Vob Committee & Council - Regular Meeting

Yes, Schaffner Carol McLean here So in attendance we have Fiscal Officer Brian Bibler, Village Administrator Matt Neuheiser, Police Chief Brett Rogers, Mayor Regellis, and Council People Laura Phillips and Brandy McCreary. I just ran out of gas. Can we have an approval of the minutes of July 27th in the meeting?

I move that we approve the minutes, the last meeting. I'll second that.

Roll call.

How about all in favor? Aye.

Okay. Visitors, do we have visitors for rules committing? I'm assuming since Jeff's not here, the codification of ordinances is still in process. So he did present a memorandum.

Oh, that was back in February.

Back in February. Thank you, Matt.

We've been working on it. Well, I think there's still some that need to be tweaked.

Yeah, he's going through. Yeah, he is.

As far as I know.

The same thing with proposal to amend chapter 804. I know last time he said he was still looking into it.

Yeah, he is.

All right, so I guess we can move on to chapter 220, the rules of council. I'll just, again, I quest, see, the things that I questioned at the last, well, I should just ask, did you guys get a chance to look at it? THE RULES OF COUNCIL?

I HAVE NOT LOOKED AT ALL OF THEM, NO.

DO YOU WANT? WHAT SPECIFICALLY? WE NEED TO READ THE WHOLE THING, AND ANYTHING THAT YOU DISAGREE, THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE CHANGED, THIS IS WHERE WE CHANGE IT.

SO A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW IS WHAT YOU'RE ASKING? YEAH, RIGHT.

AND IT CAN BE LIKE MEETING TIMES, DATES, I MEAN.

WHATEVER, YEAH.

so we just settled all that out of meeting time no no once a year rules it's dictated rules looks at this to see if there's any that doesn't mean there needs to be any changes right it doesn't have to be did you see any changes that needed to be changed yes and i went over those last meeting that um well i don't know this this 18 for duties of committee chairperson that i just questioned because it said that The committee chairs do that. Really, Brian does that, but it doesn't seem to be an issue. On page 20C5, the order, well, that was regarding eliminating. My desire would be to eliminate the prayer. Two reasons. First of all, separation of church and state. Second reason, we have people coming in here from all over. We don't know what religion they are. I've had people say to me, oh God, I was kind of caught off guard. I didn't know I was going to have to do a prayer. Well, they don't have to.

They can stand there and be stupid. I'm not being stupid. I mean, not be stupid, but stand there and say nothing, basically, is what I'm trying to say. You know what I mean? If they don't want to participate.

Either way. And then the suspension rules.

Discussed the debate of the suspension. That was one that we brought up, that you mentioned the debate of the suspension

The only conversation I remember around that was usually when there is motion to suspend, members vote, but there's no discussion held. And it seemed like, at least in the last meeting, that there was consensus that discussion should occur. Yes. Or discussion should occur before the vote on suspension.

And we said we know it's happened at least once. We gave the example. Now I can't remember.

Yeah, there should be a discussion before every, I would think.

I'm guilty of already doing that, so I was unaware that that was a rule that we weren't allowed to question whether it's an actual emergency or not.

No, you should be able to question that.

Well, I have two.

We should be able to question that 100%. Agreed, but we need to change the verbiage is what it's saying.

Basically, yeah, when you make a motion to... When you make, to suspend a three reading rule, there's no debate. You just sit there and vote yay or nay.

Yeah, we should be able to discuss that, yes. Agreed. We should be able to discuss everything we all do, I would think.

You write that down, Matt.

Yep.

I'll email Mr. Fico tomorrow about that. Yeah, and we should do more of a comprehensive read, everybody, on this to see if there's anything else in there that, Somebody else, maybe there's some other things that need changed too.

This is the time to talk about, well, this is something that shouldn't be on the agenda every month.

Right, I know, but we're talking about it now, and if we have to talk about it again, we'll talk about it again.

I mean, does everybody else want to see that? I mean, I'm good either way with whatever you want.

i don't feel like the three of us should be making that decision no no like let's give this another month and then we'll come back and we will vote on each one anybody who's got an issue like whether we should take it to council because it has good council anyway yeah and then and then we can and then the whole council yeah that makes what you're saying makes sense and then make a have a list to take the council yes

This is the other aspect. We keep dragging this out and dragging this out and dragging this out, and we're going to be another month after that. Yeah. So can we figure out something to get it over with?

Well, I guess my thing is I'd like you to read them and make sure that there's nothing else in there that you guys want to change.

Yes, they haven't been gone through.

What you've mentioned so far, I have no issue with. Do we need to do it all at once, or can we do them...

I wouldn't think that if you make a change in here, we would tell Jeff to make change, change this, this and this. So it's all in one piece of legislation. You don't do it incrementally. You decide what you're going to do now.

I mean, we can do it however we want, but well, that's true. It's easy. It's more efficient that way.

Yes, it is more efficient that way. You're right, Phil.

I get that. Absolutely. Right.

But if, I mean, if nobody's read through per, I mean, There's no sense in, I mean, what if we go over this and there's two or three things and then the next time I didn't read it and then, oh, we should have, I should have read that. That's all I'm saying. Yes. I'm not for putting it off and putting it off either, but if we say next meeting we're going to name it and then we'll decide what's going to council and what's not and then it's done.

Yes.

Unless you guys don't agree with that.

Well, it gives everybody a chance to read through it.

Yeah, I haven't done a comprehensive. I misunderstood what we talked about last time.

Even if I do a comprehensive read, I'm still going to need to do another one.

Yeah, that's the proper way of doing it.

With a highlight. And we're talking specifically about the rules section. Yes. Of the Code of Ordinance. Yes.

Chapter 220 is the rules section.

Which means I need to send you the updated because it got codified. Finally.

What'd you say?

I'll have to give you the updated copy. Chapter 220.

This ain't updated what we got here?

It is until we passed an ordinance last year modifying a piece of this. I sent it in for codification back in January, and it just got codified, and that's what that next legislation is. So there is a sentence in there that got added.

So last year is just getting codified now?

Huh?

It became law. But it wasn't codified. It wasn't codified.

So we just need to do it quicker this time when we change it. Whatever you guys change it to, we'll just have to make it quicker.

When we did the... The change on the times, the meeting times and stuff, was that the change?

See, I thought that that used to be in the rules of council. And I was surprised when I read through and didn't find it there.

It's not in there. That's dictated by council at the reorganizational meeting.

I'm glad it wasn't because then we would have more codification happening.

No, but to answer your question, that's what the next piece of the ordinance. Well, I was going to ask what this next piece was. Okay, like I said, the last two years when you passed ordinances and resolutions, I send those to the publisher to codify into the book, into the codification book. I sent that back in January. I emailed them in April and said, hey, where is this? And they said, they're backlogged. We'll get to you. I emailed them again in June. They said, another six weeks. Finally, two weeks ago, they said, we're done. It's in the mail. It came last week. So I had Jeff prepare legislation because we have to approve the updated version of the codification of ordinances.

Is this Chapter 220 of the Rules of Counsel, is that included in the codified ordinances?

Yes, because we made a change a couple years ago, or either last year or two years ago. There was something that was changed in Chapter 220. I think at one time I sent you the piece of the language that still needed codified. It's now codified, so I will provide everyone the updated copy of 220. All right.

Well next July No, if what what I would I would have everybody read it and then the next rules meeting we go through it Make a list and go through it that way That's the best way to do it So

You sent it to them when?

Back in January. I zip up all the ordinances of resolution because we have them on the share folder. I don't zip them up. I put them all in one document. I send it to American Legal. So they go through and they update our codification order based on things. The book.

Yeah, the book. That big book right there. Okay.

On things that got changed in our codified ordinances, as well as they update the codification with changes in the state law and so forth.

Okay, so if we did this in January, like we were supposed to do this in January, can we wait until, I mean, can we send whatever is new to them with that?

No, you do it once a year. You do it once every year or every two years. Okay.

Oh, every two years?

Every year or every two years.

But what I'm saying is, if we do it in January and you send it out in January before we do it, then we have to wait a whole other year before it's actually published.

No, no, no, no, no. You're not listening. You're not getting what I'm saying, I should say. Will they update this book? updated with any ordinance that we passed well this year for the past last two years because we didn't do it last year i sent it this year again two years worth of ordinances resolutions now not every ordinance resolution gets codified only when we make changes to this There was a handful of like maybe five or 10 ordinances for the last two years that we actually changed some things in this book. It's now codified. Anything you change now, It won't go in here until next year when I send them, but it still becomes a change to this. Do you know what I'm saying? So if you make a change that's 220, it's still a change, but it won't get codified until I send them that next year. But it's still a valid change.

My point is just that if we did it in January and then we had to wait for a whole other year before you sent it in, that just seems silly.

But do you do it that way? Everyone does that. You don't do it every time a change made. You don't codify it.

Not every time, but I'm talking January.

Okay, I did it this year because I knew they had two years, so I sent it to them in January. Sometimes I don't send them to them until April.

No, he's never the holdup. I give him a heads up because I knew they had two years worth to go through. I didn't think it would have taken that long.

But they did take that long. All right. Look, I hear this thing.

It kind of is like Mr. Rogers.

All right, moving on. Ordnance, new business. Anybody got any other old business?

Well, Jeff's here if you want to ask him those questions.

I don't know if there's any updates on the... CHAPTER 8.

CHAPTER 804 AND COMPLICATION OF ORDINANCE IS OVERLAPPED WITH CODE SECOND.

I WOULD ASK YOU TO KEEP THOSE ON THE AGENDA ON YOUR OLD BUSINESS.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEW BUSINESS ORDINANCE 2026-29. Brian, just explain that to us. Yes. They've codified it.

Now we have to approve the updated codified version of the book.

All right. So we just need to send this to council, right? Yes. Do we have a motion to send this to council? I'll make a motion.

I second.

All in favor, aye. Aye.

So does that mean...

you sponsoring that all right any more new business all right the next meeting will be held on the fourth Monday in September which is September 28th at 6 p.m. I move that we adjourn We adjourn at 6.47 p.m.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And deliver us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic Okay, Brian, can we get a roll call, please?

Carol? Here. Foreman?

Present.

McCreary? Here. McLean? Here. Phillips? Here. Shuffler? Present.

Can I get somebody to make a motion to approve the minutes for the August 10th meeting? Foreman makes a motion to approve the minutes as presented.

McCreary seconds.

Can I get a roll call on that, please?

Foreman?

Yes. McCreary? Yes. Carroll? Yes. Phelps? Yes. McLean? Yes. Schoffer?

Yes.

Okay. Now can I get an approval for the agenda this evening?

I move to approve the agenda this evening. Schoffer seconds.

Can I get a roll call on that please, Brian?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes.

All right, well let's just go right to the visitors. You have a list of visitors that like to speak. Mr. Schaffner.

Hello.

Hello. I don't really have an introduction here, so I'm just going to go right into my thing. When I was growing up, the Baltimore Festival was something I looked forward to year after year. I grew up just down the road from the park, so my sister, cousin, and I would typically spend all day at the festival. It seemed like the festival served as one last major event to cap off the summer before we had to start thinking about back to school. After several years of contemplating joining the festival committee, I joined in 2019 because I saw things that I felt I could help to improve, and in my opinion it's not fair to complain about something if you aren't willing to help make it better. Initially I just maintained the website, but the next year there were vacancies and for the 2020 festival I was elected vice president. I served as vice president for two years and then took over as treasurer in 2022 when the previous treasurer decided to step back. I had served as treasurer from 22 until 2025 when I decided I needed to step back to spend more time with my growing family. I agreed to continue to handle sponsorships for the 2026 festival, but when we were unable to secure a new treasurer, I reluctantly stayed to make sure checks were written and money was accounted for. This year's festival board was made up of volunteers who give their time, and in many cases money, to help make the festival something for the community to enjoy and be proud of. The board meets monthly with an extra meeting or two leading up to and following the festival. Most board members are at the park hours before the festival opening each day and are often there for at least an hour after everyone leaves to make sure that things are locked up and ready for the next day. I'm here this evening to clear up some things that were said at the last council meeting and I want to make sure that Village Council is receiving the whole story. The festival committee typically works with the fire department and village employees to construct the stage and festival power the Sunday before the festival and tear down the stage and power the Sunday following the festival. Two years ago, the festival committee was approached by a member of the Ed Sands committee who gave us information about acquiring a grant to purchase a new cover for the Jerry Ayers stage, our main stage. I did research and obtained quotes for three different options, and we ultimately decided on the tent that you have seen on the stage for the last two years. We received the grant and purchased the canopy that was delivered just a few weeks before the 2025 festival, knowing that there would be a steep learning curve to figure out how to set up and tear down our new tent. Last year it took several hours to set up the tent with the help of the fire department and village employees, but this year five or six committee members were able to set it up in around three hours on Sunday evening. Teardown posed some logistical issues last year as well. On the Sunday of the festival, Andy Todd, the festival president, had contacted Casey Farmer about possibly moving stage teardown to a later date so that we had time to take a breather after the festival and remove the canopy Sunday evening. Casey already had extra staff lined up to be at the park at 7 a.m. Sunday morning, and he was unable to guarantee manpower to take down the stage at a later date, so we decided to work late into the evening to get the tent down so the stage could be disassembled in the morning as was previously planned. Hillbilly Deluxe concluded on the main stage around 10 p.m., and the festival committee began working while the band was packing up to remove the stage wrapping and take down some parts of the tent that we could reach without being in the way of the band and sound techs tearing down their equipment. About 1030 that night, a massive storm came through Baltimore with lightning within two miles of the park, and the festival president made the decision that it was no longer safe to continue tearing down the metal tent poles. He contacted the fire department to let them know that the stage would not be ready to be torn down in the morning. Casey confirmed that he would call off his guys. Nobody contacted the village employees, and that was an oversight on our part. All this to say that the mayor's comment that the festival committee decided at 1130 Saturday night that they worked too hard on the festival and we're going to do it another day was not the whole story. While we could have possibly reconvened on Sunday morning at 4 a.m. or worked until 2 a.m. after the storm had passed, after a full day of being at the park, that's a lot to ask of volunteers. Most committee members helped with parade lineup in the morning starting at around 9 a.m. and didn't go home until after the last band on Saturday. There were some other misconceptions conveyed about the festival committee and some discourse within the committee. I will say that there were some issues, but the comments shared were only one side of the story. I will not go into details because I don't feel it's appropriate to discuss internal issues within the committee at a public meeting. The festival is the result of the entire committee working together to organize the event, not just one or two people's contributions. Andy and I met with the village administrator this past Friday and had a good discussion about the challenges we faced as a committee and what the festival could look like moving forward. The bottom line is the Baltimore Festival has not received the support from the Baltimore community that we would expect. We have had challenges the last two years with other organizations in the community scheduling events during the festival, which impacts the number of people supporting our vendors and enjoying the entertainment. This year alone, we had to compete with a backpack giveaway, bingo, and meet the team night. It's discouraging to the committee, and I'm sure to the performers as they look out and see less than 20 people watching them as the two bands on Friday experienced. Feedback from our vendors and those who did stick around to watch the bands was that the bands were great, but there was nobody there to enjoy them. I'm asking council and the rest of the Baltimore community to really think about whether or not the Baltimore Festival is something you would like to see continue. If so, what do you plan to do to help make the festival a success? The festival committee will meet on September 13th at 6 p.m. to begin planning for the 2027 festival. Any member of the public is welcome to attend this meeting if they would like to get involved, and I would also encourage the village council to attend this meeting to learn the nuances of what it takes to present to you a finished festival in August. We already have a theme and grand marshal selected, but without the support of the village, the festival may not happen. The location of this meeting is to be determined, but we will post the location on Facebook once plans are finalized. If you don't have the time or energy to help with planning, consider donating money to the festival. Every year we offer a Friends of the Festival donation option for individuals and families who want to support the festival financially. It costs around $50,000 every year to put on the festival, with a majority of that money coming from local businesses and individuals. If you can't contribute in either of these ways, you can follow and share our social media, spread the word, and show up to the festival. Mark your calendars now for August 5th through the 7th, 2027. There will be free entertainment, so if nothing else, bring a lawn chair and enjoy the evening listening to some great bands. The only thing it will cost you is $5 to park if you can't find street parking. If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them, but if not, I thank you for your time. Here's a couple things.

So, like you said, there was a miscommunication because my guys were there at 7 o'clock to tear down the stage, and they didn't know it. Now, I don't know if Casey was supposed to notify them, but I would have assumed you didn't decide until 11.30 to not tear it down, correct? I think the decision was made about 10.30. 10.30. Okay. Well, I didn't know. Nobody in the village knew it, so they showed up. I did say that because for the last 15 years, it's got tore down the Sunday, the next Sunday, rain or shine, it got tore down. I think sometimes too, people forget with the village, you know, the village supports the festival in a lot more ways. On Saturday for the festival, we have four or five employees working overtime to set up for the parade. How many police officers do we have? We have 10 police officers there for the parade. To say the village doesn't participate, I feel like we do participate. Could we maybe have better communication? We could. And if that's on me, it's on me.

I'm not saying that that's on one person. I think collectively.

You could. You could say that. And I'm okay with that. So maybe this year was a learning situation. I feel like... One of the things you said, too, is competing with all the other things that you said, it's not fair that the other –

So, Shane Hamilton handled the bingo discussion. It's my understanding that they were planning on having the bingo at the park. Right. And then two or three months before the festival, they decided, no, we're not going to have it at the park, but we're going to have it at the school.

Which would have been great at the park. Exactly.

And it's something that they had done in the past. Growing up, there was always bingo at the park. And it was something that they wanted to bring back, but... When he said that, I thought, well, certainly they're not going to do it during the festival. But no, they were going to do it during the festival.

The other thing is, today I received an email from someone else from the festival that I thought was in charge of the festival wanting to have a meeting about everything that you and Matt met. So I'm confused. I don't know who's in charge or who's not. You know what I mean? So I feel like we've got to get a – I feel like the meeting that you're talking about in September is a good meeting for – myself and everybody that's involved in the festival to show up for, because the email that Matt got today and that I got was, I called Matt. I'm like, I thought you talked to them guys about all this. We did. So the other person on the festival committee that emailed us today kind of said the same thing that you're saying here, but we thought we'd talked about all that. So what I'll commit to you and you got to remember, I'm only here another year. I'll be here for next year's festival. That's it. So I will commit to you that I would gladly come to the meeting and be a part of assisting in it. But I want you to understand the village is a lot more invested and involved than just tearing down a stage.

Right. And when I say the village, I mean sometimes I'm talking about the people in this office, but other times I'm talking about the village as a whole.

I got you. And you have done a bunch, Evan. And if I – was miscued in something that I said I apologize because I I don't think that at all I mean I know that's a lot of volunteers and it's a lot of work and it it probably kind of stinks for it to do all that work and not have as many people there as we should or as there should be I guess So I'll see you at the meeting. That's all I can tell you.

Well, I won't be there because I've scheduled a birthday party at bed and breakfast, but some people will be there.

That's right. Who's next?

Jeremiah.

Mr. Logue.

How you doing? Just wanting to kind of see where we're at with the indoor facility out there at the park. Bank's putting a lot of pressure on us because they're ready to go and

something to that.

I have completed a draft of a license agreement. I've circulated it internally with the staff here and asked for their input.

And so hopefully we should get that ironed out soon.

And the game plan is to forward it to whoever, if you're the point person, then we'll forward it to you. It's moving forward. Okay.

Are we able to review it real quick?

No.

No? Not yet because there's some issues that are confidential.

Gotcha. Okay.

Yep.

So it's still on standby?

It's not on standby. I mean, they're working on it.

Yeah, it's moving forward.

We just have to have a – I mean, that's a – what you're asking or what we're trying to do out there is a lot of dotting the I's and crossing of the T's.

Yeah, there's a lot – there are a lot of issues with regarding – and you'll see that when you get the draft. Okay. There are 30-some paragraphs to it.

Yeah. Okay. Yep. Not a problem. Okay. Okay.

Brian. Coutinho. Mr. Coutinho. Jimmy.

Jim, Coutinho, everybody knows me.

Me and Matt had a good meeting this morning. I don't know if he shared with you some of the things we talked about, but I did bring my accountant, and I would like to maybe take 10 minutes of your time during the executive meeting so he could just talk to you about it. He said you guys would have to approve that. Is that part of the plan?

Well, that's up to council. They can invite whoever they want to.

So he has a kind of a, I don't want to say a final draft. Well, it kind of is a final draft, and it's kind of everything we talked about and agreed about, and they're just trying to close it.

I'm going to ask for an executive session to discuss economic development. If you want to allot the first few minutes to Jim and his group to do that perfectly appropriate topic to be discussed in the executive session.

So when we make the motion for executive session, we can include them in the first portion of the executive session. Okay. We'll do that when the time comes. And Bricker will be in it, too.

Okay. We've got Bricker on the online.

Yeah, he'll be here. Brian, next? That's it. That's it? Okay. Is there anybody else that are visitors that would like to speak that we're overlooking or maybe had a second thought? Okay. With that said, we're going to go to village administrative reports. I have nothing as far as...

report goes mr administrator yeah the only thing i want to highlight from my report is just in regards to the epa mandated water service line inventory you might remember that we were going to have our cap come out and they were going to spend all week and they were going to hammer out the through a back truck they were going to hammer out the 414 service lines that haven't been identified yet they were on site um for about an hour and then i mean that's when all the rain just let loose so and then it let loose again and then it let loose again so they they were not able to get back their schedule is extremely tight uh but they did they did offer to come back september 1st and 2nd they won't be able to get all of the service lines finished during that time but they'll also meet with us internally and discuss what the plan is going forward that might look like that may look that may not look or that that could look anything like they'll come back the next week to we can't come back until 2027 which at that point we'd have to cut our wheels in a different direction and we've talked with the water department and the office has talked about some options if that's the case so we'll know more that september 1st and 2nd if they're going to finish out the 414 lines or if we're going to need to make other arrangements so i wanted you to be aware of that i have nothing else to add mayor okay Brian, do you have anything?

Just an FYI, I will not be in the office tomorrow. I'll be attending a one-day hands-on training session with the Police and Fire Pension Fund.

The what?

The Police and Fire Pension Fund.

Okay. I'm sure that's something you have to go do.

Yeah, they're changing the way I report to police officers, wages to them, and it's a new system. I believe you. Mr.

Solicitor.

No, Lewis Center.

Mr. Solicitor?

A couple things. One new piece of the legislation, which is the ordinance to adopt the revisions that have been made by American Legal Publishing Company to our codified ordinances. That has emergency language. It's usually approved by counsel on an emergency basis so that everything goes. as timely a fashion as possible. I would ask that the tabled ordinance 2026-21, which is to approve a contract with Fairfield County for the housing of prisoners, be untabled and considered for adoption. And then lastly, I would ask for an executive session after regular business to discuss economic development. Everybody at the table and the council Bricker will be joining us virtually. That's all I have.

Yes, sir. We'll go to Village Council Committee Reports. Finance Committee?

Finance Committee did not meet tonight, sir. We are scheduled to meet Monday the 14th for a regular scheduled meeting. Okay.

Service Committee? We did not meet. We're scheduled to meet the 14th of September.

Safety Committee?

We did not meet. This evening we're scheduled to meet on September 28th following rules.

and the rules committee well we did meet um we met tonight we um really everything that we talked about is still on hold um until the next meeting oh and the next meeting sorry will be uh september 28th six o'clock yeah yes ma'am public safety reports chief do you have anything

Jamie do you have anything for the fire district?

Village committee and commissions planning and zoning we did not meet last week because there was a

Nothing on the agenda to talk about. Tree Commission, I think we're where we need to be on that as well. Records Commission, I'm assuming there's nothing there for you, Brian. We're going to go straight into motions.

McCurry moves to make a motion to go into executive session following business in the first part of that meeting, and the purpose of it is for economic development and the first part of that to invite Mr. Cotugna and his team.

I have a second. Do we need to vote on that, Brian? Yeah.

Okay. McCreary. Yes. Carroll. Yes. Phillips.

Yes.

Foreman. Yes. McLean. Yes. Chauffer. Yes.

Okay.

Can I make a motion?

Yes.

I will move. I need to look at the agenda. Where does the 202621 be untabled? Is that the right number? It is.

Yes.

Did you do that now?

We can do it in readings. Go ahead and do it now.

That's fine.

Form in seconds.

Roll call on that, Brian.

Hold on. Schaffner? Yes. Foreman? Yes. McLean? Yes. Carroll? Yes. McCreary? Yes. Phillips?

Yes.

Okay, so this first reading, we are not going to, we should table this, right? Because we're going to come back to it, Deb? we can process okay I gotcha okay all right so yeah first 26 ordinance 2629 yeah miss Schaffner is the sponsor ordinance approving and the editing and conclusion of certain ordinances as part of the various component codes of the codified norms is providing for and the adoption and the publication of new matter in the updated revised codified ordinances, repealing ordinances in conflict therewith. We'll just let that go to the next reading.

Can I use the hand motions too? This is just simply all of our resolutions and ordinances have been codified and put in the book. And that's it.

ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT.

WAS THIS THE ONE THAT YOU WANTED? I CAN'T REMEMBER NOW. WAS THIS THE ONE THAT PASSED AS EMERGED? THAT'S RIGHT. IT TYPICALLY IS. OKAY. SO I'M GOING TO MOVE TO SUSPEND THE THREE READING RULE.

YES. CAN I HAVE A SECOND ON THAT?

OKAY. ETZI SCHOFNER. YES. CAROL. YES. MCGREGOR. YES. PHILLIPS. YES. FORMAN. YES. MCCLING.

YES.

And then I will move to adopt.

Yes. We'll get a second on that from someone.

One second. Discussion?

Okay.

Schaffner? Yes. Foreman? Yes. McLean? Yes. Carroll? Yes. McCurry? Yes.

Phillips?

Yes. Okay.

Okay, we'll go into the second reading. The next bill is sponsored by Mr. Phillips. Resolution 2026-26, a resolution accepting the amounts and rates determined by the Fairfield County Budget Commission and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the county auditor in the declaration of emergency.

Frank, can that go to the third grade? It can go to the third grade.

Okay. So that's just where we were talking about accepting the...

The tax rate.

The tax revenue. Okay. Anybody want to discuss that? If not, we'll go to the next reading. Mr. Phillips is the sponsor of this, Ordinance 2026-27, and Ordinance Amending Chapter 240, Employee Manual of Policies and Regulations of the Baltimore Codified Ordinances, in order to amend the regulations and hiring of immediate family members.

I got a question. I don't know if it's splitting hairs or not, John. Jeff, it says full-time and part-time. Does that include seasonable? Can we have seasonable put in there?

Council can do whatever they want with that, sure. The way the ordinance read originally, it excluded seasonable.

Right, I read that, yeah. That's why I asked.

And did we define immediate family?

I think it is defined.

It's defined in the manual. Okay.

Everybody. Everybody. Seasonal Bowl's not on there. It excluded seasonal. That's what it wants to undo.

So are the family members that we have working here now. We have two brothers that work for the village.

Right. Well, they're already here.

Yeah, they're already here. So is this... Is this to prohibit the hiring of employees?

No, that it should go through council. It has council approval. Yes. Okay. It doesn't prohibit it. Family members might be our best resource, but we just want to know that it's happening before it happens.

There's been bad results in the past. And it's not a good look with the public when they see the family being hired.

May I suggest he could modify it? They can modify it now? I'm anticipating it maybe.

I'll make a motion that we modify it to include seasonable. Yes. Thanks, Jeff. Thanks for the cue card. Second.

Jamie did.

I guess I'm confused. Doesn't this ordinance cover any higher?

It excluded seasonal until now.

Where do you see excluding lead seasonal?

Down at the very bottom. It's a darker paragraph. on the ordinance 27 down at the very bottom starts with respect to new employees hired after october 15 2026. the old language

The village of Baltimore will not hire a full-time or part-time employee, any immediate family member of another village. It doesn't say anything about that. With respect to new employees hired.

It doesn't say anything about seasonal. That's why we're adding it. That's what they're adding.

It excludes seasonal or temporary employees. That's the way it's currently written.

They're going to modify that.

Oh, yeah.

Not yet. They were discussing. Okay. Phillips? Yes. Schaffner? Oh, no. Carroll. Sorry. McCreary? Yes. Foreman? Yes. McLean? Yes. Schaffner?

Yes.

Okay.

Okay. Third readings, there are none. And then the... We're going to untable the... Okay. Ordinance 2026-21, an ordinance authorizing... the mayor to enter into a contract with Fairfield County for housing prisoners at the Fairfield County Jail. And we are doing this in the declaration of emergency. The sponsor of this is Mr. Phillips. And we know that is, so we have a contract. So if we, could you elaborate on that, Chief?

Yeah, just if we arrest people on village code, instead of state code, and they go to mayor's court, if the magistrate sentences them to jail time, we have to pay for that jail time.

We typically always had to pay. We never always got billed, but we typically had to pay. That goes back 27 years. And then we didn't get any further contract proposals from the county until recently.

Until recently.

They threatened to not accept any further prisoners. We had a contract with you years ago, and you didn't ask to renew it, and so they kind of did an about-the-faces of, let's do a new contract.

Do we bill the prisoners in return?

Well, that would be up to the magistrates in terms of what kind of sentencing they receive and whether there's going to be any kind of order to pay for costs, including any costs that we have to advance.

How often does that happen that they go from mayor's court to?

It's only happened about three times in the last several years, but the You could bill them, but you're going to bill them, but you ain't going to get it.

Bud from a tournament. I got you.

That's usually why it happens. Now, also, if we issue warrants on people and they get picked up on a warrant, then until we either have an arraignment or their court date, that time also gets, we'll get billed.

$107 a day.

And the county initially indicated that they were going to stop accepting prisoners from the village in September, but they haven't stopped that in their buildings.

We haven't even sent anybody down there either.

Oh, yeah, we have. Well, they back-billed us for...

And they're doing this. They aren't singling us out. They're doing it with all the municipalities in the county that have active mayor's courts.

Okay. So can I get somebody to sponsor? Can we have a motion to adopt? I'll make a motion we adopt this.

I'll second it.

Any other discussion? Okay. Phillips? Yes. Carroll? Yes. McCurry? Yes. Foreman? Yes. McLean? Yes. Schaffner? Yes.

Okay.

Is there any old business that any of you folks would like to discuss? Is there any new business you folks would like to discuss? Anybody in the galley and the visitors? Is there anything? Last call. Okay.

You guys missed Jeopardy.

So we go into an executive session now? Yes.

Yep.

What time is it? 7.32, we're entering executive session.