[0:08] 23.

[0:15] » Well, we can go ahead. >> All right.

[0:18] I'm glad you're all here because it's good to see it in person because you may

[0:22] be able not be able to see it on YouTube. So, but we'll go ahead with the

[0:25] meeting. Um, this meeting is being live streamed on the city's YouTube channel

[0:30] accessible from the city's website. If you would like to address city council,

[0:34] please come up to the microphone to speak. The audio will not pick up if you

[0:38] do not speak into a microphone for those watching from YouTube.

[0:43] » So, there are seven items on the consent agenda. They are approval of the October

[0:48] 20th, 2025 regular city council meeting minutes, approval of the November 3rd,

[0:55] 2025 committee of the whole meeting minutes, a resolution approving a fifth

[1:00] amendment to the employment agreement between the city of Wyoming and Rusty

[1:03] Herszog. Designation of Dan Dhouse as the city's

[1:08] OKI representative and Jod Wington as the city's al alternative OKI

[1:13] representative. A resolution authorizing an agreement

[1:17] between the city of Wyoming and the board of Hamilton County Commissioners

[1:20] relative to the improvement of Wyoming Avenue.

[1:24] A resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a memorandum of

[1:28] agreement with OKI, Regional Council of Governments for the collection of

[1:32] multimodal traffic data and an resolution honoring the services of

[1:37] Megan Anderson serving on the recreation commission.

[1:41] » Do I hear a motion with respect to the consent agenda?

[1:43] » So moved. Second. >> So, having been moved and seconded to

[1:48] approve the consent agenda items, all those in favor, please signify by saying

[1:52] yes. >> Yes.

[1:53] » Those opposed. >> The motion carries.

[1:57] Okay. Are there any questions or comments on the special reports?

[2:03] Seeing none, we will now hear a report from the city manager.

[2:07] » Thank you, mayor. The Wyoming Firefighters Association turkey raffle

[2:12] is this weekend. Um, if you haven't been, it's quite the exciting

[2:16] opportunity to win a turkey. So, it's Friday night, uh, November 21st and

[2:21] Saturday, November 22nd, starting at 7 p.m. Come to the Civic Center, support

[2:25] the Wyoming [snorts] Firefighters Association, and you just might win a

[2:28] turkey. The city has a new MA mass notification

[2:33] system, which will be replacing Nixl. This new software gives us the ability

[2:38] to not only send emergency notification, but also general notifications about

[2:42] water main breaks, scheduled road closures, and event notifications. We

[2:46] will send out a welcome message later this week. And stay tuned to our social

[2:50] media on how to sign up. The city will also be implementing an updated

[2:54] newsletter software. This will give our existing newsletter a facelift by being

[2:59] able to add pictures and graphics. If you're not currently receiving the

[3:03] newsletter and want to visit our homepage of the city's website and click

[3:06] on notification button, the fall le curbside leaf pickup is

[3:12] still going on. You have until Monday, December 1st to get out all your leaves.

[3:16] Don't rake them into the street, put them on your tree lawn, but again, you

[3:19] have until December 1st to get your leaves out and we'll pick them up. The

[3:23] winter yard waste uh pickup schedule will go into effect starting Monday,

[3:27] December 1st as well. If you have yard waste you would that you would like to

[3:32] be picked up over the winter, you must call Rumkey by the Friday before you

[3:35] need a Monday pickup. Stickers are still required. All the details can be found

[3:39] on the city's website. The holiday onetop shop will be Saturday, December

[3:44] 6th at the Civic Center from 10 to 3. Kick off your holiday shopping um with a

[3:50] day of shopping that supports your local vendors. Watch as the Civic Center is

[3:54] transformed into a holiday bazaar. shop for jewelry, personalized stationery,

[3:58] monogramming, spirit wear, and lots more. Enjoy holiday music, and food at

[4:02] the event. Our featured food truck is Schmidt's Sausage Truck. And later that

[4:07] same night that we'll have our holiday celebration with JWC's Light Up Wyoming.

[4:12] The annual Wyoming holiday celebration will be held same evening, Saturday,

[4:16] December 6th, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Village Green and Wyoming Avenue.

[4:21] Visit Santa, a live reindeer display, do some holiday shopping, enjoy holiday

[4:25] music, grab a bite to eat, and experience the annual treelighting

[4:29] ceremony. And just a final reminder that the city

[4:33] offices will be closed on for Thanksgiving and the day after on

[4:37] November 27th and November 28th. The rec center will be closed on Thanksgiving

[4:42] Day. There will be no delays in Rumpkkey pickup schedule during Thanksgiving

[4:46] week. And we wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving. Thanks, Mayor.

[4:51] » Thank you. So, are there any council committee

[4:55] reports not otherwise on the agenda? >> Are there any special committee reports

[5:00] not otherwise on the agenda? Okay. Then we have reached that point in

[5:05] our meeting where a citizen may express an opinion, make a statement, address a

[5:10] concern, or ask a question on any subject that is not otherwise on the

[5:13] agenda. Comments will be recorded into the

[5:16] minutes and passed along to be addressed by the appropriate staff or city council

[5:20] committee as needed. This portion of the meeting is not for city council to

[5:25] provide responses to a citizen's comment, but to hear what the citizen

[5:28] has to say. And if you wish a response from the city to your concern or request

[5:33] for information, please be sure to leave your contact information with the clerk

[5:37] before you leave the meeting. And as a reminder, please state your name and

[5:41] address before making your comments to city council.

[5:44] Is there anyone present that would like to bring an item not otherwise on the

[5:48] agenda before city council?

[5:53] Okay, seeing none, we'll move to the next item of business and that is the

[5:59] swearing in of Scotty Cook and Andrew Patinho as Wyoming's police officers.

[6:07] And I turn it over to

[6:11] Chief Brady. Good evening. Tonight we have a lot of

[6:16] exciting things happening. Um we'll be swearing in two new members and then we

[6:20] also have two letters of accommodation that we I'll be reading to you guys. So

[6:23] we'll start with Scotty Cook. Scotty, if you want to come up here. Scotty has

[6:27] been a police officer for seven years. Um we hired him from the city of

[6:31] Fairfield uh where he was an evidence tech. He was also a field training

[6:35] officer. Um and he was in charge of their fitness program. So he's a huge

[6:39] huge asset to us and comes to us with a lot of experience. So, we're excited to

[6:42] have him. He'll be doing his oath tonight with Emily and then his wife

[6:45] will come up and pin his badge on him.

[6:55] » Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I

[7:02] » will support

[7:09] the United States of America. The Constitution and Laws.

[7:12] » The Constitution and laws >> of the state of Ohio.

[7:15] » The state of Ohio >> and the laws of or laws and ordinances.

[7:23] » And that I will never >> And that I will never

[7:26] » betray my badge >> betray my badge

[7:28] » my honor >> my honor

[7:29] » my integrity >> my integrity

[7:30] » my character >> my character

[7:32] » or the public trust >> or the public trust.

[7:34] » And I will always >> And I will always

[7:36] » have the courage >> have the courage

[7:38] » to hold myself >> to hold myself

[7:40] » and others accountable for our

[7:44] » I will always >> and I will always

[7:46] » uphold my community >> uphold my community

[7:48] » and the Wyoming Police Department >> and and the Wyoming Police Department

[7:51] » and to the best of my ability >> to the best of my ability

[7:54] » I will discharge the duties >> I will discharge the duties

[7:57] » of the office of police officer >> of the office of police officer

[8:00] » for the city of Wyoming >> for the city of Wyoming

[8:02] » so help me God >> so help me God

[8:04] » Congratulations officer [applause]

[8:19] » [applause]

[8:25] » I would like to add that his wife is a teacher here at the Wyoming uh in the

[8:29] Wyoming school system as well and they are new residents to Wyoming. So um

[8:32] we're excited to have them come around to our events and be involved with our

[8:35] team. So we're excited. Thank you. Okay. We're also going to be uh swearing in

[8:40] Andrew Patinho if you want to come up here. We hired Andrew out of the Butler

[8:44] Techch Police Academy. So, this is his first law enforcement job. So, we're

[8:47] getting him fresh out of the academy. He has begun his field training program,

[8:51] which we're excited for. Um, and he should have that completed in about

[8:54] January or February. After Andrew does his oath, his mother's going to come and

[8:58] pin his badge on him. Let me get this right here for you.

[9:04] » Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Andrew Patinho,

[9:07] » I, Andrew Patinho, >> do solemnly swear

[9:09] » do solemnly swear >> that I will support

[9:12] » that I will support >> the Constitution

[9:13] » the Constitution >> and laws

[9:15] » and laws >> of the United States of America

[9:17] » of the United States of America >> the Constitution and laws

[9:20] » the Constitution and laws >> of the state of Ohio

[9:22] » of the state of Ohio >> and the laws and ordinances

[9:25] » and the laws and ordinances >> of the city of Wyoming

[9:27] » of the city of Wyoming >> and that I will never

[9:29] » and that I will never >> betray my badge

[9:31] » betray my badge >> my honor

[9:32] » my honor >> my integrity

[9:34] » my integrity >> my character my character

[9:36] » or the public trust >> or the public trust.

[9:38] » And I will always >> and I will always

[9:40] » have the courage >> have the courage

[9:42] » to hold myself >> to hold myself

[9:44] » and others >> and others

[9:45] » accountable for our actions >> accountable for our actions.

[9:48] » And I will always >> and I will always

[9:49] » uphold my community >> uphold my community

[9:52] » and the Wyoming Police Department >> and the Wyoming Police Department. And

[9:55] to the best of my ability, >> and to the best of my ability,

[9:58] » I will discharge the duties >> I will discharge the duties

[10:00] » of the office of police officer >> of the office of police officer

[10:04] » for the city of Wyoming. >> for the city of Wyoming.

[10:06] » So help me God. >> So help me God.

[10:08] » Congratulations. >> Thank you so much. [applause]

[10:14] [applause]

[10:29] » [applause]

[10:34] [applause]

[10:38] » All right. So, we're very excited to add them to our team. Um, when we were in

[10:41] the hiring process, one thing that we heard about both candidates throughout

[10:44] the entire hiring process was a that Scotty was Mr. Positive. We've heard all

[10:49] along how positive he is. So, we're excited to add him to our team. And then

[10:53] also when we were at the academy at Butler Tech after we got to go for one

[10:56] of the final um tests and we had several students come up congratulating us on

[11:02] hiring Andrew and that he's a great hire and nothing but great things to say

[11:06] about which speaks volumes because they didn't have to come up and talk to us.

[11:09] So several of his classmates were very pleased with uh Andrew as a a classmate.

[11:14] So they'll be a great asset to our team. So okay, next we're going to have

[11:18] Sergeant John McKillis come up. So, also in the past couple months, we've uh

[11:24] gotten two letter of commendations for different events that have happened. Um,

[11:27] so I'm going to read the letter for Sergeant McGillis um that we have that

[11:31] we got. On October 12th, 2025, Lachland police

[11:36] received a notification from a flock camera indicating that a vehicle

[11:39] belonging to a reported missing person had entered their jurisdiction. When

[11:43] officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver fled. Sergeant McGillis

[11:47] responded to assist with the pursuit and during the chase, the League Lachland

[11:50] police cruiser became disabled. Sergeant McGillis immediately took over as the

[11:54] primary unit, providing clear and consistent route updates to all the

[11:58] responding officers. As the pursuit continued, the suspect's vehicle began

[12:02] to emit smoke and eventually caught fire. Sergeant McGillis acted quickly to

[12:06] ensure the safety of a juvenile passenger and safely remove the juvenile

[12:09] from the burning vehicle. Through coordination with multiple law

[12:12] enforcement agencies, it was later determined that the driver of the

[12:15] pursued vehicle had confessed to murdering the registered owner. The

[12:18] suspect provided information that led authorities to the victim's location in

[12:22] an abandoned house in Georgia, where police confirmed that the victim was

[12:25] deceased. Due to Sergeant McGill McGillis' decisive actions, composure,

[12:30] and effective coordination, a dangerous suspect was apprehended and the life of

[12:34] a juvenile passenger was saved. His professionalism and quick thinking

[12:38] directly contributed to the successful re resolution of a complex and tragic

[12:42] incident. Sergeant McGillis' action bring great credit to himself, his

[12:46] department, and the community he serves. So, we just wanted to take the time to

[12:50] recognize him for this incident that had occurred. It was on a Sunday at 11 in

[12:54] the afternoon. Um, you get a hit on a flot camera for a missing person and it

[12:59] ended up the way it did. and after watching body cam video, um he he

[13:04] definitely it could have been a lot worse. So, we're very happy for Sergeant

[13:09] McGillis and uh it was very appreciated. We had the opportunity to talk to some

[13:12] flock representatives at um IAP and told them the story and they ran with it and

[13:17] thought it was one of the greatest things ever. So, thanks John for all you

[13:21] did for that. [applause]

[13:28] » [applause]

[13:30] » All right, our next letter of commendation is for Officer Drew Jones.

[13:34] Um, a little pretext here. Uh, several of our officers are are part of a

[13:39] specialized unit. Officer Jones is a part of the underwater search and

[13:43] recovery team, as we call it, the dive team. Um, so it's put on through

[13:47] Hamilton County Police Association. I will read a letter that they had sent

[13:50] reference one of uh Drew's recent events. Also, on behalf of the Hamilton

[13:54] County Police Association, it is my honor to recognize HCPA underwater

[13:58] search and recovery unit members Drew Jones, Brandon Knap, Kyle Cole, and Mark

[14:03] Martin for their extraordinary life-saving efforts on July 16th, 2025.

[14:07] On this date, while conducting training operations on the Ohio River in search

[14:11] of a firearm used in a homicide investigation, team members Knap, Cole,

[14:15] Jones, and Martin were requested by the city of Cincinnati Police Department,

[14:19] fire department, and the Boone County dispatch to assist in an active

[14:22] emergency. A subject had jumped from the bridge into the Ohio River and was

[14:26] observed floating near the Kentucky shoreline. Without hesitation, Nap,

[14:29] Cole, Jones, and Martin immediately responded. Both Jones and Martin entered

[14:34] the water from the HCPA dive team boat and provided critical life-saving

[14:37] measures of the individual in distress. Their swift and decisive actions

[14:41] stabilized the subject as he was brought aboard to the d the dive team boat for

[14:44] transport where he was transferred for medical care. The courage,

[14:48] professionalism, and dedication demonstrated by Nap, Cole, Jones, and

[14:52] Martin reflect the highest standards of the Hamilton County Police Association

[14:55] and the Dive team's missions to protect and preserve life. Their actions on July

[15:00] 16th directly contributed to saving a life and is exemplifying the very best

[15:04] of public service. In recognition of their bravery and service, we proudly

[15:08] commend Knap, Cole, Jones, and Martin for their outstanding contributions to

[15:11] the safety of our community. [applause]

[15:20] » [applause] >> In regard to that, I also received

[15:23] another email this week referencing Drew Jones um stating that their command

[15:27] staff had unanimously decided that Drew was going to be the diver of the year.

[15:31] Um [applause]

[15:39] so these are just a few examples of some uh great events that have happening all

[15:43] every day. These guys are out here doing amazing work. whether it's the the level

[15:47] of service that they're giving you guys on everyday runs, alarm drops or

[15:50] checking on your residences. We can boast and say great things about, you

[15:54] know, these two saving lives back here, but every day they come and put these

[15:57] vests on. Um it's a true testament. I mean, you can see in these letters, we

[16:01] get multiple of these all the times. Um their professionalism, they're they

[16:05] always take the extra effort and go the extra mile. That's really what sets this

[16:08] group back here apart. So, thank you. [applause]

[16:16] And you guys are free to go. [laughter]

[16:29] Do I have a proclamation? Where's the proclamation? I don't have

[16:34] the proclamation. I don't have the proclamation. Should be

[16:39] in here.

[17:06] Now I have it.

[17:10] I'll just make another

[17:18] to be able to read it. Yeah, there it is. Thank you. There it is.

[17:27] Awesome.

[17:36] Okay. So, next on the agenda and and Chief Brady, um we're honored to have

[17:43] your leadership and your whole team. So, we're very appreciative.

[17:48] Um the next is a proclamation with respect to speak up and stand up against

[17:52] hate. Um those of you who were at the meeting last month, we had a citizen

[17:58] participate who shared a story of her mailbox being vandalized and some um

[18:04] hateful terms being put on her mailbox. And we had a good long discussion about

[18:10] that at the last committee of the whole about that that's just not what we stand

[18:14] for in Wyoming. And so what we are choosing to do is to reread the

[18:19] proclamation that we had first um developed last February in response to a

[18:24] hateful incident. And we hope that we read this

[18:28] proclamation never again but feel like it just we want to re um restate what we

[18:35] stand for. And so it's a proclamation with respect to speak up and stand up

[18:39] against hate. Whereas recent events in our community

[18:44] do not represent our shared values or reflect the views of those who call the

[18:47] city of Wyoming home. And in light of these events, we issue this proclamation

[18:52] to publicly condemn all forms of bias and hate and to reaffirm our community's

[18:58] commitment to respect, inclusivity, civility, and equity for all. And we

[19:04] urge every member of our community to join us in supporting one another,

[19:08] speaking out and standing together against hate in all its forms.

[19:13] And whereas the Constitution of the United States confers equality on all

[19:17] individuals regardless of race, gender, orientation, religion, or political

[19:23] beliefs. And history has tragically taught us what happens when people stand

[19:28] by silently and allow acts of intolerance, hatred, and violence to

[19:32] occur. And whereas the number of hate crimes

[19:36] across the United States has increased dramatically over the years with people

[19:39] often feeling intimidated, isolated, without hope, and help us to do anything

[19:45] individually to end violence. And whereas we recognize that a

[19:50] proclamation or a single action in and of itself will not change a community,

[19:56] but rather acknowledge that we are all responsible both individually and

[20:00] collectively for creating and fostering an anti-racist and unbiased community.

[20:07] And whereas the success of our community and our neighboring communities depends

[20:11] on making sure that threats and acts of violence based on hate are not

[20:16] encouraged, tolerated, or ignored. Therefore, I, Melissa Monik, mayor of

[20:22] the city of Wyoming, on behalf of the city council and the citizens of

[20:26] Wyoming, do hereby proclaim that the city council of the city of Wyoming

[20:31] stands up against hate-based violence of all kinds and declares that no one shall

[20:37] be discriminated against because of race, gender, orientation, religion,

[20:41] political beliefs, or any other real or perceived difference.

[20:47] And be it further resolved that we will stand together with all people of good

[20:51] faith in our community in an effort to push back the rising tide of hate and

[20:56] proclaim speak up and stand up against hate. Every person has the power to make

[21:02] an impact. No positive action is too small to have widespread effects and

[21:08] even the slightest effort can make a large difference. given under my hand

[21:13] the 17th day of November in the year 2025.

[21:20] So, and I just want to thank council for the the really thoughtful discussion at

[21:26] the committee of the whole.

[21:31] So now we go 2020.

[21:46] Turn it over to the city manager.

[22:15] Thank you, Mayor Council. I wanted to go over the 2026 capital improvement

[22:21] program. And

[22:26] first, first item is our road and water projects. And this is again this is a

[22:31] continuation of the work that we did this year which we called phase one. And

[22:37] so a little bit later on in council meeting here you'll be approving uh the

[22:41] bonds um or the notes I should say. And that's uh that will help facilitate this

[22:47] list of phase two streets. Um, reason you have 12,100,000

[22:53] on there, I know you're issuing 10 million, but we received that 2.1

[22:59] million in a grant from Sorta. So, that's added into this um project cost,

[23:04] but those are some of the streets that will be done as phase two and the ones

[23:08] with water down there at the end, Mount Pleasant, Fleming, Mary Lane, and

[23:13] Chattam. So, those are the road projects planned for phase two.

[23:21] Part of that just wanted to pull out Mount Pleasant on its own just because

[23:26] of the sort of grant. We wanted to recognize here that here overall

[23:30] estimated both water and road is around 6 million. We haven't gone to uh bid

[23:36] yet, but uh uh we did receive 2.1 million in sort of funding and that

[23:42] really is going to help make that project be successful.

[23:48] And just so you know, the water work is starting today.

[23:53] The painting of the water tower. So, uh that's a significant investment to paint

[23:59] the water tower. So, there is some design cost that goes into that. So, one

[24:03] of the projects for next year is the the paying for the design. The project is

[24:10] scheduled to be done in 2028.

[24:17] So, back to that. It's not too late. If you want to, I'm sure submit some

[24:20] additional funding. Maybe we could name the water tower after somebody. Just

[24:24] throw that out there. [laughter]

[24:28] The Hornsby Water Tower. All right. The sidewalk replacement

[24:34] program for next year, it's $200,000. 125 of that comes from the community

[24:41] development block grant. Um, so we'll be investing 70 thou 75,000 from general

[24:47] fund dollars, but again the city manages the sidewalks in the community and you

[24:52] can look to this being a annual cost of about 200,000 to keep our sidewalks in

[24:58] good shape. Lynen Lane sidewalk connection. Um, for

[25:04] those of you not familiar really with London, if you go back Lynen Drive to

[25:09] Lynen Lane and then there's Lynen Ridge at the end. Uh, this sidewalk, part of

[25:14] it started as a sidewalk connection. It's really connecting those that live

[25:18] on Lynen Ridge to Lynen Drive. Uh, it's a short little stretch and we were going

[25:23] to just do the sidewalk, but now that is all part of the uh, road project as

[25:29] well. So, we'll be doing them in combination in 2026. And that's the

[25:33] sidewalk and then also the road and water.

[25:40] The sidewalk is funded completely by general fund dollars. It can't we can't

[25:44] use the uh the debt issuance for the sidewalk.

[25:48] Uh then the recreation turf field. This is the large turf field at the rec

[25:52] center. Um it's been there for over 15 years. It is in need of replacement. Um

[25:58] we wanted to do more though than just replace the turf. We wanted to improve

[26:02] the whole experience. So, we call it the fan experience enhancements. Um, the

[26:07] turf is great for the players, but creating a atmosphere for the parents

[26:12] who like to watch their kids and creating a better situation there. All

[26:16] of that is what this is part of. It will include additional seating area on the

[26:21] north side of the field from endzone to end zone.

[26:25] Um, the entryway will be improved with a gate system. There'll be new fencing

[26:29] around the entire park. and then higher fencing or netting at

[26:34] either end to keep the soccer balls or footballs from flying down into the Mil

[26:39] Creek. Um estimated project cost is 900,000 and again that'll be 100% funded

[26:45] by the general fund.

[26:50] Income tax software, our current software is at its end of life. They're

[26:56] not going to continue to support it. Um, and we do need income tax software.

[27:01] That's a big part of what we do here. Um,

[27:05] so we'll be purchasing a new software in 2026 and the estimated cost of that's

[27:10] 100,000 which would come out of the general fund dollars.

[27:14] Pool repairs. Um, we do have some pool gutters and pumps that are in need of

[27:19] repair at about the cost of 30,000 and that would come out of 100% of the

[27:23] general fund. and then a camera system installation.

[27:28] Currently, we have we only have uh cameras at the public safety facility,

[27:33] but those cameras there are in need of improvement. So, this will uh put aside

[27:40] $100,000 to enhance the the cameras at the public safety facility. That's also

[27:46] inside of the facility and the interview rooms uh and the jail cell. Those need

[27:52] improved cameras. They're original to when we built the building. Um, also

[27:57] enhancing the cameras around the outside of the public safety building. That also

[28:01] includes putting cameras at this building and this facility, including

[28:05] the parking lot in the back and also the recreation facility, the turf fields.

[28:11] Um, so this would be at the rec center. Basically everything outside at the rec

[28:15] center. Um, the parking lots and the turf fields.

[28:19] So the the system that we will put in is expandable. So if it works in this areas

[28:24] that we're adding it, then we would continue to expand that to other areas

[28:28] including potentially this will be also at the village green, but we could be

[28:32] using flock cameras at the village green. So that's still to come, but

[28:37] 100,000 is set for this project and it comes from completely from general fund

[28:41] dollars. And then this county city facade grant

[28:46] program. So, the city of Wyoming was awarded a $52,000 grant from Helm County

[28:51] for facade improvements to facade improvements to local businesses. Um,

[28:56] 52,000. It's a great grant to get. It will help

[29:00] our businesses improve their facades to help hopefully draw more people into

[29:06] their business, but I think uh it's important to raise those dollars up the

[29:11] best we can. And this gives us an opportunity for the city to then match

[29:15] those funds. Um, so we're going to match it. Uh, so we're really putting the C

[29:20] the cost of the project at 104,000. 52,000 will come from the grant and then

[29:24] 52,000 from the general fund dollars.

[29:29] And then the last one is the Chism Park design. So again, we want to build Chism

[29:35] Park maybe even into at the end of next year or beginning of 27. We don't have

[29:40] the build in here yet because we just have too much work to do to get there.

[29:44] But $120,000 will give us the money that we need to design the park and get us to

[29:50] a point where we can then begin fundraising. I do see that this park is

[29:54] built. The goal would be 50% through donations or grants and then the other

[30:00] 50% from general fund dollars. So this is 120,000 just for the design of the

[30:07] park. Then that's just a quick uh spreadsheet

[30:12] of all those projects that I just went through um and their costs.

[30:18] And that's all I have. Any questions on those projects?

[30:23] I was smiling at you because I was going to suggest that you paint the water

[30:28] tower with the America 250 Ohio logo for 2026. But [laughter]

[30:34] um no, I was going to comment uh just thank the city for continued investment

[30:39] in sidewalk repair. A lot of other municipalities don't do that or in their

[30:44] projects they send the homeowners letters that say that it's their uh

[30:50] expense to bear in that. So um you know and if you walk just to the south of

[30:56] block from where I used to live uh it's a much different experience walking on

[31:00] the sidewalk with a stroller uh than it is on East Mills and all of our

[31:05] sidewalks in the village. So thank you. >> Welcome.

[31:08] » Appreciate it. >> Happy to do it. Any

[31:11] other questions or comments? Um, since it's a public hearing, I'm

[31:16] also going to say, so is there anyone present who would like to comment or

[31:20] provide input on this item? Please come up to the podium to speak.

[31:28] Okay, seeing none, then this hearing is closed.

[31:32] So the next option is item of business is resolution adopting the 2026 capital

[31:39] improvement program. Do I hear a motion with respect to the resolution?

[31:44] » I move to adopt as presented. >> Second.

[31:47] » Any further discussion?

[31:51] Having been moved and seconded to adopt the resolution, all those in favor,

[31:55] please signify by saying yes. >> Yes.

[31:58] » Those opposed. >> The motion carries.

[32:03] So, next up is a public hearing on the ordinance making appropriations for the

[32:07] expenses of the city of Wyoming, Ohio for 2026. And I turn it over to

[32:11] Jeremiah. >> Good evening. So, tonight I do have the

[32:14] presentation for the 2026 budget. Um the 2026 budget totals 34.8 million and

[32:22] there are three components to the budget. There is the operating budget

[32:24] which is the different departments within the city. Um the capital budget

[32:29] and debt service um as you can see

[32:35] uh the total increase from 2025 to 26 is 10%. Um the majority of that really is

[32:41] coming from uh the capital budget uh that Brusty just went over the different

[32:46] projects the road dollars um the grant for Mount Pleasant.

[32:53] Um in terms of our revenue um the general fund revenue uh you can see uh

[33:00] city income tax and property tax as the obviously the two largest sources of

[33:03] revenue. Um then we have local government fund uh charges for services

[33:09] which is um mostly made up of the paramedic uh charges permits um building

[33:17] permits also includes fines and forfeitures from the police department

[33:21] and then other income is um just a number of different sources. Uh one of

[33:26] the largest ones is interest income. So in 2025 we'll we'll have earned over

[33:32] about $500,000 in interest in the general fund and about 800,000 in total

[33:37] uh in interest uh in 2025. I would expect that number to decrease some in

[33:41] 2026 with the um rate cuts that we've seen. So we'll continue to monitor that

[33:47] and then and uh invest as much as we can to earn whatever interest rates we that

[33:52] are available in the market. In terms of u the general fund revenues

[33:58] you can see uh it's about over 90% really 90 to 92% um of the revenue is

[34:04] from property and income tax. The next two slides highlight really

[34:10] just highlight some of the the property values and the income tax. So you can

[34:15] see it's about 10 years of data starting back to 20 2016 and the assessed values

[34:21] were just over 300,000 and today it's approximately uh 466,000

[34:27] or 466 million I'm sorry. So 300 over 300 million to 466 million. It's about a

[34:33] 50% increase over the last 10 years.

[34:38] And if you look at the income tax revenue again it's about 10 years of

[34:43] data um in 20 I think even like 2016 we were at about 6.2 million um and income

[34:52] tax receipts and we are last year 8.1 million and we're trending towards that

[34:56] same number and that does not there was no uh income tax rate increase at all.

[35:01] So this is just the same tax rate throughout that entire period.

[35:05] [clears throat]

[35:09] In terms of expenditures, uh, and this is the general fund. Um, it's 15.1

[35:16] million that's budgeted for 2026. Um, it's an 11.8% increase. A big chunk

[35:23] of that is in obviously the capital and transfers. Um, some of the transfers,

[35:29] one of the transfers is for uh 1.2 million for capital improvement

[35:33] projects. Um, and then there's an uh increase in the recreation transfer up

[35:38] to 325,000. And then there's some additional dollars transferred for our

[35:42] health life insurance costs in 2026.

[35:49] As you can see here, the largest outlay is for the um public safety

[35:52] expenditures.

[35:56] Um, next two slides, couple slides, this highlight recreation fund. So you can

[36:01] see anticipated to generate just under 1.6 6 million in revenue in 2026.

[36:06] And it's about if you if you look back about 2022, it's about 29% increase in

[36:12] revenue over that period from 2022 to 2026 was budgeted for 26.

[36:17] And expenditures are also uh on the rise. Um really several reasons. Pool

[36:22] contract uh utility costs have increased, gas, electric costs. Um

[36:28] there's some increases in personnel costs and supply costs. So you're kind

[36:32] of seeing increases really across the board in the operation of the uh

[36:36] recreation department

[36:40] uh water re revenue fund. Um the majority of the water is from the sale

[36:46] of metered water. So you can see anticipated to generate 2.67 million in

[36:52] 2026 and just shy of 2.4 million is from the sale of water.

[36:59] Uh in terms of the water revenue fund expenditures, see the

[37:05] operating cost of about 1.5 million. Um the capital cost, that's the 30,000 for

[37:10] design that Rusty mentioned in the capital

[37:14] project presentation. Um some dollars transferred for debt

[37:17] service and um transfers to some to some other funds. If I

[37:26] look at that, I think the uh expenditure increases again

[37:31] personnel costs um chemical costs have increased significantly.

[37:37] Um the sludge removal contract uh has gone up the last several years and again

[37:42] there's gas, electric or utility uh utility costs have gone up in the water

[37:46] department.

[37:49] And the last slide that I have kind of just shows you uh tax dollars kind of

[37:54] broken down by um department or service area. Um

[38:01] you can see it shows you 2024 actual what we estimate to spend at the end of

[38:05] this year and then the 2026 proposed budget. Kind of shows you what percent

[38:10] of each tax dollar is spent in each of those categories.

[38:15] And that's all I have. Any questions? Any

[38:21] questions for Jeremiah?

[38:36] » Okay. All right. All right. Is there anyone present who would like to comment

[38:41] or provide input on this item? Please state your name and address for the

[38:45] record before addressing city council.

[38:50] Seeing none, the hearing is closed and we'll move on to the next item of

[38:54] business. This is the third reading of the

[38:57] ordinance adopting the revised fees and charges for 2026. Do I hear a motion

[39:02] with respect to the ordinance?

[39:07] » So moved. >> Second. Is there any further discussion

[39:12] on the fees and charges? Just a quick thank you to Megan in the

[39:17] back there um for revisiting the U historic review fees. I learned a good

[39:25] amount of the history of um our historic preservation ordinance and how that

[39:30] works into the fee structure of the city. And similarly, we had good

[39:35] discussion about what some of those cases are and whether that is applicable

[39:39] and that's reflected in um the final version. So, um, we're going to have

[39:45] some work to do on that with historic preservation to kind of better define

[39:49] what a major versus a minor alteration is and, um, what's applicable to the fee

[39:56] structure, but thank you for working with that and um, it's greatly

[40:00] appreciated. >> Excellent. Anything else?

[40:06] » Okay. Then, having been moved and seconded to adopt the ordinance, would

[40:09] the clerk please call the role? >> Yes.

[40:13] Yes. >> Yes.

[40:15] » Yes. >> Yes.

[40:18] » Yes. >> Yes. The motion carries.

[40:22] » So, this is the third reading of the ordinance providing for the issuance of

[40:25] not to exceed $1.5 million water system improvement bond anticipation notes by

[40:32] the city of Wyoming, Ohio in anticipation of the issuance of bonds of

[40:36] the city. Do I hear a motion with respect to the ordinance? I move to

[40:40] approve the ordinance. >> Second.

[40:43] » Is there any discussion?

[40:47] » Okay. Having been moved and seconded to adopt the ordinance, would the clerk

[40:50] please call the role? >> Yes.

[40:54] » Yes. >> Yes.

[40:57] » Yes. >> Yes.

[41:00] » Yes. The motion carries. Next is the third reading of the

[41:05] ordinance providing for the issuance of not to exceed $8.5 million road

[41:11] improvement bond anticipation notes by the city of Wyoming, Ohio in

[41:15] anticipation of the issuance of bonds of the city. Do I hear a motion with

[41:20] respect to the ordinance? >> So moved.

[41:22] » Second. >> There any discussion?

[41:27] » Okay. Having been moved and seconded to adopt the ordinance, would the clerk

[41:30] please call the role. Yes.

[41:34] » Yes. >> Yes.

[41:38] » Yes. >> Yes. The motion carries.

[41:43] So, next is the third reading of the ordinance providing for the issuance of

[41:47] not to exceed $10 million various purpose bond anticipation notes by the

[41:52] city of Wyoming, Ohio, in anticipation of the issuance of bonds of the city and

[41:57] declaring an emergency. Do I hear a motion with respect to the ordinance?

[42:04] So moved. >> Second. Is there any discussion?

[42:10] » Okay. Having been moved and seconded to adopt the ordinance, it takes an

[42:13] affirmative vote of five for passage. Would the clerk please call the role?

[42:20] » Yes.

[42:24] » Yes. Yes.

[42:28] » Yes. >> Yes.

[42:30] » Yes. >> Yes.

[42:33] » Yes. The motion carries. >> Okay. So, how do we handle this next?

[42:39] » Go ahead and read the title. >> Okay. So, the next is an ordinance

[42:42] amending the codified ordinances of the city of Wyoming to remove chapter 168

[42:48] promote Wyoming commission and references there too.

[42:52] » So, we need a motion to suspend the rules.

[42:54] » Okay. Okay. So, I need a motion to suspend the rules.

[42:57] » I move to suspend the rules. >> Second.

[43:01] » Okay. Can I turn it over to Rusty then for background?

[43:04] » Let's go ahead and uh >> the motion and then we can do background

[43:08] on >> Okay.

[43:10] » So, do I hear a motion with respect to the ordinance to suspend the rules?

[43:14] » Yes, we'll go ahead and do the roll call on that.

[43:15] » Okay. So, roll call to suspend the rules.

[43:19] » Yes. >> Yes.

[43:21] » Yes.

[43:25] I actually can't say yes or no because I don't understand the process. I am

[43:30] sorry. Why do we vote now and then discuss it later?

[43:34] » So, this is going to be adopted. This is planned to be adopted tonight. Um, and

[43:40] we need to suspend the rules because it hasn't been read on three different

[43:43] days. So, we need to suspend the rules first. Um, and then we can have

[43:47] discussion on >> Thank you. Yes.

[43:52] Yes. >> Yes.

[43:54] » Yes. >> Okay. So, turn it over to Rusty for some

[44:00] background. >> Yes. So, Promote Wyoming has been uh

[44:04] around for a little while. It was originally uh started um just as a group

[44:09] to help support Wyoming and then it was officially made into promote Wyoming

[44:15] through city council. Um, back then this group was the one that was this group

[44:21] was in charge of promoting Wyoming. They were in charge of the annual report.

[44:24] They were in charge of different articles that were written about the

[44:28] city. Um, over the years it became harder to staff from Wyoming because a

[44:36] lot of uh the things people were doing, they were volunteering their time, but

[44:42] they were things they could have been paid to do in their professional lives.

[44:46] So they were writing stories, they were doing artwork, um they were doing things

[44:51] that typically they were going to get paid for in another realm. Um so that

[44:58] was one of the many reasons it became harder to get people to volunteer for

[45:01] that group. Um as part of that, we started picking up additional

[45:06] responsibilities within the city. Um and then ultimately I hired uh an events and

[45:12] communication Emily Dangler to pick up most of the responsib of Promote

[45:17] Wyoming. We've since then contracted with certain employees or certain

[45:21] people, some of which were on Promote Wyoming, um to help us write the annual

[45:26] report, do the um final product that is the annual report and then also to do

[45:31] some additional writings that we do. So, we contract for those. Um, so with all

[45:36] of that, we really now the city is really paying

[45:40] through staff positions or through contracts um to do everything Promote

[45:44] Wyoming used to do. And uh that's for that reason we bring forward the removal

[45:50] of Promote Wyoming.

[45:55] » Any discussion? >> We're just promoting Wyoming in a

[45:59] different way. Is that right? All right.

[46:04] Yeah, I would just add kind of a related note that there are the other magazines

[46:09] and whatnot that are writing good stories on behalf of the community and

[46:14] sending them out and printing them and sending them to everybody. Um, so the

[46:18] more that they have good content, um, the better and there have been some

[46:23] really good articles in that this year and um, I don't know if there's just

[46:27] that one that Wyoming neighbors, but I think there's another one So, that's a

[46:31] good outlet that's no cost to the city.

[46:37] just after serving on Promote Wyoming um over the years, it's been a stellar

[46:44] group of people and I was sad for it to one not have enough quorum to meet on a

[46:50] regular basis, but um I think the end result of having Emily working for us as

[46:58] full-time promoter of Wyoming is the greatest gift. So, um, if something had

[47:05] to go away and we got something in return, that was a stellar move. So,

[47:10] thank you.

[47:14] Awesome. Anything else? Okay. Now, I do a motion to adopt the

[47:20] ordinance. >> Okay. Can I have a motion then to to

[47:23] adopt the ordinance as the ordinance? >> So, moved.

[47:28] » You second. >> Second.

[47:30] » Thank you. Any further discussion? >> All right. Having been moved and

[47:35] seconded to adopt the ordinance, would the clerk please call the role?

[47:40] » Yes. >> Yes.

[47:43] » Yes. >> Yes.

[47:48] » Yes. The motion carries. Does anyone have any new business not

[47:53] otherwise on the agenda?

[47:58] Seeing none, then we go to miscellaneous. And tonight we'll start

[48:02] with Joe. >> Thank you.

[48:06] Um just want to note that November is celebration theme for our America 250

[48:14] Ohio is Ohio serves remembering veterans, first responders, and

[48:19] frontline heroes. Um, and so as we've taken this flag around, I wanted to I

[48:26] have a little bit of a gift here for the city manager of all the pictures that we

[48:30] got. Send these down. >> Um, first,

[48:36] » but especially uh last Tuesday, I got to participate in a Veterans Day um

[48:41] celebration at Elm School, which was very nice, and they had it at each

[48:45] primary school. Um, I just wanted to thank Jen Airheart, Brian Pitman, and

[48:52] um, others at the school that put that on. Um, I wanted to thank in the same

[48:58] theme, our uh, new officers and the commendations that we had. It's an honor

[49:03] to, um, you know, have them represent the city. Um, kind of in the same light,

[49:10] I had a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do a police ride along

[49:13] with officer Sam Gutnik, uh, who showed me a lot of the ropes and, uh, got to

[49:19] sit in the ride shotgun at some of the calls that he had and whatnot. Um, and

[49:25] probably the most interesting part about the job that I got just from a few hours

[49:30] on it was just the variety of skill sets that our officers have and and need to

[49:35] do a good job every day. Um it's it's really a variety of skills and a variety

[49:40] of things that they encounter. Um we didn't have anything too exciting, but

[49:46] um that's probably a good thing. [clears throat]

[49:48] » Um so I would recommend doing a ride along if you haven't or if it's been a

[49:52] while to do another one. Um I I say it beats watching a Bengals game any day.

[50:00] So um I I would recommend doing that uh sometime soon. Um, I wanted to thank the

[50:08] America 250 Ohio Commission staff. I know I'd mentioned them before, but as

[50:13] I've gotten to be more involved [snorts] in that and get to know them and the

[50:17] events and go to the events that have been happening here locally and things

[50:20] that they're gearing up for next year and into next year. Um, it's really a

[50:26] stellar staff that they have and a stellar program. So all 50 states have

[50:31] their own commission and I think Ohio's is probably the best of all 50 states

[50:38] and I I really mean that um in terms of what they're running and how they're

[50:42] doing it and how meaningful it is. So if you haven't been following along, you

[50:48] can follow on Facebook. Um you're going to see be seeing more of that and more

[50:52] events that they're doing. And um just want to thank Emily and Rachel too for

[50:56] helping gear up our local Wyoming celebrations uh for next year as we

[51:01] approach 2026 very soon here. Right. Um so with that, I wanted to pass the flag

[51:08] back to city manager Russie Herszog. As you passing that, think of all the

[51:13] hands that that has touched in the city um in the photos. Um, I hope that the

[51:19] flag has a meaningful spot somewhere as opposed to a shelf or a desk and that we

[51:25] can utilize that uh to bring people together and unite in the 250th birthday

[51:30] as we said at Elm, the 250th birthday of the country next year. Um, and so I just

[51:38] want to say a good quote that I found is that gratitude is memory of the heart.

[51:44] Um, I'm grateful in addition to serving on city council that there's a lot of

[51:49] variety of things to to help with in the city. Uh, there's a lot of opportunities

[51:54] for volunteering uh for our residents that give meaning and purpose to um, you

[51:59] know, living here and and being involved with you all. So, thank you very much.

[52:05] » That's all. >> All right, Chris.

[52:08] » Nothing for me except after uh what I believe is several ride alongs for you

[52:12] in the police car. This was Joe's first ride along in the front seat. So,

[52:17] congratulations, Chief. >> All right, April.

[52:22] » Uh, just a little update on the high school student volunteer board. We had

[52:27] our uh meeting today. Everyone did a little uh introduction and some of them

[52:35] touched upon like some of their favorite things about Wyoming or some of their

[52:39] passion points and just impressive group of people that want to volunteer and

[52:45] make our community better. Some of the favorites include the pastry shop, just

[52:49] walking in general. So, it's nice to see that our improvements to the city are

[52:55] going to help that and in continue to encourage those students to um walk

[53:00] around in our community. Uh but highlights that we got to hear from

[53:06] Rusty and Melissa about um just some of their experiences when it has to deal

[53:12] with management, supervision, and leadership. and just want to reiterate

[53:17] that I feel like they both embody that um opportunity to lead by example and so

[53:25] thank you very much for that and being a guest at the high school student

[53:30] meeting. Um, and then just looking forward to a great holiday season and

[53:37] enjoying the fellowship of other community members, whether it be at the

[53:40] turkey raffle or um at the holiday lighting tree ceremony. And um I'm just

[53:48] looking forward to all of the great things that our community has to offer

[53:51] during the holidays. >> Thank you,

[53:55] » Cindy.

[54:06] I'm going to start over because I need it entirely on record. [laughter]

[54:10] This is the month to be thankful and I am entirely thankful to um have served

[54:15] with this group of people in my first term on city council. Um I learned a lot

[54:21] from each and every person. I got to know each and every personally and I'm

[54:25] trying to eyeball all of you. I gota get there's Dan. [laughter]

[54:29] Um, thank you for um, everything that you taught me and and thank you for

[54:34] listening and thank you for allowing me to be a part of a team. I really like

[54:38] this team and I'm so glad that practically all of us will come back.

[54:43] Um, um, I really am truly thankful for the

[54:46] opportunity to serve the city. Um, I got to celebrate the fact that we are in

[54:51] such a great city. of movies came to our street, my very own street, which was

[54:57] exciting. And I am a little sad that I will miss the turkey raffle and I will

[55:05] miss the tree ceremony um when we light the tree and I will miss um the one-stop

[55:11] shop. I'm in another obligation that I cannot get out of and I don't want to

[55:15] get out of it either. So, both are great things and I hate that I will miss all

[55:19] of the celebration that comes to the city of Wyoming in the month of November

[55:23] and December to bring us all together. If I can't tell you enough how much I

[55:28] love when the city comes together, the fact that I will miss it. I can't wait

[55:32] for all the pictures and um thanks. That's all I have.

[55:37] Billy, >> I got a list, guys. Um, so the first

[55:43] thing I wanted to say is, um, thank you, Joe. You have stepped in seamlessly, uh,

[55:49] into this group. You've added a ton of value. I know more about America 250

[55:54] than I ever thought possible, and the your enthusiasm has been amazing, but

[56:00] really this the seamless step in. You just you've you've been in step with the

[56:03] community, with the norms, with the process. You've educated, you take the

[56:07] time to read up on things. like you just you've been a huge asset to this group

[56:11] and I've really enjoyed working with you and I appreciate your service to our

[56:14] community. So, thank you for that. Um I did also want to say uh like Cindy,

[56:20] it is a month of gratitude. It should be every day, but in this month in

[56:24] particular um our public safety like wow a huge thank you to each and every

[56:29] person that keeps us safe. I was very moved tonight by watching the mom um pin

[56:34] the badge on her son and just the commitment that you guys give of your

[56:40] service, of your talents, and of your lives to take care of this community is

[56:45] really just extraordinarily meaningful and keeping us safe. So, uh a huge sense

[56:49] of gratitude for that. Um, and also a sense of gratitude to each and every one

[56:53] of you that I get to work with that makes this job uh enjoyable and we have

[56:58] fun when April wipes her germs on Chris and you know we just make jokes and also

[57:04] do good work at the same time. So, it's really been a pleasure to work with you

[57:07] and I feel very grateful that we have a city staff that serves our community so

[57:11] well. And the last thing I did want to point out, um, wow, just I mean that's

[57:16] probably the seventh iteration of the CIPs that we've gone through. So it is

[57:20] not new news but when you step back and look at the enormity of the work that

[57:24] our team is managing uh the scope the complexity the size uh we are just

[57:30] really lucky to be able to have a team that can tackle this much work in that

[57:33] amount of time and really drive our community forward in very meaningful

[57:38] ways. So thank you for that as well and also I'm very proud to be a part of

[57:42] that. So, thank you for that, >> Dan.

[57:48] » Well, when seven of us speak, there's inevitably going to be some repetition.

[57:51] So, I'm going to repeat a couple things, but I'm going to stay focused on two

[57:55] subjects. Number one, uh it's it's hard not to be in awe of our public service,

[58:00] uh our police officers. So, uh thanks to Officer McGillis, uh Sergeant McGillis,

[58:06] um and Officer Jones. Those those stories are quite impactful. Of course,

[58:11] we heard about those before tonight, but it just really hit home tonight as they

[58:15] were here uh being honored. So, thank you for honoring them. Uh and it's a

[58:19] good example for uh Scotty Cook and Andrew

[58:24] » Patinho Patinho. So, um they uh welcome welcome aboard to those two. So, thank

[58:30] you for presenting them tonight, Brook. Um Joe, it's hard to get through a

[58:34] meeting without acknowledging your efforts and uh you've been the reason uh

[58:39] you're a person that a lot of people wanted to work with on council is

[58:42] because of your history of collaboration and civic involvement and then and you

[58:48] stepped into a spot on council to continue uh and we know obviously you're

[58:53] going to continue that after you get off of council. So you're about as big of an

[58:58] ambassador as I can imagine. Uh tonight you brought up painting the water tower

[59:02] for the 250. That's that's a real sign of ambassadorship there, Joe. So, um I

[59:08] think the the 250 committee's got the right guy uh to to wave the banner. So,

[59:13] thanks for all you've done before, what you did on council with us now. We look

[59:16] forward to work with you again in the years to come. Thanks.

[59:20] » All right. So, last um I actually want to recognize Chris Woodside.

[59:26] If you look at where the plan original plan on that turf field at the high

[59:30] school and you having a vision of it should not just be replacing the field

[59:34] that should be improving the fans experience

[59:37] and you with determination just kept pushing it and if you look at what the

[59:42] scope that we are now going to be doing in the and the improvement for years to

[59:46] come. I just want to thank you for you know

[59:52] helping us see the way. Um,

[59:56] and I also tonight, um, we'll we'll thank Joe. We have one more meeting with

[1:00:02] Joe. This isn't the last one. It'll be a short one, but we have one more meeting.

[1:00:06] And but, um, we are so appreciative of how you stepped in and really have been

[1:00:13] a full team member. So, we thank you. And that's all for me. So

[1:00:22] we have no members to excuse. So and there's no executive session. So

[1:00:28] do I hear a motion to adjurnn? >> I move that we adjourn. Second.

[1:00:33] » Having been moved and seconded adjourn for the night. Would all those in favor

[1:00:36] please signify by saying yes. >> Yes.

[1:00:38] » Those opposed. >> The motion carries and we stand

[1:00:41] adjourned. Thank you.

Copy of Wyoming City Council Meeting 11/17/25

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