e e e e e e e e get here Mr Rue here Ryan Yes commission tonight we have one work session item and that is an update on the drug court and with us tonight is Judge Dan KY and the director of The Drug Court Tracy Sullivan so I'm gonna turn it over to Dan and Tracy all right thank you I'm glad to see so many people here interested to hear about our drug court at the Municipal Court uh we began the drug court about 21 months ago uh we take those defendants with substance use disorder who are the most likely to fail on regular probation what you might call the frequent flyers down at the Municipal Court uh we try to identify the issues that led to their addiction and to prevent their recovery things like mental health um medical issues housing education employment family issues and of course their substance use recovery our team consists of experts in these areas who work with participants throughout the week to build skills to overcome those barriers we meet as a team on Thursday afternoon to review each case before we go into the courtroom for a one-on-one with each participant our capacity is 25 participants and we're there our very first participant in the drug court is expected to graduate in two weeks uh she attends Clark State she's gainfully employed she's reunited with her daughter taking care of all of her fines and cost and she's so very proud of her sobriety and we are very proud of her the drug court model employs uh the carrot and the stick method poor decisions and bad behavior results and consequences including increased reporting or meetings assignments community service or jail good decisions and behaviors receive praise and incentives such as recognition privileges diminished fines and tangible rewards so uh because we cannot use tax dollars or solicit donations to use as those incentives our team members have donated those now we've been awarded and an Omas Grant which in part can be used for some of those incentives at this time I'd like to introduce Tracy Sullivan who is the director of our drug port and she can give you some of the actual statistics about our docket thank you as the judge mentioned the drug court team gets together every Thursday prior to case r discuss attendance progress barriers acknowledge success and reinforce go line I'll begin by sharing our drug court team by the a the municipal court judge myself the director public defender prosecutor Clark County Jail liaison our drug drug and alcohol providers McKinley Hall Sunrise emerge full circle right um we also have a team member from City Lookout to address any trauma or anger counc and finally to assist with employment we have representative Ohio in other providers that we use locally are Safe Harbor Mental Health and at times the participant can anticipate issues if they were to stay in uh the Springfield area for the r Treat and request an out of town drug alcohol other times the participant may want to price after unsuccess attemp at local treat out of town providers that we use are Wood Haven and Dayton Mary Haven of Columbus Women's Recovery Center in Zia and the coach treatment facility currently we have 26 part our 18 men and eight we are actively serving 19 of two are currently incarcerated and six have means they have not had any contact and a warrant diagnosis of our participants are a moderate to high sub and currently all of our um alal Health called the most common drugs of choice are methamphetamines cocaine alcohol fent and marijuana medically assisted treat is available all our mat is a medically prescribed that or inhibits feeling the high and also redu one was the most common Matt medic are the boxone the most common diag that we see in our program are bipolar pression participants um level treatment can range from residential programming living inside a supervised treat partial hospitalization either living inside outside of but attending five seven days of transitional house Al overl and that's living in a lifelike home others while there's also intensive outpatient which is three days a week three hours a week um outpatient which days couple of hours and then after those Rel Le drug testing for our participants occurs um at least one weekly at work by their in combination the sobriety time um time frames for our current ta is the living situation of participants some live in their own house apartment others live relative we have one lady who is um been living at Shel um and currently as of today she in a park and our others are either in res house employment uh 10 of our participants currently employed um those jobs include Factory nurs Home Food Service construction babysitting Harbor Tree Care G higher education as the judge said we have one our up gradu who is also had another lady a she is now um some examples of our current incentive lot of phas from Judge Perry um this goes a long way as these not um reinforce life um certificates um and medals um during the Olympics the judge came up with a great idea of off bronze silver gold medals to the part depending on what he rated them bronze that went a long way um and the major one is um examples of current San are inting um probation off more frequent drug cour increased drug screening to that community service hours writing an essay behav corrected um final s examples of incentives would use with funding is um payment of rent ility transation huge that would be getting best pass D gift card dial ride um purchase of birth certificates payment license basic needs which all of our we want to promote social sober activities incentives such ticket flashing as you can see the drug court program takes a holis overall CL County um drug p work with our establish well as rning drug free alcohol maintaining good health better ways of coping life becoming employed or enhanced employment develop a non-criminal pattern of increase social skills self and learn the warning signs to pass lifestyle um in closing I want know that um upcoming our plan higher time um and the drug board off been completed not functional yet but it is complete on the second floor of PT building um and we hope to have it uping with the last thing that I I would like to share uh couple comments that have been made by participants in our drug court uh one of them I've quoted this a number of times he described his life uh as living in a fog for 20 to 25 years not having any hope not having any plans and uh after being in the drug court for about took a probably four or five months of being in the drug Court say everything has changed the fog gone now he's got plans for the future he's got hopes he's got things he wants to do he has people who believe him when he says I'm going to do this or I'd like to do this with you we have another participant in the drug court doing very well and he's taken it upon himself to go back and talk with inmates in the jail about how great the drug court program has been for him and what it can do for them he's gone out into the community with other organizations talk about this so I can tell you it's it's been 21 months but I could not be happier with the progress that we've had in such a short time and we have um 19 individuals right now that are on the on the track to restore their life and get back as productive members of that's excellent pudos to you and your team thank you so much for working hard on this commissioner comments any questions I just thank you for all you're doing I love how um proactive um and how you're you know rewarding uh with real life things that you know matter to people so thank you for all you're doing your results 19 on track um it's incredible just want to ask um we have never had a drug court before there is there was a there's a drug court in the juvenile court uh but not in the adult Court okay in um surrounding counties do they have drug courts as well when we were uh preparing to start our drug court we went to surrounding counties and observe theirs Montgomery County has a a a very big one um I will say this I was surprised that for the extent of the problem in Springfield uh that we had not had one before it's been a project we had been working on for six years before we got started so it took a long time to get it going and it's it's uh overdue but doing very well thank you for getting it going thank you so much appreciate it okay I think that uh is there a motion to adjourn uh the informal session so moved second it's been moved in second to cler call the role Mrs HST yes yes Mrs tet yes Mr Rue yes uh we got about 19 minutes before we start the formal meeting at 7 o'clock thank you e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e messenger I appreciate it I'm Melissa so I I thank you I didn't want to bug you but yeah I just was sort of curious you like that time oh want to thank dader thank you the formal meeting of the city commission is called to order clerk call the role Mrs tet here Mrs HST here Dr estop Mrs Brown Mr here uh Dr estrop is on a scheduled vacation and commissioner Brown is not feeling well this evening and cannot be with us you would stand for the invocation led by uh Pastor Jason channels followed by The Pledge gracious God and Eternal Father you are good and your mercy endures forever we come to you with gratitude for this day that you have established and for the life you have blessed us with thank you for this beautiful City of Springfield Ohio where and by your sovereignty you have allowed us to reside thank you for the government officials civil servants and every resident that you have called to partner with you in pursuing the peace and prosperity of the city and thank you for the freedom and privilege we have to express our care and concern for this city with our mayor and the other City Council Members this evening God I pray that nothing is spoken from pretense or taken out of context but let us speak the truth to one another in love and let us take the time to listen to one another with Open Hearts of understanding finally God I want to dispel and dismiss the Dark Cloud and every word that has been spoken over this city that's not in alignment with your perfect will and I declare that springfi Ohio is a city of light where the fruit of your spirit which is love love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control grows in abundance let it be evident in tonight's meeting and the days to come in the name of the most high God I pray amen I want to thank you uh for being here with us tonight I'm going to read a statement before we begin begin uh public comments the city commission is committed to creating a meeting environment that allows for civil and constructive dialogue as we work together on this the challenges facing our community tonight we will continue to have public comment period uh to begin our formal meeting those wishing to speak have filled out a comment card and given that to the city clerk no comment cards no new cards will be accepted 15 minutes after roll call of the formal meeting after the public comment period we will hold the city commission comment period to provide an opportunity for Commissioners to respond to the public comment period we will also ask the city manager d staff answers uh any questions that are posed during the comment period uh that do not require additional research questions requiring additional research will be followed up over the next couple of days and the person asking the question will be contacted provided they've given us uh their good their contact information all questions not answered during the meeting will also be posted on the city website prior to the next commission meeting again we want to create a conductive environment for constructive dialogue and we will continually learn and involve uh and create such this environment at 4:15 today the president of the count Clark County Commission and I held a press conference to address recent rumors that have been circulating relative to the Haitian Community we wish to clarify that there have not been any credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed injured or abused by individuals within the Immigrant Community the news story regarding a cat being killed and consumed did not originate in Springfield Ohio it actually involved a Canton woman who was arrested for animal cruelty last month additionally there have been no verified incidences of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents homes rumors like these are taking away from the real issues such as housing concerns resources needed for our schools and our overwhelmed Health Care system as it relates to driving I made a statement at the last meeting that I am just as concerned as all of you about the Reckless operation on our street speeding and distracted driving of Motor Vehicles in our community in fact I've continued to ask for support from the state um at the state level to support us in addressing these Major Driving related concerns governor dwine governor dwine held a press conference in Columbus at 3:30 this afternoon and he ordered the uh safety director to provide resources through the state of Ohio Patrol immediately beginning in the morning to begin the drive the driving data this is a data driven um enforcement surge that will be held here in Springfield and Clark County to support our officers and the deputies in the area we continue to ask for your help as you know we have continued to ask for uh support from our state and federal officials on this matter we ask also that you please contact them as well and and they they as they represent all of us we've provided hard copies of the letters and uh templates and their mailing addresses to get a hold of our state and federal officials use our template or develop your own letter and let your voices be heard also at the state and federal level the draft letter template and contact information is also available on our website thank you we're going to begin with public comment tonight and I will call on uh Nathan Clark who will go to the podium thank you Nathan you have three minutes we felt it would be in our best interest to be here after recent comments you know I wish that my son Aidan Clark was killed by a 60-year-old white man I bet you never thought anyone would ever say something so blunt but if that guy killed my 11-year-old son the incessant group of hate spewing people would leave us alone the last thing that we need is to have the worst day of Our Lives violently and constantly shoved in our faces but even that's not good enough for them they take it one step further they make it seem as though our wonderful Aiden appreciates your hate that we should follow their hate and look what you've done to us we have to get up here and beg them to stop using Aiden as a political tool is to say the least reprehensible for any political purpose and speaking of morally bankrupt politicians Bernie Moreno chip Roy JD Vance and Donald Trump they have spoken my son's name and used his death for political gain this needs to stop now they can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants the Border crisis and even untrue claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by community members however they are not allowed nor have they ever been allowed to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield Ohio I will listen to them one more time to hear their apologies to clear the air my son Aiden Clark was not murdered he was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti this tragedy is felt all over this community the state and even the nation but don't spin this towards hate in order to live like Aiden you need to accept everyone choose to shine make the difference lead the way and be the inspiration what many people in this community and state are and Nation are doing is the opposite of what you should be doing sure we have our problems here in Springfield and in the US but does Aiden Clark have anything to do with that did you know that an 11-year-old boy could be passionate about gardening that he could haggle for a better price at a yard sale did you know that he researched different cultures to better appreciate and understand people that he interacted with did you know that one of the worst feelings in the world is to not be able to protect your child even worse we can't even protect his when he's gone please stop the hate I said to Aiden that I would try to make a difference in his honor this is it live like Aiden thank [Music] you thank you Aurora hi good evening my name is Aurora lmco I've been here before and the three Commissioners who are here tonight have in their possession three papers I've given to you in the past probably about two months ago again we're revisiting the issue of the resolution number 5844 signed on July 22nd of 2014 joining a network of other cities and uh immigrant friendly communities called Global Great Lakes and and I want to say and welcoming America uh I understand that the same commission meeting that I missed mayor ruu also missed it was part of your vacation and I understand that uh there was some discussion about how welcome Springfield is no longer uh in existence and somehow is part of a church and that's fine one of my initial remarks when I presented this two months ago was that there was no sunset provision or an expiration date on this particular resolution I'd like to revisit that and say you know there still isn't and if half of it has already you know Fallen away into nothingness I would you know have to ask why we are even bothering on the third page that I provided to you is also the ending page of a letter from the executive director of welcoming America where you will see he has signed it you had that two months ago also you've had time to familiarize yourself with the entire packet I presented and you will see that it was known just in this paper alone but you know why look for more um in 2011 11 that uh welcoming America was a grantee of George Soros open Society I would like to ask each of the Commissioners tonight to State publicly and for the two who are not here I'll accept their followup and have any of you on the record to either introduce to resend this resolution and the second part any how you would vote on resending this resolution I mention this simply because one of the things that I find irome is that uh on the appearance that mayor you made along with our city manager on the uh radio show up in Bob France radio show and then again at your different appearances on Fox where you ask for federal dollars I'm reminded of the mayor of New York City who openly admitted it was a welcoming City and then asked for federal dollars it has never been made publicly known that we are in this network that is being funded by George Soros and I do find it disingenuous to ask without full transparency your comment Richard Jordan thank you will you have some answers for you after comments I'm sorry I didn't hear you thank you for speaking we'll have answers for you after public comments thank you ma'am than you Richard Jordan thanks sir go right ahead yeah I came to uh talk about the immigration influx that we're having um a lot of people are thinking that there's hate against them um you know that were racist for feeling a certain way like a lot of people this this is this is the influx here has been a culture shock you know to say the least and I feel like our city is basically being being treated like a flop house I don't know if you know what that is but that's like a house you can go to and just hang out all right um is there a cut off point that I mean for the population here or I mean I I feel like there should be a No Vacancy sign right now and people are still coming in I mean what's cut off point is it going to be 60,000 immigrants living here are they going to take over our whole city I don't think they're going to do that it's getting close to people are getting really fed up and it's things are going to get ugly I don't know if you uh if you want to see that happen I mean because if you do sir I I hate I I understand what you're saying and I I hate to do this but it saying things are going to get ugly is just slightly threatening that's the truth I hear you but but I'm going to have to ask you to just step aside uh for the same reason in the last meeting we had a gentleman that when somebody says something you don't like then you it's not that I there's no comments in the I it's not that I'm completely disagreeing I empathize with you're saying I want you to say so I'm just let me just warn you right now please don't say things are going to get ugly or get worse or or anything like that what I'm saying is that sounds threatening to me and I'm going to have to cut you off so if you could continue on commenting on some of your concerns that's fine okay I'm just trying to give you some understanding of why I even interrupted you thank you you can go ahead I'm very frustrated and a whole bunch of people along with the citizens that have born and raised a lot of people that are born here stay here they don't go anywhere they stay in I got a lot of friends that that have been born and raised here and and and we feel like our our City's being taken over I mean like I said is there a cut off point are you I mean what's going on here with that are you going to just keep on letting them come in to keep on busting them in every day illegal immigrants now you say they're leg they're legal right now under the TPS all right but um November 5th if if if uh if things go the way I think they're going to go there's going to be a mass deportation so what are you doing you're you're making all these accommodations for a whole bunch of people where you go to do when they C when they got to leave you're spending all this money you're asking for more money now for for immigrants and our our people our citizens are living on the streets not being taken care of if you were if you're if you're going to when while you're asking for more money include our homeless people include our veterans that are on the street people that fought for this country this is an invasion a lot of people feel like that I'm not the only one but I got the I I I can I I'm mad enough to say it thanks for your comments have some answers for you at comment please no applause just to control the temperature of the room I'm just asking that you do not Applause thank you so much we're going to be asked for Dave to come up Dave horning yes it's hard to read the card I'm sorry go ahead sir hello my name is Dave horning I'm from Circleville OH Ohio and we have concerns about the homeless situation which could get worse in our County also as I've researched this matter I want to share some information with you that I have learned there is a federal policy called housing first I encourage everybody go home Google this look this up look it up on Wikipedia it was a federal policy it was never passed by the uh us house or Senate it was a policy a bureaucratic policy that was adopted during the George Bush Administration that says if there's a homeless person the first thing you do is give them a house now we just heard the drug court say that if you're in drug court you have to proceed you have to behave and if you don't there are consequences you will be removed under the housing first policy you cannot remove somebody if they are misbehaving there's a thing you can look up called permanent support of housing so if the federal government comes in and says they're going to give you money in the form of permanent Supportive Housing what will happen is if a person moves in there and they are using drugs like fentanyl they will get a disability that disability will allow them to get disability income they can stay in that permanent Supportive Housing they only have to pay a small percentage of the their disability as rent they do not have to get recovery they do not have to do anything so I encourage everybody to call this to your attention to your state reps and your state senators the good news is the US Supreme Court has issued a decision called Chevron on and that allows people to take exception to bureaucratic rules that weren't passed by Congress and so it it's an opportunity Springfield is a great opportunity to say we would like the federal housing dollars to help with our problem we do not and will not abide by the housing first policy thank you very much thank you John Francis my name is John Francis and I live at 15 Englewood Road I just wanted to come up tonight and let you all know that many of us share your frustration with everything that's been happening in the city both with new residents but especially with those that have been here much longer want to thank you all for doing the most basic of things your jobs for staying the course and not resorting to the extra extrajudicial solutions that so many of the city's residents would like to see thank you for not restricting my freedom of movement and destroying the local economy with the city limit checkpoints people thank you for not bankrupting the city with thousands of civil rights lawsuits that would have surely resulted from the unlawful actions so many people in this room have repeatedly intreated you to take thank you for not deputizing a manners Squad that frankly a lot of the people here would probably run a foul of thank you for conducting City business like members of a law-abiding democratically elected body and not like some backward jimcrow mouths with dogs and fire hoses and barely two brain like every other native born person in this city I received a taxpayer subsidized Western education is an undoubtedly the greatest handout the government has to offer which is why I'm Blown Away by some people's willful ignorance the most basic of civics basic knowledge of civics and levels of government on behalf of everyone who paid attention in sixth grade social students I apologize that you were constantly being blamed for the actions of state and federal government by people who were taught better as a lifelong left of center independent living in an increasingly reactionary state is truly surreal time to be alive I'm absolutely Blown Away by the lines of Republicans and alt-right voters who have spent years voting against government intervention in social matters but who now turn to government to solve their social issue voters who fought against socialist overreaches like rent control and strong tenant rights but who now suddenly complain that rent is too high voters who praise the legitimate virtues of free market capitalism except when it comes to real estate my heart goes out to you guys because you'll never be able to win with those people because they don't even seem to know what they want there isn't much happening here that hasn't played out thousands of other times in every city in the I can't name any city of consequence that doesn't have a Chinatown Ria Town Little Italy German Village but there's also little Guyana Little Odessa little Yemen in fact there are many hundreds of ethnic enclaves in the US there isn't anything happening here that hasn't happened in every one of them though and they're getting along just fine would I have personally chosen Springfield to have a large haian Enclave probably not because I'm nothing if not lazy and learning to live with strangers is challenging but I'm also smart enough to realize that what I want is irrelevant because I live in the United States of America and in this country you do not you should not get to pick who moves in next our country has a pretty notorious history of doing that and it should be universally horrifying to any decent member of side so thank you for not ignorantly repeating the mistakes of the past and good luck while you chart your way through the same challenges that a thousand other Mayors and a thousand other City councils navigated before you to the long-term betterment the cities serve thank you John M please M Derby hello my name is MSA and I'm here today to ask the questions that many citizens would like to know I have watched the interview on Fox news with you and Mr heck and I was asking myself why now I can speak for a lot of people in this community when I say that this has been going on for a while now our frustrations and concerns continue to fall on De years this community has been begging for help for some time and we rely on our city council to be our voice so we would like to know what policies and programs have been implemented in the last year and if any How does each program and policy benefit immigrants and the people in this community we would also like to know who you have advocated to and what do they say they're going to do for us that would benefit this whole community and what would those benefits be next we would like to know what your plan is for our homeless they are living in garages alleys abandoned houses backyards and pretty much anywhere also we have to discuss the trash feces and other unsanitary conditions we are concerned with winter coming what are you going to do to protect our homeless citizens this city cannot allow the homeless to be left out in the cold that is not who we are and their safety is very important to us um do we have a deadline on fixing this situation in addition this leads me to question our housing crisis we see all the new properties being built all over our community we would like to know how affordable these properties will be and when will these uh properties be available to our citizens I've included several questions from the members of the community um and a few of them are are there adults attending the high High School alongside our teenagers if so what is the legal age limit for them to attend and could we offer them college classes why does it take two hours maybe longer for our police to respond to 911 call and what are we doing about this our young people are killing each other guns theft crime is in its highest what are you doing about that drugs and addiction have been a problem in our city for a long time homelessness and lack of police support is only contributing to that crisis what new plans are you going to implement to combat the increase of drug overdoses and drug related crime car wrecks and increas in car insurance the increase in car insurance due to the increase of recks feels like a punishment to hardworking insured pay citizens what can you do to offset this this community wants and need needs answers we need to see and feel these actions we want to be safe we need to see positive changes friends and family are rethinking staying in this community we need to know that those that we have elected are doing what's best for our residents in Springfield Ohio thank you for your comments Ivon Owens Von Owens Charlie fcan my name is uh Charlie I'm a fence I'm a fence man I've been in uh business over 50 years I get along with everybody in the community and my my main concern is I believe that everybody should be treated equal I if the Haans as everybody wants to talk about wants to come here and better theirself it's all well to do the Haans ain't the only people that uh don't know how to drive you know so we got to make that uh that known the Haans as supposedly quote unquote ain't the only one that steals you know as Martin Luther King said he had a dream that one day little white girl and little black boy will be holding hands that's the dream that I have I'm 60 64 and a half years old and I still haven't seen that dream and and it's really sad that we want to treat people like that you know it's been but it's been like that you know I I if if if you're up here A Millionaire this guy down here he he ain't equal to him he's not to his status but we got to realize everybody is equal and everything takes time and the Haans or whatever you want to call them they're just here to try to better theel and eventually they'll probably most of them probably learn how to drive you know and if you haven't seen them killing no ducks if you haven't seen them stealing nothing don't make no accusations you know all that does is start an avalanche so hopefully sometime soon this situation we won't be down here talking about the Haans aren't wanted here because as far as I'm concerned they're just as welcome as the white folks the black folks the Mexicans I'm in then they're just as welcome as the Indians they're all equal to me we all bleed the same color blood so that's what we really need to do Mr Ru thank you you know thank you thank you yes sir please [Music] Dana Miller wle Miller okay okay okay okay hello and thank you for this uh thank everybody else for coming and listening um first I want to start by there's supposed to be a driving education program and I really appreciate that hopefully it will help um I am a disabled elderly woman that has such high anxiety leaving my house that I do and when I do I'm armed and I have my or my 120 lb pit with me I have been I've been followed I've been groped I'm 58 years old I've been called racist because I'm white I've lived in the south in the town for my whole entire life our family home is there my children have homes there recently my youngest moved to Montana to get out of here my other one I had another one move to another town to get out of here my children are leaving me I do not blame any of this on any other people than our city managers the influx has come in so fast and they haven't been educated on our ways on our laws they need to know these things that's causing so much hate and division this year the division in cultures has been as bad as it was in the 60s I have not seen it this bad since the 60s and yes I was there I don't care to go through it again I come from a very Multicultural family my grandmother had one that was Cherokee one that was Blackfoot I have a Japanese Aunt I have um a black daughter-in-law I come from a very multiracial family multiculture family I'm scared I'm scared for the women here I'm scared for my granddaughters the schools are overcrowded our education system has went in the trash in the last 10 years anyway you asked us 16-year-old out on the street what does independence mean they don't know ask them what year this city was founded they don't know ask them what year this country was founded they don't know this influx is making it worse for them housing housing is another issue the overcrowding and housing my son had to give me his house and move to another another house because I can't find housing I went to an apartment complex being belt and I was told that I am not allowed to apply sorry ma'am I I thank you for your comments we've had three minutes we've written several of your statements down and we're going to look into them for you thank you Noel Bells no Noel Taco Tuesday thank you okay I did not mean to bring any ill will to my city everybody knows at this point who I am and I'm not really comfortable with that I try to keep to myself and that's not what I wanted was for this to happen I did not mean to bring any ill will to the city all right first and foremost secondly I attended a meeting Wednesday night and I think it was the West End Neighborhood meeting correct Miss hacket was there and if anybody gets a chance to hit up one of these little small meetings do it there was so much energy and it was so fun and the grandma type people make the refreshments so you know you're going to get good food okay all right I know and I left before I ate a piece of pie but I'm just saying that there are other things out there that are not this if you want your voice heard hit these small meetings and I would like for you guys if you would to put out when and where these places are going to be and who's going to be speaking because I know the fireman's going to be speaking next month so I'll be front and center in the front row all right I like firemen but but I'm just saying that I did not mean to bring any ill will and about the Ducks and the cats I'm the crazy cat lady in my town and my and I'm not missing any everybody's present in I accounted for and if they were coming up out of our park with Geese or Ducks I would be one of the first people to see it I'm telling it's not happening so stop with all that that's what I want to say and thank you Miss tacket because you spoke to me like I had some sense last Wednesday I've got the courage to stand back up here again today thank you thank you thank you so much Baron go ahead sir I'm going put this in my pocket so well people didn't know me know I didn't come in here with a prepared speech I influence my conversation and I'm the only one that influenc my conversation my grandchildren and my children have a lot to do with it they're the ones who were begging me 10 minutes before I come down here because they see me leaving the house with my bullhorn I said I'm just going to go Baron 2.0 and they're like don't do it enough is enough guys we have national attention now over alleged people eating hats I don't know how to say it without saying it with a word that's going to Rob's going to throw me out for but bull cocky I looked on the menu of three or four restaurants here today man I didn't see roasted fluffy nowhere on it it's nuts but the good thing is now we have the nation's attention what are we going to do with it what are we going to do with it are we going to concentrate on the the real issues that we have here the real issues there's a on the corner right there by Regina Jeffers is is a letter that's all written out all you got to do is fill in the information send it to the federal government my question mayor is let's say that works and we get 15 bazillion dollars what are we going to do with it are we going to continue to use it to teach the Haitians our language to teach them how to drive we're going to open driving schools and God knows we need another car wash here you know what are we going to do with that's my question Ser that's my serious question to the council tonight if you get the federal money that you're after what are you going to do with it you know the homeless problem I don't know of a single homeless Haitian in this town because they all got vouchers but I can show you a whole bunch of people that have been displaced because I'm that guy rob you know for 25 years I've worked with the homeless in this community you know a lot of people don't know because I'm not the guy out there blowing the horn cuz it ain't about me it's the Jesus in me that goes out there and does it trust me there's days I'm tired but I'll get into homeless camps that nobody in a suit and tile walk into none they trust me because I've never let them down you know and guys if you don't think it's here right now in October we are getting ready to hit a wall here there is not any relief for the homeless the homeless people in this community are not the people you think they are the squatters that aren't happening it's not there there's veterans come see me I'm not real hard to find ask anybody on the street they'll tell you how to get a hold of me I'll take you there and no they don't want your toothpaste and your peanut butter sandwiches they want you to come up with a solution to why they're displaced why they lived in a house I personally know and I'll testify under oath my hand to God somebody that lost their house they were there seven years the landlord said hey I need you to move out find a temporary place I'm going to remodel it and then you can come back a lie they moved him out triped the rent follow money Marjorie I'm I'm standing this evening as a human on the behalf of the Haitian community and the most important as a resident of Springfield Miss margerie could you move that microphone right in front of you thank you right in front of you please yeah thank you so much right ahead did I lose my minutes no okay that's okay I wish that I could paint much a better picture to present to you this evening but unfortunately the reality is a bit different that any of us would expect as citizen of this city briefly I would like to clarify a few points that has been made focus on many households as a public and as well as private debate it's been said that a lot of the Haitian are here are we're calling them illegal immigrants if you want to rest your mind they are not illegal they all have documents they all were invited to you the US and have paper and documentation but to say that illegal illegal is word that's going around freely as a cancer that is not so put it aside take it out your mouth take it out your vocab it's not true margorie if you could speak directly to me thank you so much all right sorry yes Rob all right let it be clear that there's a preconceived notion the Haitian here are illegal which I address that and many of the Haitians here have something that's called TPS is a protective is temporary protective status they do have here and many of the haian that come here they come here not some of them I would say 98% they want to go back back home and is because there is a crisis at home and they're brought here they work and the few that are work that come here they're so motivated if you go to the south of Springfield they've opened businesses in less than two years they they have people that have beauty shops they have grocery stores they have retail so nobody's here only to get a free handout so I really beg the community here because I've hear a lot of rumors about they're eating cats they're doing all this we have the fin this Cuisine if you ever ever tasted Haitian food to even to disgrace us to even we don't even eat hot dog and hamburger or stuff like that we season our food well and we take pleasure in that so I know there is an abundance there's a lot of patients that are coming we even me myself I'm I'm Haitian but I'm American but my Heritage is Haitian and I understand it is overwhelming but however with the hate it's not going to make it better even we could criticize their driving as margerie sorry sorry all right Bob we could criticize their driving it's because we don't know we've traveled to Europe and they have a different standard for driving as well so there's nowhere when you enter a country before they give you a license or you have your license there's not a class that you take so all this that you think that this is what's hindering or this is what's causing the problem because of their driving we have people if you see Fern Cliff has been hit several times that wasn't hit by a Haitian so there is a lot of traffic accidents just to be patient with the people I'm sorry I'm ran out of time you got a couple more seconds well only thing I want to do is that spring we moved to springfi after 911 because this city was unique they had so much love and of course differences I remember moving here we were the only black in the neighborhood in North fridge and my children had a challenge but after a time things started to change things started to change and most people I get it it's not easy to get change and now I see there's a multiculture it is nothing wrong with change so to blame the Haitians a lot of them there's good and bad in everyone but everybody who came here to represent the Haitian Community not one of them are on welfare they have their own money and they want to invest in Springfield thank you for your comments Melissa Skinner tonight I want to say the last meeting was a start I feel like some of these concerns should have been addressed a year ago but you have to start somewhere I have noticed that our homeless is a major concern down the end of East Main Street and also Snyder Park what is going to happen shortly when we do not have something in place for them I realize some do not want shelter cold is coming and this city has to have a plan do we have a plan next is our juvenile system you cannot get any help with getting transcripts from cases dismissed Etc in a timely manner I would like to know how many we have slapped on the wrist time and time again and then because they have not been properly rehabilitated as they say in that system become adult criminals when you are sent to the victims advocate for help after weeks and weeks you're still waiting on a phone call I believe when voting comes we need a new judge I can tell you years ago when I was in school and I'm only 52 we did not need resource officers in all of our schools you got to go to juvenile detention for fighting when you were in school and the judges at the time didn't care and the consequences were set in place we need to do better for our children so they grow up to be productive adults next is the police statistics that are being published on the city page I would like to see a better breakdown if possible and possibly every two weeks hear someone saying what has been done to help make our streets safer lately I lastly I ask this Commission on the oath to protect and serve us the people to please do so and to please start now even if you have to push back to get Springfield safe at a level that all entities can run not overwhelmed is what we need I am sure that they are not going to come lock us all up from higher up and we need to stand together to bring the city we have all grown up in and have invested in we can be stronger together but we need a safe City and many citizens do not feel safe after being here for many years you iy Jones start right ahead JSI Jones um who am I I'm just a black white Italian Indian cat that's from Springfield Ohio you could address me sir not racist bone in my body Mr Ru thank you so much with that being said I'm here on behalf of human beings okay of the Springfield the City of Springfield Ohio I'm a little nervous I usually have no fears of public speaking but today I had a lot of eyeballs that I've had um some intriguing conversations with say the least you know five years ago in the middle of covid I took the old Shamrock bowling alley you guys probably heard about the Shamrock bowling alley dilapidated piece of crap that was just falling apart rotting away I took that and I turned it into a rec center by myself no outside funding no banks none of that just being by myself totally all in we got a nonprofit boxing gym I've been coming to the city for help for a long time Brian you know that it's another can of worms we need help the kids need help when I ask the city what's where's the what's on the where's the youth initiative on the on the city agenda for the uh what's it called the yearly uh what's it called retri plan action plan that goes to the federal government that requires you be on action plan to get Federal funding you have to be on action plan we've tried to get on there numerous occasions failed terribly miserably no help for the kids no youth-based initiatives we need a new recreation center for the kids of Springfield Ohio we need the new boxing gym created a land the land bank has so much land that they can dedicate us for we can get a new Center built I'm done on that point now we're going to move on to the uh immigration I mean the influx of the Haitians you know the bad part about this whole situation is is stop the influx of Springfield page on Facebook somebody needs to get it taken care of and get it taken down it's a bunch of rhetoric that cannot convince smart people that Haitians are bad people okay the Haitians that I know these Haitians right here in this middle row my people that I've known for five years four years going on they're beautiful wonderful people they're Engineers electrical they're they're Highly Educated people that own businesses I've never seen a Haitian crackhead I've never seen a Haitian bomb in front of Kroger on East M asking me for change I've never seen a Haitian zombie high on dope fentol heroin never you won't see it why they don't even smoke cigarettes let's get real people the people that's on that page complaining and and moaning about the Haitians are poor people that are miserable and tired of being poor they need to get up off their ass and do something go to work if you're tired of sitting in the welfare line and it takes an hour get off welfare okay if you're tired of being disabled if you're a disabled body and you get Social Security I pray you your best I hope you get healthy and fully recover you know stop being stupid stop being ignorant okay we're Springfield Ohio I'm born and raised I moved away for 15 years I came back home I'm talking fast because I only got three minutes I'm trying to get a point across Springfield needs help we got to start with the kids damn it if you don't start with the kids you're going to end up 10 years from now it's going to be chaos total Anarchy nobody's going to listen to the government and I got one more thing to say Brian Heck how do you make 100 $87,000 and Mike dwine only makes 168,000 I want that question answered first and foremost okay we're a small town barely a city okay we got 50 to 60 some, people okay how do you make that much money sir Cleveland's city manager doesn't make that money we have answers for you I'm out baby hey thank you thank you we'll have answers for [Music] youy live thanks thank you hey hold on one more thing everybody in here is an immigrant okay thank you built on IM sir you can go ahead and leave thank you only because you own a boxing J go ahead everyone is talking about the death of ducks and cats in this town but I'd like to talk about the death of one very special person my mother-in-law Kathy heon on December 1st I received a phone call that changed my life forever she was collecting her trash can from her driveway when a car struck and killed her instantly a task she had done over 2,000 times spanning four decades in Springfield that morning though a Haitian immigrant was allegedly driving recklessly when he struck and killed her I say allegedly because to this day there's been no punishment not even for the expired tags on the vehicle he was driving months before she was killed I began noticing the reckless driving and complete disregard for our driving laws by some members of the Haitian Community it made me angry but now my anger has turned to fear for the safety of my family and the citizens of Springfield I've been to Haiti 14 years ago my husband and I went and it was my first time in a third world country I sobbed when I saw the poverty living there and I have great empathy and compassion for them longing for a safe place to call home but 14 years later I'm living in fear in my own City it's not safe I am paralyzed with anxiety when I'm getting my children out of the car in any parking lot walking on any sidewalk and driving on any Road in this town I'm haunted by the face faces I saw when I had to Bear the news to my children and husband that she was dead their grandmother the very person who tucked my seven-year-old twins into bed just 6 hours before on her 71st birthday was never coming back what everyone has feared is my reality and it's my grief and it should be yours as well it saddens me greatly to think about leaving a place I've made a home raised my children became an active member of this community by providing Medical Care to the underprivileged and under served volunteering serving on boards and cheering for the success of the city but just as the Haitians were seeking a safe place to call home I now have found myself in that same situation wanting to abandon this city and all my efforts above inert for a safe place to raise my family we need to change the laws for immigrants wanting to obtain a driver's license in Ohio those coming from countries such as Haiti in which roads are generally unmarked and signs indicating direction of travel seldom exists giving these immigrants a driver's license without a proper and extensive driver's education and training is a matter of public safety and it's a disservice to the immigrants how can we expect them to come here from a country that doesn't have the same laws and rules and expect them to comply with ours it is unsafe unjust and it needs to change no one is more motivated than a grieving mother this is for our children our loved ones and the immigrants my questions are can you please connect me with lawmakers who can assist me in pursuing this matter of public safety and what is being done about driers educations for the immigrants in Springfield thank you Chris Heaton good evening uh as you may recognize uh the previous speaker Mandy heat and I her husband the woman she spoke of uh Kathy Heaton was my mother I will be honest in telling you that I do not have the strength to speak about the tragedy endured by the senseless killing of my mother and I am not here for sympathy there is nothing that will upset the Heartbreak of knowing my mother died after tucking my children into bed a singing or happy birthday that evening or the sight of her walking out of my house unaware that' be the last time we would speak what I am here for is solution we are blessed every day to live in a country of freedom and opportunity a land that welcomes a land that is for the people and by the people however the influx who of the immigrants who have made our city state and Country Home have been given a lose lose situation they have not been acclimated to the laws the rights the responsibilities associated with being an American citizen an ohioan or a resident of Springfield especially when it comes to the rules and regulations of operating a motor vehicle while I appreciate the efforts that the Ohio State Patrol and and the governor has announced today we have seen countless incidents in our area of vehicle crashes involving unfortunately people of Haitian descent we've heard of incidents of alleged cheating happening in the BMV offices we've learned that the LA of about the lack of driving r rules and regulations within the country of Haiti every one of these factors makes the integration of the Haitian people into our community unfair to them and unfair to us but what we have not heard about is how to fix it I am here tonight to speak on what we intend to gain support of known as Cathy's law this law will be applied to all regardless of background Russian Swedish Haitian doesn't matter to establish regulations for any immigrant wanting to obtain their driver's license in our state and hopefully other states take notice and apply it nationwide we will push to enforce the same restrictions that my seven-year-old twins who lost their grandmother that night will have to follow when they seek to obtain a license just like anyone else regardless of age in this state this includes required Driver's Edge classes driving with other licensed drivers and a computer-based translated test for them to take this republ this issue is not a Republican or Democratic issue this is an American issue this is an Ohio issue and this is a Springfield issue we the people have the ability to change the rules and regulations we have to follow we the people have the ability to ensure our streets are safe we the people have the power to make our voices heard and action to be done and we the people can ensure everyone in this country is treated fairly so what I ask for you all tonight is give us a voice let democracy work do what is best for all people support our CL cause to ensure driving regulations are equally enforced because we will not rest until Justice is serve for cath thank you Darlene y Darlene y okay is that good okay I have to say I really admire judge Cary that was fascinating and and such an advancement for our town and uh along with some of the speakers tonight this I'm going to go with my subject which um when tragedies are caused by young people everyone says how did this happen why didn't somebody do anything I think the best solution is to help the child before life experiences and environments warp them or him or her into becoming the monster that would go into schools and churches to murder innocent people or shoot at presidents I know Springfield is trying to deal with the surge of Haitians into our community uh but Matthew 23:23 says these ought to have done and not to leave the other undone the influx has to be dealt with but we can't neglect the need to support our youth today so they will have the tools to handle tomorrow in response to councilwoman uh Crystal Brown I appreciate her input I looked up the Dome it's a wonderful program but it's a College and Career read Readiness Hub I'm talking about help for the kids struggling to survive the ones that are looking affordable um outlets for their frustration Their Fear their abuse their hopelessness and hormonal explosion kids 13 to 18 that need a place to sleep in a clean bed in emergency situations a place to shower with toiletries a washer and dryer for their clothes a place where they don't have to worry about being bullied or belittled or abused counseling support self-improvement self-confidence classes information advice a place for Fun and exercise all under the same roof for um for the hours that they were needed I use the United Ser Senior Services as a model it's a drop in building that offers 30 programs and services to fill the needs of 55 years in older for $15 a year 13 to 18 year olds need these things geared to their needs and desires if we can do this as a community for our seniors why can't we provide this for our youth what we're offering at the present time is not working I think we need a round table with a policeman a school nurse a teacher a parent three students juvenile judge to brainstorm to get the needs of our youth met their me mental physical and psychological needs thank thank you so much bil thank you so much Commissioners um I speak on behalf of um the hisan community um I have so many of them here um briefly I would like to clarify a few points that have been the main focus of many households as well as public debates for the past few months um among all um the local ethnic groups the Haitian Community has been the center of attention not because um Haiti is known to be the first uh free black Republic nor it's good Cuisine or wonderful ocean but simply because some people choose to express uh their opinions towards the Haitian community in a despiteful hateful and vicious manner without U taking the time to understand to understand us as one of the most resilient people who have been through very um difficult moments in our lifetime yet still standing strong and look at the world in the eyes with dignity and pride let's be clear there is a preconceived notion that all the Haitians here in Springfield are illegal immigrants which is fall some of us are Haitian American citizen who can vote we are green card old holders and some of us are here via fed program that allows us to have a Social Security card employment authorization that allows us to temporarily um stay in the country this program is better known as TPS just like the Ukraine um the Cuban Venezuelan and Nicaraguan we clearly understand that there is a huge misunderstanding about a legal and illegal immigrants when a Haitian citizen comes to USA by the way of program does it mean that the person is illegal same thing for all other ethnic groups mentioned above some say that Haitians come here to steal jobs and public assistance from other communities which is false we are here as some hardest hardworking person um despite the bad weathers cold colder temperatures that we are not used to in snowy days we still get up early in the morning and get to work we courageously do the dirty jobs that most typical Americans would not do and never think about quitting because it's our duty to contribute in the city's Financial growth with our tax dollars Some Day Some say to stop the Haitian influx because we are responsible for the rising cost of housing I don't know how true is that uh we are here as homeowners and business men and women and investors thank you for your com comments I appreciate it thank much be back much Brad Brad soless Colin barklay good evening my name is Colin barklay um I want to start out by thanking the commission for allowing me to speak here I also want to say thank you to the commission for your tireless effort in coming up with Solutions um and for your work with our state officials um to come up with Solutions just announced today and I I I I hope you feel that you are truly appreciated um I do ask an important favor here that our commission and our citizens remember and hold true to verifiable facts when making comments before the city and its and um its commission and on public forums social media in general eight years ago I completely bought into to this notion of fake news the idea of holding media conglomerates and people to higher standard of fact-based unbiased news who wouldn't want to buy into that um since that time I have observed that some of the Notions biggest proponents have had no issues with creating and spreading false information the very thing that so many were and are still against to this day this PO public forum and some of the public comments have become the proverbial drunk uncle at Thanksgiving um the continued false information has hurt this community its community members our newest neighbors fake news has tarnished the reputations of some of our community leaders fake news has enabled the a Nazi sympathizer group to march on our streets fake news is allowed the leader of said group to come into this very meeting and feel comfortable enough to speak uh fake news has made members of this community feel comfortable enough sending threats to personal friends of mine um like a a Carl Ruby for example all because he asked you to be nice to your neighbors to be welcoming to a new a new Community member fake news has told people differently and now he's receiving threats um and I want to make clear I do not speak for Carl I am just reporting on what I've observed um finally fake news has put Springfield in the National Spotlight as some have already said on a bull crap story um I've always been told that you can be part of the solution or part of the problem fake news I can promise you on fake Facebook or what you hear from your uncle's cousin sister's second cousin remove is not a solution my wife texted me during all this and there's some some comments going on currently on Facebook that are absolutely abhorent and while I speak to the commission I hope that those commentors hear this come with verifiable facts and make sure that when you spread news you're you're speaking accurately on it and showing love to everyone in this community thank thank you D Lewis oh I wasn't going to speak but um the parents of the little boy that died they broke me down they said stop the hate and that's what we need to do um this City's going backwards not forward um my mother's an immigrant I love the diversity we got to learn we they're not going nowhere I mean when have you ever told immigrants to get away leave you it's not going to happen so we've got to move forward and stop the negativity the Commissioners are trying and you got to let them do what they do but the JD whatever Vance reminded me of covid and the Asians they started the rumors on the Asians they beat them down because of the rumors you got to stop it's it's ugly and is everybody registered to vote because if not come and see me uh I have absentee ballads um make sure your registration still valid because some of them are coming up invalid so you need to check your registrations thank you okay um staff members that in our comments we're going to answer some questions that we can I know you've been taking notes so go right ahead yes uh let me get back up to the top of my list of all the questions so we're going to do our best answer there's a lot of questions I wrote a lot of notes on the back of your card so we'll do our best to get as many answers as we can if not we'll be following up with and I'm sure some of the Commissioners will have some answers as well so one of the questions was related to what policies and programs have been implemented and um I'll ask Jason V our deputy director of Public Safety uh and operations will speak to that um but again a lot of it's about facilitating programming in our community to help support yes thank you good evening um from a policy standpoint City policies have not been impacted too much by this topic um other than the use of language services but that is a a contract we already had before this so as regards to program facility you know facilitating programs we continue to work with all our stakeholders in the community to help collaborate and coordinate make sure we Pro help provide services and the most efficient way possible um that programming is all generally done by those other um stakeholders they're not programs that the city would uh be involved with like for example uh driers education training uh language services and the like um I wanted to add real quick so again uh so we're trying to answer the questions questions that I should have started with this questions that we have um from the last meeting that we could not answer directly at the meeting that we needed to collect additional information and research uh those are available on our website at Springfield ohio.gov so if you want to check those out the one specific was related to code enforcement adjudication orders and so forth and so that information from the last meeting um people continue to work the uh QR codes that are out um on the doors posted so for individuals that are not able to make it into the meeting in time and and submit a comment card those do come directly to staff email and we will follow up with you um outside the meeting um I've seen probably 12 come through so I appreciate everybody using the QR code uh again we want to get information out and we want to be able to answer your questions so I appreciate those that are using that so I should have should have said that up front before we jumped right into questions let's stop there because Mr Sanders uh put a card up he was told he could speak if you got in here on time so go ahead and speak real quick before we continue okay just a reminder though we're stopping at 7:15 or 15 after roll call go ahead Mr Sanders so I miss Mark Sanders Springfield Ohio so I missed the uh announcement today by dwine I'm glad it's overdue I I do want to say my bus route takes me if you took the gunshot map that was presented a couple meetings ago and overlaid it to my bus route that's the route I take twice a day so it's Pleasant Selma Clifton leel um and there's not a day to go by that not one of the Dozen bus drivers that serve a CTC and stem aren't making evasive maneuvers avoiding people that can't drive and this is no matter it's everybody it's not a specific color it's not a specific birthplace of origin it's everywhere so you've got kids out there that are walking to school crossing the street you got people that are passing buses on the right they're blowing red or the red lights on the bus um running stop signs um I had almost had a pedestrian strike on South lime at the speedway I was coming down John Street making a right on South lime to go to stem four four or five individuals went to step off the curb right in front of my bus 20 some th000 PB torpedo full of kids and they think they're going to win so it it's bad my concern is the money that you're going to get of the we called it the surge when you guys do like a s checkpoint you put it where the bars are I hope that you're going to put these people in the same position or same places that we have the highest amount of AC that you're using at demographic to to place them and I hope every traffic judge and magistrate is watching this right now because you guys are failing this city so people are getting cited they're getting called into court and because of translation issues they're dismissing their cases and the people that they think it's a free ride so I'm challenging the mayor everybody up there tonight about a year ago this very day I spoke about towing cars being driven by non-licensed drivers and I think Jill and I had a little Spirit of debate and it actually come to culmination that it was discretionary you guys can end the discretion tonight you can create a emergency ordinance because you your Charter allows that you can say any vehicle driven by an unlicensed driver gets towed there isn't a single tow company in this city that won't accept the business if they got a rent space they'll rent space because if our courts aren't going to penalize and punish monetarily the people that are breaking the law you can by a toe bill you can fix it tonight I challenge you thank you thank you thank you please um actually Mark we cannot do that tonight because we only have three Commissioners just so you know emergency ordinance takes a super majority which is at least four so we'll continue on with answering some of the questions thank you glad you get yes so uh one of the questions was who have we advocated to and what benefit will that provide to our community and I'm sure the Commissioners will speak who they've talked to I know we have talked to numerous uh state and federal officials uh from cabinet level positions to uh our actual state representatives and uh Governor uh as you heard the governor did a press conference today um on the The Surge and I can add just to Mark's question it is a dated data driven enforcement so he they will be looking at as long as well with us and Clark County Sheriff it will be data driven so it'll be looked at those areas that are uh high high accident High crash uh issues intersections from red light cameras or red light running um and then also uh school zones so th that is it's a data driven approach uh from the state all the way down for that um and then at the federal level uh Congressman Turner uh has continue to come in and meet specifically with uh our schools in healthc care um and is helping us in drafting some uh Financial requests that will specifically so what will the benefit provide to our community one of the biggest challenges again and I know uh Mayor Rob Ru mentioned it in his opening uh comments was related to uh our overwhelmed Health Care system as well as uh our schools and the resources needed for our schools and so uh congressman Turner staff is working directly with us um to uh craft some uh requests that will help alleviate on the health care side as well as uh on our school resources um uh Senator shered Brown uh has worked with us I know cam his local rep has met with several uh individuals and has uh provided a couple different resources on housing specifically to look into and how to address some of the housing challenges and issues that face our community um and then uh Senator Vance as well I know has met and talked with uh different Commissioners his staff and so forth um as it relates to um the issues that we're facing as a community so again we've advocated to all of our state and federal officials and representatives had various meetings uh several meetings uh multiple meetings with all of them and also with their um specifically at the state level a lot of of their cabinet level positions uh particular to the funding the funding question I don't we're not foreseeing that the federal government's going to write us a large check to we're not looking for bailout money honestly we're looking for translation services help um I believe our school system has received not only federal funds and around 380 some thousand but through the state about 10 million that they need if you look at a uh our issues and concerns about the uh with the amount of folks here you could see it as a three part three-piece pie so you got school system health care and safety forces and so we still need assistance in our in our Healthcare and our safety forces and we're looking to help get to bridge that communication gap so any funding that would come in that we're specifically asking for is translation services uh again I don't see any like major checks being written from the federal government or even the state government but I do appreciate governor dwine and the safety director to help us go after the traffic concerns uh there was a question about when will houses be available and affordable so obviously we have more Housing Development and housing projects going on throughout our community than we've had uh at any other point in our history um and so uh a lot of those houses will come online uh throughout the coming years I mean Melody Parks as an example is a 5 to sevene uh buildout for that project uh we see projects like local developer clay Chester who's building uh apartment units throughout the community on former School sites and so forth we have have a affordable housing project that's being built over on the former Clark Middle School site right now that's a 40 unit development that should come online Pro I would guess by the end of the year first part of uh next year we know we need housing in our community we need housing across the Spectrum uh we need owner occupied units we need rental units we need affordable we need market rate um our housing stock is so out of balance right now inflationary pressures face everybody across the country but specifically here our supply and demand is so out of balance that that lack of Supply with high demand drives up cost we're seeing that in our community and those are the things that we're trying to address by adding as many units as possible into our community we we did not have until Bridgewater constructed uh starting 2018 2019 that was the first single family residential development of any scale in our community since the late 1980s uh Glenco and King gate were the last two that broke ground and that was in the late 1980s we went about 30 years without any true housing investment and so we're seeing that now we're trying to play catchup but we can't play catchup quick enough on that Supply demand U that's out of whack adults attending High School um uh with other regular students um I was able to really quick research and uh work with Bob hill our Superintendent at the school so thank you Bob uh the law requires them that they have to educate students up to the age of 22 now any student 18 or older that is credit deficient they do try to push towards GED or their Aspire uh program regardless of their race um he States the law is problematic and that we do our best to counsel prospective students to the appropriate path which in this case of that age above 18 is often not the school building itself I was going to have Chief Elliott uh make a a statement about just there was a comment about why is it taking so long to respond to 911 calls so if Chief Elliott would like to speak to that good evening mayor Ruth thank you good evening Commissioners uh so just to clarify a few things I think it will help understand the prioritization of our calls uh I'm not going to stand up here and harp on the fact that Staffing is a nationwide issue I I know we're tired of hearing excuses we're doing everything we can to recruit so I'm going to use this as an opportunity to recruit as well uh if if uh the city manager would be okay with me speaking about that uh we have been hiring and we are going through a current hiring process uh we're processing over 20 applicants now I will tell you that we are going through those Civil Service lists um fairly frequently so we're holding more tests more often so with that being said when there is an opportunity for the next test to come up um I ask you and everyone in this community to assist us with recruiting opportunities and recruit the people that you want serving you um please help us and get out there and recruit the officers that you want to see serving your community who are passionate about our community and committed to serving you and our community as far as the prioritization of calls goes when our dispatchers do receive calls uh there is a hierarchy and a prioritization um so it's not to say that your call is not a big deal to us that is um you know sometimes misunderstood but when there is a priority call or a dangerous situation the dispatcher will move that call up to a higher priority and have to send multiple officers to that call then creating additional um lag and response time for for other calls I will say if you do have a situation and you need to report it I'm going to give you a couple phone numbers and some additional additional Avenues to call and report to us if you do need to make a police report a number you can call is our information officer it's 937 324 7685 the non-emergency dispatch number is 937 324 7680 and I do ask that you please try to utilize that and one thing I I also would ask of you as our community to help us and to partner with us is if you have a situation where you haven't heard back from us or if there's a situation where you need to follow up and maybe we haven't gotten back in contact with you please call us uh you know sometimes there are things that come up um and there are prioritization of calls that do come up so please don't hesitate to call us back and reach out to us I know there's a lot of questions about that uh we want to be transparent with you and we want to get these questions answered uh and we understand that you know call times can can be challenging and it's not an excuse but Staffing does come into play to that uh you know we're we're doing everything we can to continue to recruit but I urge you to please assist us and help us out with that there's wonderful people in this community who care and they're they're trying hard and they and I see the officers every single day and the work they're putting in uh the hours that they're putting in you see the officers that are here tonight uh they've also worked very long shifts uh they are committed to serving you and they're committed to serving you to the best of of their ability and as your police chief that's my job to make sure I'm transparent with you and I'm accountable to you and I hear your concerns they do not fall on deaf ears we will continue to do everything we can to be committed and and do better and be better because there's always opportunities and room for improvement so I appreciate that as far as uh sorry Mr Heck if there's anything else that you wanted to make sure that I addressed before no I guess uh if you want to add anything I'll I'll make a statement because the next question is related to gun violence in our community and what's happening there as well as drug overdoses so you heard the uh about the drug court tonight and trying to uh get at the root cause of a lot of the uh uh drug issues in our community and in addressing the variety of factors that impact and lead to potentially drug overdoses uh and then on gun violence several weeks ago we had um Caleb Perkins here and he gave a presentation as the gun violence prevention coordinator uh as we work as a collaborative effort including uh the police chief and judges and so forth to address gun violence specifically youth gun violence in our community um and so a lot of efforts are going in and working in our community uh through a collaborative approach because it's not going to be able to be um fixed by doing it in a vacuum alone we need to work with a variety of Community Partners and that's what's happened here I don't know if you want to add to that absolutely so uh we've had several meetings here recently specifically we have officers who are on uh different uh initiatives and and different Federal we have different Federal Partnerships so for example I met with uh the in Dayton recently for the sofast which is this uh Southern Ohio fugitive apprehension Strike Team uh it's a team that's made up of Task Force officers and uh the United States Marshall service we partner with them we have an officer who works with them uh it's it's an effort in locating um individuals who are fleeing from their uh violent charges uh violent criminal charges uh we had meetings here recently uh with several folks in in Dayton and they have continued to offer their additional Services we will continue to partner with our federal uh agencies for all of that assistance because as you know uh together we're always better and if you know we're dealing with different uh staffing issues we're going to make sure that we enhance those collaborative Partnerships in addition to that I know the city manager and mayor Rose spoke about the initiative with the Department of Public Safety I'm grateful for director Wilson and governor dwine and they're offering their assistance uh with us as far as the Ohio State Highway Patrol so they will be able to help address many of these um traffic issues and challenges that all of you have raised to us and we appreciate their assistance in that thank you and then there was a question specific on insurance rates and I just want to speak to um so we have seen car insurance rates have increased across most of the US just in the last couple years but Ohio has seen the second steepest rise uh in that um and so some factors that are laid out why in Ohio specifically have we seen this car repairs have gotten more expensive um certainly um if you've taken your car to a shop um those car costs those repairs have increased significantly from labor to Parts Etc um and of course having accidents and more accidents leads to more and more car repairs which continues just to drive that up uh the price of cars in general has skyrocketed so to cover the price of those Vehicles we've all seen during Co if you tried to buy a used car the price of used cars uh throughout the Ohio and the country uh increased significantly and then one of the other major factors that's playing in specifically in Ohio uh is motor vehicle thefts uh because motor vehicle thefts in Ohio have increased significantly uh Ohio actually ranks seventh in the country for motor vehicle thefts and certainly covering the full cost of that theft of a vehicle uh adds to an increase uh in those rates so yes we are seeing sign significant increases in in insurance rates a lot of it goes to the cost of repairs and so forth but also you're sending your car for repairs when they're uh involved in an accident and so forth and so uh certainly accidents lead to those higher rates as well and has increased that in Ohio specifically um and then there was a talk about a hom plan um I'll just uh state that I've directed our community development director uh Logan Cobbs to to work with Community Partners and providers specifically to work to develop that strategy uh since the uh the plan of the executive and so forth has uh that was on the table was not approved and so working with our Community Partners and our service providers to develop a a strategy of how to address the concerns that we talk about uh with the the P upcoming winter and so again working with our community development director and uh those direct service providers will be key in working towards a solution to address the homelessness situation um I know we uh talked a little bit about the driver's education program but I want to have Jason just speak a little bit again just to the three classes the number of participants the simulators and so forth and how we're trying trying to Advocate to get additional support and assistance in um in those driver education classes and get more people into them sure as far as the attendance on those classes uh the numbers have increased with every course we've offered the first two were over the winter so they weren't you know too well attended the 20 25 people each time and then there were 50 in the spring course that we offered um that is that is completely free it's completely open to anybody in the Community who wants to attend or feels like maybe they can you know use some more education on the driving um we also have simulators available uh again to everybody for use and um we're going to be coordinating with Clark State hopefully here in the near future to offer a more uh regular align of course thank you uh one of the questions is what if the letter works so the letter that we've asked you to to send to our state you know uh mayor Ru mentioned about language services and translation services and so forth the hospital alone Mercy Health is going to spend $1.2 million in 2024 uh in translation services that those are dollars that are not reimbursable uh to them as the hospital those are dollars that are being expended that are not able to go to Direct Services the rocking horse uh which is our federally qualified Health Center they're going to spend over a half a million dollars in 24 in translation services and those are again costs that are not reimbursable to them those are dollars that cannot go into the actual Health Service itself uh so working with them on language translation uh to be able to offset some of those costs uh the driver's education like Jason talked about is working with the state uh to continue uh to offer opportunities for classes uh Women's Health Services that is a key area too that Mercy Health and rocking horse are working towards to improve uh and strength the Women's Health Services that exist in our community uh for everyone and so uh trying to uh receive assistance uh at the federal level and the state level um you know Governor dwine mentioned today uh specifically about money coming uh to help with that Health Care system and access to primary care which we all know is the entry point uh for all of our medical needs um and so uh we're seeing um some benefit from those meetings and letters already uh by our state and federal officials providing us assistance and providing dollars to help assist uh our community with those challenges that we do face uh when we see an increase in our population and so helping with our infrastructure on the health care our school resources um and uh you know uh First Responders and so forth uh police statistics um so that was mentioned tonight uh unfortunately I'll say one of the the challenges is we use the o leg the Ohio reporting system and it's not uh it works it's adequate but it's not the most robust system in terms of reporting and so what the data that we're trying to provide right now uh just illustrates the top 10 uh calls for service in that respective month the calls for service in that respective month as it compares to those different calls for services and then also the total calls for the entire year uh we are working with the county right now uh with the combined dispatch system there's opportunities for the spilman flex system which will offer a more robust uh reporting system and that more robust Reporting System allows us then to pull out uh better data as well uh we use the ners which is National incident-based Reporting System I hope I got that right Chief um and so um you know we want to make sure that the data is uh clear and understandable and so right now what you see is just the top 10 uh cases or the top 10 calls for service during that month in time um and then we're hoping as we work with the county to have that more robust access to that reporting system through spilman Flex uh that we're able to provide even more detail we want to provide information and as much information and data as possible um youth-based initiative so uh just comment on that that that's something so the specific question or the comment was the action plan as it wait related to Community Development block grant funding um that is something we're continually looking at our action plan and how we can procure we're actually uh last meeting our commission uh procured a contract with grow America uh grow America has experience and expertise in how to best utilize your cdbg dollars in your community under the guides uh the guidance and the guidelines set forth and required by Hud the Housing and Urban Development uh department and so we're hoping that we can continue to create a more robust program to best utilize those cdbg dollars in our community um then it was talked uh specifically about my uh salary I I'd be happy to provide a comparison to you of city managers we're the 12th largest city uh in Ohio so I can provide you a list that I'm pretty much in the average of What city managers make especially cities are size and uh specifically Cleveland was mentioned Cleveland does not have a city manager they are a strong mayor uh form of government so they don't actually have a city manager um so again I can provide that list and make it available on the website no problem doing that um what's interesting I did quick research and actually the lieutenant government Governor makes more than the governor in the state of Ohio which is interesting so uh and then I think the last one oh there was a question about in the court in cases being dismissed uh as it related to translation services and so I was going to ask Jill Allen if she wants to speak to the translation services in the court and and the connection there with dismissed cases Mark I can say that I'm not familiar with any case having been dismissed for interpretation um we have I believe up to five interpreters now at municipal court and probably more would be needed to so since those interpretation Services came online cases are are being as far as um resolved I would say not dismissed and the other um comment I think it was ay you made a comment earlier just about resolution that was a 2014 resolution if you recall that that resolution is temporary nature so it expresses a policy do you remember your comment about a um resolution from 2014 so that was temporary nature a resolution by its nature is temporary so that means it expresses the policy decision of a certain governing body um unlike an ordinance which is a law that is a long-term it's a long-term decision to make an ordinance it's a law right it's temporary in nature so it's not it's not a probably you could even say as soon as you get a new governing body it's not it's not permanent resolutions are very temporary by their nature unlike a law that is written into effect yep I have your contact information from your card so I'll reach out to you too and explain that further and then just a reminder um so uh utilize the QR code again I have several that have come in already tonight which is great um and we will provide answers to those questions as you come in and again I want to emphasize you don't have to wait till two weeks from now for the next commission meeting if you have questions please reach out to me reach out to to staff we want to be able to inform you we want to be able to provide information uh to your questions so thank you commission comments yes I have several I wanted to also mention about the homeless situation that the um the local stakeholders have come back together and are reconvening to go through a plan again um an update a plan that was presented back in February so uh the providers have come back together and um I spoke to Brian about that earlier as well to keep him updated on what I had known uh as we pass the torch on to Logan and um I wanted to um mention to Jason um maybe it would be possible if we created some type of list of services to share out I know there was like just recently people were asking like where do I go for the driving classes so so much is just communication right and they're looking for us to guide that so even if it's like on our social media just sharing that out so everyone knows we are doing this and this is where the resources are same with language I mean what we have right absolutely that that information is available and we can link to it on our site perfect um registering to vote yep uh the round table for the youth youth initiative that the um yes let's go we got Jossie right here right here I'm in okay and then um Kathy's law I'm also in and helping you just get a hold of me okay and then I'm meeting tomorrow with um Caleb we talked about the gun violence I actually meet him tomorrow if there's anything that you want asked of him that I can get to him at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow you can email me it's tacket at Springfield ohio.gov I'd be happy to pass that along U Mark totally makes sense on placement I think that's it should be a given on where we put put those at um and you know I I remember being in a conversation recently as we were talking about youth because that's still going on right the gun violence is even though we're juggling so many things that is still very important in this community and it it is a priority for our Police Department as well um I wanted to say like sometimes like information again communication just because you're here and you hear at one time it has to keep going I mean I have a marketing background we have to keep sharing it over and over again because the right people may not be here to listen to it right so when we talk about um the youth I mentioned to Jill like we actually have a curfew in place and and it it was like in the '90s that it was announced and I guarantee you nobody would know that now right because we were kids then so just even just if News and Sun could pick that up and just kind of put that back out there also just little reminders about hey stop at the bus you know like just suggestions communication just seems to be um broken down often and we can improve that there's always room for growth uh I also want to say happy birthday to Chief Allison Elliot who is here with us tonight celebrating her birthday you knew I was going to get you and then the last thing I want to say is now that we're thrown into a national presidential campaign I highly recommend and maybe it's the city that can help with this but research and share resources and information on media literacy to help find accurate information and share verified facts by our our local experts in our community to cut down on misinformation there are resources out there and I hope that maybe we can pick some of that up Karen's really good at communication maybe that's something that also we can put out there and educate the public on thank you yeah I have several as well um it the first or second comment tonight was uh regarding the ordinance um passed in 2014 uh about welcome America um I will just State again and I I just double checked if you go to welcoming America's website and you type in Ohio um the only cities that are um part of the welcoming America program are Columbus akan Dayton Toledo kyoga County and Lucas County Springfield and Clark County are not on here um so I just wanted to clarify that again and um would there be any effect if we rescinded that ordinance no it's what I was trying to explain it's temporary in nature so that means resolution I'm sorry the resolution means it's temporary so that means the moment it's expressed it's just an opinion it's something of support there is no need to have a sunset provision because it's not lasting okay thank you um and then the next question or the next comment I wanted to address um someone asked about Brian's salary and I saw the same article in the news sun and I was a little surprised but so I did a little bit of digging on it um and I just pulled some quick data from neighboring communities that have the same um form of government as we do a council manager form of government um and just to give you an example like I'll take ketering it's smaller kering is smaller than us population wise especially now um their city manager makes $236,000 a year their police chief makes $153,000 a year and they have 197 people that make over $100,000 so and then I'd also like to add that um Brian oversees almost 600 people in his day-to-day job and his job doesn't end from 8 to 5 if there's something that happens just like Chief Elliott uh he's working long hours sometimes overnight all the time on the weekends so I did want to bring that point up as well I just want to appreciate everybody uh coming and taking time to be here um and also those that spoke truth and are passionate for the community which were many of you and just know that the commission does care about the community and working hard to uh make sure that these concerns are heard and are addressed so I I appreciate you being here uh we're going to go ahead and take a quick break and then we're going to go into our business meeting thank you so much we'll just take a two or three minute break e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e real quick could we um approve the minutes from last meeting we still need to do that is there a motion to approve minutes from last meeting so moved second it's been moved and seconded clerk call the role uh Mrs hon yes Mrs tet yes Mr Ru yes okay go ahead and proceed with first readings yes providing for supplemental Appropriations with very ious funds confirming purchases and obtaining of services for the city and providing for payments therefore providing for the issuance and sale of notes in the maximum principal amount of $6 million in anticipation of the issuance of bonds for the purpose of paying the cost for improving the municipal fire safety facilities by constructing Furnishing and equipping a new fire station and otherwise improving the site therefore together with all necessary apperances there too amending ordinance number 9190 passed March 12 1991 and commonly known as the codified ordinances of the City of Springfield Ohio by amending by amending certain provisions of section 185. n entitled unused vacation authorizing the city manager to enter into an intergovernmental agreement by and between the City of Springfield Ohio and the board of Clark County Commissioners in connection with the West Home Road and St Paris Pike Paving project confirming and approving acceptance of an easement and dedicating those certain rights in real estate for the purpose of constructing reconstructing operating and maintaining storm water management facilities confirming and approving change order number one to the contract between the city and Bricks Incorporated for the installation and maintenance of a fire station alerting system to increase the contract in an amount not to exceed $115,000 for a total amount not to exceed $438,900 for the initial 5-year term and authorizing the city manager to execute said change order number one authorizing the city manager to enter into a development incentive agreement non-residential development with Christian Brothers Meat Company LLC to provide for water and sewer services to real property outside the city limits approving updated roadway names in the melody Parks subdivision providing for the appointment of Sarah a Gillis to the position of Deputy City Clerk and one item added to the agenda thank you authorizing the city manager to enter into an amendment with the rump P of Ohio Incorporated for trash pickup at various City facilities to exercise the option to renew to modify the service locations to I'm sorry pleas start over please authorizing the city manager to enter into an amendment with rumpy of Ohio Incorporated for trash pickup at various City facilities to exercise the option to renew and to modify the service locations for an amount not to exceed $35,000 and declaring an emergency therein yes so that resolution um because it's a resolution will be voted on tonight uh for that trash pickup service so uh we can either go ahead and take that vote and then come back to First reading since she's read the item or we can uh come back and read it again actually a first reading uh it's a resolution though um yeah do we need to adjust the a agenda oh okay that's the tax rate one okay folks oh you're fine okay can you explain anything in the first readings maybe give us some more details uh before we ask for commission questions or comments yes I want to uh speak specifically to the uh providing for the issuance and sale of notes I'll ask Katie to speak to the actual note issuance but um so in the maximum principal principal amount of $6 million uh for a fire station this is for the third fire station that we will construct over on North Thompson Avenue on the west end of our community this will replace current station five um and so we are out to bid right now for that station uh and award that contract by the end of the year uh what's unique about this station is uh it will also be home to box 27 uh so box 27 is a nonprofit organization that assists and helps and filling air tanks and providing meals and drinks and so forth when we're responding to uh calls for service specifically fires and so just a very beneficial they don't really have a true home right now and this will give them a dedicated Bay uh at this station so that's exciting about this station and trying to utilize and maximize it to the most efficient effective means uh Katie if you want to speak real quick to the note yes commissioner so the note that we are issuing is for $6 million um for a total of $7.5 million is the estimate currently for that fire station we will be putting that out to bid um here within the next month or two um that $6 million we will come back and roll that into a bond in the first quarter of 2025 we are predicting that the interest rate for this um $6 million um will be 5% with a payment of $175,000 next year for the fire station we are debt financing $6 million $1.5 million will be um the American Rescue plan act dollars allocated to the city thank you and then I'd also just like to call attention to the uh intergovernmental agreement so this speaks to the partnership between the city and the county specifically the county Engineers office um so when a road is paved that's in the county but has sections of it in the city and vice versa when there's roadways within the city uh that were sections fall in the county we do try to help each other in those costs in the city areas versus um the just County areas and vice versa and so this in uh specifically impacted West Home Road so the county paved West Home Road and portions of West Home Road are within the city and so we will reimburse the county for that work and we paved under a city contract St Paris Pike uh and so parts of that fall within the county and so again the county offsetting those costs uh that we incur together so just that partnership uh and working together to make sure that we're continuing to work to pave roadways throughout our [Music] community any other uh questions or coming ments from Commissioners from the audience okay clerk would you go ahead and proceed with second reading resolution resending and replacing resolution 6145 approving a petition for the creation of the Springfield Regional energy special improvement district and for special assessments for special energy Improvement projects and a Springfield Regional energy special improvement district program plan and resolution 6146 approving the necessity of acquiring constructing and improving certain public improvements in the city don't move second been moved and seconded your comments from Commissioners from the audience cler call the role Mrs hon yes Mrs tet yes Mr R yes approving a petition for special assessments for energy Improvement projects and a Springfield Regional energy special improvement district supplemental plan supplement to plan for 2018 and 2020 East Main Street Springfield Ohio project and declaring the necessity of acquiring constructing and improving certain public improvements in the city no move second been moved and seconded are there comments from Commissioners from the audience clerk call the rooll Mrs tacket yes Mrs HST yes Mr Ru yes vacating the first alley Northeast of Johnny Lidle Avenue from Montgomery Avenue also known as rebert Pike West to the intersecting north south alley moved second been moved and seconded are the comments from Commissioners from the audience clerk Colo Mrs HST yes Mrs tet yes Mr Ru yes determining to proceed with the acquisition construction and Improvement of certain public improvements at 404 East mcry Avenue in the City of Springfield Ohio in cooperation with the Springfield Regional energy special improvement district so moveed second it's been moved and seconded are there comments from Commissioners from the audience clerk call the rooll Mrs tet yes Mrs HST yes Mr Rue yes loving special assessments for the purpose of acquiring constructing and improving certain public improvements at 404 East mcry Avenue in the City of Springfield in cooperation with the Springfield Regional energy special improvement district so moved second it's been moved and seconded are the comments from Commissioners from the audience clerk caller roll Mrs hon yes Mrs tet yes Mr Ru yes determining to proceed with the acquisition construction and Improvement of certain public improvements at 2018 and 2020 East Main Street in the City of Springfield Ohio in cooperation with the Springfield Regional energy special improvement district so moved second it's been moved in second any other comments from Commissioners from the audience clerk holl Mrs tacket yes Mrs HST yes Mr Ru yes levying special assessments for the purpose of acquiring constructing and improving certain public improvements at 2018 and 2020 East Main Street in the City of Springfield in cooperation with the Springfield Regional energy special improvement district it move second moved in seconded other comments from Commissioners from the audience clerk call the rooll Mrs hon yes Mrs tet yes Mr Ru yes authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract with Tony Smith doing business as Tony Smith wrecking and trucking for the demolition of up to 37 specific Parcels for an amount not to exceed $351,500 moved it's been moved in seconded are the comments from Commissioners on the audience clerk H roll Mrs hon yes Mrs tet yes Mr Ru yes authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract with Lorenzo Anderson doing business as all things truck hauling and dumpsters LLC for nuisance abatement Services as needed by the city for a period of one year with an option to renew for one additional one-year period for an amount not to exceed $50,000 no move second been moved and seconded are the comments from Commissioners on the audience clar call the rooll Mrs hon yes Mrs tacket yes Mr Ru yes authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract Gary with Gary Gilbert Jr doing business as Gilbert's lawn service or nuisance abatement Services as needed by the city for a period of one year with an option to renew for one additional one-year period for an amount not to exceed $50,000 no moved second it's been moved and seconded are the comments from Commissioners from the audience clerk call the roll Mrs tet yes Mrs hon yes Mr Ru yes authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract with omac hauling Incorporated for nuisance abatement Services as needed by the city for a peri period of one year with an option to renew for one additional one-year period for an amount not to exceed $50,000 so moved second been moved and seconded are the comments from Commissioners on the audience clerk call the rooll Mrs tet yes Mrs HST yes Mr Ru yes authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract with Samuel e Whitaker senior doing business as Whitaker hauling or nuisance abatement Services as needed by the city for a period of one year with an option to renew for a one additional oneyear period for an amount not to exceed $50,000 some of second it's been moved and seconded other comments from Commissioners from the audience clerk caller roll Mrs hon yes Mrs takit yes Mr Ru yes authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract with Alexander Chemical Corporation for the purchase of liquid chlorine for use by the city's water treatment plant for an ount not to exceed $114,000 move second and moved and seconded are comments from Commissioners from the audience clerk call the rooll Mrs HST yes Mrs tacket yes Mr Ruth yes authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract with rumy of Ohio Incorporated for the city's 2024 collection of bagged leaves program for an amount not to exceed $7 77,78 so move second and move and seconded you want to uh repeat those dates for us yes commission the bag leaf pickup dates are November 23rd and December 14th so please have your bags placed out uh at the curb the night before to make sure that everything's picked up thank you from the audience clerk call the rooll Mrs tet yes Mrs hon yes Mr Rue yes accepting the amounts and rates allocated to the city of Springfield Ohio is determined by the budget Commission of Clark County Ohio authorizing the necessary tax levies providing for the C certification of this resolution and the tax levies to the county auditor of Clark County Ohio so move second it's been moved in seconded are the comments from Commissioners I just wanted to State this is the one reading resolution uh that is we can vote on tonight even with three uh Commissioners present uh and the necessity is because by October 1st uh we have to have the rates and millages accepted uh for the property taxes impacts our police Levy fund uh a police fire pension fund and the conserv Conservancy District funding U one thing a lot of people uh confuse is we are uh dependent on the income tax we do receive a little bit of property tax uh 4.08 Ms but actually only three Mills actually come to us for operating which is the police Levy fund thank you comments from the audience or call the rooll Mrs HST yes Mrs tacket yes Mr Ru yes new items okay was that moved new items got moved to the beginning did we read them um the new um there were several items moved well there were two items moved to first readings the moral OBS and supplementals were the first two first readings and then the um nuisance abatements the four of those were moved back to the second reading list okay and um item 25024 which was the emergency resolution was moved to the resolution which you just voted on awesome thanks for the explanation announcement from Commissioners um I just want to thank the community I know a lot of people left but I do want to thank the community for staying engaged in um our local government I do enjoy listening to people that come in and offer up Positive Solutions and ideas um and collaboration to help our city grow in a great way um I encourage that and um I will continue to advocate for the city um and the citizens of the city so again thank you to the citizens that stay engaged I appre appreciate it I learn a lot from you please keep uh engaged thank we all learn a lot and I appreciate that oh go ahead um yeah I just wanted to say um that we've had a lot going on in the past week but or the past few days um but just wanted to bring um awareness to uh the 23rd anniversary tomorrow of 911 um and just remember all the innocent lives that were lost that day I know that day definitely changed my life my my dad uh deployed to Afghanistan um after and just wanted to say you know how thankful we are for the First Responders in military yes so much okay is there a motion to adjourn the meeting moved second it's been moved in second call the role Mrs Mrs hon yes Mrs tet yes Mr Ru yes thank you for coming