City Council - Regular Meeting

Please join me for the pledge of allegiance. 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. Call the role, please. Mayor Bailey here. Vice Mayor Baitman here. Here Baker here. Here.

Welcome everyone. With us tonight we have our director of finance Mark Medler, assistant city manager Chris Wynich, clerk of council Misty Clark, city manager Dave Kennedy, city solicitor Joe Braonn, our fire chief Huber is here, police chief Michael Gabrielson, former mayor Rob Weisgber, former council members Pat Maize, Todd Osborne, and Kent Blair. Welcome. Oh, Paul Elliott. Is that everybody? I said Kent Blair. Oh, hi. How you doing? Okay.

That's true. It's a little frightening. Um, all right. So, welcome everyone. Do have a lot of uh presentations tonight. First, let's do the American Legion Post 256 presentation.

Thank you, Mayor, Councilman. Uh, I'm a uh my name is Dave Castile. past commander, American Legion 256. With me tonight, Terry Stouter, past commander, and Steve Wilson, who is the commander of the Suns auxiliary 256 over, Ohio. Uh we're here tonight to give I'd like Chief explain what we purchased for the for the uh

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much. Um, so earlier this year, our one of our officers after shortly after LSFD uh completed some of our advanced life uh saving training, I thought it would be a good idea for us to look at our the kits that we had, the first aid kits that we had. And to be honest with you, once we looked at them, it was truly that just a first aid kit. What we really needed was a trauma kit. So, we worked with LSFD. They suggested a bunch of uh updated equipment for us and it was an unfunded item in our budget. So, we've had a long-standing relationship with the Legion and we know how much they support the community and how much they support safety and safety services. So, I reached out to them to see, you know, how they how they could help us. So, what we ended up with was we have a new trauma pack. So, last year, you might remember, we were up here and they completed the AEDs for all of our cruisers. So, we now have AEDs in all of our cars. So, this is now for us a one-stop. You know, the officer just has to grab this kit. Our AED will fit in here. And essentially, again, from advice from the fire department, what this is is if it will help us stop an overdose. So, there's Narcan in here. If it will help us stop bleeding. So, we have bandages, tourniquets, chest seals, or if it will help start breathing. So, if we try all life-saving measures, we actually have a life vac in here, which you might have seen those. They're kind of like a a suction cup for. So, that's kind of, you know, we try everything else first, and that's the the last ditch effort to try and get someone breathing if they're choking again. So again, it was an unfunded item for us. It's something we wouldn't have been able to do this year, but because of the support of the Legion, now we have them. They will be in every single car that we have on the road, including our unmarked cars. So, thank you very much.

Thank you. Well done.

Present the check for $4,760.40. All right. Wow. VERY much appreciated. Can we do a picture? Come on up front, gentlemen.

Give me that shirt. One more. I'm sorry.

Stay down there. Tell them we'll fix it. Bring that. All right. Right. Next, we have the 2026 Lewis G. Rockwood Community Service Volunteer Award.

Hello everybody. I'm uh Vice Mayor Baitman and I'm just uh delighted to be uh presenting this uh Lewis Crop Community Service Volunteer Award to uh Mark Kolowski. And I'll I'll read the nomination because I spent some time on this to try to encapsulate how I feel about about Mark's commitment to recycling in the downtown. So Mark has been a recycling advocate for many years in our community and in fact he keeps a running tabulation of the manual effort and the stats that he keeps are beyond impressive. I think currently it's almost it's close to a million individual pieces that Mark has personally uh rerouted to the proper recycling stream. His advocacy and dialogue with the city throughout this time has helped to identify grant funding from Hamilton County which once awarded resulted in uh an abundance of uh more recycling bins to the downtown area. And this hits home for me personally because I remember uh many many years ago uh when I was first starting uh uh you know considering joining and volunteering myself that was a a piece of uh unsolicited feedback I gave to the city as they needed more downtown recycling bins. I' I'd find myself carrying an item, wanting to properly dispose of it and uh and not really having the means to do so. So, uh the fact that uh that Mark took this uh to heart and took it so personally uh to that desire to see change in his community, we pursued the means to do so and that that uh commitment has become a reality and and we we've helped to grant that request. And I think that the work that Mark does really reflects the kind of citizen involvement that strengthens a community. He saw a practical need, stayed engaged, and helped encourage a response that made a visible difference for residents and for visitors alike. Mark's recently taken these pursuits across the world to different parts uh of uh of Asia and and um and

understanding that this is a global need, a human need, and and he's meeting the similar needs uh in far-flung places. his actions really truly remind us about the value of sustainability that it has for communities and how uh it can really help to set the tone and and set an example. So his example reminds us that that there really is that transformational power. Uh it's embedded in incremental everyday choices that compound over time and I think uh it's been a long time coming for the city to make a formal recommendation and recognition for Mark. So, for those reasons, I would like to present Mark with the 2026 City of Loveland Lewis uh G. Rockwood Award.

You want to say a few words?

Sure. Let me grab my notebook real quick because I went to Kent State and Kent State's always been a bit of an underdog story in the College Football World Series and or in the college football world. That's kind of how I feel about myself and how I've gone about the recycling side of things, the underdog story. So, uh, the team actually gave that to me a couple years ago when they were 0 and 12. No one went, no or no one went to the games and they just liked that I kept on going to the games even though they were 0 and 12. So, I'm one of those types of guys. So, um yeah, again I just I started this July 5th, 2022 and uh just first year I think was 90,000 I picked up items. Second year turned into 129,000 and then my eyes just really started to open up during the third year about like all the different opportunities that I saw and I first had a meeting with Dave Kennedy. I think we bonded over some Mac like football since you went to Miami and uh we just we added some recycling bins in the top lots and then I remember there are two other parks we added the village anniversary and the east loveland park and then started to tackle the downtown area and it's really coming along nicely and as Andy mentioned got the grant going um that is renewable by the way so I've already talked to I've already talked to the same lady and she knows

she told me you called. She's waiting. She's waiting for us to do another one. Use another 10 15 bins. But anyways, um yeah, just grateful to be here and happy to help out. So, thank you very much.

I do one with the helmet. Sure. All right. You want to walk around, Mark? And shake everybody's hand. Go around. I'll get exactly.

Congratulations. Thank you. Thanks, Mr. Congratulations. Congratulations. You think they want to get paid? Congratulations. Come on.

No. Thank you.

You can have that too if you want. That's what he brought up. Perfect. Gosh, almost voted pool seasoning. All right, Mr. Kennedy or is it Mr. Magor's going to present what it was? All right, I'll do it this time and I'll do my best to be brief.

Yeah. So, thank you mayor and council for this time to talk about the uh last week we got notification from the GFOA which is the Government Finance Officers Association that the 2026 budget which is readily available online on our website has been approved and awarded for the 13th year in a row their distinguished budget presentation award. So this represents a lot of hard work from everyone in the finance department to the finance commission and Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Witch, everybody that spent some time just trying to figure out how we can keep things running with the resources that we have and how to do a good job of communicating that to the community. So, if you look at our document that's that's online, you'll see not just numbers, but what that means and some of the projects that these things are paying for. All of your hard-earned tax dollars, all of the fees that we collect. It's just not going into a bank and sitting there. It's being put to work for the betterment of the community. And that's what we try to do with this budget is to communicate what we are doing. So, again, thank you for all the support through the years. and uh we plan to keep on going for 14 years next year. Thank you.

Well done,

Mrs. Clark. I think Mr. Janick's gonna Oh, Mr. Janick, why do I have your name? My mistake. Mayor Bailey, Council, City Love. Uh I I have the honor of being on the uh veterans committee. I'm the new chair. Our last chair was Terry Stouter, who was just here for the last 20 plus years. Uh he is going to be our grand marshal for uh this year's Memorial Day. Uh so I uh parade starts at 9:00 am. Um and brief right after the parade uh Chris Cravens uh Mayor Bailey found Chris Cravens who's a United States Marine Sergeant who has a great story that he's going to tell us. And I uh hope you will all be there and honor our uh veterans that never came back. So it's a very somber day and uh I hope you guys all can make it. And at 2 p.m. uh the American Legion Post 256 on U Oakland Road will have hot dogs and uh have an open house for you. So please come out. I appreciate it. Let me What do you want? What did you want me to do?

I It's up to you. Right. That's fine. All right, fine. That's a lot to read.

All right, we have a proclamation in honor of the 150th. Whereas the area now known as the city of Loveland, Ohio was first settled in 1795 by early pioneers including Colonel Thomas Paxton along the banks of the Little Miami River, laying the foundation for a vibrant river valley community. And whereas the community that would become Lovelin was later named in honor of James Lovelin, a local storekeeper and postmaster whose presence near the developing railroad corridor helped shape the identity and early growth of the settlement. And whereas Lovelin was incorporated as a village in 1876, marking the beginning of its formal municipal governance and later became a chartered city in 1961, reflecting its continued growth, resilience, and commitment to self-governance. And whereas over the past 150 years, Loveland has evolved from a small river settlement into a thriving familyoriented city known for its historic downtown, scenic bike trail, strong neighborhoods, and enduring community spirit. And whereas the Little Miami River historic railroad corridor and surrounding landscape have long shaped Loveland's character, fostering commerce, recreation, and a deep appreciation for natural beauty. And whereas generations of residences residents, businesses, civic organizations, and volunteers have contributed to Loveland's legacy of service, innovation, and community pride. And whereas the city of Lovelin proudly recognizes its CESU centennial in 2026 with year-long celebrations, including community events, historic reflections, commemorative activities, and opportunities for residents to connect the past, present, and future. Now therefore, I, Kathy Bailey, by the power vested in me as mayor of the city of Lovelin, and on behalf of city council, staff, and residents, to hereby proclaim 2026 as the city of Loveland 150th anniversary year, and encourage all residents, businesses, and visitors to join in honoring the people, places,

and moments that have shaped Loveland's history while s celebrating the bright future ahead. and Misty and her team have come up with all kinds of activities that will be taking place the entire year through the city of Lovelin, but everything kicks off this weekend, May, March, May 16th and 17th. Uh, I'm not reading all this. Don't read all that. So, the celebration will begin Saturday at Phillips Park with a with a vintage baseball game featuring local personalities and the Red's Hall of Fame 1869 Red Stockings vintage baseball team, which is why we're all dressed like this. The afternoon will also include a touch a truck experience and a flyover by the Wright B flyer. So, spectators are encouraged to park at the Loveland High School. There will be a trolley um or you can walk across the street to the park. Saturday evening, the celebration continues in downtown historic Loveland as businesses transform into decade themed destinations. Um, and so I think most of the restaurants, is it businesses too or just the restaurants and bars?

Businesses have all picked different decade and they're decorating and have special plans. So come on down. Later that evening, the Loveland Sims Community Firefighters Association as a nonprofit organization will host the first of three drawings for its commemorative 150th anniversary bourbon bottle raffle. A total of 150 bottles will be raffled across three drawing dates this Saturday the 16th, June 20th, and July 4th with 50 bottles awarded at each drawing. And non-winning tickets will roll over into the next drawing. Sunday's activities will move to downtown Lovelin and feature a full day of entertainment including a car show, talent show, pie bake off, live music, Rooster Ridge on our front lawn, and additional familyfriendly activities. So, there is a whole agenda with times. You can find that on our website. This is our our list of sponsors, which is huge. We could not be doing any of this without these sponsors. So, I would encourage you to please take a look at uh at these sponsors, all of these wonderful businesses that have helped us and have contributed to the all these events throughout the year and show them your support. Thank you. All right. Next, we have, as you know, open forum. See, we have a fuller house than normal. Quite a few people have signed up to speak in open forum. Um, before we get started, I I will say this that I I too had concerns when I read the legislation, had an opportunity to to consider it. Um, we all know which legislation we're talking about, whatever it is in this pamphlet in our agenda. Um, and actually heard from a few council members that that expressed

some concerns. Um, and so I do think it's important, I think we all do, to protect the city and to provide some clarity, but I think that what we have tonight may have just uh not quite exactly what council had in mind when we asked Mr. Braun to take a look at this. Um, and so Mr. Mr. Bronn and I have spoken over the last few days about this and I'd like to give him an opportunity to kind of weigh in on his thoughts.

I appreciate that. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to to provide comment on the legislation. Um, and it's the legislation regarding the application of regulations for city-owned property, events, and other municipal assets. Um, as you know, the city is already not subject to certain regulations such as a noise ordinance, the lighting ordinance, the special events policy, vendor and canvasing permits, and a variety of other regulations. Um, as a charter government, the city has done this through its home rule authority, which many statutory communities around us do not have the ability to do. Um, it's true that most local governments across Ohio, as well as the state and federal government, colleges, universities, and even local school districts, have already exempted themselves from a variety of regulations adopted by local governments. Um, it would be uncommon if they did not because they're regulating bodies. However, after talking with the mayor, um, in this case, I missed the mark on my assignment. Um, I believe the city can address the matter in a more surgical way and as the mayor has suggested in light of this, um, I would recommend that council consider um, tableabling the legislation that's on the agenda and allow me along with other city staff to go back and re-examine the issue.

So, I move to table agenda item 13A. Is there is there a second? Call the role, please. Mayor Baitman, yes. Mr. Goodyear, yes. Miss Hamlin, yes. Mr. Hart, yes. Miss Hazel Baker, yes. Mr. Darinick, yes. Mayor Bailey, yes. Motion carries by a vote of 7 to zero.

All right. So, I think that's the right decision. We'll we'll try to get this right. Um, in the meantime, we do have people signed up for open form. Happy to hear from you. Still want to talk on that subject? Perfectly fine. If you want to wait until um staff and Mr. Brun give us another legislation to consider, that's fine, too. Whatever you want to do, I'll call your name. You want to come up and speak, fine. You want to defer, that's fine, too. So, Mr. Blair, you were the first to sign up. You have to come up. They can't hear you online.

Good evening, council, mayor, vice mayor, and staff. My name is Kent Blair. I live at 1849 Pheasant Hills Drive. Um, I'm here tonight to speak on the uh the city property and projects. Um, it is a matter close to my heart because in many cases I voted on many of the rules and regulations at issue. I'm perfectly fine with holding off on the u on my address if the next presentation is a first reading as well. Yes, correct.

Thank you for your time. Thank you, sir. Paul Elliot.

It's been so positive. I would probably not get my picture taken this evening. Uh speaking against something for a change. Um, and bear with me as I read this. Uh, little change here since you're tableabling it. Uh, but I think it's very important that you hear what we have to say because that may help Mr. Braw and council u massage that legislation ordinance if it even needs to come back at all, which I don't believe it is. But uh, so bear with me as I read this. I'll provide a copy uh to all concerned later. My name is Paul Elliot. I'm a 30 plus year resident and business owner here in the city. My home address is 615 Park Avenue. My business address is 523 West Lavin Avenue. I usually don't get too energized over the happenings down here at 120, but this issue popped up on our community radar. So, I thought I'd come down and share my thoughts. I come before you tonight to comment on the proposal that would essentially eliminate some public oversight. What's proposed seems to be a very antiquated way of thinking and a very regressive way of govern governance. Loveland is is a more progressive and a more inclusive community than that. Haven't we learned from previous experience, experiences which occurred right here in this very chamber council, that bypassing

established checks and balances, essentially shutting out community input is the wrong policy and it is the wrong practice. One reason Lovelin thrives is due to its inclus inclusivity and its residents voice in its own governance. Public hearings, councilapp appointed committees, boards, volunteer groups, and more. These bring us closer. They bind us together as a vibrant community. This is a healthy thing and minimizing it would be a disservice to yourselves as elected officials and the community as a whole now and in the future. I would respectfully encourage council to reject this unnecessary and ill- advised ordinance. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Elliot. Shondaanda Gentry. Okay. Pat Maze.

My name is Pat Mays. I live at 11:26 Cottonwood Drive here in Lavlin. And I'm a 65 year resident, I think. And nobody throws a party like Misty. Thank you.

This is a me this is a reminder to all council and citizens of Lovelin. We're nonpartisan here per the charter since the 60s and I love that about us. I want to talk and simplify committees, commissions and advisory boards under the Leland charter and ordinances. They exist to study issues, gather public input, review technical matters, and make recommendations. And they are really important. They're part of the process, but they are the advisory boards. They're not the governing boards. And that's the distinction. And that distinction really matters. A committee can recommend a policy. A commission can review a policy. A board can provide expertise for guidance. But this this is a big this is the big butt here. None of these entities are empowered to direct or instruct city council itself. Final legislation authority with the elected officials. Yeah, that's you all sitting up there on the dis. And this structure protects the accountability and the residents elect the city council members to make those final decisions. Yeah, there's another butt there too. But this has to do with publicity. Publicity and with trans transparency. Advisory bodies help inform these decisions. But again, they do not replace the judgment or the authority of your elected officials. It is important for public and committee members and council itself to maintain clear boundaries. Respecting these boundaries ensures that the city functions according to the principles of a representative government. I hope this

simplifies the things for the public and the new council members as well as the old ones. I thank you for your time and attention. Thank you. Miss Sander,

I'm going to change a subject real quick. I'm Patty San Mayor 102 Carl Brownway. Uh September 25th or 27th, I got the privilege of riding in one of your ambulances. I see now that you're getting a new one. And just for the heck of it, it would be nice if they had a few extra of the bouncing things. Uh what are the shocks? Shocks. What? Shocks.

Yes, it needs more shocks under those beds. So, I'm just requesting that for future people who are in dire shape to need these rides to the hospitals. So, thank you. I just needed to say that. And thank you to everybody who gave me that ride and got me through after that. Thank you. Thank you,

Maryanne Lynn. Good evening. My name is Maryanne Lynn. I live at 148 Bears Run Drive here in Lovelin. I'm also current I also currently serve as chair of the city's historic preservation and planning commission. At the a April 14th Lovelin City Council meeting, there was extensive discussion surrounding historic preservation and planning guidelines and specifically whether the city of Leland should be utilizing the historic preservation and planning commission to review new city projects in the same manner required of all business owners and residential property owners within the historic district. Council person Hamlin raised the question of why the city repeatedly bypassed the historic preservation review process as well as the wisdom and fairness of exempting the city from the rules imposed on home and business owners. Council's response was swift and sure and it quickly turned to a discussion or rather a suggestion of overreach by the historic preservation and planning commission. Councilman Hart indicated it would be cowardly to have historic preservation commission make council decisions. Councilman Baitman, who was a founding member of the Historic Preservation Commission, agreed that to ask for a review from a subordinate committee would be present all kinds of conflicts. First, I want to clarify. No one on the Historic Preservation and Planning Commission has ever suggested, much less demanded, that we should have final say on city projects. As Mayor Bailey accurately pointed out, ours is a very narrow scope specific to the protection of Lovelin's historic integrity. Admittedly though, we were curious as to why there was absolutely

no communication regarding some of the city's biggest projects in the historic district. None. And that's what was missing from the council's commentary on the 14th. In between total decision-making authority and complete exclusion from the discussion, there's a whole lot of room for feedback and input from the Historic Preservation Commission. And I am honestly confused by the adversarial stance. Mayor Bailey not so subtly pointed out that that the historic preservation commission could be dissolved by council at any time. It reminded me of Bill Cosby on his TV show when he would say to his kids, "I brought you into this world and I can take you out of this world." Why not view the Historic Preservation Commission as a resource? Isn't that why council created it? Isn't that the purpose of all committees and commissions? The delegation of time and of expertise. City council doesn't have time to rule on every sign or awning a business wants to install. Back in 2018, it was Loveland City Council that identified historic preservation as a priority. It tasked historic preservation commission with the work of determining the district boundaries, the regulations, and the guidelines. The suggestion that subordinate commissions have nothing to offer city council is simply not accurate. City council defers to finance and zoning for input, advice, and decisions all the time. Since its inception, the Historic Preservation and Planning Commission has made dozens of decisions on behalf of the city. Should city council ask the Historic Preservation and Planning Commission if it is allowed to build a new fire station? No. That would be absurd. But how about feedback on the exterior appearance of a fire station that the

city has decided to build? Should city council ask historic preservation commission if the city is allowed to make upgrades to Nisbet Park? Of course not. But how about sharing design concepts for the new amphitheater or restroom for comparison with historic guidelines? I don't think it would have been cowardly to do so or inappropriate or inviting conflict. It would have been utilizing a knowledge base and a resource that you put in place and it would have been modeling behavior you expect from residents and business owners. So what now will Lovelin dig in on its position? Will council dig in on its position that it is completely exempt from the rules and regulations of historic preservation or at no point needs input, advice, or guidance from the commission that you created? Will you in fact expand that extension to all city rules and regulations per the ordinance that was to be considered tonight? A blanket declaration of do as we say and not as we do to all of Loveland. Thank you. Mr. Scoer,

my speech was based on this going forward. So, there's some things in here that might be not be relevant, but I'm going to carry on. I'm not sure that I'll be able to be here at the next time that this is scheduled. My name is Sharon Scoanner. I live at 155 Overlook Drive. On tonight's agenda, a proposed ordinance that would exempt the city and its leaders from following the same rules that they impose on others. Exempting oneself from laws forced on others is a form of hypocrisy that undermines credibility, erodess trust, creates perception of corruption, and destabilizes institutions. Citizens grow cynical, lose faith and confidence in city in city leadership. Hypocrisy not only manifests the illegitimacy of the leadership but also demoralizes and unravels the very fabric of the community. As a result, deviant behavior by city leaders could set off a chain reaction of unwanted consequences. As citizens and businesses see normalization of deviance, they too begin to disregard rules and standards, assuming that deviation is permissible. Throughout history, one of the most persistent criticisms of leadership has been the charge of hypocrisy. Rules for thee and not for me. Exposes a fundamental flaw in leadership. At the heart is an essential truth. Hypocrisy erodess trust and trust is the cornerstone of effective leadership. It is the glue that holds the city together, the foundation of strong city culture and the key to long-term success. By demean by demanding that citizens follow the rules but avoiding them yourself, you undermine the very system that got you elected and the

people who put you there. Authoritarian regimes are notorious for this style of leadership. Lord Actton, a British historian, wrote about the dangers of concentrated authority. In an 1887 letter, he famously wrote, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Those in power today might do well to resist type of concentrated power proposed in the legislation. As you consider this ordinance, I have a few questions and a few that you might want to ponder. What and who promoted this and why is it good? Number two, how does this help the citizens of Loveland? Remember, the citizens are at the top of the city's organizational chart and their needs are expected to be considered above all else. Is this something the citizens want? No. In a social media poll, it shows 89% of respondents disagree with this ordinance. Number four, what is the harm in following all the laws that you impose on others? Number five, if the city can disregard its own laws, what checks and balances will there be in controlling road leaders now or in the future? If Mark Fitzgerald had proposed this, he would have been thrown out of office. Oh, that's right. He was. Authentic leadership is about aligning one's actions with the expectation placed on others. It requires self-awareness, humility, and a willingness to lead by example. You must be willing to walk the talk, holding yourself to the same or higher standards as you expect from others. When you do

so, you inspire trust, loyalty, and commitment. Hypocrisy and leadership is more than just a personal failing. It's a threat to organizational health. To build a strong city, you must embrace authenticity. Align yourself with the community standards and lead by example. Only then can you inspire the trust and commitment necessary for long-term success of the city. In summation, a yes vote on this legislation is a vote for unchecked authoritarian power and selective enforcement of the rule of law. Contrarily, a a no vote is a vote for fairness, checks and balances in government, a respect for the people, and it is and a desire to lead by example. Thank you. Mark Kudowski, is he here?

Did he leave?

He left. Doesn't want to speak. Mr. Wise Good evening, mayor, council, longtime listener, maybe not quite the first time caller. years ago when I decided not to rerun for city council, I made a conscious decision to not interject in the council discussions and decisions here in the city. But when I looked at the agenda for tonight, I was taken back at the ordinance proposed and unfortunately it drove me to be here. I have a ton of respect for our city solicitor, Mr. Braun. our uh relationship goes back decades. I appreciate and respect his opinion and the discussion that you had in prior meetings on this topic. I will say, however, in my opinion, the proposed ordinance looks to me uh to be an overreaction to protect the city from a feared legal action that may or may not manifest. these it has the makings of kind of a cover your butt to document the will of council um beyond just the stated opinion of the city solicitor. Some of these uh legal actions sometimes they will happen uh they happen all the time um and so you can't be afraid of them. So I understand why you'd want to put something in place to make sure the city's protected.

You should protect the city. That's your job. especially from spurious lawsuits. But in my opinion, this ordinance was an over-the-top and unnecessary step. The document as presented opens the door wide by not being specific enough. The need for exceptions, limitations, and examples. BZA, for an example, is a quasi judicial body. what it what in the zoning code holds or doesn't hold. The document as it was proposed will lead to more issues than it solves in the future. Even if this council has the best of intentions, once you put it out there, it is out there for the future. Could you do something more simple? The answer is yes. You could you be as simple as accepting an emotion, the solicitor's written opinion? Yes, you could do that as well. So my suggestion is to slow down. Do your homework. Has the opinion or the suggested path forward been court tested? Are there other municipalities having taken this same approach? Is it well documented we can leverage? Provide clarity where this does or does not applied. I'm adjusting a little bit as we go here, but contain language that makes an explicit exception. So, one option you have on other legislation is to contain the language why you would take exception to the city's rules and use those exceptions within a given project where appropriate. These are all suggestions and they may or may not have merit. All of that said, my suggestion is give time for debate and evaluation of options. There is a much more surgical

approach, and I appreciate Mr. Brun's statement to that effect. There is no rush. By its prior actions and the solicitor's opinion, the city's covered whether that you're worried about anything happening in the background. My opinion, I'm not your attorney, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. You want to make it clear and I get it. I really don't want this to be a solution in search of a problem. My recommendation and you already, you know, I really appreciate you having heard what I was going to say beforehand even though we didn't talk was to remove this from the agenda and table it tonight to give you the right time and debate to craft that uh surgical solution. So, thank you for your time. Thank you. Do appreciate everyone's comments. Um I mean obviously we had a vote 70 to table this. So this is we're we're we're up here trying to make the best decisions that we can for the city. Sometimes when we have open form it seems as though there are individuals who believe. We're up here trying to make nefarious decisions for some reason I can't fathom. We're just trying to get it right. And tonight we we realized before anyone spoke that we all had our own misgivings and need to get it right and that's what we're going to do. Um so I do appreciate everyone's comments and we will certainly take them into account and and do what we can to make sure that we reach the right solution for this city. Next we have the review and approval minutes from the April 28th, 2026 meeting. Any changes or additions?

Move to approve as written. Is there a second? Second. Call the role, please. Mr. Goodyear, yes. Miss Hamlin, yes. Miss Hazel Baker, yes. Mr. Jick, yes. Mayor Bailey, yes. Vice Mayor Baitman, yes. And carry seven to zero. We have a second reading of the granting of license. Can you read that, please? Ordinance authorizing the city manager to execute a license agreement with JA Development for the installation of Off Street Park City Rideway on Highland Street and West Main Street. Any further comment? Call the RO, please. Miss Hamlin, yes. Mr. Hart, yes. Miss Hazel Baker, yes. Mr. Jarnick, yes. Mayor Bailey,

yes. Vice Mayor Baitman, yes. Mr. Goodyear, yes. Ordinance 42 is adopted by a vote of 7 to zero. You read the next ordinance, please. Ordinance establishing the compensation and classification for the position of facilities manager and repealing ordinance 202623. Call the role, please. Mr. Hart, yes. Miss Hazel Baker, yes. Mr. Janick, yes. Mayor Bailey, yes. Vice Mayor Baitman, yes. Mr. Goodyear, yes. Miss Hamlin, yes. Ordinance 43 is adopted by a vote of 7 to zero. Mr. Kennedy.

Um before council is uh a resolution which if uh adopted by council would allow us to use uh remaining balance of the proceeds we have for the the USDA loan for the fire station towards a um purchase of an ambulance. Um we had included in the approved CIP the capital improvement program. Our plan was to order the uh the the staying on the Chief Huber's uh fleet process. We were going to order the ambulance sometime in 26 with financing to kick in in 2027 with the finance being showing up in the budget in 27. Um then that sort of changed because uh throughout the fire so currently the city the city was able to secure a 30-year USDA loan for the fire station at 3.5% interest. The way the USDA loan uh works out is any balance that isn't used actually goes to the very end of the loan and works its way backwards. Um that's how the USDA structures their loans. So that would actually kick into gear in 204 which is actually when the city would have already celebrated their doand bsentennial in case you're curious that's 175 years. So while the council at that time might appreciate it at 3.5% interest loan, it made the most sense for the city to utilize this in concurrence with uh the USDA loan to utilize the balance money now, which is actually a surplus of all that's uh what we need for the ambulance. Just because we do our due diligence, we have a financial broker. So we have a gentleman that uh when the city needs funding we reach out to uh Mr. Broard and we will talk to Mr. Broart, hey, we need funding for this. Can we restructure this based on interest rates? Uh, in reaching out

to M. Bro, we explained as so if if forgetting that, what would we be looking at if we said beginning in 2027, we want to have financing for um financing for a new ambulance. He his comment was, you'll be between 4.75 and 5 and a quarter. We could go 10 or 15 years. So that would add another 55,000 beginning in 27 to the city's debt if we went 10 years and 15 years uh we'd be around $41,000 adding on at the same time we will be taking on the debt. Uh his comment was why wouldn't you just utilize the USDA funding? Um, not only uh does that save us upfront, it also saves the money that our um the money that we would use for the conveyance of it, the fees that we pay, the issuance fees that we pay up front, which would be approximately $10,000 for that loan to be structured. So, it just made a lot of sense to utilize this funding. Chris has it down to the penny exactly how much money was available. Uh, currently that's at 488,909. So that's more than enough. And um and so at that point in time, I don't really go into the details about the new ambulance. That's G Huber knows that better than anybody. I'm sure it has ample shocks, but it is a it is a Horton ambulance. The only thing I'll add for if you have any questions about the the type, Mr. Chief Huber is here. Um it is a Horton and we actually would be purchasing it through Atlanta Emergency Solutions. spoke to them today. We would likely be doing the purchase order for this tomorrow. Um, and this would get it delivered in five months. And Chief Huber, if you want to touch on the actual type of that you I know you went into great detail, you and uh Brian Hall about picking this unit, so I don't know

that very well. Thank you, uh, Mayor, Mr. Kennedy. Um, it does have a Supreme airbag ride system on it.

Nice. So, it should be more comfortable for our um for our customers is a type one 550 uh uh ambulance chassis type. Uh the city owns uh two Horton ambulances now in a Bronn ambulance. This would be replacing one of the Hortons. It is it's built in Columbus, Ohio. Um so, it's very close for us for any repair work that might have to be done to the ambulance. We can get it back and forth to Columbus fairly easily. And uh and it it's basically set up the box on the ambulance is set up the same way all of your other ambulances are set up. There are six ambulances in the system. Three in Sims, three in Lovelin. Uh two of those reside as backup ambulances. Uh in a future date, uh if council approves this this evening, a future date, we would advertise the uh the backup ambulance for sale on gov deals or to another community. And then we would come back to council at another time to uh make the legislation necessarily necessary to declare it surplus and allow us to uh to either sell it to another community or sell it on gov deals. This ambulance would be placed at the downtown the new downtown fire station. Um and the current downtown fire station ambulance would be placed then in uh at station 62 which is the safety center um as the backup ambulance.

Any questions? Yes. Um I just always appreciate anytime I I ask a lot of questions. It's my nature. Um and I just appreciate the care. Um you know I I followed up on you know kind of fleet care the year of it. Um and then the creativity around like making sure to use these funds to save the most um dollars for the city. So um always quick to respond. Um appreciate that care. I I think it's really smart to use these funds in this way so that we um use um the funds and the the percentage rate um to the best of his ability. So thank you for that. Thank you. Any further comments, questions?

Thank you, Chief. Go ahead and read the resolution. Resolution authorizing the purchase of an ambulance for the Lovelin Sims Fire Department through Atlantic Solutions. Call the RO, please. Miss Hazel Baker, yes. Mr. Janick, yes. Mayor Bailey, yes. Vice Mayor Baitman, yes. Mr. Goodyear, yes. Hamlin, yes. Mr. Hart, yes. Resolution 44 is adopted by a vote of 7 to excited about it. All right, think we're on Council Madak. Mr. Witch,

thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council. Um since the last time uh we talked uh regarding our PAS efforts um you did uh we did uh disseminate the basis of design report to council and to um to the public that is available on our website. Um so we got that complete. Um AECOM is continuing through design. Um they're coming up on 60% design drawings which will be submitted to the city uh in early June. Um, we've we've started exploring funding options. Well, not started. We've always been looking at them, but we've really jumped in deep on funding options for the construction. We took uh a couple ideas and a couple uh potential solutions to finance commission to get their input on. Um, so we've been working through that. Um, we have to express our um interest and our our need to Ohio EPA. we've decided to nominate ourselves again for funding for this year even though we may not be ready for the funding. Um I had a discussion with Ohio EPA and we we both decided that it would look it would look good um to show that we are actively pursuing this money. Um so we did that recently. Um, we did receive our final settlement payouts, uh, payments from DuPont, Tao, and BASF. Uh, we've received approximately 1.2 million to date between the four settlements. Um, we have $590,000, which is expected over about the next 9 years from 3M. Um, one other good thing in the the environment of PAS, um, Calgon, um, which is a big player in the

granular activated carbon, uh, world, they are, um, upgrading and expanding their plant up in Columbus, which is a good thing because that will drive down cost of carbon through uh, throughout our area. So, that's a good thing for our future um, replacement costs. Um, and that's that's that's pretty much where we're at right now. Thank you, sir. Any comments or questions? All right. City council reports. Already told you all about the festivities this weekend, so hopefully we'll see you. Anybody else have anything to report? Good year.

I know I report, but I'd like to make a comment if I could. Um, actually, a couple things. First of all, um, regarding the discussion about the historic planning preservation committee, um, there was a discussion obviously took place about kind of the structure of the way commissions and city council work at a prior meeting and I made comments about that and I want to clarify those. Not clarify, I'll just explain. My comments that I made focused solely on whether or not a board or commission should have some type of veto power over a city council. And that was my concern. Um the suggestion was made that the city uh the city council should have um the historic planning preservation committee make decisions on whether projects could go forward. And I don't think that a volunteer commission made up of people that were not elected uh by the city residents should make final decisions like that. I think it's important that city council members make those decisions because we're the ones ultimately responsible to this to the uh public. Um as was mentioned earlier, um obviously boards, commissions are advisory. So that was really the the very narrow scope of the comments that I made. Um, I certainly do not have an ad adversarial uh thought at all about any commission or any member of any commission because number one, I've served on them before I was on city council. A lot of people volunteered their time to come and help the city and that's very much appreciated by me and I know everyone else uh here as well. So, I certainly don't have an adversarial um relationship or feeling at all towards anyone. Um, and I certainly don't feel that subordinate uh committees, which all the committees and and commissions obviously subordinate to council have nothing to offer. Um, I've never felt that way. I would never feel that way. And whatever comments I made certainly were not intended to imply that or leave

that impression. But I do believe what I said, which is that in the structure of a representative government, the ultimate decisions should be made by individuals that are directly responsible to the citizens, which are the elected officials. That's why I made those comments. Secondly, regarding the, uh, ordinance that was tabled this evening, uh, when this agenda came out, um, I read it just like everyone else and I, in my mind, I felt like it was a very broad piece of legislation. Um, I expressed concerns as the mayor said, as others did. Uh, it was tabled and we're going to try and get everything right. But I I just want to make sure that it's clear that um you know, something appears on an agenda and it's not, as the mayor said earlier, we're all simply trying to do the best we can for the citizens that elected us to be up here and to to do this job. And so, um I think the best step we could have made is what we did. And I think that I appreciate Mr. Bronn's comments. I was concerned to hear people laugh when he said, uh what he said, and I think that's just inappropriate. I think Mr. Brun uh came forward and said, "Hey, look, we put this out there. We had input from city council. We're going to try and go back and and do the right thing." Um and that's all we are going to try and do. So, I just wanted to clarify those two things and I appreciate the opportunity to speak.

Thank you. Any further comment? I would just address the misrepresentation that somehow I have threatened to dismantle the historic preservation commission. Anyone that listened to that meeting knows that's not what happened. That's not what I've ever suggested. I was mayor when it was created. I'm the reason that it was pushed through and we have a historic preservation and commission and I I certainly support it and and applaud its efforts. So I I would rather unfortunately when conversation has to devolve into misrepresenting what's actually said um makes for less less I suppose less uh responsible conversation about it. But we will have lots of time to do that. We I I appreciate Mr. Braun's efforts as well. We're all of us trying to get this right and we will and we'll back to the drawing board which is perfectly fine. All right. Any other comments?

All right, we do need a motion to go into executive session. I move to go into executive session pursuant of Ohio Revised Code section 121.21 G4 for the purpose of preparing for conducting and reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with public employees concerning their compensation or other terms and conditions of their employment. Second. Thank you. Call the role, please. Mr. Janick. Yes. Mayor Bailey. Yes. Vice Mayor Baitman. Yes. Mr. Goodyear. Yes. Scamlin. Yes. Mr. Hart. Yes. Miss Hazel Baker. Yes. Motion carries seven to seven.

Have a motion to adjurnn. So moved. Second. Call the role, please. Mayor Bailey. Yes. Vice Mayor Baitman. Yes. Mr. Goodyear. Yes. Hamlin. Yes. Mr. Hart. Yes. Miss Hazel Baker. Yes. Mr. Jarnick. Yes. Seven to six.