City Council - Regular Meeting

I call to order and welcome you to the Middletown, Ohio City Council meeting for Tuesday, June 16th, 2026. Please join me for a moment of meditation followed by the pledge 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.

to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Clerk of Council, Mrs. Amy Skank, please call the attendance roll. Mrs. Carter.

Present.

Mr. West.

Mr. Mulligan.

Here. Present.

Mayor Slamka. Present. Mr. Lally. Present.

Is there a motion? Speak for me. Is there a motion to excuse Council Member West?

So moved. Is there a second? Second.

Thank you. It's been properly moved and seconded. Please call the roll.

Mr. Mulligan. Yes. Mayor Slamka?

Yes.

Mr. Lawley? Yes. Mrs. Carter? Yes.

The yes is having the motion passes. Thank you. First on the agenda this evening is a public hearing regarding Midpoint Library 2026 tax budget. Law Director Alex Ewing, you have the floor for the swearing in.

Yes, anyone who is here to speak with respect to this public hearing regarding the 2027 Midpoint Library tax budget, please stand and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear that any testimony you give today at this public hearing will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Thank you.

THANK YOU. NORMALLY AT THIS TIME WE HAVE A STAFF REPORT, BUT THERE IS NO STAFF REPORT FOR THIS PUBLIC HEARING. IT IS A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE USUAL. EACH YEAR BY STATE STATUTE THE MIDPOINT LIBRARY MUST HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THEIR TAX BUDGET, AND FORGIVE ME I SAID 26, I MEANT 27, THANK YOU. AS THE CITY OF MIDDLETOWN IS THE TAXING AUTHORITY FOR THE MIDPOINT LIBRARY, WE PROVIDE THE SPACE AND AUTHORITY FOR THIS PUBLIC HEARING. I WOULD NOW LIKE TO INVITE THE APPLICANTS, TRAVIS BAUTZ AND KAREN JONES, TO THE PODIUM. PLEASE STATE YOUR FULL NAME, ADDRESS, AND CONFIRM THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SWORN IN BEFORE YOU SPEAK. THANK YOU.

KAREN JONES, 6818 TAXING BOULEVARD, MIDDLETOWN SHIP, OHIO. Good evening, Mayor and Council. I'm Karen Jones, the Midpoint Library System's municipal officer. The Midpoint Library System is here today to discuss the 2027 budget. However, before I do, Travis will highlight some of the significant events that have happened at the library since your last year.

These mics are very particular. And please do speak directly into the microphone. Thank you.

Hello, everybody. Thanks for having us. My name is Travis Bouts, and I'm at 125 South Broad Street, the Midpoint Library. So I handed out our 2025 annual report. Thank you. Sorry. 2025 annual report.

Mr. Bouts, could you confirm that you've been sworn in? Thank you.

Oh, I have been sworn in. Thank you. Sorry. I could follow directions, apparently. Sorry. So 2025 annual report in front of you. So just a few highlighted items system wide and we serve the eastern half of Butler County. So like the I-75 corridor. So we have Westchester, Liberty, Monroe, Trenton and of course, Middletown as our locations. We circulated just under 2.2 million items to our just under 200,000 system-wide cardholders. We had almost 690,000 visitors at our branches over the course of the 2025 year. We put on just under 3,000 programs and had over 100,000 attendees. the programs could be anything from baby story time preschool story time up to our congregate lunches we offer for senior citizens at several of our locations in partnership with council on aging so we always like to say we offer cradle to grave services for for the community so the And if you're curious, do people use libraries still? Those numbers are up about 3%. Circulation up 3% over this time last year. And our visitors, so our door counts, we were up about 20% overall from last year, including Middletown. We had just over 165,000 visitors at our Middletown location. That averages out to about 13,700 visitors per month. And if you're curious, we have about 1,200 computer users per month, about 4,700 Wi-Fi users per month, and 160 meeting room bookings per month just at our Middletown location alone. Last year we served over 600 kids lunches during the summer months when they're no longer in school in partnership with the Department of Agriculture. And we had over 350 students from Middletown City Schools come in for their personalized learning days. And we were happy to host AARP. They do taxes for senior citizens or for community members who need it. We had 467 residents come in and have their taxes prepared. And this number blew my mind. They got back $626,617 in refunds from those volunteers that helped them. So we're glad to be community partners. And in particular, in Middletown, we helped the fire department and police department get some photographic images for their new spaces from our archives. So those are just a few things we did last year in support of the community.

You have in your packet the 2027 paperwork, which outlines the library's revenues and expenditures. By way of review, since you are the taxing authority for the Midpoint Library, I'm bringing forth the 2027 budget for your review, which will then be sent to the Butler County Auditor for approval. The 2027 estimated revenues for our general fund are $12,616,500, and the estimated expenditures will be $12,520,000. With that, we're happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Thank you. Do we have any questions from the council at this time? All right. Hearing none, is there anything else you'd like to say at this time? All right. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

So at this time, is there anyone, do we do the for and against at this point? Yeah. Is there anyone present who would like to speak for the annual report? Seeing none, is there anyone who would like to speak against? All right, seeing none, then this will, unless you have anything else you wanna say, this will conclude our public comment at this time. We do encourage you to stay, though there will be no further public comment and no more interruptions. At this point, council can deliberate. Is there anything that council has to say at this time? All right, thank you. This completes our public hearing. Okay, so next on the agenda, we have citizen comments. A professional presentation free of foul language is expected. Speakers are encouraged to prepare remarks in advance to stay within their set time limits. Sitting in comments is not the 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 three comment cards this evening. I will prompt each speaker for their next steps when they reach the podium. And I would like to call Ms. Heather Cameron to the podium first. Please adjust the microphone and speak directly into the microphone at all times. Before we begin, please state your full name and Middletown residence for the record. If you have been named a city representative for a business organization but live outside city limits, please give the business address. You will then have three and a half minutes of uninterrupted speech. You should be able to see the countdown clock on the screen. And is it up? Are we good? Hi, my name is Heather. One moment, please. We're going to wait until we get the clock up. All right. Thank you. Please commence.

Hi, my name is Heather Cameron. I live at 77 Bavarian Street here in Middletown. I'm new to the area. I have a few concerns I want to address regarding the swift increase in flock cameras here locally. I know that this isn't a back and forth question and answer. I will email these as well. I just feel like they're concerns that citizens should have about these cameras. Um, okay. Do you have a public database of access to the cameras or have you opted out of that dash? If so, why, how is the collected data being stored? If it is stored on the cloud, whose cloud is it? Who has access to flock data collection corporations? Is this data going to be sold to corporations who want to sell us more things based on the routes that we take every day? How are you assuring that said data isn't being accessed by predators? Like people who are doing domestic abuse or stalkers. Um, there was just an officer in Bethel that was a child predator. Like those are concerns that I have as a citizen, who's getting this data of where I'm traveling every day. Um, who's this data being shared with, and what law enforcement is on the cooperation list. I would also like to know why the rush. I feel like these cameras are going up very quickly, and I just would like to know as a citizen why. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Ms. Cameron. Next, I would like to call Mary Johnson to the podium, please. Again, please do adjust the microphone and speak directly into it at all times. Please state your full name and Middletown residence for the record. You will then have three and a half minutes of uninterrupted speech. Please commence.

Mary Johnson, 6700 Locust Lane. Good evening. I'm co-chair of Middletown Pride and past chair of the Downtown Middletown Inc. Board of Directors. Firstly, I wish to thank the city and especially Jessica White and Charlie Anderson and officers Alexis Manning and Mark Hunt for the support they provided the Middletown Pride Festival held this past Friday on June 12th. This event brought joy to the thousands of LGBTQ plus people, their families and friends and allies like myself who attended. It also brought a much needed boost to many of our downtown businesses. Heather Gibson, owner of Triple Moon, noted this may have been the best night that she had in the last two years. The bulk of my comments will relate to the criticisms launched by a loud vocal few who have commented on social media condemning the drag show performed during Middletown Pride. It's important to note nearly all of these people, if not all, did not attend the drag shows or Middletown Pride. I suspect as in the past, they'll be sharing misleading photographs from the drag shows taken out of context. like the infamous photo of one of the performers squatting on stage without noting that her hair is sticking straight up in the air in that photo because she just landed a backflip. Many of these complaints are attempts to prevent LGBTQ plus people from expressing themselves authentically and restrict their right to bodily autonomy and self-determination. Drag show performances have been a hallmark of the LGBTQ plus community, allowing performers and members to express themselves openly and joyously. The drag queen and King knew that they w there would be a variety of ages in the audience and they tailored their performances accordingly. There was no lewd behavior or foul language. As noted earlier, officers Manning and Hunt were present for the entire festival. If there were any such conduct, they would have put a stop to it. There was lip syncing from the performers to pop and country song while the audience enthusiastically sang, clapped and danced along. The performers clothes and dance moves were no more revealing or risque than those worn by pop and country stars or even NFL cheerleaders. The idea that drag shows are harmful is false and has no basis in research or fact. Stirring up hatred for drag queens deflects attention from widespread issues like child poverty or neglect that causes real documented harm. It is also important to note that drag shows, at least for now in Ohio, are protected by the First Amendment right to free speech and assembly. They are an important form of artistic expression, especially in the queer community. Drag is not a crime. If you don't like it, don't watch it. But don't try to take away other people's right to watch drag shows or their parental right to decide what their children should or should not watch. Middletown is a caring, accepting community. It's one of my favorite things about living in Middletown and why I volunteer to help improve the quality of life for everyone. Don't let the lies tear us apart. A few people with extreme views are trying to divide us and make parents afraid of a marginalized community. They're doing this in pursuit of a partisan political agenda that isn't driven by caring for our children, but rather by their own pursuit of power. We must, in response, stay strong. We must defend DREG and our First Amendment rights to free speech. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Johnson. And finally, I'd like to call Raven Jones to the podium, please. Please do adjust the microphone and speak directly into the microphone at all times. Before we begin, please state your full name and Middletown residence for the record, and then you will have three and a half minutes of uninterrupted speech. Please commence.

good evening my name is raven jones for the past six years i have organized and led the juneteenth celebration for our community this event represents unity history and an opportunity to bring resources and positivity to our people especially our youth throughout this process i have faced ongoing challenges when it comes to support and communication I attempted to work with the library. I have attempted to work with DMI. I've also reached out in support of the city of Middletown and spoke with coordinators here at the event center. I want to be honest. I have shown how much this means to me. I have advocated, I have reached out, and I have done everything I could to be heard. And at times, I still felt overlooked. I'm not here to ask for funding today. I am taking the responsibility of raising the funds on my own. But I do want to be clear that the black community deserves stronger support, better communication, more consistent partnerships when it comes to the events that uplift and serve our people. Even while being in college, a college student and stepping away a year due to an internship in Hawaii last year, So it might not have been timely that everybody knows about my event this year. I came back because this work matters. I continue to show up for this community, even when it is not easy. I am not here to create division. I am here to build connection. I want to work together. I want to see collaboration, and I want to make sure that efforts like this are supported in a way that reflects the importance to the community for all of us. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Jones. This concludes our public participation. The next agenda item is council comments. We will begin to my left. We begin to my left with Council Member Lawley, followed by Vice Mayor Carter, and then to my right with Council Member Mulligan, and I will speak last. Mr. Lawley.

Thank you, Mayor. Welcome, everybody. Glad to see we came out to our, out of our normal venue here at the event center. Angie, you and your team have done a fantastic job out here. It looks great.

And once again, thank everybody for coming.

The first thing I want to do is once again congratulate the Middletown Bishop Fenwick Boys baseball team. They finished runners-up in the Division IV state championship game on Sunday. Close to being state champs again, but just came up a little bit short on Sunday. So congratulations, another state run for a Middletown team. Also, and I want to make sure you're listening, Earl, congratulations to the Middletown Fire Department on their victorious win over the police department in the Battle of the... in the Battle of the Badgers softball game that happened on June 6th. For those of you who came out, I heard it was well attended, and the firemen let him hang in there for a little bit, but at the end of the seven innings, the fire department prevailed. unlike when I was young. So, uh, next, uh, I want to say happy father's day to all of our fathers. I hope, uh, you all have a relaxing day and I hope you, uh, don't have to man the grill. And, uh, Want to remind everybody of the July 3rd festivities at Smith Park. If you haven't been to the fireworks in Middletown in a while, you should come down to them because they are fantastic. It's a good time down there. I think it starts around 5 o'clock. I would imagine you want to bring it up. And they really are awesome fireworks. So if you don't have anything to do, get down there and check it out. And the festivities before that are fun. The last thing is, and I'll speak a little bit more in depth, we had a great meeting with Cleveland Cliffs leadership team. their chief executive officer and CEO last Wednesday, and things are going really good, and we're going to have a resolution on coming up in legislation to support them in their growth and development of the Middletown Works. So that's all I have, Mayor.

Thank you, Mr. Lawley. Vice Mayor Carter. I have no comments. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Council Member Mulligan.

Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, everyone. Great to see so many faces here tonight. Thank you for coming. And to Mrs. Jones' comments, really, that's why we're doing this tonight. And we can do a series of these a couple more times this year and perhaps next year. But just to get out in the community and make sure that residents know who their council members are, who their city staff members are and and try to build up that that connection so that you can feel comfortable sharing any concerns that you have and just asking any questions and um and learning about how our city government operates so thank you for taking time out of your schedules Happy to report that since the last meeting on June 5th attended the art in the garden fundraiser at the Middletown Arts Center Just reporting back that we have some very very talented artists in the community They combine their their floor arrangements with with artwork and it was very well done a very successful night and Congratulations also to the Feed the Hungry Project where Debbie Patterson hosted the community day on June 6th. So a lot of fun for families to be out on a great afternoon. I'll add my congratulations to the Fenwick Falcons and what a great season to have on the cusp of two state titles. Should be a harbinger of good things to come for the Fenwick sports community and also the Middletown community. And we will have celebrated our country's 250th anniversary by the next time that we get together as a council. So happy birthday, America. Looking forward to the July 3rd celebrations and also the 4th of July parade. So have a safe and blessed holiday. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Mulligan. So this Thursday, June 18th, join in for three programs presented by Midpoint Library Middletown, located at 125 South Broad Street. At 5 p.m. is the Innovation Point Program Drawing 101 Graphite Basics. This is intended for teens and adults and covers the basics of drawing. At 5.30, join for the Craft Circle. This event is intended for adults interested in knitting, embroidery, or crochet. The third program is off-site and is called Family Art Night, hosted in partnership with Metro Parks of Butler County. At 6.30 p.m. at the River Center at Bicentennial Commons, located at 120 South Carmody Boulevard, this program is for all ages, where you can create fun nature-themed pieces of art. For more information on any of these Thursday night programs, please visit midpointlibrary.org. This Thursday, June 18th, kicks off our Juneteenth celebrations. From 5.30 to 6.30 p.m. at our Sunny Hill Community Center, located at 800 Lafayette Avenue, teens may join for recreation, gaming, nail art, anime, and more, all hosted by CBI, our Community Building Institute. This Friday, June 19th, at the Community Center, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., join for the 2026 Taste of Resiliency and Gallery Walk, hosted by CBI, for a historical gallery, soul food samples, and more. Later that day, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., join at Douglas Park, located at 1825 Minnesota Street, right across from the community center, for our fifth annual Juneteenth celebration with live entertainment and youth contests and games. This Saturday, June 20th, the festivities continue with the Juneteenth parade beginning at noon in the parking lot of Crosspoint Church, located at 212 South Broad Street and ending at 1 p.m. in Douglas Park, where the fun lasts until 8 p.m. with vendors, activities, and contests. Kids eat free both Friday and Saturday. For more information about our Juneteenth activities, please visit CBI's Facebook page. Also this Saturday, June 20th, after the parade, join Mo-Am, Middletown's open-air market, as they present Red, White, and Bloom from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., located across from Gravel Road Brewing Company at 916 First Avenue in downtown. Expect farm-fresh goods, festive food trucks, music, a kids' wagon parade, and a flag-making craft tent. For more information, please visit moamoio.com. And again, as a reminder, Father's Day is this coming Sunday, June 21st. Tuesday, June 23rd, join Crooked Dog Comics, located at 1373 Central Avenue from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for their D&D One-Shot Adventure. Join for an epic evening of role-playing fun, perfect for seasoned adventurers and newcomers alike. For more information, please visit CrookedDogComics.com. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 26th, 27th, and 28th is The Festival, hosted by St. John XXIII Catholic High School, located at 3806 Manchester Road. Join for a weekend full of fun, games, prizes, good food, live music, rides, and so much more. For information, please visit stjohn23school.org slash thefestival, and that's St. written S-T. Later those evenings, also Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 26th, 27th, and 28th, the Lyric Theater at the Sorg, located at 63 South Main Street, presents The Nance, a bold, heartfelt comedy-slash-drama set in 1930s New York, where burlesque and politics collide. For more information, please visit sorgoperahouse.org. Friday, July 3rd is the City of Middletown's Independence Day Festival, as we've spoken about. This year's event will feature a free kid zone, inflatables, face painting, live music, skydivers, and fireworks at 10 p.m. The fun begins at 4 p.m. at Smith Park, located at 500 Titus Avenue. For more information, please visit cityofmiddletown.org, hover over residents, and click on City of Middletown Events. Saturday, July 4th is Independence Day Parade, commemorating the 250th anniversary or the semi-quincentennial of our nation. Come join to honor our heritage and to look forward to the future together. The parade begins at 10 a.m. at Smith Park. For more information, please visit Middletown Ohio Parades on Facebook. As a reminder, the city of Middletown accepts applications for our boards and commissions throughout the year, so if there is 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 or balcony, 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, as the care of our city is an adventure in which we all get to share. That is all from me tonight, and this concludes our council comments. Next on the agenda this evening is the city manager report. City manager, Ms. Ashley Combs, you have the floor.

Good evening. So there are a few reports tonight. The first will be Angie Smith, the event center manager. She is gonna come up and welcome you and provide information about the event center of Middletown.

Good evening, mayor and city council members. Welcome to the event center. Thank you for choosing our location as one of your first remote council meetings. We appreciate that. We always enjoy having you guys here bringing in new members from the community to see what we do have to offer. So thank you. for doing that. I do want to share some updates and some information as to what we have going on, not only from the rental side of things, but also to from senior programing to kind of give you an idea of where we're at, where we're going and where we've been. And so what I'm super excited about is we do have six staff members. They're here somewhere in the back counting myself. We have three full time and we have three part time event host who play a major role in the success of the event center from events as well as from senior programing. We also have two new HVAC systems, which we are thrilled about. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for that support. We're able to have events and control the climate inside our building, which is very nice. From the booking and event types of things, I had some data that I wanted to share with you, which I thought was pretty exciting. If you look back from, this goes back from January to 2025, up through some of our events, we've booked for 2027. So we currently have 267 unique bookings. And then on top of that, we have eight pending contracts for 2026 and 2027. Those are not included in these numbers at the moment. um from that we had 145 in 2025. we currently have 115 in 2026 that are currently booked contract either a we're in the final stages or they've already happened and we have seven for 2027. And we are continuing to add which is always nice. So take digging it down a little deeper as to what those events look like 28% of these unique bookings are weddings and or wedding related events such as ceremonies receptions bridal showers rehearsal dinners and anniversaries so from that 267 unique bookings 28% fall in that wedding and wedding related events and 26% fall into the social celebration and family events, and within that, you're looking at birthday parties, baby showers, graduations, reunions, and celebrations of life. From the government and public agency meetings, you're looking at about 16%, and that's safety council meetings, city department meetings, state of the city, and other civic organization gatherings. We are at 12% for community and nonprofit events, and that's coming from various scholarship galas that we've had, Chamber of Commerce events, Kiwanis events, the AAUW and other community programs and foundations. Ten percent goes to corporate and professional development events, which is your career fairs, your workshops, trainings, and business luncheons. Five percent fall with health and wellness events, which is health screenings, wellness initiatives, and community resource fairs. And then three percent, and the three percent is only for 2026, is our city events, which are city events that Callie Fisher, our project coordinator, holds. And that's 3% and that's just for 2026 as we've not built out for 2027 at this time. So nearly 70% of the bookings have already been successfully hosted while approximately 30 are future events currently under contract or in the final planning stage and that is within the 267. So as we continue to have these events, our event numbers range anywhere from as small as 20. We had a bridal shower this past weekend in our bridal suite for about 20 people, up to several hundred, which then takes up this whole ballroom. Several events have also utilized our entire building, such as Midpoint Library Staff Development Day. They rent the entire building, and they literally utilize every space we have to offer with various training. As well as our weddings do as well. Some events utilize maximizing our kitchen space from bringing in various caterers to use and being able to really utilize that and provide an in-house if you will catering and food opportunity for our clients. And it also gives our local businesses, such as I mentioned the caterer, but our florists, photographers, hotels, and other vendors an opportunity to be a part of these events that we've had. So we're really excited about the business opportunities that we are continuing to grow, the partnerships that we're able to thrive on, as well as bringing people in the door. A lot of people have no idea. They drive by. They don't really know what we are. They have no idea what it looks like inside. So we always enjoy them coming in to visit. From the senior programming aspect, we do continue to thrive and play an important role in promoting wellness, recreation, and social engagement for our residents ages 50 and above. So if you know anybody 50 and above that wants to come and exercise and hang out, please send them our way. We currently have 282 active seniors, And a diverse schedule of weekly activities for them. So from that 282, those are members who are here sometimes daily. Every last one of them are here weekly unless they are snowbirds and they come back after the winter months. We offer 40 different programs each week, and the programming is available Monday through Friday, 8.30 to 4.30. We do have one program that's on Tuesday evening at 6.30, 5.30, my mistake. It is line dancing, and that is open to not only members, but also people from the community that can come out. So it kind of gives an opportunity for those who are 50 and older that are still working. From those, we offer anywhere from seven programs a day up to 12 programs a day for our seniors to come out and partake in. At least one fitness or exercise class is offered every day with most days featuring two or more wellness focused programs. So we try to offer as much as we can, a diverse amount of programs that we can to really give our seniors an opportunity to continue to not only grow from a friendship perspective a wellness perspective but also a feeling of being a reason to get up every morning we have some that are here bright and early at 8 30 and they will play in the billiard rooms from 8 30 in the morning until 4 30 in the afternoon and they love it they throw up and they have some of the greatest friendships around um From the activities that we focus on, like I mentioned, social engagement, educational opportunities, community involvement, these are just some of the few that offer those types to reduce that social isolation and provide mental stimulation some of the games that they play i'm just amazed so anytime you want to come out and hang out with them play and get involved we would love for you to do that so looking ahead as we continue to grow both our senior programming and event offerings we remain committed to exceptional exceptional customer service community engagement and creating memorable experiences for our residents and our visitors alike we have definitely become the hot topic of a venue for people from Cincinnati all the way to Dayton. And they really have taken a hold and this is a great regional opportunity where people are able to come to the middle and bring those groups together. So we're excited about that. So on behalf of the staff, thank you for your continued support and investment in the Event Center of Middletown. We look forward to continuing to grow and offering the best that we can. Thank you again. Thank you, Mrs. Smith. Are there any questions or comments from council at this time?

I just have one mayor and sometimes I get a question about what is the status of the old convent building that's in the rear is is that being used for anything or just storage or does it have a intended use later so we actually are using that for some senior programming as an additional space because what we want to do and public works did a great job of getting things

up to par so that we could safely have our seniors up there it provides a great space for when our when we have someone that's rented the space in here we don't like canceling programming so we are able to utilize the space back there for that thank you You're welcome.

And I want to say thank you so much. You're doing an amazing job. Thank you. I've been able to visit for senior programming. I've been able to visit for events, of course. And every single time I come here, people just rave. And they talk constantly about how wonderful it is here. So thank you so much. You and the staff, you're doing an amazing job. Well, thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, Angie.

Thank you.

Next, we'll have Ken Brown, our communications manager, to talk about our photography partnership with Middletown City Schools.

Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, council members, all the residents in attendance, and that we'll watch later online. I just really want to take a few minutes during tonight's meeting to thank Middletown City Schools photography teacher Kayla Weinsnider and her students for the work that they've done to improve our communications image portfolio. And as I say thank you, I know I have some images that the kids took as part of our arrangement with them. Then we'll show them up on the screen here. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of touring Middletown High School through the Adopt-a-Class program. They showcased a lot of great things that the students are doing at the high school. And one of the stops on the tour was Ms. Juan Snyder's photography class. I was immediately impressed with the work that the kids were doing. I mean, they had creative eyes. They were showcasing all of their talents. And it was neat because you were seeing the world through each of their different lenses, which was very cool. And after speaking with the school communications director, Maggie Birkin, the Senior Director of Curriculum and Innovation, Carrie Hensley. We actually came up with a way to give the students real-world hands-on experience. And as some of you are aware, the Communications Department entered into a contract with Middletown City Schools earlier this year to provide photography services for the city Staff provided the school with nine locations where we wanted images captured including our parks the city building areas within our urban core Where we can utilize stock photography for our various publications Magazine advertisements things like that moving forward in total we sent 29 photography students across the city those students captured more than 1,200 images and And through this contract, we also help provide funding so this program can grow at the high school. As the pictures are used on our social media pages, our website, and in those various publications, these students will continue to receive credit for their work. But I did want to take a moment to thank them publicly here at the council meeting. So thank you again to the students, to Kayla Wonsnider, the instructor and the teacher there, and the district for their help in making this possible. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Brown. Any comments or questions from council? Again, just great. Absolutely. Exactly. Absolutely. Fantastic. Phenomenal. Great idea. And it's so nice to have that collaboration and just it's just going to grow. So thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ken. Lastly, just want to thank everyone for joining us at our lovely event center tonight. And that's all for me. Thank you.

Thank you, city manager Combs. All right, so next on our agenda is the consent agenda. And let's wait. Do we have some more pictures to see? Yes. Let's go see those pictures. All from our high school students.

All right.

That's the last one. Thank you. That was phenomenal. They're beautiful. They're artistic. I can certainly see where we'd be able to use these. That was fantastic. Thank you so much. Okay, so next on, unless anybody else has anything to say, we'll continue on to our 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? Okay, hearing none, we will proceed. Mrs. Skank, please present the consent agenda.

For your consideration this evening, we have the approval of the City Council Minutes of June the 2nd, 2026, to receive and file the following Board and Commission Minutes, the Planning Commission, April 8th, 2026, and the Board of Health from May the 12th, 2026, to confirm the conditional appointment of Wilson Caldell to the position of mechanic in the Department of Public Works and Utilities, Division of Municipal Garage, to confirm the appointment of Brock Hensley to the position of Computer Technician in the Information Systems Department, and to receive and file oaths of office for Gage Krase, Connor Monk, Corey Osborne, Kiara Thompson, Braylon Williams, and Kana Wilson.

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

So move for adoption.

Is there a second?

Second.

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

Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Mayor Slamka? Yes. Mr. Lalling? Yes. Mrs. Carter? Yes.

Yeses have it, and the consent agenda is approved. The next agenda item is the motion agenda. We have four items this evening. Mrs. Skank, please present item A for the motion agenda.

to authorize a contract with Red Zone Robotics for the inspection of sanitary sewer in an amount not to exceed $495,906.65 for large diameter sewer inspection services. Thank you, Mrs. Skank. Ms. Combs, the staff report, please.

Yes, this is to authorize a contract service with red zone robotics to inspect approximately a 181,063 feet of sanitary sewer. The city assessed its sewer system in 2021 to 2022, completing most of the inspections but leaving 20% unfinished due to various challenges. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP WAS ISSUED FOR THE REMAINING INSPECTIONS TARGETING 144 791 FEET OF SMALL DIAMETER SEWER AND 36 272 FEET OF LARGE DIAMETER SEWER RED ZONE ROBOTICS WITH EXPERTISE IN ADVANCED INSPECTION TECHNOLOGIES SUBMITTED PROPOSALS FOR BOTH PROJECTS THEIR METHODS INCLUDES CCTV SONAR AND ROBOTICS ALONG WITH SPECIALIZED CLEANING CAPABILITIES TO ACCESS PREVIOUSLY BLOCKED PIPES. ALL DATA WILL COMPLY TO NASCO STANDARDS AIDING IN INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING. THE TOTAL CONTRACTS AMOUNT TO $495,906.65 FOR THE LARGE DIAMETER AND $895,972.70 FOR THE SMALL DIAMETER FUNDED THROUGH THE SEWER CAPITAL FUND, $495. SO THIS IS FOR ITEMS A AND B.

Excellent, thank you so much, Ms. Combs. You're welcome. Is there a motion to approve item A to authorize a contract with Red Zone Robotics in an amount not to exceed $495,906, I'm sorry, $100.65 for the large diameter sewer inspection services?

Motion. Second.

Thank you. I haven't been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, we'll proceed to vote. Mrs. Genk, please call the roll. Mayor Slamka? Yes.

Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Mrs. Carter?

Yes. Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

The yeses have it and the motion passes. Mrs. Genk, please present item B of the motion agenda.

To authorize a contract with Red Zone Robotics for the inspection of sanitary sewer in an amount not to exceed $895,972.70 for small diameter sewer inspection services. Thank you. Ms. Combs, do you have anything to add?

This is to request approval of that reimbursement from funds from the 2025 bulletproof vest. Oh, it's on B. I'm so sorry. Oh, I'm so sorry. That's fine.

Nothing. I already said A and B.

Sorry.

I was ready to rock.

Thank you.

Do we have a motion to approve item B to authorize a contract with Red Zone Robotics in an amount not to exceed $895,970.70 for small diameter sewer inspection services? Motion for adoption. Second. Thank you, haven't been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, we'll proceed to vote. Mrs. Skank, please call the roll.

Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Mrs. Carter? Yes. Mr. Mulligan? Yes. Mayor Slamka?

Yes. Yeses have it. The motion passes.

Mrs. Skank, please present item C. To approve the acceptance of reimbursement funds in the amount of $32,197.19 from the 2025 Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program supported by the Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance.

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

Here it is for you now. Background and findings. The Patrick Lee Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program provides up to 50% reimbursement for body armor costs for law enforcement. The Middletown Police Department received an award of $32,197.19 on May 14, 2026, after investing $93,197.19 in vests and accessories.

the city of middletown has already invested these funds in these purchases by approving this partnership middletown stands to receive the reimbursement thank you ms combs do we have a motion to approve item c to approve the acceptance of reimbursement funds in the amount of thirty two thousand one hundred ninety seven dollars and nineteen cents from the twenty twenty five bull proof vest partnership program so move for adoption is there a second second having 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. Mulligan? Yes. Mayor Slamka?

Yes. Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Yeses have it, and the motion passes. Mrs. Skank, please present item D on the motion agenda.

To receive, file, and adopt the 2027 tax budget for the Middletown Library.

Thank you. Ms. Combs, do you have anything to add? I do not. Thank you. Thank you. Do we have a motion to approve item D to receive, file, and adopt the 2027 tax budget for Midpoint Library?

So move for adoption.

Is there a second?

Second.

Having been properly moved and seconded, is there any discussion? Hearing none, we will proceed to vote. Mrs. Skank, please call the roll. Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Mayor Slavka?

Yes.

Mr. Lalling? Yes. Mrs. Carter? Abstain.

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

Item number one, ordinance number O2026-36, an ordinance authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation for resurfacing of South University Boulevard from the Roosevelt slash University Boulevard overpass to Lafayette Avenue. Second reading.

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

So move for adoption.

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. Mulligan.

Yes. Mayor Slamka.

Yes. Mr. Lawley.

Yes.

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

Item number two, resolution number are 2026 dash 16. A resolution authorizing transfers from the stormwater fund and solid waste fund to the general fund for repayment of prior year advances second reading.

Thank you, Mr. Ewing. This comes Do you have anything to add? I do not. Thank you. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve the ordinance?

So move for adoption?

Is there a second?

Second?

It has been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, we will proceed to vote. Mrs. King, please call the roll. Mayor Slamka? Yes. Mr. Lally? Yes. Mrs. Carter? Yes. Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

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

Item number three, resolution number R-2026-17. a resolution supporting cleveland cliff steel corporation's permit to install application for the energy recovery and advanced efficient iron making project at its middletown works location and declaring an emergency thank you mr ewing ms combs the stock report please

Yes, this is to pledge support for Cleveland cliffs and their procurement of a permit to install through the Ohio EPA. Middletown has a rich legacy built on industrial manufacturing for over 120 years, Cleveland cliffs, Middletown works has produced coiled steel for various downstream industries, both locally and nationally. The current permit to install under the consideration by the Ohio EPA is critical first step for the future investments at the facility. This includes rebuilding and enhancing the blast furnace at Middletown works as well as installing a plant to generate steam and electricity through the energy recovery and advancement and efficient iron making project. These efforts aim to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency and ensure long term sustainability of the facility.

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

Motion.

Is there a second?

Second.

It hasn't been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion?

Yeah, I just want to say how important this is for the city of Middletown. For those of you who are old enough to remember Project 600 back in the 60s, Marconi, I know you do. You're old enough. Which was a $600 million investment in the Middletown Works. This is even bigger. And I'm going to save that to let Cleveland Cliffs make that announcement when they have their day where they're going to announce what they're doing but this is a this is a commitment to the Middletown Works assuring you know well over 3,000 jobs and an investment to make their still making process cleaner and and we all want that and to do this they need this great this approval by the EPA which is very important for them to move forward which will only benefit Middletown in a very positive way so I'd like to encourage everybody at to attend This hearing which is going to be in council chambers on July 9th at 6 p.m. To encourage the EPA to approve Cleveland cliffs Request to proceed with this project and I can't even begin to tell you you know the economic benefit that Middletown will see from this project and

The word emission bothers me. And it bothers me because a lot of Middletown has gone through Armco Steel, which caused a lot of pain for a lot of people in Middletown. So what are the benefits

The benefits is they're going to have a cleaner emissions process. What that means, Jennifer, is they will capture the carbon print that they release from the blast furnace and use it for energy consumption. So it will not emit into the atmosphere. It will not emit into the neighborhoods around us. This is to make this one of the most advanced still making plants in the United States. And that that's our benefit not only does it benefit Middletown economically it preserves 3000 jobs it it continues, you know investment into a $200 million dollar economic. implant in this city, but it's doing so because they want to be responsible neighbors and responsible corporations that take us into the next generation of making clean steel.

Well, I can see you're convinced, but I'm not. I'm not convinced that it will be clean. So we'll see yep absolutely um i'm just not willing to throw my community back into the throes of armco steel that's it you're not we're putting our community in the future okay for clean steel making that's the whole point of this okay

And there's a lot of more information to come as well. Yes, I would need more. Sure, absolutely. Cleveland Cliffs has said by the middle of this week or so, we will have even more because as there's more coming, we will have more. Also, Megan Selnick, the representative for Cleveland Cliffs in this area, was able to attend a Middletown Connect meeting. She spoke about this investment in Middletown. the relining of the blast furnace, our state-of-the-art blast furnace, the building of the cogeneration plant that will be, as Mr. Lawley was saying, will be capturing the emissions, heat, so that they can reuse that energy within the plant itself, saving about approximately 50% of their energy costs. So there will be more to come. If anybody else has anything else to say?

Just as gratifying to see the significant investment that Cleveland Cliffs is making in Middletown. And I think it's a testament to the to the workmanship and the hardworking nature of the Middletown Works employees, and certainly so many retirees as well. But no, I'm 100% for this. I think it'll be good for for Middletown and good for Cleveland Cliffs.

and also ms selnick had mentioned if we have questions you can also submit them to deanna shores at middletown connect and she'd be happy to try to answer those for us as she's able anything else questions to ask middletown connect what about cliff that's what i mean you can send them through dn and she can pass them on megan selnick okay and so megan is the representative for cleveland cliffs in this area okay She's been wonderful to work with as well. And like I said, came out to the community just to speak on behalf as well, to educate us as well.

Any other questions or comments?

All right, hearing none, we will proceed to vote. Mrs. Genk, please call the roll. Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Mrs. Carter? Abstain. Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Mayor Slamka?

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

Item number four.

Oh, I see what you're saying. So this is, we could go back to talk, this is an emergency. We had three of the five, there are only four of us here, voted yes to pass. So therefore, this does not go forth as an emergency, but goes forth as regular? Or how can we handle this?

Yeah, so we're supposed to have two readings for resolution unless we adopt it as an emergency measure. And to have an emergency measure, we require a three-fourths vote of the entire membership. Which is four of five. Yeah, which is four.

So at this point, I believe maybe one time you mentioned, is it possible to vote to put it through as an emergency as well, and would that take three of the five, or how does that work, or does it need to be just a regular resolution to read again on the second reading?

I think at this point we would need the second reading.

I'm sorry?

We would need a second reading.

Okay, thank you for that clarification.

Does this tonight count as a first reading? Yes. Okay.

We can bring it back as a second reading emergency.

Yes. So I want to know why it's an emergency. Can someone explain that to me?

Because we wanted to get it accomplished before the July 9th EPA hearing.

And our next meeting's July 7th, so we can still do that as a second reading emergency. So we still do have time.

Yes. Yes. And so if we get it done before the reading, and if the EPA says this isn't a healthy thing to do, then what? I'm just trying to get an understanding.

We're just supporting Cleveland Cliffs and their application to the EPA. What the EPA does is up to the EPA.

Okay. Kind of how we have public hearings as well. Okay. But on a state level. Right. So basically their application then it initiates the public hearing just like it does for the city. Okay. So okay, so we still have time to look at it.

We felt it would be good for Cleveland cliffs to have the support of the Middletown City Council well in advance of July 9. That's why we brought it as a an emergency this evening.

Right?

Instead of two days before.

Okay. All right.

So this will count on the first reading.

Okay, thank you. Mr. You in the last item, please.

Item number four, ordinance number O2026-37, an ordinance authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the rehabilitation of two bridge-sized culverts on State Route 122 east of Grand Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard split. First reading.

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

ODOT has a future project to rehabilitate twin 190 inch by 108 inch corrugated metal culverts on State Route 122 just east of Grand Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard split. The structures carry the north branch of Dix Creek. ODOT will bid and administer the project. This work will be done at no cost to the city and is scheduled for 2027.

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? Seeing none, hearing none, this concludes legislation for the evening. The next item on the agenda is unfinished business. Do any council members have anything they would like to present under unfinished business?

Yes, I have one thing Mister Lally could we I had several residents reach out to me. They were upset about the overflowing of the line still down that the going on to the S especially going on to the bike path. Is it possible for the next city council meeting to get a report from public works on what is the plan what is what are we doing what is the long term plan timelines what do we have to do to solve this problem like I get this is a very Very tough situation we're in, but residents want some answers. What are we doing about it? Are we doing everything that we can do about it? Do we have a timeline to fix the problem? What do we need to do to find a better solution? So if we could have that at the next council meeting. Yes, we can.

Yeah, thank you.

Do any other council members have anything to present under unfinished business?

I don't know if I should say anything else about that pile of dirt over there on Hanover. It seems to be, it's not moving. So I'm wondering what's going on with it. That truly unfinished business. So what's happening?

We expect to have a timeline to you. We'll present that at the next council meeting.

And so you'll give me a deadline when it will be gone? Yes. Oh, wonderful. Thank you.

Any other council members? And that was one of my requests as well. I was going to request if we could have an update and timeline, not only for the gravel pile, but also for the railroad, the railroad blockage wayfinding signs, if that would be possible for July 7th as well.

Absolutely, happy to do it.

Thank you so much. All right, so this concludes 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? Hearing none, this concludes new business. The next item on the agenda is executive session. And do I hear a motion to move to executive session under the authority of ORC 121.22G1 to consider the appointment, employment, or compensation of a public employee or official. and under the authority of ORC 121.22 to consider confidential information related to the marketing plan, specific business strategy, production techniques, trade secrets, or personal financial statements of an applicant for economic development assistance, or to negotiations with other political subdivisions, requests for economic development assistance, providing that both of the following conditions apply. One, the information is directly related to a request for economic development assistance that is to be provided or administered under any provision of chapter 715, 725, 1724, or 1728, or section 701.07, 3735.67 to 3735.70, 5709.40 to 5709.43. 5709.61 to 5709.69 5709.73 to 5709.75 or 5709.77 to 5709.81 of the revised code or that involves public infrastructure improvements or the extension of utility services that are directly related to an economic development project and two A unanimous quorum of the public body determines by a roll call vote that the executive session is necessary to protect the interests of the applicant or the possible investment or expenditure of public funds to be made in connection with the economic development project. Is there a motion?

So moved.

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

Mrs. Carter? Yes.

Mr. Mulligan?

Yes.

Mayor Slapka?

Yes. Mr. Lally?

Yes.

Yeses have it. Council will now move to executive session.

And I think we're going to go to the boardroom.

The boardroom is the room when you first come into the left. You'll see the blue linen cloth.