City Council - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call the Wednesday, July 15th council meeting to order. Would the clerk please re-roll?

Ms. Helka? Here. Mr. Clapper?

Here.

Mr. Dreger? Here. Mr. Hook? Absent. Ms. Schaefer-Bish? Here. Mr. Tipton?

Here.

Mr. Turner? Absent. Ms. Wallach? Absent. Ms. Wesley?

Here.

Mr. Turner, Ms. Wallach, and Mr. Hook have asked to be excused. I have a motion. I'll motion to excuse Ms. Wallach, Mr. Hook, and Mr. Turner.

Second.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? Okay, thank you. I have opening remarks here. I would like to introduce to council our new police chief, Gary Stone. We'd like to come up, Chief, and give us a little bit of a history, your history and introduce yourself.

Thank you very much, Mayor, members of council. I'm really happy and delighted to be here. Now the police chief in Kent is something that I wanted to do all of my life, be a police chief. I worked for, I went to Kent State University decades ago and I worked on the Lakewood Police Department for over 40 years. And I still felt that I had something to give, something to changes to make it. I felt that I could bring my police skills here. Very happy to come here. I'm delighted to be a member of this community. Right now, I'm about to become a grandfather, so that's kind of interesting tonight. My daughter's probably going to be giving birth either today or early in the morning, so that's why I have my cell phone. Looking at that, I have a great support network right now in the city has been so kind to me. little bit getting used to things. Sometimes I write things down too quickly and need to just take each day as it comes. But if there's anything that this police department can do for any residents of the city, that's what I'm instilling in this police department. I was brought here to do a job and I'm going to do it. So thank you very much. Does anyone have any questions on anything or?

Chief, we welcome you here and we're glad to have you aboard and we look forward to working with you.

Thank you very much, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you.

I'll stand and say the pledge, please.

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.

Any public comments? We don't have anyone signed up.

Would anyone like to speak to council?

Okay. Great communication, Kathy.

On June 25th, 2026, the clerk's office was notified that due to a lack of agenda items, there will be no planning commission meetings in July. On June 30th, 2026, the June minutes and July agenda of the Standing Rock Cemetery Board of Trustees were received and posted online. On July 2nd, 2026, an email was received from Rick Coxley inquiring about the progress on establishing a snow and ice management strategy for the coming winter. The email was shared with Council. On July 2nd, 2026, the clerk's office, along with some members of Council, received an email from Alex Baldwin regarding the trees and landscaping on Haymaker Parkway. Mr. Draeger responded to that email and received after agenda publication. On July 9th, the July agenda for the Parks and Recreation Board meeting was received in the clerk's office. And on July 13th, the clerk's office was notified that due to a lack of agenda items, there would be no planning commission meetings in August.

Okay. I'd like to move items one through eight on the city manager's report.

Second. All those in favor?

Aye. Opposed? Mr. Roller, did you have anything to add to your city manager's vote? Okay. Okay. The consent agenda, Kathy.

I'm going to pull out the approval of the June regular council meeting minutes and the approval of July council committee meeting minutes for a separate vote.

One separate vote.

No, they can be together with the minutes from the June regular Council meeting and July Council Committee meetings.

A second.

All those in favor I opposed.

Hey. Draft 202661 and ordinance authorizing the finance director upon the issuance of a certificate of availability of funds to pay certain purchase orders made that exceed $3000 in declaring an emergency.

Can we move suspension with the number that we have? Move first reading. We're doing it. Oh, that's right. Okay.

Okay. Draft 202662, an ordinance authorizing the city budget and finance director and law director or their designees to sign an addendum to the employment contract between the city of Kent and David Roller and declaring an emergency. Draft 202663, a resolution adopting the tax budget of the City of Kent, Ohio for the fiscal year beginning January 1st, 2027, submitting the same to the county auditor and declaring an emergency. Draft 202664, an ordinance amending ordinance number 2025-111, the current appropriation ordinance, passed December 17th, 2025, as to adjust appropriations, transfers, and advances from the various funds of the City of Kent individual accounts for the current expenses of the city for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2026 and declaring an emergency. 202665, an ordinance authorizing the Kent Fire Department to apply for the staffing for adequate fire and emergency response safer grant through the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA and to accept any grant if awarded with corresponding appropriations of funds which provides funding for three firefighter paramedic positions for a period of three years and declaring an emergency. Draft 202666, an ordinance authorizing the Kent Fire Department to apply for the Fire Prevention and Safety Grant through FEMA and to accept any grant if awarded with corresponding appropriations to purchase a Model Tech Hazard Kitchen Safety Prop and declaring an emergency. Draft 202667, an ordinance authorizing the Kent Fire Department to apply for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant through FEMA and to accept any grant if awarded with corresponding appropriations to purchase 10 sets of firefighters' turnout gear and declaring an emergency. Draft 202668, an ordinance authorizing the city manager or his designee to enter into a joint use agreement between the City of Kent, the Davy Tree Expert Company, and Kent City School District to outline the shared use of the existing John Davy Arboretum in conjunction with the new Davy Seed Campus and declaring an emergency. Draft 2026-69, a resolution authorizing the city manager or his designee to prepare and submit an application to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission state capital improvement and or local transportation improvement programs and to execute contracts as required for the water reclamation facility scatter replacement. Draft 2026-70, A resolution authorizing the city manager or his designee to prepare and submit an application to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission state capital improvement and or local transportation improvement programs and to execute contracts as required for the State Route 59 alternate transportation improvements. Graph 202671 and ordinance amending section 509.12 of the codified ordinances of the City of Kent titled Unlawful Noise and Declaring an Urgence. I will now move first reading.

Second. Roll call, please.

Mr. Clapper. Yes. Mr. Draeger. Yes. Ms. Schaefer-Bish. Yes. Mr. Tipton. Yes. Ms. Wesley.

Ms. Selco. Yes.

Move adoption. Can we do that? No, just first reading.

We're just going to do that. Okay, consent agenda passes on first reading.

Okay. Sustainability Commission appointment of Ash D'Angelo. Do I have a motion to appoint Ash? So moved. Do I have a second? Yeah, voice vote.

Oh, all those in favor? Aye.

Opposed? I'd like to make a motion to authorize the insertion of the name of the draft 202672. Second.

Seconded by Heidi. All those in favor? Opposed? Okay. And this one we're not going to be able to do. Motion to suspend three readings of draft 202672.

So we can do the motion to approve on first reading. Right.

So we can do first reading.

Yeah.

Motion to approve on first reading.

Do we need to have the clerk read the draft?

After this, yes.

Do we have a second?

Second. Second by... Would the clerk read draft 2026-72 in title only?

Draft 2026-72, resolution appointing Ash D'Angelo to the Sustainability Commission and declaring an emergency. Okay, roll. Ms. Schaefer-Bish? Yes. Mr. Tipton? Yes. Ms. Wesley? Yes. Ms. Selko? Yes. Mr. Klamper?

Yes. And Mr. Dreger? Yes. Okay, passes on first reading. Nothing on community development, nothing on finance, nothing health safety, nothing land use, nothing streets and sidewalk. Is there any unfinished business?

Any new business? Okay. Any council members' comments?

Boy, this is going fast. I don't have anything on the mayor's report except I would like to remind council and our guests that on July 25th at Kent State University, Main Street, Kent is celebrating their 20th anniversary and I'm hoping to see a lot of us there. Okay. We're adjourned and we'll