A regular meeting of the City Commission was called to order by President Rue in the City Forum of City Hall.

The invocation was offered by Mr. Aaron Roy from the Nehemiah Foundation and Mr. Rue then led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

On Motion of Dr. Estrop, seconded by Mrs. Brown, commissioners approved the minutes of the August 5, 2024, Special Meeting and the August 13, 2024, Executive Session, Work Session, and Regular Meeting as presented.

Yeas: Mrs. Brown, Dr. Estrop, Mrs. Houston, Mrs. Tackett, Mr. Rue	Yeas 5, Nays 0

Mr Rue explained the comment period procedures noting any responses to questions would be provided by Commission and staff during the Comments from Commissioner portion of the meeting unless research is needed. Constructive dialogue is strongly encouraged. Mr. Rue noted that draft letters to our state and federal officials were available to be used by anyone wishing to express their concerns related to issues placed before the Commission relating to immigration.  The next Immigration Forum will be held August 29 at 6:30 p.m. facilitated by the NAACP in the City Hall Forum. 

Mr. Gary Armstrong spoke about the homeless being removed from the Executive Inn and his opinions regarding homelessness, shared his opinions of city commissioners, a petition for recall, and a home near his street being converted to a quad. 

Ms. Darlene Yeley spoke about a facility for youth she proposed to legislators that would be similar to United Senior Services that would offer mentorship, help, and activities and her disappointment nothing has been accomplished to provide a facility for youth. 

Ms. Diana Daniels shared her disappointment of issues not being solved stating that culture is the issue in Springfield. Expressed she feels she is not heard and feels no solutions will come from round-table discussions.

Ms. Yvonne Owens expressed her thankfulness and being grateful giving her thanks to the Commission and all the departments of the City. 

Mr. Clayton Klein shared his concerns around a needed environmental assessment of the City and the impact of newcomers to the city on the infrastructure.  

Mr. Mike Lowe expressed his concerns of the commission guidelines, the Charter requirement for police officers, juveniles creating havoc on the city and properties that need to be cleaned up.  

Mr. Anthony Harris encouraged the commission to go out into the community to observe the people of Springfield and their activities with regard to driving, shopping, and living. 

Mr. Jeffrey Allen stated he was born and raised in Springfield and noted everyone should be working together to solve the issues presented in a sensible way.  

Ms. Peg Foley stated she is grateful to be able to express her views and her hopes about a shared future with the newcomers to Springfield.  Noted an article she read about immigrants and their contributions to local areas stating it is up to everyone make a positive impact and provide solutions.

Ms. Lisa Hayes expressed her concerns shopping in Springfield and the lack of courtesy in the stores, her concerns with Jobs and Family Services and the number of people they serve. 

Ms. Marceeta Jeffrey inquired about the work on Yellow Springs Street, her business not being accessible and her concerns about City water. 

Mr. Nathaniel Higgers head of the anti-immigration march in Springfield stated his opinions about their march and immigration. 

Ms. Cindy Phillips thanked Finance Director Eviston for the quick response to her questions when calling.  Ms. Phillips also asked about future plans to help the homeless.  

Mr. Lonnie Cole Jr. spoke of immigration, the channels to become a citizen, and the military protecting U.S. freedoms.  

Mr. Ken Seelig asked questions concerning the City’ website, questions being answered, an email to submit questions, a designated person to answer phone questions, citizens placing items on the commission agenda, speaking longer than three minutes on agenda items, the number of adjudications issued on properties and how many solved.  Mr. Seelig also spoke about his bike club experiences and toy runs for the children of Clark county.

Mr Rue responded to a question posed at a previous meeting by Mr. Armstrong regarding his LLC.  Mr. Rue shared that his LLC is tied to his business, why he purchased properties near his business and spoke about his salary as mayor. Mr. Rue further explained his meetings with State and Federal officials to relate the people of Springfield’s concerns regarding driving laws, newcomers, the Springfield leaders concerns and communicated that hate will not be tolerated in our City.  Mr. Rue expressed his passion for helping to make Springfield better and noted while working with the State regarding safety on our roads, there will be 30-day blitz announced which will be an effort to bring attention to Ohio driving laws and road safety.  He plead with the Haitian community to drive safely and not drive on our streets illegally.  

Mrs. Brown spoke in response to Ms. Yeley’s request for a youth facility.  Mrs. Brown noted there is a program called YouMedia at the Dome which provides many classes and programs available to middle and high school students within the county free of charge.  Mrs. Brown expressed if anyone is interested and has a passion to make change they step up and help. 

Mrs. Houston disclosed she does not own rental properties and has one LLC for her business and noted she shops in Springfield.  Mrs. Houston also announced she met with Representative J. D. Vance’s office in April to discuss the topic of police and fire funding with another meeting in the near future to address current issues. Mrs. Houston addressed the question about the long-term plan for homelessness with hopes to work with the community to develop a solid plan. 

Mrs. Brown stated she works in public education, lives in a small house, does not own an LLC, and does not have rental properties and stated she is not removed from Springfield as she is out and about serving all people of all walks of life. 

Dr. Estrop asked Mrs. Eviston to state the range of salaries for the City Commission.  Mrs. Eviston stated the range is $11,019.06 to $14,687.92 for commissioners and the mayor.  Dr. Estrop encouraged the citizens to write letters to their State and Federal officials with samples including the names and addresses of the officials being provided.  
 
Mrs. Tackett stated she owns a small business, is from Springfield, has no rental properties, is a recent graduate of Ohio State University and is actively seeking employment.  Mrs. Tackett noted her research for items on the agenda and her desire to have a plan for the homelessness issue in Springfield. 

Mr. Heck also noted he does not own rentals or businesses, shops local, spoke about his faith and church history. Mr. Heck announced answers to citizen questions will be answered and placed on the website for others to access, explained his role as city manager.  Mr. Heck answered questions about the Executive Inn closure stating once the Homefull contract was defeated, they were no longer under contract with the City leaving the Executive Inn with no operator at that point. City staff was on-site working tirelessly to place the families in a safe facility. 

Mr. Heck stated there has not been an environmental impact study performed, however the Clark County Haitian Coalition is trying to find solutions to the rise of this particular population within our community and asked Safety Services Director Jason Via to speak on this topic.  Mr. Via stated that the Clark County Haitian Coalition consists of 60 members made up of folks from the Clark County Combined Health District, Springfield City Schools, United Way, Rocking Horse, Nehemiah Foundation, Job and Family Services, Catholic Social Services, St. Vincent De Paul and the City of Springfield with several other non-profit and private stakeholders providing services for translation services, courses for learning English as a second language, driver’s training, workforce issues for employers and employees, healthcare, legal and safety concerns and education on landlord/tenant rights. 

Mr. Heck stated the number of City police officers currently stands at 120, the Charter requirement is 124 and the City has budgeted for 130.  Mr. Heck announced the City is challenged by persons no applying, passing the civil service test and other required testing expressing the City will not hire those who do not pass the testing.  Other communities are facing the same issues with hiring police officers.  

Mr. Heck asked Law Director Jill Allen to speak to the questions concerning the North Belmont and Larch property clean-up.  Mrs. Allen noted the City is exploring options with the EPA for mediation.  City Departments have explored and found the costs for nuisance abatement and clean up at the property to be cost prohibitive.    

Mr. Heck asked Service Director Chris Moore to address the South Yellow Springs Construction and water questions asked by Ms. Jeffrey.  Mr. Moore stated that contractor’s are paid to maintain traffic and stated he would address this issue with the contractor.  Mr. Moore provided a Consumer Confidence Report which provides information on the City’s water.  

Mr. Heck stated that the Friday before every Commission meeting, the agenda is available for review on the City’s website by staff and the public also noting there is a QR code posted around the Forum to submit questions and receive answers.

Mr. Heck asked Mrs. Eviston to address the questions revolving around the Villager Inn and the homelessness issue. Mrs. Eviston stated there were insurance checks received in the amount of $360,000 due to the fire at the Villager Inn.  It was determined that after the fire, for the safety of staff and citizens, the building would be demolished. Noting that a total demo of the complex would be about the same amount as the insurance check, explaining an emergency demolition was scheduled due to the amount of damage and no responses to an RFP released before the fire.  The RFP for redevelopment of the Villager to provide affordable housing and emergency shelter received no responses from local partners or others. 

Mr. Heck addressed questions revolving around the website stating a website upgrade is being explored pending the budget.  Mr. Heck stated that continuous emphasis is being placed on customer service. Mr. Heck addressed a question asked about citizens placing items on the Commission agenda stating that the meetings are business meetings.  Citizens have the opportunity to speak during the Comments from the Audience time or on any legislative item on the agenda.  If there are policy changes or business items a citizen would like to have presented, those suggestions would be accepted by staff for consideration.

Questions involving Code Enforcement were answered by Mr. Heck stating there are currently four Code Enforcement employees including the manager.  The number of adjudications, those resolved and the amount of fees will be researched and the answers will be posted on the website.   

Mr. Heck requested Mrs. Eviston address the questions concerning revenue and transit questions.  Mrs. Eviston explained the City’s main source of revenue is income tax revenue.  There has been no correlation between population and income tax revenue growth. For 2023 income tax revenue was up 1.3% compared to 2022. The annual wage growth for Ohio during the same period was 3.1% which would indicate that the City’s income tax revenue for 2023 at 1.3% was declining when  considering the wage growth throughout the State of Ohio.  The City’s annual HUD dollars were reduced by more than 8% over the past year. The City is not receiving or funding transportation for immigrants coming into Springfield.

Mrs. Tackett announced next week is First Friday with a theme of Dog Days of Summer, Viva La Fiesta will be opening soon downtown, the Farmers Market is nearing the end of the season and mentioned MarketFest was a great event downtown.  Mrs. Tackett expressed appreciation for the staff, schools, Project Woman, Sheltered, Inc and OIC for helping to home the Executive Inn residents. 

212-24   Recommended Utility Rate increase overview as presented. 

198-24   Recorded and filed copy of July 16, 2024 City Commission Meeting Minutes with the Clark County Auditor related to the issuance and sale of notes associated with the 2024 Sidewalk, Curbs and Gutter Program. 

The City Commission meeting adjourned at 8:27 p.m