process with the the new updates
[36:53] that we got especially during our study
session was how to activate during
[36:56] during the winter. um because I we're
not getting any cooler summers and we're
[37:00] certainly not getting any right
>> warmer winters. So I know that that was
[37:04] part of the the plan as well. But point
well made.
[37:09] » If if council is is okay then I will go
ahead and call for the vote on this
[37:14] » members. Brazinski
>> yes.
[37:16] » Flores
>> yes.
[37:17] » Horton
>> yes.
[37:18] » Paul
>> yes.
[37:19] » Shaw
>> yes.
[37:20] » Troop
>> yes.
[37:21] » Titus
>> yes.
[37:23] » Resolution passes. Yay seven nay zero. I
believe this takes us to committee
[37:28] reports.
>> All right, we will go ahead and start
[37:31] with uh councelor pull.
>> I just have a short report this morning.
[37:39] um
past couple weeks uh the OE and fire
[37:44] pension uh both had their monthly
meetings that I attended through Zoom
[37:51] and they're doing well and ongoing
except for a few passings
[37:57] um of retirees. It's always a sad
sad thing to say goodbye to that um when
[38:05] they're taken off the the pension roles.
Um,
[38:12] » apologize.
>> It's all right.
[38:17] » I attended um on the 21st of August. Um,
it's a couple Fridays ago, Ainsworth
[38:24] Field. Um, they had like a fundraiser
uh because they want to update it, redo
[38:31] it because it's
it's in horrible shape. um
[38:38] since they knocked down the school in
front of it. They used to have all kinds
[38:42] of activities there um through the years
and um growing up not too far from
[38:48] there. I used to spend a lot of time
around there at the tennis courts,
[38:53] things like that. Um, and it's good to
see them trying to revive it and
[38:58] hopefully not only the school district
because it is owned by the school
[39:01] district um that the city can partner
with them a little bit and um not
[39:06] monetarily but um
you know put get together and um bring
[39:13] that back to life and have activities
there again and even you know maybe
[39:18] little league or you know anything
that'll bring that back to life a little
[39:22] bit and bring the history back to that
area. Um,
[39:29] and I do I think about the military
often because it's in the news daily.
[39:33] Um,
[39:37] I have a um, you know, me many relatives
that served in the in the service.
[39:43] Um, and one recently after 9/11. um and
you worry and you pray and I continue to
[39:50] pray for for all the military no matter
where they're stationed but mainly where
[39:55] the um
where everything's going on right now.
[39:59] Um that's it. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Uh councelor Ch.
[40:04] » Thank you uh Dr. Titus. Um I'll just
keep it brief today. Um, I just want to
[40:09] um really want to thank Area Events for
um coordinating
[40:14] um gym city soul night last night for
the city. Um it was um relatively short
[40:22] notice that it was put together and and
um it was really well attended.
[40:27] Um everybody had a great time together.
Um
[40:32] before in one of these meetings I I
talked about um the city having wins and
[40:38] I think that the city walked away last
night feeling like they had a win
[40:42] together. You know what I mean? Um a
very diverse crowd and it felt like
[40:46] people felt like it was it was a
victory. So um thank Eerie Events and
[40:51] the bands that participated, the sound
crew and all the community and and
[40:56] vendors and things that came together
rather quickly to make that happen.
[40:59] That's all I have. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Councelor Flores.
[41:02] » Um I'll I'll have a brief um report. I
just wanted to acknowledge that, you
[41:06] know, with us having our students back
in in school for us to be mindful of
[41:11] them on their journey to school and on
their path um home. I also wanted to um
[41:17] make sure that people are aware that the
city did announce the next couple of
[41:21] heritage festivals we will be having
through the month of September. But
[41:26] also, there are a few more um heritage
festivals that are going to be winding
[41:30] down the season for us. So, these are a
great way for us to build community with
[41:34] one another. We all come from different
places. Unless you're Native American,
[41:38] you migrated here from somewhere. And
for us to respect one another's views
[41:43] and our heritage and our culture is a
beautiful thing. That's what makes
[41:46] America a melting pot. So, we just have
to be mindful on how we're interacting
[41:51] with one another. A lot of us are
carrying heavy weights, especially with
[41:55] some of the negativity that is on social
media. Um, we have a lot of toxic views
[42:01] on social media that people feel really
brazen to say to people behind a
[42:06] keyboard, but yet when they see you in
person, they really just look at you and
[42:09] give you a dirty look and that's about
it. So, I just want people to be aware
[42:13] that unless we're Native American, we
did migrate from somewhere.
[42:17] We're all forced here on slave ships and
bondage. So just acknowledge the true
[42:23] American history and maybe we can move
forward because right now things are at
[42:27] tense times and when we are at war with
other countries and we have a lot of
[42:32] things going on at home, we need to
acknowledge that our community is what
[42:35] makes us beautiful and Erie has always
been welcoming and acknowledging
[42:39] everyone's heritage. So please make sure
you make it to any of these festivals
[42:43] that are going to be winding down our
summer season because it is a beautiful
[42:47] experience to see everybody enjoying
their culture. Thank you.
[42:51] » Thank you, Council Brzinski.
>> Thank you. Uh start off by saying Zawa
[42:58] was a once again a fantastic weekend. Uh
Yogi Bear used to say nobody goes there
[43:07] anymore because it's too busy. Uh
lines stretched over a block to get some
[43:15] goumpkies or pyogis or potato pancakes.
Uh everybody was happy, everybody was
[43:20] having a good time and uh it does bring
the community together which is a
[43:24] beautiful thing. Uh with that uh let's
be reminded that the German fest
[43:31] uh on old French road is this weekend I
believe and uh the great Irish St.
[43:36] Patrick's one is uh some place around
the 20th of September I believe. keep it
[43:43] in mind and if you get a chance, go
there because you're going to see
[43:46] smiling faces wherever you turn. Thank
you.
[43:50] » Thank you, Councelor Horton.
>> Uh thank you, Dr. Titus. Um
[43:57] all the meetings are starting to run
together for me. I don't know whether
[44:01] it's a redevelopment or zoning. I
certainly did not attend the blighted
[44:05] property review board uh but or the land
bank um meeting. I can't believe I've
[44:11] watched online. Uh the big takeaway is
that they want to do a housing
[44:16] development on 22nd Street, which is why
I was asking the gentleman, we're at u
[44:22] uh the redevelopment. Mr. Snipper and
his staff have uh uh done a great job.
[44:28] Um uh Jake and the building inspectors
have did all the necessary paperwork.
[44:34] I'm continuing to learn about the
processes of acquiring and blighting and
[44:40] uh selling properties and place them on
repository. So, it's been quite a
[44:45] learning experience. But again, the big
takeaway is they want to build uh they
[44:49] have had like 40 something lots uh up
there. It sounded like 20 something, but
[44:55] they're going to take six or seven of
those lots and and turn it into
[45:01] housing supposed to be quality
affordable housing. And I won't get into
[45:04] the numbers of it cuz it's still uh
mind-boggling to me. Uh but that that's
[45:10] what's on the uh horizon. Uh anyway, um
uh I think that I would like to really
[45:18] just take the opportunity to just thank
uh some people. Um really I want to
[45:23] start with thanking my colleagues. I
know it's been a difficult year uh and
[45:28] we've taken uh in quite a bit uh from
the residents, but we've really turned
[45:33] out some really good product too with
the help of the uh executive branch and
[45:38] and Mayor Develin uh and our solicitor
uh and a lot of the questions that come
[45:44] to us from that podium um uh are not
questions that I care to even try to
[45:50] take an answer and I would I would think
that you all would not either. But we
[45:54] have a very capable solicitor. Uh those
type questions should be directed to
[45:59] him. Uh and they're all valid questions.
Uh u you know, but uh I am glad that uh
[46:06] the mayor has initiated a process uh to
at least address some of the things that
[46:12] the community is asking for. And one
thing that I know to be wrong is to
[46:18] stand by and do nothing. And so, Mayor
Develin, I want to thank you and your
[46:22] staff and Lori, I I hate to stop naming
people because you have so many very
[46:27] capable people who are all contributing.
None of the work gets turned around by
[46:32] one or two or even a few people, but
it's a team approach. Um, and finally,
[46:37] I'll I'll add that it was a great night
uh last night. Kudos to Mr. Troop and
[46:44] kudos to Mr. Pine and the Eerie events
uh for holding such a a great event. It
[46:50] was a wonderful night. I believe last
night we probably had uh we in Erie,
[46:54] Pennsylvania probably had some of the
best weather anywhere in the world. Uh
[46:58] with the nice lake breeze blowing up off
of it and soft tones of music which
[47:03] always seemed to bring people together.
Uh and I I counted a win and this city
[47:08] always needs wins. Uh so thank you again
and that concludes my report. Thank you,
[47:14] Council Shaw.
>> Thank you, Dr. Titus. Um, I've been in
[47:18] uh Conversation with Nick Paladus, who
currently has 2,000 signatures
[47:25] um to open up the Southeast Erie Post
Office. We met with um Senator Kelly and
[47:34] or Congressman Kelly and
hopefully um there will be some action
[47:40] on that and he encourages everyone to
write to the postmaster general because
[47:48] uh this
um in his research um has been going on
[47:54] not just in Erie but um throughout
Pennsylvania. Um there have been some
[48:01] post office closures and um if you are
concerned about um your service
[48:10] definitely um contact
as many people as you can because the
[48:17] squeaky wheel gets the grease. Um
Odessa's place thanks to Carol Troop and
[48:26] her team gave out many back to school
supplies and was very helpful to the
[48:35] people who came to her the doors of
Adessa's place ready to go back to
[48:41] school as well as the Blue Coats and
Daryl Craig with their uh back to school
[48:48] bash at Perry square and they had an
excellent giveaway too and Angela McNair
[48:57] um did one on Sunday as well and there
were even other places so anyone who
[49:04] contributed and volunteered and donated
in any way thank you very much for what
[49:11] you've done um the Ainsworth field I did
attend that I hope the Erie school
[49:17] district um does a great job um with
their renovations that they want to do
[49:27] because again the Ainsworth field has so
much history behind it and um it would
[49:34] be wonderful to see that place restored.
Um, thank you to Matthew Falconee who
[49:40] checked out some trees. Um,
in South or North Erie. Um, David French
[49:51] today had mentioned ebikes and my friend
Pete Griswinsky, who I met in 2018 in
[49:59] Perry Square, um, died over the weekend.
And um I just can't imagine um the
[50:09] family and the driver's family affected
by that. That's one of my greatest
[50:15] nightmares. Um especially in the evening
while um driving because like David
[50:24] French mentioned um there
are accidents waiting to happen. um they
[50:32] can come up behind you and you think
like you're going to get run over at
[50:38] times and um I hope that everyone starts
um
[50:46] following the rules as far as their own
safety and the safety of others.
[50:53] um Friday night. Um for those people
looking for things to do, um Frontier
[50:59] Park continues to have a music series
there and um it's quite enjoyable. Um
[51:07] it's near the Leaf building, so it's not
like on the Blues and Jazz Fest side
[51:16] where they have the Frontier Park. It's
it's closer to the slides and the and
[51:21] the hill and um it's quite enjoyable. I
attended the Eerie Water Authority
[51:28] meeting and the Erie sewer um meeting as
well. And um Miss Flores had mentioned
[51:37] earlier about um the pediatricians
and
[51:43] the increase of accidents and I watched
the same thing and it's actually 671%
[51:52] increase um from
Yes. Um it it's quite um alarming. Um
[52:00] there was a father who gave his ch
12-year-old child one and ended up
[52:07] [snorts] with a horrific injury that
took a long process of surgical healings
[52:15] and um there was an expose on that. Um
thank you. Have a great day. Thank you.
[52:25] Um so I will start in really quickly
with the two uh authorities that I
[52:30] attended on August 26th. I was at the
Erie airport authority meeting. Um
[52:35] wanted to announce that they had two
executive sessions, one on August 5th,
[52:38] one on August 26th to discuss um
personnel and real estate matters. Um
[52:44] and also complete their evaluation of
their their uh executive director. Um at
[52:49] this past meeting their executive
director did get a salary increase. So
[52:53] that was approved [snorts] unanimously
and voted on by the authority. Um also
[52:58] they have negotiated through two
different union contracts and so they
[53:02] are solidifying those. Uh they've
reached agreements on both of those
[53:05] which I it's it's great for for
everybody involved when we're able to go
[53:10] ahead and wrap up those those union
negotiations. Um they also appointed um
[53:16] the the board member that we had seated
who will be joining and sitted on the se
[53:20] officially seated on the board at their
next meeting. Uh you can learn more
[53:23] about just the time and the location of
the airport authority meetings on their
[53:26] website. I was at the Erie events
authority meeting on the 27th um just to
[53:32] notify that there is uh has been some
changes in the times but the next two
[53:38] meetings there will also be change in
location due to events that are
[53:41] happening at the convention center. So
to just please check out their website.
[53:44] The public is permitted to attend
authority meetings. So just to note to
[53:48] go on to their website so you know where
those are happening overall that they
[53:52] there's been some changes in the tax
revenue around um uh hotel taxes and so
[53:58] they are seeing some revenue increase.
Uh some of the discussion that I want to
[54:02] make sure I I brought up here continues
to be around the zoo and how they are
[54:07] structuring it. They are currently
seeking out consultants on developing a
[54:10] master plan. Uh and that will lay out
the whole entirety of the property. Um
[54:15] and the public will will ask be asked
for input. So I'm asking again for the
[54:18] public to make sure that we're paying
attention to that. So when we are
[54:21] developing this master plan that the
whole community gets to have their voice
[54:25] heard. They're looking uh at the vet
center. um they need to have the vet
[54:31] center up and have movement on that for
the accreditation process but also the
[54:35] CRIS authority is looking to support
that which um I'll come back to in a
[54:40] second here on that but overall they are
moving the the eerie events always has a
[54:45] million things going on um but they're
really starting to to move in in how are
[54:50] we going to lay out the zoo and how is
that property going to be um developed
[54:54] and so I think it's important for all of
us to to pay attention to that and have
[54:57] our participation in that um I also
wrote a note in here uh that I would
[55:02] like to bring to council for us to
discuss but I would like to invent
[55:06] invite the cruise authority I know we've
talked about this with the mayor but
[55:09] there are so many projects that are
moving very quickly um and I want to
[55:13] make sure that we fully understand the
process of how these properties and
[55:17] these project are selected uh when we
have a like eerie events being selected
[55:23] um and they're already a taxexempt
authority want to making [snorts] sure
[55:25] that we fully understand how the money's
coming in how the money is going out as
[55:29] a as a council um because these projects
impact us, they impact the community.
[55:33] And so I know we're heading into
uh budget season, but for us to be also
[55:38] having that on our radar as well, so we
can start to plan um to to extend that
[55:43] invite and maybe plan out when we could
get them here. There is the date change
[55:46] for the housing town hall that we'll be
hosting with the the city. Uh it's moved
[55:51] now to the 22nd. It's going to be at
East Middle School. it the the event
[55:55] itself the town hall goes from 6:00 to 8
but the doors will open at 5:30m for a
[56:00] resource fair and so that residents are
able to come in there'll be two
[56:04] different kind of tracks will be
actually three things that are happening
[56:07] the the county is going to be collecting
some of their data around their housing
[56:11] assessment and their project so for
community input there we'll be talking
[56:15] to homeowners and some of the resources
available to them but then also uh
[56:18] tenants and renters uh so that they can
know their rights and and resources
[56:23] available to them as well So 922 East
Middle School. And then to also address
[56:28] the ebikes comment that we heard, um
there is an enormous safety concern.
[56:33] We've seen even in New York City where
they actually sued some of the people
[56:37] who were selling the ebikes. Um, I would
caution all of us as we approach these
[56:41] to make sure that we're doing it through
a lens of equity as oftentimes ebikes
[56:45] are the only means of transportation due
to the economy and various things and
[56:49] that any any rules or ordinances we
create will inadvertently impact certain
[56:54] groups of our community more than
others. Not saying that we shouldn't,
[56:58] but just saying as we do this that we be
mindful. Um, and then I will
[57:03] challenge all of us on council to pay
attention to what's happening with flock
[57:06] cameras. there's national discussion
happening, but now there is a very loud
[57:10] state discussion that is happening. And
this has bipartisan support at this
[57:14] point to move in the direction of
blocking or limiting um as the software
[57:18] is incredibly dangerous. Um and so I'm
working with some other local advocates
[57:23] to get uh legislation that we could we
could review, but also to that might be
[57:28] a mute point if it comes in front of our
our authorities. Uh and with that, I
[57:33] will mic pass because we got the timers
going for us. Thank you Lori for doing
[57:36] that. Um to ask the solicitor to address
the comments made around uh boards and
[57:42] authorities noting that we do not have
one um that has been codified around the
[57:46] police and safety.
[57:51] » U obviously there's the boards that
everyone knows about that are enacted
[57:55] through diff the different ordinances
and you can find those on uh those are
[57:59] the easy ones like the planning
commission and zoning hearing board.
[58:01] However, the mayor through her executive
power is allowed to form or unform
[58:06] advisory councils and those advisory
councils would then be at the discretion
[58:10] of the mayor for certain topics. For
instance, so the the one that's being
[58:14] referenced is an advisory council
through the executive arm. And so that
[58:19] is
her prerogative to get experts or
[58:23] opinions through that that manner. So
that's what's going on right now. Now
[58:27] obviously there has been a a lot of
discussion of doing like a citizens
[58:32] review board or a police review board
type of um commissioner board that would
[58:37] be enacted by ordinance that if that was
to be created that would be at the same
[58:43] the same rules as say the planning
commission or the zoning hearing board
[58:46] um bylaws will be enacted and that sort
of thing. So the mayor and and it's not
[58:52] just Mayor Develin doing this. Mayor
Shamber also had advisory boards that
[58:55] were in place. And so sometimes those
boards, you know, uh go away or they
[59:00] continue uh when a new mayor comes on.
[59:06] » Thank you.
[59:11] » Good. Sorry. Um passing notes up here to
make sure that I go over everything that
[59:16] I was supposed to go over. Uh,
controller, if you want to go ahead and
[59:20] share your report out.
[59:25] » Hi. Um, we are always working hard in
the controllers's office. Um, so I just
[59:29] want to give you an update on the things
that are going on. Uh, we just attended
[59:33] a very valuable workshop and team
building exercise last Friday for all of
[59:37] our third floor staff. Uh, I want to
commend Lori, the mayor's chief of
[59:40] staff, on a wellthoughtout,
wellorganized, and extremely productive
[59:44] session. I know good things will come
out of this workshop for us. I am also
[59:48] working on several projects right now.
Um I have formed a committee to
[59:52] streamline policies and procedures
related to our bills paying process. Uh
[59:56] so our first meeting on that is next
week. We're going to draft a mission
[1:00:00] statement and kind of outlay the process
and see if we can make it easier and
[1:00:04] better. And I'll give updates as they're
appropriate on that. And I want to
[1:00:09] remind everyone uh this wasn't mentioned
here today. Um, and I apologize if it's
[1:00:13] outside my boundaries, but I want to
remind everyone of the Labor Day parade
[1:00:16] on Monday the 7th at 10:00 a.m. I will
be marching with the Teamsters. Uh, and
[1:00:21] it's a great day, beautiful parade, and
it celebrates labor as we should on that
[1:00:26] day. And as always, I want to give a
thank you to my staff for their
[1:00:30] continued hard work and commitment to
excellence in our office. Kate, Kelly,
[1:00:34] and Meg. You all do a wonderful job.
Thank you so much for everything you do.
[1:00:38] And that's it.
>> Thank you, Mayor.
[1:00:44] Thank you, Dr. Titus. Uh, I want to
start out this morning by thanking the
[1:00:49] planning department who maybe has
stepped out, but um, Jackie Spry and her
[1:00:54] team um, for the incredible work on the
parks plan that has been noted today. It
[1:00:58] was a long road and they just did an
incredible job. So, I want to thank them
[1:01:01] for that. Um, just want to note a couple
of other things. We did hold a Celebrate
[1:01:05] Yuri debrief internally last week to
talk about what worked and didn't work
[1:01:09] for Celebrate Yuri so that we can begin
planning for next year. And on that
[1:01:13] note, it's not too early to start to
start planning for next year. This
[1:01:17] morning actually, I'll be holding a
summer debrief meeting with all the
[1:01:20] partners that we funded for summer
programming. So that's through our CDBG
[1:01:24] dollars and also our parks dollars to
have a conversation about how the summer
[1:01:28] went, what obstacles they found, how the
literacy initiative that we started this
[1:01:32] year worked so that we can really begin
immediately starting to plan for next
[1:01:37] summer. Um because I think we have a lot
of areas that we can improve there. Um
[1:01:42] just a couple of notes on on scheduling.
So we did announce welcoming week. We
[1:01:46] held a press conference the other day. I
want to thank um Marta Alsad at Almadina
[1:01:51] Supermarket who help uh hosted us on
Parade Street for our announcement of
[1:01:55] welcoming week that is coming September
10th through the 19th. And a couple of
[1:02:00] there's a huge um amount of activities
going on that week. There's educational
[1:02:05] activities, festivals, and things. You
can find all of that on our website. But
[1:02:08] a few things to note there. Of course,
Fiesta in the Square will happen on
[1:02:13] September 12th. Um, and that is
something that we do in coordination
[1:02:16] with our uh, Latino community. And then
also the new American Jamberee on
[1:02:21] September 18th. That will be the first
time that that event will be held in
[1:02:25] Perry Square. And so those are two
events that really are marking uh,
[1:02:29] welcoming week as we celebrate that here
in the city of Erie. Um, I do want to
[1:02:33] address the ebike education, the
comments today. We have actually done
[1:02:38] some social media education on this
topic but hearing the comments today and
[1:02:43] your comments council I think we need to
do more there. So heard and noted and I
[1:02:47] I will take that back to the to the um
Mocha team and see what they can do
[1:02:52] there. Also just talking about um a
couple of other dates certainly Patriot
[1:02:57] Day 911 is coming. Um I was in uh
conversation with the county executive
[1:03:02] yesterday. There is a county um ceremony
planned on the morning of September
[1:03:06] 11th. I think it begins at 8:30 um down
in front of the the memorial there. So,
[1:03:12] I I'm sure more information will be
coming, but I just want you to all be
[1:03:15] aware um that that hopefully is on your
calendars. Um also today, the Sons of
[1:03:20] Lake Erie, of course, are having their
event. We're very grateful to the Suns
[1:03:23] for all the work they do around
conservation. We all know Mr. Kle is a
[1:03:27] passionate advocate and we appreciate
all the work that all of them do. So, I
[1:03:31] hope I'll see some of you there for
their annual fish fry this afternoon.
[1:03:36] And then lastly, uh just want to put a
few more uh words around the solicitor's
[1:03:40] comments regarding the mayor's council
on community safety and trust. Um this
[1:03:45] is in line with the other councils. For
example, the mayor's council on on
[1:03:49] disabilities, the mayor's council on new
American Affairs. There has been a
[1:03:52] long-standing tradition for mayors to
have these advisory councils. However, I
[1:03:56] do want to remind the public as we've
discussed I think a few times that the
[1:04:00] work we are doing is to codify something
that can be passed by ordinance by
[1:04:05] council so that the work long outlives
this administration and all of you. So
[1:04:11] as we have said I think a few times the
the council the group that has been
[1:04:15] brought together is advisory in nature.
they are helping us to first have really
[1:04:20] really difficult conversations
um to build some trust and then to work
[1:04:25] together on the codification of
something that will be long lasting. Um
[1:04:29] we have been very clear that the group
that's together now might not be the
[1:04:33] group that's together after codification
but it is a start to your point
[1:04:36] councelor Horton. It's some action that
we felt needed to be taken to begin this
[1:04:40] work. So I am happy to have
conversations at any time um about that
[1:04:45] council, about its priorities, about how
people were picked. So very happy to do
[1:04:49] that um and and would welcome those
questions at any time. Um and with that,
[1:04:55] I think I will uh close my comments.
Thank you.
[1:04:59] » Thank you. So just again to remind the
public, we have a study session next
[1:05:03] Thursday. Uh we have the housing town
hall. We have a another study session at
[1:05:09] the end of the month that will happen
between this study session and then our
[1:05:13] city council evening meeting. Um and so
we are ramping into that budget process.
[1:05:18] And this is really we want the public
always paying attention. But this is
[1:05:23] where you're going to start to see
rubber kind of hit the road um and some
[1:05:26] big changes that we that we can start to
do um to write some ships in in the
[1:05:30] city. And with that we will go ahead and
call Oh, no. Sorry. Go ahead.
[1:05:33] » Before we adjourn
>> Yes. to the study sessions.
[1:05:36] » Yes,
>> study sessions. Um, I'd like to uh
[1:05:42] interest you and our colleagues in the
mayor's office and uh putting together a
[1:05:46] study session on community benefit
agreements since you mentioned the Chris
[1:05:51] and everybody's going to try to come
through here and push those projects.
[1:05:55] Everything's going to be priority. And I
kind of look at it like we look at it in
[1:06:00] terms of internet safety. when they say
hurry up quick and do something, it
[1:06:04] makes me pause. Uh, and there's and uh
we should demand more of a return on
[1:06:10] investment for the things that we're
putting on the taxpayer. Uh, and so I'd
[1:06:16] like to convene or work with you in
administration in convening a community
[1:06:20] benefit agreement thing. I think the
time is now.
[1:06:24] » Agree. And we should be able to codify
uh some of that uh even within our
[1:06:30] zoning structure. So yeah. So thank you.
>> Thank you. All right. With that we will
[1:06:36] go ahead and adjourn today's meeting.