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 the regular meeting of City Council. If you're able please
0:03 rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. We'll now pause for a moment of silence.
0:32 Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Vice President Baker?
0:35 Here. Council Member Bixenstein?
0:37 Here. Council Member Bullock?
0:38 Here. Council Member Evans?
0:40 Here. President Keppel?
0:42 Here. Council Member Hamilton-Steiner?
0:44 Here. Council Member Striebe?
0:46 Here. Reading and disposal of the minutes of the regular meeting of Council held July 20,
0:52 2026. Move to approve without the necessity of a reading.
0:55 Second. Motion's been made and seconded.
0:58 Any discussion? Hearing none.
1:00 All those in favor? Aye.
1:02 And that motion passes. Reading and disposal of the
1:04 minutes of the August 5th, 2026 community conversation.
1:08 Move to approve without the necessity of a reading.
1:10 Second. Motion's been made and seconded.
1:12 Discussion? Hearing none.
1:14 All those in favor? Aye.
1:16 And that motion passes.
1:17 Without objection, I'd like to move the first item to the end of the docket.
1:28 We'll start with item two. Item two.
1:30 Communication from Council Member Hamilton-Steiner, Council President Keppel,
1:34 and Vice President Baker regarding City of Lakewood FLOC contract.
1:38 Councilman Hamilton-Steiner? Yes. Thank you.
1:42 Okay. Dear colleagues, the City of Lakewood is in year four of a five-year contract
1:47 with FLOC Safety, FLOC, for Lakewood's citywide surveillance camera program.
1:52 At the August 5th, 2026 Board of Control meeting, the administration
1:56 approved an amount of $125,000 for a payment on the contract with FLOC.
2:01 Initially, in April 2021, the City entered into a contract with FLOC for 40 cameras
2:06 at an amount of $110,000. Additional cameras were added in February of 2023,
2:12 bringing the total number of cameras to 50.
2:14 In July 2023, the contract was amended for the current five-year agreement
2:19 in which we are in year four.
2:21 There is growing concern amongst our residents over the city's use of FLOC,
2:24 the company, and use of the ALPR, Automatic License Plate Reader, in general.
2:30 Communities throughout Northeast Ohio and beyond are examining specific
2:33 policies surrounding use of this technology and determining what are real, if any,
2:38 are needed for its responsible and ethical use.
2:41 There are members of the state legislator working on bipartisan legislation to
2:44 either ban the technology outright or at least put some guardrails on the system.
2:49 We all can appreciate technology and how it can make our lives easier and safer.
2:53 Police officers have benefited from technological advances which have kept them
2:57 and subsequently our communities safer.
3:00 Bullet-resistant vests, body cams, and enhanced on-the-job communication tools and devices.
3:06 Technology used responsibly and how it is supposed to be can be a good thing.
3:10 We are, however, hearing from residents that they are concerned about the use of FLOC.
3:14 In particular, we have heard privacy concerns,
3:17 questions about what data and information is being shared with other agencies,
3:20 and with which outside agencies the city has shared information.
3:24 Additional questions include how much crime has been solved
3:27 and or deterred as a result of this technology.
3:30 Our residents trust that council members are working with the
3:33 administration on this issue to have their concerns addressed.
3:36 We have met with Mayor George, Chief Fisher, and the IT department to better understand
3:40 how FLOC is used, to gather preliminary answers to these important questions,
3:45 and discuss responsive policy and procedure updates.
3:48 We found this dialogue informative and constructive and we want the rest of council
3:51 to have the opportunity to ask questions and for residents to hear directly from
3:56 the administration about the city's use of FLOC.
3:58 We respectfully request that this communication and subsequent ALPR policy
4:04 be referred to Public Safety or Committee of the Whole for future discussion.
4:12 I will first move to refer to Public Safety Committee.
4:17 Motion's been made and seconded.
4:19 We do also have, I saw we had two e-comments on this topic.
4:25 I don't see anyone signed in on this sheet to speak on this,
4:27 but I see some folks who I know are interested in this topic.
4:32 Well first, let me go discussion from council members
4:34 and then I'll open up to public comment.
4:36 Any other comments from council members?
4:40 If you want to, those members of the public want to speak,
4:43 if you want to come up one at a time, the mic's on.
4:46 You'll have up to five minutes.
4:47 You address me and thanks.
4:49 I'm Mr. Christopher.
4:52 I have pretty much my whole life been born in Fairview Hospital.
5:00 The privacy issue is not the only one that we're concerned with.
5:06 The financial issue is not the only one that we're concerned with.
5:10 We are also concerned with the abuse of this system
5:16 and it seems frankly quite apparent that it has been abused
5:21 since its conception a number of times,
5:25 far more than it has ever helped any community.
5:30 I try not to live my life in fear.
5:32 I would hope you guys would try to do that too.
5:37 And a state in where we are all put into a system,
5:45 a database where we're all tracked, all of you as well, same as me.
5:54 Could be mistaken at any point in time for a violent criminal.
6:01 These are not the ways in which we go about finding these people in our community.
6:08 It's just not how we do it.
6:15 Saying that FLOC is for our safety is disingenuous at best.
6:23 I'd really like to see a path where we get rid of these completely all together.
6:41 My name is Ed Rand, 1298 Donald Avenue and I've been a lifelong Lakewood resident.
6:48 I'm here once again to insist that Lakewood discontinue its use of FLOC surveillance.
6:53 No amount of policy or guardrails will convince me that the dubious benefits
6:58 of these cameras outweigh the risk of harm to our community.
7:03 We're told that we're not assisting ICE or aiding in
7:07 investigations to hinder reproductive rights.
7:09 However, our city shares with dozens of ICE-friendly 287G agencies,
7:15 as well as two regional fusion centers.
7:18 Any of these agencies could query our FLOC system on behalf of DHS or other agencies.
7:24 The Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center in particular
7:28 was dropped from Cleveland's sharing agreement for providing backdoor access for ICE.
7:32 Now, in theory, these agencies are required to disclose the nature of their search,
7:40 but it is easy enough to enter other or fabricate a reason altogether.
7:45 It is a felony to falsify this, but it's unclear who investigates such a violation.
7:53 Would it be the violating agency, the federal government,
7:56 and then who would prosecute the crime?
7:57 Further, and maybe more distressingly, we have no proof that Lakewood is following its own policies.
8:07 Multiple public records requests for audit logs have been submitted to allow us to see who is
8:11 searching our system and what the nature of those searches are.
8:15 Every last one has been denied under an exemption in the ORC
8:20 for images and data captured by ALPRs.
8:22 Guidance from the ACU suggests that audit logs are not in fact qualified under that exemption,
8:28 and yet the City continues to deny its residents the right to see who is viewing our data.
8:34 Irrespective of whether they qualify under the exemption, we do have to ask,
8:39 why do we feel the need to hide these logs?
8:41 In closing, it's my belief the continued use of this technology by our City
8:48 represents poor stewardship of our residents' Fourth Amendment rights
8:51 and an abandonment of our vulnerable communities.
8:55 I urge you all to take swift action to correct it.
8:58 The flock cameras need to come down or be covered.
9:01 All data sharing with outside agencies should be immediately terminated.
9:07 This is not something that should be allowed to sit in committee.
9:09 It needs to be dealt with urgently.
9:11 Thank you for your time.
9:15 Did anyone else want to speak on this topic?
9:28 My name is Kyle Warren.
9:30 I'm a lifelong resident of Lakewood, even born at Lakewood Hospital,
9:33 and very proud to be a member of Lakewood.
9:37 I would like to express my concern with the current contract the City of Lakewood has with Flock
9:41 and it reconsiders renewing with this company.
9:45 Flock cannot be trusted as a private company, which has been frequently used by ICE.
9:50 The government agency has consistently violated the constitutional rights
9:54 of our immigrant community and terrorized our immigrant communities.
9:58 Even with proposed in access to data by ICE,
10:02 how do we know that they are not accessing this data if there is no state or federal oversight?
10:08 In addition, Flock is not a government agency.
10:11 It is a private corporation that is profiting off the data collection
10:16 with little to no state or federal oversight of how the data is used or collected.
10:22 Concerns of the constitutionality of Flock have been issued by
10:26 the American Civil Liberties Union for violations of the Fourth Amendment
10:29 against unlawful search and seizure, among other issues.
10:35 I have actually always felt safe in Lakewood.
10:38 I really appreciate Lakewood police and all they do for our community.
10:42 I don't feel a surveillance state makes us safer.
10:46 Lakewood can continue its proud history of being a progressive community for all,
10:51 including our immigrant community, by ending its contract with Flock.
10:55 Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
11:02 Did anyone else wish to speak on this topic?
11:10 My name is Ashley Drakenberg, and I am not a lifelong Lakewood resident.
11:16 I'm actually a fairly new resident, and I moved here because the community is known
11:21 throughout Northeast Ohio as already being a safe community.
11:25 Adding these cameras, which is a cost to us, really doesn't make us any safer.
11:30 Additionally, communities that have already entered their contracts with Flock are still
11:34 having their cameras being operated.
11:36 That is an unethical business practice,
11:39 so Flock is already known to be an unethical business.
11:42 If our city were to continue business with such an unethical company,
11:47 what does that say about us?
11:49 Does it say that we, too, are in hand unethical with them?
11:52 Additionally, it is wasted money because if Flock is willing to operate these cameras
11:59 without these cities paying them through a contract, why are we paying them?
12:04 How many times are we voting on closing down schools because of funding,
12:07 and how many classes are being overcrowded when this money could have gone to these
12:13 schools instead, but we're putting it towards these Flock cameras,
12:15 when we don't even have to pay them.
12:17 They'll just run them.
12:18 Additionally, Flock cameras, and cameras like them by Axon and other companies,
12:25 are known to have faulty technology with dire consequences.
12:29 This will make us an unsafe community.
12:32 And if it's a faulty technology, that means that we are guinea pigs.
12:36 Does that make us any more safe?
12:40 Thank you for your time.
12:44 Anyone else on this topic?
12:49 So just procedurally, just to make sure folks understand, this is at this time just
12:57 a communication just to help the public understand some of the information that
13:01 we gathered when we had our meeting with the administration and the police and IT,
13:08 and to get that information to all of council and the public.
13:13 There's no vote currently before council to extend or cancel the contract.
13:19 We're in year four of a five-year contract.
13:21 But at this point, this is a communication where we will have a committee meeting
13:26 where you can, we'll probably hear more about some of the specific questions
13:30 that I heard from in the public comment tonight.
13:33 I know some of the conversations I've had with some of you before.
13:36 I think it'll be informative to have those.
13:39 You may likely have more questions after that meeting, too.
13:43 We'll continue that dialogue.
13:44 But this is a first step to help folks understand where we are as a city,
13:48 the steps that have been taken, and what we're doing moving forward.
13:53 Councilman Hamilton-Steiner.
13:55 Thank you, President Couple.
13:56 So just to reiterate what President Couple has said and sort of the
14:01 rationale and purpose behind this is to get that public engagement piece
14:05 that we know is so important and because of public records and meetings
14:11 and, you know, three of us on council had the opportunity to meet with
14:13 administration, but the rest of council has not.
14:16 And so this is a way for all of us to be able to get that same information
14:20 and ask those questions and really talk about this in a public setting.
14:24 So that was the purpose of the communication.
14:27 So I look forward to seeing all of you or as many
14:31 would be interested in coming back to the public safety meeting
14:35 where we really start digging into this and continuing that conversation.
14:43 Thanks, Madam President.
14:44 And thanks to my colleagues for bringing up this important topic.
14:48 Look forward to the meeting.
14:49 I guess to the residents who have spoken, I've heard your thoughtful
14:54 comments once or twice before I'd welcome the chance to meet afterwards
14:58 or, I don't know, maybe you're going to go home before the end of the meeting.
15:02 So if we could get in touch by email and I could meet the group
15:06 for coffee or lunch or something and make sure I'm hearing everything
15:10 fully and completely, I'd appreciate the education and the perspective.
15:15 I also want to say, and I typically don't try to get too national with politics.
15:22 I don't have much confidence in the Trump administration.
15:24 I do have confidence in Lakewood Police Department.
15:27 And there's a huge difference between those things.
15:29 I think it's a good piece of organizing to say, hey, if gerrymandered
15:33 districts and gerrymandered information and gerrymandered money
15:38 and gerrymandered society has short-circuited democracy
15:43 such that we can't get the federal government to respond to us,
15:46 then let's at least talk to our local community and maybe even our state,
15:50 although our state government is plenty gerrymandered too.
15:53 So let's try to start where we can begin.
15:57 And I agree with that.
16:01 At the same time, there's a difference between the federal government
16:07 as currently led by the Trump administration, our local community.
16:09 So I'm hoping to see the shades of gray here.
16:16 So that's where I start the conversation.
16:19 But maybe we could, I don't know quite whom to connect with,
16:23 but if some people could shoot me their email contact details,
16:28 I can set up something afterwards.
16:33 Any other council members?
16:36 So with that, we have a motion and a second to refer this communication
16:39 to public safety for further discussion.
16:43 All those in favor?
16:44 And that motion passes.
16:46 Item three, communication from Vice President Baker regarding annual comprehensive financial
16:51 report for the city of Lakewood for the audit period January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.
16:57 Vice President Baker.
16:59 Dear colleagues, as you may remember, in April of this year, council adopted ordinance
17:04 27 2025, which amended chapter 60 audit committee of the codified ordinances,
17:09 the city of Lakewood.
17:11 Under the new code, the city Lakewood City Council finance committee now
17:14 serves as the audit committee to provide independent review and oversight of the city's
17:17 financial reporting processes, internal controls, and independent auditor comments.
17:22 To that end, finance director Mahoney has invited representatives from Zipka and associates
17:27 to review the results of the annual comprehensive financial report for the city of Lakewood
17:32 for the audit period January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 at our next finance committee
17:38 meeting to be held on September 14th, 2026 at 7 p.m. The intent of this meeting is to have
17:43 a public discussion with the auditors on their findings and opportunity for the audit community
17:47 to ask questions and provide feedback on the city's financial performance.
17:51 The finance committee looks forward to hearing from the independent auditors and ensuring
17:54 the city of Lakewood continues to maintain and strengthen the high degree of financial
17:57 integrity the city has been recognized for over the years.
18:00 I'll make a motion to refer to this communication to the finance committee.
18:05 Second. Motion's been made and seconded.
18:08 Discussion? Hearing none.
18:10 All those in favor?
18:12 And that motion passes.
18:13 Item four, report from Vice President Baker regarding September 1st meeting of the
18:17 complete and active streets education and advisory board.
18:20 Vice President Baker.
18:22 Thank you. Your colleagues, the complete and active streets education advisory board met
18:27 on September 1st, 2026 for its third quarter meeting in the council chambers.
18:31 I'm providing this correspondence to keep my colleagues informed regarding the case
18:35 board's work. The presentation from the meeting is also attached here, too.
18:38 From an administrative perspective, case board member Emily Limbergs, I spelled that wrong,
18:44 so I apologize, Emily, who's in the crowd, didn't catch it.
18:47 And John Mitterholzer's terms are expiring at the end of 2026
18:53 and both express the willingness to serve another term should the council and administration
18:57 wish to reappoint them. The meeting focused primarily on two areas.
19:00 One, further review of the proposed shared use path code amendments,
19:03 and two, initial review of the potential improvements to the
19:06 city's neighborhood traffic calming program.
19:08 On the proposed shared use path amendments that were previously discussed in June and
19:12 referred by council for review and recommendation, Assistant Director Boss
19:16 presented several updates based on prior discussions.
19:19 The proposed amendments would update chapter 301 of the codified ordinances to more clearly
19:23 distinguished among motorized bicycles, electric bicycles, low-speed micromobility devices,
19:30 and high-powered electric motorcycles referred to in the proposed legislation as e-motos.
19:35 The proposed amendments would remove the existing e-scooter speed limit from the reckless
19:40 operation section, expressly recognize electric bicycles and low-speed
19:44 micromobility devices as permanent on sidewalks under specific regulations,
19:48 and create a new section governing riding on bikeways and shared use paths.
19:52 Notably, the updated proposal removes the prior restriction on adults operating electric bicycles
19:56 and mobility devices on shared use paths while maintaining other restrictions on e-motos and
20:01 motorized bicycles. The proposal would also permit the director of public safety to restrict
20:05 certain aspects of operation in particular areas through signage. The proposed legislation further
20:11 creates new regulatory framework for e-motos. These vehicles will be classified separately from
20:15 electric bicycles and low-speed micromobility devices and will be subject to additional
20:20 requirement including minimum operator age of 16. The case board voted in favor of an age limit
20:25 of 16 but had discussion about an 18-year age limit. Helmet and rear view mirror requirements
20:30 restrictions on passengers and prohibitions on operations on bikeways, shared use lanes,
20:34 and sidewalks. Finally, proposed amendments would clarify responsibility for infrastructure
20:38 maintenance by distinguishing sidewalks from municipally designated bikeways and shared use
20:42 paths and making the city responsible for repair and maintenance of municipally designated
20:46 shared use paths. The case board ultimately favorably referred the amended version of
20:52 the legislation back to council with some additional comments that were captured by
20:55 Assistant Director Boss. Second major topic was the city's traffic calming program. Assistant
21:00 Director Boss provided feedback on the city's existing approach including the history of traffic
21:05 calming efforts and the thresholds currently used to determine whether a street has qualifying
21:09 traffic conditions. The existing thresholds include average daily traffic of at least 600
21:13 vehicles and 85th percentile speed of at least 30 miles per hour and at least five percent of
21:17 traffic traveling at 35 miles per hour or greater. Administration also presented several
21:22 potential improvements to the traffic calming program. These include purchasing two additional
21:25 radar units, bringing the city's total to four, coordinating traffic data collection through
21:29 the ward neighborhood police officers, and obtaining street light data subscription to
21:33 provide additional traffic information and context. The presentation also identified improved
21:37 outreach and information regarding the traffic calming process in the area for improvement.
21:41 These proposed changes are particularly relevant as the city continues to receive
21:45 substantial number of traffic calming requests. Improving the city's ability to collect and analyze
21:49 traffic data while also making the process easier for residents to understand could help
21:53 the city respond more efficiently and consistently to neighborhood concerns about speeding and cut
21:57 through traffic. Near the end of the meeting board member Jeff McCourt addressed the case
22:01 board and advocated for additional active transportation and safety study related to
22:05 the pending issue before the Board of Education regarding the potential repurposing
22:09 of Lincoln Elementary School and its effect on the safety of walking and biking to school
22:14 and our transportation network. The chair did not entertain a formal discussion or motion
22:18 due to time constraints but acknowledged the topic could be discussed at a future meeting.
22:22 I'll continue to participate in the case board's work and keep council informed as
22:26 the board continues to fulfill its duties and with that I will take a drink of water
22:31 but I'll make a motion to receive and file that communication. Second.
22:35 Motions have been made and seconded discussion and I'll just note my appreciation to Vice
22:41 President Baker for that excellent report there's a lot of great work happening in
22:44 case and exciting to have that feedback and informing us. We do have several e-comments
22:54 on this topic so council members make sure you take a look at those they will be entered
22:58 into the record and we do have some folks signed in to speak but before I go to them
23:01 any comments from council members? All right so we'll first go to Jeff Dudzik.
23:12 There you go welcome back. Thank you President Kefel for the opportunity to speak again. It's
23:21 been a little while. I think you may know who I am but I am a resident of Buns Road,
23:27 Jeff Dudzik, 1493 Buns Road. I also just want to remind you that I probably walk or bike
23:34 more miles in Lakewood than I drive. I don't consider myself a commuter cyclist
23:39 but recreationally a few times a week at least in the summer I probably walk a lot.
23:47 I wanted to just note that this perhaps not unsurprisingly was the most commented on issue
23:54 on the agenda tonight and I wrote opposed and I did that just to get attention. I really do
24:04 agree with most of what the case board has proposed for the multimodal path. I in fact
24:10 agree with most of the comments of the support but I have a significant concern with the speed
24:19 and I felt that that was important enough for me to address in person.
24:23 Not that you don't read the comments but I want to make sure I'm heard.
24:28 I wasn't going to come here tonight but one of the things that motivated me was on my
24:32 walk to CDS from Buns Road and back just multiple instances of I hate to use the term
24:41 cyclists but I think some of them were emotos. Just one of them circling around
24:45 Giant Eagle on the sidewalk and going into that ditch jumping up it and on Buns Road
24:52 as I was doing a little bit of yard work before coming here just a few scooters just
24:57 going in traffic in the wrong lane and then back on the sidewalk and I think it's just to
25:02 be expected. Not everyone will behave properly. So in any event I agree with the emotos. I agree
25:13 with almost everything on the speed. I just want to remind you and I won't reiterate them
25:19 over multiple times. I've tried to impress upon you that Buns Road is not the metro park's
25:23 path. There are a significant number of intersections that are used by cars.
25:28 We know what the challenges are. It is multi-bi-directional and so is the traffic
25:33 and you're going to have cases where somebody is on a path with somebody turning behind the car.
25:40 I'm concerned that there will be some some conflicts.
25:46 At 20 miles per hour, which an e-bike can do, even a class one,
25:51 the stopping distance for an average driver rider and you have to you know realize
25:55 part of it's the braking, part of it's the reaction time. It's about 70 feet. The driveway
26:00 distances on Buns Road are about 50 feet apart so you're talking about further than the distance
26:06 if that car does turn in for the bicycle to react to to stop.
26:15 There was an incident in June and I do read the Ohio crash sites. I know there's a lot there
26:20 in the data but look at where the ones that had injuries or suspected injuries you see what
26:24 you'll do is you'll find a lot of the bicycle or scooters or other mobility devices and in June
26:31 there was an Andrews in Detroit, a 20 year old on an e-bike. I looked up the type in the police
26:36 report. It was a class one 20 miles per hour just ran and the crosswalk the driver had a
26:42 green light and he ran into the car. Again you can't expect that everyone is going to behave
26:48 properly. I am just really surprised at the support
26:57 for the the the aversion to having a speed limit and I just don't understand why. I can't see
27:04 any responsible person on Buns Road traveling 20 miles per hour and thinking that that's okay
27:10 and that's safe unless you really pulled the wool over our eyes. This was a multi-use path
27:15 intended for use by lower speed devices by pedestrians and I realized that you know the
27:22 biggest concerns are vehicles and bicycles for as far as far as injury or death but
27:32 walking on a 10-foot path with a bike going 20 miles per hour by you is not a comfortable
27:38 experience. It freaks my wife out all the time. I'm a cyclist. I go about 10 miles per hour
27:45 maybe 12. I don't go 20 and I don't have an e-bike either. I just don't understand the
27:53 argument that it's be reasonable. We do it for cars. School zones are challenging so make it
28:02 20 miles per hour. Enforce it. Be safe. Vice President Baker you said something in the last
28:10 meeting about you know Cleveland doesn't always have the best models so the argument of aligning
28:16 it with adjacent communities doesn't work for Buns Road. So thank you for your time.
28:23 Thank you. All right and next is Emily Lindberg. Hi good evening President,
28:35 couple and council. My name is Emily Lindberg. I live on Lauderdale Avenue.
28:40 Tonight I want to speak speak specifically about the Emoto provision
28:46 proposed in the proposed code revisions and I want to acknowledge that my position on this topic
28:54 has changed since the case meeting last week. First I want to make a distinction between the
29:02 different types of devices we're talking about here. Legal electric bicycles as defined by the
29:08 Ohio law are bicycles and I believe they should be treated as bicycles when it comes to where
29:16 they are permitted to operate in Lakewood. I also support allowing low speed micro mobility
29:23 devices on sidewalks and shared use paths because like electric bicycles these devices
29:29 can provide a low cost and low emissions transportation option for people who may not
29:36 otherwise be able to travel independently without some assistance. Emotos however are
29:43 fundamentally different. They function more like motor vehicles except that they are not subjected
29:49 to the same regulatory framework. Their operators do not need a driver's license
29:55 and the vehicles do not require registration. At the case meeting last week I was the person
30:03 who proposed that Emotos should only be operated in the street by people over 18.
30:11 However the very next day I attended the Ohio active transportation conference in Dublin.
30:19 I attended a session titled Adapting standards for the modern world how personal mobility
30:26 scooters and e-devices create a need to update design standards and policies.
30:32 The panel included Matthew Lindsay director of environment and economic development for the
30:37 Miami valley regional planning commission, Jean Aline Willis director of transportation
30:42 and mobility for the city of Dublin and Steve Magus an attorney specializing in
30:48 bicycle and transportation law. I learned from these panelists that the municipalities
30:56 that they represent not only prohibit Emotos from being operated on their sidewalks and shared
31:03 use paths which is what we talked about at case but they also don't permit them on their public
31:10 streets. That session made me reconsider whether Lakewood should allow Emotos on our streets
31:18 at all. Then I spoke individually with Steve Magus and in that conversation
31:25 reinforced my position. I now believe Lakewood should prohibit Emotos on our streets
31:33 not just for people under 18 or 16 but for everyone. If Ohio law eventually establishes
31:43 a licensing and registration framework for these vehicles I could see a reasonable
31:48 argument for allowing them on our streets under that framework but at this time
31:54 that framework doesn't exist. I want to be clear that my position on electric bicycles
32:01 and low-speed micro mobility devices has not changed. I continue to believe that electric
32:06 bicycles and low-speed micro mobility devices should be allowed to operate anywhere a bicycle
32:11 can operate in Lakewood. I also support addressing reckless operation of these devices
32:17 rather than creating a specific speed limit that would be extremely difficult to enforce.
32:25 Although I do serve on case I am here tonight to speak on my own behalf and to share my own
32:31 perspective. I think it's important that I continue to educate myself, seek out additional
32:37 information and expertise and be willing to reconsider my views when I learn something
32:43 new. I also think it's important to make my own recommendations known even when they may
32:49 differ from where case ultimately lands. In this case I changed my position on one
32:56 specific question whether Emotos should be permitted on Lakewood streets. After what I
33:04 learned last week I believe they should not. Thank you. Thank you. Did anyone else want to
33:12 speak on this topic? I saw some people go over to, yep come on. Hello I'm from Emotos. Just
33:23 want to go into the Emotos and who should be allowed and whatnot. Yet I agree with Emily
33:30 with until there's a framework they shouldn't be no one should be allowed to ride them and
33:36 on top of that as he has put in the ordinance 16 it should be increased to 18 because
33:42 a lot of Emotos have a lot of torque in
33:48 people. Someone with a more developed mind should be operating such a very strong torque
33:56 machine and also support electric bicycles on shared use paths because there's parents who
34:05 want to take their kids to school in an eco-friendly way with cargo bikes or using
34:11 normal bicycles as well. Normal e-bicycles as well and that's about it. Thank you.
34:19 Thank you. Anyone else who wanted to speak on this topic? Just on time to talk about this.
34:29 Dan Zelinski, 2197 Northland. I put an e-comment there but I'll just add that
34:35 I ride bikes, I walk a lot and I also have a Vespa, an electric Vespa and I had to go
34:43 and I had to get a motorcycle license and I got to wear a helmet and do all the motorcycle
34:48 things. This kind of in-between class of Emotos. Having experienced this full spectrum
34:59 of two-wheeled vehicles, my electric assist bicycle is very different from my electric scooter.
35:12 The framework around licensing I think is appropriate to count it as a motorcycle.
35:17 But this in-between class of these Emotos, it seems to me they land more in the motorcycle
35:25 class and they should have a little bit more of a framework around them. I'm not terribly familiar
35:34 with the case, what you guys talked through, but it sounds like you're building a framework to
35:41 identify them and separate them out and regulate them. I think that's appropriate.
35:48 Yeah, that's all. Thank you. Anyone else from the public who wanted to speak on this topic?
35:55 I'll just go to Vice President Baker. I'd like to say that this is case's
36:04 recommendation back to city council. City council will now dig into this ordinance with
36:09 the administration and ultimately pass and amend the codified ordinances. The speed limit issue
36:16 is one that we're going to have to consider as a council and as administration. Case's
36:19 recommendation was regulate behavior and not speed. Maybe we want to regulate speed,
36:25 so that's a question we have to answer. Case's recommended we don't,
36:28 but it's ultimately our decision. So I just wanted to make that point. Thanks.
36:33 Thank you. Yeah, and it's, you know, as we've had these conversations with the administration,
36:41 we've had previous committee meetings and then Vice President Baker and Councilman
36:46 Hamilton Steiner and I met with the administration about this, and a lot of times I think it's
36:52 really important. I appreciate everyone tonight distinguishing between the different classes of
36:56 e-bikes versus these e-motos. The fact that we even have to kind of come up with our own term
37:02 about what to call these things. I mean, these are the equivalent of those of us who are
37:07 old enough to remember mopeds and you had to get a license and be a certain age and follow
37:12 the rules of the road. And these are that we've just kind of had an explosion of these,
37:19 what we're calling e-motos this summer, I would say. And a lot of young kids riding them who
37:26 don't really understand the rules of the road. And we talked about that about getting them
37:32 out of our parks, which I appreciated. Mayor's public safety director took action on that after
37:37 we had that meeting. And then making sure that, you know, I think we've all experienced seeing
37:45 some reckless operation of those devices and having them drive as fast as they can go on
37:51 the sidewalks particularly, but also in the public rights of way, like roads and shared use
37:57 paths. So I think that's a really important topic. You know, as we've, an assistant
38:01 director boss has spent a lot of time going through this as well. We're seeing a lot of
38:05 municipalities who are trying to figure
38:36 and the other folks operating in the rights of way. So I really appreciate case's thoughtful
38:42 feedback on this. This is part of why, you know, we put this group together to get a lot of
38:47 different perspectives. I agree that I'm still interested in thinking about, or I'll just say,
38:52 I'm interested in thinking about speed on the shared use path in the particular setting.
38:59 Enforcement's always a challenge. As we talked with Chief Fisher, you know, in our
39:04 e-bike meeting of, we have rules on the books right now to enforce speed on the sidewalks.
39:15 You're supposed to ride at a speed that somebody walking, most people probably go
39:20 faster than that, but they're not going 40 miles an hour. So there's a big difference
39:25 in these different devices. So I'll have to say, I'm interested in digging into this
39:29 farther. I really appreciate case's thoughtful recommendations, everyone's thoughtful comments
39:33 tonight. And we'll keep going. All right. Any other comments? Councilman Bog.
39:40 Thanks, Madam President. Just to build on and echo some of the comments that have come up.
39:44 First of all, nice work by a lot of people who are committed, are practitioners,
39:51 are doing ongoing research. Ms. Lindbergh is going to seminars and conferences on it.
39:59 Mr. Dudzik, you're a very experienced person living where the first multi-use path is going
40:05 to be. And to all of us in the administration, I think this is a good start, a good success.
40:13 We've got a lot of thoughtful members of the community that are aggregating around the case
40:18 board. Some are on the committee, some are not. But I think the system's doing a nice job
40:24 of giving us a lot of research and thoughtfulness and practical experience
40:31 to make an informed decision. So tip of the hat. And I will be doing a deep dive. I've got
40:37 a number of documents from my colleagues and from members of the public to read carefully
40:43 and catch up to the latest. To the leadership of council, do we know the approximate time frame
40:50 just so I can budget my own time? Are we anticipating working through the recommendations
40:57 for the case and the administration's draft ordinance in the next couple of weeks or before
41:03 the end of the year, or do we not have the set timeframe? Yeah, I think the draft is still
41:13 in housing planning and development. So I'm going to turn to the housing planning and
41:18 development chair on that one about scheduling. But I think we all have sense, I'll just say
41:24 I sense some urgency. Just the number of young people I see writing, the emotos in particular
41:30 of addressing this sooner rather than later. It's stocketed for September 21st. That was
41:35 the day we had available, the assistant director boss was available. So it will be moving as
41:40 quickly as we can. That was a softball right to the right zone. And just briefly,
41:46 Madam President, the school district did announce a new policy of no e-bikes on campus.
41:52 You've got to walk your bike to arrive at the middle school or the elementary school.
41:58 I don't know if that applies to high school or not. But for sure those other two now,
42:02 do people follow that? That's a different question. And I also appreciate the careful
42:09 thought about what standard would be most easily enforceable, what should be the
42:13 reckless use standard or speed standard. Both of those are going to require some effort
42:18 and aren't going to automatically self-enforce. We probably are going to need a big communications
42:27 push by the city and a big enforcement push by the city. I don't see a way around that.
42:32 But I agree with all of those who are trying to be mindful of what's an efficient way to
42:38 go about this. And so I look forward to more work from my colleagues. Thanks.
42:43 Thank you. Any other comments? Councilwoman Hamilton-Steiner.
42:48 Thank you, President Couple. To piggyback off Councilman Bullock's remarks, once the ordinance
42:56 is finalized, once we have that, I think there's an opportunity to do some education
43:00 and some outreach. And we do have some models from another city that has been doing that and
43:05 has been working directly with their local schools to do some education in the schools
43:09 on these. So I think that could be the next step once we get the ordinance all laid out
43:14 and rolling out some education pieces so we can talk about that. But let's first get this
43:19 ordinance together and then we can figure out next steps. Thank you. All right. Any further
43:27 discussion? Councilmember Bixenstein. Thank you, President Couple. I, too,
43:32 appreciate the perspectives that have been shared this evening. And I appreciate the
43:38 ongoing distinction that's been made between e-bikes and e-motos. I know you alluded to the
43:44 park policy. And I realize the park policy is both different as well as you could certainly
43:48 make a case that, you know, whereas in parks the primary usage is recreation and on
43:54 sidewalks and streets and shared use paths, the primary usage is more likely to be mobility.
44:00 But I do think it's still be valuable in the weeks ahead to reflect on the park policy
44:07 and see what, if anything, we can learn from that as we look to pursue our own legislation.
44:15 Thank you. All right. So adding to that, so no further discussion. We have a motion and a second.
44:26 What were we doing? We were receiving file the communication. But we'll continue to work on
44:31 the ordinance and we have the meeting coming up from the 21st to take on the ordinance.
44:37 So we have a motion, a second to receive and file. All those in favor?
44:40 Aye. And that motion passes. Item five, communication from Councilmembers Evans,
44:45 Striebig, and Bixenstein regarding update on block club program initiative. Councilmember Evans.
44:53 Thank you, President Couple. Dear colleagues, summer is peak season for
44:57 block-level community building. As the City of Lakewood abounds with neighborhood block parties
45:02 each weekend, we have taken our initial steps to reimagine our block club program.
45:06 Since the recent transfer of the block club program management from the administration
45:10 to council, we have launched our efforts in partnership with volunteer community leaders
45:14 and the council clerks to seek ways to better assist with thickening social capital and
45:18 turning neighborhoods into communities. We hosted three focus groups on July 9th,
45:23 11th, and 14th aimed at garnering feedback from neighborhood leaders who are already
45:27 involved in block-level community building, formally or informally. Nearly two dozen
45:31 community members participated in a focus group. Across these three groups, residents
45:36 generally wanted City to make community-led block club organizing easier, more accessible,
45:41 and sustainable. The most consistent request for support, Senator, around the following.
45:45 A simple starter welcome toolkit for new and existing block organizers, a clear city web page
45:50 and designated city point person for block club resources, better communication between the city
45:56 and neighborhood connectors, peer-to-peer support and recognition for block organizers,
46:00 more intentional inclusion of renters, apartment residents, immigrants, and other community
46:04 members who may not participate in traditional block club structures. Additional themes that
46:09 emerge across the focus groups participants include there's a significant existing neighborhood
46:14 connection activity, opportunity for block club expansion is strong, and there's an interest
46:19 in expanding the purpose of block clubs well beyond social events. We look forward to
46:23 leveraging this feedback to help inform next steps as we continue to develop a long-term
46:27 neighboring neighboring and belonging strategy. Let's quickly add a quick thank you to my
46:32 colleagues on council for all their hard work and a special thank you to the clerk's office
46:37 who has just really taken on this project with tremendous zeal. So thanks for all your hard
46:43 work. I'll make a motion to receive and file this communication. Second. Motion has been
46:49 made and seconded. I'll just start discussion by saying Councilman Evans and
46:54 Councilmember Stiebig and Bixenstein, I appreciate you putting together this communication. As we
46:59 alluded to earlier with some of the council priorities, well with anything, we can only have
47:05 three members of council working at any time on that. So while all of us are interested in block
47:11 club revitalization and usage, they've they're sort of our task force working on this and
47:17 sharing this communication on the public docket is a way that the rest of us can understand
47:22 it. So we try to be transparent and also inform each other while we also inform the public.
47:29 Any comments from council members? Councilmember Hamilton-Steiner.
47:32 Thank you, President Keppel. Yeah, I too want to just thank all the council members for
47:37 working on this because as President Keppel said, we all can't work together on one thing
47:42 that would be a violation of public laws. And so, but that doesn't mean that we all don't
47:50 care about similar issues and are looking for towards similar solutions. And so I think
47:58 the block club and the block groups are is one way of community building and something that
48:06 is helping to build a more inclusive neighborhood, a more inclusive Lakewood. And I
48:13 have enjoyed going to the block parties so far this season. And it's just always a nice time
48:21 to get out there and talk to the neighbors. And it's a great just casual way just to find out,
48:25 you know, sort of what are the what are the issues? What are the challenges? You know,
48:29 what are the concerns? And also to share information with them as well. So I encourage
48:34 all my council colleagues to hit up what you can and go around. They really do like seeing
48:39 council members at these events. Thank you. Council Member Stubak.
48:45 Thank you. I just want to echo my council colleagues also. And it seemed to me that
48:53 the meetings that we had with with the community, they're really looking for
48:57 just some structure and the permission to proceed. Right. So like you can do it,
49:02 go ahead and do it. And here's kind of our framework, which is where we're at now.
49:06 But as Council Member Evans and I often joke, that's another good reason for block lobes.
49:12 Because all these other things are so tied together when we talk about communication
49:17 going both ways. We talk about our neighborhood paramedics. Here's a whole block of people
49:22 that know everybody on their street. And if there are people having mental health concerns,
49:27 that's possibly another avenue for us to help folks. Thank you. Thank you.
49:34 All right. And the council members. All right. Hearing none on the motion to receive and file.
49:40 All those in favor. Aye. And that motion passes.
49:43 Item six report from Council Member Hamilton Steiner regarding July and August meetings
49:48 of the Animal Safety and Welfare Advisory Board.
49:50 Council Member Hamilton Steiner. Thank you, President Kappel.
49:53 Dear colleagues, Leswab held monthly meetings on July 15th and August 19th.
49:58 The July 15th meeting was held in the auditorium of City Hall to accommodate potentially
50:03 larger public participation. And the July 15th meeting operated with normal business
50:08 of Leswab conducted. ACL Cremley provided the animal shelter report and addressed concerns
50:13 regarding processes and procedures for when an animal is brought to the shelter by animal
50:17 control officers. The rest of the meeting was dedicated to public comment. A resident spoke
50:22 regarding their concerns about how the intake process for when a cat is taken into the
50:26 shelter. The resident would like to see a change in the policies and procedures and ensure
50:30 that there are documented procedures which can be publicly shared and accessible.
50:34 Another resident discussed an online platform they created which allows for the registration
50:39 of indoor outdoor cats with the goal to increase the likelihood of reunification
50:43 in an event they almost lost. Lastly, a resident shared their positive experience
50:48 of volunteering with the APL from foster to adoption. She expressed gratitude to
50:52 Lakewood Animal Control for being able to retrieve their cat from a location in their
50:56 house after multiple attempts of trying to get the cat out themselves. This involved a
51:01 situation where time was of the essence and Lakewood Animal Control successfully retrieved
51:06 the cat. At the August 19th meeting, ACL Cremley provided a deep dive into the shelter pro
51:11 monthly report he provides to Leswab. The report details each action taken by the ACOs
51:18 and the reason. Example, abandoned animals, assistance with LPD, barking or howling,
51:24 so on and so forth. Accounts are provided for intakes and data regarding the intake cases
51:29 including reason and transport and the officer conducting the intake. There's quite a bit
51:33 of action in regard to wildlife. Leswab has been developing articles and information for
51:39 dissemination to the public regarding living in Lakewood with wildlife and what to do and how
51:43 to handle them. Once animal control is called the options are limited including ultimately
51:48 euthanasia. ACL Cremley shared with the group that there was a hoarding situation
51:53 with cats that they were called for and 40 cats had to be put down due to the conditions and
51:58 sickness. Additionally a dog had to be euthanized due to a biting incident that occurred. These two
52:03 instances are a reminder of what animal control officers go through. Ultimately it is not an
52:08 easy job but is an important component to maintaining health and public safety for us
52:13 all and reminder that a touch of kindness and consideration is appreciated and can go
52:17 a long way. Thank you and I move to receive and file that communication.
52:21 The motion has been made and seconded. I appreciate keeping us updated about the
52:28 Liquid Animal Safety Welfare Advisory Board activities and just note that that resource
52:37 that the resident created says indoor outdoor cats although technically you should actually
52:43 according to the codified ordinances cats should not be indoor outdoor so it's for
52:47 cats who have escaped from their homes and because they're not supposed to be
52:53 outdoors unless they are on a leash with your weird like me and just reporting.
52:58 Yes I'm just sharing just just for anyone following along at home just to clarify.
53:02 All right I'd want to make the ACS job any harder by having to enforce it. All right any
53:08 further discussion on the motion to receive and file all those in favor aye and that motion
53:14 passes. Item seven communication from public works director Gordon regarding Ohio Public
53:19 Works Commission grant program year 2028. Director Gordon. Thank you dear president
53:25 Keppel members of city council the fire department water and wastewater collection division
53:30 and division of engineering and construction are recommending submitting grant and loan
53:35 applications to the Ohio Public Works Commission for the 2020 water main replacement project.
53:41 The 2020 water main replacement project would entail replacement of existing six inch diameter
53:46 lines four inch fire hydrants lead service lines sewer rehabilitation and pavement resurfacing
53:53 at the following four street segments Park Haven Row Heard Avenue Elber Avenue and Delaware.
54:00 Please see the attached legislation required to be submitted with the grant and load applications
54:05 for these projects. I request the city upon excuse me city council approve and pass
54:12 the attached resolution so that the grant and loan submittal process may proceed.
54:16 Please let me know if you have any further questions and just want to stress again this
54:20 is a grant we've gone through before. We like to have the resolution with the grant
54:26 because it makes our grant more I guess you could say more credible. So again thank you.
54:33 Thank you. All right I'm going to first move to receive and file the communication.
54:37 Motion's been made and seconded. We do have a public comment on either this or on the
54:44 following ordinance and I think it's a good question is just to clarify that
54:51 these grant funds would not affect our active how this would work intercede with the active
54:57 transportation plan or complete streets or anything like that. No okay great that was
55:02 easy. All right for anyone following along the home director Gordon shook his head no.
55:07 All right so any further discussion councilmembers councilmember Bullock.
55:11 Thank you. I'm happy to support the motion tonight and good work by the administration
55:16 always pursuing funding but on the topic of the residence question Mr. Zelinski's here.
55:23 I believe this bike boulevard was discussed at planning commission recently I think last week
55:30 correct. Yes councilman Bullock if I recall it was on Delaware and it was discussed at planning
55:39 commission and it is currently with city engineer Mark Papke where we are working on the comments
55:46 that were brought up in there and he will be providing further comment here in the
55:49 near future to planning. Great thank you. So the piece of feedback that I received from a
55:53 resident was that in ward three Roosevelt school is right on that route or zone and
56:02 making sure that we're getting feedback or we're giving notice to the school district
56:06 and we're getting feedback from them about the impacts that any change would have or
56:10 potentially have on the routes both for the vehicles and the people who walk and bike is
56:16 just to integrate that. I don't know if that's happened or not but the resident who observed
56:22 the planning commission and I was unfortunately was not able to attend didn't see or hear
56:29 a school district input or feedback on that maybe we can get that in the future.
56:36 Yes we will certainly discuss with the schools we'd like to have a plan in place first instead
56:40 of coming to them and saying like okay you know what you know what are you looking for.
56:44 A lot of times we are we do have a very good working relationship with the schools
56:48 specifically Chris Donahoe he's been great, to work with. You know one of the things that
56:53 we both like on either sides is to come with a plan here's our plan here's what you can present
56:58 let us know if you have any questions or concerns. The baseline has started the
57:02 conversation right okay thank you. President Baker. Yes and I did I wasn't able to attend
57:10 for child care issues but I was able to listen to the planning commission meeting and
57:14 by the way for all of us that worked on complete streets it was really exciting to hear
57:19 and and I applaud the planning department put out signs along Delaware my kid goes to Hayes so I
57:25 saw him to come and comment there were Mr. Zelinski came there were probably 10 public
57:30 comments some of them in favor of interventions some of them against them but that's the
57:36 public process that's exciting to see residents having an ability to have a voice in the
57:42 redesign of their streets so it's really exciting as we go further you know I intend
57:47 to meet with the public works department to talk about the raised crosswalk issue
57:53 raised intersection issue it is called for as a potential treatment but it's not delineated so
58:00 this was kind of a early design issue input stage and then as I understand complete streets
58:05 it will come back to planning commission at a more developed stage so I'm certainly going to
58:09 try to work with the engineering department on that but it was exciting to see the process
58:15 play out and and you know the and this also as it relates to Roosevelt at least Councilman
58:21 Bullock this project stops before Roosevelt but it is right on Hayes and so a lot of
58:26 the public input was about Hayes and what it means for pick up drop off for students
58:30 interacting with it for some reason in front of Hayes the street is like 70 feet wide but
58:35 everywhere else it's 30 feet wide yeah and and then like crossings at Olive so it was
58:41 really exciting to hear the process that we helped create start and applaud to the public
58:49 works department planning department for facilitating it thank you yeah tonight's actually
58:54 been kind of exciting we spent over a year working with the administration on complete
58:57 streets and then we passed a case so I was excited to see that legislation and the
59:05 feedback from case tonight so seeing all these things come together. Councilman Stiebeck.
59:08 Thank you. Thank you Director Gordon for this. Can you just talk a little bit about
59:13 the section on Delaware here and and I specifically have a rental house in this
59:18 section here and it seems like this section I'm not quite sure what's going on in this
59:23 neighborhood but it's under construction every two or three years and and I don't know
59:27 well I do know that at one point it was to connect the down pipes from the houses to
59:34 the street because that went through our front yards but I also thought that the
59:38 sewers were already taken care of there so I'm interested to hear I don't know anything
59:44 about the fire hydrant lines in the lead service lines we've talked about but the
59:49 street has been repaved after that and I want to say it's probably been 10 years
59:56 2017 rehabilitation there but can you talk a little bit about what what happened then
1:00:02 and what the difference is now sure so the the work that's being proposed here is waterline
1:00:09 replacement so it's completely different than any work that has been done prior I am aware
1:00:16 that this area was resurfaced actually sooner I want to say within the last year year and a
1:00:22 half if I recall when Enbridge was in the area so we're happy that they're out of there
1:00:30 but this is just our standard waterline replacement project included within waterline
1:00:34 replacement project we do do the lead service lines both the private and public we do fire
1:00:40 hydrant lines and things of that nature so this is this is again our standard waterline
1:00:48 replacement that's not eye whip meaning that doesn't consist of sewer work so that's pretty
1:00:56 much all I got do you need anything further than that no just just also the comment that
1:01:02 that area also serves as the landing grounds for every major project in that neighborhood so
1:01:09 we get everything that goes on Glenberry and Atkins and and everybody else around there too
1:01:15 well we're hoping this will be the last thank you thank you all right any further
1:01:23 discussion on the communication we have a motion to receive and file all those in favor
1:01:29 aye and that motion passes item eight resolution 2026 39 a resolution to take effect immediately
1:01:36 authorizing the city engineer to prepare and submit applications to participate in the Ohio
1:01:41 public works commission state capital improvement and or local transportation improvement program
1:01:46 and execution of all contracts as required move to adopt second motion has been made
1:01:52 and seconded discussion again thanks to the administration and public works department for
1:01:58 seeking these funds all right hearing no further discussion all those in favor
1:02:03 aye and that motion passes item nine communication from human service director Barry
1:02:08 chief of police fisher and fire chief Fairbanks regarding liquid community
1:02:12 care response team requests to present chief Fairbanks since you're the only one here
1:02:17 how about how about you short straw good evening president Keppel and members of city council we
1:02:24 are writing a request the opportunity to present to council on the lakewood community care response
1:02:29 team a joint effort of the department of human services the lakewood police department and the
1:02:34 lakewood fire department we respectfully ask that council refer this matter to the committee of
1:02:40 its choosing over the past year our three departments have come together to respond to
1:02:45 residents facing crisis situations mental health needs housing instability and the many concerns
1:02:51 that do not fall neatly at any one department social workers neighborhood officers and the fire
1:02:58 department's neighborhood paramedics share referrals and follow up together so the
1:03:02 residents are not lost in a handoff between departments while the program itself has only
1:03:07 been operating for the past year our departments have been doing this work since their inception
1:03:12 the community care response team is our effort to formalize and institutionalize that work
1:03:18 and we are building the structure to sustain it we would welcome the chance to walk the
1:03:24 committee through the first year of this work and our plans for the program moving forward
1:03:28 we will make ourselves ourselves available at the committee's convenience and are happy to
1:03:33 answer any any questions thank you for your consideration thank you we could
1:03:43 and i know we have some council members who've been working on this as well and some good work
1:03:47 there we could send this to public safety or health and human services committee okay health
1:03:54 and human services all right so we will i'm going to make a motion to refer to health and
1:03:59 human services committee second motion has been made and seconded discussion councilman evans
1:04:07 thank you president keppel i just want to thank legwood police department legwood fire department
1:04:13 human services for all their efforts in this in this area council persons hamilton siren
1:04:19 strebeck and myself had the opportunity to sit down with folks from all three of those
1:04:23 departments last week as it is a council priority to find ways to enhance our response to to folks
1:04:32 facing mental health issues we're i think speak for all we're very encouraged to see what the
1:04:37 city is doing and we're excited to see how we can work together to find resources to
1:04:44 kind of plug any gaps in the program where they are and to continue enhance these
1:04:48 amazing services that are so important to our residents so thank you to everyone involved
1:04:52 and thanks for offering to present thank you any further discussion doing none on the motion
1:04:59 to refer to health and human services all those in favor aye and that motion passes item 10
1:05:05 communication from fire chief fairbanks regarding public utilities commission of ohio training
1:05:10 grant chief evans president keppel and members of city council i am pleased to inform you
1:05:16 that the legwood fire department has been awarded a puko training and planning grant in
1:05:21 the amount of six thousand six hundred and six dollars and 25 cents this reimbursable grant is
1:05:27 intended to offset the cost of training up to nine legwood fire department personnel to the
1:05:32 level of confined space rescue technician these grants will permit us to train our personnel
1:05:37 to the national fire protection association nfpa standard of the confined space rescue
1:05:43 technician level the legwood fire department has identified the need to train to this level
1:05:48 based on our hazard profile specifically industries currently operating in legwood
1:05:52 with processes taking place in confined spaces this training will enable our personnel to make
1:05:58 hasty and effective rescues of civilians working in these spaces per codified ordinance 111.14
1:06:05 no match required this letter serves to formally notify council of our acceptance of
1:06:10 the grant for the purpose of training our personnel thank you thank you i'll move to
1:06:15 receive and file second motion's been made and seconded discussion appreciate both the
1:06:22 effort for ongoing training as always and um that it have this money offset so it's great
1:06:29 win-win any further discussion hearing none all those in favor aye and that motion passes
1:06:35 item 11 communication from planning commission chair la pointe regarding appointment of kyle
1:06:40 rise to the community reinvestment area housing council assistant director boss
1:06:48 thank you madam president and members of council i'll just speak briefly to this so this this is
1:06:54 for your information and to receive and file from our chair of the planning commission by
1:07:00 the ohio revised code they are authorized to appoint one member of the planning commission to
1:07:07 we are reforming a seven member housing council for the city the city had one
1:07:13 maintained one is supposed to have one per under the county regulations for tax incremental
1:07:17 financing and community reinvestment act financing so we're getting that housing
1:07:22 council stood back up again that just requires the planning commission to appoint one of their
1:07:26 members and so they've appointed mr reese so thank you and thank you to mr reese for
1:07:32 taking that on all right so i will move to receive and file motion's been made and seconded
1:07:37 discussion hearing none all those in favor aye and that motion passes item 12 july and august
1:07:44 2026 finance department vendor report submit it pursuant to liquid codified ordinance 1103
1:07:51 move to receive and file second motion's been made and seconded discussion
1:07:56 hearing none all those in favor aye and that motion passes item 13 liquor permit regarding
1:08:03 bijou hospitality llc amazonia this is ward four so our customers to check in with the ward
1:08:09 councilmember councilmember bixenstein thank you president keppel i've communicated with
1:08:14 officer maser and i'm i'm comfortable with this liquor license thank you so we will move
1:08:22 move to file with no objection motion's been made and seconded discussion hearing none all
1:08:29 those in favor aye and that motion passes item 14 liquor permit regarding care and petroleum
1:08:36 16016 hilliard road and we have this report too i believe director vargo is nodding so
1:08:42 that's word two where am i councilman evans see no reason to object all right i'll move
1:08:48 to receive or move to file with no objection motion's been made and seconded discussion
1:08:55 madam president councilman bullock on the previous one i don't think i'm seeing the full report
1:09:01 on the agenda it's um there's there's a one page
1:09:15 i'll check mine in your email very good thank you happy to support the current motion okay
1:09:22 so we have a motion to file with no objection on the care and petroleum liquor permit any
1:09:29 further discussion hearing none all those in favor aye and that motion passes all right
1:09:36 we're back to item one and yeah we'll do the motion item one communication from president
1:09:52 couple regarding first energy before committee of the whole and rate case dear colleagues as our
1:10:00 community continues to work together to hold first energy accountable i'm pleased to share
1:10:05 that the utility company has agreed to my request that they appear before lakewood city
1:10:09 council's committee of the whole the hearing will take place on september 28th at 6 pm
1:10:15 the purpose of this hearing is to review first energies plans to improve infrastructure
1:10:20 reliability and communication specifically regarding the corrective action plans required by the
1:10:26 public utilities commission of ohio before the both the 2025 and 2026 investigations resulted
1:10:34 in puko issuing notices of probable non-compliance that concluded that most of the outages were
1:10:40 caused by equipment or line failure and both highlighted first energies failure to invest in
1:10:46 infrastructure and maintain and implement a comprehensive communication plan you can of all
1:10:52 the corrective actions that puko identified as needed in the timeline for each in my attached
1:10:58 letter i have asked first energy to arrive prepared to provide status updates and completion
1:11:04 dates for each item additionally i have directed them to address how this infrastructure decline
1:11:09 occurred how first energy will improve communications with residents and public officials
1:11:15 and any related questions from city council or the administration on august 21st first energy
1:11:22 replied to puko's 2026 pnc and among other things asked that instead of paying a three
1:11:27 million dollar fine for their ongoing failure and neglect that they spend the money on
1:11:32 upgrading the system that they should have already been maintaining if first energy can afford to
1:11:37 put their name on the brown stadium bribe elected officials at the state house it can afford to pay
1:11:42 a fine for their negligence and fix its infrastructure this is particularly true because
1:11:47 consumers have already paid for upgrades at our july 28th city council committee of the whole
1:11:52 meeting regarding first energy litigation we were joined by our partners at the ohio consumers
1:11:57 council occ the occ highlighted that first energy collected 396.6 or 369.6 million from
1:12:07 consumers for grid modernization phase one and is currently collecting 420 million one million
1:12:13 for phase two yet in field visits to substations serving liquid puko staff identified a quote
1:12:21 significant amount of infrastructure that seemed on the whole older than infrastructure
1:12:26 found elsewhere in cei service territory end quote liquid residents paid first energy for
1:12:32 updates that we clearly did not receive first energy owes liquid restitution and reliability
1:12:39 to that end on august 21st the city of liquid filed a motion to intervene in the case
1:12:44 currently before the puko in which the public utilities commission of ohio in which first
1:12:49 energy is seeking to raise rates on consumers the occ estimates that the average customer would
1:12:55 see an approximate $5 a month increase initially escalating to a total increase of $15 a month by
1:13:01 year three these rates would be in effect from july 20 2027 through june 2030 liquid residents
1:13:09 have already paid enough for upgrades and service that we never received first energy
1:13:14 customers who share this opinion can help the city push back by submitting a comment on the
1:13:18 rate case to the puko referencing case number 26-0347-el-air at our july 28th committee of the whole
1:13:30 meeting the law department asked for more time to study potential litigation now that the city
1:13:35 of liquid has filed to intervene in the rate case i expect that council will hold an executive
1:13:40 session in the very near future pursuant to a higher revised code section 121.22g
1:13:49 and that could be actually in the very near future because what i'm going to suggest
1:13:54 i'll make a motion in a moment is to after we have finished public comment to enter executive
1:14:00 session for the purposes of consulting with an attorney regarding pending legal disputes involving
1:14:06 the city so but before i do that i want to pause for a moment to hear any other comments
1:14:12 from council members or discussion all right so i will go ahead and make that motion that i
1:14:23 just said which is following public comment to enter executive session for the purpose of
1:14:30 consulting with attorney regarding pending legal disputes before the city second
1:14:37 it's been made and oh yeah so i'll just adding to that motion include obviously the law department
1:14:45 mayor you're welcome to join us of course and the council staff as well
1:14:51 director vargo is that sufficient council president it is and i hate to impose on
1:15:00 director gordon but so much of public works is involved with first energy and making sure
1:15:07 that the city of municipal works have sufficient energy so if i could if you
1:15:12 can invite him as well that'd be great sorry director gordon so i'll amend my i'll amend my
1:15:18 motion to include director gordon now you get the short straw sorry all right um any further
1:15:25 discussion great and yep vice president baker uh yes council member bigson stein
1:15:34 council member bullock yes council member evan yes president couple yes council member hamilton
1:15:39 steiner yes council member street big yes all right um so we're gonna go ahead and move on to
1:15:45 public comment following that we'll exit for executive session as we just discussed um it
1:15:52 won't be a whole lot to stick around for because we'll be you won't be able to watch up
1:15:56 um but i'll go ahead and move on to public comment so you don't have to wait for us
1:15:59 while we're back there all right so first up um is zach robach good evening president couple
1:16:13 members of council thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight my name is zach robach i have
1:16:18 two kids in lakewood schools in first grade and third grade i was a member of the elementary
1:16:22 task force and nominated by my school pta to be on the elementary elementary transition committee
1:16:28 down the street tonight the lakewood board of education is voting on a proposal to
1:16:32 restructure our elementary schools that would end neighborhood preschools repurpose lincoln
1:16:37 elementary and redistrict hundreds of families so why am i here at city council last october
1:16:44 in an observer survey in the run-up to city council elections every candidate for council
1:16:49 except one including many here responded first council members should care about the impact of
1:16:55 closing schools and how they are run and second that they were in favor of retaining
1:17:00 lakewood seven public elementary schools in the spring council passed a resolution to endorse the
1:17:05 school levy which passed during the may vote it's clear that council recognizes the
1:17:10 interconnectedness of lakewood schools with the broader success of the plan that was
1:17:15 rubber stamped at the board meeting tonight is not a real plan it's simply an outcome close
1:17:19 lincoln elementary and neighborhood preschool and open a centralized early learning center
1:17:25 district boundaries have still not been announced there is no public budget there is no
1:17:30 transportation plan or transportation study which took up half of council's meeting tonight about
1:17:35 safety and transportation there's no plan for providing aftercare to k-5 elementary students
1:17:41 there's been no data presented on the demand for preschool which has had no wait list for
1:17:45 the last two years and overall there's no meaningful detail on how this would improve
1:17:49 educational outcomes this should matter to the city for at least three reasons first the
1:17:55 district's plan contradicts the city's emphasis on active transportation and likely adds cost to
1:18:01 city and resident budgets as more residents will drive their children to and from school every
1:18:05 morning rush hour will become more congested existing walking commutes more dangerous extra
1:18:11 wear and tear on roads and added pollution to the air the city will be expected to provide
1:18:16 more crossing guards families who switch to driving will need to pay more for gas
1:18:20 not all of these are readily quantified but they exist even the modest savings offered by
1:18:25 the district are illusory because they will be picked up by the city or individual residents
1:18:30 second the lack of transparency and real community listening will undermine broader
1:18:34 trust and credibility in local government the district ended a year-long community task force
1:18:39 because of alleged sunshine act violations then rushed a vote through that was subsequently
1:18:44 vacated under a legal settlement the district does not post meeting meeting materials or minutes
1:18:49 publicly and is months behind on records requests this time around the district declined to provide
1:18:55 the slides that they presented in community meetings the district's data has also been
1:19:00 visibly and objectively misleading in a mandatory filing with the state of ohio less than two
1:19:05 weeks ago the district reported a 20 uptick in kindergarten enrollment this year over last
1:19:10 a 20 enrollment and that was never discussed in public meetings in one recent presentation
1:19:18 the district used forecasts from a 2022 enrollment survey that predicted declines
1:19:22 instead of using actual enrollment data that showed stability and slight increases
1:19:27 during the levy campaign the district told voters that the consolidation plan would save
1:19:31 1.5 to 1.9 mils or 2.6 to three and a half million dollars two weeks ago the
1:19:37 district treasurer acknowledged the best case savings were likely around 600 000 a 75 percent
1:19:42 decrease third lakewood's elementary walkability is a unique and defining characteristic that
1:19:49 makes the city special from virtually every city in the cleveland metropolitan area and even
1:19:53 distinguishes lakewood from many cities nationwide my wife and i moved here over 10 years ago
1:19:58 to start a family excited that our kids would one day attend a brand new school being
1:20:02 built three blocks from our house no meaningful data has been presented by the district to
1:20:07 evaluate the impact on walkability but common sense and the limited data provided may clear
1:20:12 that walking distances will increase substantially both for former lincoln students and for all the
1:20:17 preschool students who currently attend neighborhood schools for new families considering moving to
1:20:21 our area of town elementary walkability is no longer a distinguishing characteristic
1:20:27 in community surveys board meetings observer articles direct conversations and other channels
1:20:31 the community has spoken out exhaustively against the plan the board re-approved the plan tonight
1:20:37 but that's not the end of the journey the plan was first approved almost a year ago however
1:20:42 shockingly little work has actually been performed much of the burden seems likely to
1:20:46 occur outside the district's far walls and fall to the city and residents i'm asking the
1:20:51 city to continue to press the district for a collaborative partnership in developing this
1:20:55 transition plan especially around developing a transportation plan and to consider pausing the
1:21:00 decision until an actual plan has been adopted finally i'm asking you to publicly speak out on
1:21:04 this issue i understand council does not control the decision but a lack of control is not the
1:21:10 same as a lack of influence thank you thank you um next we have kyle warren did you want
1:21:18 to speak okay and ed you're signed in too did you you're good okay and jeff left yes okay
1:21:28 and then ashley did you want to go again hello i'm ashley drachenberg again and i want to speak on
1:21:38 the first energy meeting that you're going to have and i just have to say as a resident of
1:21:43 lakewood it makes me really angry to hear that first energy does not want to pay this pittance
1:21:48 of a fine three million dollars is nothing to them and they want to say that they don't
1:21:51 have the money for this any person that lives in northeast ohio knows that they absolutely
1:21:58 have the money we've all seen our bills going up time and time again and in fact to give you
1:22:04 a little bit more of like a actual personal experience i had with that i don't know if
1:22:08 you guys know about how that data center in downtown cleveland got expanded but expanded by
1:22:13 approximately 0.75 acres through what i think is unscrupulous ways that they did it but
1:22:19 anyway literally the day after they made the movement and got approved to expand their data
1:22:24 center we had someone come to our door and tell us that our electric bill was going to go up
1:22:32 so these rate hikes they're not to help the infrastructure it's to subsidize these ai data
1:22:37 data centers that we're not going to get into that right now we don't got time
1:22:42 so while our bills are increasing and our reliability in service is decreasing due to
1:22:49 their negligence we are truly the ones that are struggling not first energy so i find it
1:22:54 insulting for them to say that they do not have this money secondly they've already collected the
1:23:00 money to do the improvements and are finishing up their their collection efforts three million
1:23:06 dollars to that like come on let's be realistic here again i'm so sorry i don't really have the
1:23:11 words to say this more eloquently it just makes me unbelievably angry that they have the
1:23:17 gall to say that um if i so i don't know that's just why i have you know and honestly
1:23:22 it just it makes me say you know if they don't have the three million dollars to pay this
1:23:26 fine is that are they admitting to embezzling like what's going on there so thank you so
1:23:30 much thank you um yeah they're not saying they don't have it they're saying they want
1:23:35 to spend it on our infrastructure but they already were supposed to be fixing our
1:23:40 infrastructure and they're already getting money for it yeah right they can afford to do both
1:23:45 all right so next up is christopher richie left okay and then matt herberger welcome back good
1:24:01 evening matt herberger 1448 buns road um gosh i have all sorts of opinions about what we've
1:24:09 discussed tonight but i came here for something different um i took a look at i'm sorry for those
1:24:20 you don't know um i'm concerned about the uh multimodal or shared use path that's been
1:24:27 laid down on bunce road currently um i had a chance to go and look at the path next to
1:24:37 lakewood high school and uh to say that i was disappointed or disgusted would be an under
1:24:47 statement um the pretty pictures that we put together the city of lakewood to show people
1:24:55 what that path would look like and i to be done um i'm already looking at the grading
1:25:04 of it uh it does not look level to me uh it makes me question uh the capabilities of the
1:25:12 contractor that's putting that in uh the edging um looks
1:25:21 degraded already and in fact as i walked on it tonight um pieces of the asphalt were actually
1:25:28 coming up off the the pathway uh to expect that to come down my street in front of right in
1:25:35 front of my house um i question um the integrity of the project i questioned the
1:25:44 slope because we all know from madison down to clifton it's a probably about a hundred foot
1:25:50 drop that water has to travel downward��을 that slope um so it's very concerning very
1:25:58 concerning i've always been concerned about this and it seems like my worst fears are being
1:26:02 realized um obviously this can't be stopped we tried to whatever every every argument we presented
1:26:13 was deemed insufficient um but i would hope that at least some of you all of you because
1:26:21 you're all kind of responsible walk on that path look at that path and see if you would
1:26:28 want that path in your front yard take a look at it because it is uh it's not representative
1:26:38 of lakewood it's not a good job uh it is a damn shame and i don't know how much money is being
1:26:46 spent uh but i'd like to see if it's coming down my street next some improvements and
1:26:53 i'd like to see somebody with the city of lakewood go and hold these people accountable
1:27:00 and look at the work that's being done and sign off on it or not sign off on it because
1:27:07 quite frankly i'll bet you half of you haven't even been on that path i bet you haven't even
1:27:12 looked at it take a look at it it's an outrage thank you very much thank you
1:27:20 thank you uh councilman bullock thanks madam president just a couple of quick responses to
1:27:28 the to the residents um mr harbarger will keep working to be responsive to your neighborhood
1:27:34 concerns and try to make sure the project's high quality i have been near and on the path
1:27:39 because i'm at the high school football field a bunch um mr robach you've been very
1:27:45 thoughtful in aligning up a lot of thoughtful arguments and evidence and support so thank
1:27:49 you for being here tonight we'll have to keep working with our school partners to
1:27:53 address the issues there um and then ma'am i'm forgetting your name but on the first energy
1:27:59 point certainly agree the response from the utility was that for the good of the
1:28:05 the good of the consumer let's not pay a fine maybe an alternative and i'd certainly
1:28:12 welcome the law department's thoughts on this as we could pursue some kind of a financial
1:28:17 assistance or restitution fund with the three million dollars which isn't initially allowed
1:28:24 for in the law but perhaps a legal plea bargain of sorts could explore that possibility
1:28:31 the utility may not like the word restitution but an economic assistance and certainly that
1:28:36 would be a way we could fulfill their intent to express their concern for the
1:28:41 the consumers who've been put out by the power outages so we'll see but um well i know there's
1:28:47 been a lot of good work from the the mayor and her team and council members and so
1:28:51 we're gonna have to keep that keep after this one thank you president baker yes thank you
1:28:58 president couple and thank you mr robach um the one thing you know and i i know the
1:29:03 school board's having their meeting right now so you tell me that they voted to repurpose
1:29:09 i'll trust you on that you're a trustworthy person um what what i will say is that you
1:29:13 know we have gotten a tremendous amount of public outreach from folks on this issue
1:29:20 it is important to me i won't speak for my colleagues although i'm sure they also deem
1:29:24 it important you know now that the school board has made a decision or at least voted a
1:29:30 certain way what i can commit to as a member of city council is there are three things i
1:29:36 think are relevant with what you brought up one is is you know when we had the safe routes
1:29:41 of school plan about four or five years ago those locations and the heat maps of where
1:29:46 people are walking where they're going is changing that needs to be studied that requires
1:29:49 resources number two is is crossing guards i work with the administration a couple years
1:29:57 ago to remove the cap and the code on crossing guards it was the only position
1:30:01 in the city that had a cap on the amount of people that could be um i do think the school needs to
1:30:06 participate uh in expansion of crossing guards if they are going to increase walking distance
1:30:13 uh so i think there's creative ways that you know before implementation of this
1:30:18 approved plan uh the city and the school district's mayor council superintendent school
1:30:24 board need to work together and the school needs to participate in hiring crossing guards
1:30:29 crossing guards um uh because you know and at least that's the way i'm going into the discussion
1:30:35 and what i have told the school board members that i've talked to you that
1:30:39 that there needs to be some cost sharing there and third is snow clearing
1:30:44 so right now i know that the public works department has a loose plan we talked about
1:30:48 during budget priorities about snow clearing around priority routes if kids are going
1:30:53 to be walking further distances the school i just got an email uh liquid board okays
1:30:58 elementary transition plan so uh you're right zach as always um so um snow clearing the school
1:31:06 needs to participate in snow clearing plans uh with the city uh and i think that that all of
1:31:12 this could be wrapped up in some sort of like safety services agreement between the city and the
1:31:18 school district uh that talks about hiring of crossing guards that talks about snow clearing
1:31:26 you know procuring the right equipment to do it paying staff to do it certain priority
1:31:30 routes that are informed by that planning study but these are things that are very
1:31:33 important and we need to get to before this plan is implemented which i don't know if it's
1:31:38 next school year or the following one uh but it's very important and as a kid who grew up
1:31:43 walking to school in lakewood and as a parent of three kids who well two of which right now
1:31:48 walk to school three of which will uh it's very important so that's what i want to say
1:31:52 and share with my colleagues in the administration thank you all right um that's everyone i had
1:31:59 signed in for public comment did anybody else want a public comment before we move on
1:32:05 all right um with that uh we had a motion to enter executive session um we have completed
1:32:13 public comment so we'll be headed back to the east conference room uh thanks folks appreciate
1:32:54 so we've now exited executive session i'm gonna move to refer the communication
2:27:06 to committee of the whole second motion's been made and seconded any discussion hearing none
2:27:13 all those in favor aye and that motion passes um we have no further business i know you
2:27:20 wanted to go through your calendar it could be like 10 seconds okay so announcements from
2:27:25 council members thank you um september 11th through the 13th is rasha shana september 16th
2:27:33 through the 23rd is bisexual awareness week september 23rd is the celebrate bisexuality day
2:27:42 and by visibility day and september 20th is yom kippur thank you all right any other
2:27:50 announcements no no further business become for council without objection we are adjourned