City Commission - Regular Meeting

The Dayton City Commission meeting will now come to order. Would you all please join me in the pledge of allegiance and this morning invitation will be given by Commissioner Shaw. Dear Lord, may we make a difference in this world. Help us to keep focused on what is pure and right. Let us have hearts of thankfulness. Amen. Amen. Amen. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All right, Miss McClendon, may we please have a roll call this morning? Mayor Turner Sloth. I. Commissioners Joseph I Shaw I Fairchild I Beckham I may I have a motion to approve the minutes of the April 1st 2026 meeting please so moved John second a motion your honor has been properly moved and seconded to approve the April 1st 2026 meeting all in favor say I I oppose say no Miss McClendon are there any communications or petitions this morning there are none your honor all right uh this Morning. I would like to call Marcy Walker to the podium to present

a update on the living cities project. A very exciting time. Thank you.

Good morning. Um so glad to be here today. Thank you for inviting us out. Um this my name is Marcy Walker. This is Stefan Watts. We are part of the Living City Project team. This is the annual citywide cleanup that we host and this is our sixth year hosting this cleanup. We have around 30 neighborhoods that will be participating to help clean uh do the largest one-day cleanup in the city of Dayton. And we want to invite everyone out to come and participate. This will be on Saturday, April the 25th from 9 to noon. Um you can register at livingcityro.org or you can simply show up, but we would love for people to come and register. We have three different afterparty site locations where if you are not signed up, you can go and we can uh put you somewhere. That'll be at Revival Center for West Dayton. It will be at East Dayton Fellowship for East Dayton. And then the library in Old North Dayton if you are in the North Dayton area. Uh if you have any questions again, living city.org or you can email me at mwalkerdclair.org. And we are just so excited to be bringing this to the city of Dayton. Once again, it's a great opportunity for the community to take pride in cleaning up our neighborhood together, but also to get to know your neighbors as we do something good for the city.

Thank you. Thank you. Wait, excuse me, Miss Was do any of the commissioners have any comments or anything they would like to share this morning? Commissioner Beckham. Uh thank you, your honor. Uh just welcome. Uh I know this has been around now for uh feels like six, seven years almost, if not more. So I'm glad the effort is uh continuous. I I'd like to see us build on this effort. So uh that we keep our city clean all year round. Yes. Uh but thank you all for what you do. I look forward to being out there. Awesome. Wonderful. Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner.

Yeah. No, thank you. We look forward to building on this tradition. My hope is that we pick up less litter than we picked up the year before. Not sure we're there. Haven't been driving around, but um you know, we know that it's really important to our citizens to have a community that looks um inviting and beautiful and safe. Um could you remind me of the locations? Revival Center, the library in Old North Dayton.

Yes. And East Dayton Fellowship will be the East Dayton location. So there are 30 different neighborhoods participating and they will each have their own host site location. But those are the afterparty sites where if people have not registered they can go to those locations and so after the cleanup at noon at those different sites there will be a party to celebrate. We'll have lunch there, music and just an opportunity to meet your neighbors. Awesome. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. No, just thank you for coming today and thank you for the work that you do. I look forward to uh to being out there with you.

Wonderful. Uh I want to echo what my colleagues have said. This is great. Uh and one specific thing I want to say is that we know that we as a city can't do everything and the fact that you all are stepping up to fill this role, this vital role that really makes a difference in our communities means a lot and we really do appreciate it and we all look forward to seeing you out there. So grateful. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you for being here. We really appreciate your leadership um and the commitment and again as my colleagues have already mentioned, we need these efforts to go on all year round. So that is the charge um for all of us to take uh ownership and responsibility and making sure that we're doing our part in keeping our our city clean and improving the aesthetics of our our community so that we can in fact uh attract jobs and uh new home ownership and and all of the above that go along with that. So thank you very much. I will say this on the record. I will not be in attendance due to travel. Uh but do know that I will make up for um my absence the following week if not prior to. So thank you very much. Thank you all so much. We appreciate you.

All right. And next in honor of National Poetry Month, I would like to call to the podium Miss Sierra Leon uh the poet uh Laurette for the city of Dayton. Good morning.

Good morning. Morning, Madame Mayor, members of the Dayton Commission, city staff, and members of the Dayton community. Thank you for the invitation. Greetings on behalf of all known and unknown poet, Dayton poets who have come before me. As Dayton's inaugural laurette, my mission is to strengthen and expand the connection between poetry and community utilizing collaborative place-based engagement. I am here today to celebrate National Poetry Month, which was launched 30 years ago by the Academy of American Poets in April of 1966. It is my honor to trail in the legacy of our beloved Paul Lawrence Dumbar. There are many ways to celebrate during the month of poetry. I will be reading to elementary school students, discussing belonging with Americanore seniors and returning citizens. Presenting a youth against violence poetry open mic on April 17th. attending local poetry events that are happening throughout the city, open mics and shows, participating in poem in your pocket day with my students and mcing DML stacks and stages literacy poetry event featuring HBO deaf poet John Good. Today I'm going to share one poem. Music and faith have been critical to my development and advancement as as my artistic expression. I thought this moment would be befitting

to share a poem that I wrote for the city in the community uh just right before uh we went into the pandemic. It was for the Dayton Field Harmonic honoring music and honoring the people. The piece is entitled Vision Perfected. Come enter the sacred sanctuary of sight and sound. Home to myth and mystery, awe and admiration. Welcome celestial magic of harp transmuting perpetual agony. Angelic melodies of unbburdened souls. Mend external wounds. Access internal truth. Feel the rhythm under your skin. You have been baptized by the kinship of percussion and a moaning trumpet. Emancipate your ears and hands. Orchestrate harmonious awakenings to vision beyond limitations. Strumstrings of selfacceptance stroke the sav of liberty woven in culture like rhythmic movement. Hibiscus flowers and bamboo healing. Dance to your soul's metronome. Live infinitely between notes and lyrical rhyme. Dreamcatchers speaking in tongues. Chant, scream, sing. Salvation, salvation. Nine Apotheiaized doves spread their whistling wings on Fifth Street. Heavy hearts inhale gentle woodwind wisdom.

Bells ring. Monumental togetherness crystallized tears. Breathe in the energy of souls sharing proximity. We are the people who could fly. Universal citizens. Feel your feet in your shoes. Clothes touching skin. Taste joy in the air. Dig deep past romanticized bondage. Irrational aggressions and implicit obstacles. Veil lifted. Vision perfected. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Sierra Leon. Colleagues, Commissioner Beckham, do you have any comments? Anything you would like to share?

Thank you, Mayor Sierra. Great to see you. Um, thank you for being our inaugural poet, poet, Laurette. Um, happy National Poetry Month to everyone, including yourself, and thank you for that beautiful poem you presented to us today. Uh it reminds us that uh we um should continue to recognize the legacy of poetry in our city. Um and I thank you for uh the work that you're doing as our poet laurette. So look forward to being there especially for the uh the youth violence um or the youth against violence open mic. I I'm very excited for that. So thank you for organizing. Thank you commissioner commissioner fair job.

Yeah. Thank you uh Miss Leon for that u that provocative piece and it took me back to conversations I had with a good friend who is a um a teacher. He's a professor of opera and he and I would have conversations as pastor and musician about the role that the arts play in terms and the similarities to religion in terming to help us think about the transcendence of that we experience but also the im imminency of lived experience and your poem this morning um was an amazing example of um exploring those experiences that we have. So, thank you very much for that. Um, and I'm mindful of since it's poetry month, I'm mindful of the conversation we had recently and we talked about how we can encourage anyone to be poets that all of us have some poetic skill within us. I didn't know if my colleagues would be open to like a six-word vision for our city

and but you know, maybe you could send us some guidance on how to do that. Um, but that by the end of poetry month, we might have sixword poems from each of us about the vision for the city or, you know, any part of the work we do in community. I don't know if you're open to that. I don't know if you're open to that, but I think it'd be a great way to celebrate the month if folks are willing. So, but thank you. Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Shaw. Yeah. Thank you for being here uh today. Thank you for that uh for that poem this morning, but most importantly, thank you for continuing to be the gift that you are to our community uh and the work that you do. So, so thank you so much. Appreciate you.

Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Sto, my colleagues have all said wise things. I want to add one more dimension and that is thank you for being here and being willing to highlight something that our society is not valuing at this time, which is literacy, knowledge, uh imagination. And these things are not not overly valued now. We appreciate you standing up not only in in what you say but also in what you do as commissioner says. So thank you for all your efforts. We really appreciate you being here.

I just want to echo my colleagues comments. Thank you so much for lending your gifts and your talents and your time. You are greatly appreciated and and thank you for recognizing um poet month and recognizing the the history that we have in regards to the arts and poetry itself. All right. Well, Miss McClendon, are there any additions, deletions, or comments to the calendar this morning? There are none, your honor.

Thank you, Miss McClendon. Miss Dixon, are there any additions, deletions, or comments to the calendar this morning? Your honor, I have no additions or deletions to this morning's calendar. I do have a few items just to highlight. Item B2 is an award of contract to Integrity Contractors LLC. This is more investments with with regards to our street enhancements. This will be improvements on East third from Kiwi to Lynen and it is um being funded with federal transportation alternative funding as well as some geo debt from the city. It will provide a cycle track and sidewalk improvements and uh there were four bids. This is the lowest and best and the completion is due at 12927. So just after the first of the year.

Okay. Thank you. And then uh as it relates to our resolutions uh resolution 6923-26, I just want to since I wasn't able to be at the meeting last week due to Passover celebration, I uh wanted to make sure that I too shouted out in my thank yous and great appreciation to uh St. An's Hill and all the work they did in fundraising to help replace that damaged park. and we're excited as the city to fill the gap and move this project forward as expeditiously as the supply chain will allow us. Um but excited about this. And then um on resolution 6924-26 um that supports first responder mental wellness wellness. I want to thank um the DPD for their leadership for um understanding or recognizing when the the original grant that provided a lot of this mental health and wellness support to our first responders was expiring. uh working with Atomus and certainly thanking Atomus for uh stepping up and supporting our first responders. It's so critically important. And uh that's all I have this morning, your honor.

Thank you, Miss Dixon. Miss McClendon, are there any citizens who are registered to speak on calendar items this morning?

Your honor, there is one citizen registered to speak on calendar items. I would like to state there is a threeminut time limit. As you address the commission, we ask that you state your name and address for the record. At that time, I will turn on the green light. When the green light comes on, you will have three minutes to speak. After you have spoken 2 and 1/2 minutes, a yellow light will come on and you will have 30 seconds remaining to speak. When the red light comes on, you will be asked to cease your comments and to take your seat. To the audience in attendance, please be mindful this is a business meeting and we kindly request that during this portion of the meeting you refrain from any hand clapping, finger snapping, and conversation that would prevent the city commission from hearing the speaker's comments. I call to the podium Lynn Lamance.

Hi, Lyn Mans 1061 Bertram Avenue. Good morning.

Good morning. I am um here to talk about the uh police ammunition and try to get that removed. Uh save money, save lives, and um as Matt Joseph is always speaking of, go green. if we could change that into a item that um where we purchase tasers, chargers uh for law enforcement. Um that's what I'm here to do. I'm also, this is in regards to uh the recent shootings and videos on Facebook. citizens still have not got um thorough body cam footage, fl camera footage at least 30 minutes prior to the incidences. Um we have not heard about officers being on leave. We have not heard the officers names. We have not heard an actual independent investigation. independent, meaning not the Dayton Police investigating themselves, not the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office investigating themselves. Um, furthermore, um, I am here also to speak. Besides saving lives and money, um, Santa Clara residents were here 2 years ago regarding flock cameras. Never saw them. We again we we tell you things happening in the neighborhoods, graffiti, junk cars, loose dogs, illegal dumping, you know, that's that's not important, but bike laws in downtown Dayton are. Uh furthermore, we would like to I know there's a a big push to hire within. I am asking you not to uh

create a police chief with STI since the FOP is so hellbent on putting a molester on the streets. Not STI. I'm asking you not Paul Saunders as he helped uh pay a slum lord for that metal restaurant that you want to put more policing in downtown Dayton. Again, not him. I am asking you not Kyle Thomas over the FOP since he fought so hard for Sadi's job. I am asking you not Henderson if he can't speak like a man for himself and has Paul Saunders speak for him. Uh I am also asking that you consider Joe Parlet and Shelley Dixon for removal and we get some better leadership in this city.

Thank you Miss Lamez. Thank you. That concludes speakers, your honor. Thank you, Miss McClendon. Commissioners, are there any comments to the calendar items or the excuse me, the city manager's recommendations? Commissioner Beckham, I have none, your honor. All right. Thank you, Commissioner Shaw. Commissioner Fairchild, excuse me.

Yeah, thank you. Uh, regarding the enhancements on East Third Street, um, between Kiwi and Lynon, Um there's a that's a long stretch. I don't think there's a stoplight in between that section and we have a very popular restaurant and bar um right in the middle. I know talking to citizens they were interested around is there some way to have some kind of crosswalk some between those two lights. Is that something that's in the midst of those enhancements? I don't know if it's in the enhancements themselves, but I know that there was a lot of community engagement around the design and we can certainly follow up with commission to let you know what that was.

That'd be great. I appreciate it. And then can you give us an explanation on the payment of voucher? Um that is uh with civil service. Yes. Uh hold on a minute. believe it was a um a timing uh issue with regards to invoicing. They did not receive an invoice until 2026 after the contract had expired. And so they didn't notice that um that contract was expiring there. It's a um oversight that they will have to address with the rest of their contracts. Okay. Thank you. I don't have anything.

Thank you, Commissioner Fairchild. Commissioner Shaw, Commissioner Joseph. Okay. Thank you. I don't have any comments as well. Um, may I please have a motion to approve the city manager's recommendations this morning? I move to approve the city manager's recommendations. Second motion, your honor. It has been properly moved and seconded to approve the city manager's recommendations. All in favor say I. I. All oppose say no.

Legislation, Miss McClendon. First reading ordinance number 32182-26 to vacate Vixsburg Street from Maywood Avenue to Maywood Avenue. Second reading ordinance number 32181-26 amending the official zoning map to change the zoning of approximately 1 acre at the west terminus of West Hillrest Avenue from open space OP to suburban single family residential SR2. Mayor Turner Sloths I Commissioners Joseph I Shaw I Bearchild I Beckham

I Ordinance number 32181-26 has passed with five votes in favor. Second reading resolution number 6923-26 approving the cash donation acceptance from the St. Ans Hill Historical Society Neighborhood Association in the amount of $70,000. Mayor Turner Sloths I. Commissioners Joseph I. Shaw. Hi. Fairchild. Hi. Beckham. I.

Resolution number 6923-26 has been adopted with five votes in favor. Second reading resolution number 6924-26 authorizing the acceptance of a grant award from the Montgomery County Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board in the amount of 64,50 on behalf of the city of Dayton. Mayor Turner Sloths I. Commissioners Joseph I Shaw I Fairchild I Beckham I

resolution number 6924-26 has been adopted with five votes in favor and that concludes legislation your honor. Thank you Miss McClendon. Are there any citizens who are registered to speak this morning? Your honor, there are five citizens registered to speak and I would like to remind everyone of the three minute three minute time limit. I call to the podium Lynn Leance.

Hi, Lyn Lance. 1061 Bertram Avenue and I am just talking again on the red lining of city services into the neighborhoods. Um, we've seen some demolition and that's fine. Thank you. Uh however, I want to make sure that we have a boarding contractor because things are not getting boarded in the neighborhoods. And as far as boarding things, there has to be a cost analysis from boarding something five 7 8 9 10 times versus using the dogs boarding that you people use in downtown Dayton for all these precious buildings. At some time the cost analysis has to board it one time with the dogs versus whatever um that needs to be looked at. If there actually is a boarding contract, we are turning them in piles of houses that should be level five for demolition. 4143 Marie Drive, 72 Ashwood Avenue, 465467 Allwood I'm sorry, all win in the Fair View neighborhood. And yes, I'm aware it's currently in housing court for nuisance. 23 Great Miami Boulevard, 43 Victor Avenue are all piles of houses should be rated as level five and should be somewhere on the nuisance demolition list. Um, as well as the housing survey. Um, again, we want our city services not redlinined. Everything is is going towards downtown Dayton. the we want less of that, less downtown Dayton, more neighborhoods because who in the suburbs is going to come here and spend money and it looks like the Gaza around downtown Dayton

um until we get proper management. I am also uh advocating for a boycott of downtown. My white brothers and sisters, do not come here and spend your money, your time if if we do not get proper management and less redlinining for the neighborhood issues that we have we constantly email advocate come here for. Um also if you are a union member from my understanding that is voluntary and you can cancel out your union membership if there is not proper um representation or they are not putting their money into these proper uh Democratic party and politicians. Thank you.

Thank you Miss LMZ. I call to the podium Carlos Buford. Carlo Eupford, 2130 Dela Drive, Dayton, Ohio. Good morning.

Good morning. I stand before you, not just with concern, but with but with urgency. Over the past few days, our community has been forced again to grapple with the consequences of police encounters that never should have escalated the way they did. Let me be clear, the beginning of an encounter matters just as much as the end. Too often we hear explanations focused on what happened at the final seconds. But we must ask what happened in the first moments because that is where accountability begins. When officers engage citizens over low-level misdemeanors, they are not entering high-risk situations. They are creating them when those encounters are mishandled

and when a citizen's constitutional rights are violated at the start. Everything that follows is compromised legally, morally and socially. As it is as it is written in the Bible,

come on. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, lest they become discouraged. Provocation leads to escalation. And when authority provokes instead of protecting, the outcome is often tragic. Peace in this city will never be achieved through meetings and state and statements alone. Peace is predicated on justice and justice must be seen, felt, and trusted by the families who are left grieving.

So what can we do? First, we must address accountability in a real and tangible way. When officers commit egregious acts, there must be consequences. Whether that means termination, descertification, or the removal of their ability to continue policing in our communities. And when leadership recognizes an officer should not return, this city must have the courage to stand firm even against outside pressure like the FOP. Second, we must prioritize constitutional policing at the very start of every encounter. That means ongoing mandatory training and evaluation centered on citizens rights, deescalation and proportional response especially in low-level situations because if we get the beginning right, we prevent the tragedy at the end. We also must we we also cannot ignore the disconnect. Many officers do not live in the communities they police. That lack of proximity often leads to a lack of empathy and our residents feel that. Let me close with this. Please sub. Well, I'm done. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Beer. I call to the podium Reverend Kelly.

Hi, I'm Reverend Kelly Kelly. Good morning. 515 East 3rd Street. I represent Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Uh we are a small congregation and a small denomination. We center around the inherent worthiness and dignity of all people. We believe that Dayton is lauded as a liberal and progressive city. However, we find that the continued targeting and profiling of black and brown neighbors does not match what we present ourselves to be. We show up here today in support of Racial Justice Now and Black Lives Matter Day and the other coalition members who are saying that the police shooting and killing of Reginald Thomas should not be allowed. It has already happened and yet we are not seeing the accountability that was asked for at the press conference at the end of March. To reiterate our request, we are asking for an immediate public release of all body camera, dash camera footage, and CCT footage. Full transparency from the city of Dayton and Dayton Police Department outside of social media. Accountability for all officers involved. We have not been updated on whether or not they are on probation suspension or have been terminated. An end to pretext steps stops. Stopping someone for a light on a bicycle and that person ending up dead at the hands of police is unconscionable.

Creation of a civilian review board with subpoena power and investment in a communitybased resources for the community, not city of Dayton. We should not have to fund raise to provide an environment where all can thrive and black and brown people should not see the police as their enemies who are there to kill them. Thank you. Thank you. I call to the podium Zakiya Sankara Jabar.

Good morning. Good morning, your honor. Commissioners, it's unfortunate to be back home. Name address.

Oh, sorry. Zakiya Sancar Jabar, 18 Farmrest Court, Silver Spring, Maryland. You know, it's unfortunate I have to come back home uh and be here today to speak up about another injustice in this community. I was heartbroken to get phone calls from my colleagues, relatives, family, friends after the murder, the unjust lynching cuz I'mma tell the truth today of a black man in this city. You know, Commissioner Fairchild, the the Reverend that just spoke before me reminded me that during George Floyd's uh you know, organizing in 2020, you started an anti-racist coalition to deal with police accountability specifically with white pastors. And I just wonder where is that work today? you know,

what what are you all doing right here in this community to hold the police accountable, to hold the state accountable to the lives of black people? Because I'm here to tell you that this city is about tired. And I've been very clear about that. I've been in conversation with people here, particularly young people, young black boys and men who are fed up watching their loved ones, watching people that look just like them being murdered on TV, on body cam footage. And I can tell you, they are not making a difference between the county jails either. They don't care that you all don't have the power over that. All they know is black men keep dying in this community and they don't get any recourse. People come down here, they ask you all to do something about it immediately. People have asked y'all for years before I left to get rid of this city manager. I mean, before I left, why is she still here? That's that's clearly a part of the problem. And then when I listened to the commission meeting last week, the assistant city manager said he didn't care about what he heard from the community about the police. Now, why are people paying taxes for people who don't care about how they feel? You all can make a decision right today and get rid of this city manager and this assistant city manager and get somebody in here that understands human rights, civil rights, and the humanity of black men and boys cuz that's what this is about. You all have normalized the inhumanity of black men and boys. I'm just looking at the body language of everybody in here. Y'all just it's another day at the office after y'all

done killed somebody and took somebody's father, son, and husband. That is unacceptable. You are creating an unsafe environment for every black boy and man in this city and in this state when you don't hold the police accountable. Hold the police accountable today or blood is going to be on your hands. Period. Thank you, Mr. Jabar.

I call to the podium Dan Barton. Good job. Dan Barton, 338 Central Avenue, Grafton Hill. I'm here to speak into an issue that is pending and I believe possibly subject to change by a review of the zoning administration code. Um for the last eight years we've had planned development uh I think it's 179 pending in Grafton Hill. the neighborhood and the neighborhood ass uh CDC had opposed that reuse of two apartment buildings that had been closed down by the city for health and safety violations and structural code violations. We wanted that building to be rehabilitated in a way that would make it zoning compliance uh because it had been built at a time of redlinining when zoning requirements for parking and public amenities were not actually uh being enforced and were routinely ignored. What happened in this process and I have these uh these documents to give you an overview is that the city planning department intervened on behalf of the applicant and assisted them in navigating towards a plan development. The requirements for the plan development were not fully rec uh implemented in that the documentation by the applicant of the plan of the site with parking and the plan of the

building to reduce an all efficiency building to one and two bedrooms was never submitted and never made public. uh the plan worked its way through the standard BZA plan board and then to city commission. What happened in that process, however, is the narrative kept changing and the physical plans that are required of a PD, the site plans and the physical layout of the building never caught up with the legal process. And this commission approved PD 179 without a site plan and without a structural plan. What happened after your approval, however, is that the planning department appended a revised plan that didn't reflect the narrative and that was done at the direction of Mr. Tim Rearan, the planning director at that time. What we are asking is that planned 179 be set aside and reviewed with the evidence of the process. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Barton. That concludes speakers, your honor. Thank you, Miss McClendon. Miss Dixine, do you have any closing comments this morning? I have none, your honor. Thank you. Miss McClendon, do you have any closing comments? Yes, your honor. There is a work session on economic and community development initiatives immediately following this morning's commission meeting which will be held in the PRC. That is all, your honor. Thank you, Miss McClendon. Commissioners, do you have any closing comments? Commissioner Beckham.

Thank you, your honor. Uh, just want to um thank the citizens and residents that came out and share their comments and concerns today. Um, that's all for me today. Thank you, Commissioner Fairchild. Yeah. Um, thank you. And, um, want to thank the citizens for coming as well. Um, city manager, um, can you remind us when the work session with the police is going to be the update that we're going to have that's coming up in May? We are in the process of getting that scheduled. We're still working, as far as I know, on a schedule to accommodate all of the folks needing to be there. Okay. Thank you. Mhm.

Um and where are we with um you know incidents happen and we've had some recently. We all ask for patience, let the process take place. Um we did that when Brian Moody um was shot. Can you give us an update when we'll do that full review around his death? Wow. Moody. When will we are you talking about office? Are you talking about the Moody incident? Yes. Um, I'm going to ask Joe to come forward and give that. I know that there has been work that's been done and um, but I it's been a while so I want to make sure. Joe,

yes. I believe that the Sorry, Joe Parllet, deputy city manager. Um, I I believe that the investigation in Moody was completed in Novemberish in the fall. And are there any legal outstandings? Are there any pending cases? Pending cases related to the Brian Moody incident like the family suing us any not to my knowledge. So we could we could we've asked for patience in that case. We have the information. There should be some time when we share with the community all of the information. Is that right?

Not typically but we can. Why not typically? I It's just not been my experience that that is a practice. Okay. Well, Commission, didn't um didn't they put out a press release? I'm sorry. Excuse me. If the attendees in the uh commission chambers, please, let's just allow the process in terms of a hearing the questions to be answered, please, because we all want to make sure that we hear everyone. Thank you. Please. The question, Mr. Dix to Mr. parlay. Did was there not wasn't there a release that um off or that Matt Hec put out? I'm trying to remember the details.

Typically, when a grand jury uh makes their determination, uh there is a press release provided. Um I forget the exact legal term. I'm not a lawyer, but they determine that they will not accept charges uh against the officers. So that's part of the criminal investigation that takes place after an officer involved shooting. Once that is concluded, there's a professional standards review that doesn't even really start until after the uh criminal investigation takes place. Then we have a professional standards review. The report that I'm referring to in the fall of last year was um the professional standards full review of of the entire incident

because but generally speaking those are not shared publicly. Okay. Um because like today at that time we had citizens coming saying can we see the body camera? Can we get a full understanding of what initiated the stop? Can we get a full understanding? We ask for patience for everything to run its course. So if it hasn't been typical, maybe we need to find a process perhaps

to be able to share with the community because we made this promise. And you know, I think with when trust is broken, we got to find a way to repair that trust. And the way to do that is to um make our um walk match our talk. and we said at the time we would provide this information we haven't to date. So I'm looking at my colleagues that maybe we can work together to find some way with city manager and police to to do that and to model that so that the community will have confidence that in this most recent incident it would happen as well.

Right. Thank you. Thank you. So we will work with Miss Dixine to make sure that there is a consensus and then Miss Dixine would then in turn charge uh Mr. Plet to execute that that process for us so that we can in fact release it. Thank you for bringing that up. Excuse me, I didn't mean to interject.

No, no, thank you. Um then um you know it it's always difficult up here to deal with very serious and um issues as well as the the breadth of the issue. So there's a couple other things I would like to say not ser at that level of seriousness. Um I was fortunate to get to the suff uh production uh that uh Dayton Live brought us the Broadway series. Um it's a powerful story of the suffra suffragists and uh their work for um overcoming injustice. The closing um song on that production resonated with me in this moment because um throughout the show it showed the um the different um strategies in trying to work for justice. And there are some who take an incremental work and some who are more urgent. And um there's always a struggle between those two parts and working on justice. And um the old guard is saying to the new guard um no we didn't solve all injustice but we did our part as best as we could and now we turn it over to you and we must march on. And I thought that that was really uh compelling particularly in this moment that um we we'll never get it right. We're imperfect as humans, but we do have a responsibility to work for unjustice. And um hopefully at the end of the day, we can say we did our part and um you can learn both from our um our successes and our mistakes, but inviting everyone to come and and to march on. And then uh there's an opportunity for folks to think about the work that we do. Uh the Dayton Library continues to um hold their government commons learning series. Um it'll be

held in the Center for Community Impact and Innovation Room on Thursday, April 9th um from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. And this um this second module in the series, and it's about the Constitution, including the history and core beliefs of the framers. Registration is required. You can get more information at 937746. Uh this number isn't correct. So um we'll have to you'll have to look up from the Dayton Library to get the uh the right the correct number. So encourage you to uh participate in that that work. So thank you. Thank you Commissioner Fairch. Commissioner Shaw.

Thank you mayor. Uh the M Valley Urban League is is accepting applications for a solid opportunities for advancement and retention program. The program lasts two weeks and offers personalized coaching, career development, skill enhancement, and post-program job coaching. Uh the program is available to all adults 18 years and older, and you can find more information at mvl.org/sore or by calling 937-2261513. That's a really good opportunity there with the Urban League. Yesterday, I met with Tommy McGuffy Jr. with the Economic and Community Development Institute of Greater Dayton. Uh they offer loans of up to $50,000 for for startup businesses and up to $2 million for established businesses. These loans are uniquely easy to obtain and are great resources for people who who are struggling to find support and and funding. For more for more information, you can go to ecdi.org or call 937-3450010. Um, just some really good opportunities for for folks who uh can take advantage of. Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Shaw, I'm sorry, Commissioner Joseph. Thank you, Mayor. Always.

Uh, announcement from our friends at Edgemont Solar Garden. Uh you can get your garden started this season now at the spring plant sale this weekend, April 11th from 12 to 4 at their facility at 9:19 Miami Chapel Road. They're featuring all kinds of starter plants including tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, elderberries, herbs, and other house plants. Uh all all started by the community down there. Uh come early for the best selection. As you know, if you've been there before, this is a popular event, so it's going to go quickly. uh proceeds from the sale support community programs at Edgemont there and and uh greater West Dayton. So, thank you for your support.

Thank you, Commissioner. I have a couple of brief comments. Um the counselor in training program and the summer camp uh for 2025, the future, is that right? 2025, 2026. The future is in our hands. Registration is open April 1. Spots are filling up fast. So, we are encouraging everyone to register early. And then the summer camp is available from ages 3 to 12 at the Northwest and Laurai recreation centers from June 1st to July the 24th. The cost is $100 per week with a campers available, campership available. Uh, registration can be completed online or in person at the recreation centers. And then there's also the counselor and training program which is also available for ages 13 to 15 at Lorai in the Northwest Recreation Center. The program offers hands-on leadership experience, volunteer service hours, and skilluing opportunities. The cost is $50 per week. An application and an essay is required. And then again, you can get more information or register at daytonrec.com. That's d a y t- o n rec.com. I would also like to thank all of the presenters this morning. Thank you, Miss Walker with the Living Cities Project as well as uh Miss and your colleague as well. Excuse me. Um and Miss Sierra Leon, thank you for being here and thank you for all of your leadership and the work that you're doing. Miss Lynn Leance, thank you for your advocacy, your continued uh support in regards to redeveloping and addressing the issues in in our neighborhoods. Um know that it is a commitment of mine and I shared that with my colleagues. We're going to continue to make those uh those efforts in addressing the blighted structures in a number of the deteriorating conditions in our community. Um and you raised a very interesting point that we have

actually asked for and that is in regards to where are we with the cost analysis in reference to the boarding of the vacant properties that we have in the city of Dayton knowing that it is in fact a a large lump sum um but finding an economical way means way to secure these properties. Um, and we do have several boarding contracts, if I if I have that correct, um, that are actually um that have been let that are executed. Um, and this is the time of the year where this is boarding season. So, if you see of any others, then please by all means let me know. We can get those. Um, I know that you're no stranger stranger to it. An email, phone call, whatever we need to do to make sure those are addressed, and I'll be happy to to walk the block with you if we need be. Um, know that that's my commitment. I'm willing to do it. I've done it before and I'll do it again. So, thank you again for all of your leadership and your work. Mr. Buford, thank you for your comments and your advocacy. I know this is time away from your other obligations, but I really appreciate you being here. Um, it is the commitment of the entire commission and the administration to make sure that there is a just and fair process. Um, so your concerns are valid and we hear you. Um, Reverend Kelly Kelly, it's good to see you again. Thank you for your advocacy and your leadership. um and know that the the sentiments are true and we're going to continue to work through that process. So, I appreciate you being here. Mr. Cara Jabar, thank you for making the travels and your leadership and your advocacy. Um again, we are committed to that process. These are not just uh empty promises. Uh I too am a mother and a wife. Um and so I see it on both sides. So, understand that there is commitment that is being made and we are holding true to that that commitment. Mr. Barton, thank you for being here. Um, Miss Dixine, I I believe you have provided us with this information some time ago. So perhaps we have dropped the

ball. Is there something that we need to do to communicate to Mr. Barton because I I believe that this is something we revisit last year, maybe even two years ago. So if you have an update or if we want to work offline just so we can u make sure that we are addressing Mr. Barton's concerns. Thank you, Miss Dixie. And that was in regards to uh plan 179.

And again, I just really u want to well, first let me pull on the thread of Commissioner Fairchild, his comments that he's raised um to Mr. Perled in regards to some of the unfortunate incidents that took place. um in understanding that there is a criminal investigation then it then moves into the professional standards review the professional standards bureau and correct me if I'm wrong and I'm leaning on my colleagues as well as Miss Dixine and Mr. Parllet, but because of the work that was done with the police reform initiative and the 142 recommendations, I believe I have that number right. Um, there is in fact the IAA which is the uh internal

accountability accountability audit. Yes. And so that after the professional standards bureau, we will then move into that last phase which is the IAA. Is that correct? the the IAA can can interject at any point in time. They are they can they can watch it in real time. They can come in after the point that that whole that's the administrative review and Commissioner Joseph's committee worked through that. So, okay. Do you have anything to add to that or is it

Yeah, we we made sure when we did police reform that there was if if folks weren't satisfied with what the determination of the standards bureau was that there was a real path for hearing their concern and for uh submitting that to a board of folks that you know would would listen to it, hear it and then advise us on how to fix it in the future. So I'm actually not sure if they followed that process yet. sometimes those processes ended up waiting until like regular criminal charges are either dismissed or not. Um and then then we can go forward with sort of our end of it. So I I need to refresh my memory on exactly

yeah I don't I don't know if the IAA has um interjected in this yet or not. Um but they again she can go in at any point in time and and watch real time that was as a result of all the conversation around uh oversight that wasn't related to the police department or the administration. Okay. Thank you. I think it may go a long way if we are able and I know we've done this in the past and this definitely precates me. So, thank you for your leadership and the work. Um, that three of the members I think may were you uh senior policy adviser at that time as well? I believe so. Police reform. Yes, I I believe I was.

Yes. So, thank you all for the work that you all have been done and many of our our community members um as well as the administration that was in fact a heavy lift. So it it may go a long way for us to do some educa to provide some education and awareness of what that process looks like that there is in fact an criminal investigation that will be completed that would then move forward to professional standards review that would then in turn at any point rather excuse me any point the IAA will uh review that pro that case or whatever have you or that incident and we need to make that clear so people understand where we are. Um so again, I think that will go a long way to provide that level of education and awareness and perhaps that's something that we can tap into with HRC, our community relations council. Um this might be a good um uh initiative for them to help lead. Um so thank you for that. Um I also again I know uh to Commissioner Fairchild's point um this is a very heavy time um that we're dealing with and I just really want to speak very briefly uh to the community to those who are in fact in the chambers this morning. Again, thank you all for making the travels. Thank you all for making the commitment for being here. I know that many of us have other obligations to to being in in the city chambers meeting at 8:30 in the morning on a Wednesday morning. But nonetheless, this is what democracy looks like, right? This is what the process that we all have um elected to be a part of and what the community has entrusted us to to do in representing the people in the uh the city of Dayton. So with that, um given the number of incidents involving the use of force, uh by some of the members of the day police, um we have heard the concerns um and know that we are indeed listening to those concerns and anytime force is in fact used uh it

raises deep serious questions. Our community deserves answers and more importantly it deserves trust in the system um that is meant to protect it. Uh that's why I remain committed to a transparent process. Um and so each of these incidents um from the unfortunate incident that took place on Tuesday um March 24th to the recent circulation on the videos on social media, the two incidents that are circulating on social media, they are ongoing a full investigation. We will follow those facts to wherever they lead us. So I ask for patience. I ask that we do not judge or rush to any conclusions less allow the process to run its course. Hold us accountable to make sure that that process is in fact running it its course. And then in turn, guess what we're doing? We have in fact appointed the city manager who then in turn directs the chief of the police to go do and that go do in that process is running the investigation. So again I'm just asking for the patience to know that the city manager is charged who is appointed with the execution of directing the staff and all personnel. And in this case, we're speaking of the chief of police who would then and done who would then in turn run the investigation. In addition, I really want to again pull on that thread of the IAA, the independent accountability audit. Um, knowing that it can that individual, uh, Miss Brown, Miss Jasmine Brown, I believe is her name. Uh, she is, uh, generally here every month. Is it every

month or every quarter? Every quarter she provides an update of the number of cases, the number of incidents. She also gives the finding of those various different cases. One of the recommendations that she has made before this commission, she actually made that recommendation until end of 25 and we are actually in the process of executing that recommendation and that was in fact to have a streamline process so that individuals know where to go and how they can in fact file a complaint, a concern, whatever have you when it pertains to uh our PD, our police department. So that process is in fact um going do I have that right in terms of the recommendation to make sure that individuals know where to go, who do they need to talk to and how they work through that process. Um so do you have anything that

it was just it was more like when they're in the process making sure they know what's going on. They might not have legal training or that side of things. So

yeah, that they fully understand and we all agree to that. So that is the commitment to make sure that the IAA is in place. Um and then the other piece is that the auditor their charge is to to make sure that there is a comprehensive review of the incidents and that our policies and our practices are being clearly they are clearly identified and that they are in fact uh followed and where there is improvement needed we will make those necessary adjustments for a course of action. We're also taking uh the necessary steps in the systems to ensure that again this goes back work to the community oversight. This includes uh enhancing the the work in the the commitment around the community appeals board which again is housed in in HRC community if you there's a level of correction. Okay. Okay. Let's hold the comments and I will I will personally come down and have a conversation with D. Rever as well as um Miss Kelly. I mean sorry Miss Jabar. I would personally come down and have a conversation because if it's something we need to correct, we're going to fix it and we're going to make sure that we correct it today. Thank you. Thank you. Um again, we know that transparency will guide us in taking that step and we share the we're going to share that information with the public as it becomes available. So again, thank you commissioners for your commitment in that process. Um and let me be clear on this. um public safety and and public trust they must go hand in hand and we cannot uh choose one or over the other. So know that that is our commitment. We all care deeply about this community. We care deeply about each and every one of the the constituents, all 138, and even those outside of the 138 who visit the city of Dayton, whether is recreation, entertainment, we care deeply about their safety, their well-being, and we want to see the city of Dayton grow. So

with that, and more than downtown, in all 65 neighborhoods all across the city, so know that that's our commitment. Give me one second, Miss LMZ, please. So I thank you for your voice. Thank you for your engagement and thank you for commitment and know that we all share your sentiments and we're going to be in lock step with the administration as well as the community for us to work together. There are too many challenges going on in this world right now for us to be at odds at this point. We need to make sure that we're working together and we are addressing the the issues that we see in our community collectively and with full transparency and being intentional about that work. So, with no further business, the Dayton City Commission meeting will now come to I'm sorry, will now be ajourned. Thank you. All right.