City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you for doing that.

Are you?

I got my regular. I'm just now talking about it. I don't know. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Because that was like the closest one in the state. I'm like, oh, because I'm going through looking at what county, county, county. I'm like, oh, right.

And I'm like, oh, Rust Belt Riders. Feel true. Yeah, I saw that.

I was like, boy, but you know. operation all of that right

Yeah.

Oh. Alright, we will call to order the June 1st meeting of Council. If you're able, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Now pause for a moment of silence.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Vice President Baker, absent. Council Member Bixenstein. Here. Council Member Bullock.

Here.

Council Member Evans.

Here.

President Keppel. Here. Council Member Hamilton-Steiner. Here. Council Member Striebig.

Here.

Without objection, I'll excuse the absence of Vice President Baker. Reading and disposal of the minutes of the regular meeting of council held May 18, 2026. Move to approve without the necessity of a reading.

Second.

Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor?

Aye. And that motion passes. Item one, communication from President Keppel regarding council board and commission appointments.

Dear colleagues, the following two pieces of legislation are intended to make appointments to the city's Community Reinvestment Area Housing Council and the local Board of Tax Review. Like most of the city's boards and commissions, these bodies are comprised of a combination of appointments from both council and the mayor. In this case, council has two appointments to make to each of these bodies. Earlier this year, council and the administration put out a joint call for applicants for these vacancies. Though the quality of the applications was high, the volume of applications was low. At this time, I propose that council consider moving forward to fill these positions with the applicants on hand and then strategize ways to identify additional suitable candidates to fill the remaining positions. And I'll just add to this, well first I'll move to receive and file this communication.

Second.

Motion's been made and seconded. And then in discussion I just want to add because tonight we have such an extremely short docket, one thought would be to move these two items that follow this communication, the two resolutions to the end of our agenda after public comment and do a quick executive session to, figure out our appointments so that these can move forward if folks are amenable to that. All right. I'm seeing a lot of nods, which for the record. All right. So any further discussion on the motion to receive and file the communication? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. And that motion passes. Yes, so without objection, let's move items two and three to after the public comment section.

Item 4 communication from Councilmember Striebig regarding all gender residents. Member Striebig.

Thank you, dear colleagues. Thank you, President Keppel. Thank you, Mayor George. Thank you, City of Lakewood Law Department for hearing the community members concerns. And working together to make changes that will benefit and more fully include many of our neighbors. As we've heard, as we've heard from the community, including the Lakewood Youth Council and discussed here on the stairs, Gender-neutral single-use restrooms solve many problems for a variety of citizens in different situations. Older individuals that need assistance, parents with children, women, and the LGBTQIA plus community members that might be questioned or even threatened for going to pee will all benefit from this resolution. Imagine yourself in a public, I'm sorry, imagine yourself in public and nature calls. Cisgender people would probably look for a sign with a stick figure with a dress or a pair of pants and take care of their business. For a transgender person and many in the LGBTQIA plus community, this may not be as easy and instead bring anxiety, exclusion, and even danger. It's time that we stop this nonsense and make gender neutral single use restrooms the norm instead of the exception. With city leadership under Mayor George, the resources to encourage change, and a community that values progress, we can help bring dignity and respect to all of our neighbors. Thank you.

Thank you. I'll first move to receive and file the communication.

Second.

Motion's been made and seconded. Discussion? I'd just like to thank Council Member Stubig for bringing this forward. I'm happy to co-sponsor the resolution. I also want to thank the members of the Youth Council for your advocacy on this issue, very important to many in our community, including my own family, and members of our ADA task force as well who have brought up this issue for reasons of accessibility, as Council Member Stubig mentioned in the communication. Council Member Bickstenstein.

Thank you, President Keppel, and thank you, Council Member Striebig and the administration for bringing this forward. You know, I think, you know, in addition to the safety, the inclusion, the equal access, and I know you touched on when you're parenting littles of the opposite gender, this is very important. useful as a caregiver. And then there's also, you know, this may be not as important as some of those elements, but from an efficiency standpoint, you know, we've all experienced restrooms where there's gender restrooms and one has a slow moving line and the other one walk right in. And so there's just, there's a host of reasons. And I really appreciate you bringing this to the floor this evening.

Council Member Evans.

Thanks. Yeah, I agree. Thank you, Councilperson Strebeck, for bringing this forward and also for the Youth Council. Just you can see actually speaking up, you know, works and has results. So thank you for all your time and effort on this. Your actions make a difference. So I appreciate all that you do for us.

Thank you. Other councilmembers? All right. On the motion to receive and file the communication, all those in favor? Aye. And that motion passes.

Item 5, resolution 202634, a resolution to encourage businesses and other places of public accommodation within the city of Lakewood to convert single user gender specific restrooms to gender neutral restrooms.

Move to adopt. Second. Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. And that motion passes. All right. We do have a copy of the ceremonial resolution. So anyone who would like to join us for a picture down front, we will be presenting that to the Youth Council, but we are going to... Oh, did we have anyone signed in to speak on this? I'm sorry, I should have checked on that. Thank you. That's okay. Did anyone want to speak on this? You're welcome to come up and speak. Yep, when you come up, just push, you guys know, you're pros, but just push the button so it's green and state your name for the record. There you go. You got it. Perfect.

Hello. I am Amelia or Mel Deamer and I am chair of the Lakewood Youth Council. And I just want to thank you so much for looking at this resolution for us. I have had many friends have been harassed in bathrooms or have just like not gone to the bathroom for hours at a time due to like inaccessibility. So I know this means a lot to the youth of Lakewood and also just people that are taking care of other people that are a different gender than them. So I thank you greatly for this.

I'm Cora Barcelona. When Councilperson Striebig approached us with this issue almost a full, oh, a little over a year ago, I didn't really know where it would lead, but I was totally on board from the first second, so thank you for that. I penned the first letter that we ended up sending, and I am so happy that I ended up making it to the floor like this, and also it's just a great way to kick off Pride Month, so thank you.

Hi, I'm Shawn. I'm a very new member to the Lakewood Youth Council. As a Lakewood citizen who's trans myself, this resolution is a big deal for me and other people like me in this city. And I also think I speak on behalf of all of us who came up to speak that we feel very grateful that We have the floor and we have the Lakewood Youth Council to be able to speak our voices. We're all very thankful for the platform that provides us and that you all took our thoughts into consideration when looking at this resolution. It means a lot to all of us and all the other youth in Lakewood. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else that wanted to speak on this? I'm sorry, I should have checked in on that first. Okay. Okay, so we are going to do a quick photo down front. We have a ceremonial copy of the resolution for you, but since we still need to get some signatures on it, so we will get it to you at your next youth council meeting, Councilwoman Striebeck, but we'll do a little picture with it first, and then we'll give it to you.

All right, so if you wanted, anyone who would like to be in the picture?

.

Item 6, report from Councilmember Hamilton-Steiner regarding May 20th meeting of the Lakewood Animal Safety and Welfare Advisory Board.

Councilmember Hamilton-Steiner.

Thank you, President Keppel. Dear colleagues, LISWAB met on Wednesday, May 20th in their monthly meeting location of the East Conference Room in Lakewood City Hall. While I could not be in attendance due to a scheduling conflict, I am able to provide this update based on meeting minutes. LeSwab held their pet food drive on Saturday, May 9th, and it was a success. 1,960 pounds of food was collected, while $587 was collected from cash donations. Volunteers from H2O provided support at the event and were very helpful. LeSwab appreciates the youth involvement. A discussion occurred regarding buildings in Lakewood that have bird-safe glass, which is a preventive way to assist migratory birds from making impact with glass windows. Each spring and summer, there are millions of birds that migrate through the area. LaSwab would like to add education regarding migratory patterns and educate the public building owners how to better assist migratory birds by installing bird-safe glass in buildings. ACO Cromley provided us monthly update reporting on animal control and shelter numbers and provided an update on their new website. The SWAB members provided some suggestions to improve accessibility. The website, while live, will continue to be updated where needed. Lastly, Chair Binder wanted me to share that ACO Cromley, Kerr, and Barkowski and the Lakewood Animal Shelter were featured in a nice article in the Lakewood Observer. Article author Deb O'Brien shared her family's experience with adopting sibling dogs. The article was informative and highlighted the work of the Lakewood Animal Shelter. I encourage everyone to read it. I may just encourage you to adopt an animal through the shelter. I move to receive and file that communication.

Second. Motion's been made and seconded. Discussion? Appreciate that report and diligence even when you couldn't be there. Thank you. All right. Motion's been made and seconded. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor?

Aye. And that motion passes. Item 7, May 2026, Finance Department Vendor Report Submitted Pursuant to Lakewood Codified Ordinance 11103. Move to receive and file.

Second.

Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor?

Aye.

And that motion passes.

Item 8, liquor permit regarding QAJ Enterprise LLC at 14,000 Detroit Avenue. I don't think we have a report on this yet. Is that correct?

That's correct, Madam President. We'll need a continuance. Okay.

Thank you. All right. I will move to defer. Second. Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor?

Aye. And that motion passes. Item 9, liquor permit regarding speed trap racing LLC at 14718 Detroit Avenue.

And we do have a report on this with no statutory reason to object. Director Vargas nodding for the record. And Council Member Evans?

No reason to object. I did meet with the owners, and it looks like it's going to be a fun project. I'll challenge you guys to a race sometime when they open. The machinery they have looks pretty amazing and sophisticated, so I'm interested in checking it out.

Interesting, OK, we'll have to. We'll have to go take a look. Make sure they have gender neutral restrooms.

All right, Councilmember stupid. Thank you, thank you. I'm glad you brought that up because specifically in this report it states that there are two general gender neutral single stall restrooms near the entrance and I'm wondering if this is now standard. when we're getting reports um chief i don't know if this is the officer that is the detective that is is um is looking at these if if that could be part of the the report i would love to see that every time um an update and a status on what do their bathrooms look like in these locations

Yes, I believe that is on most of the, because it is a requirement, obviously, to have restrooms. So going forward, for sure.

Thank you. Fantastic. Great.

Well, win-win. Yeah. All right. All right. So I will move to file with no objection.

Second.

Motion's been made and seconded. Discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? Aye. And that motion passes. All right, we are at public comment. Do we have anyone signed in? I see people here. I assume people want to speak. I don't know if we have some. Danielle or Holly, do you guys have a question? Oh, and we do have an e-comment regarding short-term rental that will be included in the minutes. All right, so first up we have Ed Rand. And when you come, mic's already on so you don't have to push anything. You'll have up to five minutes and you'll address me.

Thank you. Good evening, my name is Ed. I live on Donald Avenue and I'm lucky enough to have called Lakewood my home for my entire life. I'm here this evening to add my voice to those speaking against our continued use of flock surveillance. A recent Plain Dealer article, May 21st to be specific, detailed that despite safety measures that were in place in the city of Cleveland, more than 160 immigration-based queries were logged within 30 days. That breaks down to about 5.4 queries per day. Most of these did not come from Ohio police departments. Many, in fact, came from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. What possible reason does the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have to be repeatedly querying Cleveland flock cameras? Both of these groups participate in a program which allows local law enforcement to perform immigration enforcement activities in coordination with ICE. This is just one of several workarounds available to avoid local safeguards to prevent immigration enforcement using Flock. The alarming ease of these workarounds makes it so that even tight safeguards are not enough to protect our residents. They can submit queries under just other, other as a category, for example. Now, Cleveland is right next door, obviously. If they're being queried repeatedly, I'm willing to bet we've been queried at least a few times. The city of Lakewood has made numerous proclamations in support and defense of vulnerable communities and against state and federal overreach. It's generally shown itself to be a leader in forward-thinking policies and compassionate governance, and I do sincerely believe that. Why then should we continue to give away the data of those communities to those who mean them harm? Why continue to utilize a system which tramples on Fourth Amendment protections and abdicates our city's concept of home rule? As a father with young children, I understand the need to prioritize safety, and I understand that balancing safety and privacy can be difficult. I trust our local community police officers. I do not trust flock. As another example, Dayton, Ohio, recently decided to suspend their contract with Flock after determining that their data was used in over 7,000 immigration-related searches, again, despite safeguards to the contrary. On top of this, they've gone ahead and covered all of their city's Flock cameras. I understand the deliberative process takes time, but the example of Cleveland and Dayton shows that every day these cameras operate is an opportunity for harm to be done. I therefore urge council to take swift action to protect its most vulnerable communities and to be good stewards of our residents' privacy. Suspend the contract with Flock, and while the specifics of that are being worked out, cover our cameras so no further harm can be done. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. And I appreciate you coming to speak. I just want to follow up that we do have, this is a very concerning issue. And each of these articles that has come out has made it even more concerning. So it is something that we are actively working on. Councilwoman Hamilton-Steiner and I have a meeting with the administration. to go through to look at sort of understanding all of the technological options that are available to us and looking through our policy. As you shared, we have absolute trust in our Lakewood police, but we do want to make sure that we are protecting all of our residents in every way that we can. So thank you for bringing that forward. And we will have more to share. So stay tuned. All right. Next up is Emily Lindberg. Welcome back, Emily.

Emily Lindberg, I live on Lauderdale Avenue. Good evening, President Keppel and Council. Since I moved here 15 years ago, I have seen Lakewood make meaningful investments to our pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, such as our hawk signals, several miles of painted bike lanes, and I'm even starting to see the beginnings of some new daylighting projects such as the construction on Northland. These infrastructure improvements are important and necessary for achieving an environment that is welcoming to multimodal transportation. However, they are just one piece of the equation when it comes to making our streets safe for everyone. A little over a week ago I sent an email about recurring parking violations that pose significant safety risks to pedestrians and cyclists. And I continue to observe the same patterns throughout the city. When parking is discussed in Lakewood, many people complain that we don't have enough. But the issue I see is not a shortage of parking, it's a lack of effective curb management. On a regular basis, I observe vehicles parked directly on our sidewalks or across our sidewalks within driveways. I see vehicles parked in no parking zones near intersections and also inside of our bike lanes. These are not harmless inconveniences. They reduce visibility, block accessibility, and force pedestrians and cyclists into unsafe conditions. I recently learned that these violations are handled by patrol officers rather than parking enforcement officers. That was surprising because these are parking violations and I believe that they should be a priority for parking enforcement, not just something to be addressed when a patrol officer happens to be available. I also believe our current fines are too low to meaningfully influence behavior. If parking on a sidewalk, in a bike lane, or in a visibility zone costs little more than a minor inconvenience, most drivers will continue treating these spaces as loading zones and temporary parking. I encourage the city to explore substantially higher fines for violations that directly impact pedestrian and bicycle safety, and to consider expanding physical improvements the city is already utilizing, such as bike corrals, flex posts, and curb extensions that make illegal parking less likely in the first place. I also encourage the city to think creatively about enforcement itself. Lakewood already owns police bicycles, yet parking enforcement is typically conducted from motor vehicles that often cannot easily access the very spaces where the violations are happening. Bicycle-based parking enforcement would allow officers to more effectively monitor sidewalks bike lanes and intersection visibility zones while demonstrating the city's commitment to multimodal transportation Most importantly it would align enforcement with the perspectives of the people most affected by these violations Finally, I ask that we begin viewing curb space as one of our city's most valuable public assets. When every available space is dedicated to vehicle storage, we shouldn't be surprised when delivery drivers, contractors, rideshare vehicles, and moving trucks resort to parking on sidewalks, in bike lanes, and in visibility zones. With better curb management that includes dedicated loading zones, bike corrals, daylighted intersections, and stronger enforcement, the city can help ensure that our public right-of-way works safely for everyone. Thank you.

Thank you. That is everyone I have signed in to speak. Did anyone else wish to speak?

No?

Okay.

All right, so that brings us to the end of our public comment section. We do have the two items that I moved to the end. Before I do that, are there any announcements from council members?

Council Member Striebig? Yes, thank you. Happy Pride, everyone. We kicked off June 1st with Pride Month today. And also, I had a neighbor reach out to me about June 5th is HIV Long-Term Survivors Day. A day honors individuals that have lived with HIV for many years, particularly those diagnosed before the advent of effective treatments in 1996. It aims to raise awareness about the unique challenges and health issues faced by long-term survivors, as well as celebrate their resilience and contributions to the community. This neighbor wrote, this day is meant to commemorate those that have gone before us and those continuing in the struggle for parity as we highlight our unique and specific needs. Long-term survivors like myself include those diagnosed before 1996. Perennial survivors and those living with HIV for over a decade, we comprise 25% or more of the U.S. HIV population. So if you keep those folks in your thoughts as we enter into this season of pride, I'd appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.

Other announcements from council members? Announcements from the administration? All right. With that, we're going to head back up to Items 2 and 3.

Item 2, Resolution 2026-32, a resolution to take effect immediately appointing two volunteer citizens to serve on the Community Reinvestment Area Housing Council.

Can we read them concurrently?

Yeah. Okay. And item three, resolution 2026.33, a resolution to take effect immediately appointing two volunteer citizens to serve on the local Board of Tax Review. All right.

I'm going to, pursuant to ORC 12122G, I move to enter executive session for the purpose of considering the appointment of public officials to the CRHC and the local Board of Tax Review, and will include council staff in that motion. Motion's been made and seconded, and roll call. Oh, I don't think, I don't think, but we can, we'll include the law director if you wish to, I don't think it's necessary, but if, but you're welcome to join us, Director Argo. Or, I don't want to deprive you of your early night off, that's all, but you're very welcome to join us. Okay.

Councilmember Bixenstein?

Yes.

Councilmember Bullock? Councilmember Evans? Yes. President Keppel? Yes. Councilmember Hamilton-Steiner? Yes. Councilmember Striebig?

Yes.

All right.

So, folks, you're free to go. We're going to head to the back council.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, I guess.

Thank you.

The camera's facing this way. Sit down.

All right, we've exited executive session. And I will first, on resolution 2026-32, I'll move to defer. Second. Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. And that motion passes. And on resolution 202633, a move to amend to insert the names John Seaman and Will Costello.

Second.

Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? Yeah. Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. And that motion passes. And then I'll move to adopt as amended.

Second.

Motion's been made and seconded. Discussion? Thanks to both of these gentlemen for being willing to serve. Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. And that motion passes. And with that, no further business become before council. Without objection, we are adjourned.