Written by the reviewer from the ASR + docket; [verbatim-ASR] = quoted machine transcript; [paraphrase] = reviewer's wording, not a quote.
0:00 All right, we will call to order
0:02 the June 15th meeting of council.
0:05 If you're able, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.
0:24 Now pause for a moment of silence.
0:34 Madam Clerk, please call the roll.
0:36 Vice President Baker.
0:38 Council Member Bixenstein.
0:40 Council Member Bullock.
0:42 Council Member Evans.
0:45 Council Member Hamilton-Steiner.
0:47 Council Member Striebig.
0:48 Reading and disposal of the minutes
0:50 of the regular meeting of council
0:51 held June 1st, 2026.
0:55 Move to approve without the necessity of a reading.
0:58 Motion's been made and seconded.
1:04 And that motion passes.
1:05 Item one, report from committee of the whole meeting
1:07 held today, June 15th, 2026.
1:11 Colleagues, committee of the whole met earlier
1:13 this evening to go through the remaining
1:16 charter amendments that were before committee of the whole.
1:21 We voted to table the two rank choice voting amendments.
1:26 Council members noted that although many of us
1:29 support rank choice voting,
1:31 the particular situation we find ourselves in
1:35 is untenable and would potentially confuse voters
1:39 to place them on the docket before them at this time.
1:43 So we're looking to move forward
1:45 with the other three ordinances,
1:48 which are ordinance 16, 2026,
1:52 that would, referring to elected official salaries,
1:57 that would change the frequency
1:59 with which civil service reviews elected official salaries
2:02 that ordinance was amended
2:04 and referred favorably back to full council.
2:15 adds requirements to the process
2:17 by which council appoints new members to fill a vacancy.
2:20 So it codifies our current practice
2:22 of holding a call for applicants,
2:27 and then appointing,
2:31 it does change the date structure for that
2:35 so that if there is a lengthy vacancy,
2:39 as recently happened when council member Shackner
2:41 stuck down of more than two years,
2:44 we amended that language
2:47 so that whether or not there is a primary,
2:49 so should rank choice voting be adopted in the future,
2:52 that voters would not need to come back
2:55 to this section of the code.
2:58 So we're trying to lay some pathways there
2:59 so if we come back to rank choice voting
3:03 or when we come back to rank choice voting,
3:07 that those will not be needed to be amended.
3:10 And then ordinance 19, 2026 was also,
3:15 in ordinance 17, 2026 as amended
3:17 was referred favorably back to full council.
3:22 which is establish a process
3:24 and requirement for ward redistricting
3:26 in the city of language was amended.
3:29 So that establishes best practices
3:32 such as wards being contiguous
3:35 and set by natural boundaries.
3:37 And we added in language regarding running north south
3:41 and being bordered by the,
3:44 or essentially running north south,
3:45 one element being by the lake
3:47 and one by the south southern border.
3:49 So that was ordinance 19, 2026
3:51 was also referred favorably back to full council.
3:54 And then ordinance 21 and 27
3:57 regarding rank choice voting were tabled at this time.
4:02 And with that, I will move to receive
4:05 and file that report from committee of the whole.
4:08 Motion's been made and seconded.
4:15 And that motion passes.
4:19 Actually, without objection,
4:21 let's move items four and five to the top.
4:26 Item four, communication from council member
4:27 Hamilton Steiner and President Keppel
4:29 regarding Juneteenth National Independence Day.
4:33 Councilwoman Hamilton Steiner?
4:36 Thank you, President Keppel.
4:37 Dear colleagues, Juneteenth became
4:39 a federally recognized holiday in June, 2021.
4:43 And this year's Juneteenth National Independence Day
4:45 will mark the sixth celebration of Juneteenth on Lakewood.
4:49 Juneteenth, which can also be referred to
4:51 as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day,
4:54 or the Second Independence Day,
4:56 marks the date when federal troops
4:57 came to Galveston, Texas
4:58 and informed the last of the enslaved
5:01 that they were free.
5:03 This occurred two and a half years
5:04 after the Emancipation Proclamation.
5:07 Juneteenth is a time for celebrating freedom,
5:09 but it's also time to remember the suffering
5:12 and contributions made by the enslaved.
5:14 It is also a time to reflect on the existing conditions
5:17 of the black community
5:18 and the still existing systems of oppression
5:20 which caused the enslavement of fellow human beings.
5:23 It is a time for hope and to look forward to the future
5:26 and continue a path forward
5:28 to achieve liberation for us all.
5:30 For none of us are truly free until we all are free.
5:34 We encourage all in the community
5:35 to celebrate and reflect on Juneteenth.
5:37 The community is invited
5:39 to join Madison Court Community Coalition, MC3,
5:42 and Lakewood Black Caucus, LBC,
5:45 to celebrate together block party style
5:47 on Saturday, June 20th at the courts of Madison Park
5:50 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
5:51 All are invited and welcome to come out
5:53 and celebrate the community.
5:56 I will move to receive and file that communication.
6:00 Motion's been made and seconded,
6:01 and I just wanna thank Councilman Hamilton Steiner
6:04 for leading us in this effort again.
6:07 Proud to be a co-sponsor.
6:08 As always, and grateful to our community partners
6:12 at Madison Court Community Coalition
6:14 and Lakewood Black Caucus
6:16 for hosting this now annual event
6:19 that is always a great time
6:21 and very meaningful to have in our community.
6:24 Other council members?
6:26 Councilwoman Strubed.
6:33 Major General Gordon Granger
6:36 ordered the final enforcement
6:39 of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas
6:41 years after the end of the Civil War.
6:45 People were freed from some things,
6:47 but many were still not free to do some other things.
6:52 As I reflect again this year
6:54 on the difference between freedom from and freedom to.
6:59 Freedom from enslavement
7:01 was won with the Emancipation Proclamation
7:05 Freedom to was then very much under attack
7:09 with Jim Crow laws, job discriminations, and redlining.
7:14 I consider the world in which people gain
7:17 and lose freedoms and oppressions.
7:19 Freedoms from oppressors.
7:22 Freedom from religious persecution.
7:24 Freedoms to love and live authentically.
7:28 Freedom of self-governance and home rule.
7:32 And I can only conclude that those oppressors
7:34 only know sorrow, hate, and neglect.
7:37 So I recommit to lifting all people
7:40 and giving love and forgiveness
7:42 without forgetting where we've been
7:45 and the work that we will continue
7:47 until we are all free to go where we want to go,
7:51 do what we want to do, and live how we want to live.
7:55 I'm happy to again support this resolution
7:57 to recognize this important federal holiday Juneteenth
8:00 with the African-American community
8:02 and all of our diverse neighbors here in Lakewood.
8:08 Other council members?
8:10 Council Member Evans.
8:12 Thank you, President Keppel.
8:14 Proud as always to stand with my colleagues
8:16 and support this certainly important day.
8:19 And I am thankful to Council President Hamilton-Steiner
8:23 particularly and to President Keppel
8:24 for bringing this before us.
8:25 So thank you each and very happy to support this.
8:29 Council Member Bixenstein.
8:31 Thank you, President Keppel,
8:33 and thank you to you and Council President Hamilton-Steiner
8:36 for bringing this momentous holiday
8:37 to the forefront of our minds
8:40 where it should be this time of year
8:41 and really throughout the year.
8:44 I've been fortunate enough to be able to watch
8:48 Madison Court Community Coalition
8:49 kind of grow and evolve over the last five years.
8:53 And I have a great deal of admiration
8:55 for the work they've done,
8:57 both the grassroots work to strive for equity
9:01 and also to advocate on behalf of the park
9:05 and park improvements at Madison.
9:08 And this celebration is always a special occasion,
9:11 Juneteenth celebration by MC3.
9:13 And I look forward to attending on Saturday.
9:18 Other council members?
9:20 Council Member Book.
9:21 Thanks, Madam Chair.
9:22 And thanks to my colleagues
9:23 for keeping the celebration of Juneteenth
9:27 and demarcating, that's not a good word,
9:30 marking the holiday annually.
9:33 It's new, it should have been acknowledged years before.
9:36 I think I see members of the community
9:38 who are on the front lines of organizing
9:41 our celebration of the Lakewood.
9:42 Thanks for doing that.
9:44 It really is true, freedom is not complete,
9:47 independence is not complete in America
9:54 And really it's ongoing, so thank you
9:58 all for participating and for continuing that important work.
10:07 Vice President Pick.
10:08 Just happy to support this
10:09 and thank my colleagues for bringing it forward.
10:13 All right, so we have a motion and a second
10:16 to receive and file the communication.
10:19 Any further discussion?
10:21 All those in favor?
10:23 And that motion passes.
10:25 Item five, resolution 202635.
10:28 It's a resolution to honor Juneteenth
10:30 National Independence Day
10:31 and spread awareness of Juneteenth as a federal holiday
10:34 to respect the significance of June 19th, 1865,
10:37 the date on which federal troops arrived
10:39 in Galveston, Texas to free the last of the enslaved
10:42 people, which occurred two and a half years
10:44 after the Emancipation Proclamation.
10:48 Motion's been made and seconded.
10:51 Councilwoman Hamilton-Steiner.
10:52 Thank you, President Keppel.
10:54 The Emancipation Proclamation,
10:55 as Councilwoman Striebeck has said,
10:58 of 1863 did not fully liberate the enslaved
11:01 across what was the United States of America.
11:03 It would take Union troops arriving in Galveston, Texas
11:06 on June 19th, 1865 as the last of the enslaved Texans,
11:10 which totaled around 250,000 were informed
11:14 of their freedom from forced enslavement
11:16 and it would take the ratification
11:18 of the 13th Amendment on December 6th, 1865
11:22 for slavery to be abolished in this country,
11:25 except as a punishment for crime.
11:28 Juneteenth has been largely celebrated as early as 1866
11:33 when free Texans organized a first annual Jubilee Day
11:38 In 1979, Texas became the first state
11:40 to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday.
11:43 In 2021, Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday
11:46 when President Joe Biden signed it into law on June 17th,
11:52 And then in Lakewood,
11:53 we celebrated its first Juneteenth celebration
11:56 since the federally recognized holiday
11:58 with Madison Court Community Coalition, MC3
12:00 and Lakewood Black Caucus organizing community events
12:04 to honor this celebration
12:05 and they have been doing that.
12:08 there can be a variety of versions of America.
12:11 One for rich, one for poor,
12:13 one for educated, one for non-educated,
12:15 one for able-bodied, one for those not as able-bodied,
12:19 one for old, one for young,
12:21 one for black, one for white, and so on and so forth.
12:25 And to intersect with these truths,
12:26 we have two independence days,
12:28 one celebrating the founding of this nation,
12:30 which when founded excluded many and enslaved thousands
12:34 and the other celebrating and honoring the freeing
12:37 of that last enslaved in Texas.
12:42 the founding of the United States of America
12:44 with the Declaration of Independence, June 19th, 1865.
12:50 The last of the enslaved in the Confederacy,
12:52 the state of Texas, are freed.
12:54 And it's possible to celebrate both.
12:57 One representing the ideal of who we could be,
13:01 the other representing the reality of who we are,
13:06 The Juneteenth flag created in 1997 by Ben Hafe,
13:10 founder of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation,
13:13 is red, saved, blacks, are in fact Americans.
13:17 The stars is the new horizon for hope.
13:19 The stars are not to Texas
13:21 where Juneteenth was first celebrated.
13:23 The burst outside the star,
13:25 the star represents a new beginning.
13:28 And that is that new beginning
13:29 that we all need to continue to strive for.
13:36 Any further comments, discussion?
13:40 All right, hang on.
13:41 Do we have anyone signed in to speak on this?
13:43 No, did anyone want to speak on this?
13:45 Yep, come on, on Juneteenth.
13:47 Okay, we'll give you time to speak about the other.
13:54 Jessica, do you want to come up?
13:55 All right, come on up.
13:57 Push the button so it turns green.
13:59 We're having trouble with the clock,
14:00 but I'm sure you'll probably
14:01 won't go more than five minutes, all right, so.
14:04 Okay, can you hear me?
14:05 Okay, so this is gonna be quick,
14:07 but I just want to say thank you
14:08 for recognizing this holiday every year.
14:11 It's very important with our history
14:13 that just recognizing Lakewood
14:15 is about the community and everything.
14:19 All right, anyone else want to speak on this topic?
14:23 Yep, yep, coming up, Nathan.
14:33 All right, hello, can you hear me?
14:37 Yes, thank you for doing this now and every year,
14:43 and to councilperson Hamilton Steiner
14:48 and all the things she said.
14:50 It is the whole reason we come together
14:56 to put on these community block parties
14:59 to show that no matter the color of your skin,
15:03 no matter what altar you worship at,
15:06 no matter what country you're from
15:09 or your descendants may be from,
15:11 we all come together.
15:13 We all eat the food, we all listen to the music,
15:15 we all have a great time,
15:17 and that's the whole point.
15:20 And so thank you very much for the recognition
15:22 and for everything you do.
15:26 Thank you, and back at you.
15:27 We really appreciate Madison Court Communication Coalition
15:31 and Jessica for your work on
15:33 LCRAC and Anti-Racism Task Force, so thank you.
15:36 Okay, any further discussion?
15:39 All right, after I presume we will adopt this,
15:42 we'll do a picture down front,
15:43 and if you'd like to come up and join us,
15:45 and we have a copy of the ceremonial resolution.
15:47 All right, so we have a motion and a second to adopt.
15:50 All those in favor, aye, and that motion passes.
15:52 All right, we'll do a quick photo down front.
17:30 Item number two, resolution 202632,
17:34 a resolution to take effect immediately,
17:36 appointing two volunteer citizens to serve
17:39 on the Community Reinvestment Area Housing Council.
17:42 So this one we need to fill in the appointees on.
17:51 We have two very qualified applicants,
17:55 so I would like to move to a point
17:57 to fill in the appointee slots with,
18:02 yeah, they're both the same.
18:03 Okay, so the first one with Adam Branscombe,
18:06 and the second with the name Troy Bratz.
18:10 Motion's been made and seconded.
18:13 Hearing none on that amendment.
18:18 All those in favor, aye, and that motion passes,
18:21 and then I will move to adopt as amended.
18:26 Motion's been made and seconded.
18:29 Just like to thank both of these individuals,
18:31 well-qualified individuals for their willingness
18:33 to serve on this committee.
18:36 All right, any further discussion?
18:38 Hearing none, all those in favor, aye,
18:41 and that motion passes.
18:42 Item three, communication from President Keppel
18:44 regarding council budget priorities
18:46 for the 2027 city budget.
18:49 Dear colleagues, attached to this communication
18:51 is a summary of the 25 council budget
18:53 priority worksheet drafts submitted
18:55 following council's retreat on May 11th.
18:58 Priorities address a wide range of topics,
19:01 some of which build upon existing investments,
19:03 whereas others offer brand new ideas.
19:06 Some priorities include an estimated budget,
19:08 and others are more policy-focused and budget-neutral.
19:12 Some of these priorities were developed
19:14 by council members individually,
19:15 some in small groups of no more than three
19:17 council members, and some in collaboration with staff
19:20 or community stakeholders.
19:22 The goal of identifying and announcing
19:24 council's priorities early is to ensure
19:26 that council and the administration have ample time
19:29 to collaborate prior to the introduction
19:31 of the city's 2027 budget.
19:33 As the next step in this process,
19:35 I propose that this communication be referred
19:37 to committee where the priority drafts
19:40 can be discussed in greater detail.
19:42 The administration can better understand their impact
19:45 on the city's 2027 budget,
19:47 and the public may provide input.
19:49 In preparation for that discussion,
19:51 council members are encouraged
19:52 to continue researching their priorities,
19:55 speaking with appropriate staff and external stakeholders,
19:58 and refining budget estimates.
20:00 I expect that the drafts may be revised and refined
20:03 based on the public discourse and continued research,
20:06 and that final versions will be completed in time
20:09 so that they may be included in the proposed 2027 budget
20:13 when it is introduced this fall.
20:15 It is my hope that this process will allow
20:17 for a smooth and collaborative budget season.
20:20 Move to receive, oh no, I'm gonna move
20:22 to refer this communication to finance committee.
20:27 Motion's been made and seconded.
20:32 Councilman Bullock.
20:33 Thanks, Madam President.
20:35 First of all, thanks for leading City Council
20:37 in not one, but several years in a row
20:40 of strategic planning retreats.
20:44 I think City Council's gotten better and better each year,
20:47 and I certainly appreciate working with Director Mahoney
20:51 and Mayor George and the administration on all of this.
20:55 And I look forward to working in the finance committee
20:57 or whichever committee this gets referred to.
20:59 Lot of good ideas on here.
21:03 And most of these are ideas we've talked about
21:06 previously, so hopefully it's not a complete surprise
21:09 to the administration.
21:11 And if, and any new ideas,
21:13 we've got opportunity to discuss that.
21:17 The one thing, I did have a chance to talk a little
21:18 with Director Mahoney, if feasible by July 30,
21:24 if we were able to complete this deliberation,
21:26 then that would be compatible with the schedule for,
21:31 at the administration,
21:32 the Director Mahoney shared at least with me,
21:35 their standard calendar is approximately August 1st.
21:39 City departments begin discussing
21:42 with the finance department all the annual routine
21:49 operations, staffing, capital needs that they have anyway
21:52 that that then goes into the preparation
21:56 and presentation of the budget booklet mid-November.
22:01 And ideally, City Council's budget priorities,
22:05 whichever of those that we do report
22:09 with the majority support could then be considered
22:11 as part of that administrative process.
22:13 I just wanted to share that outside of a meeting
22:16 that we had, I had a one-on-one conversation
22:18 with Director Mahoney, and she conveyed to me
22:20 that July 30 is an ideal date.
22:23 It's not a requirement, but if it's feasible
22:24 for us to work that quickly,
22:27 then we'd be right on track.
22:35 Director Mahoney, anyone comment on that?
22:38 Sure, and yeah, I appreciated the conversation
22:41 with Councilman Bullock.
22:43 Just the one thing that I also relayed to him
22:45 is just like every other department,
22:49 we can't fund everything, unfortunately.
22:51 So if council would prioritize,
22:56 this is the most important,
22:58 maybe the top two or three,
22:59 so that when we look to add or subtract things,
23:03 we can consider those in the budget process.
23:09 Thank you, yeah, I think it's a little different
23:12 because these aren't like council office priorities.
23:16 We're not talking about things suggested,
23:18 we're talking about citywide priorities.
23:21 And what I'm really hoping that this process
23:24 as we talked through last year,
23:27 that we are able to incorporate
23:30 so that it's not a yours and mine budget
23:33 and that we don't have last minute amendments,
23:37 but that we're coming collaboratively to this together
23:41 and have a pretty clear picture
23:44 that a budget that works for all of us.
23:47 So appreciate that.
23:48 And I know, I'll let Vice President Baker talk.
23:53 Yes, so thank you, President Keppel
23:55 and Councilman Bullock.
23:57 I often say you've forgotten more about the budget
23:59 than most of us know,
24:00 so always appreciate your insight through this process.
24:04 But the way, and I really appreciate council staff
24:08 and council president putting this together
24:09 because as you look through these summary sheets,
24:12 it's not all we need this amount of money appropriate
24:15 to this cause, it's kind of more shared priorities.
24:19 And as the public may or may not be aware,
24:21 but we certainly are open meetings act requires
24:23 at any time more than three of us are talking,
24:26 has to be a officially noticed meeting
24:28 because you can't deliberate public issues
24:31 with the majority anywhere
24:32 except at a publicly noticed meeting.
24:35 So this gives us an opportunity
24:36 to let our colleagues know what we're interested
24:39 and where we can share, you know,
24:41 work with the administration
24:42 that isn't necessarily budgetary.
24:44 It's not a position, it's not a program,
24:46 but it's a code update, it's a procedure.
24:50 And so it lets the administration know
24:52 that we're interested in these things,
24:53 we wanna work with them on it.
24:55 And then also has budgetary items.
24:57 So this is a little bit, you know,
24:58 it's kind of like council's priorities
25:02 and most things affect the budget.
25:03 So that's why it's going,
25:04 we had a little bit of discussion
25:05 about whether or not this should go
25:06 to committee of the whole or finance.
25:08 We determined that finance
25:09 is probably the best place for it.
25:12 But I just wanna say that sometimes all seven of us,
25:16 we have, you know, full-time jobs
25:18 or doing other things.
25:20 It is very difficult for us to row
25:21 in the same direction.
25:22 It's just seven different people.
25:24 And this I think has been the closest thing
25:26 I've seen to getting us going in that same direction.
25:28 So I really appreciate it.
25:30 And as we talked about, you know,
25:31 councilman Bulak mentioned,
25:33 if we can kind of finalize these
25:36 and kind of have really fruitful discussions
25:37 about them with the administration present
25:40 before July 30, before the August recess,
25:43 I think that will tee up the administration
25:45 so they can know what is important to us
25:47 before the August recess.
25:49 And then we talked about in the finance committee
25:50 a couple of months ago that director Mahoney
25:52 would be willing to come sometime in September
25:54 and talk about kind of like collections
25:56 and where we're at in the 2026 year
25:59 to see what that looks like,
26:00 kind of what you have to build on
26:03 to go into the 2027 budget year.
26:05 So then I think those two things coinciding
26:07 in July and September really provide us a good basis.
26:12 And that's, you know, November and December
26:14 is when we have the marathon sessions on the budget.
26:17 But I think we'll have a lot of good pre-work
26:18 to get there so that it will help us
26:21 influence the administration's budget
26:23 and ultimately consider it and then move forward
26:25 in a really collaborative way.
26:26 So thank you, the present couple,
26:28 and look forward to working with the administration
26:29 and my colleagues on this.
26:32 Council Member Street.
26:34 And thank you for the explanation
26:35 on why this went to finance.
26:37 Although I'm on that committee,
26:39 I'm happy to talk about it there.
26:41 I was thinking that this would go
26:42 to committee of the whole,
26:43 because I don't know that everything requires money,
26:46 because I think there are a couple
26:49 educational campaigns in here
26:52 that were more about strategy
26:55 and using the tools of the city to communicate
27:00 as opposed to just saying,
27:02 we need to spend this kind of money.
27:03 So I appreciate that clarification,
27:07 especially coming into the finance committee.
27:09 So thank you very much.
27:11 Vice President Baker.
27:12 Yes, and I was pacing around my beach house
27:16 on vacation last week
27:17 talking to the present couple about this.
27:19 And the idea being that every one of these line items
27:24 will produce a separate piece of legislation
27:27 and that will go to the appropriate committee.
27:32 it was 50.1% one way or the other,
27:34 so we kind of just made the call to go finance.
27:36 But we see this as kind of needling out
27:38 into all the different committees eventually
27:40 once we get to the point of legislation.
27:43 And I'll just add to that too,
27:44 is that the elements that have to do with the budget
27:47 are the ones that have the most pressing timeline
27:50 to work into this collaborative process.
27:52 So doing the work in committee the whole
27:55 that we started to have this worksheet process.
28:00 But so for instance,
28:04 one of the things on here
28:06 is the short-term rental regulation
28:08 that's gonna be primarily policy work.
28:12 There is potentially a budget element to it
28:14 because of some software I think was on the worksheet,
28:18 but it's primarily policy.
28:20 So we went back, it could go to either,
28:23 but just because the timeline
28:26 of what Director Mahoney and her team needs
28:29 for the budget, that's why we got finance.
28:34 Thank you, President Keppel.
28:35 I just also wanna thank council leadership,
28:39 President Keppel, and council staff
28:40 for putting this together.
28:42 This has certainly been extraordinary and helpful to me.
28:45 I've already had a couple of happenstance instances
28:48 with colleagues having looked at this document
28:50 and see, oh, that's what you're working on,
28:52 and this maybe is with you,
28:54 or like I can help you with that.
28:55 And it's been really helpful,
28:57 and thank you to all of you
28:59 for taking the time to put a lot of thought
29:02 and effort into this document
29:04 because that's what's gonna make this work.
29:06 I mean, you can just list,
29:07 hey, I'm interested in this,
29:08 but there was a lot of detail,
29:09 a lot of thought that went into every single one of these.
29:12 So thank you all for working together
29:15 to make a process that's better,
29:17 and thank you to the administration
29:18 for working with us on the timing of this
29:20 and making sure that council's priorities
29:22 are making their way into the city's budget.
29:31 Yeah, if I could just add,
29:33 this is certainly an ambitious list.
29:35 A lot of work went into it,
29:37 and a lot of work will go into reviewing all of it.
29:39 I would just encourage council members
29:42 to meet with the appropriate directors and city staff.
29:46 Some of these are already in various stages
29:50 within the administration already,
29:51 so I think it would be important to have those meetings
29:54 get a full grasp of where we're at on some of these
29:57 or where we can be on some of them
29:59 to talk about potential costs
30:01 and potential implementation.
30:04 That's definitely, yeah, that's really the point.
30:09 That's really what, as I said in the communication,
30:12 is that we're hopefully working together on these,
30:16 and some of these, you know,
30:17 it can be challenging for all of us to,
30:20 without having this process, you know, we may have,
30:23 and we do have, there's several things
30:25 that all council members, you know, care about,
30:28 but we can't all seven be working on,
30:30 so this is a way for us to identify those
30:32 as well as to know,
30:34 we don't always know what is being worked on
30:37 by the administration until we reach out and say,
30:39 hey, we wanna work on this,
30:40 so this is a way to get us all identifying those
30:43 and hopefully working together.
30:45 And just to provide some additional information,
30:49 you know, when I was on council,
30:53 there was a process within council
30:55 to identify top priorities
30:58 or to kind of whittle through all of these.
31:02 I'll give an example, one of mine and council
31:04 was to rejoin the League of Cities,
31:06 which was a $4,000 cost.
31:08 Council had a deliberative process,
31:10 and at that time they decided
31:12 not to join League of Cities,
31:14 so I think it's important also for council
31:16 to have communications and to piggyback
31:18 of what Director Mahoney said
31:20 to figure out some of these top priorities,
31:22 because within this document,
31:24 you know, we've got millions of dollars
31:26 of budget requests,
31:28 and we do just have a finite number,
31:30 and the vast majority of city dollars
31:32 go towards funding general city government,
31:36 fixing potholes, responding to public safety,
31:40 and all of those things,
31:41 so I just encourage council to really speak together
31:44 and kind of identify those priorities
31:46 so we can actually accomplish some of these together.
31:51 Sure, again, that is the point.
31:54 Yes, Council Member Bullock.
32:00 and I want to respond to the mayor,
32:02 but also then ask a question.
32:03 So, first of all, mayor,
32:04 I think this is the wide end of the funnel.
32:07 This is the wide end of the funnel,
32:09 and some of our work in the next six weeks
32:12 is gonna be to narrow it a bit.
32:14 Some of these are very long-term.
32:16 For example, the Lakewood Community Circulator,
32:19 Will we cut a ribbon on the first circulator
32:22 at January 1, 2027?
32:25 Maybe not, but I think the concept here
32:28 is to start now working on something
32:30 that's long and complex.
32:33 Also, how this list was produced
32:39 was to say, all right,
32:40 is there somebody putting it forward?
32:43 If not, is there a majority?
32:44 So, that portion comes in front of us.
32:48 So, I think we do appreciate everything you're saying
32:51 about affordability, complexity.
32:53 Also, some of this is intentionally overlapping
32:56 with some of the good work
32:57 the administration's doing for quite some time.
32:59 It's about incremental refinement or expansion
33:02 or adjustment of some of what we're already working on.
33:06 Now, even though this is an overly long list
33:09 and already overly ambitious,
33:10 my question for the council leadership is,
33:12 if something else comes up
33:15 that happened to fall after a cutoff,
33:17 aren't we able to also add that or work on it,
33:21 regardless of whether it appears on this list?
33:23 Because, for example, residents will come to us
33:26 and say, hey, I'm experiencing this problem
33:28 in my community or in my neighborhood,
33:31 and please, I'm asking you as a council member
33:34 to do your job and work with me on it.
33:37 So, there's at least two examples of that,
33:39 one of which is on this list, but another is not.
33:43 And you probably think of other hypotheticals.
33:45 So, I think the point is,
33:48 this is a management tool, a planning tool.
33:54 I hope we're not overly literal in our use of it,
33:58 and if something comes up later in the year,
34:00 we still afford ourselves the discretion
34:03 that the charter allows for council members
34:06 to work on whatever might come up.
34:11 Yeah, I think, well, to the first point
34:15 about this is, as we've said,
34:21 because we are limited in how we can work together
34:27 on things that we need to have a process
34:29 that comes in the public eye of how we're working
34:32 so that we can all identify who is interested in what
34:36 and leading the charge on what.
34:38 For instance, we're all interested in block clubs,
34:42 but all seven of us can't work on legislation
34:46 So, we need to identify who's gonna lead the charge
34:49 on that, so this is a mechanism to do that,
34:52 those kinds of things.
34:52 Some of these things are already funded,
34:55 that they aren't, money already happened in 2026,
34:58 we're just saying we're gonna continue to do that work.
35:02 So, this is a tool with a lot of different components.
35:07 And then, I think it's also, ultimately,
35:12 what I'm looking for here is not a yours and mine budget,
35:15 this isn't the administration's budget,
35:17 it isn't council's budget,
35:18 it's the city of Lakewood budget,
35:20 it's the people's budget,
35:21 and this is how we can all work together on it.
35:25 So, to the point of, as council members,
35:30 we have to have some sort of tool to,
35:33 because we can't all seven work on everything altogether,
35:36 so this is that tool,
35:37 but we can all work with the administration.
35:40 So, if you have a question about something later,
35:44 that has a budget element to it,
35:47 we've just talked about timeline
35:49 for this to be a collaborative process,
35:53 for it to be worked into the proposed budget,
35:56 that's why we've worked backwards with this timeline.
35:58 There's only so many hours in the day
36:01 to prepare a budget,
36:03 there's only so many budget hearings we can have,
36:05 there's only so much time we can allocate,
36:06 so trying to follow that process.
36:08 Now, if there's, were something later that comes up,
36:13 like we've had infrastructure surprises
36:16 on more than one occasion,
36:19 and so those kinds of things where we surprise,
36:22 we have to, $25 million sewers that we have to line,
36:26 we have to do that, right?
36:27 I mean, those are things that happen.
36:29 So, I think, yes, of course there are things that change,
36:32 but the purpose here is not to,
36:36 the purpose here is to try to be as thoughtful
36:38 and collaborative and work with that timeline together.
36:45 Council Member Hamilton-Steiner.
36:47 Thank you, President Keppel.
36:48 I also think this document is good
36:50 for the public view as well,
36:52 because I think it gives them a glimpse
36:56 into what council's interests are
37:00 and what we're working on,
37:02 because I think that's the number one question
37:05 I get in the community.
37:06 Well, what is council, what are you working on?
37:08 And so I think this is helpful,
37:11 and then they can also look at this document
37:13 and see where their interests are,
37:15 and they may have an issue that aligns
37:18 with what we're currently working on.
37:20 So I think there's a lot of purpose
37:23 in use for this document,
37:25 and I appreciate your leadership
37:26 and helping to get us there,
37:28 and I think I'm so proud of all the council members
37:31 that just put together their priorities
37:34 and put in the work for this.
37:40 And not to say, too, is that these are,
37:42 some of them are more fleshed out than others,
37:44 and some of these are the beginning of a conversation,
37:46 and some of them are the continuation of conversation.
37:48 So some of them are just,
37:52 as we've had the retreats and talked about priorities,
37:55 it can identify a priority that,
37:57 you know, like the circulation example,
38:00 are we cutting the ribbon?
38:02 No, but like maybe it begins a conversation
38:05 or the same thing with some of the others, so.
38:09 All right, so further discussion on the motion
38:13 to refer this communication to finance.
38:16 President Campbell.
38:17 Council Member Stephen.
38:18 Thank you, I'm just thinking of going into
38:20 that finance meeting initially,
38:22 and wondering if, I love this chart,
38:26 and if there's an opportunity here for the mayor
38:30 to add a column on this chart
38:32 to let us know what departments are most appropriate
38:36 to work with on that specific item,
38:38 and if somebody's doing it already,
38:40 if it's the low-hanging fruit
38:41 and it's one conversation, perfect.
38:43 Let's do that before that finance meeting,
38:46 so that when we hit that finance meeting,
38:47 we're on the ground running again,
38:49 because there seems to be a strict timeline.
38:52 Yeah, I would say probably prior to that finance meeting,
38:57 because as I said in the communication,
38:59 prior to that meeting,
39:00 you would want to be talking to the appropriate directors,
39:02 and on the worksheet, it does have like identifying
39:05 which departments you expect to work with.
39:08 Now, if there's, if we've guessed wrong
39:11 on which departments are already working on these,
39:13 or that we would work with,
39:15 that would be good information to have,
39:16 but council members were supposed to be identifying
39:19 who they're gonna be talking to.
39:21 Yes, and actually, just to help with that process here,
39:25 if you reach out to my office directly
39:28 to request a meeting on X topic,
39:30 then we can rope in the appropriate staff
39:33 to have that meeting, if that works.
39:37 All right, so any further discussion on the motion
39:40 to refer this communication to finance?
39:43 All right, hearing none.
39:45 Oh, and I'll just add to that too,
39:46 just because we're referring it to finance,
39:48 I would envision that does not mean
39:51 that other council members can attend.
39:52 That is a public meeting,
39:53 and I imagine that Vice President Baker
39:55 would be accommodating to allowing
39:57 other council members to speak.
40:00 So just because it's in finance doesn't mean you can't go.
40:03 In fact, anyone can go, it's a public meeting.
40:05 All right, so with that,
40:07 we have the motion to refer to finance.
40:09 All those in favor?
40:11 And that motion passes.
40:12 Item six, report from Vice President Baker
40:14 regarding May 20th meeting
40:15 of the Liquid Alive Board of Directors.
40:18 Vice President Baker.
40:19 Thank you, President Keppel.
40:20 Dear colleagues, the Liquid Alive Board of Directors
40:22 met on May 20th at Lake Wahoke Library
40:24 for its bimonthly meeting.
40:26 As council's ex-ficio representative of the board,
40:28 I want to provide a brief update
40:30 on several noteworthy items discussed during the meeting.
40:33 The board received updates
40:34 regarding leadership transitions
40:36 and board recruitment efforts.
40:37 Sharon Schultz has agreed to join the board,
40:40 although that does need to be finalized by the board
40:42 while additional prospects are being considered.
40:45 Current Board President Julie Warren
40:47 will transition to the role of past president
40:49 later this year with Amanda Santa and Jason Weiner
40:52 assuming the roles of president
40:53 and vice president respectively.
40:55 Mike Bentley and Chris Bergen
40:57 will conclude their board service in July.
40:59 The board also heard a presentation
41:01 from a group of young professionals
41:02 from the Cleveland Bridge Builders
41:03 on their leadership action project with Liquid Alive.
41:06 The project looked into strategies
41:07 to address garage repairs needs for residents
41:11 who may not qualify for existing assistant programs.
41:14 I'd like them to know that the city
41:15 is very interested in this issue
41:16 with the zoning refresh project currently ongoing
41:19 and invited the group to present their findings
41:21 and recommendations to a council committee.
41:23 I will follow up with the clerk's office
41:25 to schedule the meeting.
41:27 Council members interested in learning more
41:28 about Liquid Alive's programs, committees,
41:29 or volunteer opportunities are encouraged to reach out.
41:31 As always, I remain grateful for the organization's work
41:33 to strengthen our neighborhoods,
41:35 support local businesses,
41:36 and build community throughout Lakewood.
41:38 The one thing I will note is the mechanism
41:41 to have a committee hearing about the garage issue
41:44 could be this communication.
41:47 Or we can just receive and file
41:48 and do it a different way,
41:49 but I assume this would go
41:51 to the Housing, Planning, and Development Committee.
41:54 So I would make a motion
41:57 to refer this communication to Housing,
41:58 Planning, and Development to allow that discussion
41:59 to occur in committee in coordination
42:01 with Lakewood Alive and the leadership action team.
42:07 Council Member Evans.
42:10 Yes, I'm working with Lakewood Alive, too,
42:12 as well, to get this documented,
42:13 but I think referring this communication
42:15 would be a good first step
42:16 so that we can make that process rolling.
42:19 I do appreciate working this from both sides,
42:21 and hopefully we can get to talk to them soon
42:23 because they did do a lot of good work
42:25 and I think it will be helpful for us to see.
42:29 Okay, so we have a motion
42:31 to refer to Housing, Planning, and Development.
42:33 I'll second that motion.
42:36 Any further discussion?
42:39 Hearing none, all those in favor?
42:42 And that motion passes.
42:43 Item seven, report from Vice President Baker
42:45 regarding June 3rd meeting
42:46 of the Complete and Active Streets Education
42:49 and Advisory Board.
42:50 Vice President Baker.
42:52 Thank you, President Keppel.
42:53 Dear colleagues, the Complete and Active Streets
42:55 Education Advisory Case Board met on June 3rd, 2026
42:58 in City Hall auditorium for its second quarter meeting.
43:01 I was unable to attend
43:02 due to a previously scheduled work conflict,
43:03 but I wanted to provide this correspondence
43:05 to keep my colleagues aware
43:06 of the workings of this important board.
43:08 The slides of the meeting
43:08 are attached to this correspondence
43:10 and the meeting focused primarily on the board's
43:12 continuing review of proposed shared use path
43:15 code amendments, which have been referred by council
43:18 for recommendation and are intended
43:19 to modernize Lakewood's ordinances
43:21 related to bicycle, pedestrian,
43:22 and emerging mobility infrastructure.
43:24 The majority of the meeting was dedicated
43:26 to a detailed review
43:27 of the proposed shared use path code amendments.
43:30 The administration presented a framework
43:31 that organizes the amendments
43:32 into three primary categories.
43:34 One, establishing definitions necessary
43:36 to support future regulations.
43:38 Two, creating operational standards
43:39 for various types of bicycle and mobility infrastructure.
43:43 And three, clarifying maintenance responsibilities
43:45 for shared use path.
43:46 The board reviewed several proposed definitional changes,
43:50 including updates of the city's definition
43:51 of motorized bicycle to align with their higher revised
43:54 code and the addition of new definitions
43:56 for bikeway and shared use path.
43:58 Considerable discussion also focused
44:00 on how Lakewood should define
44:01 and regulate emerging mobility devices,
44:03 including electric bicycles, scooters,
44:05 and similar low speed transportation devices.
44:08 Staff presented several options
44:10 for refining existing definitions
44:11 to better distinguish between traditional bicycles,
44:14 e-bikes, mobility devices,
44:15 and high powered electric motorcycles.
44:17 The board did not finalize recommendations
44:19 during this meeting,
44:20 and will continue refining this feedback
44:21 before forwarding formal recommendations to council.
44:24 As shared use paths become more common component
44:27 of Lakewood's transportation network,
44:29 these discussions will help establish
44:30 clear expectations regarding usage, safety,
44:32 accessibility, and maintenance responsibilities
44:36 I'll continue to participate in the case board's work
44:38 and keep council informed as recommendations
44:40 become closer to formal consideration.
44:43 I'll make a motion to receive and file this communication.
44:47 Motion's been made and seconded.
44:51 Councilman Bullitt.
44:53 First, thank you for the detailed report.
44:56 Second, thanks to the administration,
44:58 Director Byington's team, and really others too.
45:01 I know Director Gordon,
45:03 I think you're involved in that board,
45:04 and maybe the chief of police too, or the...
45:07 Anyway, it's a joint effort.
45:09 The topics are extremely important and timely.
45:13 We also talked about this in part at the recent last week,
45:17 there was a Safe Roots to Schools
45:18 informal working group meeting with the schools,
45:21 with parents, with the city.
45:24 City's been doing a great job of convening
45:27 and keeping those coordinating efforts together.
45:32 We're doing things like evaluating,
45:33 okay, how did the Safe Walking to School
45:37 and biking to school work out this past school year?
45:40 What do we need to do to improve the?
45:42 Well, the e-bikes, e-scooters issue came up.
45:46 And it's everywhere.
45:48 And one insight was parents really
45:51 probably could use some education
45:53 because parents are buying these for their kids
45:57 without really thinking it through.
45:59 So some parent education really would be called for
46:05 Is it the city's job?
46:07 Is it the police department's job?
46:09 We need to think that through.
46:10 But the timeliness of this work is really vital.
46:14 I think it's, I'd certainly welcome,
46:16 and I'm hopeful that my colleagues
46:17 will be doing this soon,
46:19 a city council meeting on the topic,
46:22 even as the proposed ordinance is also pending in case.
46:28 One question, I guess, for the law department.
46:31 I know that we're talking in case
46:32 about what the rules might become.
46:36 I would find it helpful if we also knew
46:38 what the rules are today.
46:40 So not the future tense, but the present tense,
46:43 such as they exist.
46:44 And I expect the answer's gonna be
46:47 partly we have rules that apply,
46:49 partly we don't, or we're not sure.
46:52 But just, and maybe that's an attorney-client privilege.
46:54 I don't know if that needs to be or not,
46:56 but it would just helpful as a starting point
46:58 to understand how our current laws might apply
47:01 to some of these new devices.
47:03 And also, multi-use path.
47:06 We're proposing to define the term
47:13 But even before that's adopted or potentially changed,
47:20 how do we know what the proper usage of bike lanes,
47:24 the general travel lanes on the road,
47:27 sidewalks, multi-use paths are
47:29 for all of these different categories?
47:34 Not saying we have to have it solved right away,
47:36 but I think it's really,
47:38 we're hearing constantly from neighbors
47:41 that this is on their minds.
47:43 And everybody's motivated by safety,
47:45 just preventing accidents.
47:50 Thank you, Madam President.
47:52 Councilman Bullock, I wasn't at the case meeting,
47:55 but I have had communications
47:58 with Assistant Director Boss.
47:59 He has in front of him the ordinances.
48:02 He's been working with them in consultation with law
48:05 and others throughout the administration,
48:06 especially the police department, on those very items.
48:10 Now it's perhaps not as comprehensive
48:12 as it's going to be after this process.
48:15 But what we have now is
48:17 what Assistant Director Boss is working with.
48:23 And could we also get a copy
48:25 as we potentially head into a council committee hearing
48:31 Yes, I'm gonna guess Director Boss has sent that around.
48:34 But in any event, I'll speak with him
48:36 and make sure you have it.
48:38 Thank you, Annette.
48:39 I'll just, were you also,
48:42 were you asking about what the existing law is?
48:46 Is that what you were asking?
48:47 Okay, so that could certainly be sent, yeah.
48:52 And then I believe, my understanding is that,
48:55 because this, the ordinance is also
48:59 in housing planning and development,
49:02 and because it's also a public safety matter,
49:04 I believe the chairs of both committees
49:07 are looking to hold a meeting together with the case board
49:11 and try to get this,
49:13 all the input at one time and finalized
49:16 So that should, we should see that soon.
49:20 So we have a motion and a second
49:23 to receive and file this report.
49:24 Any further discussion?
49:28 All those in favor?
49:29 That motion passes.
49:31 Item eight, reports from Council Member Striebig
49:34 regarding the May meetings
49:35 of the Community Health Action Team,
49:37 the Community Recreation Education Commission,
49:39 and the Youth Council.
49:40 Council Member Striebig.
49:42 Dear colleagues, the following are reports
49:43 from the meetings of CHAT, CREC,
49:46 and Youth Council during the month of May, 2026.
49:50 On Friday, May 8th,
49:51 the Community Health Action Team
49:53 met for their second quarterly meeting.
49:56 The meeting was called to order by David Boss
49:58 and facilitated by Kate Indersole.
50:01 Kate approved the meetings
50:02 and led a debriefing on the presentation
50:05 to the City Council Health and Human Services Committee.
50:10 The conversation was held
50:11 about the Community Resource Guide
50:13 that was receiving positive feedback
50:15 from focus groups and the CHAT team.
50:17 The guide will be available to both citizens
50:20 and agencies assisting citizens alike.
50:24 Priorities for 2026 were discussed
50:26 and include access to behavioral health, food access,
50:31 adaptive and middle school programming,
50:33 and affordable housing.
50:35 Emerging issues of early learning center
50:38 and LGBTQ plus resources
50:41 and support for youth programming were also recognized.
50:46 The Lakewood Community Recreation and Education Commission
50:49 met on May 19th at the TAF Center for Innovation.
50:52 The meeting was called to order
50:54 and minutes were approved by President Bill Fraunfelder.
50:58 Leslie Faber, coordinator of Community Recreation
51:01 and Education, reported that spring and summer programs
51:06 were beginning and youth baseball
51:09 had over 1,000 registrations.
51:11 Beck Pool is scheduled to open on June 2nd
51:14 and fosters on June 9th.
51:16 Field maintenance is going well
51:18 and the weather has been cooperating
51:20 so far this season, knock on wood.
51:24 Sports camps are open and registration
51:26 and adult softball and kickball is starting.
51:28 Pool rentals filled up in less than one minute
51:31 and 300 seasonal staff are on board for the summer.
51:35 New mirrors, bands and cords
51:37 are being ordered for the fitness facility.
51:41 Kids Connection Camp has 100 Lakewood residents
51:44 participating in Safety Town
51:46 and Camp Can Do are starting.
51:48 A heartfelt thank you to Lakewood residents
51:51 for passing, issue two was shared.
51:56 The Lakewood Youth Council met on Thursday,
51:58 May 28th in the auditorium at City Hall.
52:02 The meeting was called to order
52:03 and minutes passed by Mel Demert.
52:06 Danica Herberger, chair of the Environmental Committee
52:10 reported that emails with the Tree Advisory Board
52:14 regarding concerns for tree lawn trees were slow
52:17 and she had no updates.
52:19 Carol Lulo, chair of the Mental Health Committee
52:23 reported that a mental health survey
52:24 was being sent to Mrs. Chodson
52:27 and will go to Kevin Weiner
52:28 for posting on city social media.
52:31 John Miller, chair of the Advocacy Committee
52:33 thanked the group for the school levy endorsement.
52:36 Elections for this group will happen soon
52:40 with five graduating seniors
52:41 and the resignation of one member.
52:43 There are lots of opportunities to get involved.
52:48 The first move to receive and file the communication.
52:51 Motion's been made and seconded.
52:56 Hearing none, all those in favor?
52:58 Aye and that motion passes.
53:00 Item nine, communication from Mayor George
53:02 regarding mayoral appointments
53:04 to the Community Reinvestment Area Housing Council
53:06 and Local Board of Tax Review.
53:10 It's my pleasure to announce the following appointments.
53:12 Alison Urbanek and Gavin Norris
53:14 to the Community Reinvestment Area Housing Council
53:18 and James Romano to the Local Board of Tax Review.
53:21 As always, I'm grateful to these individuals
53:23 for their willingness to volunteer
53:25 and serve the Lakewood community.
53:29 I'll move to receive and file that communication.
53:31 Motion's been made and seconded.
53:34 Hearing none, all those in favor?
53:37 And that motion passes.
53:38 Item 10, communication from Planning Director Buyington
53:40 regarding Web Park Court renovation.
53:43 Director Buyington.
53:44 Thank you, President Keppel and members of council.
53:47 The administration is seeking approval to apply
53:49 for the 2027 Cuyahoga County Supplemental Grant,
53:52 CDSG, and the amount of $50,000
53:55 to apply toward the Web Court renovation project.
53:58 The Web Tennis Court was installed more than 20 years ago
54:01 and attempts were made to repair
54:03 the cracking surface two years ago.
54:05 The court surface is now in need of a full replacement.
54:08 The project includes removal of the existing court
54:10 and installation of a new court
54:12 which would be striped for tennis and pickleball
54:14 and installation of new fencing.
54:17 The city has used CDSG funds
54:19 to help pay for renovations
54:20 of other courts in previous years,
54:22 including the pickleball courts at Lakewood Park
54:25 and the Tennis Court at Murrell Buntz.
54:27 Estimated cost for the replacement of the court
54:29 and fencing at Web is $152,000.
54:33 This project is listed in the capital plan
54:35 for 2027 construction.
54:37 A public meeting was held at the courts
54:39 on Thursday, June 11th of 2026
54:43 and the application deadline is July 13th.
54:49 I will move to receive and file this communication.
54:53 The motion's been made and seconded.
54:59 All those in favor?
55:01 And that motion passes.
55:02 Item 11, resolution 2026-36.
55:05 A resolution to take effect immediately
55:07 authorizing the mayor or the director
55:09 of planning and development to apply
55:10 to the Cuyahoga County Community Development
55:12 Supplemental Grant Program for a $50,000 grant
55:15 to be used for the improvements
55:17 to the Web Park Tennis Court
55:19 located at 1301 Web Road
55:21 by replacing the existing tennis court
55:22 with a new court striped for both tennis
55:25 and pickleball along with that new fencing.
55:29 Motion's been made and seconded.
55:32 Vice President Baker, first.
55:34 Thank you and thank you to the administration.
55:37 I think there's no doubt that the courts are old
55:41 and I know we tried to resurface them
55:43 a couple of years ago.
55:44 The question I have is what kind of community input
55:46 do we get to determine that pickleball
55:49 and tennis was what we should put there?
55:59 So I know that at the public meeting
56:01 that was held on Thursday
56:03 that there was support for both of those.
56:08 I'm not sure if there was a study done prior to that.
56:11 I'm not sure if Director Gordon
56:12 or anybody else was aware of that,
56:14 but there was the two uses were well received
56:18 at the public meeting.
56:22 Yeah, because I follow all the parks
56:28 and I've been on board one pretty closely
56:31 and I know that this one was in need of an update,
56:34 but I'm not really familiar with any plans we have
56:38 for Web Park or planning process that's been in place.
56:42 And I know, and this isn't,
56:45 Director Vargo and I go back a lot,
56:48 back and forth on the charter.
56:49 The charter does talk about
56:50 how planning commission should review.
56:53 There's verb tenses that relates to parks,
56:58 but I guess I support improvement
57:01 and using outside funds to help do it,
57:04 but I'm a little concerned about,
57:07 and it might be the right answer,
57:08 it might be tennis and pickleball,
57:12 but I think a planning process would be better
57:16 and perhaps it's a good conversation
57:18 about planning for all of our parks
57:19 that aren't Madison or Lakewood
57:20 because there are lots of other parks
57:25 and I'm not aware of any master planning process
57:28 we've had for those parks.
57:30 So I don't necessarily wanna,
57:31 I don't wanna stop our ability to seek outside funding,
57:35 but I'm a little miffed that, you know,
57:39 we didn't have much more warning about this.
57:41 I understand it was in the 2027 capital plan,
57:46 but we do have planning commission
57:47 to help with these things,
57:49 whether it's required or not is a different story,
57:52 but it may be something that would be helpful.
57:53 So that's, I'm not gonna hold up this resolution
57:58 but I do think that we should be more thoughtful
58:01 about it in the future.
58:06 Thanks, Madam President.
58:07 So Director Byneton, thanks for the background.
58:09 I attempted, but was unsuccessful
58:11 joining that public meeting.
58:14 Can we get a copy of the plan that is envisioned,
58:17 whatever exists and whatever the background is
58:20 that we can just review afterwards?
58:22 Thank you, through President Keppel.
58:23 Yes, we'll forward you all the information that we have.
58:27 And we actually were having an internal discussion
58:29 in regard to park planning in general.
58:31 And my understanding, there was some years ago,
58:34 there was a park planning process
58:36 and there is a master plan out there.
58:38 It needs to be updated.
58:39 So we've been looking into,
58:40 possibly looking for funds in the future
58:42 to update that plan.
58:45 But we will certainly give you all the information
58:47 we have on this project.
58:48 And so out of sympathy for the ward councilpersons
58:51 in specific, if there's a park in any ward,
58:55 we really should be not surprising
58:58 the ward councilperson, those of us who are also
59:01 at large council people care about parks too.
59:03 So that well in advance of anything close
59:07 to a decision being made,
59:09 the councilperson is looped in,
59:12 because they in particular have a lot of interaction
59:15 and phone calls that they get passively
59:17 from residents and may have partial answer
59:22 to the very survey question that we would ask
59:25 to the neighborhood, the broader neighborhood
59:28 or mile radius around and so on and so forth.
59:32 To me, what is usually on my mind
59:35 when I ask a question like this
59:36 is what's the opportunity cost?
59:37 So if we commit to tennis and pickleball now,
59:42 are we foreclosing other options
59:44 that might be suited to this park?
59:49 It seems logical that we have tennis courts repair
59:52 kind of expand and extend.
59:53 So that's a good incremental investment improvement.
59:56 But like my colleague,
59:58 I also haven't had the chance to think this picture
1:00:02 or to confer with usually it's not me,
1:00:05 but I'll ask members of the public that I respect
1:00:07 who are in the planning world,
1:00:09 say, hey, what do you see here?
1:00:11 If this was a blank canvas,
1:00:13 what are the opportunities here to improve?
1:00:15 So maybe this could be step one
1:00:17 of a multi-step process over a course of time.
1:00:22 I really think that the city's done a beautiful job
1:00:24 over the last eight to 10 years
1:00:28 of improving the neighborhood parks, the pocket parks,
1:00:33 the parks that are smaller than Madison and Lakewood.
1:00:35 We've also done a good job with those things too.
1:00:36 So that's why we'll tend to get a lot of focus
1:00:39 from council members on this because just
1:00:41 that's an important and appreciated
1:00:44 and noticed part of our city services.
1:00:50 Thank you for your feedback.
1:00:54 Director Barron, how many people
1:00:55 were at the public meeting?
1:00:59 I was not at the meeting and Michelle is on vacation.
1:01:02 I haven't had a chance to talk to her face to face.
1:01:05 I don't know, but I can also give you that information.
1:01:09 Yeah, I mean, I appreciate the opportunity
1:01:15 to get outside funding and I don't want to hold that up
1:01:17 and we don't want to have things in our parks
1:01:21 that aren't well-maintained.
1:01:23 But as we've had conversations about other sports
1:01:28 that community members are interested in
1:01:30 or things that we may not even be aware of
1:01:32 because we haven't put it to them,
1:01:35 I think it would be a good idea
1:01:36 to revisit our park planning process,
1:01:39 particularly for these smaller parks.
1:01:41 We have master plans, like we said,
1:01:43 for Madison and Lakewood Park,
1:01:45 but Lakewood Parks is quite old.
1:01:47 So it's also probably time to look at that as well
1:01:51 so that we don't have incremental surprises
1:01:55 and things put in that we have to then spend money
1:01:56 to undo or impede other opportunities.
1:02:01 So I think it's a good discussion to have
1:02:04 and I look forward to continuing
1:02:06 to have that conversation with planning.
1:02:08 But I also want to make sure
1:02:10 that we don't lose potential outside funding
1:02:13 to maintain what is there while we work on that process.
1:02:18 All right, other, Vice President Baker.
1:02:22 because the notice of the meeting came out
1:02:25 and I was out of town and I couldn't attend.
1:02:27 And so it's also a bad look for a ward councilperson
1:02:30 not be able to attend a public meeting in their ward.
1:02:34 I'm aware of this funding source.
1:02:36 It's typically due the same time every year.
1:02:39 We know the general amount we're going for.
1:02:42 So I would ask as a courtesy,
1:02:43 the administration would try to at least let
1:02:47 the ward councilperson or council know
1:02:50 before it shows up on the docket,
1:02:51 because it does put us in a position
1:02:52 where we don't want to be irresponsible
1:02:57 but I'm still not sure that this is the right answer.
1:03:03 It could be, but I don't know.
1:03:06 But I'm not gonna hold it up.
1:03:15 Hearing none on the motion to adopt resolution 202636.
1:03:23 Item 12, communication from Assistant Director Boss
1:03:26 regarding zoning refresh project update.
1:03:30 President Keppel and members of council.
1:03:32 Last month, the city's zoning refresh project
1:03:34 moved through the final preliminary draft milestone
1:03:37 with the completion of chapters
1:03:39 that define the refresh procedures and definitions.
1:03:42 These procedures and definitions were informed by work
1:03:45 to date across all previous chapters
1:03:47 in partnership with our project consultant team
1:03:51 preliminary drafts of the following four documents
1:03:54 were worked, reviewed by both city administration,
1:03:57 as well as the Zoning Policy Advisory Committee,
1:04:01 The sections are 1101 general provisions,
1:04:06 1109 decision making procedures and enforcement,
1:04:11 The intent of this communication is to provide
1:04:13 this final group of preliminary drafts
1:04:17 with an opportunity for more detailed discussion
1:04:19 in committee as our team looks to shift
1:04:21 towards preparation of all chapters for final review
1:04:24 by both planning commission and council
1:04:26 and the subsequent drafting of legislation
1:04:28 to enact the refresh zoning code.
1:04:31 As always, all information, documents,
1:04:32 and opportunities for engagement
1:04:34 are published on the project website.
1:04:40 All right, I'll move to refer
1:04:41 to housing planning and development.
1:04:43 Motion's been made and seconded.
1:04:47 Just want to acknowledge the hard work
1:04:50 on this very important process.
1:04:53 It goes to the whole planning team,
1:04:54 but he's really led us through a good process
1:04:58 so I appreciate him and the members of ZPAC.
1:05:01 Any further discussion on the motion
1:05:03 refer to housing planning and development?
1:05:10 Item 13, communication from fire chief
1:05:12 neighborhood paramedic program update.
1:05:18 President Keppel and members of city council,
1:05:20 the Lakewood Fire Department respectfully requests
1:05:22 an audience with Lakewood City Council
1:05:25 to present an annual update
1:05:26 regarding the neighborhood paramedic program,
1:05:28 firefighter paramedic Oliver Harper
1:05:30 will be presenting data on program usage,
1:05:33 progress, current initiatives,
1:05:36 and potential needs of the program moving forward.
1:05:40 to the appropriate committee of council's choosing
1:05:42 and coordinate with my office
1:05:44 to ensure firefighter medic Harper's availability.
1:05:51 Move to refer to public safety.
1:05:54 Motion's been made and seconded.
1:06:02 Item 14, liquor permit regarding QHA enterprise LLC
1:06:08 Director Varga, we don't have this one yet.
1:06:11 We do not, Madam President.
1:06:14 of the Department of Liquor Control
1:06:16 and we wait for these things
1:06:20 and they're just not there yet.
1:06:25 Thank you, President Keppel.
1:06:26 We did reach out, we still,
1:06:28 I actually reached out to Lieutenant Deuker
1:06:31 His crew has heard back to nothing.
1:06:36 I know we had some issues with another one
1:06:39 of it kind of getting shuffled back and forth.
1:06:41 So we'll get it when we get it, I guess.
1:06:49 Motion's been made and seconded.
1:06:56 And that brings us to public comment.
1:07:00 We have one person signed in to speak.
1:07:08 Oh yeah, and we do have an e-comment also,
1:07:10 which will be included in the record.
1:07:14 Go ahead and push the button so it turns green
1:07:16 and you have up to five minutes.
1:07:30 For those of you that don't know me,
1:07:31 or don't remember me, I'm Joey Artino.
1:07:33 I'm a homeowner, business owner,
1:07:35 and a member of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce.
1:07:37 I spoke recently about living next to an unrelated,
1:07:40 short, unregulated short-term rental
1:07:45 over on Delaware Avenue last month.
1:07:50 None of it really makes the case for an action.
1:07:56 two more Lakewood residents have come forward
1:08:00 I had a Facebook post on the Lakewood page,
1:08:05 but these two kind of stuck out.
1:08:07 Guy named Matthew Kobiak shared police reports
1:08:10 from May and June of last year
1:08:16 Some of the highlights, lowlights,
1:08:18 however you want to look at it.
1:08:19 A juvenile girl was reported being grabbed
1:08:21 and threatened by a man who prevented her from leaving.
1:08:25 Suspect assaulted a responding officer.
1:08:29 The next night, police returned
1:08:32 for another all juveniles party.
1:08:33 Apparently there's been a bunch there.
1:08:36 After a gathering on the same property,
1:08:39 officers recovered a stolen assault rifle
1:08:44 Cranford Avenue, Ken Blaze reported
1:08:47 that on July 11th of last year,
1:08:50 there was a party with around 150 kids
1:08:52 that required what he remembered
1:08:54 as eight Lakewood police cars to respond,
1:08:58 and officers were chasing kids down the street.
1:09:01 Eight cars, a stolen rifle,
1:09:04 assault on a minor, assaulting an officer.
1:09:08 unregulated short-term rentals,
1:09:10 absentee owners, no accountability,
1:09:14 playing out all across Lakewood block by block.
1:09:22 Last month, Cleveland passed
1:09:24 strict short-term rental regulation.
1:09:27 Just think about that for a second.
1:09:29 Cleveland's a city that Lakewood residents moved to,
1:09:36 You see what I'm saying here.
1:09:37 We moved to Lakewood to get away from Cleveland.
1:09:44 and we're a city that's better
1:09:46 in almost every measurable quality of life standard.
1:09:50 Cleveland looks at this problem,
1:09:52 looked at all the evidence,
1:09:56 The only person that voted against it
1:09:59 was the person who owned an Airbnb.
1:10:03 Just trying to figure out what we're doing here.
1:10:05 We're supposed to be Cleveland's Cambridge.
1:10:10 I had a short stay in Cambridge.
1:10:13 I was doing a shoot up there.
1:10:15 They have a short-term rental regulation.
1:10:17 You can't operate an Airbnb for under 28 days
1:10:23 and you must officially register with the city.
1:10:26 If you violate those terms,
1:10:29 you get charged a couple thousand dollars
1:10:31 for every listing without the permits.
1:10:35 Permits, penalties, we have a problem here.
1:10:39 The penalties for nuisance rental owners
1:10:41 amount to nothing more than the cost of doing business.
1:10:44 A few hundred here, a few hundred there.
1:10:46 A summons that might go to court
1:10:48 a few years down the road, kick the can.
1:10:51 Meanwhile, the community suffers.
1:10:55 what dollar amount actually changes behavior
1:10:57 versus what amount simply gets absorbed
1:11:00 as overhead by an owner collecting thousands a month.
1:11:03 If the penalty's cheaper than compliance,
1:11:08 Recently, housing department is publicly acknowledging
1:11:12 that landlords are operating illegal rentals
1:11:15 and the consequence is a politely worded
1:11:21 asking them to please call, please call.
1:11:25 There's no fine, there's no deadline,
1:11:27 there's no teeth, there's no results, there won't be.
1:11:33 My proposal, tonight I'm asking this council
1:11:38 to finish the short-term rental ordinance
1:11:40 that you began drafting almost a year ago.
1:11:46 First, owner occupancy should be required.
1:11:51 If you wanna operate a short-term rental in Lakewood,
1:11:54 Shaker Heights did it, Chicago did it,
1:12:00 Second, no short-term rentals
1:12:03 within 1,500 feet of a school.
1:12:06 Those places that I mentioned
1:12:10 my house on Delaware Avenue,
1:12:13 these are all places, the one over on Elmwood's
1:12:17 where they found that assault rifle.
1:12:21 This seems like it makes sense.
1:12:26 Third, a three-strikes provision
1:12:27 tied to the rental permit itself.
1:12:30 Three documented nuisance violations,
1:12:32 verified police calls, citations,
1:12:42 It's simply the cost of doing business.
1:12:45 Sorry, I lost my words there.
1:12:48 This ordinance should be written
1:12:50 to protect the community first, not the landlords.
1:12:52 That's the bottom line, it's that easy.
1:12:55 The only people who lose when this passes
1:12:58 are the ones who are never Lakewood residents
1:13:03 I'm sorry, you hit the time.
1:13:05 I apologize, I got one more thing to say.
1:13:07 All right, I'll let you finish your sentence.
1:13:10 If I were to come to the Board of Zoning
1:13:12 and ask to open a Motel 6 on my street,
1:13:15 I would get laughed out of the room.
1:13:22 Thank you, and I appreciate your advocacy on this issue.
1:13:26 I just want to, we touched on it earlier,
1:13:28 but we talked a lot tonight, so you may,
1:13:30 but that when we are working on our council priorities,
1:13:35 this is one of them, so the short-term rental.
1:13:38 We can only have three council members
1:13:41 working on legislation at any given time
1:13:44 so we do have three council members identified with that,
1:13:48 and then as Mayor George alluded to
1:13:51 of working with the various departments,
1:13:52 so working with WAAB, with the police,
1:13:56 on the building department, I'm working with this,
1:14:00 so I imagine that those three,
1:14:03 and actually maybe I'll give any of them
1:14:06 an opportunity to speak here on this about next steps,
1:14:09 but I would imagine that they'll be working on that
1:14:11 because that is identified as a main council priority.
1:14:16 Councilman Bullock, did you want to speak?
1:14:17 Yeah, thanks, Madam President,
1:14:19 and also thanks to Mr. Artino.
1:14:22 Couple of points, so first,
1:14:24 and this is also, as the council president's alluded,
1:14:31 this is a helpful update to one another in a public meeting
1:14:35 so that we're publicly noticed this,
1:14:36 so I've been working on this,
1:14:40 and my goal is by July 6th,
1:14:44 to have a draft proposed to introduce.
1:14:47 I don't think it's a finished product.
1:14:48 I think it's a starting point.
1:14:50 I hope to do that collaboratively with colleagues
1:14:52 and with the administration.
1:14:53 Already had the chance to talk to some members
1:14:55 of the administration and send another email tonight.
1:14:59 Mayor, I've got a communication
1:15:01 into one of your staff members, Mr. Storey,
1:15:06 Not saying we've got the answers,
1:15:08 but we're committed to getting the ball rolling
1:15:11 and starting and having a thoughtful deliberation.
1:15:13 I took notes on some of your points tonight.
1:15:17 Some of them were already on my mind,
1:15:19 but you brought up another couple of good points.
1:15:23 The property on Elmwood I care deeply about
1:15:25 because my kids walked to that school,
1:15:29 and I did notice there were a bunch of packages
1:15:31 and some refuse stored at that property,
1:15:35 and it is less than 500 feet
1:15:37 probably from the school property.
1:15:45 I know that we're also seeking to have something
1:15:48 but is feasible to be enforced
1:15:51 with not unrealistic amount of expanded city staff
1:15:56 The point you're making about
1:15:58 what's the remedy or the penalty.
1:15:59 If there's a condition that needs to be abated,
1:16:03 what's the city's plan for accountability?
1:16:06 Because as I'm thinking this through,
1:16:09 the billing code is not really designed
1:16:13 to compel anything other than compliance.
1:16:17 So if the porch is not in repair,
1:16:19 you get notices until eventually
1:16:22 your porch is in compliance.
1:16:24 So building code plays a role,
1:16:26 but may not be the only rule.
1:16:28 So there's things to think about like that
1:16:31 while also respecting the various departments.
1:16:37 Full steam ahead may not be as quick
1:16:41 as you're hoping for or envisioning,
1:16:45 to getting well on our way prior to August.
1:16:50 I had the chance to talk to Mr. Artino in his neighborhood.
1:16:54 I met his neighbor who's one of the Airbnb owners.
1:16:57 He very cordially and politely attempted
1:17:01 He happened to be in from out of state
1:17:02 doing various maintenance things
1:17:04 and the gentleman would not engage or respond at all.
1:17:09 So not necessarily an indicator of lack of success,
1:17:14 but how do we navigate this if there's a property owner
1:17:21 I'm just gonna do what the rules allow
1:17:24 and I'm here occasionally, but not all the time.
1:17:28 I think we have to position the city
1:17:32 to time effectively, time efficiently
1:17:35 be able to address that circumstance as well.
1:17:39 In fairness, your neighbor has successful
1:17:43 rental guests, not just unsuccessful ones,
1:17:47 but your point I think is that both of those count,
1:17:52 including the unsuccessful ones
1:17:54 and when you've got outright crime
1:17:59 that needs to be taken seriously and addressed.
1:18:02 So that's a partial update.
1:18:10 You know, I'd suggest if hasn't already happened
1:18:12 can have reach out to the other cities
1:18:16 that have passed legislation
1:18:18 and using some of those things as a starter template
1:18:22 is a good way to at least kick things off.
1:18:24 So that's something that council clerks
1:18:26 can certainly help pull that information
1:18:30 So they have, it's sometimes easier to edit language
1:18:32 that already exists than write it from scratch
1:18:35 and work with the appropriate departments.
1:18:45 So that's everybody who have signed in to speak.
1:18:47 Mr. Brindle, did you wanna say anything else?
1:18:49 Nope, all right, no one else is here.
1:18:50 So all right, so that's all public comment announcements
1:18:54 from council members, Vice President Baker.
1:18:58 Thank you, President Keppel.
1:18:59 I believe that there is an official unofficial
1:19:03 or an unofficial official resolution
1:19:05 in support of your birthday
1:19:07 that the council clerk's office put together.
1:19:10 And so at this point, I will suspend the rules,
1:19:14 which are no rules and have the council clerk
1:19:18 read the resolution that we all signed,
1:19:21 the unofficial resolution that we all signed.
1:19:24 An officially unofficial resolution
1:19:26 to recognize City Council President Sarah Keppel
1:19:29 on the occasion of her birthday.
1:19:31 Whereas today, June 15th, 2026,
1:19:34 marks the birthday of City Council President Sarah Keppel.
1:19:37 And whereas the regularly scheduled regular meeting
1:19:41 of council, which takes place on June 15th, 2026,
1:19:44 requires that President Sarah Keppel,
1:19:46 having reached an age of responsible adulthood,
1:19:48 must forgo merriment and celebration
1:19:50 to pursue her public service duties.
1:19:53 And whereas we, the colleagues of President Sarah Keppel
1:19:56 acknowledge President Keppel's hard work and sacrifice
1:19:59 for the good of the people of Lakewood today
1:20:01 and every day that she has served on City Council.
1:20:04 And whereas knowing President Sarah Keppel as we do,
1:20:07 we suspect that President Sarah Keppel
1:20:09 does not mind spending her birthday on the dais,
1:20:11 that she might actually revel in it.
1:20:14 And knowing firsthand her excellent organizational
1:20:17 and planning skills, we think it highly likely
1:20:19 that she has already observed her birthday
1:20:25 being that President Keppel is considered a good friend,
1:20:28 a responsive boss, a valued mentor,
1:20:30 and a delightful colleague to this body and its staff,
1:20:33 we are moved to take a moment
1:20:34 from tonight's public meeting
1:20:35 to recognize and celebrate President Keppel.
1:20:38 Now therefore, be it resolved by Lakewood City Council
1:20:41 that this council wishes President Sarah Keppel
1:20:43 a very happy birthday and would like to recognize
1:20:45 the talent, commitment, project management skills,
1:20:48 that President Sarah Keppel brings to her role
1:20:52 which are of great benefit to the people of Lakewood.
1:20:55 And section two, this resolution
1:20:56 is purely ceremonial in nature
1:20:58 and was not officially introduced on an agenda,
1:21:00 voted on, or assigned a legislation number.
1:21:08 So I believe the idea of formation
1:21:10 goes to Councilman Bixenstein
1:21:12 and then the clerk's office took over from there
1:21:15 and did this, so thank you.
1:21:20 Thank you so much, you guys, that was so sweet.
1:21:24 and the little balloon here also,
1:21:25 but it's my pleasure to spend my birthday
1:21:28 serving with you guys and with all of you,
1:21:30 so thank you, this is really sweet,
1:21:36 Okay, after the unofficial business,
1:21:39 any official announcements from the administration?
1:21:43 Nope, all right, with that,
1:21:44 no further official business.
1:21:46 Oh, oh, Council Member Striebig.
1:21:48 Okay, Council Member Striebig.
1:21:50 Other than your birthday, there are a couple other things.
1:21:52 I mean, is there anything other than my birthday?
1:21:56 We recognize June 19th as Juneteenth,
1:22:05 also Summer Solstice falls on the 21st this year,
1:22:11 628 is International Pride Day
1:22:15 and July 4th, before we get together again,
1:22:22 and I believe there's also a celebration going on
1:22:24 for Summer Solstice down in the park
1:22:27 that we'll probably all see each other at, right?
1:22:31 Yeah, okay, that's it, thank you.
1:22:33 Oh, wait, one more, one more.
1:22:35 Strawberry moon on the 30th, full moon, the strawberry moon.
1:22:40 Not quite sure why it's the strawberry moon.
1:22:44 I'm sure somebody will send me an email and tell me why.
1:22:49 Thank you, all right, so no further announcements.
1:22:52 Come before Council, without objection, we are adjourned.