City Commission - Regular Meeting

The Dayton City Commission meeting will now come to order. Would you all please rise for the invocation and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. This evening, the invocation will be given by Commissioner Shaw.

Dear God, grant us strength and courage to tackle the challenges of today. Let our choices honor you and serve those we represent. Amen.

Amen.

All right, Ms. McClendon, may we please have a roll call?

Mayor Turner-Sloss? Commissioners Joseph? One second. Yep. Excuse me.

Thank you. It's your one.

Yeah.

How you doing? Doing alright?

Yeah.

Alright, good.

Thank you all to our in attendance this evening. Ms. McClendon, please proceed.

Mayor Turner-Sloss. Aye. Commissioners Joseph, Shaw.

Aye.

Fairchild.

Aye.

Beckham.

Aye.

Ms. McClendon, excuse me. May I please have a motion to excuse the absence of Commissioner Joseph.

So moved, Your Honor. Second the motion.

It has been properly moved and seconded to excuse the absence of Commissioner Joseph. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. May I have a motion to approve the minutes of the July 2021. excuse me, July 22nd, 2026 meeting.

So moved, Your Honor. Second the motion, Your Honor.

It has been properly moved and seconded to approve the minutes of the July 22nd, 2026 meeting. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. Any abstentions? Ms. McClendon, are there any communications or petitions this evening?

There are none, Your Honor.

All right, this evening we have the monthly demolition update. I would like to call to the podium Mr. Steve Gondel, the Director of Planning, Neighborhoods, and Development.

All right. Good evening, Mayor, Commissioners, Deputy City Manager, Ms. McClendon, Steve Gondel, Director for the Department of Planning, Neighbors, and Development, with your date and recovery plan demolition update for the month of June 2026. In June, we saw 24 demolitions completed. 20 of those were with Ohio Department of Development funds. Four were with the ARPA funds. And that represents a total completion of the date of 121 demolitions, the bulk of which are still with our ARPA funds, with our ODOD funds behind that at 49. What that represents, those 121 demolitions completed of the 334 planned, we're about 36% of that total for the year at the 50% mark. So we're slightly behind the mark of where we are, but making steady progress. We ended the month of May with 28 piles. Again, we have not started our pile contract. We're pretty close to getting that in place or started. We did have five additional structures added to that count, which ending the month of June with 33. And as we move to the map, I'll kind of talk through where those emergency demolitions occurred. So you'll see here that one was at 24 North Ardmore in the Westwood neighborhood, 68 West Fairview and 70 West Fairview in the Santa Clara neighborhood, 16 North Mason in the Roosevelt neighborhood, and 4528 Midway in the Residence Park neighborhood. Again, those were the June emergency demolitions. So five for the month of June. As for the routine demolitions that I mentioned, the 24, you'll see here on the map, there was some additional work, again, per our contract with the Montgomery County Land Bank outside of the city, which we always represent in the maps, but we do not count in our numbers. For June, just to run through, the neighborhoods that experienced demolition activity removal was Burkhart Head 2, Dayton View Triangle 4, Edgemont 1, Fairview 3, Five Oaks 1, Highview Hills 3, Hillcrest 1, Madden Hills 1, North Riverdale, Old Dayton View, Riverdale all with 1, Southern Dayton View with 4, and Walnut Hills with 1. And again, that was just the demolitions in June. Year to date, you'll see here, so of the 121 demolitions, we are now at 25 unique neighborhoods that have had a demolition removal, either from one or, if you're like southern Dayton View, 35 is the most, with Santa Clara falling behind that at 14. But other neighborhoods that have had significant blight removal, Highview Hills with seven, Fairview, again, with six. And so... Pretty steady effort, but again, really pleased that able to spread this work through 25 of our 65 neighborhoods. And each month we've been adding, as the work kind of moves, some additional neighborhoods have kind of experienced that. Again, Walnut Hills does not have many structures that need to be removed, but able to remove that one structure is significant for them, and we'll talk a little bit more about that later. OK, properties added to the structural nuisance list in June, we had 23 structures. What that looks like is 16 of those were houses, six were garages, and one was a commercial structure. Nine were due to blight, 14 were due to fire. If you roll up their year to date for 2026, we have 89 structures now on the list, 89 total structures. 76 were residential structures, 13 are garages. Our pipeline, again, we're more in the doing phase than the planning phase. So no additional work on the title reports, the surveys, or the asbestos remediations. But the post abatement inspection, we had 68 occur in June, which means that those properties are now ready for removal either in July or August or even September. Most of that activity there was just completing that pipeline work and getting those properties ready for the demolition removal. I'll note that of those post abatement inspections, 29 were ARPA funded and 39 were Ohio Department of Development funded based removals. Moving into some before and afters, as I mentioned, that one in Walnut Hills, 1504 Wyoming. You'll see there the house on the left is actually the structure, and then now you'll see the cleared view all the way to the side street there after the removal of that property. Next is 2010 West Grand in the Southern Dayton View neighborhood. This is actually pretty significant. The photo on the left is the head-on view of the house. The after photo is from the corner. That house was actually covered in brush. So if you went to that corner before, you wouldn't even see the house. So in addition to the house, they cleared that whole site down to the lot itself. So now you have a clear visual into that site from that corner, which you did not have before. So that was kind of an additional both removing the structure and the brush around it. 712 Clegg in the Edgemont neighborhood. Again, this is contributing to the work there, both removing the structure while our partners have been building new homes, especially Habitat for Humanity. So again, trying to keep that momentum going over in that area, especially with the work the Five Rivers has been doing to support the Edgemont community. So again, this is a situation where one property will make a significant difference with the momentum in that neighborhood. And then I have 28, 23 Tubman in the Highview Hills neighborhood. And here's another case where, in addition to the structure, clearing out all of the brush. So now that there is a total clear line of sight into that parcel and of the adjacent parcels. So to conclude, we have now had 70 of our 120 ARPA-funded demos completed, 49 of our 70 to 75 ODOD Department of Development-funded demos, two of our 60 to 80 CDBG-funded demos, and none of our general-funded have started yet. 99% of our ARPA project has been expensed or encumbered. 52 months completed, six months remaining. And that is on the, especially on the ARPA funds, the federal funds. So at this point, I will cease any more comments and answer any questions you all might have.

Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. Commissioners, are there any questions or comments? Commissioner Beckham.

Thank you, Your Honor. Just one. Thank you, Mr. Gondel, for the presentation, as usual. I'm just curious if the five emergency demolitions for the month of June, can you speak to whether those were fires or structural fails? Do we know? Yes.

I will double check, but I'm pretty sure these are all fire-related.

I was hoping not, but thank you for the answer. Those are all my questions.

Thank you. Commissioner Fairchild.

Yeah, thank you. It's my recollection before I went on vacation, we're going to have a work session on the housing survey. Did that occur? I'm sorry, I haven't caught up to speed yet.

No, the housing and condition survey, that occurred in June. We did that one.

Yeah.

It was a work session.

It was a work session, yeah.

Okay, I'll go back and review because I'm understanding it was going to occur in July, but I'll double check.

We have the, go ahead.

Coming up in, we are in August. Coming up next week, we have the civil code enforcement work session. But we do have, in June, we did do the housing condition survey work session.

All right, I'll go back to review that. I just have one question. I think it was over the weekend, maybe last week. There was a structure fire at the corner of Grand and Broadway. There was a lot of questions on social media about that. And if it's appropriate, if we could just get some clarification. People were concerned why it was allowed to burn before the fire was suppressed. if there was an explanation for that tactic. But also, it got demolished and cleaned up really readily. So was that a property we owned? And then how did that property get expedited so quickly compared to other? It's not cleaned up.

No. It's still there. It's, as the mayor is correct, it was emergency demoed midday Friday. We got the call from the fire department. It was set on fire. It's still there in a pile. Okay, but it was...

reduced to the pile.

Blade cutters came out.

It's in a pile now.

Debris is still there. So that was just the routine response to fire. But that debris is still there.

Commissioner, if you have questions about the fire tactics themselves, Chief French is here and can address.

That would be great if you'd be willing to. And Mr. Gondel, do we own that property?

No, that's not what we own.

All right.

Good evening, Mayor, Commissioner, Deputy City Manager, Ms. McClendon. Go ahead, sir.

It was just a question. There was a citizen on scene and was filming it and was not at the right time. I mean, you guys were trying to do your job. Yes, sir. The citizen was trying to ask questions while you guys were trying to do your job. But I was hoping we could get the questions answered why we didn't initially use water to suppress the fire.

Yes, sir. So initially at that North Broadway Street incident, there was water used. They attempted an interior attack on that structure fire. They did get inside. They tried to clear it for any potential victims, make sure nobody was inside. They realized significant structural deterioration of the building when they were inside. And so it became unsafe for them to continue to stay there. The fire was kind of up in the upper areas under the roof and things like that. So when they had the life safety issue clear, we always prioritize life over anything else. And once they realized that the structure was clear of any victims, and it was not safe for our crews to be operating inside anymore, they pulled back to a defensive position. In that case, based upon where the fire was, the roof was doing a really good job of keeping back any potential for our water streams to get in as well. So in that case, we did what's called a tactical burn. That's a recognized tactic to essentially where if life safety is not a hazard at that point, We actually allow the fire to burn to create access points so we can get those water streams turned in. So there was an awkward time period, and I did see some of that footage as well. There was an awkward time period and some very fair questions asked about, hey, what's going on at this point? And that's certainly fair to do so. We wanna try to make sure we keep everybody back in a safe area. And so- Sure. We want to make sure that those questions get addressed at an appropriate time, but certainly they're fair questions. And in that case, they were allowing the fire to get through the roof so they could then access that better with some of our aerial water streams. All right.

I expected that was kind of the explanation, but I wanted to make sure our citizens were able to hear it directly from you. So thank you for providing that explanation.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Chief.

Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Shaw, do you have any questions?

No questions, really. Just thank you for the update. It looks like we're still making progress a little slower than we would have expected moving forward. So thank you for that.

Thank you. I would like to, again, echo my colleagues, their comments in regards to applauding you and the staff and the entire team for the work that is being done. Could you please just remind us again as to the purpose of the Fire Pals, right? We know that we want to cause a structural concern overall. But again, it's not my favorite tactic, if you will. But if you could please enlighten us as to why that tactic is being used in terms of not more so in this particular case, right? Because we know, but in other cases where there are structures that are being demolished, but the site or the debris itself has not been fully removed from the site.

Yeah, so when the two approaches, obviously, when fire requested or if the chief building official, if a discovery is made that there's a structural issue that we do the emergency demos, On either path, we are still required by law to try to make contact with the owner. So while we can do that initial demo into a pile, we are still required to try to provide service to reach the owner to notify them that their structure is down to give them ample opportunity or an opportunity to respond to correct it. And so it then kind of follows that path of service that we do for routine demolitions where, especially when we don't own the property, that we have to make every effort to notify them even though it's already down. whether they have insurance or if not, to at least have that opportunity. Most times, there's not a response or there's not an action. And then it becomes our process then to remove, which we then proceed with, and then invoice that back to the property, which then, if there's still no payment for those services, then we are now placing those costs onto the property tax bill. But that's the biggest thing in that we are still required by law to try to find the owners to notify them that the structure's down and that they need to take some corrective action on that. And so each one of those piles, we're at 33 for the year, we have to take that same action. Our staff has to try to notify those owners.

Okay, thank you. And then back to the Broadway and Grand site. That property, correct me if I'm wrong, was it on the nuisance list? I believe that.

I know that it was boarded.

It was boarded, and I know there was a gaping hole in the roof. There was a number of other structural issues.

I will confirm, but I know it was boarded, and I will confirm that it was on structural nuisance as well. Okay. That had been on the radar of... It's a beautiful house. I mean, I think you've seen the potential time, but knowing that there had been disinvestment for a number of years. And so not surprised that the chief has shared that inside it probably was compromised.

Thank you. And then in terms of the general funds, where are we with the general funds demolition?

Yeah. So everything, I will probably have an update that I'll either include in Friday's packet as to when we expect the contractors to start removing those piles that those funds are going to go to that we've assigned. Okay. Because that's where general fund will go for pile removal.

Okay. Okay. Great. Thank you. Yeah. Could you go back a couple of slides? I just want to thank you and the team the entire couple more. Forward or backwards? Back. I'm sorry, you did start at the top. Yeah, excuse me. Go back. Here, yes. Thank you very much. This is what I was speaking to in terms of the heat map as I was referring to it as. And then, so I really appreciate you all including this chart as well as the next chart. Could you go to the next?

Yeah, so just for the public, so this first one is just the June, just the demolition of June. And then this next one is everything 2026 year to date.

Yes, thank you. We just need to make a couple of tweaks, revisions, and kind of move it over, just tap it. But again, I really appreciate you all adding this to the deck.

Yeah, it's good to see kind of, it gives that, you know, we kind of generally know where the dots are, but then also just have that neighborhood list there to see which neighborhoods and the count.

It will also be interesting, and I don't know if you have the capacity in terms of the width of the chart, but it will also be interesting, too, if you could have a comparison of the number of properties itself that are on the nuisance list or that are slated for demolition in those particular neighborhoods. And it might spill over to two, three charts, but it would be good to add. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.

Mayor, if I may add, it was July 8th. I know I said June for the housing conditions survey work session. It all came back to me because Ms. Jackson made a very generous deal to move it to July so that I could hear for that. But July 8th, we did the work session on the conditions survey.

That makes sense because... My recollection is it occurred when I was on my vacation. And I have not seen it yet. I haven't had the chance to go back and read it. I know I said June, but July.

Thank you for that clarity. Mayor, thank you.

Thank you, sir. All right, Ms. McClendon, are there any additions, deletions, or comments to the calendar this evening?

There are none, Your Honor.

Thank you. Mr. Parlette, are there any additions, deletions, or comments to the calendar this evening?

Your Honor, I have no additions or deletions, but I would like to offer just a couple of comments regarding Emergency Ordinance 32199-26. With the unexpected cancellation of last week's meeting, it was planned to bring this forward with two separate readings at two separate meetings. There are time issues wherein this, we're presenting it tonight for a first and second reading. And really the ordinance is submitted as an emergency to ensure timing deadlines for funding the project being met. ODOT is providing approximately $20 million in funding for the project to the Board of County Commissioners. ODOT requires the commitment for the easements, which is this action here, to be completed in early August to secure this funding. Related easement documents will be completed, reviewed, and submitted separately after the purchase agreement is executed. So I just wanted to offer that context. We don't like to do this. But we're kind of in a pinch this week with this one. So that's all I have, Your Honor.

Thank you, Mr. Parlett. Ms. McClendon, are there any citizens that are registered to speak on calendar items this evening?

Yes, Your Honor. There are two citizens registered to speak on calendar items. I would like to state there is a three-minute time limit. As you address the commission, we ask that you state your name and address for the record. At that time, I will turn on the green light. When the green light comes on, you will have three minutes to speak. After you have spoken two and a half minutes, a yellow light will come on and you will have 30 seconds remaining to speak. When the red light comes on, you will be asked to cease your comments and to take your seat. To the audience in attendance, please be mindful this is a business meeting and we kindly request that during this portion of the meeting you refrain from any hand clapping, finger snapping, and conversation that would prevent the city commission from hearing the speaker's comments. I call to the podium Ebony Hastings.

Ebony Hastings, 1238 Wabash Avenue. Good evening, Mayor Turner-Sloss and Commissioners. Good evening. I want to walk you through a few items on tonight's agenda and ask the same questions about each one. What is the total? What is the scope? Who inspects the work? And when will it be finished? Item B1, CNG Services LLC, which stands for Compressed Natural Gas Services. The agenda asks the commission to approve $100,000 tonight for natural gas fuel for waste collection trucks. But if you read page two of the packet, this is an amendment on top of the $200,000 that was already approved. The real total is $300,000, not $100,000. The commission is voting on the piece. Residents only see the piece. The total was written into the fine print, not the front page. ITEM FOUR, GONZALES COMPANIES, $770,000 FOR WATER TRANSMISSION MAIN INSTALLATION NEARLY THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION DOLLARS RUNNING THROUGH DECEMBER 2027. WAS THIS COMPETITIVELY BID OR SOUL SOURCED? WHAT IS THE EXACT SCOPE? WHEN DOES IT BEGIN AND END? AND WHO INSPECTS THE COMPLETED WORK TO VERIFY THE SCOPE WAS SATISFACTORILY MET BEFORE THE FINAL PAYMENT IS RELEASED? Item seven, the Clingers Group, $110, $800. Four surveying services on Gettysburg Avenue reconstruction phase three and Smithville Road reconstruction phase two. Gettysburg is West Dayton, Smithville is East Dayton. I want to be clear that my focus is not only West Dayton. East Dayton feels the same impact. It's just not been as severe. Residents across this city deserve the same questions answered. What is the scope? When does the construction start? When does it finish? And who inspects the work to confirm the scope was completed satisfactory? Item eight, the monthly demolition update. The reporting is only useful if the framework is right. I am asking the commission to shift the demolition focus solely to grade five properties, the homes on the city's own housing survey that are beyond cost-effective rehabilitation. Those come down, but the grade three and four homes in excusable middle? should be sold to Dayton residents for $1 with a rehabilitation forgivable loan and a five-year owner occupancy deed restriction. We already know this can be done in Dayton. The convention center block moved for a dollar to make way for redevelopment. I know that this is a different transaction. BUT THE PRINCIPLE IS THE SAME. IF DAYTON CAN MOVE PROPERTY FOR A DOLLAR TO SERVE DOWNTOWN PROJECTS, DAYTON CAN MOVE GRADE 3 AND 4 HOMES FOR A DOLLAR TO SERVE RESIDENTS WHO WILL LIVE IN THEM AND REBUILD THE BLOCK. ITEM 10, THE EMERGENCY ORDINANCE FOR THE EASEMENT PURCHASE OF INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WHAT IS THE SPECIFIC EMERGENCY? Before I close, I want to raise one procedural concern. Work sessions tonight, like the 4 p.m. finance briefing, are open to the public, but the community is never told they exist in any meaningful way. No neighborhood notice, no plain language invitation, no effort bringing residents into the rooms where the framing happens. If this commission is serious about community engagement, publicizing work sessions and listening sessions is a place to start. Thank you, Ms. Hastings.

I call to the podium Rodney Stark.

Rodney Stark, 4526 Alfred Drive, Dayton, Ohio, 45417. Good evening, Mayor.

Good evening.

Commissioners, Deputy City Manager, and Ms. McClendon, Ms. Jackson. Good evening, everyone. It's very disappointing to come here again to listen. I did all everything Ms. Hastings has said. But here we are again, Mr. Parlette, you guys trying to rush things down our throat without planning. Just because you fail to plan doesn't constitute an emergency on our part. I am so sick of the city. Every time you turn around, there's an emergency resolution on something that you're rushing down our throat, just like you did with the NCA. I'm not comfortable with the commission voting on anything because I don't think you all read everything, just like what Ms. Hastings brought to your attention. I don't think you are fully aware of what you're voting on. Came here tonight to talk about water, though. I listened to a little bit of the finance meeting on water, and I'm not going to make a judgment about our water department, but there's a lot of money being spent in the water department. So I would love to tour the water department and go and check it out and just see where all that money is going. I hear we have the best water around here in the area. the area. However, I don't know if it's that good where all the money that's being spent on our water department. But I really want to say that I'm disappointed with this commission. I'm disappointed with a lot of you. I'm disappointed with the city manager's office, especially because of a lot of the emergency resolutions and things being thrown down our throat because they failed to plan. If you all show up for work, and I apologize. Welcome back, Mr. Fairchild. He had a legitimate reason why he was out, but I'm not sure about everybody else's reason for being out. I'm going to leave it right there because I've got other things I want to talk to you about. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Stark.

That concludes speakers on calendar items, Your Honor.

Thank you, Ms. McClendon. Mr. Parlette, if you would, could you ask Ms. Kinney to join us at the podium so she can speak to some of the investments that are being made in the water department, if that's fair, especially as it relates to calendar item service agreement number four?

Yes. Keisha Kinney, Director of Water.

Thank you, Mr. Farlett. I will also note, too, if you wouldn't mind, also please provide the information if those who are, in fact, interested, as Mr. Starks noted in touring, it is actually a great use of time in terms of really getting an understanding if you wouldn't mind walking through. And then I also would invite those who are interested, Neighborhood Leadership Institute is a great place great mechanism to learn all of the nuts and bolts and all the various different mechanics of how the organization itself, how it works from the service agreements, the bidding process, our water department, our airport, like you literally get a chance and an opportunity to go behind the scenes and really know of all the various different things that are readily available and how, in fact, the organization itself works. So we need to make sure. And I believe that's in, what, March. March, the time frame will take place for applications. And Mr. Gondo's department, the Planning and Neighborhood Development Department, usually have a class about, what, 20, 30, sometimes 40 individuals. So that is also an opportunity as well. Ms. McKinney, excuse me.

Mayor, Commissioner, Deputy City Manager. So to answer the question as regards to tours, if you want to tour the water department, if you go on our website, you can get there and they'll take you directly to how to get to both our tours of the water treatment facilities and our wastewater treatment facilities. Also, if you join the Leadership Institute, we also provide tours there as well. As far as the Gonzales contract, this is a professional service contract that is actually being used to design a main so that we can run another line to secure our feed into Dayton, Montgomery County as a part of our water services agreement. So this was initially bid when we first started the project, and this is to add on the additional services that we need to make sure that this main goes into place following what we're supposed to do in accordance to the agreement. So it's making sure it's secure.

Thank you. And then once, correct me if I'm wrong, in terms of the timing in which the work will begin, is it generally, I know for legislation it takes 30 days, what is the time frame in terms of meeting this service agreement itself for the work to start?

For this, we have the initial work that started, and this is the, as we're going through and we realize that we have to add additional funding to complete the project. So this is just design. This is not construction. This is just designing the main. Thank you, Ms. Kinney. Thank you, Mr. Paulette.

I appreciate it. Thank you, Kayser. Commissioners, are there any comments on the city manager's recommendations? Commissioner Beckham?

I have none, Your Honor.

Commissioner Fairchild?

Yeah, just a question of clarity. Can you remind me how we notice the work sessions? Because those have to be publicly noticed. I'm curious all the different means that we publish that.

Thank you, Commissioner, and welcome back. Thank you. So we do put that out as our noticing when we notice the neighborhood meeting. I'm sorry, the commission meeting. It is attached to that as well. And then we put that out to next door, to the media, to social media. We do all of that.

Yeah. And do we have an email list for people who have been through NLI, maybe a neighborhood president, maybe a concerned, interested, engaged citizen that would also get those. Is there an email list that would do that?

Yes, sir. And they can also sign up on the website where you can receive all kind of information. So it is available. Yes, sir.

Okay. Thank you. That was my comment.

Thank you, Commissioner.

I'm good.

Thank you. I believe there was one other comment. I do want to highlight calendar item number three, County Corp, and the Dayton Household Energy Efficiency Program. And again, this just speaks to the work that is being done with our sustainability department. I don't think there's anyone. Oh, you are here. Would you mind, Mr. Parlette? Could Ms. Parlette? Mahoney, if she could come up and speak to that. Sure.

This is a positive story that probably I should have highlighted. So, Meg, if you wouldn't mind. Thank you. Meg Maloney, our sustainability manager.

Thank you. Good evening. Good evening. If you could talk a little bit about calendar item number three and the partnership, and then also speak to some other work that is being done in regards to... the settlement dollars, the home repair network, partnership that we have, and all of the various different things that are being managed and being worked throughout the sustainability office.

Yeah, so I can start at the beginning. So next week you'll actually see it on the calendar. Anytime AES or CenterPoint raises rates, the city always intervenes and we try to lower those rates for residents from what they initially suggest. As part of that, we are really protective of low income residents and businesses. So we're trying to encourage programming to help support residents, especially because fee increases are really difficult for them. So over the past couple years in all of our settlements, we have encouraged both AES and CenterPoint to start a low-income weatherization and energy efficiency program. It's open to any cities in their service territory. So the sustainability office, we apply into that program. Through that, we had funding through AES Ohio that we got, and then we also won funding through CenterPoint. What we put as part of our grant application is to fund the Dayton Home Repair Network. So again, Dayton Energy Collaborative and all of our home repair partners are doing an excellent job of having a universal application. We have over 900 households on that list. As part of this program, we have the residents go through one universal application, and then all of our home repair partners, there are nine of them, work to do holistic upgrades to the household. So the modification you're seeing tonight, we have Rebuild, Habitat for Humanity, and County Corps that won funding through AES. We got additional funding through CenterPoint that we're now giving to those partners to do the home repair work. With those two sources alone, we're going to hit over 450 homes within the next two years that we'll be getting this level of home repair. The other nice thing about these programs is it also includes health and safety upgrades, which traditionally there's not always funding sources for. So we can ensure that not only are we making their homes more energy efficiency and weatherized, but we're also improving the indoor air quality for a lot of our low-income residents.

Thank you. Can you also speak to the work that is being done around this initiative, the Dayton Home Repair Network for our rental units as well that has now been expanded to our rental units? Excuse me.

Yes, so we got separate funding. We got some philanthropic funding to start a rental pilot. So the difficult thing about home repair right now in Dayton is right now the funding is usually only available to people that own their homes. And we know that over 50% of residents do not own their homes, they rent. And so what we want to do is we want to be both good stewards of this funding, but also try to do something more innovative to get access to those residents and help them out. So Lila Klein on my team and her other two teammates are helping develop this rental pilot program. So we've been working with landlords and tenants to understand kind of the needs that they have in their households. And we're developing a small pilot program for 10 households to go through to better understand how we can help them with home repair. That is currently just launched two weeks ago. So if there's any interested landlords, we have the program open. It's available on the Dayton Energy Collaborative's website. OUR HOPE IS THAT THROUGH THESE 10 HOUSEHOLDS, OUR GOAL IS TO TAKE THEM THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS. WE'RE GOING TO DO MEDIATION BETWEEN BOTH THE LANDLORD AND THE TENANT, HAVE THEM KIND OF COME TO TERMS ON LIKE WHAT WORK IS GOING TO BE DONE, AND THEN DO THE UPGRADES TO THEIR HOMES. THERE'S A LOT OF CONTRACTING PIECES. WE HAVE A LOT OF GREAT PARTNERS THROUGH ABLE THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH AS WELL TO ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S PROTECTIONS IN THERE THAT ONCE THEY GET THE UPGRADES, THE RENT IS NOT GOING TO GO UP, THINGS LIKE THAT. But yeah, so we're currently rolling out that program. So if you have any interested landlords or tenants, both landlords or tenants can apply and they can find that information on the Dayton Energy Collaborative website. Our hope is that after the 10, we can improve the process and then expand it to do a larger program to roll out to renters in the future.

Thank you very much. I really appreciate it and all the great work that you all are doing. Thank you. All right, Mr. Parlett, I got one last request, please. Calendar, the emergency ordinance is under, actually, legislation, calendar item number 10, and I know you spoke to it, but I know that we have Mr. Turner that is here as well. Could you just speak to, like, the importance, like, Around this, this is an acceptance of a grant. So there are no funds that will be expended or obligated, if you will, in regards to this legislation and being that we are under a time constraint. But if you could, Mr. Parlett and Mr. Turner, speak to what the importance of that deadline is.

Okay. Good evening, Mayor and Commissioners.

Good evening. Thank you.

This legislation, as you know, around the airport about eight years ago, a lot of development around the airport for warehouses. So a lot of trucking takes place. So this is to widen the roadways around the airport. This is being done by the county. So it's not being done by the airport, and this involves a land sale. So the land sale, given that they're taking land from the airport to widen the roadways. So in order for them to get the grant from ODOT, this has to take place. And as a timing issue, we were going to bring it forward last month, but due to... lack of quorum. We couldn't do that, so here we are now, and it has to be done by the first week in August, so this is why it's needed.

Thank you, Mr. Turner. I appreciate it. Thank you, Mr. Perlatt.

Thank you.

May I have a motion to approve the city manager's recommendations?

I move that we adopt the city manager's recommendation. Second, Your Honor.

It has been properly moved and seconded to approve the city manager's recommendations. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. Any abstentions? This evening we have board appointments.

I move to reappoint Nicole Miller and Marlon Aldridge to the Human Relations Council Board for a term ending August 31st, 2029. Second the motion.

I actually want to pull this, if we could. There's some conversation that needs to be had with the board appointments for HRC. Is this? Yes. Yeah, if we could. I want to pull this. Thank you.

There's a second group of appointments to HRC as well, Mayor.

I know. I see it.

Okay.

Yep. I'm fully aware.

I second the mayor's motion to table the board appointments.

Thank you.

I think we need to call for a vote. Or, I mean, it's okay. That's fine.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you. All right, Ms. McClendon, legislation.

All right. First reading emergency ordinance number 32199-26, authorizing the city manager to execute an easement purchase agreement and authorizing the grant of permanent and temporary right-of-way easements on real property located at the Dayton International Airport and declaring an emergency.

Your Honor, ordinance number 32199-26 being declared an emergency. I move for its immediate passage. Second, Your Honor.

It has been properly moved and seconded to declare emergency ordinance number 32199-26 as an emergency. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. Any abstentions?

Second reading, emergency ordinance number 32199-26, authorizing the city manager to execute an easement purchase agreement and authorizing the grant of permanent and temporary right-of-way easements on real property located at the Dayton International Airport. Mayor Turner-Sloss? Aye. Commissioner Shaw? Aye. Fairchild?

Aye.

Beckham?

Aye.

EMERGENCY ORDINANCE NUMBER 32199-26 HAS PASSED WITH FOUR VOTES IN FAVOR. FIRST READING RESOLUTION NUMBER 6947-26 APPROVING THE SUBMISSION OF GRANT APPLICATIONS TO THE DISTRICT FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY OHIO PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION INTEGRATING COMMITTEE authorizing the acceptance of grant awards from the State of Ohio Public Works Commission for the State Issue 1 program for public capital infrastructure improvements in an amount not to exceed $3,390,987.00 on behalf of the City of Dayton. FIRST READING RESOLUTION NUMBER 6948-26, APPROVING THE SUBMISSION OF A GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2023 STATES AND TRIBAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS ADMINISTERED BY THE UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, US EPA, FOR THE WOLF CREEK TRUNK SANITARY LINER INSTALLATION PROJECT. authorizing the acceptance of a grant in the amount of $1,255,295.00 on behalf of the City of Dayton. And that concludes legislation, Your Honor.

Thank you, Ms. McClendon. Ms. McClendon, are there any citizens that are registered to speak this evening?

Yes, Your Honor. There are 15 citizens registered to speak. I would like to state there is a three-minute time limit. As you address the commission, we ask that you state your name and address for the record. At that time, I will turn on the green light. When the green light comes on, you will have three minutes to speak. After you have spoken two and a half minutes, a yellow light will come on, and you will have 30 seconds remaining to speak. When the red light comes on, you will be asked to cease your comments and to take your seat. To the audience in attendance, please be mindful this is a business meeting, and we kindly request that during this portion of the meeting, you refrain from any hand clapping, finger snapping, and conversation that would prevent the city commission from hearing the speaker's comments. I call to the podium Ebony Hastings.

Ebony Hastings, 1238 Wabash Avenue. Good evening again. Good evening. I have been coming to this podium for months. Tonight, I want to name the pattern plainly. So every resident in this room understands what I have been documenting. One contract comes to this commission in pieces. Tonight, the CNG services natural gas contract. Two, the same people sit on multiple boards that do business with the city. The city manager sits on the citywide development corporation board, so does the finance director, so does the deputy planning director. Citywide is a private non-profit company that receives city contracts. Three, the city outsource work Dayton residents could do. Airport janitorial goes to company in North Carolina. Temporary staffing goes through Crown personnel, 137,000. Four, the city manager is retiring in seven months. She received a 13% PAY RAISE LAST YEAR, $321,000 IN GROSS PAY. THAT'S MORE THAN THE GOVERNOR OF OHIO. THE PERFORMANCE REVIEW DONE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, NO PUBLIC CRITERIA, NO PUBLIC FINDINGS. FIVE, I NEED TO SPEAK PLAINLY ABOUT THE NEW COMMUNITY ACTION AUTHORITY HEARING ON JULY 29TH. The public hearing on this NCA proceeded with only two of the five commissioners in the room. Commissioner Fairchild had an emergency. Commissioner Beckham was sent to training in Columbus. Training scheduled on the same day his office helped schedule the public hearing. The third, Commissioner Shaw, his absence still has not been publicly explained. The two commissioners present at the hearing could not deliberate, could not engage, could not respond substantially. They let the residents speak for the record and move on. That is not a hearing. That is a box being checked. I have questioned this commission, owes residents answers to. Did any of the three absent commissioners submit written requests or written testimony to be entered into the public record? AND TO THE PUBLIC HEARING RECORD, BECAUSE TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NONE OF THEM DID. IF THREE OF THE FIVE COMMISSIONERS CONTRIBUTE NOTHING TO THE PUBLIC HEARING ON A PERMANENT NEW GOVERNMENT BODY, RESIDENTS DESERVE TO KNOW THAT ON THE RECORD, AND I WANT TO NAME WHAT THE DAYTON ARCADE SHOWS US, WE ALREADY HAVE AN NCA AT THE ARCADE. PUBLIC DOLLARS FLOWED IN, YEARS LATER, NO RESIDENTS IN THE ROOM. can find a clear public accounting of what was collected, what was spent, whether the promised jobs materialized, or whether the surrounding neighborhoods benefited. The transparency is not there. Before the commission approves a second NCA, produce the outcomes on the first one. Six, I want to ask a question I do not... KNOW THE ANSWER TO. COMING TO THIS PODIUM THREE MINUTES AND BEING DISMISSED IS NOT EFFECTIVE ACCOUNTABILITY. HOW CAN THE RESIDENTS OF DAYTON HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING AGAINST THIS COMMISSION? NOT AGAINST A POLICY, AGAINST A PATTERN OF DECISIONS BEING MADE WITHOUT US. RESIDENTS DESERVE TO KNOW WHAT TOOLS EXIST. A citizen's initiative, a charter amendment, a formal complaint process, because right now, three minutes at a podium is not the only channel we have, and it is not enough. I want to close by speaking directly to Commissioner Fairchild, Turner, Sloss, and Beckham. You are not fulfilling your campaign promises. Thank you, Ms. Hastings.

I call to the podium Sarah Lenhardt.

Thank you. Sarah went, oh, come forward. Sarah Lenhart, 207 East 6th Street, Dayton, Ohio, 45402. I am coming tonight because I would like to ask the commission to consider looking into tenant protections for non-retaliation from landlords when we try to unionize. I recently moved about a month ago, but before that I lived for eight years at Park Lane apartment building. It was a beautiful community. It is a beautiful community. However, since the out-of-town landlord purchased the building, they have allowed it to fall into disrepair. They have also brought in management that is frankly very hostile to the residents and became increasingly more hostile when we began the work of unionizing to request better improvements upon our building as well as to build community amongst the tenants so they would do things like when we had meetings in our always available community rooms they would lock the community rooms when people that were known to be associated with the tenants union went to renew their lease they did not renew their lease and these were tenants who were good tenants not misusing their property taking good care and also contributing to the community there so I would like to I know other cities have adopted citywide non-discrimination or non-retaliation legislation against landlords who retaliate to tenants that unionize. So I would just like to bring attention to this issue to the commission. Thank you. Thank you.

Excuse me. I call to the podium Rodney Stark.

Rodney Stark, 4526 Alfred Drive, Dayton, Ohio, 45417. Protocol's already been established. I want to know who you work for. I want to know who all you work for because you're not working for the citizens. You're not working for the citizens. I have an idea who you work for. I have an idea that you're working for the man that lives downtown, that always advocate for downtown. His name is Maga Mike Turner. That's who I think you work for. These people don't work for you. I'm talking to the citizens. These people don't work for you. They're working for Mike Turner downtown. Mike Turner said there's crime downtown. What do you do? He assembled you all together, as Mike Turner likes to do. You stood shoulder to shoulder. with two people, Phil Plummer and Mike Turner, to talk about crime. It's disgusting. Mike Turner is not the authority on crime. He voted for a president that is convicted for 34 times of crimes, found liable for sexual assault, that he has to pay the plaintiff millions of dollars. He is not the authority on crime. Our commissioner, Chris Shaw, standing there shoulder to shoulder with him. Darius, he mentioned your name because you was newly elected. He said, Mayor, you're on board with all this too. Mike Turner has never once said anything about the crime on West Side, East Side, or any other neighborhood in Dayton, only the neighborhood he lives in, which is downtown. Let's talk about downtown, the crime downtown. Yeah, there's crime downtown. There's murders happening downtown, right in the county jail. Abuse of prisoners that these people are supposed to safeguard. Phil Plummer is not the authority on crime either. That's his culture down there. So to sit up here and stand there with him, it's hard for me to support you anymore. It's hard for me to put my yard signs. I was for the neighborhood team. And any time I come to this podium, I'm talking about my neighborhood, just like Mike Turner talks about his. So you looking for my vote? No, I'm not going to give you my vote. I'm losing respect for you. Keep standing there next to a black mic and letting them dog walk you all day. Guess what it's going to get? It's not going to get you anywhere because dirt rub off.

Thank you, Mr. Stark. I call to the podium Alec Johnson.

Welcome back, Commissioner Fairchild. Thank you. My name is Alec Johnson. I live at 3206 Linden Avenue in Dayton. Mayor, commissioners, and neighbors, we are five days into Black August, a month of remembrance, study, discipline, and commitment to black liberation. Black August began in 1979 at San Quentin Prison to honor the martyrs George and Jonathan Jackson. It recalls the Haitian Revolution and Nat Turner's uprising. Black history is not only about suffering, it's about organized resistance. Black August also directs us to recover the memory of the Reconstruction period from the social amnesia that obscures it. After the slaveholders' rebellion was defeated, more commonly known by the rhetorical abstraction of the Civil War, freed people organized and governed, building schools, hospitals, mutual aid, and political power. Reconstruction was an unfinished democratic revolution defeated by white terror allied with capitalist power. Thereafter, Jim Crow laws and convict leasing seized black labor, coercively extracting for most of a century what would have otherwise been black wealth. On March 25th of this year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution which declared, quote, "...the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity." Slavery was not only the gravest moral crime, but it was also a political economic system that transferred vast amounts of wealth created by black labor to enslavers, merchants, banks, and the nation. That extraction continued through land theft, segregation, discriminatory lending, and exclusion. Researcher Thomas Kramer estimated unpaid enslaved labor at roughly $9.2 to $22.1 trillion in today's dollars. Other estimates make good claims for a broader $30 trillion reparations benchmark. Divided among 53.2 million black Americans, that would equal about $564,000 per person. Montgomery County's proportional share would be about $76.1 billion. 76.1 billion with a B. This is not a literal invoice, and census identity alone cannot determine eligibility. It demonstrates the scale of a legitimate claim, a legitimate claim. Dayton's African American communities are not asking for charity when they demand housing, land, quality schools, healthcare, business capital, cooperative enterprises, community finance, and durable institutions. They are asserting a claim rooted in wealth created but stolen, wealth denied, and public policies that compounded both. I ask this commission to make reparative justice a priority by making community-governed investment a priority, investment whose purposes, institutions, and benefits are shaped by the communities themselves. Black August is memory with a purpose. If reconstruction remains unfinished, let the next reconstruction begin from below, with organized people, democratic ownership, and the conviction that the wealth our communities create belongs to our communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Johnson. I call to the podium Yusuf El-Zain.

Good evening, commissioners, deputy city manager, clerk. I'm here today to talk about how our local policies- Can you state your name and address, please? Yusef Elzain, 4906 Amberwood Drive, Dayton, Ohio. Thank you. I'm here today to talk about how our local policies intersects with global realities, and how we ensure our local actions reflect our core values and desires. As your constituents grieve the ongoing atrocities in Palestine and Lebanon, we must ensure our municipal action reflect our core values. It's no longer a political liability to acknowledge the pain of our residents and to call these human rights abuses exactly what they are. As we witness the human toll of the ongoing ecocide and genocide in Palestine and Lebanon, it's worth taking a step back and look at our global partnerships. I'm not here with demands tonight. Rather, I'm asking the Commission to take a thoughtful, deliberate look. I'm aware Sister City International generally counsels against suspending relationships over unethical and criminal behavior. And I understand that reasoning in most cases. But this is not just a routine disagreement. It's a UN commission of inquiry finding it of genocide. We must ensure that our citizen diplomacy continues to align with the ethical standards we hold dear. This brings me to a related point regarding how we allocate our resources here at home. On July 22nd, this commission approved 60,000 development grants for CATS 1899 Inc. I want us to think critically about the use of our local, state, and national taxpayer money. We use funds used to subsidize entities that are established and carry the ties of their country of origin. All while we are ignoring the deep unmet needs of our own population right here in Dayton and across the nation. At the national level, we watch our government send billions of taxpayers' dollars overseas with absolutely zero strings attached. But Dayton is different. Dayton does have strings attached to its money. We proudly passed in 2020 an informal resolution that made it to all our procurement documents. that restricts child labor and anti-genocide clauses for our city's business dealings. We set standards that our funds must not support human rights violations. I have two questions for you. Did the same review apply to this grant or any other grant? And can that documentation be made public? And separately, would the commission consider expanding that standard if it doesn't exist? Not just labor conditions, but broader human rights due diligence for future economic development agreement. I'm asking you today to simply honor the strings we have attached to our own city's money. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Alzain. I call to the podium Moss Dickey.

All right. Moss Dickey, 531 Belmont Park North. I don't have a prepared speech tonight. I'm going to kind of just be waiting. I have some notes, so maybe I'll actually use up my three minutes this time. But I recently, or one of the people who spoke, Sarah, she spoke of tenants who were kicked out of their place with non-renewals because we tried to form a union. I'm one of those people. I am now moving from my current location to a new location outside of Dayton because my landlord decided that, oh, I'm just going to issue a non-renewal. There's nothing we can do about it. I am being kicked from my home. I'm being kicked from the new community I was forming. And it is frustrating, to say the least, to be removed from a place that I had just started to consider to be home for fighting, for trying to fight for it to be better. That is the only reason we know of, or we can think of, that they would do this to us. We have not been bad neighbors, we have received zero complaints, and we have no other course of action but to assume that it is retaliation against us for trying to make our lives better. Now, I wanted to stay in Dayton. I really did. I like this city. I like the walkability of it-ish. It's kind of walkable. You guys definitely need to work on that. More bike lanes would be nice, too. I've been starting to bike because, you know, our crazy president has started a senseless war because gas is now so expensive. But I couldn't. It's simply not possible these days. Dayton is too expensive for someone working above minimum wage, with a roommate, and two cats. That's it. That's what I do. I work, and I go home to my two cats, I have a roommate, I'm splitting everything, and I can barely afford the place I'm currently at. That is insane for Dayton. Dayton is not Columbus. Dayton is not Cleveland. Dayton, while nice, is not some grand city where I should be spending 70% of one of my paychecks on rent. And landlords can get away with charging those prices because they can issue non-renewals to anyone who stands up against them. And it is up to you all, public servants, to enforce laws and ensure that landlords are not allowed to slack. And that is exactly what this landlord has done. He has slacked, and he has gotten away with it because he doesn't think there are any repercussions to him. He lives out of town. He owns so many different businesses. Even if we were to successfully unionize and go to escrow, there was no guarantee we would get anything because he could just go, eh. I've got like 75 other properties. I'll eat it. And I'll just wait you guys out and do something else. That building is falling apart. It is right next to the art museum. It is right next to the Masonic Temple. There were pieces falling off of it. Thank you.

Thank you. I call to the podium Alexander Stone.

Alexander Stone, 531 Belmont Park North. Good evening. I'm speaking to you today on behalf of myself and my neighbors. Good evening. I'm the current president of the Park Lane Tenants Union. We work to improve the living conditions of ourselves and our neighbors. We discuss safety issues with the building and neglected maintenance requests. We bring these to the attention of the management company, Peak Ten, and its owner, Brian Newcomb. We also host social seasonal events in efforts to improve the community of our building. Unfortunately, despite our attempts to work with Peak 10 management, they've repeatedly retaliated against us and worked to dismantle our tenants' union. Here's a few ways that I can list which way they've retaliated against us. One, they have locked the doors to the common areas during the hours of our meeting, as well as adding a non-refundable charge to reserve these rooms, which were previously free and constantly accessible to tenants. Two, they posted new house rules stating that no gatherings were to be held in the lobby after we began using it as a meeting space. Three, they declared that we were to not knock on doors of tenants as they claimed this was soliciting regardless of the fact that we're not selling anything and we live in the building. Four, they have served tenants asking for safer living conditions with a non-renewal notice. And five, finally, they served myself and my roommate, who you just heard speak. We are the president and an active member of the Tenants Union with a non-renewal notice. This has, of course, caused genuine hardship for us. We intended to stay at this location for many years. We were finally starting to feel like it was home. We have many friends and neighbors who we will miss a lot in this building. Additionally, moving to a new rental would be very costly. We've taken time off work to look at apartments, paid application fees for a new rental, and we're renting a storage unit to cover the time between the locations that we'll be living in. All of this in a retaliatory attempt to dismantle our tenants' union, and it is clear retaliation. We have not violated our lease in any way. We have never missed a rent payment or received a noise complaint. In participating in collective bargaining with my neighbors, I've placed my household in a vulnerable position. The anti-retaliation laws of Ohio are meant to shield us and allow tenants to push for safe and livable conditions in their homes. But how can we do this when exercising our rights risks losing our home? 52% of Dayton rents. Just over half of our city is subject to the same risk should they organize. Not all of them are able to take that risk. Maybe they can't afford the time off work. Maybe they don't have the hundreds of dollars to apply for new housing elsewhere or the security deposit for a new place. The law has failed to protect myself and my roommate against retaliation as well as the other members of the Park Lane Tenants Union and Peak 10 residents. Will you allow this failure to impact other Daytonians who might not be able to withstand it? Will you accept that half of Dayton needs to accept whatever is handed to them lest they lose it? Or will you stand up for your constituents by enforcing and improving the non-retaliation laws in Dayton? Thank you.

Thank you. I call to the podium Jerry Bowling.

Good evening, everyone. Good evening. My name is Jerry Bowling III. I live at 522 Herbert Street. On June 14th, we had a celebration for the North Dayton Patriots Memorial. It was also a Flag Day celebration, and we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the awarding of the Medal of Honor to Corporal Tony Stein of the U.S. Marine Corps. So I'm here tonight to thank city staff. for what you've done to help us make that happen. First, I'd like to start with the city manager and Mr. Parlette, thank you. Marion Pope, Tom Ritchie Jr., Brian Dahm, John Parker, Elizabeth Dakin, who actually participated in our committee, so thank you to her. The Dayton Police Honor Guard presented the flag, which that flagpole had been barren, and it was restored and back in good use. Lieutenant Perkins, Sergeant McGill, Also Chief Henderson and Old North Dayton Zone Assistant Chief Brian John chose to have a swearing in ceremony at the event which was really a very special thing. I'd also like to thank Mayor Turner-Sloss and Commissioner Joseph and Commissioner Fairchild for attending. Your presence made a big difference. We're glad you were able to participate. Without you and our other partners in the community, we could not have made this happen. And it was an honor for us to celebrate what was approximately, I think, 98% from what was called North Dayton at the time for their sacrifice for our country. So thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bolling. I call to the podium Dominic Stratton.

Well, my name is Dominic Stratton, 7504 Mount Whitney Street, Dayton, Ohio, 45424. Good afternoon distinguished members of the Dayton City Commission. I'm here because I'm a Dayton resident and I believe our city has a distinct moral voice. I want to tell you about my friend Dua. She's a loving mother of six living in Gaza. And I've personally raised over $22,000 from right here in Ohio just to help her buy food and clean water for her children at highly inflated prices within the Gaza siege. Despite this figure, all donations could not have prevented the death of her six-year-old son, Osama Mohammed, five days ago. While he was playing just outside of their refugee tent, he was crushed by a brick wall that fell on his head because an American bomb dropped by an American F-16 flown by an Israeli IDF pilot indiscriminately dropped it near their camp. Dua and her children are not a political symbol, tool, or talking point. They are human beings. There were no supposed Hamas militants who were killed as a result of this strike. It was simply an attack on displaced civilians. Her son Osama, despite his young age, spoke English and was very outspoken on social media, desperately pleading for donations for his five brothers. What Dua wants most of all is to be allowed to leave Gaza with her children so that she may have a safe and equitable life, just like you and I take for granted each day. Thousands of these crimes happen day by day and they go unnoticed and unannounced. We send billions of our hard-earned tax dollars overseas to fund this genocide. While you cannot stop those armed shipments from Washington, you do have a unique platform. You have a bully pulpit, and I'm asking you to use it. I'm asking you to do what over 200 U.S. municipalities have already done and pass a public resolution calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire. Tell our federal representatives that Dayton, Ohio, a city built on community and resilience, does not stand for the starvation and siege of innocent civilians. We want safe passage through humanitarian corridors Expanded State Department assistance to help civilians leave Gaza and support refugee admissions for Palestinians in life-threatening circumstances, even in Dayton, Ohio. Palestinians already live here. Whether you are Muslim, Jewish, or Christian, every faith tradition in this city demands we protect children. History will remember you if you used your voice to call for humanity when it mattered most. I implore you to send a letter to our congressional delegation and stand on the right side of history, tell them with personal conviction to let my people go, let all innocent people go from this cycle of violence and hatred. You can elevate the voice of this innocent child that I knew and love, who mattered deeply to me and ensure his family will have justice. I would respectfully ask, will any of you commit to placing a Gaza ceasefire and refugee release at minimum on the agenda for next month. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. I call to the podium, Janet Michaelis.

OK. Name and address? Janet Michaelis, 61 Vine Street, Dayton. I'm here to speak about the new community authority proposal. I'm a resident who came back to Dayton after 20 years living in other states. I'm an emergency nurse and a researcher by vocation. I'm also a housing provider, a poll worker, and I'm active in the community. I've spent considerable time trying to untangle this proposal and make sense of it, and I have a 20-page report to submit for the record. In three minutes, I can only give you an overview of what I found. I'll start with the word emergency because I know what one is. I've spent my career on the receiving end of them. Ohio law reserves emergency legislation for measures necessary to the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety. On July 1st, both resolutions recited exactly that language and then gave the real reason to facilitate development in a timely manner. Four weeks later, at the July 29th hearing, the Convention Facilities Authority told us its financing obligation comes due in October and November. That's three to four months of runway. Two readings across two meetings would have taken only two weeks. The emergency wasn't necessary and it wasn't free. It removed the public's 30-day window to petition for referendum on the creation of a new authority with 10 categories of charges. And it removed this commission's own opportunity to amend the measure between readings. So let me describe what this actually does. The hotel gets a dedicated ring-fenced financing mechanism created by emergency legislation closing this fall. That's a certainty. The neighborhoods get a possibility that freeing up general fund dollars might someday send more money our way, contingent on a budget decision nobody has made yet in a 2027 budget process that hasn't started. I'd ask you to weigh that against what was in this room on July 29th. Only two of five commissioners heard this testimony, and the minutes have still not been published. In all fairness, we should reopen the hearing when a quorum is present and put the two market studies Ms. Plagman referenced into the public record before a vote is taken. I open by saying I know an emergency where most of my time was spent in triage. I know you allocate scarce resources to confirmed need first and you don't spend them on a speculative intervention because the outcome would be gratifying if it worked. The need in this city is confirmed. It's documented in your own petition. A 26.9% poverty rate, homeownership below half. It was in this room on July 1st in the demolition report and in what East End told you about Twin Towers. What you're being asked to prioritize is a bet in a flat market. Nationally, convention attendance is still below where it was in 2019. Comparable cities that made this bet are collecting a third of the room nights they were promised. I'm asking you to be certain before you speculate. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Michaelis.

I call to the podium Anthony Mitchell. Anthony Mitchell. Kenya Akbar.

Good evening commission. I am Kenya Akbar my address is one 47 East Hillcrest they know how you're 45405. I'VE BEEN COMING TO THIS COMMISSION FOR THE LAST THREE TO FOUR MONTHS, REQUESTING THAT YOU ALL CONSIDER FIRING SHELLY DICKSTEIN, THE CITY MANAGER, BASED OFF OF HER PERFORMANCE IN SPECIFICALLY THE WEST DAYTON AREA. which is predominantly African American, which has been a divested population for quite some time. That's not new news. The issue of mass incarceration is not new news. We understand that African Americans make up about 13% of the population, but in prisons we make up... anywhere between 85 to 93%. That's called a disparity. That's disproportionate. That's a problem. And then our returning citizens don't even have a place to work. Black men are not shipping drugs into this country like the government can do more to stop drugs from being in this country and then drug dealers would not exist like we are perpetuating the issues and that needs to stop it needs to stop with you all you all are elected officials make legislation make moves remove the city manager when the city manager came in between 2014 and 2017 the police were a problem then there were 840 plus use excessive use of force claims. Okay, excessive use of force claims. The police scorecard countrywide in Dayton, the Dayton Police Department, 43%. That is extremely low. The three factors that would help to raise that score, Stop spending so much money on police. This is what the reports say. Stop harassing citizens for low-level crimes. Then people like Reginald Thomas would still be with us. His family would still have him. We need to think about these things. We really do. So that we can have a better place for people who, again, have just, by the system, been forced into poverty And it needs to change. And all this demolition, we are hurrying up gentrification. And I know we know that. That is what that is doing. That is rushing the gentrification process. It is getting rid of the houses that could be made into affordable housing, like the ones that Ebony was talking about, grade three and grade four. I think that that's an excellent initiative, and we should consider it. And please consider minority contractors on that project. to work that the young lady, the impregnated young lady that came up here spoke of. We need to consider that, not only the landlords and the tenants, but also minority contractors. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Akbar.

I call to the podium Rick Dawson.

Good evening. Commissioner Rick Dawson, 3909 Campus Drive. I'm here to ask you or request that you consider naming McKay's Park after Dwight Anderson. He was a leader here in the city. There's several guys that followed him that became very successful because of his leadership and his motivation. He's been in the paper. They did several things, movies on him. And I think we should at least honor him with changing the name of McKay's Park to Dwight Anderson Park. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dawson. I call to the podium, Enel Strong.

Good evening, everybody. How are you? I live on Hopeland. Thank you. There was a house built there.

Ma'am, please state your full address for that.

Oh, 437 Hopeland Street, Dayton, Ohio, 45417. Thank you. Okay, there was a house put up at 404 built from nothing. Supposed to be a $300,000 home. They were supposed to be putting a group home in it. Well, when they got it done, the law made a law that they couldn't put group homes there. Okay? So now they're just shifting hands. with the Nova House, but it had already, the law had already been made when it told them that they could not put the group home or no such thing in that house. Well, they've since then sold it to the Nova House and the Nova House is moving people group home in as we speak. These are people out of prison. These are dope things. These are mental people. Right out my front door. This is what we've been trying to fight against. Now, the law says they got permission to put them in that house, but the permission would have been past due because when they found out about they couldn't put group homes there, uh, This house been sold since the law was made. Well, they are moving in as we speak. And then they put a psychiatric, they shut down the 115, but now they have a psychiatric center right there at my neighborhood too. There's going to be all these mental people with these drug addicts, with these murderers, with these rapists right out my front door. And y'all saying there's nothing that we can do about it? I fought. I've been fighting for the 115. They closed it down. Now they're putting psychiatric patients THE HOUSE, THEY STILL DO IT AT THE GROUP HOME WHEN THE LAW WAS MADE BEFORE THEY SOLD THAT HOUSE TO THE NOVA HOUSE. THE LAW WAS MADE AND THAT'S WHAT MADE THEM SELL THE NOVA HOUSE, SELL TO THE NOVA HOUSE, BUT THE LAW WAS ALREADY MADE WHERE THEY COULDN'T PUT IT IN THE GROUP HOME, BUT THEY'RE DOING A GROUP HOME NOW AS WE SPEAK. AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT AND TELL US SOMETHING. I MEAN, THEY JUST... MOVING MEN. WE GOT THE PSYCHIATRIC HOUSE DOWN THERE AT 115. THEY GETTING READY TO OPEN UP, PUT PEOPLE IN THE GROUP HOME THAT WAS NOT ALLOWED TO GO IN BECAUSE OF THE LAW, AND NOW THEY'RE DOING IT ANYWAY. AND WE DON'T FEEL LIKE IT'S FAIR, AND I'M SPEAKING FOR ME AND MY NEIGHBORS. WE DON'T FEEL THAT'S FAIR AT ALL. And there's something that should be done. We were told that it could not be done. No more group homes, none of that. They already got a psychiatric place right there. And the group home right there, like I said, with the U-Hauls as we speak. You know, nobody's told us nothing. They just do what they want to do on top of us. But we live there.

Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Gibson-Strong. I call to the podium Christy Ortiz.

Hi. Good evening. Good evening. My name's Christy Ortiz. I am the managing attorney for our housing community economic development program at ABLE, which is at 130 West 2nd Street. So ABLE is a nonprofit law firm that pursues justice and equity and facilitates access to opportunities for people with low income and through passionate legal representation and provides steadfast advocacy for systemic reform. So I'm here as an attorney for tenants in Dayton and also Western Ohio. I represent tenants in the tenant union that some folks have spoke about already with Park Lane. I've been meeting with these tenants specifically since October of last year. I have seen a negative progression of retaliation on the part of the landlord, so much so that I've had to transition my approach. Instead of advocating directly with management, I've been providing legal advice to the tenants so that they can advocate on their own. Because any time that I actually initiate conversations, they will issue non-redoubles or they will break down conversation completely or do other methods of retaliation. And so it just keeps getting systemically worse. They have an attorney, which they have retained, who basically stops all communication and just provides excuses after excuses as to why they're not communicating with me. The reason that I am here as an attorney is to push for an ordinance on non-retaliation for tenants advocating for their rights. So I've drafted up a proposal which mirrors what is being proposed in Columbus and which has passed in Cincinnati. So I think these protections under the law are necessary to be able to advocate for tenants in pursuing their rights, right? We're talking about health and safety concerns. Particularly in Park Lane, we have massive leaks. So I would invite you folks to come out and take a look. And I have videos that I can share with you guys. There's two level garages and they are literally pouring down water. There's mold, severe black mold. Their lobby, literally the ceiling caved in because of massive water leaks. I've advocated for individual tenants because they have refuse coming up their sewage pipes. And instead of dealing with the issue, they just kind of rubber stamp it, everything's okay, actually have plumbers licensed to work in the building and have them lie to the tenants. And those plumbers will come to the tenants off the record and say what actually is the problem, that there's a mainline issue. So there are serious systemic issues that need to be done. I can email the ordinance that I am proposing. I've also shared as well. Another issue that I've been consistently seeing in forming other tenant unions in the building, and this one is the issue of mold. There is no ordinance here for mold, right? And so what I've been seeing is that folks are filing escrow cases for mold, the judge doesn't do anything or can't do anything because there's no ordinance. There's no building violation that can be issued for mold. So I've also drafted up and provided additional definitions for Section 9346 and Section 9346 for the responsibility of dwelling owners of facilities and utilities, sorry, to include mold and then also include the definitions. Sorry. So I can provide that to you guys by email. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Ortiz. And that concludes speakers on general comments. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. McClendon.

Mr. Farlett, do you have any closing comments this evening?

Your Honor, I have one brief comment. I wanted to remind everyone that we are currently registering teams for the Dayton World Soccer Games coming back in 2026. Welcome Dayton and the Department of Rec collaborating to put on the event. It was last played in 2019, first played in 2012. It includes youth and adult soccer games. Each team is guaranteed two games. The location is Kettering Field Sports Complex, 444 North Bend Boulevard. Tournament starts at 9 a.m. DaytonOhio.gov and search Dayton World Soccer Games will put you on the path to registration as well with all of the additional information you may need. The purpose of the tournament obviously is to come together as neighbors, support diversity, and more than anything, have fun. Other activities include a parade of nations, international food vendors, community resource fair. Welcome Dayton and Recreation would like to thank sponsors including Aetna and the City of Dayton Water Department. Any questions, please call Jermaine Isaac, Sports Division Manager at 937-333-3383, or Jeanette Horwitz with Welcome Dayton, 937-333-3679. And also, Mayor, we want to recognize in support of the games, you facilitated the donation of 150, maybe 200 soccer balls, FIFA branded soccer balls. Those will be passed out to the participants of the age appropriate size that those soccer balls are. The tournament would like to thank you for facilitating that program. If for some reason we're unable to distribute all of them on the day of the games, we will do so throughout the next year or so at various recreation events, much like we did with the Crocs donation of 2,000 pairs of Crocs. It's taken us some time to get those in the hands of people, but it's working. So that's all I have, Your Honor.

Thank you, Mr. Parlad. MS. MCCLENDON, DO YOU HAVE ANY CLOSING COMMENTS THIS EVENING? I HAVE NONE, YOUR HONOR. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY CLOSING COMMENTS? COMMISSIONER BECKHAM.

THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR. I HAVE A FEW. FIRSTLY, I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS WHO CAME OUT TO SPEAK THIS EVENING AND WEIGHING IN ON YOUR VARIOUS CONCERNS AND ISSUES THAT YOU ALL ARE EXPERIENCING WITHIN OUR CITY. In regards to the issues around tenant protections, I am certainly interested and willing to explore our options. I think we as a commission have to certainly do everything in our power on that matter, especially given the fact that 52% of our population is a renter. So thank you to the citizens that spoke and look forward to seeing what can be done. I appreciate your being here tonight. Also, as far as the group homes, It has come to my attention that our moratorium actually ended this month, early August. I think we certainly probably have to take another look back at that.

It's the 18th, right? Excuse me.

I believe it expired. Yes, I believe it has expired, Mayor.

Let's double check on that. Yeah, I'm happy to. I thought it was sometime in August.

Yes. I know Mr. Gondel is here. If he is prepared to make us aware of when exactly that date is, I think that would provide some clarity for all of us.

Thank you. Excuse me for stepping on you.

No, you're just fine, ma'am.

Thank you. Yeah, I will refer to a communication that Kirsten French, our zoning administrator, had submitted on August 3rd, notifying staff that as of August 4th, the moratorium on new group homes ends. We have developed a kind of a guideline for staff on how to respond to inquiries for those permits, but also noting that much of the work that you all did with our zoning and planning team on setting the new rules through ordinance legislation would be in effect. So while the moratorium ends, the limits that you've all set are now in place. But I can share this with the commission office as well as the city manager's office that we are all on the same page on what it looks like here in Dayton now that the moratorium's ended on how to then proceed. Just general understanding, but then how our staff is proceeding with all inquiries. And I have actually notified staff regarding the Hopeland comment to look into that situation, whether that did occur or if we're aware of that situation of potentially swapping homes and how we're handling that so I'm already having staff follow, look into that so we can get a better and that will provide that response to the commission office on the outcome of that.

Thank you, Mr. Gondel. That update would be great.

I appreciate that.

And thank you for the clarity. Just a couple more things. I would like to thank Mr. Jerry Boling for being here. I also was invited to that event. June 14th, Flag Day, happens to be my birthday. So I was not available, but glad it went well. It's good to see you, Mr. Boling. In regards to the public hearing last week, yes, I was out of town. I had the pleasure of participating in Ohio State's Public Leadership Academy. It was a week-long training with various elected officials from around the state. Worthwhile opportunity, but yes, it landed on the same week as our public hearing. I have reviewed the input from our residents and the speakers that weighed in on the public hearing last week. And we have, of course, deliberated up here about the NCA and received a lot of communication from both staff. and the law firm that is guiding us through the process. I continue to obviously learn more about the benefits and the, I would say, the process generally around what it takes to do this and why it could be beneficial or not beneficial. So although I missed the public hearing, I certainly, I think, will continue to express my support for this idea. So I just wanted to make that clear considering I was not here last week. I believe that is all my comments, except wanting to thank the staff as well as our first responders for the national night out, which was last night. So all the residents that came out, if we came to your neighborhood, thank you for hosting and all of the neighbors and residents who participated. So those are my comments. Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you, Commissioner. And thank you for posing a question to provide that additional clarification. Thank you, Mr. Gondo. Appreciate it. Commissioner Fairchild.

Yeah, thank you. There's an event coming up this Saturday, August 8th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Second Street Market. It's the third annual Nourishing Montgomery County event. It's free, family-friendly. We'll feature local vendors, fresh food, games, giveaways, community resources, and more. I hope you'll come out, connect with your neighbors, and learn about the many organizations working to improve health and food access across our community. Mr. Stanton, I wanted to let you know that the City of Dayton was one of the first cities to come out and call for a ceasefire. Given your comments, I'd like to pull that resolution back up and look at what we had called for specifically and curious about the protection of all citizens which i think was pretty strongly worded i'm not sure about rite of passage so we need to look at that and and review that ms ortiz i'm grateful for you to be here as i was hearing these stories from even one of my colleagues from dayton children's hospital i was kind of trying to figure out what tools we had to address these issues and thank you for providing some because you know our typical two tools are to be able to address issues when people are in a protected class. And currently, citizens, tenants who are unionizing is not a current protected class. So thank you for bringing us some tools that we can review and evaluate and hopefully be able to put in force. On a personal note, I want to thank everyone for all the kind thoughts. the prayers, the support that you showed me over the last week. Just so people know, I've lived 34 years with a spinal cord injury, and one of the great risks of spinal cord injury is you can get pressure sores. I went on vacation, probably wasn't as diligent because my routine was different, and I acquired a pressure sore that escalated quite quickly and put me in a very serious condition and had surgery Tuesday morning, and I'm now in the process of a long process of healing. So there will be some time, a period, that I'm not out as much as I would like. I really regretted being out last night for the... night out events so I appreciate people's understanding you also see me lifting myself out of the wheelchair up here it's called offloading and taking some of the pressure off of the wound so it can not be compromised You know, one of the things about this is that it reminded me that I've experienced a miracle multiple times in my life. If I had had a spinal cord in 1939, I would not have lived. Spinal cord injury, people only started living from spinal cord injuries after the mass use of antibiotics. Because people with spinal cord injuries will get urinary tract infections. They'll get pressure sores and then infections. And until the mid-40s, there was no way to treat that. So surviving spinal cord injury in 92, being able to have antibiotics over the last week, Sometimes we lose sight of what modern medicine does. And I'm really grateful for all the doctors and nurses, the assistants, the dieticians, the environmental service people who come in and clean the room and keep the room safe, even the facilities man who came in and had to make an update on the room and did it in a very mindful way. So I got great care and I'm really fortunate for everyone who took care of me. And I want to address some bigger questions because when you're laying in the hospital bed you have a lot of time to think. You know one of the things that I think is really true right now And it's not unique to Dayton, but we are a part of it, is there's just a fundamental mistrust in our society with one another, with government, at all levels. And quite frankly, there are things that we do at the city commission that feeds into that mistrust. And so I just wanted to recognize that. Sometimes people don't have all the information and so there's a lot of filling in. One of the things I wanted to do with the NCA is give a little bit of background. When I came on the City Commission in 2018, one of the first decisions we made was, and Commissioner Shaw I think was part of the team that did the evaluation, was at the time The city was dedicating all of its lodging taxes to the convention. And we were subsidizing it out of the general fund to the tune of over a million dollars or more. And so we worked really hard to convince particularly the county that the convention center was a regional asset and had to have regional ownership. And then that was when we were able to get their lodging tax to go in and we were able to hire the professional firm. We created the authority. with the idea that we really wanted to make the convention center successful and we really needed it to not be a drag on our general fund. And we accomplished that. And if people can remember back to what the convention center looked like at that time, it was a dump. I mean, there's no other word. It was a dump. And so $45 million later, we got a renovation. And this hotel is just one more step And I really wish that the old Crowne Plaza could have come on and been a good partner from the get-go, because we would be in a better place if they could. But they have not been a good partner. And there was an ownership change. Quite frankly, they tried to take advantage of the city. And I'm grateful that there's been obviously a management change and they're now trying to be a partner, but they're not where we need them to be yet. So I wanted to say that so people understand where we're at in a very long arc and where this hotel fits in. Now granted, I've got a lot of questions. And I will submit those questions after hearing the public testimony and a lot of other things. So there's still questions to be answered. But that's where we're at in the Convention Center. One of the things that feeds into the mistrust is that we often talk about the inputs into downtown, into the convention center, into a variety of places. but we do not have a good way to measure the outcomes and so like with the convention center it would have been helpful in 2018 to create a tracking way to say this is where we started this is the intended outcome this is where we're at and this is you know these are the tactics we've taken the strategies we've taken and we're and this is how we're moving it was um I would like to see one of the questions is, the convention center's been open for a full year after the reopening. It would be helpful to know how we're doing in the attraction of conferences, just to give us a sense of some level of confidence or understanding of the risk of the creation of the new hotel. That would be helpful. but other outcomes because the other thing is you know it all gets kind of jumbled together because we talk about downtown investment. Well the convention center is one strategy and there's a set of money that we've invested there. We've invested money in downtown around retaining jobs and and a strategy to attract new businesses, but our vacancy rate is the same or poor after all the investment. And so having clear objectives, clear understanding of the inputs we put in and the outcomes we're expecting and where we're at would do a lot to build trust and give us the tools we need, quite frankly, to make the decisions that we make. I listened to the public testimony and I was really disappointed in the CEO of Dayton Destination, Mr. Only, because I don't think he had a full understanding of the city of Dayton. And I heard him give one reason after another for why we needed the hotel. But as he gave every one of those reasons, for example, our booking agents say that we need a connected headquarter hotel to be successful. In my mind, I could hear a resident I've talked to throughout my career, a consultant, or a white paper I've read that says, if you invest in your neighborhoods, you need investment in your neighborhoods. You need good code enforcement to attract people, to get people to have confidence to put a roof on their house, to paint their house. to do their code enforcement. For every one of his rationales, there's a rationale for investment in our neighborhoods that's just as strong or even more compelling. And to not have that recognition of the multiple needs we have in our city, I think was a misstep. And I think it gives the appearance that we're not fully aware of all the needs. And then finally, I just wanted to address this issue. And I've said it at other times, but I hear people come up here and comment, and so maybe they haven't heard me clearly. This commission is dysfunctional. We are not doing our jobs. And the mayor and I recognized that probably four or five years ago. Now that she's mayor, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but she has a different responsibility because she is a steward for the city and a steward for 2,000 employees. a steward for economic development, a steward for neighborhood conditions, a steward for police, a steward. And so we all have a responsibility collectively to make the city as strong as it can be so that it can function as well as it can. But this commission is dysfunctional. And people have started to recognize that. The mayor, myself, and Mr. Davis spent a whole year on a campaign trail explaining this in 60 house parties in every way we could. And we talked about the importance of three votes. We have elections in this country and they have consequences. The citizens of Dayton, I believe, agree that we need change. You saw it in the vote for a change in mayor. You saw it in the energy when we were sworn in. But unfortunately, I don't have three votes up here for change. And the way you can know that, and I've already said this, is when we had the police chief, collectively we agreed for there to be a process for the search. Completely unrelated to the qualifications of Chief Henderson. The best practice was to do a search. And we agreed to that. And the mayor communicated that to the city manager. And you can go and look at the email thread. And quite frankly, the city manager was insubordinate. She said, we're not doing that process. We're doing this process. The mayor said back and said, no, we're doing this. And then what we came to find out is that after we agreed collectively as five, three of our members had changed their votes. I don't understand why. There's never been a clear explanation why. It's the first time it's happened on this commission in as long as I've been here. I don't need to call for a vote for Shelly's firing because I know what the vote total will be. And it would just be political theater. But I will say there are some upcoming things. And why we're dysfunctional is that we are not providing the check and balance that's required in a democracy. And some people talked about a strong mayor. I'm curious to hear more about their thoughts on that. But the key for me will be in there around the checks and balances. And the really important thing is for this commission to do its jobs and provide checks and balances. Here are four issues that will come up in the future that citizens should be concerned about. One will be the board appointments for the NCA. The mayor has tried to initiate a conversation about the commission appointing those. A list has already been shared that the city manager had prepared before we were even briefed. And so the question is, what does that composition of the board look like? A second issue will be one of the things that happens here is we will get very far in a project and then we'll have to come back for additional funding so the project doesn't fail. And so we know there's a funding gap. There's a question about whether those funds for NCA will be sufficient. And we should be watching for a time when city manager comes back to us and says, oh, we're still short $3 million. We need two from the city and one from the county to make this work. So we need to be watching for that. It's still not clear to me what happened around the flock. Who made that decision? I know that we've pinned Colonel Paul Saunders on that. But that's not kind of a decision that one person makes. And on January 6th, we had a presentation to renew that. We had several years when we had reports on our technology where it was affirmed that the audit logs had been checked. If that was true, we would have caught this much sooner. On January 6, it's not clear that it was going to be disclosed to us that we had not abided by our policy on the audit log. And so we need to investigate that and get answers to that. Right now, it's not clear that this commission as a whole is going to agree to that investigation. There are some on the commission who went to merely audit the logs, which would be insufficient given the actions and the breach of trust. And then finally will be how we conduct the search for the new city manager. If we get a good firm in place and we do it with good citizen participation and we do it in such a way that it's... It's above board without any questions, and we get the best candidate. That would be a great sign that this commission is starting to work together in a way that can build trust. But if it goes the way it does in many ways, that it gets manipulated in some way, then we'll just add to the mistrust that's out there. So thank you for giving me your ear, and that completes my comments, Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Shaw?

Yes, thank you. First of all, welcome back. I'm glad to hear that you're doing much better. We were all worried, and I'm glad to see you here today. You said a lot here today. Yeah, this commission is dysfunctional, and I would suggest to you that it may be better to have conversations with your colleagues Because you never have conversations with me. It's always the gotcha politics up here on this dais. And unfortunately, that's been happening your entire period here. So that is... I'm talking. I did not interrupt you, sir. I did not interrupt you. So you've said a lot today, a lot of mistruths. You're briefed on some of these things like the NCA, like the search for the new city manager, like the search for the chief, and a variety of the things that you noted today. We have conversations. I would respectfully say to you that I didn't see it the way that you saw it. We made certain agreements on certain of these topics. We talked about them. We had a debate. We all talked amongst ourselves. And then we came up with a solution. And I'm sorry that you don't agree with the majority of this commission, but we have very thoughtful conversations when we make decisions. I myself think about these things often. We get our packets on Friday when there's something in there that I don't understand or agree with. I reach out to the administration or to my colleagues and we have conversations about them and I get to an understanding, I get to a place that I feel comfortable with. I do believe that all of us up here have the best interest of the residents of the city of Dayton in mind. I think that we have different ways of going about pushing out development into our neighborhoods that are distressed. They are very distressed. I remember when we were children, how these neighborhoods were a lot stronger than they are right now. And there's a process for that. I firmly believe that economic development in cities, in urban cities, start with the urban core and work their way out. I think we're starting to see some of that on West Third Street and other parts of our community, but it takes time. And I believe that the best method is to strengthen the urban core, like what we did with the Convention Center, bringing folks on board. We talked to folks. I led that effort to change over the ownership of the Convention Center. And it was through talking with a lot of folks around the country that specialize in economic development and how convention centers and urban cores grow. And we were told that if we make certain investments, we need 600 hotel rooms. We need a connected hotel. that it will provide us with the opportunity to have small to mid-sized conventions come here, which will support the Oregon District and all up and down East 3rd and West 3rd and every other part of this community. And that's how that works. I have been doing this work for many, many decades before I ever got elected to office. So I led the effort. It was my committee that I was co-chaired with with Dave Mellon on how to invigorate and set up a fund for economic development fund for downtown Dayton. And we came up with certain opportunities. NCA was one tool, one of the tools. There's not a lot of city funds in this. It's providing the opportunity to leverage investment where normally we would have a different NCA for every development project that comes across our way. This is a way to kind of Make it more efficient and take a lot of the risk out of it for developers that will come in here and risk their money. There are no guarantees here. We were on a good track to filling up. You mentioned the vacancy rate. That was a big deal. And it continues to be a big deal. We've tried. COVID came and it kind of set us back a little bit. But I believe, I believe in my core that there are opportunities here for development. And that folks are starting to see Dayton in a different kind of a way. And I think that over the course of several years, we will make things better. I do believe that this commission is dysfunctional. when we behave in certain ways up here, people pay attention to that. They tell me all the time, I know that they tell all of us this, how troubling it is. And I would just suggest to you, to all of my colleagues, that if we could find a way to communicate with each other early on. We don't have to fight it out up here. We can have a conversation with each other. I mean, I like all of you. I think all of you have the right You care about this city. I think that we just disagree sometimes on how to get things done. I believe that the city manager is very strong and a good city manager. If I could, I'd hire for another 10 years. You disagree with that. That's okay. Some of the folks that come and speak, they disagree too. But there are many, many others that approach me daily. about how they feel about the city manager. And it's different than the way that he feels. So you mentioned that elections have consequences. They certainly do. And there will be elections that come in the future. I look forward to them. I look forward to them. And hopefully that we can work together and kind of lower the temperature and do what's right for this community. So that's my challenge to you and to others. And I think we'll get there. But I'm available to have conversations with you and anyone else. at any time. So, I make that offer to you and hopefully we'll get there. Having said that, I'm gonna move on to this final thing. The Dayton Metro Library West Branch will be hosting a Building a Strong Business workshop and it will help entrepreneurs create positive customer experiences, strengthen their brand, and turn first-time buyers into loyal customers. Free professional headshots will be available, and the workshop will be on August 13th from 5 to 7.30. And registration is required. And for more information, call 937-496-8633. And I hope to see you all there. That's all, Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioner Shaw. I have a couple comments this evening. I would like to first thank all of the staff members. Thank you, Mr. Gondel. Thank you, Ms. Maloney, as well as Ms. Kinney and Mr. Turner as well. And Mr. Parlett, thank you for entertaining the number of questions that I posed this evening. I really appreciate it. And also highlighting the World Soccer Game with our... recreation department along with our welcome welcome dayton thank you um and the the fifa balls that will be given out to the participants and thank you for working those efforts to spread it across the number of different events that we have throughout the city of dayton for our youth We'd like to thank all of the residents that came out this evening. Thank you very much for your participation. Thank you for being here. Ms. Hastings, thank you for being here and for your comments and the number of questions that you posed in reference to the NCA. I, too, had a number of questions. My questions are still... Many of them have been answered. I do have questions to Commissioner Fairchild's point in regards to the gap. I also want to note, too, I appreciate and welcome the feedback and the questions that have been posed around the NCA, around the calendar items, all of the things that have been raised during the time that I have served on the commission, even prior to serving as mayor. Mind you, I've only been mayor for six and a half months now. And so with that, I do really appreciate the active engagement and I just really want to highlight as well what has been mentioned about the lack of trust that we have in our government. And I know right now we're seeing Our democracy, it feels as if there is this sense of erasure. And there is a number of things that are taking place from the federal level on down. And this is that one piece of government, if you will, that we are all holding on to for the sake of our democracy. So again, know that my commitment has always been to the people. I don't live in an ivory tower. Any and everything that is affected by anyone in this community, it affects me and my household. The burnouts, the blights, the encampments, the potholes, the taxes, all of it, AES, CenterPoint, it all meets all of us.

We are not exempt.

We put our pants on the same way any and everyone else does in this room and beyond. So please know my commitment, my heart, my dedication is always with the people and it will continue to do so. I will continue to do so. This work is not for the faint at heart by no means. Everything that I promise to do, I'm going to work to my very core to make sure that I am actively moving and working to accomplish those various different things. This work ain't part-time. It's constant. Constantly getting calls. Constantly showing up. These are things that are on my mind. Many of us, we go to sleep with them. Trying to problem solve. Trying to identify. How do we make the city of Dayton better for each and every one of us? How do we make sure we improve the quality of life? And I will say this as well. I don't think the comment that was noted as us being dysfunctional should be taken as A means of being, as an offensive term, is work we need to do. I think it's an opportunity. I think that we are all learning each other. In my opinion, we're doing better. We're doing a lot better. We have conversations. There are some various different things that we definitely need to work on. That's with any relationship. We all are married or engaged, and we know that in our own households. So I am looking forward to the work that we're going to do and that we're going to accomplish collectively together. One thing that I do know is that we have to work on the trust. The organization trust is not there. People do not trust the government, period. And we have literally been telling people, and I have had conversations, in depth about the NCA and because there is this notion that there is some hidden agenda or that we are not always truthful or transparent in the process, people are again, they're very skeptical. They don't even know if it really truly is something that will work for them because we are not forthcoming. So my charge and my plea to all of us is that we are actively working together to make sure that we are pushing the information out. I try very hard. Work sessions, for example, we were pushing that out on our social media. Any and every time that there was, in fact, a social media work session that was held we were our team was pushing it out to get people engaged to make sure people are fully aware that is something that we will continue to work on in addition to what the city is doing because our public affairs department they do a good job in managing the work that they're doing and making sure that the public is fully aware of the meetings, the cancellations, the work sessions, any and all events and activities. We are in fact a service organization. That's what we do. And I just really want to as well uplift the work of the staff. The staff They're doing the very best they can with the limited amount of time and capacity and bandwidth that they have. At one point, we had 3,600. Was that right, Mr. Pollard? Is that right? 3,600 employees in the city of Dayton. We're down to 1,900. 1,900. We don't have the capacity, and we're steady continuing to make sure that we are providing the level of services that are needed. And it takes us to work together collectively, and so we're doing that work. So I just ask that if, in fact, you have any questions, if you want to know more information, my door is always open. I will literally come and knock on your door. Come to your neighborhood. So please, if you have any questions, if there's any information that you want to know, note that we are here. We are public servants. And that is what we are charged to do. And that's why, in fact, you elected us. And so I take great value in that. I do not take that lightly. A couple of things I want to mention. I don't want to be long. COMMISSIONER, THANK YOU FOR GIVING THAT BACKGROUND ON THE CONVENTION CENTER. THAT WAS WAY BEFORE MY TIME. BUT NONETHELESS, MANY OF YOU SAID DUMP. IT LITERALLY HAD A WASTE BASKET IN FRONT OF IT. JUST TO REALLY, IF YOU WILL, VISUALIZE WHAT WE WERE DEALING WITH IN THE the overall lack of investment that was made at the convention center. And the fact that the city has, in fact, lost a lot of its businesses, a loss of a lot of its income. I do not agree with the trickle-down economics. I don't believe in that. I understand the importance of protecting our core. I really do. But I also believe, and I've always said this since day one, even when Rashad Young was the city manager some time ago. I almost got in trouble for that, too, Ms. Jackson. But nonetheless, I believe in a healthy balance. I believe that you cannot choose one or the other. You have to invest in your downtown just as well as you got to invest in your neighborhoods. Because if businesses come downtown, we want them to live in one of the 65 neighborhoods. So it's important that we are showing that there is, in fact, a healthy balance in our communities and all 65 of our neighborhoods, as well as our core downtown, which we know that that is, in fact, what, 70% of our general income comes up from the core, and how we're able to do the things that we're able to do with the general fund. I hope and I really encourage, if you haven't, I know Mr. Starks has mentioned the various different finance work sessions that we have. We have our budget season that we will be getting ready to roll into. We invite you all. Ask the questions. Attend so that you can really know the challenges that we're faced with. Your AES went up. Guess what? The city's AES went up. The fuel cost has gone up. EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE EXPERIENCING AT YOUR HOUSEHOLD, THE CITY IS ALSO EXPERIENCING IT. AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT OUR RESIDENTS DESERVE AND THEY NEED, AND TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE, ALL WHILE MANAGING THE OPERATIONS OF THE ORGANIZATION. AND SO, WE'RE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS RIGHT NOW. THE OTHER THING THAT I WANT TO MENTION, I DO SUPPORT THE AUDIT AND THE INVESTIGATION FOR THE ALPR'S. And so that is in fact noted. We have had conversations in regards to the search. I do believe that we're all on the same page in making sure that there is an active process where there is an engagement from the public, our business community, and our community stakeholders. That is noted in the statement that was made We're all in agreement to that. There was some bumps and lumps, if you will, in the process of the selection of the police chief, but that had no bearings on itself. On our current chief, he is doing a great job. He has provided over 27 years of service, but we do need to make sure that we have processes in place. And we need to make sure, too, that there's a level of accountability and transparency along with that. We do not have checks and balance in this organization, especially when it comes to the commission. So that is what I'm charged with as the presiding chair, as the mayor, as noted and as stated, thank you very much, as the steward. of this body, and so that is what I'm charged with. That's what I'm committed to doing. So, thank you all very much. Thank you, Ms. Ortez, for providing the legislation. I look forward to reviewing that. I look forward to supporting that. Note that Ms. Mahoney and the work that they're doing, There are also dollars that will mitigate and to work towards mold and lead and all those various different things. So if we can have that conversation offline. But again, pass that information over to send us to us electronically. And then we'll make sure that we work through with our colleagues so that each of them can individually, separately review it, ask any questions. And we'll work that through with Ms. Jackson so that, in fact, we can get that over to our law department for form and corrections. So thank you for bringing that. Mrs. Starks, thank you very much for your comments. Thank you for being here. My allegiance has not changed. I'm for the people all day, every day. Know that. So I just want to make sure that's clear for you and Ms. Hastings. So understand that I'm doing... This is God's work we're doing. I do believe that. And so with that, we're committed to answering any questions and making sure that there is, in fact, transparency along with... working to the betterment of all of our neighbors. And so with that, I am asking my colleagues, and we can have this conversation offline individually, but I am proposing a resolution to codify and formalize the million dollars that has been committed by this body in regards to the support of the NCA, the New Community Authority. So I hope that my colleagues will take the opportunity to review that legislation and so that we can in fact send that over to Ms. Jackson so that she can move that forward in our law department for final review and formalization and correction so that we can pass that legislation and again that is in response to the new community authority for the million dollars and it outlines the various different areas in which we want to see neighborhood development for the million dollars that have been committed. Mr. Johnson, thank you for being here as well. Appreciate you. Mr. Alzain, Mosticki, thank you for your comments, as well as Alexander Stone. Note that we're working to make sure that there is, in fact, some provisions that are in place, whether it's through legislation, conversations, whatever it is that we need to do to address the concerns that you have overall in terms of the retaliation. And thank you, Commissioner, for raising the point in our HRC. So, Mr. Hall, I'm glad that you're here to see if, in fact... We can have a meeting with Mr. Davis, Ms. Artez, as well as yourself in working with some of the tenants to see if there is, in fact, a way forward in addition to the legislation, but in fact, if there is a means to have those conversations offline to see what the next steps are. So I look forward to... to reviewing any recommendations that you may have. Mr. Bowling, thank you for being here as well as for your leadership for National Night Out as well as Jennifer, the entire leadership team from North Dayton as well as the Fairview neighborhood and Gigi's, Gettysburg Grocery Store, that was also a part of the national night out. I would like to thank all of our public safety staff for coming out yesterday. It was a great event. A number of residents and families and community leaders, they came out. Ms. Michaelis, thank you for your comments. Thank you for being here as well. And again, if you have any additional questions in regards to the NCA, then we'll be happy to answer those. And let me also make this point. The presentation is, in fact, uploaded on the city site. The city staff is working through the questions that we have received. Note that the bandwidth is limited, but they're working very diligently to answer those questions. And, in fact, they will be posted on the city site as well. So more to come on that. Ms. Akbar, thank you for being here. Mr. Dawson, thank you, Mr. Oladejo, for working with Mr. Dawson so that we can get that information over to him in terms of the In terms of renaming the park, McKay Park, and then also want to note too, and Commissioner, you raised this point in regards to the ceasefire. A ceasefire was passed. We just need to make sure that we have that date in which that was passed unanimously. Ms. Gibson-Strong, thank you for being here. Note too that there's some additional work that we need to do to find out In fact, to Mr. Gondo's point, like the history and the timing of that, the location that you mentioned, and then also what has been provided to us is that the psychiatric hospital that has been replaced, the The 115, there was, in fact, a restriction on the use of that facility itself. They wanted a medical use for that building itself. So that's why it went to that particular... And then it won't come with the interest, right? The interest of that site. Again, Ms. Artes, thank you for your comments and I look forward to working with you. Let's see if I... Oh, a couple of other things I want to mention too, very quickly. The healing block party, it was rescheduled due to the rain back in July. That has now been scheduled for this Saturday. It's this Saturday from 1 to 4. It's also in conjunction with a car show that will take place at the Sunlight Village, the Village Hub, located at 2050 Germantown Street. Again, that is 2050 Germantown Street. And I also want to invite everyone to the ribbon cutting for the Fudge Foundation Community Center. The Fudge Foundation Community Center will have a ribbon cutting on this Friday, August the 7th at 3 p.m. The location is 1670 Weaver Street. Again, that is the Fudge Foundation Community Center, 3 p.m., August the 7th, which is Friday, and then on that Saturday, August the 8th, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the same location, that's 1670 Weaver Street. Is it Weaver Avenue? It was Weaver Avenue, not Weaver Street. Weaver Avenue, the seventh anniversary of the Dayton mass shooting. There will be an event that will take place, a community peace and love day block party will take place as well. And that is through the Fudge Foundation along with Ohio Families Foundation. fight against police brutality. They will be hosting that event. With no further business to come before the commission, this meeting is now adjourned. Thank you.