Robert Gandee

The Organizational Meeting of Council focused on establishing leadership and procedural matters. Key actions included the re-election of Michael Kline as Council President and Tanya Taylor Draper as Council Vice President. Nicholas Aiello was appointed Clerk of Council, and the residency requirement for this position was waived. Committee chairs were appointed for Finance, Rules & Legislation, and Beautification. The Business Subcommittee was not reauthorized, but the Deer Management Subcommittee was reauthorized, with Councilwoman Julie Belich appointed as Chair. Council representatives were appointed for various boards, including the Planning & Zoning Commission, Architectural Board of Review, Recreation Commission, Willoughby Hills Seniors, and W.H.I.S.P.E.R. Council also adopted several governing policies (1 through 8) and discussed proposed procedural changes, including adopting a "consent agenda" mechanism and moving the Working Committee of Council and Rules & Legislation meeting from Mondays to Thursdays preceding the Council meeting to allow for more preparation time. The necessity of timely submission of agenda items (Friday 12:00 p.m. cut-off) and providing updates on pending items involving the Law Director or Administration were also discussed.

The meeting commenced with a swearing-in ceremony for a new Full Time Lieutenant and a Full Time Firefighter/Paramedic. Key legislative items introduced for the first reading included an Ordinance adopting permanent appropriations for the 2026 fiscal year, and Ordinances authorizing the Mayor to execute agreements with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 3058-2, Teamsters Local 436, and the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association-Dispatchers. Another ordinance introduced for an amended first reading concerns authorizing an agreement for architectural fees for the Police Department Renovation and Expansion Project and the Service Garage Replacement Project. New business items included a motion to accept a $10,000 Police K-9 program donation from an anonymous donor, and motions to confirm the City's position regarding two separate liquor license transfers. A motion was also presented to formally designate the Council Clerk as the City Council's official representative and custodian of records for Ohio Public Records Act compliance.

The council addressed several key issues, including declaring police computer equipment as surplus property for donation, and authorizing the Mayor to accept a proposal for zoning administration services. They also discussed entering into an agreement for new copying devices and managed print services, and amending the city charter concerning boards, commissions, the clerk, and legislation. The council adopted a cybersecurity program, provided temporary appropriations for early 2026, and approved the Ohio Department of Transportation's final resolution for the River Road resurfacing project. Additionally, they authorized the acceptance of amounts and rates for 2026 as determined by the County Budget Commission and approved the distribution of requests for qualifications for engineering work related to a walkway installation project. The Council also formally designated the Council Clerk as the City Council's official representative and custodian of records for the purpose of administering all requests made under the Ohio Public Records Act and ensuring compliance with all applicable Sunshine Laws.

The document outlines the schedule of 2025 appropriations with revisions, detailing adopted appropriations, increases or decreases, revised appropriations, total expenditures, encumbrances, obligations, and variances for various funds and activities. It includes the General Fund, Special Revenue Funds, Debt Service Funds, Capital Project Funds, Enterprise Funds, and Trust & Agency Funds. The appropriations cover personnel, benefits, operations & maintenance, and transfers to other funds.

The meeting included discussions and first readings of several ordinances. These ordinances covered topics such as declaring police computer equipment as surplus property, authorizing the mayor to accept proposals for zoning administration services, entering into a technology agreement for copier leases, amending articles of the city charter related to boards and commissions, adopting a cybersecurity program, and providing temporary appropriations. Also discussed was ODOT's final resolution for the resurfacing of River Road, accepting amounts and rates for the year 2026 as determined by the Budget Commission, and authorizing the mayor to distribute requests for qualifications for engineering work related to a walkway installation project. The council also discussed designating the Council Clerk as the official representative for public records requests and compliance with Sunshine Laws, as well as matters related to liquor license renewals and transfers. Additionally, the council considered an ordinance determining sanctioning hours for groups using the Community Center and discussed accepting a donation for the Police Department's K-9 program.