City Council - Regular Meeting

They were all here.

I call to order and welcome you to the Middletown, Ohio City Council meeting for Tuesday, May 19th, 2026. Please join me for a moment of meditation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. You will hear three taps of the gavel when it is time to stand. Please join me in a moment of meditation now. Clerk of Council, Mrs. Amy Skank, please call the attendance roll.

Mrs. Carter?

Present. Mr. West?

Here.

Mr. Mulligan?

Here.

Mayor Slamka?

Here.

Mr. Lally?

Present.

Before we continue, I'd like to make a motion to amend this evening's agenda to remove legislation items numbers 6 and 7, which are ordinances numbers 0, 20, 26, 31, and 32, respectively. So moved. Is there a second?

Second. Second.

It has been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? City Mayor Andrew Combs, do you have anything to add? I do not. Thank you. Thank you. Hearing no further discussion, we shall proceed to vote. Mrs. Skank, please call the roll. Mr. West?

Yes.

Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Mayor Slamka? Yes. Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Mrs. Carter? Yes. Yeses have it, and the motion passes. Legislation items number six and seven shall be removed from this evening's agenda. The first item on the agenda this evening is citizen comments. Professional presentation free of foul language is expected. Speakers are encouraged to prepare remarks in advance to stay within the set time limits. Citizen comments is not a time for debate, questions and answer, or any back and forth conversation with council or staff. This is a time for you, our residents, to be able to present in front of council on record, uninterrupted, and have the floor. Please note, after the meeting, your comment cards will be given to the city manager, and she will assign a member of staff to reply to you as appropriate. We have received one comment card this evening, and I will prompt the speaker with their next steps when they reach the podium. I would like to call Gil Lafayette to the podium, please. Please adjust the microphone and speak directly into the microphone at all times. Before we begin, please state your full name and address or interest with the city for the record. You will then have four minutes of uninterrupted speech. Please commence.

Hello, my name is Gil Lafayette. I live at 2108 Sheffield Street. And last time I spoke on data centers protecting Middletown, the Miami River, and extending a ladder down when legacy politics pulled them up, I want to extend congratulations and thank the council for procuring the funds to build up the I-75 corridor at Renaissance Point. But what are we building? Middletown's athletic legacy is real and deep. Middletown was once called the basketball capital of Ohio. 1950s to 1970s, the golden era. Jerry Lucas, one of the greatest basketball players in Ohio history, Butch Carter, NBA player, coach, Chris Carter, NFL Hall of Famer, Todd Bell, Kyle Schwarber, Major League Baseball All-Star, Jalen Marshall, Vincent Edwards, and of course, Kayla Harrison. This matters for Middletown's identity. Athletics is authentic, local, generational, culturally unifying, already part of our city's mythology. We don't have to invent it. We just have to claim it and build around it. The arena district should be the anchor of a new identity right now. The arena is being treated as a facility, but it could be an identity engine. Imagine reframing the East End as the Middletown Steel Athletics District, where legends begin. That's a story. That's a brand. That's a destination. We can build youth sports tourism, tournaments, camps, clinics, a Middletown Athletics Hall of Fame, a legends walk honoring Jerry Lucas, Carter, Schwarber, Harrison, et cetera. We can build partnerships with OSU, UC, Miami, Wright State, a training-focused hotel cluster, sports medicine and performance labs, a year-round athletic economy. This is how you turn a generic stop-and-go suburb into a regional magnet. We're building buildings, but not building identity. We're not building Middletown's story. We're not building Middletown's future, which is athletics. It's who we are. It's who we've always been. And it's how we become a destination again. Thank you.

Thank you very much. This concludes our public participation. The next agenda item is council comments. We will begin to my left with Councilmember Lawley, followed by Vice Mayor Carter, and then to my right with Councilmember West, followed by Councilmember Mulligan. I will speak last. Mr. Mulligan, or Mr. Lawley?

Thank you, Mayor. Condor. I mean, I'm kidding. Touche. Um, uh, I just want to say, uh, hope everybody has a happy and safe, uh, Memorial day weekend and a shout out to all the veterans who have served this country and those who have laid down their lives for this country. Uh, let's make this Memorial day weekend truly and remembrance of them. And that's all I have.

Thank you, Mr. Lally vice mayor.

Good evening, Middletown. Yesterday I attended a ribbon-cutting for the YMCA, the aquatic pool, and I am so excited. My plan is to encourage Middletown to make sure that all the children in the South End will have a chance to go to the pool out in the East End, which could pose a problem because there's really A bus, but I think a transportation like a van or another bus to take them out there would benefit. everyone in Middletown. So I am excited. At least we got something completed. I mean, goodness gracious. We've been working for a couple of years on everything, and this is completed. We just have to open up the concession stand, and we're good to go. So I just say thank you, YMCA.

Thank you, Mrs. Carter. Mr. West.

Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Vice Mayor, for those comments. I'm sure you'll be out there. And are you going to go down the slide a couple times? All right. Good deal. No, I just want to thank the Shriners. I recently on Mother's Day attended the annual car show, and I've been doing it off and on over the years. But it's truly special. And I want to thank the first responders and especially for the city for all the coordination that they do to allow the Shriners to come here. And it was a great time. And I'd like to echo Mr. Lawley's comments. I hope everybody has a great and safe Memorial Day weekend. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. West. Mr. Mulligan.

Thank you, Mayor. May 9th, I was privileged to participate along with the mayor and vice mayor, the bench dedication for Helen Brown at Old South Park. So that was a great time to gather with her family and friends. And I remember somebody, they left her mark on the city of Middletown. The... Women's Wine and Chocolate fundraiser from Downtown Middletown Incorporated took place on Saturday and pleased to report that over 800 tickets were sold for that, creating some significant economic impact in that one day and brought some awareness to to downtown in a positive way. Also attended yesterday's ribbon cutting for the YMCA Aquatic Center and thrilled with the results. Just a few finishing touches to put on, but it'll be ready for open this weekend. So please come and enjoy that. And then wishing everyone a very happy and safe Memorial Day weekend. I look forward to participating in Monday's parade. And our honorary chairman of that is Bruce McRoberts, who celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this year. So we'll be a high honor to have him as part of that celebration and honor our fallen heroes. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Mulligan. And yes, there was a lot going on last week. And also we had the, on Thursday night, we had Middletown Rocks, which is the fundraiser, the main fundraiser for CBI, our Community Building Institute. And they raised over $83,000, which the goal was 50,000. So it just shows how community really comes together. And it was so much fun. So this Thursday, May 21st, join in at Midpoint Library Middletown, located at 125 South Broad Street, for the Innovation Point Program Spring-Inspired Button Magnets at our Makerspace. Learn about Innovation Point's button maker and how to make your own magnet. This is a great activity for teens and adults. For more information and to register, please visit midpointlibrary.org. If crafting is more your speed, also that evening, this Thursday, May 21st, from 5.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. at Midpoint Library Middletown is the Craft Circle to be held in the boardroom at the library. This is a great opportunity for adults to meet and socialize as they knit, crochet, and embroider in a low-key crafting circle. Bring your current project or supplies will be available for you to find your next craft. For more information, please visit midpointlibrary.org or call 513-424-1251. This coming Monday, May 25th, has been said is Memorial Day, and the parade begins at 10 a.m. starting at Smith Park and culminates at Woodside Cemetery, where there will be a solemn ceremony honoring our nation's servicemen and women. Next Saturday, May 30th, the City of Middletown is thrilled to announce the upcoming Middletown Food Truck Rally, taking place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The community is invited to gather at 1 Donham Plaza in front of our city building here for an evening dedicated to great food, local music, and neighborhood spirit. Local favorite Ashley and the Authority will take the stage, providing a great soundtrack for the evening. As the City of Middletown's Community Projects Coordinator, Callie Fisher, has said, bring a lawn chair, bring an appetite, and get ready for a night to remember. For more information, please visit cityofmiddletown.org, hover over Residence, and click on City of Middletown Events. Also next Saturday, May 30th, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., The Sorg Opera House, located at 63 South Main Street, presents Tyler Christopher, a tribute to Elvis. Tyler Christopher is back to shake, rattle, and roll the house all over again. For more information and ticket prices, please visit sorgoperahouse.org. Speaking of the Sorg, the Sorg Opera House is thrilled to announce they are officially expanding their offerings into a dedicated weeknight listening lounge experience. They are building out a third space event series designed for one thing, the art of the deep listen. Rooted in the jazz Kisa culture of Tokyo and modeled after iconic high-fidelity bars of New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin, this is not your typical nightlife experience, and they don't want it to be. They'll save the party for the weekend. You can join every first and third Tuesday of the month from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. That means you can head over there after our city council meetings. For more information and costs, please visit sorgoperahouse.org. Please save the date of June 5th for DMI's first Friday event, Caribbean Night, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in downtown Middletown, celebrating music, food, and culture. Save the date for the Max or the Middletown Arts Center's annual event, In the Garden, supported by the Middletown Garden Club. This is an elegant collection of garden-themed events featuring Friday, June 5th's exclusive and ticketed In the Garden Gala from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, June 6th, free and open to the public garden-inspired series of learning opportunities and fun from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a great day for the entire family. For more information, please visit MiddletownArtsCenter.com. Please also save the date of Saturday, June 6th from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. to join in at 834 Yankee Road for the annual Feed the Hungry Project Community Day. This is a full day full of fun for the whole family with live music and entertainment, free food, giveaways, health screenings, agency resources, and a bouncy house and activities for the kids. For more information, please visit feedthehungryproject.org. Please also save that same date of Saturday, June 6th, as Middletown's Police Department and Fire Department face off in a Battle of the Badges softball game at 6 p.m. at Lefferson Park. Get ready for a night of home runs and community spirit. Residents are encouraged to wear their favorite red or blue gear to show support for their department of choice. Squeaky wheels, cups, and cones, and vine-made lemonade will be on site. For more information, please visit cityofmiddletown.org, hover over residents, and click on the City of Middletown events. As a reminder, the City of Middletown accepts applications for our boards and commissions throughout the year. So if there's something that you have an interest in and you wish to give back to your city in this way, please do submit your application. To learn more, please visit the city's website at cityofmiddletown.org. Lastly, and as always, there are many ways to get involved with your community and give back. You can join a board or committee, run for office, apply for a job with the city, volunteer at the hospital, pick up trash in your neighborhood or park, plant a garden in your yard, smile at a neighbor, find joy and satisfaction for a job well done in whatever work you do, or just have a positive and giving attitude. Find something that you can do regularly to give back. We are all connected and we are all in this together. The care of our city is an adventure in which we all get to share. That is all for me tonight. This concludes our council comments. The next agenda item is the city manager reports. City manager, Ms. Ashley Combs, you have the floor.

Good evening. So first I wanted to say I had a great time at Middletown Rocks and congratulations to CBI for surpassing their fundraising goal. And also we very much value our partnership with YMCA and congratulations on Montsou Bay opening. It'll be great for the community. There is one presentation tonight. I'd like to welcome Ford Envision, our strategic planning consultant, to give an update about that process.

Thank you, Ms. Combs, and good evening, council. Appreciate the opportunity to be here. I'm going to give a brief overview of what we've been up to since we last spoke at the retreat and spent two days together. I'll also give a brief recap of some of the themes we touched on, update you on our stakeholder interviews, which we have over 20 completed now, and start to show you how we're starting to reorganize our action items by theme and sub-theme.

And would you mind giving your name just as a refresh for everybody, please?

Oh, yes. Amel Liznianski, Principal Project Manager with Envision Group.

Thank you.

Good to see you again. and then conclude with next steps. Enfield, any questions from the group? so just to briefly give an overview of our process we do have a four-phase process we're largely complete with our assessment analysis phase we're starting to dive into the strategic framework and that'll last through june or sorry july and then we'll step into our implementation strategy and that's when we start to really get into ownership and responsibility for our action items staff partnerships costs associated with them And the last piece we'll conclude before the end of the year towards fall will be the monitoring and evaluation so the city is empowered to have a living document that they can go internally and update each year, each quarter, and constantly be looking back at. So just to recap at the retreat, as you may remember, you've all received a packet that summarized the details of all the exercises that you participated in. But at the end of the day, we had top fives for priorities within each of our six plan themes. So if you do the math right there, we're at 30 and there were some ties. So we had probably 35 to 40 action items that got added to the laundry list of action items from the 2022 comp plan. which each had about 10 to 15 items in there. There was some overlap where items were merged, but right now we're going through the process of really separating what I would call action items and objectives, more aspirational goals. Sorry, I already messed this up. Just to touch on our consensus themes from our stakeholder interviews, four things really rose to the top without getting into specifics of individual discussions, but these are recurring things we heard over and over. One was the need for transparency and communication. Obviously, you having us here tonight is a good part of that process. But I think once we shared some of the themes and discussion from the retreat, people are like, oh, I think those are items that community could get behind. So just making sure as we continue to release draft updates and more details on the project that that gets posted to the web and eventually we have a living document that folks from the community partners residents business owners employees visitors can all reference the number two item was leadership stability and staff retention obviously I think everybody understands the city's had some turnover in the past people were excited that there's a team in place and there was encouragement to keep that staff mobilized happy getting the training they need empowering them to implement this plan so we think there's a positive start there a global theme and this really touches on both our thriving economy and resilient neighborhoods buckets was jobs and housing and that was kind of widespread across the city folks had all sorts of opinions on where to start with that but everybody was in consensus that we need more jobs quality jobs in the city and we just need neighborhoods that are safer better conditions better infrastructure better civic amenities last piece that generated a lot of discussion was where do we start targeted investments and there are some different schools of thought and obviously depending on where somebody uh... its focus was they might have had a geographic quarter of interest or neighborhood of interest but i think most people really felt that downtown and the interchange east side with these two anchor districts to gateways where when uh... it was best put to me that most people who come in the community interact with one of those two areas if not both and if we can really stabilize their understanding that downtown has challenges uh... and the eastern gateway with the interchange is a little more accessible to the seventy five quarter how do we leverage some of the low-hanging fruit there as far as economic development in the green fields more accessible sites and generating some tax revenue support some of that info in the urban core and most folks believe those things can work in synergy uh... but a lot of folks pointed out we can't start with targeted investments all over the city we need to focus in on a couple core areas so that came up repeatedly so just to talk briefly about how we are starting to reorganize the plan as we agreed upon at the retreat we're going to maintain our six plan themes resilient neighborhoods thriving economy healthy and safe living resilient infrastructure private community and educated related actions We started to integrate the additional action items from your input and staff input. We've consolidated and removed some items where they were completed or no longer of interest. But what we really felt was important here was to have some sub themes within these categories. Rather than having resilient neighborhoods and 15 to 20 action items, let's categorize that and break it down a little bit further to make this a little bit more user friendly of a document. So just for illustration, resilient neighborhoods, sub themes we identified were property maintenance, talent retention, housing production, pathways to home ownership, demo and infill. For thriving economy, sub themes were workforce development, corporate relations, entrepreneurship, site readiness, and commercial revitalization. For healthy and safe living, nutrition and fitness, public health, access to healthy foods, mental health and addiction, and crime prevention and reduction. For strong infrastructure, asset management, traffic and safety, active transportation, specifically bicycle and pedestrian, and technology and security. Pride and community focused on branding and wayfinding, programming, and communications. And last but not least, education related actions encompass pathways and partnerships and financial incentives. And this one being largely a smaller bucket based on it being largely partner driven. uh... so we look at next steps of where we're at uh... we're in the process of wrapping up the stakeholder interviews we're going to be meeting uh... with staff in early june to go over uh... the laundry list of items that we have in draft form and get their inputs and how this might all work together uh... will be coming back to them uh... later in summer uh... to have a draft strategy uh... and then the final document uh... in the fall obviously you'll be the approving body of the final document but I'm sure we'll be making appearances here to get input and updates along the way as you request so with that I appreciate your attention and would like to open the floor to any questions you might have thank you so much do we have any questions or comments at this time from counsel mr. Mulligan

Yeah, thank you. I appreciate the update. It looks like there's been some great information collected, so it It looks like a great roadmap to update our strategic plan, but I recall from the retreat that there was going to be a public safety line that was going to go through each theme. Is it just too early to have that in a document?

Yeah, we're still working on exactly how that's going to be framed. We didn't want to just have a redundant public safety. We might want to tailor a little more focus to explain how that fits into public safety so people aren't confused. But yes, that is definitely part of our marching orders.

Thank you. Any other comments or questions at this time? Thank you. I'm very happy with the work so far. It was a lot of fun at the meeting we had in February. So thank you very much. We look forward to the next one.

Thank you. Appreciate it.

That's all for me. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Combs. The next item on our agenda this evening is the consent agenda. While the consent agenda is generally for consensus items, do any council members wish to remove anything from the consent agenda this evening and move it to the motion agenda? All right, hearing none, we will proceed. Mrs. Skank, please present the consent agenda.

Your consideration this evening, we have the approval of the city council meeting minutes of May the 5th, 2026, to receive and file the following board and commission minutes, the Board of Health for March the 10th, 2026 and the tax incentive review committee minutes of August the 30th, 2024 to confirm the conditional appointment of Noah Arnold, the position of maintenance worker and the department of public works and utilities stormwonder maintenance division to confirm the conditional appointment of gauge craze to the position of maintenance worker and the department of public works and utilities water maintenance division to confirm the conditional appointment of Corey Osborne to the position of maintenance worker in the department of public works and utilities. Water Maintenance Division. To confirm the conditional appointment of Grady Page to the position of Maintenance Worker in Department of Public Works and Utilities, Sewer Maintenance Division. To confirm the conditional appointment of Logan Dooley to the position of Patrol Officer in Department of Public Safety, Division of Police. To confirm the conditional appointment of Logan Vaughn to the position of Zoning Administrator in the Community and Economic Development Department. To confirm the appointment of Christopher Stid to the position of Computer Technician in the Information Systems Department, to confirm the appointment of Lynn Crank to the position of Police Records Clerk in the Police Department, to confirm the conditional appointment of Robert Cavan to the position of Dispatcher in the Department of Public Safety, Division of Police, to receive and file oaths of office for April Cromer, Jacob Long, and Matthew Morningstar, and to approve the final plat of the preserve at Roosevelt Ridge, Section 2.

Thank you, Mrs. Genk. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda?

Motion to approve.

Is there a second?

Second.

It has been properly moved and seconded to accept the consent agenda. We will proceed to vote. Mrs. Genk, please call the roll.

Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Mayor Slamka? Yes. Mr. Lawley? Yes. Mrs. Carter? Yes. Mr. West?

Yes.

The yeses have it, and the motion passes. The consent agenda is approved. The next item this evening is the motion agenda. We have one item this evening. Mrs. Skank, please present item A on the motion agenda.

To receive, file, and adopt the 2025 Tax Incentive Review Committee recommendations.

Thank you, Mrs. Skank. Ms. Combs, would you please present this staff report?

This report outlines the Tax Incentive Review Council's, also known as TURC, recommendations to city councilor, Council for tax incentives for 2024. As mandated by Ohio revised code, cities offering tax exemptions must have TURC that annually reviews tax exemption agreements in TIF districts. The latest meeting of the TURC occurred on August 25, 2025, with members including county auditors, school district representatives, city staff, elected officials, and citizens. The Turk recommendations have five community reinvestment area agreements, six enterprise zone agreements, and a compliance letter regarding payroll and job recreation will be sent to NUST LLC. There were also 11 TIF districts, and these recommendations were delayed due to the cyber outage and personnel changes, with no modifications being proposed.

Thank you, Ms. Combs. Do I have a motion to approve item A, to receive, file, and adopt the 2025 Tax Incentive Review Committee recommendations?

Motion.

Is there a second?

Second.

Having been properly moved and seconded, is there any discussion? Seeing none, we will proceed to vote. Mrs. Genk, please call the roll. Mayor Slamka? Yes. Mr. Lawley?

Yes.

Mrs. Carter?

Yes.

Mr. West?

Yes.

Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Yeses have it and the motion passes. This concludes the motion agenda. The next item on the agenda this evening is legislation. We have nine items of legislation this evening. Law Director Mr. Alex Ewing, the legislation please.

Item number one, ordinance number O2026-27, an ordinance authorizing additional funds for the contract with Bricks Incorporated for the fire station alerting system and declaring an emergency.

Thank you, Mr. Ewing. Ms. Combs, do you have anything to add tonight? I do not. Thank you. Certainly. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve the ordinance?

Motion.

Is there a second?

Second.

It has been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, we will proceed to vote. Mrs. Skank, please call the roll. Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Mrs. Carter? Yes. Mr. West?

Yes.

Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Mayor Slamka? Yes. Yes is having the legislation passes. Mr. Ewing, the next item, please.

Item number two, ordinance number 02026-28, an ordinance authorizing the submission of an application for federal assistance, an action plan, and a projected use of funds under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 as amended for program year 2026. Second reading.

Thank you. Ms. Combs, do you have anything to add? I do not. Thank you. Excellent. Thank you, Ms. Combs. Is there a motion to approve the ordinance?

Motion.

Is there a second?

Second.

It has been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, we will proceed to vote. Mrs. Skank, please call the roll. Mrs. Carter?

Yes. Mr. West?

Yes.

Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Mr. Slamka? Yes. Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Yeses have it, and the legislation passes. Mr. Ewing, the next item, please.

Item number three, ordinance number O2026-29, an ordinance establishing a procedure for and authorizing a contract with Clayton Property Solutions for lawn care and landscaping services at the event center of Middletown and declaring an emergency.

Thank you, Mr. Ewing. Ms. Combs, the staff report, please. This is to seek authorization for a contract with Clayton Properties Solutions of Trenton, Ohio, for up to $21,535 for the 2026 mowing season. The event center needs regular mowing and three quotes were received. CLAYTON LANDED IN THE MIDDLE AT, AGAIN, $21,535. STAFF RECOMMENDS WAIVING THE BIDDING PROCESS TO CONTINUE WITH CLAYTON PROPERTY SOLUTIONS DUE TO THEIR CONSISTENT QUALITY AND RELIABILITY MAKING THEM THE BEST VALUE. THERE ARE ADEQUATE FUNDS IN THE EVENT CENTER BUDGET FOR THIS.

THANK YOU, MS. COMBS. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ORDINANCE?

MOTION.

IS THERE A SECOND?

SECOND.

IT HAS BEEN PROPERLY MOVED AND SECONDED. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, WE WILL PROCEED TO VOTE. MS. GANK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

Yes. Mr. Mulligan? Yes. Mayor Slamka?

Yes. Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Mrs. Carter? Yes. Yes is having the legislation passes. Mr. Ewing, the next item, please.

Item number four, ordinance number O2026-30, an ordinance authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement with the River Corridor Improvement Subdistrict of the Miami Conservancy District for the city to participate in the Great Miami River Raid Initiative and declaring an emergency.

Thank you. Ms. Combs, the staff report, please. In 2008, the Miami Conservancy District and the University of Dayton held the Great Miami River Summit to promote the river corridor investments and create a shared vision among community leaders. In 2017, the Riverway Program was launched to connect 19 communities and attract economic investment. The strategic priorities of the coalition are to establish a long-term funding to support the Riverway Coalition operations and projects, create an improved, connected, and consistent riverway experience, and establish the Great Miami Riverway as defining regional identity that should be recognized as the premier outdoor destination in the Midwest. A vital part of the downtown revitalization success is access to recreational opportunities. Membership in the coalition will significantly impact the city's ability to maximize the economic benefits of using the river. This membership aligns with the city's comprehensive plan, Destination Middletown, which highlights the need to continue to collaborate with the Great Miami Riverway and Metro Parks and to create new job and investment opportunities. This agreement is for a six-year term with annual payments of $17,000 that will mature in 2032. The recommendation is that this is the first reading emergency so that the city can take advantage of programming this summer.

Thank you, Ms. Combs. Is there a motion to approve the ordinance?

Motion.

Is there a second?

Second.

It has been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, we'll proceed to vote. Mrs. Skank, please call the roll.

Mr. Mulligan? Yes. Mayor Slamka?

Yes. Mr. Lalling?

Yes.

Mrs. Carter? Yes. Mr. West?

Yes.

The yeses have it, and the legislation passes. Mr. Ewing, the next item, please.

Item number five, resolution number R2026-14, a resolution authorizing the city manager to apply for and enter into a grant agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Aviation for an airport improvement program grant for the runway five obstruction removal project at Middletown Regional Airport for state fiscal year 2027 and declaring an emergency.

Thank you miss comes the staff report please this is to authorize the city manager to apply and accept a grant consisting of 95% funding from a dot and 5% local match funding for runway 5 obstruction removal 1.1 acres project. Runway 5 currently has the restriction of the straight and runway 5 in a at night due to the tree obstructions affecting the approach service. This limits aircrafts from conducting instrument landings at night, impacting the airport's reliability for corporate aviation and emergency services. To lift this restriction, the airport plans to remove the obstructions which will restore 24-7 IFR access to runway five, improve safety and approach usability, reduce diversions and enhance operational reliability, and bolster local economic development. Addressing these obstructions will help mitigate lost fuel sales and operational activity. The grant application deadline is June 1, 2026, and the Airport Commission has approved the initiative with a 6-0 vote. If awarded, the project will proceed in late 2026 or early 2027. The project cost is estimated at $134,700, with ODOT covering $127,965 and the local share being at $6,735. Sufficient funds are available in the airport capital budget with 95% reimbursement from ODOT. Again, this is a first reading emergency measure as it is required to meet the June 1st application deadline.

Thank you, Ms. Combs. Is there a motion to approve the resolution?

Motion.

Is there a second?

Second.

It has been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion?

I have just one question on it, and I guess Nick might have to. I'm interested in the part that this will increase the night use of the airport. So what does that mean in term? What does that mean? Because my concern there would be, what does it mean to the neighborhoods around the airport? And what does night mean? Because I can see concerns being noise level at night.

Our airport manager, Nick Brumback, is going to come to the podium and answer that question.

Thank you.

Yeah, so right now for them to land, they'll have to, when these folks are coming in on an IFR approach, they have to perform another maneuver to get in. But with this being open, if there was a flight scheduled, these flights could come in at night. So yeah, we may have a few more at night. So your question, can you repeat your question?

So my question is, what does this do? Because I know around other airports, they've been concerned of night activity at airports, increasing noise level overnight. So it's just something I know if that starts happening, council is going to get some pushback from the neighbors around there. of trying to sleep overnight and increase noise at night?

Yeah, so right now they can land right now as a VFR. Right now with this diversion, like you said, there could be a decrease with what's coming in. We do track everything. If there is noise complaints, please refer them to me. But as far as that goes, we could have an increase in traffic, but right now they could still be able to land right now as a VFR instead of an IFR. Okay.

So it sounds like we still have people coming in at nighttime? Correct. Correct.

But what I've seen with interest, this is meant to increase that activity. So if we get a large increase in the activity, then there'll be more noise at all hours of the night, and that is my concern.

Yeah, I think the big thing here. So for like economic development, if we have, if we're have somebody that comes in, we want to be at the top of that site selection when they can go to another GA airport that doesn't have these restrictions. Um, so right now it's about getting folks to come in knowing that we take care of everything at the airfield. And, um, uh, so, so, so that we are at the top of that site selection.

Okay. That was just one concern I had got on this. from the staff report indicating the night activity.

Thank you.

Any other questions or comments from council? All right, hearing none, we will proceed to vote. Mrs. Genk, please call the roll. Mayor Slamka? Yes.

Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Mrs. Carter?

Yes.

Mr. West?

Yes.

Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Yeses have it, and the legislation passes. Mr. Young, the next item, please.

Item number six and seven were removed. So item number eight, resolution number R2026-15, a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute an Ohio Department of Development 629 roadwork development grant for the phase two roadway improvements at Renaissance Point and declaring an emergency. No action is requested until June 2nd, 2026.

Thank you, Mr. Ewing. Ms. Combs, the staff report, please.

This is to approve an agreement with the Ohio Department of Development for a 629 road development grant for up to $1,875,000 for phase two road work at Renaissance Point. On May 19, 2025, the state controlling board approved the release of $1,875,000 to the city of Middletown. This funding supports public road improvements vital to the arena construction at Renaissance Point. The property includes 1,329 linear feet of Atrium Boulevard and 788 linear feet of Event Promenade along the construction of necessary retaining wall. The city could decline the grant and bear the cost of all the improvements. And the grant will, again, reimburse up to $1,875,000, covering about 75% of the eligible Phase II cost. This is a two-reading emergency to expedite the execution of the 629 grant and the continuation of the infrastructure work.

Thank you, Ms. Combs. As this is a second-reading emergency, there is no action to be taken at this time. However, is there any discussion from counsel?

All right.

Hearing none, we will proceed. Mr. Ewing, the next item, please.

Can we advance to number nine on the cards? One more slide. Thank you. Item number nine is ordinance number 02026-33, an ordinance authorizing all actions necessary to renegotiate the rate for the governmental natural gas aggregation program and declaring an emergency. No action is requested until June 2nd, 2026.

I'm just going to point out the slides are a little bit incorrect. So if it's kind of confusing to someone watching, that's why I'm moving around. So the purpose is this legislation request approval to renegotiate the city's natural gas aggregation rate. The background is Middletown has participated in natural gas aggregation since 2023, with the current rate expiring in October 2026. Energy Alliances, the city's consultant, is beginning the rate negotiation process and a natural gas contract with the supplier to be determined only if the price does not exceed Duke Energy Ohio's default gas cost at the time of signing for a term not to exceed 24 months. Important points are a contract will only be executed if pricing is favorable. Communities that approve earlier have a lot better chance of being grouped with others, which can improve the pricing. Natural gas prices change quickly. Having approval in place allows for energy alliances to act when the market conditions are favorable rather than missing opportunities and waiting for future meeting approvals. There is no cost to the city. And again, this is emergency passage on June 2nd, 2026, so that the consultant can have the authority to negotiate a rate for the next term.

Thank you, Ms. Combs. As this is a second reading emergency, there is no action to be taken at this time. However, is there any discussion from council? Hearing none, we will proceed. Mr. Ewing, the next item, please.

The next item is ordinance number 02026-34, an ordinance amending ordinance number 02025-68, establishing pay ranges and certain benefits for employee classifications in the Middletown Department of Health and Environment. First reading.

Miss comes to staff report, please. This is to request an amendment of the 2026 pain benefits ordinance for the health department to include payment of a retention bonus to the health department employees. The health department's public health workforce sub grant allows for employee retention bonuses up to 1500. Six employees qualify for this bonus. It was determined that amending the health pain benefit ordinance is the most efficient way to approve the retention bonuses for these employees. The total cost in 2026 is 9,000 with the reimbursement from the grant pending city council approval.

Thank you, Ms. Combs. As this is a first reading, there is no action to be taken at this time. However, is there any discussion from council? All right. Hearing none, we will proceed. Mr. Ewing, the last legislation item, please.

The final item is ordinance number O2026-35, an ordinance providing for the issuance and sale of notes in the maximum principal amount of $8,200,000 in anticipation of the issuance of bonds for the purpose of paying the costs of the acquisition of the town mall and related structures located on parcel numbers 703-153-006, 703-176-040, 703-176-01, and 703-172-002, and costs of related due diligence, title work, and design services, together with all necessary appurtenances thereto, all in support of economic development and job creation within the city. First reading.

Thank you. Miss Combs, the staff report, please.

This legislation authorizes the finance director to issue new bond anticipation notes bands to pay off existing bands for the town mall site in 2024 the city issued 7 million 450,000 in bands for the town mall site followed by 7 million 897,000 in 2025 to roll over the debt. The new proposal permits issuing up to 8 million 200,000 in bands for principal and interest along for redevelopment to continue. This will temporarily increase the city's debt with plans to pay it off through the final development agreement. This is a non-emergency measure.

Thank you, Ms. Combs. As this is a first reading, there is no action to be taken at this time. However, is there any discussion from council? All right, hearing none, this concludes our legislation for the evening. The next item on the agenda is unfinished business. Do any council members have anything that they would like to present under unfinished business? So we do have, I have a couple things, but we also have the citizen comments guidelines to look at. You see it there on your screen or the screen here as well. So it looks like the biggest changes again being proposed are moving from four minutes per speaker to three and a half minutes per speaker, to move from the allotted 60 minutes for possible public comment time down to 35 minutes for public comment time, AND TO REQUIRE MIDDLETOWN RESIDENCY IN ORDER TO SPEAK ON MIDDLETOWN CITY BUSINESS. HOWEVER, BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS CAN HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE SPEAK FOR THEM. IS THERE ANY COMMENT? ANY DISCUSSION? THAT'S THE WRONG SLIDE. OH, IT IS THE WRONG SLIDE. DO WE HAVE THE CORRECT SLIDE?

30 minutes is...

It still says it, yeah. And it says three minutes, yeah. In that case, if we have the incorrect slide, are we still able to vote on it tonight or do we have to wait until next time?

I think that... Has council been distributed the...

I don't think so. No.

I'm not comfortable voting on it without the correct slide.

Yeah, I agree.

Yeah, I think just for the record, it'd be best to have it everyone on the same page.

OK, so to note, again, this is not the correct slide, but we will have it for the next meeting for June 2nd, and then we can take a look at it then. We could take a break, and we could get the correct slide. What does council think? Do you want to do it tonight?

Let's do it next time. Next time? Next time.

Next time. I'm sorry. That's OK.

I'm the one who updated the slides, and I thought it was right when I hit save, but that's not it. So I apologize. That's my fault.

It's not a problem. We can do it. It's just as simple for next time. So thank you so much. But just to note that that's not the correct slide, but I did read the major changes, so that's what will be shown on the next meeting on June 2nd.

Yeah, we made the changes that were discussed in the last session to include business owners or representatives of nonprofits to expand it to 35 minutes and three and a half minutes per speaker. And then also council can waive the time limitations with a majority of the quorum.

That's right. It would be nice to get that before the meeting, though.

So did you send that out to everyone?

That's what I mean. If we could get that before the council meeting, it would give us an opportunity to look at it and think instead of just having two minutes to consider it.

Can we do that for next meeting, Ms. Combs?

Yeah, we would absolutely.

Yeah, legal will send it. All right. Perfect. Well, thank you. A COUPLE OTHER THINGS I HAD. I BELIEVE STAFF HAS COMPLETED COMPILING INFORMATION FOR THE PROPOSED WAYFINDING SIGNS TO DIRECT TRAFFIC WHEN THERE ARE BLOCKED INTERSECTIONS IN MIDDLETOWN DUE TO TRAINS. AND I'M WONDERING, CITY MANAGER COMBS, MIGHT STAFF BE PREPARED TO GIVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION ON THAT AT THE NEXT MEETING IN JUNE? Yeah, we'd be happy to do that. Okay, fantastic. Wonderful. And then the other thing, I was wondering if, Ms. Combs, if you wanted to announce the next, the remote meeting, our first remote meeting. Is that ready to announce tonight or not?

Do you have the date in front of you? I think it's June 16th, the second June meeting. Yeah, June 16th. And it'll be at the Middletown Event Center. And Angie Smith is being very nice and hosting us. And I'm working with her on maybe having some tours or being able to have a little open house before and after the meeting.

So that's fantastic. So that's something that Mr. Mulligan brought up again for us. And so we will have our first, I guess you can call it remote meeting, not here. So the second June meeting for the regular city council meeting will be held at the event center of Middletown on Central Avenue.

And we'll make sure that that is pushed out on our social media and on our city's website. Sounds fantastic.

Thank you so much for having that happen.

All right. I have a question. I have some old business. I wanted to know about the pile of dirt over there off of Hanover. I read something about June the 1st. It would be completely gone, or did I read wrong?

Scott, do you want to come give an update about the paperboard project?

This is Scott Tattich, our director of public works.

So phase two of the remediation process or project is going on now. That's supposed to be completed by, substantially completed by June 11th, if I recall, Jacob?

So the pile will be gone?

No, the pile of gravel will not be gone by then. At this point, the pile of gravel will remain and be utilized from public works for various projects along with our well field projects. gravel road project and then it can also be used for however that site's redeveloped in the future to for use as a subgrade for any buildings that might go there oh it's not leaving anytime soon uh no it is not but progressively progressively it will progressively it'll be removed will we still market it like you had talked about a few months ago that we could sell We haven't really sold, I mean, we've just been using it in lieu of buying and purchasing gravel ourselves. So there's a number of purposes that it could be used for within our own purview. I mean, if you want us to look into selling it, we can. We've had some inquiries, but most of it is, oh, we'll come pick it up and take it away for free. Not necessarily they'll pay us for it.

So we have somebody offered to come and take it away for free?

In small quantities. Not at one, not at one. Rats. Now we can look into, I mean, if that's council's desire.

No, at this point, as far as I'm concerned, we need to do what we can do to get rid of it.

Right, so why not let them come and take it for free?

Well, he said they're doing that. It's just not quick enough.

No, we haven't allowed other outside entities come take it for free. But I'm sure there would be people interested in that if...

if we wanted i mean at this point i'd say we get rid of it as fast as we can by any means necessary that's within our capability i agree any other comments i'd agree yeah i'd agree i mean it seems um and also if there are any city projects that that require it obviously that's right i mean i will say which we would use but the cost isn't hauling it away so even if we if

even we're gonna use it for a future city project, the cost to haul it to another site temporarily is in some cases maybe more than it's worth to keep.

Do we know what projects they'll be used on for the city?

Not specifically. Now, I mean, I know the fire department contacted me about placing some sort of training center at the, I mean, this is still to be determined at a city location. We might be able to use a little bit for that. In the future, I know the police substation, we have some flooding issues.

I just think the heartache it is creating for residents in that area, it's just not worth doing. I mean, that's just my opinion. And mine. Let's get rid of it as soon as we can is my thought and opinion on it.

Yeah, I'd agree with that.

I agree.

Fine with that. Okay.

We'll make that happen. Fantastic. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Thank you, Scott.

Are there any other unfinished business from council this evening? All right. Well, thank you. And that concludes our unfinished business. The next item on the agenda is new business. Do any council members have any new business they would like to present this evening? All right. Hearing none, that concludes our new business. And the next item on the agenda is executive session. Do I hear a motion to move to executive session under the authority of ORC 121.22G1 to consider the appointment of a public employee or official?

Motion.

Thank you. Do we have a second?

Second.

It has been properly moved and seconded to move to executive session. We will proceed to vote. Mrs. Skank, please call the roll.

Mrs. Carter? Yes. Mr. West? Yes. Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Yes. Mayor Slamka?

Yes.

Mr. Lally?

Yes. Yeses have it. Council will now move to executive session. Do we have a motion to return to open session? Motion. Is there a second?

Second.

It has been properly moved and seconded to return to open session. We will proceed to vote. Mrs. Genk, please call the roll.

Mr. West? Yes. Mr. Mulligan? Yes. Mayor Slamka?

Yes. Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Mrs. Carter?

Yes. Yeses have it, and the motion passes. Council will now return to open session. I move to appoint myself to the position of DMI... board liaison. Is there a second?

Second.

It has been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, we will proceed to vote. Mrs. Ginkgo, count the roll. Mr. Mulligan?

Yes. Mayor Slamka?

Yes. Mr. Lally?

Yes. Mrs. Carter?

Yes. Mr. West?

Yes.

Yeses have it, and the motion passes. Is there a motion to appoint Jennifer Carter as the DMI board council liaison alternate?

Motion.

Thank you. Is there a second?

Second.

It has been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, we will proceed to vote. Mrs. Genk, please call the roll.

Mayor Slamka.

Yes.

Mr. Lally.

Yes.

Mrs. Carter.

Yes.

Mr. West.

Yes.

Mr. Mulligan.

Yes.

Yeses have it, and the motion passes. This concludes our regular city council meeting for Middletown, Ohio, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 6.43 p.m. This meeting is adjourned until Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 5.30 p.m. in these chambers for our next regular city council meeting. Thank you, and good night.