2026-05-18 - City Council
Summary
Built from the official minutes of May 18, 2026. This is one of the newest minutes posted; every Council meeting after it has an agenda only. No video or transcript is on file for this meeting.
- Called to order 7:02 p.m. with Council President Griffin presiding; 14 members present, Kazy absent (excused by motion of Santana, seconded by Bishop). Adjourned 8:37 p.m. to meet June 1, 2026.
- Nine people spoke in public comment; the minutes list names but not topics.
- Every roll call was 14-0 except one: the admissions tax exemption change passed 13-1 with Starr opposed.
- Passed on first reading: a pay-band change, the AFSCME Local 100 contract, a reproductive health needs assessment, and permits and payments tied to DigitalC.
- Passed on second reading: bicycle and speed table programs, the CDBG and HUD grant ordinances, a Lorain Avenue design amendment, lead service line replacement, repeal of the SiFi fiber agreement, and the Jefferson Avenue rezoning.
- Referred on first reading: City Hall modernization, the Bedrock amphitheatre title step, the Martin Luther King Jr. school redevelopment amendment, violence prevention grants, a Brook Park settlement amendment and the 2027 tax budget, among others.
- Five long-pending ordinances were taken up as tabled legislation.
SiFi Fiber Network Agreement Repeal
- Ordinance 630-2026 repealing the 2023 development agreement ordinance passed 14-0.
Admissions Tax Exemption Changes
- Ordinance 469-2026, as amended, passed 13-1; Starr voted no.
Employee Pay Band Changes and AFSCME Local 100 Labor Contract
- Ordinance 652-2026 (Sections 37 and 39) and Ordinance 663-2026 (AFSCME Local 100 contract and Section 8) each passed 14-0.
High-Comfort Bicycle Improvements, Citywide Speed Table Installation and Lorain Avenue Rehabilitation Design
- Ordinances 1218-2025, 1406-2025 and 351-2026 each passed as amended, 14-0. Presentations were attached for the first two.
Community Development Block Grant Funding and Community Engagement Healthy Home Initiative
- Ordinances 518-2026 and 520-2026 (HUD grants) and 464-2026 (Healthy Home Initiative) passed 14-0 with a shared presentation.
Lead Service Line Replacement
- Ordinance 624-2026 (Program Year 5) passed 14-0.
DigitalC Internet Subscriptions Payment
- Ordinance 623-2026 passed 14-0, as did the Digital Dash 10K permit (655-2026, June 20, 2026) and a mobile vending permit (667-2026).
Reproductive Health Needs Assessment
- Ordinance 660-2026 (Casino Revenue Funds) passed 14-0 on first reading.
Jefferson Avenue Rezoning
- Ordinance 328-2026 (Map Change 2695) passed 14-0.
City Hall Modernization Project, Bedrock Amphitheatre Tax Increment Financing, Martin Luther King Jr. High School Redevelopment, Community Police Commission Violence Prevention Grants, International Exposition Center Lease Changes
- All referred to administrative review on first reading (Ordinances 666-2026, 662-2026, 661-2026, 658-2026 and 664-2026).
Slavic Village Neighborhood Development Fund and Afford-A-Home Loan Forgiveness
- Taken up under 'Ordinances to be Tabled' with three other pending items (land reutilization programs, the Neighborhood Development Subfund and an EDEN loan termination); each motion shown carried 14-0 and the items are indexed as tabled legislation.
Other business
- Referred: a CivicPlus contract for accessible documents; June supplemental appropriation of $491,427 to the General Fund; a $465,000 transfer within the General Fund; a grant for two recovery housing duplexes; the St. Clair-Superior Land Bank neighborhood grant; an amendment to the Ohio City Family Dollar housing loan; the 2027 tax budget resolution; and a resolution of intent to vacate streets for the Cleveland Business Park.
- Passed on second reading, 14-0: valve actuator contracts, firefighter high-rise kits, a drug law enforcement task force grant, the 2026 IT capital plan, temporary environmental health staffing, the Title X grant, citywide safety programs, supply and security contracts, an ODOT queue-warning system, an encroachment permit on West 6th Street and an urban renewal boundary change for the St. Vincent Center.
- Condolence, congratulatory and recognition resolutions were received and filed.