City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I'd like to call to order the Green City Council meeting for Tuesday, 03/10/2026. At this time, I would like you to join us with the Pledge of Allegiance led by troop Leo from PAC three thousand three hundred '34.

I pledge an allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to republic for allegiance stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

All right. Well done, Leo. Thank you very much for coming in. All right. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll of council members?

Mr. Brandenburg?

Here.

Mr. Noble? Here. Mr. Spate? Here.

Mr. Maker?

Here.

Mr. Neugebauer?

Here.

Mr. Humphrey?

Here.

And Mr. DeVitus' absence.

Thank you, ma'am. Next on the agenda is our council study sessions. First up is TMP 5,269, approval of the 02/24/2026, council meeting minutes.

Move to approve.

Second. We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Neugebauer?

Yes.

Mr. Noble?

Yes. Mr. Breidenberg?

Yes.

Mr. Spade?

Yes.

Mr. Maker?

Yes.

And Mr. Humphrey? Yes. Okay. Motion carries.

Thank you, ma'am. And now on our agenda is a presentation from the Summit County Sheriff Kathy Fothery or Candy Fothery, I'm so sorry. And this is for a year in review. Thank you, Sheriff, for coming in this evening.

He told me to almost eat it, so I

just wanted to make sure that you can hear.

I want to thank you for your time. My name is Candy Fothery, and I am your Summit County Sheriff. Tonight I'm going to give a brief recap of the Sheriff's Office activities in the City Of Green for the twenty twenty five year and an overview of what our office provides to the City Of Green's residents. Three Sheriff's Cruisers are on patrol twenty four hours a day, seven days a week in the City Of Green, plus an additional eight hours cruiser, five days a week, as well as Deputy Bowen with K-nine Nero. We also have one or two float cars working every day that can respond anywhere countywide.

Our deputies also provide security and policing at the Akron Canton Airport, and we have four SROs working in the City Of Green local schools. These SROs also patrol the city's parks during the summer break. In 2025, my deputies responded to a total of 33,258 calls for service in the City Of Greene, and they made 2,495 traffic stops, A total of five thirty individuals were either arrested or issued summons during the year. In addition to patrol, the Sheriff's Office has specialty units that are available to the city whenever needed, and they include our SWAT team, negotiators, CSI unit, crash investigation team, bomb squad, dive rescue and recovery, drone response team and our mounted unit. We also have the largest canine unit in the county, with dogs working here in Green at the Akron Canton Airport, supporting our bomb squad and drug unit and working to prevent drugs from coming into our jail.

These specialty units are unique to the sheriff's office, and they are included in our services to the City Of Green. As sheriff, I also oversee several task forces that allow State and Federal resources to be put to use in Green. Our drug unit works with federal, state, and other local agencies to curb drug trafficking in our county. Last year, they removed over 200,000 grams of illegal drugs from our streets. Now, for context, that's about the weight of 32 bowling balls.

Our onset team, which stands for Ohio Northeast Smuggling Enforcement Team, works with neighboring county sheriffs, police departments, and the federal government to tackle bulk narcotics and currency interdictions at hotels, airports, bus terminals and other high transit areas. And our Human Trafficking Task Force is a multiagency effort led by my office that works to curb human trafficking in our area. Now, last year, the task force conducted 29 operations and arrested 37 suspects. Our OVI task force works to reduce the number of drug and alcohol related vehicle accidents by targeting impaired drivers. And our deputies are also part of the gun violence reduction team, which works to reduce the number of illegal firearms circulating throughout Summit County and reduce gun deaths.

Now, these task forces are also exclusive to the sheriff's office. The Sheriff's Office also has a full detective bureau and that works felony cases countywide. In 2025, they conducted three twelve investigations in Greene, And our detective bureau also serves as the investigating agency for the Developmental Disabilities Board, Adult Protective Services, and Summit County Children's Services. Our detectives also conduct special operations in our communities, like targeting illegal gambling establishments, high intensity drug trafficking areas, and underage alcohol and tobacco sales. Our office also maintains the registry and compliance of over 1,200 sex offenders countywide.

And we maintain similar registries for arsonists and other violent offenders. In 2025, deputies in our warrants division responsible for the arrest of 135 felons across our county. We also have a robust and ever expanding community policing unit with some of the most popular programs being our Christmas with a Cop and Carnival with a Cop. They provide a day of fun for children from economically disadvantaged families to those who have experienced loss or trauma. And our NOxbox and Senior Watch programs provide safety and peace of mind to senior citizens in our patrol districts.

My deputies also provide DARE instruction to thousands of students across the county, including all grades within the Green local schools. Now, we host Safety City each summer, which provides fun, safety oriented education to prekindergarten aged children. A program unique to Green is Camp Reliance. Jointly hosted by the sheriff's office and Green Local Schools for high school ROTC students, The program focuses on building communication, teamwork, and interdependence through law enforcement and military style trainings and exercises. Lastly, our office frequently hosts Coffee with a Cop.

Those events are at local restaurants, and we have our table at numerous community events year round, giving residents a chance to meet and interact with our deputies. We are also very pleased to have opened our new office here in Green just last month located right here at the Central Administration Building. Combined with our office on East Turkey Footlake Road, this second location will allow us to better serve the residents of Green. Lastly, while we expect to finally be back at full staffing this year, which is a remarkable feat given the nationwide crisis in law enforcement staffing, We are always looking to hire. So anyone interested in joining our team, please visit summitsheriffjobs.com.

As both your sheriff and a resident of the City Of Green, I can't tell you how much I value our close working relationship between the sheriff's office and the city offices as well. I know that I frequently communicate with the mayor. Green is thriving in ways that I don't think any of us could have imagined a generation or two ago, and we're very happy to be part of its continued growth and success. I do want to thank you for your time this evening and for the leadership that you give to our city and my city. Thank you. Do you have any questions for me?

Members of counsel? Sheriff, No. I would like to say I know, on behalf of counsel, we definitely value our partnership with the Summit County Sheriff's Department. And we thank you for all the services you provide for our beautiful community. Thank you for coming in this evening.

Thank you.

All right. Next on our agenda is a public hearing, and I will turn it over to Mr. Noble.

Thank you, Mr. Spade. Okay. So today, well, here. Let me I'm gonna call to order a public hearing for item twenty twenty six dash zero three, an ordinance changing the zoning classification of approximately 2.76 acres of land located at 988 East Turkey Foot Lake Road from r one single family residential to b one general business.

So this is a public hearing. First, we'll have Mr. Weathey give an explanation of the project. Then if the applicant wants to say anything, we'll give them that opportunity, then the public and then counsel as we go forward. We won't be voting on this tonight as our rules don't allow us to vote on an item on the night that we hear a public hearing. So Mr. Weethy, the floor is yours.

Okay. Mr. And Mrs. Carney approached us about rezoning the balance of their property probably earlier in the year. And this has gone through Planning and Zoning Commission with a five-zero recommendation to rezone it, as you mentioned from R1 to B1. Their property is split between B1 and R1. Their home was on the they do have a home that will become non conforming. But that is on the R1 property currently. So if this is rezoned to B, it will be completely rezoned to B1. And I believe their intent is to sell.

I'll let them speak for themselves. But they did have an auction earlier when it was split. And they did not accept the offer, but they believe that basically they'd like to sell the home, move out, and because that would be a non conforming residence, they would probably no longer be utilized as residents. It would hopefully get redeveloped into a business property. Real quick, you can see all the pink around it is B1, the orange is B3 and across Turkey Footlake Road is the B5, which is highway business.

So B3 being neighborhood business and everything, again, pretty much around it, general business. So Mr. And Mrs. Carney are here. I'll be glad to answer any questions if you have them. If you want to hear from them, I can come back up.

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Reethy. Mr. And Ms. Carnegie, you can choose to say something or not. It's up to you if you want to

Okay.

Okay. Is there anybody is there anybody in the public wanna speak on this matter? Okay. So I'll start with counsel. So just just as as a general note here, mister Weathey said that this went through planning and zoning.

It passed five zero on planning and zoning. The their parcel is currently split between partially B 1 and R 1, and so this will sort of bring all that together. And really, it makes the B1 is it's continuous, right? So we're not breaking up zoning or anything in this area. So we're basically making the Pink Square that exists today and has been operating as a general B1 already for a good portion of that, just a bigger Pink Square. So support that notion. So I will open it up to counsel.

Just as a note, when the city constructed Fortuna, water sewer are available there. So it could be a potential redevelopment site of something other than a residential site. So just an FYI, I mean, it does have utilities.

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Weathey. Mr. And Mrs. Carney did speak at planning and zoning and they made a note they did I will note that in that thing that they think the zoning brings more value to the property than it has under the current B-one. So or the current R-one, hence their desire to have it rezoned.

Okay. Mr. Hugebauer? Yes. Just I think this is a good rezoning. I support it. I think it's consistent with what we would like this corridor to be. And maybe it's taken a while, but it's good to see the owners are desiring this because I think it serves this area very well for our city. So thank you.

Just as an FYI, because of the nature of a lot of business around it, we just sent out letters to more than just contiguous property owners. The pastor of the church contact us. That's the property to the east. He was supportive of it. Mister Pariso on the corner who has a financial operation called in and said he's supportive of it. So, I mean, those are the only two that did respond.

Thank you, Mr. Weathey. Anybody else? Okay. As I indicated, we won't be voting on this tonight. We'll be voting at our next council meeting on on this rezoning. But at this time, I'm gonna go ahead and close the the hearing on twenty twenty six dash zero three.

Thank you, mister Noble. Next on our agenda is the reading of correspondence.

Okay. We have the 03/03/2026, Veterans Advisory Commission meeting agenda, the January 14 Civil Service Commission minutes, the Planning Department's February 2026 financial summary, and the Summit County Sheriff's February 2026 activity reports. And that is all.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Next up is new legislation for items on first reading.

Okay. We have twenty twenty six R09, a resolution approving the dedication plat for a right of way dedication associated with the Chick fil A project at Arlington Ridge South Arlington Road and Arlington Ridge, requiring performance security and declaring an emergency.

That will be referred to the Planning and Economic Development Committee. Mister president, mister Noble. The applicant has requested a first reading passage on this item. The committee has concurred to do that this evening. And so I do wanna I do wanna go through a process here to vote on this at this time.

To reiterate the discussions that we had earlier today on this topic, this is a small sliver of land that we'll be dedicating to facilitate an additional turn lane exiting Arlington Ridge from what I would refer to as the Target Plaza, which is being facilitated as a result of the Planning Commission's approval of the proposal to build a Chick fil A in the current site where Crazy Chicken currently sits. So that's what's that's what this is all about. And so at this at this time, I would like to make a motion to suspend committee deliberations for 2026 R09. Second. We have a motion

and a second to suspend committee deliberations on 2026 R09. Is there any discussion? Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Noble? Yes. Mr. Humphrey?

Yes.

Mr. Brandenburg? Yes. Mr. Spate?

Yes.

Mr. Maker?

Yes.

And Mr. Nugibar?

Yes.

Okay. Motion carries.

Okay. Now I'd like to make a motion to bypass the three reading rule for 2026 R09. Second.

We have a motion and a second to bypass the three reading rule of 2026 R09.

Any discussion? Please call the roll. Mr. Noble? Yes.

Mr. Humphrey?

Yes.

Mr. Brandenburg?

Yes.

Mr. Spate? Yes. Mr. Mager?

Yes.

Mr. Nugibar?

Yes.

Motion carries. And finally,

I'll make a motion to adopt twenty twenty six dash r zero nine. Second. We have

a motion and a second to adopt twenty twenty six R09. Any discussion? Mr. President? Yes, I'm sorry. Is that you? Yes. Oh, Mr.

Maker. Yes, thank you. So I think we all voice our concerns about Arlington Ridge there. I know the administration do their best to talk to Target about maybe improving that to prevent stacking on Arlington Ridge. Irrespective of us not knowing the results of those discussions, I am in support of this just because I do think we need an added lane there anyways. So just want the public to know that we're still going work with Target to help with that stacking issue in Arlington Ridge, especially with the Chick fil A coming to town. But even if that doesn't happen, we still need an additional lane there to prevent the existing stacking that's going on Arlington Ridge. So for that reason, I'll be voting in favor of this.

Thank you, Mr. Meager. Any further discussion? Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Noble? Yes. Mr. Humphrey?

Yes.

Mr. Bergenburg?

Yes.

Mr. Spate?

Yes.

Mr. Mayger?

Yes.

Mr. Neugebauer?

Yes.

Okay. 2026 r zero nine is adopted. 06/00. And we have twenty twenty six dash zero six, an ordinance adopting a planning department fee schedule, a zoning division fee schedule, and a right of way fee schedule, repealing all former fee schedules that are referenced in the attached Exhibit A and declaring an emergency.

That would be referred to the Planning and Economic Development Committee.

And that's all I have.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. All right. Now is the time for report of counsel committees. First committee to report is Finance, chaired by Mr. Humphrey.

Thank you, Mr. President. Finance did meet this evening. Myself, Mr. Nudgeobauer, and Mr. Spate were present. We had several items of legislative business. The first is the third reading of twenty twenty six R03. This is a resolution authorizing the city of Green to enter into contracts with various engineering, construction, management and testing companies for professional services for a three year term commencing 01/01/2026, and ending 12/31/2028, and declaring an emergency. The city maintains a list of approved engineering construction firms, professional service firms.

We currently, for this piece of legislation, have 16 companies on that list that will be on that list for a three year term. This is kind of, set forth in a process under the Ohio revised code for quality based selection of contractors like this. This is the third reading, and, I would make a motion to adopt twenty twenty six R03.

Second. We have a motion and a second to adopt twenty twenty six R03. Is there any discussion?

Yes. Mr. President, if I may, am currently employed part time by one of the firms listed in this legislation. And if I can speak for Councilman Noble, he also works for a different firm on the list. And so I am abstaining. I will also be abstaining. So just on the record before we take a vote.

Thank you, gentlemen. Any further discussion? Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Humphrey? Yes. Mr. Spate?

Yes.

Mr. Brandenburg?

Yes.

Mr. Noble?

Abstain.

Mr. Mager?

Yes.

Mr. Nudjivar?

Abstain.

Okay. 2026 R03 is adopted, four-zero.

The second piece of legislation we had in committee this evening was a second reading of twenty twenty six, R06 as amended. This is a resolution modifying appropriations within certain funds in order to provide sufficient funding and declaring an emergency. At our meeting this evening, Director Goodrich provided context for, why these changes were necessary. Just so folks understand, we have a budgeting process that takes place in December. We have an operating budget that, the council adopts at that time with whatever modifications, happen through that process.

But then obviously, you can't anticipate every expense or every additional expense that the city is going to incur throughout the year. So something that is not within that budgeting process that comes up after that requires an additional piece of legislation like this one in order to modify appropriations to give the administration the ability to, spend those funds that are collected as revenues from the city. So this piece of the legislation comes with an exhibit, that Director, Goodrich, reviewed for us. The total amount for all of the funds for this additional appropriation is $139,250 $24,500 is for the general fund, utility and assets for repairs and maintenance, repairs and maintenance for the Central Administration Building. And then the total for the Parks and Recreation Fund is $40,750 There was an additional there was an excess leave sale that was not anticipated by, employees in that department.

And so there's a $20,000 appropriation for that. As a result of, our new facility with the core, we've had individuals that are paying for things, with credit card. We had a piece of legislation at our last meeting where we indicated that we were going to surcharge those credit card transactions so that the city could be paid in full for those transactions and not get hit with a 2% or 3%, processing fee. However, because the parks department requires people to use credit cards in this circumstance, We're not going to charge our residents that fee when we require them to pay by credit card. And so, we were going to be under budget, in the area of the credit card processing fees.

And so $13,750 is added to, the, appropriation for that purpose. And then some additional supplies in the amount of $7,000 for the core. I suspect we're going to see more changes, to our appropriations involving the core because this is the first full year that that facility has been operated, and we're still trying to get a handle on all of the expenses that will be associated with that facility throughout the year. The other is in the Parks Capital Project Reserve Fund in the amount of $56,000 $26,000 for furniture and equipment and then $30,000 for Creekbaum Park for park improvements for the new restroom facilities at that park and then finally, an appropriation in the revolving health care agency fund in the amount of $18,000 And this is for COBRA expenses. This is a revolving fund where employees want to extend their insurance after they leave the employment of the city.

And they will be paying for this, but we have to have a place for those payments to take place and for the disbursements to go out. And so we have to have a line item in the budget, and this takes care of that. This is the second reading of this piece of legislation, and the committee would request time.

Time will be granted.

We had no items of old or new business, and the committee adjourned at 05:12.

Thank you, Mr. Humphrey. Our next committee to report this evening is Environment and Parks, chaired by Mr. Nuegebauer. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. Spate and I were present this evening. Clerk DeVitus was absent. However, there is no legislative items before our committee and no new or old business. Therefore, we did not meet.

Thank you, Mr. Nuschebauer. The next committee to report this evening is public safety, and Mr. DeVitis' absence was chaired by Mr. Humphrey.

Thank you, Mr. President. We did hold public safety this evening. Myself and Mr. Niedzebauer were present.

We had, two items, during our meeting. The first is a, liquor license, TMP 5267, Belgrade Gardens South Incorporated liquor license transfer, D2, D3, D1 transfer, Adavanchi LLC located at 3476 Massillon Road here in Green. The restaurant is not currently open. But when the restaurant was purchased, part of the purchase agreement was the transfer of the liquor license. And so eventually, there'll be some kind of restaurant there or some kind of facility there that will be able to utilize the liquor license that came with this transfer.

Our clerk, as she always does when one of these comes up, contacted the sheriff's department to see if there was any concerns at that area. None were relayed. And so, the committee was good with recommending that we move forward on this. So at this time, I guess we could take a vote. So I would make a motion that we Clerk, do we adopt it? Do we

Not request a hearing.

Oh, that's right. It's in the negative. So I move that we not request a hearing on TMP five thousand two and sixty seven.

Yeah, I second. We have a

motion and a second to not request a hearing on TMP 5,267. Any discussion?

Just real briefly, the state holds hearings on liquor license transfers and renewals. And our role in that process. If we see any issues, then we can request that there be a hearing, and the motion that was made did not request that hearing. Thank you.

Thank you for that clarification. All right. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Humphrey? Yes. Mr. Neugebauer?

Yes.

Mr. Brandenburg? Yes. Mr. Noble? Yes. Mr. Spate?

Yes.

Mr. Mager?

Yes.

Okay. Motion carries.

The second thing we had in our committee this evening, our communications manager, Valerie Wolford, provided an update regarding the new emergency notification system. You should have received in your mail, this past weekend, one of the quarterly publications that come out from the city has a QR code in there along with the new emergency, notification system that you can scan with your phone, or you can go on the city's website to sign up for it. It's very easy to sign up for, and we would encourage our residents to do that. So if there's a storm or a natural disaster or some other emergency within the city, that we can get a notification out very, very quickly through this system. This is replacing the old system that we had.

There were some concerns with that. And so, Valerie Wolford provided an update on that. We had no items of old or new business, and we adjourned.

Thank you, Mr. Humphrey. Next committee to report is Planning, Community and Economic Development chaired by Mr. Noble.

Thank you, Mr. President. Myself and Mr. Humphrey were here this evening. Mr. DeVitus was absent. We did have two items of legislation. The first of which, which is on third reading, is twenty twenty six dash zero three, an ordinance changing classification of approximately 2.76 acres of land located at 988 East Turkey Foot Lake Road from R one single family residential to B 1 general business. This is the associated with the public hearing that we just had a few minutes ago. And as such, we can't vote on it tonight.

So at this point, I will ask for time on twenty twenty six-three. Time will be granted. We also just did a we also had on our agenda 2026 R09, which was associated with the Chick fil A, which we already went through our voting on a few minutes ago. Those were our items of legislation. We had no older new business. That concludes my report. Thank you, Mr. Noble. Next committee is Rules and Personnel, which I chair. We did not

have any business this evening. Therefore, we did not meet. And next committee to report is Transportation, Connectivity and Stormwater, chaired by Mr. Mager. Thank you, Mr. President.

All members of the Transportation Connectivity and Stormwater were present. However, we had no items of legislation before us. We did meet to receive a report from city engineer Paul Pickett upcoming, Arlington Road Road project. We expect bids to be in for that project, by end of this month. And that's, again, the the expansion of Arlington Road, just south of 619 between Butler and 619. There are also some work being done by AT and T to relocate some utilities across the street. We were adjourned at 05:46.

Thank you, Mr. Mager. Our final committee to report this evening is Intergovernmental and Utilities, chaired by Mr. Brandenburg. Thank Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. Noble, Mr.

Meager and I met to discuss four items of legislation. The first item was twenty twenty six R04, a resolution approving an agreement between the City of Greene and the Legal Defender's Office of Summit County, Ohio, Inc, in declaring an emergency. This legislation is the annual renewal of an agreement between the City of Green and the, Public Defender's Office to provide legal services for individuals charged with violations of City Of Green laws who are unable to afford an attorney for their defense. This agreement covers the year 2026. During 2026, the city will pay $45 to the defenders' office for each case closed during the prior month.

This is down from $50.6 per closed case in 2025. State of Ohio pays the additional cost up to the defenders' standard fee per case closed of $250 This item is on third reading, so at this time, I'll make a motion to adopt 2026 R04.

Second. I have a motion and a second to adopt twenty twenty six r zero four. Is there any discussion? Hearing them, please call the roll.

Mr. Brandenburg?

Yes.

Mr. Noble?

Yes.

Mr. Spate? Yes. Mr. Maker?

Yes.

Mr. Nunezebauer?

Yes.

Mr. Humphrey?

Yes.

Okay. Motion carries. Twenty twenty six R04 is adopted, six-zero.

All right. The next two items of legislation are related must be adopted together, so I'm going read them in at the same time. There's 2020 six-four, an ordinance authorizing all actions necessary to join Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council's energy aggregation program and declaring an emergency. And the second companion piece, twenty twenty six-five, an ordinance approving the plan of operation and governance for the NOPEC electricity aggregation program for the purpose of jointly establishing and implementing an electricity aggregation program and declaring an emergency. Both of these items, we had a public hearing on February 24.

Attending that council public hearing were Service Director, Valerie Laccar the city's energy broker, Brenda Fargo and a representative from NOPEC, Mr. Russ McDonald. Several good reasons were given for the city of Green to join NOPEC's energy aggregation program, among them the fact that the city has been using has been a member of NOPEC's gas aggregation program since 2020, and we've had very good service through that program. And then the second one, probably one of the most important, is the rate that will be charged in 2026. So the city put out bids to five companies.

NOPEC came in with the lowest twelve month rate at $0.09 $48 per kilowatt hour, and the next lowest bid was $0.09 $84 per kilowatt hour or about 4% more. The proposed rate is slightly lower than our current rate of $9,669 so residents may expect to realize some savings on their electric bill. And then the next, so the City Of Green will join NOPEC as an opt out community, meaning there's nothing residents need to do to receive the lower NOPEC rate, which will start on June 1. If a resident is in a current contract or has a desire to use a different company, they will have that option when NOPEC is adopted. And then the last reason, so NOPEC, last one that I noted here is a key reason.

NOPEC is comprised of a number of communities across Northeast Ohio, just like ours. They come together to purchase their electricity so you're able to buy in bulk and receive a volume discount. They also offer energy education, event sponsorships and energy efficiency grants. One of those grants we'll be talking about next have some great reasons to consider joining OPEC. So these ordinances are all on third reading.

Twenty twenty six-four must come first procedurally. So, Mr. President, I make a motion to adopt Ordinance twenty twenty six-four.

Second. We have a motion and a second to adopt twenty twenty six-four. Any discussion? Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Brandenburg? Yes. Mr. Noble? Yes. Mr. Spate?

Yes.

Mr. Mager?

Yes.

Mr. Nugibar?

Yes.

Mr. Humphrey?

Yes.

Okay. Twenty twenty six-four is adopted, six-zero.

So having passed twenty twenty six-four, we'll adopt the regulations related. So I make a motion to adopt twenty twenty six-five.

Second. We have a motion and a second to adopt twenty twenty six-five. Any discussion? Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Brandenburg?

Yes.

Mr. Noble?

Yes.

Mr. Spate?

Yes.

Mr. Mager?

Yes.

Mr. Nunezebauer?

Yes.

Mr. Humphrey?

Yes.

Okay. Twenty twenty six-five is adopted, six-zero.

All right. So the last item we discussed in committee was twenty twenty six R08, a resolution authorizing the mayor to accept the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council 2026 Energized Community Grant Fund and declaring an emergence. So as I mentioned, we've been a member of NOPEC for natural gas aggregation since 2020. Part of one of the benefits of being a member is that we're able to apply for grants that can be used for energy efficiency or energy infrastructure projects. We have three years approximately to use the fund.

For 2026, the City of Green's grant is $20,462 This will be we've received several grants that have been used for purchase of electric vehicles, for the purchase of recharging stations for those vehicles, and for other energy efficiency improvements. The legislation we just discussed was regarding NOPEC. So we've been talking about NOPEC for several weeks. I'll ask committee if they'd be okay with moving forward on second reading. Members agreed. So at this time, we're going make a motion to bypass additional committee deliberations on 2026 R08. Three reading rule.

Second.

Three reading rule. Three reading rule.

So we don't need to bypass any deliberations, just the three reading rule.

Okay. Got it. All right. Then I'll cancel that one. So, Mr. President, I'll make a motion to bypass the three reading rule on 2026 R08.

Second. All right. We have a motion and a second to bypass the three reading rule on 2026 R08. Any discussion? Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Brandenburg?

Yes.

Mr. Noble? Yes. Mr. Spate? Yes. Mr. Mager?

Yes.

Mr. Nujibar?

Yes.

Mr. Humphrey?

Yes.

Okay. Motion carries.

All right. So at this time, I'll make a motion to adopt 2026 R08.

Second. We have a motion and second to adopt 2026 R08. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Brandenburg?

Yes.

Mr. Noble? Yes. Mr. Spate?

Yes.

Mr. Mager?

Yes.

Mr. Neugebauer?

Yes.

Mr. Humphrey?

Yes.

Okay. 2026 R08 is adopted, six-zero.

All right. So these were the only items of legislation to come before committees. We had no other items of holding new business, so we adjourn.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Brandenburg. Next on the agenda is our mayor's report.

Thank you, Mr. President. The council meeting started off with a presentation from our sheriff, and I just wanted to comment for a minute how much we do appreciate that relationship. And the sheriff is accurate. Whenever we need access to her, she's available.

But I will say that Captain McCutcheon is our local contact with the Sheriff's Office. He's a resident here in Greene and is the one that I spend the most time talking with at least on a weekly basis and then as any issues arise. And I want counsel to know and the public to know he's been very responsive. He's a great asset to our law enforcement operations and efforts here in Green and we really appreciate specifically his relationship. Something that the moving you mentioned, Sheriff, moving the operation here to the main building.

Something that's allowed me to do is meet on a regular basis with the sergeants who oversee the care of our residents and who are actually driving the beat. And so every Monday morning, I meet with the sergeants that are available to talk about what's happened over the weekend. And then there's a different set of sergeants that come in on Thursday and we meet to review what's happened during the week ever since. And what that allows us to do is react to problems that they see more as they see it so that we can react as a city hall and as a mayor's office to things that need to be adjusted on a more nimble basis. So that's worked very well.

And I appreciate your willingness to come and be part of life here in City Hall. I wanted to also let counsel know that at the next council meeting on March 24, Lumos, who has been the company responsible for installing fiber high speed Internet in all of our neighborhoods will be presenting to City Council. They will be here to talk about where they've gone so far in the city, what their plan is going forward to finish construction this year and also to provide instruction to residents to give them contact if they have any questions. Specifically, they explained to me, they welcome concerns about dog fences in yards, sprinkler systems. They want to work with residents to identify those in advance and are happy to come to your yard to flag them with residents so that we can hopefully avoid any accidents.

I appreciate the conversation that happened at the last council meeting. A lot of cities are using taxpayer dollars to install high speed Internet. And it's happening in the city of Green at no cost to taxpayers and providing those taxpayers a real benefit, options for better service at a cheaper rate. And so that's something I want to continue to remind residents as we go through the short term pain of construction. And we know that through we know that well in Green.

We know that from the benefit that we've obtained through our roundabouts and the difficulty it is in that construction process. And we're going to feel the same thing with fiber and we have. But the neighborhoods that have already experienced it, the reports I get is that the service is being offered that is better and cheaper. And I think counsel shared that it even gives the opportunity to talk to your current provider if you don't want to switch. It gives you some leverage to talk about better rates.

So all those things will be addressed next week. If you have questions for Lumos, you're welcome to come. That will be recorded as part of the regular council meeting, so you can watch the tape afterward. As more residents utilize electronic payment, we've also decided to no longer mail out income tax reform returns to all residents. These forms are available on our website, in our office or at the Green Branch Library and we would be happy to mail any forms to residents who request them.

Thanks to all who stopped by at Battle of the Slice on February 28. It was a huge success and a great community event to benefit the Green Schools Foundation. The numbers that were shared with me were about 1,500 people attended and approximately $14,000 were raised for the Green Schools Foundation scholarships for kids in Green and to support our teachers in classroom endeavors in our school system. Congratulations to Upper Crust. I understand they were chosen by residents of Green as the best pizza.

I didn't see that coming, but congratulations to them. Also, the City of Green is hiring. Full time positions currently open at the city include Service Workers one and two and in Code Inspector in the Zoning Department. For summer seasonal staff, we're looking for seasonal staff for the following positions summer day camp staff, site sports field monitors, park groundskeepers and road maintenance and crew members. The City of Green is selling Veterans Memorial Park banners to honor local veterans again this year through May 1 for 100 each.

The banners will be displayed from Memorial Day through Veterans Day this year. I bought one for my dad a couple of years ago, who's a Vietnam veteran, surprised him with it. We went for a walk in the park and they said, Dad, there's your picture. It was a touching moment and he was very proud to see himself displayed in the park. It's a really nice thing for our relatives who are in the region, but not necessarily to share with them and honor their service to our country.

You can purchase banners at cityofgreen.org or register under commemorative items. In honor of America's 200 birthday, Green is participating in the America Heritage Tree Program by selling tree sponsorships for our new Heritage Tree Grove at Green's Veterans Park to be dedicated on April 24 Arbor Day. The Grove will feature 25 trees. The tree sponsorships are $250 each. The deadline to be a sponsor is March 31.

Please call our Parks division to learn more at (330) 896-6621. The City of Green's Drug Task Force is accepting applications for its 2026 Drug Task Force Scholarship for college or other continuing education for a Green resident graduating from high school. The criteria for the $1,000 scholarship includes currently residing in Green and has been impacted by substance abuse and lives or have lived apart from a parent or guardian due to the parent or guardian substance abuse. You can apply at www.cityofgreen.orgdrugtaskforce. The deadline is April 24.

Again, this scholarship is provided by the opioid settlement funds. Other events, our annual Easter egg hunt and Breakfast with the Bunny, you can enjoy a family breakfast and take your photo with the Easter bunny before hunting for eggs at Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday, March 28. A sensory friendly and general public breakfast and egg hunt are available. This is sponsored by the Green Family YMCA in Camp Winoa. Egg hunts are free to attend.

Tickets are required for breakfast. Presale tickets are available at cityofgreen.org or you can register by calling 896-6621. Egg hunts are also for adults, it turns out. This is the second year of the adult Easter egg scramble, a lively competitive twist on the classic childhood game tailored for grown ups looking for nostalgic fun. The Egg Scramble is April 3 at 7PM at Central Park.

Participants race around a designated area grabbing eggs stuffed with tickets to win amazing raffle prices, including gift cards to many local businesses, TVs, electronics, bicycles and more. For adults aged 21, tickets are limited. Purchase yours at cityofgreen.org. Special thanks to the Green Area Chamber and many local businesses for sponsoring this event. Finally, my mayor's morning meetup is March 27 at 9AM at the Chapel, 1800 Raber Road. We will gather for coffee and conversation from nine to about 09:40. The plan is weather permitting, we'll take a walk around the newly paved chapel walking path, which is open to the public. No registration is needed. Mr. President, that concludes my report.

Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. And now, is there any unfinished business to come before counsel? Any new business? All right. Lastly, I will see adjourn. I'd like a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn. Second.