City Council - Regular Meeting

J'ouvre la séance et je vous souhaite la bienvenue au conseil municipal de Middletown, dans l'Ohio, pour ce mardi 18 août 2026. Veuillez vous joindre à moi pour un moment de recueillement qui sera suivi du serment d'allégeance dirigé par les élèves du programme du soir CBA RISE. Après ce moment de recueillement, j'inviterai les élèves à venir au pupitre pour nous mener dans le serment. Veuillez maintenant vous joindre à moi pour un moment de recueillement. The students of the CBRRI evening program are invited to advance and if you can, please rise for the allegiance sermon.

I swear allegiance to the flags of the United States of America and to the Republic, which represents a nation under the aegis of God, with freedom and justice.

Merci aux élèves. Madame la Secrétaire du Conseil, Mme Emiskang, veuillez faire l'appel. M. Carter.

Présent. M. West.

Présent. M. Mulligan.

Merslam.

Présent. J. Présent.

Merci. Le premier point à l'ordre du jour aujourd'hui est l'expression des citoyens. Une présentation professionnelle, sans langage grossier, est attendue. Les orateurs sont encouragés à préparer leurs remarques à l'avance pour respecter les limites de temps impartis. The citizens' speaking time is not made for debates. Questions and answers or any discussion with the council or staff. It is a moment for you, our residents, to express yourself in front of the council without interruption and officially and officially. Please note that after the meeting, your comment sheets will be transmitted to the municipal director who will appoint a staff member to answer you if necessary. We received three comment sheets this evening. I will indicate to each speaker the step to be taken when he reaches the pulpit. I would like to call Marva Gaston to the pulpit. Before starting, please decline your name, first name and address to Middletown for the account. You will then have three and a half minutes to express yourself. You can start.

My name is Marva Gaston. I live in... I thought I would come here with a letter. Totally. And before even starting, I want to say that I am delighted to no longer have to look at this pile of land when I look out my window. So I wanted to thank you for that. But I still have some concerns about the terrain, you know, as far as the terrain itself is concerned. I spoke to Merslam a few weeks ago because there is still a fairly large amount of this material on the site. So I was wondering why it hadn't been moved, and since it hadn't been, what was the plan? Because I was expecting all the equipment to be removed, that I understand that it was tested, but we also know that there is a certain level of I don't know what in these materials. J'ai reçu un appel plus tôt aujourd'hui indiquant que le matériau restant serait étalé pour remblayer le terrain, puis recouvert de terre. Je ne comprends pas cela. Et à ce propos, j'ai des questions. Est-ce que cela limite ce qui peut être fait sur ce site ? Existe-t-il encore un quelconque risque ? of infiltration in the soil and what would be the impact for the residents in the long term. Because, once again, I was waiting for all the material to be removed, for the land to be plowed, seeded, leveled and that we would all be satisfied I would therefore like to obtain some clarifications on what is happening and another of my concerns is to know if the presence of these materials underground will limit the use of the site. Will this limit what can be built on this part of the field due to the materials that remain? Thank you Mel Gaston.

Then I would like to call Linda Bulet to the stage, please. Before starting, please indicate your full name and your residence in Middletown, as well as your address for the account. You will then have three and a half minutes of uninterrupted speech. You can start. My name is Linda Bulet. I live at 505 Glatius Drive in Middletown. I've lived here all my life. I love this place. But I'm not proud of the place where the old hospital was. It's dangerous. It's a horror. It doesn't represent Middletown at all.

My name is Anne Glaston and I live in... J'habite juste derrière elle. Nous avons constaté une augmentation du nombre de renards, de coyotes et d'autres animaux sortant de cette colline. Et quand je passe par là, la nuit, j'ai vu des enfants courir derrière ce mur. Au milieu de la nuit, cet endroit est utilisé à des fins qui ne sont pas recommandables. Cela devient une horreur et je pense que cela devient dangereux car j'ai des petits enfants qui viennent me voir et avec les renards, les mouffettes et les coyotes qui traversent les jardins, ils ne peuvent pas jouer dehors. Et les animaux vont et viennent dans cette colline. J'aimerais qu'on fasse quelque chose pour cette colline. Vous savez, qu'on s'en occupe. Car elle devient dangereuse pour notre quartier. Everyone takes care of their garden in this area. And then there is this place. Thank you very much.

I would now like to call Delphiaban to the podium, please. Before starting, please indicate your full name and your address in Middletown for the report. For the record, you will then have three and a half minutes to express yourself.

Please start. Very well. I am from Eliaband. I live at 11th Avenue. I would like to ask a question or share my concerns. When did 11th Avenue become a commercial area? We have two carriages and a landscaping company in the middle of nowhere. There is welding, there is car paint, there are spare parts, there are car wrecks parked all along the street, which leaves no room for residents to park. I called to complain, but it looks like nothing is done about it. Personnellement, j'aimerais savoir suis-je dans une zone résidentielle ou vis-je dans une zone commerciale ? J'ai besoin d'une réponse à cette question.

Merci.

Merci mademoiselle Banks. Ceci conclut notre participation publique pour la soirée.

The next point concerns the comments of the Council. We will start on my left with Councilor Lai, followed by Vice Mayor Carter, then on my right with Councilor West, followed by Councilor Mulligan. I will speak at the end. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Thank you to Maria and her team for welcoming us tonight.

All this complex is the culmination of the efforts of many people individually and as a group. It is incredible to see what can be accomplished when a large number of people in Middletown unite for the well-being and interest of our citizens with this infrastructure. You know, the idea came up four or five years ago. We've had ups and downs, but we've done well.

And Marie and Verena, as well as many other people and our former municipal council, we finally got together and decided to carry out this project. And it's really a wonderful thing.

And you, even before this establishment was finished, you were already doing great things with the children of Middletown. And I'm happy to see that it continues. So, Marie, thank you. Verena, thank you and your team for making this place an extraordinary place.

Thank you, Vice Mayor Carter. Good evening, I agree with Paul and I hope that everyone notices that we are building everywhere in Middletown and I hope that the inhabitants of Middletown will be hired in all these projects that we are undertaking. We have things going on in the city center and even on 75th Street.

So keep your eyes open to see the job offers they should publish for us. Fill them up and make sure to create jobs in Middletown. Thank you.

Thank you Vice Mayor, Mr. West.

Good evening everyone. Thank you Marie and Verena for everything you have accomplished over the years. CBI is a very special program, just like this community center. Many of us were passionate about everything that had to be done to reach the finish line. So, thank you. And I know that the work you do here is a test of patience and love. That being said, you know, the school year is beginning. I would therefore wish all the children here in Middletown a happy, healthy and successful school year. And to the teachers, all the patience in the world. And to the parents, you know, the mornings are hard the first week. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Thank you, Mr. Weston. Mr. Mulligan.

Mr. Mayor, I would like to add my thanks and my recognition to CBI, to its staff and to the children. Look at the commemorative plaque, which indicates that in the 90s, there was a rehabilitation and refreshment of the community center. And then, over the last two years, see that it has doubled in size. It is really a great community asset and an excellent place of gathering for children and adults. I am happy that we can use it tonight. So thank you for welcoming us. With the mayor, I had the opportunity to attend Jeff Payne's start-up. He is our director of the Main Street program. He has been with us since 2017. Difficult to believe how fast 9 years have passed. In 2022, he was recognized by Heritage Ohio as the Director of the Year for the Main Street program. Jeff has been on the field for nearly a decade to try to rehabilitate and revitalize the city center of Middletown. We wish him a good retirement and thank him for his efforts over the past decade. This is also our last meeting of the Municipal Council with Health Commissioner Jackie Phillips-Carter. So this is not really a departure. So bitter. No, but Jackie still celebrates nearly three decades of service near the city of Middletown. As our council secretary said, it is unique in its kind.

It's been a pleasure to work with you. So congratulations for your return.

And one last remark about the comments of MME Banks on abandoned cars. The conformity to zoning. Know that it is a priority for the entire municipal council. And you know, while we are working on these flagship projects in the city center and on the highway, we must not forget that neighborhoods are the basis. You know, the place where the inhabitants of Middletown live is what matters and you deserve a safe and welcoming place of life. Believe me, I am just as concerned about abandoned cars and the inappropriate use of the properties that you own. Thank you for watching.

Thank you, Mr Mulligan. Yes, to go back to that, your cards will be sent to the municipal director so that she can transmit your information to the competent person to contact you. And that will be done very quickly. I then wanted to review the upcoming events. But first, I would like to thank our executive director of the CBI, Marie Edwards. We were at school together. I say it like that. She always made me laugh. I would like to thank her team and herself for having welcomed this ordinary meeting of the Municipal Council here at the beautiful Sunny Hill Community Center. I would also like to thank all our municipal employees, Angie Smith and her team, our Secretary of the Council Amy Skank, as well as our Public Works Service and our IT Service for making these meetings of the Council possible in the community. There is a lot of work to ensure a comfortable experience and the possibility of recording our meetings when we are on the move outside the Council room. This requires days of planning, installation and dismantling. I just want to say that our staff and our community partners make it seem very easy. I am very grateful to them for making this connection with our community possible. Like the DMOS, I would also like to wish an excellent school year to all our teachers, to the staff of the schools and to our students, and wish them a rich year in learning and in pleasure and in pleasure. Don't forget to have fun. If you are looking for a way to socialize, exercise and have fun, the Sunny Hill Community Center, located at 800 Lafayette Avenue, organizes online dance classes every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The cost is only $5. For more information, please consult the website cbmiddletown.org. Speaking of health, the Midpoint Library in Middletown, located at 125 South Broad Street, is associated with our Middletown Health Service every second Tuesday of the month to offer free blood pressure tests from 12 a.m. to 13 a.m. La prochaine date est le mardi 8 septembre. Ce samedi 22 août, de 17h00 à 21h00, aura lieu le très attendu événement Hobbs in the Hangar à notre aéroport régional de Middletown. Pour sa septième édition, l'événement propose 90 bières provenant de près de 30 brasseries. C'est un rendez-vous incontournable pour tous les amateurs de bières de la région. Nouveauté cette année, la ville de Middletown organise un Telker Show Telgate Perfume. L'événement proposera une variété d'options alimentaires délicieuses à déguster tout au long de la soirée avec une vue imprenable sur le spectacle aérien. Pour plus d'informations et pour acheter vos billets, rendez-vous sur hopesinthehangar.com où vous pourrez lire l'article détaillant l'événement ou visiter cityofmiddletown.org en survolant l'onglet Karka Residence & Quai pour cliquer sur Événements de la ville Kirk. Also this Saturday, from 8pm, after having fun at the Hobbs in the Hangar, you can go to the Sorg Opera House, located at 63 South Main Street, to see Def Leopard, the best tribute group in the world to Def Leopard. For more information, please visit sorghouse.org. Next Friday, August 28th, the Sorg presents a projection of Monty Python, Sacred Grail, Pie A. Join the Sorg to see this classic comic film on big screen, as it was designed to be. Get ready for a night of absolute nonsense, doubtful bravura and a very dramatic rabbit. Tickets are only $10 at the entrance. For more information, please consult sorg-opéra-house.com. Next Saturday, August 29, from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Sorg. At Sorg Opera House, presented by Crooked Dog Comics and Five Star Comic Con. Celebrate school return with a projection of Ninja Turtles Teenage Years Ague. Take pictures with cosplayers. Buy books or comics from Crooked Dog Comics. Eat a piece at a food truck and participate in a tombola to win a pack of 4 tickets for the 5 Star Comic Con of Middletown on September 12. All cinema tickets and consumptions contribute to the revitalization of the Sorg Opera House. For more information, please visit sorgerhouse.org, crookedcomics.com or 5starcomicon.com. Please note the date of Friday, September 11 for the representation of Accent d'Historisme at the Sorg Opera House in commemoration of the 25th anniversary. C'est un événement gratuit, mais vous devez réserver vos billets. Des dons seront acceptés au profit du fonds du 9-11 Memorial and Museum. Raconté à travers les témoignages réels de premiers intervenants, de survivants, de bénévoles et de New Yorkais ordinaires à Ascendis, Stories in Capture l'expérience émotionnelle du 11 septembre par la voix de ceux qui l'ont vécu. Plus d'informations et pour réserver vos billets, veuillez visiter SorgherHouse.org. Please also note the date of Saturday, September 12 for the 5K commemoration of September 11, 2026 of Middletown at 8.46 am at the 83rd barracks located at 1830 Yankee Road. The race starts at 9.28 am. For more information on parking and registration, visit cityofmiddletown.org, pass your mouse on Residence Figure and click on City Events Figure. As a reminder, the city of Middletown accepts applications for our council and commissions throughout the year. So if you are interested in something and want to contribute to your city in this way, please submit your application. To find out more, please visit the city website on City of Middletown. Finally, as always, there are many ways to get involved in your community. You can join a committee, present yourself to an election, apply for a job in the city, volunteer at the hospital, pick up the trash in your neighborhood or in the park, plant a garden in your courtyard or on your balcony, smile at a neighbor, find joy and satisfaction in the well-done work, or simply have a positive and generous attitude. Find something you can do regularly to bring your council. We are all connected, we are all together in this adventure. Taking care of our city is an adventure that we are lucky enough to have. That's all for me tonight. This concludes the comments of the council. The next point at the time of the day is the report of the municipal director. Municipal director Mankaj Tekormes, you have the floor. Thank you. Good evening everyone. Thank you for joining us at the Sunny Hill community center. First of all, I would like to invite Marie Edwards, the executive director, to welcome us and to talk about all the beautiful things that are happening in the center. Thank you. And once again, I would like to welcome and thank all the Council and everyone present here for coming to the Robert Sunny Hill Community Center. My name is Marie Edwards. I am the Executive Director here at the Robert Sunny Hill Community Center and at CBI Middletown. Je souhaite également vous présenter Lindsay Chapman, qui est la directrice du Robertsony Hill Community Center, où nous travaillons sur un continuum allant du berceau à la carrière et nous offrons de multiples points d'accès pour les membres de la communauté, qu'il s'agisse de répondre à leurs besoins immédiats en couches, lingettes ou les infantiles pour les parents. or to prepare our students to enter the labor market where our employees are ready to welcome students who are ready for active life. So we have our pre-school programs where reading, mathematics and family engagement are our absolute priority. Plus de 1000 étudiants et familles ont franchi les portes de notre établissement depuis janvier. Cela a été rendu possible grâce au travail et à la collaboration que vous avez tous investi dans ce bâtiment. Nous tenons donc à vous remercier pour tout ce que vous avez apporté au bâtiment depuis le 17 décembre, date de l'inauguration. Nous avons passé un été incroyable. Nous avons pu accueillir plus de 200 ZS cet été grâce à notre camp d'été. Nous avons également pu placer plus de 20 étudiants en stage dans toute la ville et au sein de notre communauté. Nous avions des étudiants en stage à la ville de Middletown. Nous avions des étudiants en stage chez Tullholms. Nous avions des étudiants chez Octane et un peu partout dans la communauté. C'était une opportunité incroyable pour nos étudiants et leurs futurs employeurs. Merci beaucoup et nous avons hâte de poursuivre notre partenariat.

Merci de nous accueillir. Nous apprécions vraiment.

La seconde présentation sera assurée par Jacob Schulte. Notre directeur par intérim du développement économique communautaire va nous parler de l'ébauche de la législation sur les propriétés vacantes

Good evening, Mr. Mayor, members of the council and the public present.

Jacob Schulte, interim director of the Department of Community Development and Economic Development of La Côte d'Ivoire. I am here to make a quick point on the legislative efforts that are taking place in the properties of La Côte d'Ivoire. Some changes that the staff is trying to propose, as well as the opportunity to collect some initial feedback and to see what our next steps will be. In the broad lines, A few major changes for those who do not know, the city had already put in place several years ago an order to register holiday properties. This legislation was focused on the urban heart of the city center. Over the years, for various reasons, this ordinance could not be fully applied. We have therefore been able to examine this ordinance, identify the best practices adapted to the current situation of the city and initiate steps for its implementation and implementation. These major changes maintain the emphasis of this recording on the urban heart, more precisely on the corridor of the central avenue of the city center. However, we are trying to reduce this measure to the vacant premises of the ground floor. The reason is that the ground floor is the main engine of the pedestrian flow, whether it is offices, restaurants, shops, shops or shops. The initiative aims to attract more commercial enterprises in the city center to stimulate this pedestrian flow and create a feeling of global dynamism. Rather than examining the entire building, we will focus only on the ground floor, which is simpler and clearer. Is the ground floor occupied or not? This is where the essence of our attention will reside in terms of recording. We have also redefined the authority in charge of the application and the legal framework. It was a determining factor in the absence of implementation in recent years. The original ordinance was written for the service of administrative services. As you probably all know, this department no longer exists here in Middletown. We are therefore trying to integrate this into the Department of Community Development and Education. We have also modified the application procedure. Instead of passing through the housing appeal commission, we are trying to transfer this to the Office of Administrative Audiences in order to be more in line with civil infractions and associated penalties. Finally, we have tried to develop the terms and the language concerning the owners and vacant properties more. We have defined and sharpened this language concerning property, real estate management and requirements in terms of notifiers. The Council is, I believe, aware of both the update ordinance and the formal ordinance currently in force. We remain open to feedback from the staff, while we collect the first opinions of the municipal council. Our next steps would be to ensure that we involve the stakeholders of the city center, namely Downtown, Middletown Inc., the work group on the revitalization of the city center, which was very in the Manchester project in order to put this subject in the foreground, because it is a priority for them, and to obtain additional feedback. Once again, from the team's point of view, we are simply trying to implement these measures and to begin to see progress. It seems that we are really trying to keep up with this project. It is really just to be able to begin to obtain concrete application measures. On this, I would like to open the discussion to the Council. If you have any questions or initial comments on this subject.

So, I suppose that a question I ask myself is What is the straining force behind all this? Let me give you an example. I own a building in the city center. I adhere to the standards, but I do not rent the ground floor. Will the law force me to rent it to someone? I suppose I want to know what is the real weight behind this will to change. And this is not a criticism. I'm just curious to know what the planned application is or what it will look like.

A commercial property in the UCCC neighborhood. If there is a current occupation, isn't it? If it's a cafe, a restaurant or a shop, they wouldn't really be concerned by this order. An address that would have a vacancy on the ground floor will have to develop a vacancy property plan explaining how they plan to commercialize or commit proactively to find a tenant for this ground floor. They will have to establish and obtain the approval of the city for the maintenance of the property. Make sure that they are fully aware of what they have to do with this vacant property as long as it is unemployed, right? Make sure that it is actively marketed, that there is adequate lighting and respect all other requirements in terms of fire, public safety, building inspection and maintenance of properties. There would also be costs associated with this vacant property plan and this registration. This plan will be in force for 365 days, or a year. If they do not manage to occupy the space to install a company or a restaurant, they will have to make a new request and these fees will accumulate, continue to climb up to thousands of dollars. So I don't have this figure in mind for now. over several years, but this would end up accumulating to the point where it would be more financially advantageous for a property owner to occupy the ground floor rather than to pay the fees associated with the registration.

Jacob, what about vacant houses?

So it would be any one. The property is located in this area of ​​UCCC. In the end, it is a portion of Central Avenue. This includes and encompasses areas closer to Verity Parkway and Broad Street and Broad Street. A few blocks of houses in the north and south, but it's really along Central Avenue. Many of these buildings are mixed-use commercial buildings, so the ground floor or perhaps the entire building is commercial with potentially upper-floor housing. There are a few houses on this corridor strip. it would be examined in the same way to ensure that it retains this occupation of the ground floor. Explain to me what the UC is. The urban center is a zoning designation in the city center, which mainly includes this corridor of Central Avenue, University Parkway or University Boulevard, up to about Water Street. And then practically just this central strip up to about Clarity Parkway, Broad Street, Main Street, Main Street. This extends north and south on about two to three blocks of houses in both directions.

So will empty houses come later or is it simply not a problem for the moment?

For the moment, we are focusing on the possibility of implementing and fundamentally bringing an effective change in the context of current legislation on vacant properties. If the council wants to start examining other zoning areas such as residential, commercial or industrial districts, this is something that the staff can study and potentially offer options later. So for now, it's really just about this urban heart, mainly the inner part of the city center.

Because at the moment, we are observing, I think, a holiday rate of a little over 50% in the urban heart.

Basically, according to previous estimates carried out by Downtown, Middletown Inc., we are between 40 and 60%. So each property has its own damage, right? And this is something that we hope, thanks to our dialogue with the owners, a plan for vacant properties and the application of this measure will encourage the owners to take more proactive measures to ensure the occupation. If this does not interest them, they could consider, you know, selling the property to a promoter or a business owner.

It is certain, because people are really interested in the buildings there. It's just about being able to settle there to have a company located in the center, in this urban district. It's because there is certainly interest. People talk a lot.

Jacob, I just have a thought. Has the city thought about what would be an eligible tenant? So, for example, if I was the owner of a building in the city center and that, let's say, you know, it's up to the standards, that the inspection passes and everything, and that I'm approaching these 365 days, right? And that I own, you know, a certain number of properties or other. Technically, I could create an SRL, put a few offices in it and rent the space to myself.

This rental occupation should have an occupation certificate and respect all zoning and construction codes applicable. Certainly, the nuances of perhaps dormant commercial occupations, you know, at the level of staff, there are things that we can check, right? It's not just a bail, but to have a real company, that the owner owns the company or that a third owns this space, the billing of the law, other opportunities on the part of the deal to validate that there is an active occupation and that the property...

This bail should... And what will lead to the change there, friends, is not the law on vacant properties.

It's the revitalization of the city center. Si on lance le quartier Manchester, si on lance d'autres secteurs pour que les gens y habitent. Je ne vais pas installer une entreprise dans un local vacant tant qu'on n'aura pas attiré du monde là-bas. Je veux dire, c'est ça qui doit être la clé du succès là-bas. Je ne vais pas investir 52 000 dollars dans quelque chose là-bas alors qu'il n'y a personne. So I think it should be done at the same time.

I would hate to see something like that come into force when there is no one there.

Because we force someone to invest 50,000 dollars, or I say this figure at random, no matter the amount, while people are not there.

So I hope that the legislation on vacant properties will go hand in hand with the construction of living spaces there. Thus, this gives the property owner a reason to install a building.

And I hope that this also applies to the municipal properties there.

All properties will be examined at the level of the staff for concrete implementation.

So for the properties of the city there, the city will be condemned to a fine and will also have to pay for it. All entities will be treated. I make the task difficult, Mr. Municipal Director. Because that's what they say in the city. Well, why doesn't the city have to do what you impose on others? My point is that I think we need them. I think it's an excellent thing. You have done a fantastic job on this. But in reality, we have to do this hand in hand with the development of Manchester, the Sunshine Building, the First... Financial building, not putting the street purchase before the bulls and forcing its owners to do something that will push them to call their lawyers to say, let's fight in court. I have been working for the city for more than 30 years. This is not the first time that I hear this discussion in the city. I have seen countless times over the years and we have made a surplus by simply trying to issue legislation on vacant properties. Now we have an opportunity with development in progress there, but let's do it hand in hand, without putting one before the other, let's do it together. So that it works, because I saw why it failed in the past. I'm not going to invest $52,000 in a showcase when no one is going there. It's just my opinion, my opinion.

No, I understand what you're saying. Mr. Hulti, have you taken this model? Has the staff been inspired by the efforts of another community? Are there any antecedents of success with this particular framework?

We have referred to many other communities by examining this. The city of Hamilton is an example.

The city of Hamilton has also made reference.

Sandusky has been a case study for Heritage Ohio regarding success. I believe that for about two or three years, some members of Sandusky's control services, through the fire department, I would say that it is their fire commissioner who came to make a presentation to the vineyards on their success and their implementation of this subject. Most of the communities with which we have discussed the legislation on vacant properties generally see a saturation rate of more than 80% in a few years. Obviously, I think that the calendar certainly depends on the will of the Council and the coordination with the other projects of the Centre. But to answer your comment on the other stops, they have been conceived, in particular by the cities of Hamilton and Sandusky as a model for the original stop, then by trying to adapt different aspects of the legislation to meet the needs of our community.

And I completely agree to focus more on the ground floor, but there is a security aspect to evaluate the upper floors of the building, because it is a real danger for firefighters to have to intervene in an unoccupied structure on the second or third floor. This is where a tragedy can happen. So I hope we can go beyond the ground floor during the next phase, but I understand that filling these commercial spaces would be an ideal first step.

Of course, historically, in the context of the redevelopment of urban areas and historical properties, these are some of the most important points that we have heard from the promoters concerning the rehabilitation of the upper floors, right? Whether it is housing or new occupations, putting the building in line with the code of 2026 with emergency exits and fire protection constitutes a major obstacle in many of these projects. When you talk about a building that is perhaps 800 square feet in total on three floors, let's say 600 feet per floor, and that it costs 200,000 dollars to install a secondary emergency exit and a fire protection system. This was a major brake. It is therefore a subject that has aroused many exchanges when the municipal staff discussed the development of small or medium-sized properties in the city center.

But the opportunity of the ground floor with emergency exits and everything else being already at the level of the ground floor. It was our initiative to try to focus on this because it is the easiest fruit to pick up if we can say so.

to invest in properties already in accordance with the building code for commercial uses and to be able to install new ones.

And so, turning to the future, if this revised stop is adopted by the council, could it be implemented in the fourth quarter? Or in the first quarter?

The current calendar also depends partly on the capacities of our staff. According to the ambitions of the Municipal Council, we could consider the fourth quarter of this year, I think, to try to align on some development opportunities. It's really up to the Council to decide from the moment when the official implementation will be launched and when the program will restart.

It's very exciting. We have been waiting for a long time for this to be really applied, because as you said, the legislation already existed, but it was not applied for various reasons. living and working in the city center. I am very proud of what our city center has accomplished, in particular with DMI, which was mentioned earlier. We constantly have events. Every month, we have the First Fridays Ago. We have events in the city center and companies that prosper and work in the city center. People often ask me, is this building available for rental? Can I buy this building? People want to be there. People are actively looking for places like Middletown because they want to be part of this change. Je suis donc tout à fait favorable à ce projet et très impatient qu'il démarre. Merci beaucoup. D'autres commentaires ou questions ? Très bien. Merci.

C'est tout pour moi. Merci. Merci beaucoup, Malcolm. Très bien. Le point suivant à l'ordre du jour ce soir est l'ordre du jour par consentement. Bien que l'ordre du jour par consentement soit généralement réservé aux points faisant consensus, l'un des membres du Conseil souhaite-t-il retirer un point de cet ordre du jour ce soir pour le déplacer vers l'ordre du jour d'émotion afin qu'il puisse être discuté ? N'entendant aucune objection, nous allons poursuivre. Meuskank, veuillez présenter l'ordre du jour par consentement.

Pour votre examen ce soir, nous avons l'approbation du procès verbal du Conseil municipal du 4 août 2026 pour réceptionner et classer les procès verbaux des conseils et commissions suivants.

Comité d'examen des incitations fiscales du 25 août 2025. Conseil des cimetières du 15 avril 2026. Commission aéroportuaire du 18 mai 2026. Le Conseil de Santé du 14 juillet 2026 pour confirmer la nomination conditionnelle de Brianna Steele au poste de greffière adjointe du Conseil et pour confirmer la nomination conditionnelle d'Adam Layton au poste d'hôte d'événement au sein du service de développement communautaire et économique. Confirm the conditional nomination of Magdalen-Addex to the post of patrol agent within the Department of Public Security, Police Division. Accept the dismissal of Joe Richmond of the Council of Health and Environment. Receive and register the oath of oath of Brett Cole and Braden Bowell. Approve the final plan for the third phase of Renaissance Point.

Thank you, Ms. Kang. Is there a motion to approve the two-day period by consent?

Yes.

Is there a second? It was allegedly proposed to second to accept the order of the day by consent. We will proceed to the vote. Ms. Skank, would you like to make the call?

Ms. West?

Ms. Willigan?

Ms. Merce-Lamain? Ms. Pelletier? Ms. Carter?

The vote is carried, and the order of the day by consent is approved. The next point is the order of the day of motions. We have three points tonight. Ms. Skank, would you like to present point A of the order of the day of motions?

Allow the municipal director to conclude a contract with Triton Services Incorporated of a amount of 270,128 dollars. for the replacement of the C.V.C. system of the administrative building of the water recovery plant.

Thank you, Ms. Kang. Malcolm Hess, the personnel report. The air conditioning system of the administrative building of the water recovery plant is in failure and cannot be repaired due to its old age. In early 2026, the personnel of the treatment plant obtained several loans for its replacement. Morris Heating and Cooling Incorporated, having submitted the lowest offer at $227.58, after approval by the Municipal Council on April 21, 2026. The attempts to finalize the contract with Maurice have failed, leading to a formal application process that received only one application on July 30, 2026. Once again, the staff recommends to assign the contract to Triton Services Inc. for 270,928 dollars. Do I have a motion to approve point A, authorizing the municipal director to conclude a contract with Triton Services Incorporated of a amount of $270,928 for the replacement of the CVC system of the administrative building of the water recovery plant? Motion to approve. Is there a second? Second. Having been proposed, seconded, is there a discussion? Hearing none, we will proceed with the voting. Ms. Kank, please make the call. Ms. Mulligan? Mayor Slamkart?

Ms. Lai? Ms. Carter? Yes. Ms. West?

Yes. And the motion is adopted.

Ms. Kank, please present point B to receive archived and adopt the recommendations of the Examination Committee of the fiscal incentives of 2026.

Thank you, Malcolm Hess. The personnel report, please. Section 5709, 85 of the revised code of law, requires that cities that grant tax exemptions create a tax incentive examination committee, known as TIRS. This committee examines each year the status and performance of tax exemptions and districts of tax-increased financing, the TIRS. The last meeting of the TIRC took place on August 11, 2026, with members including county auditors and representatives of the school districts, the staff of the city of Middletown, elected officials and residents. The TIRC examined all TIF districts, business zones and community investment zone agreements. It recommended the continuation of the five CRA agreements and the six business zone agreements. In particular, NUST LLC was informed that its extension request had been refused. due to the lack of respect for the demands in terms of wages and employment creation. The Committee has also recommended maintaining the 12 TIF districts currently in force. Thank you, Madam Commissioner. Do I have a motion to approve point B aimed at receiving, classifying and adopting the recommendations of the Tax Inspection Committee of 2026? Is there a second?

Second.

The motion having been proposed and supported, is there a discussion? Not hearing any, we will proceed with others. Please proceed with the nominal appeal.

Mayor Sama. M. Lee.

M. Carter. M. West.

M. Mulligan.

The motion is adopted. The motion is adopted. Madam Skanke, please present point C of the order of the day.

Allow the municipal director to conclude a contract with the Aramark company for a amount of 492,192.78.

So that new ground markings can be applied to various parts of the city.

The ground marking program for 2026 aims to renew the deteriorated road markings.

The proposed locations include North University Boulevard, State Route 122 from Grande and Roosevelt Boulevard to the city limits, Ryan Arts Boulevard, Town Boulevard, Dixie Highway between Town Boulevard and State Route 122. Aramark submitted the lowest offer on August 12, 2026 for the indicated amount. Thank you. Do we have a motion to approve point C, allowing the municipal director to conclude a contract with the company Aramark for a amount of 492,192 euros. In order to apply new markings to the ground in various parts of the city. Is there a second?

Second.

The motion has been proposed and supported. Is there a discussion? Seeing none, we will proceed with the vote. May we proceed with the nominal appeal?

Yes.

May Carter? Yes. M. West?

Yes. M. Mulligan? Yes.

Mercelin? La motion est adoptée. La motion est adoptée. Ceci conclut l'ordre du jour des motions. Le point suivant à l'ordre du jour concerne la législation. Nous avons quatre points législatifs ce soir. Le directeur adjoint des services juridiques, M. Jacquemin. La législation, s'il vous plaît.

Merci, M. le maire. D'abord, nous avons l'ordonnance numéro 2026-46. Une ordonnance modifiant la section 416.02. the promulgation of the rules and regulations section 1411.03 administrator of the flood plan and section 1411.106 on the prevention regulations of floods adopted by reference of the codified orders. This is a second reading.

Melle Combes, do you have anything to add? I don't have any. Thank you. Thank you Melle Combes. Is there a motion to approve the order? Is there a second?

Second.

The motion has been proposed and seconded. Is there a discussion? Without seeing any, we will proceed with the vote. McGonk, please make the call. McGarter. M. West.

Yes. M. Mulligan.

Mayor Slama. M. Lee. The favourable allies have taken over. The legislation is adopted. M. Way, the next point, please.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Secondly, we have resolution number 2026-20, a resolution aimed at adjusting the credits for current expenses and other expenses of the city of Middletown, counties of Butler and Warren, Ohio State for the period ending on December 31, 2026 and declaring an emergency. This concerns the police subsidy fund.

Thank you, Mr. Hemingway. Malcolm, the personnel report, please. The subsidy period extends from June 1, 2024 to August 31, 2026, with a total of $115,400. granted to the city of Middletown by the Office of Criminal Justice Services of Ohio. $23.190. They are available for rental to personnel and to supplies related to awareness efforts and to the QR team, which is our quick intervention team. The Middletown Police Department is expected to spend $6.242. In additional hours, it is $17.42. Thank you madam. Is there a motion to approve the resolution? Second. Thank you. The motion has been proposed. Second. Is there a discussion? Hearing none, we will proceed to appeal. Ms. Skank, please make the appeal. Ms. West.

Ms. Mulligan.

Ms. Merce-Lamarre. Ms. M'Police. Ms. M'Carta.

Yes. All votes are in favor. And the motion of the bill is adopted. Ms. Way, the next point please.

Then we have ordinance number 2026-47, an ordinance authorizing the municipal director to conclude an agreement with the Department of Natural Resources of Ohio for capital improvements to the project of the park of the Middleton Community Foundation. This is a first reading.

Thank you, Malcoms. A report from the staff, please. In March 2026, the municipal staff asked for funding through the investment budget of the 136th General Assembly of Ohio to develop the Middle Town Community Foundation Park. This park will be open to the public throughout the year, offering equipment for events, recreational activities and volunteer opportunities, while promoting community ties and civic engagement. The $800,000 allocated by the investment budget are affected by the Senate's 450th bill for fiscal exercises for 2027 and 2028 and will allow the City to complete the documentation and the conformity required via the ODNR and Realme. The acceptance of this grant will provide a refundable financing from the ODNR with eligible costs paid by the General Fund and refunded until competition of the amount of the grant. Thank you, Melkons. As this is a first reading, it will not be taken for the moment. However, there is a discussion on the part of the Council.

Mr Mayor, just to thank our legislators, Representative Thomas Hall and Senator George Lang for their leadership and their commitment in obtaining funds for these projects for the city of Middletown. They will bring sustainable improvements to our city and we really appreciate their support.

Absolutely. Would you like to know where the Middletown Community Foundation Park is located?

It's above the basin. Basin. The basin that is located just north Main Street.

Just in front of the city hotel. So that's how we decided to call it.

Not necessarily.

That's how we call it for the name. Just to have a name. Other questions? Very good.

Comments? Very good. Having none, we will continue. Hemway, the last point, please.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We have order number 202642. an order authorizing the municipal director to conclude an agreement with the Department of Natural Resources of Ohio for capital improvements to the Miami Park. This is a first reading.

Thank you. Maj. Barley Combs, personnel report. In March 2026, the municipal staff again asked for funding via the investment budget of the 136th General Assembly of Ohio to improve the Miami Park. The proposed improvements include the leveling of game equipment, accessibility improvements and reinforced security measures. Situé dans un quartier résidentiel R4, le parc Miami sert de ressource récréative vitale pour les résidents voisins, soutenant l'activité physique, l'engagement social et les loisirs de quartier. L'infrastructure actuelle du parc vieillit, ses améliorations élargiront les opportunités de loisirs et assureront la sécurité de tous les résidents. La ville recevra 175 000 $ grâce au projet de loi du Sénat 450 pour les exercices fiscaux 2027 et 2028, permettant à la ville de procéder à la documentation et à la conformité nécessaire via l'ODNR, RENM,

The acceptance of this grant will provide a refundable financing by the DNR and eligible costs will be paid on the general fund.

Thank you very much, Miss Combe. As for a first reading, it must be taken for the moment. However, is there a discussion by the Council? Very well. Not hearing anything, this concludes the legislation for the evening. The point following the order of the day is the non-treated order of the day. And I think I can ask first, we will simply question the Council. Does the Council have any suspicions that it would like to raise at the moment?

I just have two quick things.

Yes, Mr. Lee.

The first thing, about a month ago, Amy, I thought I understood that we had a vacancy at the airport commission and I know that we have at least one application.

Are we going to move forward with this?

I think we've talked about it. Have we talked about it? That's not true.

I thought we had talked about it a little. We knew that the candidacy period was open, but... I guess it's been over a month.

We can do it during the next meeting in the executive session. To put it on the agenda.

I'm not complaining. I'm just curious to know where we are. Can we move forward on that?

Yes, we will put it in the next order of the day. Perfect.

And thank you. The second thing is a clarification on point number 4 of the legislation. I think it's the name of the park. Middletown Community Foundation Park. Exactly. Wasn't it part of the agreement that we would name it Middletown Community Foundation Park? Since they invested 5 million dollars, they would get this name.

I think they wanted to name it, but I don't know if they decided on this name.

The last time I heard about it, we were in discussion.

This is the provisional name for the time being. And the Community Foundation will play a major role in the naming of this park. Other suspended matters on the part of the council. Anyone else in the council? Well, I think we have something under suspended matters on the part of the municipal director. I would therefore like to invite Jacob Schulte again, the interim director of Community Development and Economy. He will talk to us about the study projections on the 2023 housing of the city in relation to our current situation.

Good evening, Council Member.

Following a suspended case during a previous meeting, the staff was charged during the last two to four weeks to establish a list of our current situation in 2026 concerning residential developments in connection with our study on housing in 2023. The staff summary note, which was provided to all members of the municipal council and which will be available, tries to highlight what the 2023 estimates provided in terms of market demand for this region compared to our current totals for 2026. Here is a little ventilation. Unfortunately, I was not able to display the chart for the presentation in time. We have divided the types of housing into four different typologies. We have the apartments that would correspond to the apartments in the suburbs. We have the apartments in the city center. We have the individual units, that is to say the individual houses detached from the conventional range type. As well as the mixed units, we will come back to that in a moment. As well as the senior housing with services. These were the four typologies of housing described in the study on housing 2023. To start with the first type of housing, the apartments in the suburbs, it is all types of multi-family apartment development located outside the city center. You have several different elements here below. We have conventional apartment buildings. We have mixed-use apartments, which would be apartments that are part of a larger development, including mixed commodities such as shops, offices and other types of equipment within a global project. We have city houses specifically for the results reported here. The city houses intended for rental have been included in the category of apartments. All mid-size products intended for sale or occupied by the owner have been classified in the category of individual unit condominiums. Since the study on housing in 2023 did not specifically mention the city houses to be sold, the mid-size duplexes or the quadruplexes, we have tried to group them all under the category of co-ownerships and we will have identified them respectively further. as well as all types of rented city houses, senior housing at the market price, as well as family and senior apartments benefiting from tax credits for housing bars. The 2023 housing estimate provided for 230 conventional apartment projects. Since the beginning of the year, the city has more than 921 projects, either in the advanced planning phase, in the construction phase or already completed since 2023. This includes projects such as Ecoridge, the apartment complex Hallmark Gateway Lofts and the ATECUS project on Market Union. The rest of the types of apartments in mixed-use suburban areas provided for 190 units with an estimate of 100 city houses, 180 senior apartments at market price, as well as 120 and 80 apartments for families and seniors benefiting from tax credits for modest income. For the last three years, the city has not received anything that really corresponds to the criteria anticipated by the study on Ana's housing for these types of residents. Moving on to the apartments in the center of the city, we had apartments on the upper floors, which would be a classic mixed-use project with a ground floor including shops, offices and commercial spaces. Excessive housing. We have been accumulating them since the beginning of the year, forgive me. Let me go back. In 2023, they estimated a market demand of 80 units. Our annual accumulation is at least 100 residential apartments on the upper floors. This is in particular the Manchester project. So everything that is built above the commercial space for mixed use. There are also classic buildings without elevators. I think we are referring to this as a garden-style apartment or residential housing, the ground floor is included. There was a demand for 120 units and then 84 city houses integrated into the urban landscape. I think this is part of the semantics of the study on the housing of Anna. We really have to distinguish these city houses between the city center and the suburban area. To this day, we have nothing in the pipeline for any of these categories. Let's move on to individual, isolated homes. The study on Ana's housing anticipated an annual demand for 230 individual, isolated residential homes in the city of Middletown. Over three years, Ana's estimate was around 690 individual, isolated homes. The city currently has more than 1,038 units. individual housing projects. These are projects such as the completion of the Rennaissance lot, the Sawyers Mill lot, and the lot of the reserve in Roosevelt Ridge, respectively. Sawyers Mill and the construction of Rennaissance are the two most central projects. I think they encompass all these projects in 20 units, out of the 138. There are also individual co-proprieties. Once again, at the end of the study on the housing of the RE, they did not really distinguish the duplexes and the city houses put on sale. So, in terms of staff, we have tried to regroup all residential projects to be sold of the type attached to this category of co-proprieties. They anticipated an annual average demand of the market of 56, or 168 units accumulated since the study on the housing of 2023 to date. The VL numbers of the city today are 389. Of these 389, which is about triple what the Danger estimate had planned, So on these 380, there are midtown townhouses, quadruplexes, duplexes that are for sale. New co-proprieties in the classic sense, which would be the enclave or the villas at Emmerald d'Enclave and the rest would be various midtown products around the sector of Leffertown Boulevard, Waterford Place, a little higher up in the city, these residential projects. Finally, and this is not the least important, housing for seniors with services. Help to autonomous life and specialized care for memory. Angers' estimate was respectively of 26 and 64, then 80. For autonomous life today, we have not been able to identify one of these residential developments, really in the middle of preparation. A specific note on the help of autonomous life and care for memory. These figures are relatively low. Tanger has made reference to the market demand. Given the weakness of these figures, it was expected that there was simply no market demand in this region for one or the other of these types.

This has therefore contributed to the adjustment linked to a demand for the market so weak in 2003.

This being said, many of our residential projects have really stimulated the development of the community over the last three years. The completion of some multifamily apartments, a lot of residential development projects to be sold, once again around the Eiffel-Saint-Anne Boulevard area mainly, as well as some multifamily apartment complexes across the market. That concludes practically our analysis of the danger estimates in relation to the approvals of 2026.

I will be happy to answer all your questions.

Councilor, do you have any questions or comments at this stage?

I have one, Mr. Mayor.

So, the column that indicates the real numbers of 2026 to this day, is it cumulative? Is it 23, 24 and 25, 26?

All that has been completed at the stage of construction, which is largely the stage of authorization.

Today, I suppose that none of the former apartment complexes has been put out of service. I don't think there is a demolition to the great disaster.

Nothing, nothing significant. This raises a very good point. This estimation of danger did not take into account the construction of punctual fillings. I would say that over the last three or four years, we have seen perhaps a dozen adjacent fields and fillings where some new detached single-family houses have been created. This also does not take into account the old mixed-use buildings or perhaps even commercial buildings that have been converted for Once again, we are likely to be there. There are a few examples, a handful, maybe a dozen, in the city center of upper floors, which, from 2023 to today, have been completed, recently completed or rehabilitated. So again, about 10 more or less.

It is not that this would change much of our housing objectives, but it seems to me that the figures for senior housing were largely underestimated. Because I know that we have at least three establishments that offer important health care. And these figures are simply low. The number of interventions that we carry out in these establishments

So that's what... So is there a confusion on whether it is about finished units in construction or having received a permit during the last three or four years?

Well, they live there, so I hope they are finished.

What Jacob means is that the 2023 dental study indicated that we needed additional units. This did not take into account the previous units.

It just seems that since 2023, the number of our interventions in these establishments has greatly increased, which would indicate that there are many more housing units.

If, for example, a retirement home was built in 1980, these figures are not taken into account here. So places like Majestic Care or other low-risk, any of these retirement homes, assisted living facilities, assisted.

Which are your traditional retirement homes, but not the ones that have extended care units or assisted living or this one seems fair. Just have a lot of money.

But not since the last one, not since the dental study of 2023. We haven't seen anything new.

We have not seen, in terms of construction or permits, a real structural increase in these units. There may be, according to existing elements, additional service calls or others, but we have not seen anything on the part of community and economic development. Projects such as a senior residence of 50 units with autonomous life assistance services, this kind of thing has not been newly built. There could be older establishments who know this and who have not been accounted for in this study.

Any other questions or comments?

Just one, just one, Mr. Mayor. Are there any conclusions from the staff or... ...strategies that you are going to put in... ...different types...

I think that through the different typologies, some of these typologies need, at the end of the day, subjacent considerations of the council for all types of additional incentives. But a large part of this, whether for residential housing in the city centre, I think, in addition to what the councillor said earlier, with the Manchester project, once this project is in progress, really consists of trying to ideally influence the creation of 100 to 200 units of residential housing in the upper floors to increase the frequentation in the city centre. Just like the examination of other properties, some of the virgin areas that have been reserved or zoned for residential use. Try to encourage promoters to find types of residential housing that fill the gaps here a little more and do not have so much redundancy specifically for things like...

Very good. Any other comments or questions from the Council? Very good. Thank you very much, Mr. Schulte.

You're welcome.

And that concludes our suspensions for the evening. The next point in the order of the day concerns the new cases. Do the Council members have any new cases they would like to present tonight?

New cases.

That concludes our new cases for the evening. The next point in the order of the day is the Executive Session Est-ce que j'entends une motion pour passer en session exécutive sous l'autorité de l'OC 121 par un 2G1? Pour examiner la nomination d'un agent public.

J'adopte.

Y a-t-il un second?

Second.

Il a été dû m'en proposer et appuyer de passer en session exécutive. J'en procéder au vote. Mme Skank, veuillez faire l'appel. Emily Gann.

Merci, Mme. Emily. M. Carter. M. West.

Louis Lemport. And the motion is adopted. The council will now move on to the executive session and we should come back once finished. Merci. Avons-nous une motion pour revenir à la session publique?

Oui.

Y a-t-il un second? C'est bon. Il a été dû m'en proposer et appuyer. Allons-nous maintenant procéder au vote? Non, donc, veuillez faire l'appel. Merci, Léna.

M. Lee.

M. West.

M. Mulligan.

Les oui l'emportent et la motion est adoptée. Le Conseil revient maintenant en session publique. Le prochain point à l'heure du jour est une nomination au Conseil de la Santé et de l'Environnement. Y a-t-il une motion pour nommer le Dr Timothy Kammes au Conseil de la Santé et de l'Environnement?

Oui, chère.

Avons-nous un second? Un second. La proposition a été dûment formulée. Y a-t-il des questions? Je veux juste dire que je suis très heureux que le Dr Kammes ait postulé. Je sais que notre commissaire à la santé souhaite le retour d'un vétérinaire au conseil depuis très longtemps. Je vous bénisse. Et nous sommes très heureux qu'il ait décidé de servir la ville de cette manière.

Ceci étant dit, mais quand pourriez-vous faire l'appel, s'il vous plaît? M. Uli.

M. Carter. M. West. M. Mulligan. M. Erslam. La motion est adoptée. Ceci conclut notre réunion ordinaire du conseil municipal de la ville de Middletown dans l'Ohio pour ce mardi 18 août 2026 à 18h47. La séance est levée jusqu'au mardi 1er septembre 2026 à 17h30 dans la salle du conseil de l'hôtel de ville pour notre prochaine réunion ordinaire. Merci et bonne nuit.