County Council - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call tonight's meeting to order. Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026. Would you please rise for the pledge? I pledge allegiance 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. Optional prayer or reflection? Mrs. Showerman?

The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.

Thank you. Roll call.

Mr. Bale?

Here.

Mr. Copeland? Here. Mr. Drexel? Here. Mrs. Showerman? Here. Mr. Wertz? Here. Mr. Winarski? Here. Chairman Skotella?

Here. Hearing of the public, is there anybody that would like to speak?

Mic check. Rock, can you hear this, sir? Does the mic work? Could you pull it up on your phone on the live stream on YouTube too so we know that you're not lying? That one was for you, Mr. Scatella, for letting me ask Rock that question.

Is there anybody else who would like to speak?

I'm not gonna do any pushups. Evening, I'm Caleb Landis. I live in Albion, Pennsylvania. I have an area of concern that I would like to raise this evening. The White House has recently released a website showing locations of encounters and arrests with illegal immigrants, illegal aliens. There are almost 100 of those in Erie County alone since March of last year, 78 of them in Erie. I find this concerning, particularly when you consider the charges against them. Assault, dangerous drugs, forgery, fraudulent activities, immigration offenses, obviously, larceny, public peace, sexual assault, and traffic offenses. We also know of one of those in particular who is an alleged MS-13 gang member. MS-13, you know, the gang with the ritual machete killings and things like that. This is not something that should be ignored. This is a red flag that I would like to raise for those in positions of power In Erie County, are we aware of these concerns of these numbers of these arrests? Are we aware of, uh, the risk that they demonstrate to us as a County? in that people with these sort of charges already against them are operating outside of the legal radar, shall we say, in our communities and in our areas. And if this is something that this council is aware of and that is concerning to this council, that is what sort of illegal aliens are in our county, then what is our plan as a county to keep our community safe. I appreciate your time. I appreciate your attention to this matter. Thank you.

Thank you. Anybody?

Good evening, counsel. My name is Deontay Cooley, lifelong URI resident. Again, I'm coming back to ask about the cell phone things. I see that it is an item on the agenda, which makes me question, like, you guys have to decide if it's okay for you to violate our constitutional rights or not. I asked the officer his name. He didn't want to tell me his name. I see another officer coming. He's got his name on his – so it's like, do they share names or don't they share names? The reason why I bring that up, though, is because, like – I'm under the impression that maybe you guys are worried people might leave phones, but there's probably at one point in time, there were seven officers out there. There's two officers standing in here. It's only five floors in this building. So if the concern is we don't want to unlock phones because maybe people will leave them in here. We have security in here or we have sheriffs in here who are standing up here pretty much. Nothing has happened since they've been coming here to where they need to be protecting anything. So maybe they can sweep the floors and check the bathrooms or whatever the case may be. Again, I'm not sure how it is okay to violate our constitutional rights per the Sunshine Act and then try to dress it up with Mr. Tallarico. It's interesting he's not here because last time he was here, it seemed like a fight was about to break out. that just that blows my mind that i can't have my phone there's a phone here i've seen the phone get past you got the news cameras in here but we can't have our phones then another thing that i would like to speak about and i'm i could be potentially wrong about this but i see that there is funds for cys um you know there's funds for different organizations and agencies but when it comes to like the community centers in erie they're getting 10 15 20 000 from the county but We can invest in court-ordered placements. We can invest in reactive things, but we can't be proactive. So, again, our community centers have been staples for the city of Erie and the county of Erie for 40, 50, 60 years. I'm talking Booker T. Washington Center, MLK, JFK, and now the UCEDC Quality of Life Learning Center. But it seems as though there's a lack of care, a lack of regard, a lack of concerns for them being funded, but then we can fund programs and initiatives that are created to address manners, I mean, address behaviors after the behaviors happen, but we're not pouring into the community centers that can help these things be preventative. So I would like to see numbers like this when it comes to supporting community centers, especially when we're talking about young people, when you can offer, and I could be wrong, I could be reading this wrong, and if I'm wrong, I stand corrected, but when you can be funding programs that are reactive to young people's behaviors and reactive to parents who can't take care of their children's behaviors, then I believe that we can be a little bit more proactive. And we can find some citizens who can push for some initiatives to help address some of these issues. We can be more strategic with how we engage with our community centers and see what plans they have as far as addressing some of these issues so we can take some stress off of OCY. So we can take some stress off of I'm the Department of Drug and Alcohol. I have a history of experience working with children. I have 12 and a half years drug and alcohol counseling. I have no problem being in my community at those community centers. Those community centers aren't doing too well because they're not receiving the funds. But then when you look and you see OCY can get money and the Office of Drug and Alcohol can get money, then let's figure out how we can create some collaborative relationships with the Office of Children and Youth create some collaborative relationships with those community centers in the drug and alcohol department, and let's figure out how we can actually invest in our community and be more proactive as opposed to reactive. And again, I would like my phone to lock. This is a violation of my, we're going to file a lawsuit. This is ridiculous.

Thank you. Please sit down, sir. Is there anybody else that would like to speak?

Hi, Cindy Treiber from Edinburgh. We're going to talk about ECRSSA. On February 19th, you sat in a room of the who's who in our local government and criminal justice systems. Several guests have now identified themselves when you would not, and others will hopefully soon. And if not, we will call them out. You were given a presentation about creating a brand new department and funding for wages and benefits, money that is coming from us. These are serious discussions we are having serious matters. These are people's lives and you engaged in no back and forth dialogue. You asked three questions at that meeting. Three. You asked 33 questions in your personnel finance meeting about cell phones. Big difference. One seriously more important than the other. Was anyone in the room on the 19th part of reentry or prior incarcerated or from any of the various organizations that support the vulnerable population? Were there children there whose lives have been substantially made stable by having a present, healing, working parent? Was there anyone from our industries there? Did you invite any of those people? Did you invite any of those people after? Did you meet with anybody after February 19th? Because I know that the staff at the Y lost their jobs on the 21st, five full days before you guys said you voted. Two of you spoke up and committed to subvert the public rights to engage in the democratic process when asked by a senior court rep to move from a first reading to a second reading and vote automatically. And when you do not invite the people impacted by your decisions into the room, you're marginalizing their worth and you're emphasizing theirs. Over the past several days, we have heard so many confabulations on why this program closed. So I'm going to start with a couple that were brought up today. There was no pre-entry work being done by the ECRSSA at the prisons. Confirmed with prison staff today, 4.35, there was a 25-person attended presentation by the only caseworker with clearances to visit Erie County Prison held in the law library. Most recently, there was a visit in March. I have the names of the inmates that were visited, if you'd like to see them. I also have the names of the Erie County Prison counselors who were present along with the ECRSS team. Number one lie. There was no intensive care management. 450 of 600 clients in 2025 were in intensive care management, receiving boots, human services assistance like drug and alcohol, mental health treatment, birth certificates. And here's a letter from, oh my gosh, human services, mental health, intellectual disabilities. Goals for 2325, work as a community partner in Erie County reentry support services. Amazing. From their office. There was no resource coordination, which is part of intensive care management. Here's a letter from the director to multiple different people and agencies who were at a resource meeting on December 19th, addressed to all kinds of people. Here's a letter to Judge Piccinini asking him to approve a capture team so that resources could be available when people were getting out. Jobs were supposedly offered and we couldn't do it because they were asking too much money. The numbers are less than what you approved. Here's the metrics. since we're talking about how nobody was offering. We had no funding. There was $321,687, maybe some of you will recognize why I say this number, over a two-year period from the DA that was already committed. There was $100,000 from Erie Community Foundation. There was private donations. Could you wrap it up please? Sure. There were private donations in excess of $400,000 last fall. The program management and the program manager is currently being slandered and defamed, and I would like to present this letter from the warden of the Erie County Prison talking about Mr. Helton and what a great job ECRSA is doing, dated in October. Here is also a letter from one of the prior case managers, Kate Dolak, who could not be here tonight. If you would like me to read this later, I will. This has to end. You are being fed lies and people in this community, established representatives and professionals are telling you, you were fed lies and you're accepting them on the lives of people who matter. Please rescind the ordinance or your jobs will end up just like Bretton Davis.

Is there anybody else that would like to speak?

I am Allen Brown. I am the senior case manager of the reentry program that you basically paid to have destroyed. This is not about me. How much consideration is being given to the Hundreds of people who are waiting to exit prison, a lot from this very county, who now have no hope. Coming here would do them no good. How do they get their lives started? It's amazing that you could take a pretty punctual attitude and action towards the people that were asking for that money and asking to have this program shut down. But where's the punctuality in the human side of this? You had all these people that were from Erie that could come back here. They won't have anywhere to go get jobs or anything like that, and no one's here doing any of that kind of work, and it doesn't seem to be a priority with anyone other than those of us who lost our jobs for doing such a job. It amazes me that You are the heartbeat of more than just yourself. You make decisions that affect everyone that's in this city, everyone that's returning to this city, and I think there should be a little more aggressive approach towards having assassinated the one program in this city that gave every person hope that came here, so much so that people who were exiting prison that weren't even from this county were rerouting their paroles to come here because they knew they would be successful here coming through our program that no longer exists now. And it just seems like you lost your shoestring or a button off your shirt. It doesn't really matter. Where's the human side of all of this? I mean, I'm really baffled by that, that that kind of calloused thinking or acceptance of that sort of thing could happen and you just write it off like well i spilled a few potato chips out of the bowl no big deal i mean a lot of people's lives were affected by this not just the re-entry caseworkers or our director but not just the people waiting to exit prison but their elderly parents their children i mean Where's the human side of all of this? I mean, you sit here and you make these decisions that really alter people's lives. I get it. We call them mistakes because everyone makes them. It's not a human frailty to do so. People make mistakes. So what do you do to remedy your mistakes after you realize you've made such a blunder that shuts down a program that did so much for so many people? We have one of the most important people as far as I'm concerned in Erie seated here tonight from Don John Shipbuilding, if you don't know what that name means, when the ship hit the bridge in Baltimore and went down, this gentleman seated right here in this cranberry jacket is the owner of him and his team. went down there and took care of that. He also has 30-something people who exited prison through our program working for him. How do you look at these sort of things lightly? It's like, I really don't get it. I'm not asking you to give this answer to me. Do a little soul-searching when you're at home, like... Get in touch with the human side of you. Don't get so used to sitting behind a desk making judgments that when you make an error, you're not quick to fix it. You don't need to hide that. That's something you should want to fix right away. I think your light shines brighter fixing it as opposed to pretending it really didn't happen or taking such a passive approach to it. Thank you. Thank you.

Good evening, Erin Meisner, City of Erie. Human value isn't measured by industry. It's measured by the value you place on a life, an unimportant life, a life without privilege. Marcello died while parole officers watched because they had no gloves in their car. His value is your value. That's what defines an age. That's what defines our humanity. That's what defines what we are demanding of counsel. i'm paraphrasing the great writers of dr who here but some of you may know a similar phrase whatever you do to the least of these not the least who are worthy not the least who are blameless the least Every employee of ECR SSA matters. Every client of ECR SSA matters. This council has clearly put little value on their lives as they could not be bothered to do any research or to speak to any of those affected before making their decision as far as we know. If this council was so concerned about making sure that the reentry program would continue, why did they not take the time to ensure that the people who made it so successful and the program guidelines themselves could be carried over to a county program? Being overseen by someone fired from the program two separate times is not the same as having the current director hired to craft a program that closely resembles what's lost. Council has put little value on the public as they fail to allow time for comment before skipping the first reading and voting on the second. On an issue that involves parole and overwhelmingly black and brown people, it is your duty to ensure that you have listened to the will of the minority communities when none of you belong to them. That's what it means to be a representative. Our value to us is your value. Our value to you is your value to us. And currently, this council is the important life through which we determine our own humanity. Admit your mistakes. Change course. Have conversations with the people you have shut out of this process. Let reflection and repair be the definition of this council. Thank you.

Thank you.

Jen Paulson, Mill Creek specifically. The last time that you heard from me was on May 5th. I sent an email to each member of council, which included a letter outlining the PA Sunshine Act and how the Erie County Courthouse is currently in violation. I'm here today to formally raise concerns about the process used to transfer the Erie County reentry program under the jurisdiction of the county. First, the failure to issue a competitive bid. The program is now being partially funded with public tax dollars from both county and city. Under PA procedure, standards, and county policy, any significant restructuring or award of publicly funded services is required to go through an open competitive bid process. That process did not happen here. The public was never given the opportunity to weigh in and no competing proposals were solicited or considered. That is not how tax money is supposed to be spent. Second, a seemingly closed and unrecorded meeting. Decisions about this program are made in a meeting that seemingly was not open to the public nor reflected in recorded minutes. Pennsylvania Sunshine Act exists precisely to prevent this. Official deliberations of affecting public programs must incur an open session. There's no legitimate executive session exception for reconstructing a community program. I'm asking this council, who authorized that meeting to proceed without confirming its recording? Why did you feel so comfortable to motion to the second reading? Why was the request to speak on the issue filed only one week prior if the financial situation was inconsistent for so long? Third, misrepresentation of the program's financial status. I have reason to believe that the financial picture of the reentry program was inaccurately presented in order to manufacture urgency and rush this transfer through before proper scrutiny could occur. If officials provided false or misleading financial information to accelerate this process, that is a serious breach of public trust and potentially of their official duties. Did you ask questions about how the program is currently being funded? Did you ask if the program was accepting large and private donations to ensure the program was ran successfully? Did you ask how Amy Isert of Mercyhurst University Civic Institute was able to successfully secure millions in grants for the program, but it was somehow financially struggling? I am asking this council for four actions. Halt the transfer pending a public review. release all meeting records and financial documents, open a proper procurement process, and commission an independent audit of the program's finances. The people this program serves deserve the best, and they deserve a proper process. These seats could look very different in four years. Some of you very much sooner than others. Thank you.

Thank you. Anybody else that would like to speak?

Good evening. My name is Katie Kretz. I'm a resident of Fairview Township and a citizen of Erie County. And tonight I'm speaking solely in my personal capacity. I want to begin by making one thing very clear. I'm not here questioning the need for reentry services in Erie County. The need is real. Individuals returning from incarceration often face barriers related to housing, employment, Transportation, addiction recovery, mental health, and family reunification. Effective reentry services are essential not only for those individuals, but for the health and safety of our entire community. My concern is not whether the program should exist. My concern is on how decisions surrounding the future of the program were made and communicated to the public or not communicated to the public. I first became aware of the ECRSSA transition through conversations occurring throughout the community. And as I listened and researched and reviewed publicly available information, I found myself asking a lot of questions that I could not answer. Those concerns ultimately led to me to author the white paper titled, Who Reentry Serves? And in researching and writing the paper, 30 questions emerged that I believe that the community deserves answers to. Questions surrounding transparency, public process, due diligence, community engagement, funding, program integrity, participant input, and the rationale behind decisions that appear to have moved forward with limited public awareness. During a recent conversation with Councilwoman Schauerman, it became apparent that the information presented to Erie Council may have been heavily influenced by concerns that the YMCA could no longer sustain the program due to funding limitations. Yet, through this process, multiple and often inconsistent explanations have emerged regarding why this transition occurred. This raises super important questions. Number one was the why given the opportunity to respond to concerns regarding funding, sustainability, or operational capacity before decisions move forward. Where council members provided information from all relevant parties so that they could evaluate the situation from multiple perspectives. County Council serves as a voice of the people. The responsibility of elected officials is not only to review information placed before them, but to seek input. ask difficult questions, perform due diligence, and engage the community that entrusted them with our vote. What troubles me most is that there was limited opportunity for community awareness, community education, or even community input. Residents were not given any meaningful opportunity to understand the proposed changes, ask any questions, evaluate alternatives, or offer feedback before decisions appeared to move quite rapidly. At the end of the day, reentry is not about programs. It's about people. It's about fathers reconnecting with their children, mothers rebuilding stability, and individuals seeking housing, employment, dignity, and a second chance. And as a community, we absolutely should evaluate data and outcomes, but we should also ask whether we listen to the people whose lives were changed by these programs. Because data tells us what happened, but people will tell us why it mattered. my hope is not for everybody to agree with me my hope is that as we move forward that we prioritize transparency public engagement and human centered decision making whenever decisions affecting vulnerable people are being made thank you for your time thank you

Martha Wachuku, City of Erie. Being a leader in general is difficult work, so I can only imagine what it's like being a leader of a county of 200 and something thousand people. But whenever we make mistakes or we make decisions that aren't public and the community outcries, I think it's an opportunity for there to be a convening around tension so i want to say i think we should consider we should rescind the program but there should also be a public hearing or some sort of public space outside of our regularly scheduled county council meetings where you as county counselors can walk through the decision-making process or what you were told and the entity and the partners or the people responsible for this decision or Moving you towards your decision also have to be public and face the public community. You know, we're talking a lot about reentry and its impact on the people. Something I haven't heard yet is how a lot of people in the carceral system are people who have suffered and have survived the cycles of poverty. not only have they entered the carceral system because of those said cycles of poverty but because when they get released there's a lot stacked up against them if we do not catch them and protect them in a really significant and intentional way they will find themselves falling back into those opportunities of crime So I'm really not, I've become a little more clear on the situation, but everything I have learned has been privileged information. And I think people in the broader community should be allowed space to comment and hear from both y'all and the people behind the decision and some sort of public hearing or space and that you should consider rescinding the program and really consider the impact on the community. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening. Margaret Watts, Washington Township, down the street from Charlie. Who among us have the broadest and most comprehensive understanding of what it takes to be successful in society after incarceration? Who possesses the drive for their students' acceptance, autonomy, and success after incarceration any more than individuals who have a life experience of actually doing just that? Who would be more trusted to mentor, guide, invest, and commit their support than those already walking in those same shoes? If you are someone who has built relationships with those who have mutually relied upon each other for survival, you get it. I'm thinking about those who have served valiantly in military conflict or accomplished near impossible goals because of team effort supported by devotion to one another and shared raw determination. Such is the teacher-student relationship created and built by the former reentry case management team with Allen Brown leading as senior case manager. They created a social service agency where one did not exist. They built a safety net that has provided the relationships and shared lived experience to navigate opportunities for not only survival, but for stability and productivity, giving back to the local community. This is not the service provided by law enforcement, and in this case, probation and parole, which is not rooted in prevention or in social services. How would I know, you might ask. Surprised as you might be, I studied criminal justice right along with the current probation and parole officers at Edinburgh University a little over 10 years ago. I studied with many ROTC students while taking such classes as criminology, forensic psychology, and yes, correction. I also personally know many formerly incarcerated individuals who have experienced reentry. One individual comes to mind, Ted Johnson. If you know him, graduated from prep, he was a wrestler. Went to Edinburgh University with me and we worked together in the dining hall. He also was incarcerated. Ted Johnson went on to serve in many capacities in probation services here in Erie and at the state and federal levels. His appointment to the Pennsylvania Parole Board in 2016 culminated in serving as chair from 2019 to June the 23rd, 2023. Some of you may know he was making a presentation at the Jefferson only four days ago. Ted is an excellent resource for determining the best ways to support reentry individuals. Then there's the Reverend and Pastor Charles Mock, former state prison chaplain. Dr. Paris Baker, sociology professor at Gannon. And Alan Brown, who you've come to know. There are many people in this community who have the expertise that is warranted to solve this problem. Given the present reality that reentry will be managed and directed by probation and parole, I advocate for a task force to identify reentry needs and gaps in social service, emphasizing how they can be met. And I ask you, this body, to sponsor a reentry intersession task force to work with probation and parole. Recruit community members like Alan Brown, Pastor Charles Mock, Dr. Paris Baker, Antonio Howard, and Ted Johnson. Come up with the real solutions that probation parole staff needs to provide so as we can move forward to address the social service needs of reentry persons. This task force can bring community voices to probation parole staffers. It would be an asset for all of us. Thank you.

Thank you.

Teresa Emler, City of Erie. I'm gonna pivot a little bit, so bear with me. I'm gonna make sure that Kate's letter gets read into the public forum. I wanted to reach out and just follow up on a recent conversation as I am extremely disheartened by what seems to be a witch hunt by some of those associated with the organization and want to make sure that my words are correctly represented how I feel in my experience with the ECRSSA program. As I expressed in my exit interview, I left my previous position with nothing but gratitude for my supervisor, Jake Kelton, and for the entire team. Throughout my time there, I felt fully supported and was given a complete autonomy over my projects within the team. Any barriers I encountered stemmed from the external influences, factors, and pushback outside of our team. not from my supervisors or colleagues. Under Jake's leadership, I experienced the environment that prioritized professional development, open communication, and creativity. He truly valued the program and consistently saw opportunities for growth, including potentially expanding on, not dismantling, the call-in model to include preventative measures. Jake and I were in agreement that it was crucial to engage our youth before they reached the point of needing call-ins. He never dismissed my ideas. Instead, he trusted my judgment and supported the decisions with shared goal of strengthening the program. Given this, like I stated earlier, I am disappointed that my comments have been distorted by individuals outside of my old team, creating a narrative that is inaccurate and ultimately damaging to the supervisor and to the team I greatly value. my intention has always been to speak honestly and respectfully about my experience and i want to ensure that my words are not used in any way that undermines those who supported my work and to put an end to the statements being attributed to me that are not and never were my own Thank you for taking the time to revisit this clarification. Please let me know if you would like to discuss anything further and feel free to forward this email to anyone who may have questions about my time at the ECRSSA program. Best, Kate Dolak. On top of that, I just wanted a couple of quick notes. Transparency would have been on February 19th after you guys realized that it was not recorded. We have been trying to go with this co-governance. That means us walking side by side with you. So transparency would have been put out the minutes, have everybody who attended sign it, and approve what happened during that meeting. We don't even know the full attendance of that meeting because of this. transparency would have been having a discussion before moving it to the second read allow the citizens to have an opportunity to actually speak upon it allow like some of the other councils in this county to actually have a hearing in the moment before that second read was completed um i know my time is done just We are still fighting for justice for cello. We are still fighting for the body cam use in our community. We're about to go forward with the pilot program. Act 22 would require them to even pay to see the video that they are part of. This is going to be part of the probation program. Let's try to talk to Pennsylvania. We need to get this rescinded for this pilot program. And just one other super quick note. This is just kind of like silly, but, you know, when we do the quotes in the beginning, maybe since it's like Pride Month, maybe have a quote about Pride Month or from a notable person in the Pride community. Thank you.

Thank you.

Michael Keys, Erie, Pennsylvania. I too am alarmed about the reentry program and the fact that there was only one vote. You know, having been a former council person myself, the only time we ever went to a second vote is if we had a funding deadline or something where a grant had to be filed before we had another meeting. We never did it for just a regular occurrence or for normal business. And so I just wanted to make a note of that and maybe as going forward, you know, that that might be the protocol you might would like to adopt. Two things. One, I wanted to explain what a BIPOC is for business. the record and for the people and for people who are appointed to diverse Erie and other boards who are part of their bylaws to supposed to be supporting BIPOCs. BIPOCs are black, indigenous people of color. They do not include brown people, from other places. And when you look at who's getting the money, you know, Mr. Horton lobbied really hard to make sure that that money was set aside for the black community. And all of a sudden, it doesn't have to be black, even though it said black and BIPOC. So I wanted council to know what a BIPOC is. And if your people that you appointed or that you associate with do not know, I would like for you to pass that along to them. The other thing is, so my degree is in criminal justice. And I can emphatically say that this is not a best practice anywhere in this country to put more resources into a already failing resource. When I was in school, we were taught that the probation and parole departments were supposed to acclimate you to reentry. So if they had been already doing their jobs, there would not even need to be a reentry program. But putting the reentry program under there creates a conflict of interest. Why would I go to somebody and say, hey, I'm having a problem. Hey, I slipped up. Hey, I may have fallen off the wagon. When that person can go across the hall and tell the person who's supervising me, hey, you might have to go test that guy. He just told me that he did this or he did that, even though it was unreported or it went unnoticed. So Those are things you have to think about when you incorporate something like this into a government program. Thank you.

Hello, hello. My name is Will Swick. I am a Mill Creek resident. I'm here to comment on ECR SSA. I'll be very brief on it because I am not nearly as educated as some of the folks behind me, although I want to thank them for educating me over the last several weeks. I really want to echo Marty's sentiment earlier about despite a lot of mess, which is what the situation has become, there is still an opportunity for clear transparency and communication on the part of this body with citizens of Erie. I would highly encourage each of you individually on this body to consider attending or even setting up a town hall type event to address this issue because a very lengthy conversation is needed to provide clarity. You know, very recently, Mr. Cooley held an event at 1020 Collective, and as someone who is young in the county of Erie and finds it very hard to sift through information and to understand what is going on, that was a really great event that provided folks in Erie the opportunity to talk to those who have authority in the community. And again, just if I could say everything Marty said, which I don't have this time, I would say it. I think Marty makes a really great point. I also want to briefly address an idea related to the topic of public forums in general. Recently in the primaries, there was already elected officials running for state committee seats and by doing that they are consolidating the amount of people who are representing our community. I think that's a really big mistake. I think public officials should do the opposite and they should focus on getting more people to represent our community. I want more representation. I want more folks to represent Erie because Erie is a very diverse place. If we consolidate those who are representing the larger population, I think that's a failure. I think that's a mistake. And one more time, there is still time to make this mess regarding ECR SSA rights. I have no idea and I cannot imagine what it's like to have the authority you folks have. I imagine that adds a lot of pressure to your daily lives. It's okay to admit not understanding the topic fully. I'm not trying to accuse you of that, but if that's the case, just be honest with us about it, right? That's what we want as citizens of Erie. We just want honesty and we want dialogue. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, everyone. Nice to see you again. My name is Mimi O'Connor. I live in the city of Erie. From my understanding, ECRSSA has a verified track record of success, and I'm thinking of those who have benefited and could continue to benefit, reducing recidivism, strengthening families, connecting individuals returning from incarceration with highly effective community-based support services, to just put it briefly, and in the purpose of not being redundant with all of the incredible information that was already shared tonight. I just want to say that in my mind, success has many forms, and programs that contribute to shifting perception of rehabilitation from punitive to positive and productive is critical in reducing the stigma and isolation, in acknowledging the importance of trauma-informed care, in responding to those formerly incarcerated in a direct and practical way in order to lift them to grow and continue to grow upward and to not fall back down. It's a human thing. The direct and only way to do this is a program that clearly not only tells them but shows them this. I see you and I recognize your worth. Humanizing one another by treating each other humanely. From all accounts that to my knowledge, I can glean is that ECRSSA has done this magnificently, and I cannot understand how they could not be allowed to continue this incredibly valuable work to say, we see you. You are worthy. Here, let's show you how second chances work. You're not alone. Everybody deserves this help. Everyone deserves this hope. And, you know, today being June 2nd, it's one more month until the one-year memorial of the death of Marcello Woodard, who was murdered by his probation officer. So I make this request in his honor. Rescind. May Cello rest in peace. May his family be comforted. Thanks again.

Thank you. Is there anybody else that would like to speak?

Abdullah, Washington, Erie County. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE WORDS. I'M HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS WHOLE PROCESS. THERE ARE PEOPLE, SOME 600 PEOPLE, WHO ARE IN THESE VARIOUS REENTRY PROGRAMS, AND THESE, OF COURSE, ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTY. IT JUST RELATES TO SOMETHING THAT I EXPERIENCED AS THE YOUNGEST OF A LITTLE group of my brother and my cousin Ishmael you know when you don't have supervision a lot of times as parents we wonder if things are going to go wrong and how wrong are they going to go and I was the baby of the group my brother and Ishmael disturbed something in the house and literally broke a cookie jar and they pointed at me when our mother came home and said well who broke it and I was the baby. They didn't expect that I'd be able to talk for myself. Some of you guys are really young to this council and new to this council, maybe not necessarily young on politics, Jim. But if you can't speak up for yourselves, that's why the people are here. That's why we're here. You can reach out to your constituents who care and who have compassion where others may not. You're not alone. Jim, everything isn't a party. And Rock, when I spoke with you, I decided to hold back on commenting about the matter because we've seen this happen in the library before. Every time something has to happen right now, there's usually some mess involved in it that people don't want other people to know about. And so that should be your cue to reach out to us, to rely on us. Some of these people, They're just like old crocodiles. Once they get you, they want to drag you down that little swamp and roll you over a couple times. But you may not know about that. You may think everything can just happen here in front of everybody. But you have to rely on the people who voted you in. Body cameras are great for transparency, but we need transparency here. You can't have one and it's a substitute for the other. It doesn't work that way. You're not babies. When we're not here, we have to worry about who's going to stand for us. We have to be concerned about are we going to be told the truth for the most vulnerable people in our community? I want to say shame on you all, but there's still time. You can still rescind some of these decisions you've made. But just like the library, the damage, a lot of the damage is already done. So we can't unbreak a broken cookie jar, can we? I need you guys to be bigger than you are. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anybody else that would like to speak?

Thank you. My name is Jason Reynolds. I'm an Erie County resident. Um, appreciate the time. I wanted to, uh, maybe clarify some things. I work for a local employer, larger employer. Um, I'm speaking on behalf of myself personally. Um, I did a lot of work together with the reentry program under, uh, Alan Brown and, uh, and Jake Kelton, uh, amazing work. Uh, we, we placed, uh, actually well over 30 folks. Um, quite a large amount of them are still working for us now. Um, Again, they did a great job of vetting these folks out. I think they did a great job of helping the wider community accept that, uh, this is something that can work. Um, it certainly works really well for us, uh, or at least it did until, until recent. I, uh, I was really disappointed to hear that the program was no more. I understand it may have been transferred. Uh, I think that maybe you would consider, uh, I think there might be a conflict of interest to where it was transferred to. Okay. Um, I think it's important that, uh, folks, you know, reentering the community get meaningful employment. And I don't think that means nothing against McDonald's and some of the fast food places. I think a lot of folks think they're great, but I don't think those are the kind of jobs that are going to keep these folks out of incarceration. Um, I think they're looking for what I would call meaningful employment, you know, that carries things that will keep them engaged in, in the communities that you folks all represent. Um, And I think maybe from what I understood, you guys got a lot of bad information, and I just wanted to maybe help clarify that from an employer's perspective, even though I'm speaking on behalf of myself. Again, they did great work over there. I would love to see you folks rescind what you may have done. From what I understand, there's still time to do that. And I just wanted to add a little clarity to the situation, make sure you guys had the full picture, if you will. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anybody else that would like to speak?

My name is Paul Gamble, Erie resident. I've been a reentry specialist for over 20 years. I worked for the Federal Probation Office for over 12 years. community resource, workforce development, and reentry specialists. I called the first meeting in the U.S. courthouse for ECRSSA. We didn't call it ECRSSA. We just knew we needed a reentry program. I called that first meeting at courthouse, brought over 50 concerned citizens, community leaders, and people working out of the prisons into that courthouse. I was part of the initial three years of planning. for this project, three years. I've devoted 16 years of my life to reentry. I retired from the probation office about three years ago, but I kept my hand on the pulse of what's going on with ECRSSA. I know all the people involved. I know all its problems before, after, during, and whatever. I met Jake, met Mark, knew Caitlin, and Alan. That was the first time in all the years since the program was initiated that I felt confident, wow, we finally got a team that knows what the hell reentry is all about. I'm not going into any detail. My resume, my experience, my education speaks for itself. If you want to know anything, you never ask me, but you listen to other folks about why the programs weren't working. No one at this table called me. You didn't ask me. You didn't ask other folks like me who don't, who actually know. You listened to a couple other folks that highly suspect. But anyway, I think you guys just made a bad decision. You need to revisit it. And if you really need to talk or want to ask me what I know or what my experience in this whole deal is, you can get in touch with me. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anybody else that would like to speak? Is there anybody else that would like to speak?

Good evening, Council. My name is Casey Walker and tonight I stand before you guys for the very first time hoping to share a perspective on Senate Bill 120 through education, evidence, and maybe a little rhyme. While cannabis is being debated, questioned, and delayed, alcohol is sold on every corner, proudly taxed, and proudly displayed. Yet according to public health data, year after year, it has been found about 178,000 American deaths are linked to alcohol around. Meanwhile, cannabis has helped improve my quality of life helping me find more peace and less stress in a world filled with strife. It doesn't start bar fights. It doesn't make me want to drive a car through someone's mailbox in the middle of the night. And thankfully, I've never heard of anyone getting arrested for singing too many karaoke songs while using cannabis. Now, before anybody worries that I'm trying to ask you to pass a bill blind, I'm asking you something different, and I hope that you'll keep it in mind. I would like to offer a friendly challenge to every council member here. Take a cannabis education course sometime this year. Learn about cannabinoids. Learn about the terpenes. Learn what the science actually means. Learn the difference between facts and fear so when legislation reaches your desk, you will feel comfortable and clear. But because the best laws are not written by guesswork or by chance, they're written by people willing to learn before they take a stance. If Senate bill one 20 moves forward, PA will need leaders who understand the plant leaders who can improve the bill where needed and support it where they can. I make this challenge respectfully because it is one I've taken myself. I've already graduated twice from CTU and I would strongly recommend and the experience to any elected official willing to learn. sorry this is very hard for me in fact i'd love nothing more than to sit down afterward and compare notes because good policy starts with good information and good information starts with education and i wrote you guys a poem i hope i have time if not it's okay it's called pick your plant They built a bar on every corner, lined the shelves with polished grief, sold us sunsets in a bottle, called the numbness sweet relief. Then whispered low about a garden, quiet and green, soft and strange. Not that plant, they said in warning. That one bends the rules of change. But I've been thinking, funny really, how the rules were neatly spun. One plant linked with empty chairs, one still reaching for the sun. If you had two seeds before you, one that soothes and one that steals, would you cage the one that quiets and crown the one that wounds and kills? We toast to things we won't remember. We grieve the things we did not choose. We bury more than towns each year. and still defend the thing we use. Hey, if freedom is more than just a slogan, and if choice is something we defend, why fear the leaf that asks for peace more than the drink that breaks and bends? Maybe it's time we changed the story, pulled up the roots, saw what's true, not every vice deserves a prison not every norm is good for you so here's my question plain and simple no disguise and no appeal if one plant helps a hurting body and one just helps us not to feel why then are we being told which one can be legal and to that i say please give the power to your people thank you thank you is there anybody else that would like to speak

Is there anybody else who would like to speak?

Hi there. My name is Julia Jacobs. I'm a resident of the east side of the city of Erie. I just graduated with my bachelor's in psychology and also minor in crime law and public policy. So I don't have a lot of understanding of this specific program, but generally speaking, I do. But I'm mainly here to point out the lack of accountability and transparency. Because that is the bare minimum of your position and your duty to provide us with. And just because we're used to corruption in this country does not mean that we're going to take it here in one of the closest bodies that we actually have access to demand representation from. I do understand that between you guys there should be a team dynamic that is really important to make sure progress gets done. But at the same time, you have to ensure that you are prioritizing your constituents and not the comfort, convenience of each other. Because I can imagine that when these decisions are being made, it is quite easier and more familiar to just lean on each other and not the constituents who elected you to do this job. But that is entirely unacceptable. And what we have witnessed so far is, in my opinion, a clear violation of the Sunshine Act. And again, you were elected to represent your constituents' best interests, not make shady decisions behind closed doors and blatantly disregarding the opinions of those who elected you. We're not being, excuse my French, but pain in the asses just for fun. We are here because you're not justly and effectively doing the job that we elected you to do. This event has caused a breach of public trust, as mentioned earlier, which now requires, I'm not just encouraging, I'm telling you that this requires a considerate and thorough response of accountability, paired with change in your future behaviors. Because an apology without change is manipulation, and we will no longer be manipulated. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anybody else that would like to speak? Is there anybody else that would like to speak? Is there anybody else that would like to speak? Thank you. Reports from county officials. County executive, Mr. Groner.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good evening, council. I'll be real brief. Just some of the items that administration's been working on this week. We had our first labor roundtable. We're initiating a quarterly meeting with the Great Lakes Trade Council. Thank you for those who were able to join that conversation. We really want to support the initiatives that they have going for training programs and to help spread awareness of those. And I think it was a good start. with that first round table. The plan after this is actually to tour their training facilities and help get the word out of the opportunities that are available to folks in Erie County. We also asked them to take a look at the draft for the responsible contracting ordinance. That's why you haven't seen it yet. I wanted to give them a shot at this. So we think that we'll be ready probably for next meeting. Planning Department hosted a public meeting yesterday on the MPO's Transportation Improvement Plan, long-term plan. So there were two meetings yesterday and a lot of public feedback on the 2027 to 2030 draft. We had an EMS meeting with South County EMS service providers and various communities in the South County. I think it was a good conversation. as we look for ways to stabilize that effort and hopefully be able to get the communities to collaborate a little more closely with one another. So we'll be following up on that too. Working on the three-year plan, and as I've mentioned before, it'll have a little bit of a new look as we also plan to introduce a mid-year report, which is going to give us a snapshot of where things are make sure that we're tracking where we need to be halfway through the year I think it's it helps both administration and council to see that and it's also going to help us prepare come budget time and finally spoke with each department and have asked them to prepare just some brief updates so that starting in Council meetings in the near future We'll be inviting the various departments to give all of you a very brief update on what they're doing There's a lot of good work being done and I think it's important that we share that not just with council but with with everyone here as well, so that might have a little different look moving forward and It's about all I have for now. Thank you, sir

Finance Committee, Mr. Drexel.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On May 14th, the Finance Committee met. We bring forward old business A and B, new business A through C and H. Thank you.

Personnel Committee, Mr. Copeland. Yes.

And the Personnel Committee also met on May 14th, bring forward new business items D through G and I and J.

Thank you. Any other reports? You're going to move on to old business. That's Joe cut.

Ordinance number 41 2026 2026 children and youth services fund budget revised expenditures of $345,000 for creation of expense line items for court ordered placements.

So move.

Second. Any discussion? Ms. Chilcott?

Mr. Copeland? Yes. Mr. Drexel? Yes. Mrs. Showerman? Yes. Mr. Wertz? Yes. Mr. Winarski? Yes. Mr. Bale? Yes. Chairman Skotella?

Yes.

Ordinance number 42, 2026, first 2026 mental health intellectual disabilities fund budget supplemental appropriation of $346,454 for additional revenue in calendar year 2026.

So moved.

Second. Any discussion? Ms. Chilcott?

Mr. Drexel?

Yes.

Mrs. Showerman? Yes. Mr. Wertz? Yes. Mr. Wynarski?

Yes.

Mr. Bale? Yes. Mr. Copeland? Yes. Chairman Scatella?

Yes. New business?

First reading of ordinance number 44, 2026, amending Article 3, Section 1D4 and Article 3, Section 2E1 and E2 of the Administrative Code to approve the use of an electronic bidding process for all competitive bids and requests for proposal RFP for the County of Erie and repealing all inconsistent ordinances.

B.

First reading of ordinance number 45, 2026. Second, 2026 drug and alcohol fund budget supplemental appropriation of $614,508 for additional revenue received from the PA department of drug and alcohol.

See.

First reading of ordinance number 46, 2026. First 2026 capital projects fund budget supplemental appropriation of $491,158 for additional revenue received from the Erie Regional Library Foundation for renovations.

D.

FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NUMBER 47, 2026, SIXTH 2026 GENERAL FUND BUDGET SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION OF $74,082 FOR CREATION OF DATA GOVERNANCE ADMINISTRATOR POSITION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT. First reading of ordinance number 48, 2026. 2026 planning fund budget revised revenue and expenditures of $74,082 for elimination of GIS administrator position.

F. Mr. Chair, after the public defender spoke with us in caucus, I would like to make a motion to move up to a second.

Second. Any discussion? Mr. Chair. Mr. Copeland.

There's a genuine tension around some of these things.

To speak to Michael Keyes'

perspective from his time on council. You know, when it is appropriate or not appropriate to move something to a second read, you know, sometimes it might be a concern about a lapse of services. Sometimes it might be, to your point, like a deadline for funding. And there are times like this one where a department is looking to fill a position. They have a candidate. They really want to bring them on. they viewed this vote as largely perfunctory like we don't refuse a lot of these for much cause and we had a pretty intense debate and and back and forth and the department really wants it to be moved to a second for me public defense is one of my big issues like I care a lot about and I want to make sure that we have a full staff and make sure that we have representation there but then there's this tension that we do here that the public wants an opportunity and somebody mentioned something that the extent of why what about this would people want to comment on and sometimes we don't know we don't know what the general public would be engaged in and we might see something as largely perfunctory or or really necessary to move to a second rate so i suspect you're going to see a split a vote here um based on that perspective about you know something that seems largely small on the grand scheme of things and whether or not we should move it to a second read. But just kind of wanted to acknowledge that tension and split viewpoints. And if somebody moves it to a second and they agree, it might be because of their commitment to the public defense and consider that those thought processes are occurring when we do that.

Thank you. Any other discussion?

Mr. Chairman, as Mr. Copeland said, I too share a great interest in the Public Defender's Office. They're currently sitting on thousands of cases that they're trying to work their way through. I am, as I think Mr. Washington pointed out earlier, the newest member of council. And it has been, in many ways, one of the greater learning curves of my professional and public experience. To that end, I'm certainly more cautious of requests to move things to a second read now. And I wish that we had not done that then. Like all of you who are in positions of, in some decision making capacity, you rely on others to bring you information and you make judgments about whether or not the people bringing you that information have collected it and done so. in an appropriate manner. It was my belief in that meeting that the people bringing us the information had done so in a way that they saw in the best light possible. We know now that much of that, I think, needs to be reviewed. That being said, cause of the backlogs in the public defender's office. And listen, the folks that are waiting in that queue have a right to expedient justice and to be seen in front of the courts. And if we don't have the personnel to do that, that can't happen in a fast way. So while I am certainly more cognizant of the impact of moving some of these things to a second read. I am in favor of moving this particular position and this request to a second read in order that we might be able to better serve folks who are in that queue.

Thank you. Anybody else?

Since we're clarifying all this, yeah, for sure. If I could go back, I would definitely have voted for that to be a second read. I think there should be a second read as well. Sorry, I'm pulling an Andre Horton too far away from the mic. Yeah, like you say, sometimes you make mistakes, make a judgment. You think people are bringing you information and that, you know, it's 100% true. What you're reviewing all seems to line up. I did have a definite problem with it being under probation. That makes zero sense whatsoever to me that you're reporting the probation and that. But I didn't feel like I was moving any mountains with my colleagues getting that to change. But as far as this vote, I'm voting against this moving to a second read. I do support the Public Defender's Office, of course. clearly the feedback that I've been given the entire time that I've been on council is we shouldn't be moving things to second read public wants to have the opportunity to see things and be able to comment and interact with us and I'm going to look forward to you know respecting that moving forward anybody else

I'll just add that, as the public defender told us, his office is drowning. And he has a person that's part-time that is willing to go full-time, and he needs that to happen as soon as possible. Thank you.

Thank you. Anybody else? Ms. Chilcott.

Mrs. Schauermann?

Yes.

Mr. Wertz? Yes. Mr. Winarski? Yes. Mr. Bale? Yes. Mr. Copeland? No. Mr. Drexel? No. Chairman Skotella?

Yes.

And the motion carries five to two.

Now voting on second read.

We'll do the first read and the second read. Second read of ordinance number 49 2026 2026 appointed official salary full-time assistant public defender so moved second any discussion

Just as a point, our solicitor did clarify with the public defender's office that there was no violation to anybody getting a speedy trial that was going to occur. So that left us the ability to move forward without a second read and it wasn't going to violate anybody's rights to a speedy trial. Just so everybody has all the information that was discussed.

Anybody else?

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Go ahead.

In his defense, he did say that he didn't believe that was going to happen, but that he couldn't predict the future. So rather safe than sorry.

I was basically going to say the same thing, that he said that there were thousands of cases on their list, and he's not sure if that would happen to any of them.

Any other discussion? Ms. Chilcott.

Mr. Wertz. Yes. Mr. Wynarski. Yes. Mr. Bale. Yes. Mr. Copeland. Yes. Mr. Drexel.

No.

Mrs. Showerman. Yes. Chairman Skotella.

Yes.

Motion carries six to one.

G. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to amend G from a part time assistant public defender to a full time Assistant public defender, position number 3600-003 at a salary of 36.75 per hour or an annualized salary of $71,662.50. Second. Any discussion? Still a first read.

Mr. Wynarski? Yes. Mr. Bale? Yes. Mr. Copeland? Yes. Mr. Drexel?

Yes.

Mrs. Schauermann? Yes. Mr. Wertz? Yes. Chairman Skutella?

Yes.

Resolution number 22, 2026, directing the county executive to convene relevant parties to develop reasonable accommodations for the use of mobile devices at public meetings held within the courthouse.

Motion.

So moved. Second.

Any discussion? Mr. Chairman. Mr. Bale.

I don't have any problem with the discussion regarding this topic. I just don't like, we went through four years of debating who told who what to do between the administration and council. So I'm not in favor of this purely because I don't think that council should be directing the administration, regardless of who the county executive is, to do anything. We've already initiated discussion. We've already, with the courts, with the administration, we are taking steps to address the issue that you've brought forward. I just don't know that it needs to be in the form of a resolution telling the county executive or directing the county executive on what to do.

Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Wertz.

This resolution is one of the, I think, small acts that we can take in order to correct this issue. I've already spoken with the county executive and the county executive's office who are in favor of making a change to this policy. But this is bigger than just our meeting. There are other meetings that are held in these chambers. There are other meetings that are held in courtroom H. And I think we've all been present in courtroom H for ceremonial activities where folks don't have access to their phones to take pictures or to help celebrate with their friends and family. I've been at some where folks tried to open cell phones. Members of the courthouse staff have tried to open cell phones for people, but there were simply too many people there. There were 250 people. I think the swearing in in January was one of those one of those situations. And so while this resolution may be viewed by some as unnecessary, I think it's important, it's an important stance to take, it's an important action and an important step forward that is not done with a sword to the back of the administration. Someone mentioned governing and partnership earlier, and I recognize that was a partnership between the community and county government. But we also have a recent history of not so much partnership within county government. And I think that this resolution is a culmination of that partnership. So I want to make clear that all parties are on board, that the conversation needs to take place, and that a reasonable accommodation needs to be made, that yet being undefined. But this is the first step, and I think the action that we need to take here tonight in order to continue moving this ball forward.

Any other discussion?

Mr.

Chair, if I can.

Mr. Cope.

I want to thank my colleague, Councilman Wertz, for authoring and putting forward this resolution. I have a tendency sometimes to walk around the courthouse and just have lots of conversations and try to get some buy-in and just use those conversations to effectuate change. And Councilman Wertz is very much more, let's put it out in public and we're going to show people that we're fighting for this change.

It's something we want to do, and I appreciate that about him.

One of the things I've taken to tell a lot of people, I think you probably heard me say it before, you think of county government as county council and the county executive, but in reality, county government is 21 elected officials in a trench coat, not including MDJs. So it's a lot of elected voices that have different powers within this courthouse, their own specific lane that we try to stay out of. You know, let them have their lane and we have ours. And so this really is the kind of conversation that requires convening to make sure that all the elected officials are on the same page for this policy. And I appreciate Mr. Wertz putting it to the forefront to make sure such a meeting happens.

Thank you. Anybody else?

I'll just say that I have no problem with the discussion taking place, but I agree with our Councilman Bale and our solicitor that we don't need a resolution directing the county executive to do something. We can have these conversations without that. Thank you.

Anybody else?

I'd just like to add, Mr. Chair, same as Ms. Schauerman here, conversations are being had. They've been out in caucus at our finance and personnel meetings. I know the administration is well aware of this. We're just, whether we got to make a resolution out of it is one thing according to our solicitor and not saying I always believe whether I agree with my solicitor or our solicitor and this or that, but he's saying it's something that could even be possibly tabled for now and revisit it, we have time to possibly have more discussions on this and go to the proper parties that were involved with the courts mainly. Thank you.

I, too, agree with some of my college colleagues that we don't need a resolution. The county executive knows what's going on, and I'm sure she will do the right thing and have her meetings. Call for the question, please.

Mr. Bale.

No.

Mr. Copeland. Yes. Mr. Drexel. Yes. Mrs. Showerman. No. Mr. Wertz. yes mr winarski no chairman scatella no the motion fails three to four possible appointment of joel natale to the erie county community college board of trustees term to expire august 31st 2026.

Second. Any discussion? Ms. Chilcott.

Mr. Copeland. Yes. Mr. Drexel. Yes. Mrs. Showerman. Yes. Mr. Wertz.

Yes.

Mr. Wynarski. Yes. Mr. Bale. Yes. Chairman Scutella.

Yes. Jay.

Possible appointment of Sherry Heasley to the Erie County Housing Authority, term to expire March 31, 2031. So moved.

Second. Any discussion? Mr. Chilcott.

Mr. Drexel.

Yes.

Yes. Mrs. Showerman. Yes. Mr. Wertz. Yes. Mr. Winarski. Yes. Mr. Bale. Yes. Mr. Copeland. Yes. Chairman Skotella.

Yes. The next finance and personnel committee meeting are Thursday, June 18, 2026. Next regular meeting is June 22. Motion to adjourn. Maybe just state that that is a change from that is a tentative change from the meeting because of Having some employees missing