2026-09-09 - City Commission

00:03[music]

00:05>> The Dayton City Commission meeting will

00:07now come to order.

00:09Would you all please rise for the

00:10invocation, remain standing

00:13for the pledge of allegiance. This

00:15morning the invocation will be given by

00:17Commissioner Beckham.

00:18>> Thank you, Mayor. Just before we begin,

00:20I'd like to take a brief moment of

00:21silence for the city employee that we

00:23lost recently, Mr. Craig Howard.

00:26>> [snorts]

00:33>> Thank you.

00:34Uh dear Lord, thank you for this day.

00:37Thank you for the opportunity to lead

00:39our city. We ask that you allow us to do

00:41it with direction, clarity, and wisdom.

00:43In your name we pray. Amen.

00:45>> Amen.

00:47>> I pledge allegiance [music] to the flag

00:49of the United States of America and to

00:52the republic for which it stands, one

00:54nation under God, indivisible, with

00:57liberty and justice for all.

01:04>> Ms. McClendon, may we please have a roll

01:06call this morning?

01:07Mayor Turner-Sloss?

01:08>> Aye.

01:09>> Commissioner Joseph?

01:10>> Aye.

01:11>> Shaw?

01:11>> Aye.

01:12>> Fairchild?

01:13>> Aye.

01:13>> Beckham?

01:14>> Aye.

01:15>> May I have a motion to approve the

01:17minutes of the September the 2nd, 2026

01:20meeting?

01:20>> So moved, Your Honor.

01:21>> Second the motion, Your Honor.

01:23>> All in favor say

01:24All in favor say aye. All opposed say

01:26no. Any abstentions?

01:32It has been properly moved and seconded

01:34to approve the minutes

01:38of the June 2020 26, 2026 meeting.

01:43>> Need a motion, Your Honor. Move to

01:44approve the minutes of the executive

01:46session from June 29th, 2026.

01:48>> Second the motion.

01:50>> [snorts]

01:50>> It has been properly moved and seconded

01:52to approve

01:54the The of the June 29th, 2026 executive

01:58session. All in favor say I.

02:00>> I.

02:00>> All opposed say no. Any abstentions?

02:03Ms. McClendon, are there any

02:04communications or petitions this

02:05morning?

02:06>> There are none, Your Honor.

02:08>> This morning we have a presentation,

02:10Age-Friendly Action Plan. Ms. Dixteen,

02:12please proceed.

02:13>> Thank you, Your Honor. At this time I'd

02:15like to call Ellen Sizer forward to

02:17present our Age-Friendly Dayton Action

02:19Plan.

02:27>> Good morning.

02:29Good morning.

02:30>> Thank you all for having me present this

02:32morning.

02:33I'm going to

02:34wait till it comes up.

02:38Maybe.

02:39Well, I'll just keep going until it

02:41comes up. Okay.

02:43So, today I'm going to be talking about

02:44the Age-Friendly Age-Friendly Plan

02:47Action Plan. And kind of how I'm going

02:49to be talking about it today is through

02:51four parts. One, I'm going to be going

02:53through the timeline, kind of what is

02:55Age-Friendly and also where we've been

02:57and where we're going.

02:58Uh, second, I'm going to talk about the

03:00massive engagement effort that we went

03:02through. And then I'm going to also talk

03:03about the major themes that came out of

03:05that. And then thirdly, I'm going to

03:07talk about the content itself in the

03:09plan as well as some uh, examples like

03:13initiative example initiatives that have

03:15already been kind of ongoing. And then

03:17I'll have some time for questions.

03:19Um, I'm just going to keep it going. Uh,

03:22so I'm going to quickly talk about the

03:24timeline. So,

03:26in October 2023, this commission uh,

03:30signed a resolution as a letter of

03:32commitment to the AARP Livable

03:34Communities, which basically states that

03:36we committed to taking on this

03:38initiative for at least the next 5

03:40years. And that means

03:42uh, assessing, planning, and then

03:44implementing, and then eventual

03:45evaluation.

03:46Uh, so that got the ball rolling in

03:492023. And from there we've uh, taken the

03:53ARP framework, which is where this

03:56action plan comes from.

03:58Uh

03:59about 10, 20 years ago, the World Health

04:02Organization decided saw that there was

04:05a need for more initiatives towards

04:07older adults and age-friendly living.

04:10And so, the ARP adopted that. So, we are

04:12working off of what the ARP framework.

04:15And kind of the beautiful thing about

04:16this framework is it's a bit of a

04:18shorter timeline than other traditional

04:21planning plans

04:22in that it's supposed to be living,

04:25breathing document. So,

04:27we're kind of in between the planning

04:28and implementation phase, but the next

04:30after that in about 2 to 3 years, we'll

04:32be doing evaluation. And that is exactly

04:35what it sounds like. We'll be looking at

04:37what worked, what didn't, what should we

04:38keep going, what should we expand on,

04:40and then we're going to do the whole

04:41process over again. So, firstly, I'm

04:44going to talk about what we have done.

04:48Uh

04:51Yeah. So,

04:52I just wanted to go over kind of the

04:54engagement

04:56of what we did. The major thing we did

04:58was the survey. And so, I've worked in

05:00other communities before where the

05:02survey wasn't as robust as I thought it

05:05could be for that unique community. And

05:07so, when I had the chance to do it again

05:09here in Dayton,

05:11we were able to have the opportunity to

05:13have a vendor. And the vendor was able

05:15to make a professional vendor was able

05:17to make a professional survey to send

05:20out to over 3,000 residents in the city

05:22of Dayton who are 55 and older. Uh That

05:26was about That was like the bedrock for

05:28our engagement and the foundational

05:31data. And that data has been synthesized

05:33and analyzed by the said vendor and is

05:35part of a report, which will be an

05:38appendix to this plan. So, it kind of

05:41goes into the details of all of the data

05:43that came out of that, but we'll quickly

05:45go through a few notes here.

05:48That was

05:49number one. In addition to sending out

05:51in mail, we also went to

05:55like tens of events.

05:57We I did one-on-one interviews. I went

06:01we did listening sessions as a part of

06:03kind of a grounding piece. You know, we

06:06have all the

06:08one-on-ones, but like let's have just a

06:10place so that people can put in their

06:11input at one. Here we go.

06:14In one place. So

06:16as part of that engagement, we had three

06:18listening sessions with the library,

06:20which was really actually helpful in

06:23creating that direction and moving

06:24forward. Some really great feedback that

06:27was actually incorporated into the plan.

06:28So it was a it was a good time. Uh

06:32the other major component during all of

06:34this was the composition of an

06:36age-friendly steering committee, which I

06:38call the age-friendly accelerators. And

06:40they're made up of a breadth of people,

06:43and some of them are here today. So So

06:45if you have any other questions, they're

06:46here as well to speak on it.

06:49It's anyway from public affairs to area

06:52agencies on aging, the library, Metro

06:53Parks. Just I wanted to get a whole

06:55breadth of diverse experiences and

06:58perspectives, so we can have a more

07:00robust and holistic plan.

07:03In addition to that,

07:05as this was ongoing, as we're doing more

07:07engagement with events, as we're having

07:09uh

07:10just major channels to get the

07:12information out there and get feedback.

07:15I also had a professional facilitator

07:17facilitate visioning session with the

07:21steering committee, and that was really

07:23where we wanted to make

07:25like the goals and the vision. So we

07:27were looking at the data from the

07:28survey, and we were looking at kind of

07:31like anecdotal experience from older

07:33adults, as well as the experts in the

07:34room who work with older adults, and how

07:37do we align that with one city

07:38priorities and the priorities of older

07:40adults, while also keeping the momentum

07:42going forward. And so, that was really

07:45fruitful conversation, and we're going

07:47to go into what we found. So, I wanted

07:49to just quickly show what what it would

07:52look like if you got the survey. So,

07:54here's the front page of it. It's about

07:56four-ish pages long. Most of it is

07:59multiple choice with some written You

08:01can write in it a little bit, too.

08:04Uh and one

08:06one thing I

08:07I think as a catalyst for this work is

08:09the question is Dayton age-friendly. And

08:12age-friendly can mean a number of

08:13different things for people, but in

08:15general, it's how accessible, safe, and

08:19uh

08:20fun a policy is, a place, uh how

08:23accessible it is. How can it be used by

08:25all ages is the

08:27the general gist of age-friendly. And

08:2955% of respondents said, "Yes, it is

08:32age-friendly." But then there's that 23%

08:34that say unsure. And so, how do we get

08:36those people to say, "Yes"? And that is

08:39where this comes in.

08:42So, as part of the age-friendly

08:43framework, AARP created eight domains

08:46that kind of fit into that framework.

08:49And a lot of like traditionally uh

08:52age-friendly plans are split up by

08:54domain like this, and they are in our

08:56case, too. But one thing I just wanted

08:58to point out, and I tried to create a

09:00through line through, is

09:03uh what are the major themes that came

09:04out of it, and do they relate to any of

09:06the domains? And from the survey

09:07results, we got three.

09:09Uh These are the three main like top

09:11priorities for older adults based on the

09:13survey results, and they're related to

09:15three domains: community health

09:17services,

09:18respect and social inclusion, as well as

09:20housing. And for housing, uh not unique

09:23to older adults, but they would uh

09:25really find it the a need to get more

09:28availability for housing suited for

09:29older adults. That can mean dedicated

09:31senior housing. That can mean having If

09:34a developer comes in, maybe make room

09:35for an accessory dwelling unit in the

09:37back. There's a lots of different

09:38creative ways that can look like.

09:40Secondly, they also saw that they also

09:43said in the response was there's a lot

09:45of events out there, but we just don't

09:48know about it. And so it's more it's

09:50creating a a conduit for communication

09:52for older adults older adults

09:54specifically and all the things that go

09:56with it, how to get there, who to

09:57contact, all that good stuff. And then

10:00thirdly was

10:02a lot of respondents were pointing out

10:04that they would like to see more access

10:06to healthy food. Like most of the nation

10:08right now, food prices are going up. It

10:10is not unique to older adults, but it's

10:12important to note that they are feeling

10:14it, too.

10:17And so the steering committee results, I

10:18mentioned that we did some facilitated

10:20visioning. From then we did a few other

10:23meetings after that just to talk about

10:24it. And from those meetings we have five

10:28major themes. So these

10:31generally interweave with the three

10:33major themes that was in the survey

10:34results, but I just wanted to

10:38add these just to show that there is a

10:39wealth of

10:42different initiatives we can do as well

10:44as there's a wealth of um

10:47need here. So one major thing that I've

10:49heard from the experts who work in this

10:52aging field is safety. A lot of older

10:54adults it's not so much they aren't

10:56safe, it's more of a feeling of safe.

10:59Anecdotally, I've heard a person say

11:01that they just don't come out to any

11:02events at night cuz they're just unsure

11:04where to go, if there will be lighting,

11:06if the sidewalk be flat, that type of

11:08stuff. Uh and a huge another one, a huge

11:12strong demand was programs for

11:13intergenerational and that is across the

11:16board. And studies have shown even in

11:18planning that intergenerational

11:20connections improve everyone's quality

11:23of life. So that was a big point for our

11:25steering committee. Thirdly is

11:27information and access. This relates

11:29similarly to about not knowing what's

11:31going on and also being able to create

11:34that better communication for events.

11:36Fourth is workforce participation. This

11:38wasn't super come up in the survey, but

11:41it is a a noteworthy that there are a

11:44lot of older adults who are either

11:46retired or want to re-enter, that want

11:48to work. It's just kind of creating

11:49those opportunities and conduits to get

11:52them there.

11:53And then fifth is housing and

11:54transportation. The high demand for

11:57affordable, flexible housing as well as

11:58public transportation is something that

12:01I think everyone uh wants and sees as a

12:04concern.

12:06Okay, then quickly I just wanted to show

12:09you the contents itself in the plan. So

12:11here's the cover of the plan and the

12:13contents are showing the majority of it

12:15is the implementation part. I really it

12:19was really important to make this uh

12:21plan as actionable as possible as well

12:24as um

12:26accessible as possible. So it's bigger

12:28font, it's

12:30uh less text, it's more visual. I really

12:33wanted anyone who's remotely interested

12:35to be able to read this and it's short

12:37and that's intended. Um I've seen plans

12:39that are a hundreds page long. Like this

12:42just gets to the point and it also

12:44creates kind of a foundation for what

12:46age-friendly Dayton can look like, what

12:49the AARP uh age-friendly domains are

12:51saying and kind of like what we can do

12:53about it in the implementation.

12:57And then quickly I wanted to note just

12:59some examples of uh opportunities that

13:01came up along the way of this initiative

13:03that is just hard to not do so cuz

13:06they're fun, but uh one thing is I had

13:09the pleasure of working with uh UD

13:11students, University of Dayton students

13:13to create an age-friendly planning guide

13:17um and the students were really creative

13:19and cre- created this uh

13:21pamphlet that you see here and it was

13:23basically their idea was uh

13:26kind of a back pocket how to be an

13:27advocate for age-friendly planning and

13:30initiatives. And it was more geared

13:32towards the community engagement aspect

13:34and the neighbor-to-neighbor because in

13:36a lot of these initiatives

13:38neighbor-to-neighbor

13:40connections has been the most

13:43fruitful in terms of

13:45getting more older older adults

13:47involved, getting more community

13:48engagement, and creating more accessible

13:52public facilities, sidewalks, and just

13:55generally trying to make their

13:56environment better. So, the their goal

13:59was to create kind of a worksheet to get

14:02started to start thinking about these

14:04types of initiatives and things. And

14:06then secondly, we were able to create

14:08kind of a Dayton walk audit assessment

14:10form using with permission from Morpc

14:13their template. And

14:16what that means is kind of what it says,

14:18but it's walk audit is basically going

14:21down a street or streets and just seeing

14:23just seeing what's around you, hearing,

14:25feeling,

14:27what's missing, what could make it

14:28better, what could be taken away, that

14:30type of stuff. Just kind of noting

14:32what's there. Is the sidewalk a little

14:34cracked? Is the light out? That type of

14:36stuff. So, we did kind of a mock walk

14:38audit

14:39at downtown with some of our

14:41age-friendly accelerators. And it was

14:44really interesting and eye-opening. We

14:46had a variety of diverse perspectives

14:50here. And actually some of those things

14:52we saw are getting fixed right now. So,

14:55the idea is that it can be baked into

14:58any process, anyone can do it, anyone

15:00can

15:02just have a open the lens of what is

15:05possible to make our city more

15:06accessible and age-friendly. And that is

15:09kind of the whole point of the action

15:11plan itself. It's create it's a lens to

15:14look through. It can fit within a lot of

15:16our initiatives already. It can fit with

15:18a lot of our plans already. It's just

15:20kind of opening the door to more voices

15:24and creating more opportunities for all

15:26to access our wonderful resources in a

15:29minute.

15:30>> [snorts]

15:31>> And with that, here are your decision

15:33options. You can concur with plan board

15:35and approve the plan as requested,

15:38remand it back to plan plan board, or

15:40deny the request. And with that, I can

15:43take any questions.

15:45>> Thank you. Commissioners, are there any

15:47questions? Commissioner Beckham, any

15:49questions or comments this morning?

15:51>> I have no questions, your honor. I just

15:53want to thank you for your leadership

15:55and work on this. I'm excited to see

15:57this influence our planning and

15:59processes. So, thank you for bringing it

16:01forward.

16:02>> Thank you, Commissioner Fairclough.

16:03>> Yeah, similar comments. Thank you for

16:06work you've done, especially also

16:07[clears throat] the citizens who are

16:10engaging and helping make this work. So,

16:12thank you.

16:12>> Thanks.

16:13Thank you, Commissioner Shaw.

16:15>> Same here. Thank you. Appreciate it.

16:17>> Commissioner Joseph.

16:18>> Uh whenever we talk about age-friendly

16:20issues, I'm reminded of my friend Bob

16:22Steinbach's quote that we're all

16:24temporarily able. You know, the these

16:26improvements are going to benefit the

16:29folks who are out there in neighborhoods

16:30that need it now. It's also going to

16:32affect all of [clears throat] us in the

16:33future. We're all going to need that

16:34eventually. So, excellent work. Thank

16:35you.

16:37>> Thank you. I just wanted to echo my

16:38colleagues' comments. Could you speak to

16:40how this feeds into the 2040 plan?

16:44>> Yeah, like the comprehensive plan. Yeah,

16:46it like I like I iterated before, it is

16:50kind of more taking a lens to planning

16:53in one way.

16:55It fits pretty seamlessly within it. If

16:58you Within the plan, there are lots of

17:00initiatives that kind of echo what's

17:01already the vision and goals of the comp

17:03plan itself. So, like creating more

17:06livable streets, creating more

17:08beautification, having more access to

17:11healthy foods and housing. It's all kind

17:13of interrelated. This This kind of

17:15taking the older adults perspective at

17:18first and weaving it into what's already

17:21been doing, what people already need,

17:23and just creating a plan with that in

17:25mind. So, it it it overlaps a lot.

17:28>> Where will it be housed in terms of the

17:29public to review?

17:30>> Yeah, so this will be on our website.

17:33Uh

17:34hopefully, if it is adopted, it will be

17:37on our website on uh our planning page

17:39on copies of plans and reports, as well

17:43as it will have its own uh page itself

17:46on the website. Uh I believe we're going

17:48to do Dayton

17:50DaytonOhio DaytonOhio.gov

17:53uh /agefriendlydayton.

17:55Um

17:56but, stay tuned. And also, there will be

17:58contact information within the plan if

18:00there are any questions, as well as

18:03there will be that supplemental report I

18:04mentioned, too, if they want to dig a

18:06little deeper.

18:07>> Thank you. I appreciate it. Bravo.

18:10Ms. McClendon, are there any additions,

18:12deletions, comments to the um calendar

18:15this morning?

18:16>> There are none, Your Honor.

18:17>> Ms. Dixon, are there any additions,

18:18deletions, and comments to the calendar

18:20this morning?

18:21>> Your Honor, I have no additions or

18:22deletions or comments to this morning's

18:24calendar.

18:25>> Thank you. Ms. McClendon, are there any

18:27citizens that are registered to speak

18:29this morning on calendar items?

18:31>> Yes, Your Honor. There are four citizens

18:33registered to speak on calendar items. I

18:35would like to state there's a 3-minute

18:37time limit. As you address the

18:39commission, we ask that you state your

18:40name and address for the record.

18:43At that time, I will turn on the green

18:44light. When the green light comes on,

18:46you will have 3 minutes to speak. After

18:48you have spoken 2 and 1/2 minutes, a

18:50yellow light will come on and you will

18:52have 30 seconds remaining to speak.

18:54When the red light comes on, you will be

18:56asked to cease your comments and to take

18:57your seat.

18:59To the audience in attendance, please be

19:00mindful this is a business meeting and

19:03we kindly request that during this

19:04portion of the meeting, you refrain from

19:06any hand clapping, finger snapping, and

19:08conversation that would prevent the City

19:10Commission from hearing the speaker's

19:12comments.

19:13I call to the podium Rodney Stark.

19:19>> [snorts]

19:23>> Rodney Stark, 4526 Alfred Drive, Dayton,

19:26Ohio, 45417.

19:30Good morning, Mayor. Good morning,

19:31Commissioners.

19:33Good morning, Madam Clerk and Madam City

19:35Manager. I'm here to talk about the $1

19:38million that is set aside, I guess. I

19:42don't understand

19:43how this is going to be implemented.

19:47Given 65 neighborhoods,

19:49we know the value of money.

19:52$1 million

19:54is equal to about $10,000 in spending in

19:58neighborhoods.

19:59But, I do want to say, Mayor, I

20:00appreciate the fact that you fought

20:04for something for the neighborhoods. I

20:07thank you for that.

20:09>> [snorts]

20:09>> Out of

20:10Commissioner Joseph Mims, he said you

20:12fought tooth and nail for this, but you

20:15never said he fought anything. I want to

20:18know, who did you have to fight

20:20for

20:21$1 million for our neighborhoods? Who

20:24did you have to fight? If you can

20:25explain that to the citizens, they'd

20:27appreciate it. Is it the same people you

20:30had to fight to get money for our youth

20:33in in in the city? Is it the same people

20:37like Chris Shaw that you had to fight

20:40just to get money for our youth?

20:42Mr. Joseph here, to get money for our

20:45youth? Who do you have to actually

20:47fight? Was it our legal department that

20:49you have to fight to get this money? Who

20:52did you have to fight? I'm curious

20:53because that came out of their mouths

20:55that said that the mayor

20:58fought for $1 million for 65

21:01neighborhoods. This city this this this

21:04NCA again is horrible.

21:08It's horrible because we already got all

21:10these economic development units already

21:13in the city.

21:14Chris Shaw, you said you sit on 16

21:16boards. 16 boards and our our community

21:19still looks the way it is. Economic and

21:21development, go look at them. The land

21:23bank, look at it. The port authority,

21:25look at it. You just came up with one

21:27for the convention center. Now you want

21:29two more for for the NCA. All these

21:32supposed to be economic and development,

21:33who is it benefiting?

21:35It's not benefiting us.

21:37I live over there in Residents Park.

21:39It's not benefiting Residents Park.

21:42Where's the economic and development?

21:45Who is it benefiting? It's not

21:46benefiting us. Lastly, I get calls about

21:49toning it down. Toning it down. Oh, the

21:53election's coming up. Toning it down,

21:55Rodney. Just just just do a little cease

21:57fire. Let me tell you something, you can

21:59send your minions after me all you want

22:01to. It doesn't matter. You can say call

22:03me anything but a child of God, but

22:06you're not going to call me as a liar.

22:08Okay? You have a great day. I'll be back

22:10and talk to you about some more things.

22:12Have a great

22:12>> Thank you, Mrs. Stark.

22:14I call

22:15Excuse [clears throat] me. I call to the

22:16podium Ebony Hastings.

22:32>> [clears throat]

22:47[snorts]

22:47>> Good morning, Mayor, Commissioner, City

22:49Manager, and Clerks. Ebony Hastings,

22:511238 Wabash Avenue.

22:54Luke 14 and 28 tells us, "For which of

22:57you intending to build a tower sitteth

23:00not down first and counteth the cost in

23:02plain language before we spend, before

23:05we build, before we plan, understand the

23:07cost. And that brings me to the Belmont

23:10pool.

23:11I want to speak specifically to the

23:13$549,902

23:17change order for the Belmont pool and

23:19the locker room project. The original

23:21contract was $1,700,000.

23:25This change order brings the contract to

23:26approximately $2,249,902,

23:30[snorts]

23:32an increase of more than 32%.

23:35The packet explains that after

23:36demolition, additional deterioration was

23:38discovered in the pool structure,

23:41including problems with the concrete and

23:43reinforcing steel. I am not questioning

23:45whether necessary safety repairs should

23:47be made. My question is, how did we get

23:49here?

23:51What structural assessment was completed

23:53before the original contract was

23:54awarded? What [snorts] conditions were

23:56known? What conditions could be

23:58reasonable? What conditions could

24:00reasonably have been discovered

24:01beforehand? What contingency was

24:04included in the original budget for an

24:05aging facility?

24:07And what is the full project cost, not

24:10just the contractor's revised amount? We

24:13keep hearing that the city is facing

24:14difficult budget decisions. When that is

24:17the conversation, a nearly $550,000

24:20change order deserves clear explanation

24:22and measurable accountability.

24:24I also want to say this, when the

24:25residents begin to feel that the only

24:28way this administration gets attention

24:30is through lawsuits, everybody loses.

24:34Not you all,

24:36the residents, the constituents, the

24:37people who voted you into office. Those

24:40lawsuits do not come out of the city

24:41manager's salary, they do not come out

24:43of the mayor's salary, they do not come

24:45out of the commission's salary. They are

24:47paid with public resources, and the

24:49consequences fall back on the entire

24:51city. That means less money available

24:54for neighborhoods, services, [snorts]

24:56infrastructures, and the very residents

24:59who were already trying to be heard.

25:02Government should not force residents

25:04into court just to get accountability.

25:08It should not create systems that

25:10listen.

25:11It should create systems that listen,

25:14respond, correct problems before they

25:16become expensive legal battles. That's

25:19your due diligence. That's why we vote

25:21you into office. Each one of you gained

25:24our trust in some capacity.

25:26And that is how you got here.

25:29Do the right thing.

25:31Transparency.

25:33Transparency, communication, effective

25:35communication. You all are running for

25:37office and you expect us to vote you

25:39back in. You think that your money will

25:41outwork us.

25:43It won't. Our last mayoral election

25:46proved that.

25:47>> [snorts]

25:48>> Show us. Stop telling us. Respectfully.

25:52Thank you, Ms. Hastings.

25:56>> I call to the podium Alec Johnson.

26:04>> [snorts]

26:08>> I'm Alec Johnson. I live at 3206 Linden

26:11Avenue in the Hearthstone neighborhood

26:13of Dayton. Greetings, Mayor,

26:15Commissioners, and the greater Dayton

26:17community.

26:17>> Good morning.

26:18>> At my last appearance here, I called the

26:20city of Dayton NCA a profound wrong

26:22turn. I meant it. I oppose this NCA for

26:24many reasons. Tonight, I add another.

26:27Its central feature is a major hotel

26:29being advanced amid worsening economic

26:31risk. Worsening economic risk without a

26:34credible public downside case.

26:37A hotel [snorts] sells a product that

26:38expires every midnight. A room left

26:40empty tonight can't be sold tomorrow. A

26:42197-room hotel has 71,905

26:46room nights to sell each year.

26:49The International Energy Agency calls

26:50the Middle East oil supply disruption

26:52resulting from Trump's reckless war of

26:54choice the greatest upheaval in world

26:56history. It's August report forecast

26:58global oil supply falling by 4.3 million

27:01barrels per day.

27:03The US Energy Information Administration

27:05reports Ohio gasoline averaging about

27:07$3.80 a gallon.

27:09The Federal Reserve says consumer

27:11spending in our region declined for a

27:13fourth consecutive period as higher fuel

27:15and food prices strained household

27:17budgets. Businesses face strong cost

27:20pressure from fuel, freight and

27:21materials and tariffs.

27:23Hotels can be squeezed from both

27:25directions. Operating costs rise while

27:27households and businesses become more

27:29cautious about travel. Marriott's

27:31comparable US and Canadian hotels

27:33average 69.5% occupancy in 2025. The

27:37industry overall averaged only 62.3%

27:40and during the Great Recession it fell

27:42to 54.6%.

27:44For this 197-room hotel dropping from 70

27:47to 60% means roughly 1.226 million

27:51dollars less annual revenue at a $175

27:54per night rate.

27:56Um

27:57at 55% the shortfall nears 1.9 million.

28:00The public presentation shows no stress

28:02test or clear account of who absorbs the

28:04shortfall.

28:05Officials say NCA bonds will not be

28:08general obligations of the city. That

28:10matters, but it doesn't explain how

28:11losses will be allocated.

28:13We don't have to predict certain failure

28:15to reject imprudent risk. I repeat, we

28:17don't have to predict certain failure to

28:19reject imprudent risk. Committing scarce

28:22public resources, time and energy to

28:24speculative development without making

28:26its downside transparent fails the

28:28fiduciary duty that public officials owe

28:30constituents. Fiduciary duty means

28:33highest duty of care. Highest duty of

28:35care.

28:36Don't create this NCA now. Before any

28:38further action publish a current

28:40independent stress test and binding

28:42terms showing who bears any loss in what

28:44order and under what enforceable limits.

28:47public power and public policy should

28:49produce public wealth, not speculative

28:52financial disaster. Thank you.

28:54>> Thank you, Mr. Johnson.

28:56I call to the podium Jacob Hewitt.

29:08Thank you, Mr. Hewitt.

29:09That concludes speakers on calendar

29:10items, Your Honor.

29:12Thank you, Ms. McClendon. Commissioners,

29:15are there any comments to the city

29:17manager's recommendations this morning?

29:21Commissioner Beckham.

29:23>> Uh yes, Your Honor. Just one just want

29:25to recognize the service agreement on

29:28our calendar with Sinclair to provide a

29:31student in the prosecutor's office for

29:33victim assistance.

29:35Um Sinclair has over 300 plus career

29:38pathways. This is another one, so

29:41I'm just thankful for their continued

29:43investment in in our careers as well as

29:46um

29:47just the economic opportunity that

29:48they're providing

29:50in our in our prosecutor's office. So,

29:52those are all my comments.

29:54>> Thank you, Commissioner Fairchild.

29:56>> I have no comments this morning.

29:57>> Thank you, Commissioner Shaw.

29:58>> I'm good. Thank you.

29:59>> Commissioner Joseph.

30:00>> Nothing here. Thank you.

30:01>> Uh just a couple comments. Uh thank you

30:04for the recommendations this morning.

30:07Um in terms of the um the questions that

30:09Ms. Hastings posed in reference to the

30:12Belmont pool,

30:14it is noted that there were some

30:16structural concerns in terms of the

30:18corrosion, but the questions that were

30:20posed, I think there's some valid

30:21questions there. Ms. Dickstein, do we

30:24have any additional background that we

30:25could provide to that again as they

30:27start doing a deeper dive and really

30:30started to

30:31um to start the work. Um from my

30:35understanding, they observed that they

30:36were they discovered whether there were

30:37some additional um corrosion and other

30:40deteriorating conditions.

30:42>> Right.

30:42>> as they as they start um the work in

30:45improving because they don't do a full

30:47on demolition.

30:50So they can guestimate and they can

30:52approximate what needs to be done, but

30:55they discover more as material is

30:58removed. And so the expansiveness

31:01of the corrosion that occurred was much

31:03greater than initially projected. And so

31:05that's why they are going

31:08further to remove more, but also further

31:10to treat that concrete, that new

31:12concrete so that it will last longer and

31:16prevent the corrosion in the future.

31:18>> What's the the life expectancy of of

31:21that foundation work? Do we have an

31:23ideal of is it

31:24>> Typically foundational work is 25-ish

31:27years. I'm going to look to my left to

31:29see yes.

31:31>> Okay.

31:31Figured as much. Thank you very much.

31:34And then Mr. Stark, you raised a

31:36question in regards to the $1 million uh

31:39the answer your question. It was a

31:41matter of compromising with my

31:42colleagues, making sure that again that

31:45we don't see

31:47any

31:48decrease in any

31:50support in other funding streams that we

31:53have that are designated to our

31:54neighborhoods. So it was a matter of us

31:56having a conversation, working together

31:59to make sure that we are not essentially

32:02taking from other projects, that we are

32:05still able to continue the work on other

32:07projects for our neighborhood

32:08development as well as complementing

32:10additional work. And so we were able to

32:12work together very collectively and I'm

32:15just happy that we were able to do so

32:18and we all were came to an agreement as

32:21to how we're going to utilize those

32:22dollars, not just in one particular

32:25area, but making sure that it is all

32:27encompassing to all of the various

32:29different things and that it again it

32:31will complement dollars that we have

32:33from our our general funds, our CDBG

32:37dollars, our housing and urban

32:39development dollars, the dollars that we

32:41do have available right now currently.

32:44And so again, it was just a matter of us

32:46working together. So I appreciate the

32:47question and thank you to my colleagues

32:49as well as the residents who raised the

32:51concerns as to how we work together and

32:53make sure that we're pushing for

32:56a healthy balance within downtown as

32:59well as within our neighborhoods. And we

33:00do know that that $1 million is not

33:03nearly enough. But it's something to

33:05again to complement the work that we're

33:06doing, whether it's in demolition,

33:09whether it's in

33:10housing and home repairs, down payment

33:12assistance. Again, we left it very broad

33:15so that we can do the necessary work. So

33:17again, thank you to your questions and

33:19to my colleagues for their leadership on

33:21that. I really appreciate as well as the

33:22the law department making sure that we

33:24got the language right. So

33:26uh Mr. Johnson, thank you for your

33:28comments as well. And Mr. Hewitt, I

33:30appreciate you being here this morning.

33:32Um I don't have any additional comments

33:34in regards to the calendar items. Thank

33:36you for bringing that forward. May I

33:38have a motion to approve the city

33:39manager's recommendations this morning?

33:41>> I move that we adopt the city manager's

33:44recommendations.

33:44>> And I second the motion.

33:45>> It's been properly moved and seconded to

33:47approve the city manager's

33:48recommendations. All in favor, say I.

33:50>> I.

33:51>> All opposed, say no. Any abstentions?

33:53>> [snorts]

33:55>> Legislation, Ms. McGlenda.

33:57>> First reading resolution number 6952-26,

34:02concurring with the adoption of the Age

34:04Friendly Dayton Action Plan.

34:06Second reading resolution number

34:086949-26,

34:11determining that the City of Dayton New

34:13Community Authority and District will be

34:15conducive to the public safety,

34:16convenience, and welfare, and is

34:19intended to result in the development of

34:21a new community, declaring the City of

34:23Dayton New Community Authority to be

34:25organized as a body politic and

34:27corporate, and defining the boundaries

34:30of the New Community District. Mayor

34:32Turner Slos.

34:32>> I.

34:33>> Commissioner Joseph.

34:34>> I.

34:35>> Shaw?

34:35>> Hi.

34:36>> Fairchild?

34:37>> Hi.

34:37>> Beckham?

34:38>> Hi.

34:39>> Resolution number 6949-26

34:42has been adopted with five votes in

34:43favor.

34:45Second reading resolution number 6950-26

34:49approving a consent to add certain

34:51parcels of real property to the city of

34:53Dayton New Community Authority District

34:55with respect to the city of Dayton New

34:57Community Authority as a new community

34:59authority established under chapter 349

35:02of the Ohio Ohio Revised Code.

35:05Mayor Turner-Sloss?

35:06>> Hi.

35:07>> Commissioners Joseph?

35:08>> Hi.

35:08>> Shaw?

35:09>> Hi.

35:10>> Fairchild?

35:10>> Hi.

35:11>> Beckham?

35:12>> Hi.

35:13>> Resolution number 6950-26

35:16has been adopted with five votes in

35:17favor.

35:19Second reading resolution number 6951-26

35:23supporting the dedication of $1 million

35:26of associated general fund revenue to

35:29fund and promote neighborhood

35:30development across the city.

35:32Mayor Turner-Sloss?

35:33>> Hi.

35:34>> Commissioners Joseph?

35:35>> Hi.

35:35>> Shaw?

35:36>> Hi.

35:37>> Fairchild?

35:37>> Hi.

35:38>> Beckham?

35:39>> Hi.

35:40>> Resolution number 6951-26

35:43has been adopted with five votes in

35:45favor. That concludes legislation, Your

35:47Honor.

35:48>> Thank you, Ms. McLendon. I will now open

35:50the public hearing.

35:52I'll call forward Jen Hanauer to uh lead

35:55us in the presentation for the public

35:57hearing.

36:16>> Good morning. Good to see all of you.

36:18>> I'm Jen Hanauer with the city's planning

36:20division. Um

36:23I'm sure Andrew will have this up and

36:25running in due time.

36:27>> [laughter]

36:28>> Um but we can talk about some of the

36:30background of what I'm going to present

36:32to you today.

36:33Um

36:34I'm bringing forward um on behalf of

36:37staff a an amendment to a plan

36:39development for Ruskin Elementary

36:41School.

36:43Um this plan development was established

36:4520 years ago. Um we can administratively

36:48do minor amendments um but this is not

36:50considered a minor amendment cuz we're

36:52talking about adding property

36:54development.

36:56Um

36:59The

37:01uh footprint of the school has expanded

37:03over the years. It actually shows up on

37:06one of the city's first Sanborn maps

37:08from the 1800s um as a school and has

37:11slowly expanded over the years um to

37:13what you know now with established in

37:152006 with that plan development and

37:18we're talking about expanding the

37:19footprint just a little bit more.

37:21Um

37:23As you may know, Ruskin Elementary

37:25doesn't front on Xenia Avenue, that main

37:28road there.

37:30Um it's kind of kind of set back

37:33what was like kind of a commercial strip

37:35there.

37:36Um

37:37and on that strip there was a

37:40formerly a a convenience store that had

37:42had caused several several issues in the

37:44neighborhood. It was just just always um

37:46kind of an issue.

37:48Um

37:50But uh in recent years East End uh

37:54um Development Corporation came into

37:56ownership of that property.

37:59Uh they had the convenience store raised

38:02and have put in place a a lovely park if

38:05you've been by there recently.

38:08And the

38:10uh

38:11the school and the community and the

38:13community organizations

38:14long imagined that piece of property

38:17as functioning as kind of a a gateway

38:20and a public meeting space.

38:23Um

38:24for for the community there in Twin

38:26Towers.

38:27Um

38:30and this gives us an opportunity to kind

38:32of um work this this into the existing

38:35plan development and preserve that for

38:38going forward. So,

38:40um

38:41we'll uh

38:43talk a little bit about what will change

38:46in the plan development. Um

38:49I have of course have it all memorized.

38:51I don't even need

38:52Um

38:54but what would the changes we're

38:56proposing, the big one is adding

38:59um that piece of property to the PD.

39:02Um

39:03Really really

39:05uh outlining that it will in perpetuity

39:08serve as a public space and as a gateway

39:11to the school.

39:12Um other things that would would change

39:15in the PD, things that would be updated,

39:17um some of the language that was written

39:19in in 2006 um or 2005. It was right

39:24before our zoning code changed, so

39:26updating some of that zoning code

39:27language to reflect um the current

39:30language.

39:31Um

39:32and then the name of the school has

39:34changed, the grades that it serves has

39:36changed. So, some of those kind of minor

39:37updates that we could have done

39:38administratively, but we'll just pull

39:41all into this this big amendment here.

39:43Um

39:45Let me go through my slides and make

39:46sure I'm not missing anything.

39:51Ah, something um staff had to consider,

39:54our boards have had to consider, the

39:56Southeast Land Use Board met,

39:58recommended approval, Plan Board

40:00recommended approval. And what they were

40:02looking at um when considering um

40:06recommending approval was um in our

40:09zoning code section 150.125.7

40:13lines 1 through 8, um

40:15are are are different considerations for

40:17when we're um amending or approving a

40:19planned development. I'll just pull out

40:21two of those that that seem the most

40:23relevant. One is this consistent with

40:25city plans and policies.

40:28Very much so. I'm sure all of you

40:30remember the neighborhood vision

40:31planning that we did in 2020, 2021. We

40:34worked on the southeast geography of

40:35Dayton. That was adopted by commission

40:38and it is it is drawn in there in

40:40pictures

40:41what the what the community wanted in

40:43this area creating this park, creating

40:45this gateway for Ruskin Elementary.

40:48So this is this is very consistent with

40:50the the plans and policies.

40:53And then [clears throat]

40:54is this necessary because of changed

40:56conditions? And and staff would say yes.

40:59This corridor, Xenia Avenue, has gone

41:01through a lot of changes over the past

41:04years. The community has really come

41:06together. Different organizations are

41:08working together to improve this

41:10corridor, to improve the services

41:11available,

41:13and to improve the lives of those who

41:15who live and work and play and go to

41:17school here.

41:18And this gives us an opportunity to

41:20support that work that's being done.

41:23Um

41:24So those are some of the considerations

41:26there.

41:27Um

41:30Yes.

41:32I know that you had all of these all of

41:34this information in your packets. I'm

41:35not sure if you need the the visuals

41:37before

41:39making

41:40your determinations, but your commission

41:43alternatives for the zoning map

41:46amendment application to amend plan

41:49development 125 for Ruskin Elementary

41:51School. There's approve, remand to plan

41:53board, or deny. So

41:56uh

41:57I don't know if you have any questions.

41:59If you want to come around, take a look

42:00at all the pictures.

42:02Um

42:03Thank you.

42:05Um

42:06Are there any citizens that we have

42:07registered to speak?

42:09>> There are no citizens registered to

42:10speak.

42:10>> All right, thank you. Commissioners, do

42:12you have any questions or comments?

42:13Commissioner Beckham, Commissioner

42:15Fairchild?

42:16>> Uh just question of clarity. We're going

42:17to vote next week cuz we just had the

42:19first reading this week. Is that right?

42:22>> Yes, so we'll have

42:23>> So we'll have the presentation available

42:24for the public to review.

42:26>> Yeah.

42:26>> Okay, thank you.

42:28>> Thank you for raising that point,

42:29Commissioner. Commissioner Shaw?

42:30>> I'm good, thank you.

42:31>> Commissioner Joseph?

42:32>> Yeah, we were I think we were probably

42:33all at the dedication of the park, so we

42:34we know the layout and we're okay.

42:36>> Okay, thank you.

42:37>> Thank you. And you will again, just to

42:39reiterate Commissioner Fairchild's

42:41point, it will be noted and it will be

42:43uploaded on the the city site for the

42:45public to review.

42:46>> Yes, I'll I'll work on that with

42:47>> Okay.

42:48>> public affairs.

42:49>> Thank you.

42:49>> Sure.

42:50>> Thank you very much.

42:55I will now close the public hearing.

42:57What is the pleasure of the Commission?

43:00>> Let's move forward.

43:02>> All right, Ms. McLendon, legislation,

43:05please.

43:06First reading, ordinance number

43:0832205-26,

43:11amending the provisions of planned

43:13development PD 125 for Ruskin

43:16Elementary.

43:23That concludes legislation, Your Honor.

43:25>> All right, thank you, Ms. McLendon. Ms.

43:27McLendon, do we have any citizens that

43:29are registered to to speak this morning?

43:31>> Yes, there are six citizens registered

43:34to speak. I would like to state there's

43:37a 3-minute time limit as you address the

43:38Commission. We ask that you state your

43:40name and address for the record. At that

43:43time, I will turn on the green light.

43:45When the green light comes on, you will

43:46have 3 minutes to speak. After you have

43:48spoken 2 and 1/2 minutes, a yellow light

43:50will come on and you will have 30

43:52seconds remaining to speak.

43:54When the red light comes on, you will be

43:55asked to cease your comments and to take

43:57your seat. To the audience in

43:59attendance, please be mindful this is a

44:01business meeting and we kindly request

44:03that during this portion of the meeting,

44:05you refrain from any hand clapping,

44:06finger snapping, and conversation that

44:09would prevent the city commission from

44:10hearing the speaker's comments. I call

44:13to the podium Rodney Stark.

44:24>> Rodney Stark, 4526 Alfred Drive, Dayton,

44:27Ohio 45417.

44:30Protocol has already been established.

44:33Just want to say that

44:36I am going to continue to speak out

44:38regardless how many people you send to

44:40me and tell send to me and call me and

44:42tell me stop speaking. I'm going to do

44:45it. I have a right to speak, right? And

44:48what I don't have what you don't have a

44:51right to do is to hold vendettas, right?

44:57This city has a culture of doing that,

44:59all right? I'm going to continue to

45:01speak out regardless of what you say. I

45:03am a free negro

45:05and I'm going to continue to speak out.

45:07I have every right to speak out and I

45:09want you to understand one thing. I

45:11don't bite my tongue. I'm a combat

45:13veteran, right? So, you can coordinate

45:16your emails and don't get back with me.

45:18You don't have to reply to those emails.

45:20You don't have to reply to the phone

45:22calls. You don't have to do any of it. I

45:25get it. That's why I'm here. I have

45:27better things to do. I could be cutting

45:28my grass,

45:30right?

45:31To show up here every every single time

45:33commission meetings. If you don't want

45:35to respond back, you're going to get

45:37this right here. So, let's get into

45:39this. The IAA gave a report, right? That

45:42report

45:44was pretty interesting.

45:47But, I feel that specially you, Matt

45:50Joseph, Commissioner Matt Joseph, look

45:52at it as just a glamorized

45:55information.

45:57You guys are not doing anything with it.

45:59You're not implementing anything. You're

46:01not changing those numbers. Look at the

46:03numbers. The numbers should be changing.

46:05There should be less encounters with the

46:08police. Right now today we have nine

46:11police shootings involved shootings.

46:13Three of those resulted in death.

46:16Right?

46:18Commissioner Beckham, you said you said

46:19on the use of force committee, you

46:21disbanded it.

46:23The citizens had all those

46:25recommendations. Now the IAA report says

46:28that you need to go back to that

46:29recommendation what the citizens put in

46:31place.

46:33This is why I keep telling you you got

46:35blood on your hands. Had you implemented

46:37that, guess what? Mr. Thomas probably be

46:40alive today.

46:43And you might not have some of the

46:44lawsuits that you're facing right now

46:48because of it.

46:50You don't want to take me serious?

46:53I guarantee you the citizens will take

46:55me serious and the people who voted you

46:57in office will take me serious. Let's

47:00get back. Mayor, you got you got a

47:02flight plan. I believe in that flight

47:04plan. Let's get back to centering our

47:07government for the people. Let the

47:09people speak out. Not only does it

47:11protect our citizens, it protect our

47:14people in law enforcement.

47:17For people can work with our law

47:18enforcement. It protects them.

47:21Instead of letting the injury

47:23white talk about how we going to lean in

47:26a little bit and teach them a lesson

47:28about being downtown, instead of that

47:31kind of language, [clears throat] let's

47:32lean in a little bit and work with our

47:34citizens. Thank you.

47:36>> Thank you, Mr. Stark.

47:37I call to the podium Ebony Hastings.

47:43>> [clears throat and snorts]

48:02>> Ebony Hastings, 1238 Wabash Avenue.

48:06I want to talk about priorities,

48:07accountability, and what meaningful

48:09investment in our neighborhoods actually

48:11look like. This commission is

48:13considering dedicating $1 million in

48:15general funds revenue for neighborhood

48:16development. I support that investment,

48:19but $1 million is a drop in the bucket

48:21compared with the level of public

48:23investment that has flowed into the JDA,

48:26the business district, and greater

48:28downtown over decades. $1 million cannot

48:32repair 30 [snorts] or 40 years of

48:34disinvestment, deteriorating housing,

48:37and poor infrastructure, and poor and

48:39unbalanced city management decisions. At

48:42the same time, we're considering

48:43creating another new community

48:45authority. Before we create another

48:47development structure, where is the

48:49report card on the ones that currently

48:50exist?

48:52What was promised? What public resources

48:55went in? What debt remains? And what

48:58measurable return did the residents

48:59receive? The city's own financial

49:01reporting says the Dayton Montgomery

49:03County Port Authority is in default on a

49:06city loan associated with the CareSource

49:08parking facility. The amount owed was

49:10$24,649,236

49:16and $4.

49:18The report The city reported $18,864,234

49:25as uncollectible.

49:28Those are not small numbers. I am not

49:31anti-development. I am asking for

49:33balanced development and measurable

49:36accountability. Show us the scoreboard.

49:38And while we're talking about

49:39neighborhoods, I cannot ignore the gun

49:41violence our community experienced this

49:43past weekend, including the shootings on

49:45Maple Lawn Drive. What troubles [snorts]

49:47me is the city's silence from

49:49leadership.

49:51A statement won't stop gun violence, but

49:53leadership matters. Acknowledging

49:55victims, grieving families, and

49:56frightened neighborhoods matter. Telling

49:58residents what you're doing in response

50:01matters. We cannot be loud for ribbon

50:04cuttings and development announcements

50:06and

50:08non-performative resolutions, quiet when

50:11our in quiet when our communities are

50:13hurting. Luke 12:48 says, "For whom

50:16for unto whomsoever much is given of

50:19him, much shall be required." In plain

50:23language, authority comes with

50:24responsibility and accountability.

50:27You have been entrusted with the city's

50:29resources, safety, and future. Show us

50:31what worked. Show us what didn't. Show

50:34us who benefited. Show us what it cost.

50:37And when our communities are hurting,

50:39show us that you see us. Your body

50:42language speaks volume. Chris Shaw, the

50:45way that you lean in and glare at us

50:47when you don't like our comments is

50:49disrespectful.

50:51When [snorts] you look down and you're

50:52not looking at us when we're speaking,

50:54it's disrespectful. When you yawn and

50:57engage and get on your cell phones, it's

50:59disrespectful.

51:01I keep telling y'all, dignity and

51:03respect goes a long way.

51:06>> Thank you, Ms. Hastings.

51:08I call to the podium Darrell Lee.

51:16>> Hello. Good morning, everyone. Good

51:18morning, Mayor. 1903

51:20>> Good morning.

51:20>> Stairs Street, Dayton, Ohio 45403.

51:25Um I'm coming to talk about um father's

51:27rights and kids' rights and the laws.

51:30I'm going to kind of rush cuz today is

51:32my birthday, my daughter's birthday on

51:34the 14th, but um I'm going to kind of

51:37rush cuz I'm not in Russia, but I'm

51:39going to rush. But let's go. Let's think

51:41about I was born and raised in Chicago,

51:43Illinois. Um through tragic I've never

51:46been shot and this guy get 12 years. You

51:51know, the laws is like ridiculous up

51:54here, you know?

51:55I I got recordings on my phone, no

51:58children services say they wrote both of

52:01my girls' names down. One of my girls

52:04get super excited, "Daddy, Daddy." You

52:07know, criminals get second chances, why

52:09do not parents?

52:13Kids run away from foster parents, you

52:15know, end up getting pregnant or raped,

52:18going to jail. You know, why not put

52:21them back to family or friends or

52:24parents that have proven themselves. So,

52:27what the real lead have done, I'm not a

52:29criminal or what have I done or what

52:33have my kids done to deserve to be taken

52:37away from good parents or good family or

52:40friends? So, if I'm so dangerous, why is

52:43I wasn't locked up

52:46um in jail or

52:48charged with a crime?

52:50>> I am free.

52:52I am free.

52:53I am free.

52:55Help

52:57us, Lord.

52:57I am free.

53:01Angel.

53:04He helped me stay.

53:09I pray for my family.

53:13And I love him, too.

53:16>> Okay, let's go. If I'm so dangerous, I

53:19got people out the community, they got

53:21cameras going to these visits and

53:24everything. You know what I mean? I've

53:26been shot 12 times. If God didn't give

53:29me the heart and the breath to stand up

53:33here today and give you guys the heart,

53:36why y'all can't go down to children

53:38services or use some of this money to

53:41make fathers rights or kids rights

53:46programs for these kids can see they

53:49good parents or they good family or

53:51friends, you know?

53:54It don't make no sense take away like we

53:56in prison. Like the kids in prison away

54:00from they

54:01good parents can't see them. Like me,

54:04I'm not in prison.

54:07I'm not on probation.

54:10What the rev has done and I come from a

54:13worse society than this.

54:17And then y'all law, I get shot 12 times.

54:20This guy, oh, he get a second chance but

54:23the rev don't get a second chance to see

54:25his daughters daddy daddy.

54:28So I'm just

54:29>> Your time is up. Thank you.

54:30>> No further questions.

54:32>> Thank you, Mr. Lee.

54:34And happy birthday to you and I would

54:36encourage you to continue to work with

54:38Montgomery County Children Services as

54:40well as with their Fatherhood program.

54:42Excuse me, Ms. McLendon.

54:44>> I call to the podium Mary Sue Gamainer.

54:57>> Mary Sue Gamainer, 1418 Arbor Avenue.

55:01>> Good morning.

55:02>> Good morning.

55:04Having an independent accountability

55:06auditor is one of the better results of

55:08the police reform recommendations. I was

55:10glad to hear last week's report.

55:12The discussion of policy around

55:14de-escalation techniques was

55:16encouraging. So often we hear that the

55:18police are acting within policy and we

55:21see that even within policy we have

55:22outcomes that are less than desirable to

55:25say the least. Apparently the auditor

55:27recognized that if something is going to

55:29change it must be within policy. And I

55:32heard that the policy change might be

55:33completed within a month. I hope that we

55:35won't have to wait until the next IAA

55:37report to find out what kind of policy

55:40changes are made in response to these

55:42findings.

55:43The IAA reports from both September of

55:462025 and March 2026 made clear the

55:49importance of policy. The reports

55:51included remarks about de-escalation.

55:54A year ago, the auditor observed that

55:56the complaint process addresses only law

55:58and policy violations. It does not

56:01formally address acts that do not align

56:03with best practices and discretionary

56:05acts that are permissible but may

56:07unnecessarily cause harm.

56:10There was a recommendation for a review

56:12and evaluation of de-escalation

56:14practices.

56:16The March 2026 report acknowledged that

56:18the recommendations were being acted

56:20upon, but progress was generalized.

56:23There were no metrics, no details.

56:25What I had hoped to hear in the

56:27auditor's report this time was

56:28measurable progress since March. It does

56:31sound like there's a clearer direction

56:34recognizing that tying de-escalation to

56:36use of force has been limiting.

56:39I think it's useful to go back to the

56:40police reform recommendations. The

56:43training working group had 11

56:44recommendations related to

56:46de-escalation. One of those required

56:48modifying the administrative tracking

56:50data to include use of de-escalation.

56:53This happened and the data was reported

56:55on in the 2023 and 2024 use of force

56:59reports. There is no use of force report

57:02on the website for 2025.

57:04You all should be demanding that report.

57:07And if you have it, but it's just not on

57:08the website, please share it with the

57:10public immediately.

57:12Since de-escalation is now being

57:14tracked, it would be useful to know how

57:16often it was used in an incident that

57:18resulted in a complaint. Perhaps that

57:21could be added to the auditor's report.

57:24I understand Chief Henderson's remarks

57:26that it's a young force, not a lot of

57:28experience. I would emphasize that to

57:31create a culture of professionalism and

57:33respect and de-escalation, it's

57:35important to reinforce those messages

57:37with great frequency, especially because

57:40officers will find themselves in

57:42heightened situations. De-escalation

57:44needs to become like muscle memory, and

57:47the right culture needs to be

57:48established before the younger officers

57:51get into bad habits.

57:52Thank you.

57:53>> Thank you, Ms. Gamainer.

57:55I call to the podium Alec Johnson.

58:00>> [clears throat]

58:09>> I'm Alec Johnson, and I still live at

58:113206 Linden Avenue in the Hearthstone

58:13neighborhood of Dayton. Good morning,

58:15Mayor, Commissioners, and the greater

58:16Dayton community.

58:18I'm speaking as an individual, but these

58:19ideas are being discussed in the

58:21community within the local Democratic

58:23Democratic Socialists of America branch,

58:25of which I'm a proud member.

58:27When Bishop Jerome McCorry stood before

58:30the commission a week ago and

58:31passionately called for strong mayor

58:33government, he planted a seed.

58:35But no gardener makes a seedling grow by

58:37pulling on it. It needs good soil and

58:39many hands to tend it.

58:40What excites me is not merely the

58:41prospect of having a more empowered

58:43mayor, it's a government strong enough

58:45to act for and democratic enough to

58:47answer to the people.

58:49The working design would elect a

58:50full-time mayor citywide as chief

58:52executive. Nine council members from

58:54neighborhood districts would be elected

58:56from their districts and not citywide.

58:59The mayor's office would be separate

59:00from the council. A qualified chief

59:02administrative officer, nominated by the

59:04mayor and confirmed by the council,

59:05would manage daily operations. The

59:07council would legislate, control

59:09spending, and major contracts, confirm

59:11appointments, investigate, and override

59:13a limited veto. Independent districting,

59:16civil service, labor rights, public

59:18participation, auditing, and ethics

59:20enforcement would guard against

59:21concentrated power.

59:23The districts make the idea real. A The

59:25map keeps all 65 neighborhoods whole and

59:28creates nine districts averaging about

59:3015,300 residents each.

59:32Hearthstone, where I live, would join

59:34Belmont, Eastmont, and Patterson Park,

59:36giving our neighborhoods a council

59:38member accountable to us. Imagine every

59:40part of Dayton having that kind of

59:41voice.

59:43These aren't final district lines.

59:44Residents must test them through

59:46alternatives and voting rights analysis.

59:49Toledo's government structure is the

59:50closest Ohio comparison, but Dayton can

59:52build something of its own. As we've

59:54done so often in the past, we can make

59:56history again.

59:57Let me slow myself down.

59:59I'm not announcing a petition drive

1:00:01today.

1:00:02Ohio law gives us two routes, a

1:00:04commission-submitted amendment or a

1:00:05citizen-position petition meeting Ohio's

1:00:0810% signature requirement. On September

1:00:111st, the Ohio Supreme Court confirmed

1:00:13that a legally sufficient petition

1:00:15creates a mandatory constitutional duty.

1:00:17The local legislative body must put the

1:00:19amendment before voters. Daytonians need

1:00:22not wait for permission from City Hall.

1:00:24Still, the next step is not gathering

1:00:26signatures. It's flushing out a proposal

1:00:28worth asking people to sign a petition

1:00:30for.

1:00:31The exciting part is building something

1:00:33Daytonians recognize as their own.

1:00:36We'll hold public hearings, design

1:00:37sessions, compare maps, confront risk,

1:00:40and secure independent voting rights.

1:00:43We'll have clear responsibility at City

1:00:45Hall, real neighborhood representation,

1:00:46professional administration, and public

1:00:48power the public can hold accountable.

1:00:50With such a government, we can ensure

1:00:51that public power and public policy

1:00:53produces public love.

1:00:56Bishop McCurry planted a seed. Now,

1:00:58let's invite Dayton to help it grow.

1:01:00Thank you.

1:01:01>> Thank you, Mr. Johnson.

1:01:03I call to the podium Paula Woolard.

1:01:15>> Good morning.

1:01:18>> Excuse me, Ms. Paula. Or we just only

1:01:21have

1:01:21>> It's just me speaking.

1:01:22>> Okay. well still you ladies would you

1:01:23mind having a seat?

1:01:25>> Oh, I'm sorry about that.

1:01:26>> That's okay. Have a seat right up in the

1:01:27front if you like.

1:01:28>> Oh, she said you can sit in the front if

1:01:29you like. You okay?

1:01:31>> Okay.

1:01:31>> Thank you, ma'am.

1:01:32>> that?

1:01:33Uh my name is Paula Wofford, uh 4917

1:01:35Webster Street, Dayton, Ohio.

1:01:38I am the founder of the Narrow Path

1:01:40program.

1:01:41I am a part of a lot of other

1:01:43organizations here in Dayton as well,

1:01:44too, and love being connected and just

1:01:46helping as much as I can in the city. Um

1:01:49but right now I am focusing on the

1:01:51program that I have started. I've been

1:01:52going on for about 5 years now, but in

1:01:55Dayton, Ohio a year strong now.

1:01:58I have grown a heart and a passion for

1:01:59Dayton, Ohio ever since moving here and

1:02:01expanding.

1:02:02Um the ladies I did have with me was the

1:02:03worship lady. She helps run the program

1:02:06with me as well and has gone through the

1:02:07program herself. And then I have Mrs.

1:02:09Donna. She is with me as well

1:02:10passionately working with women right

1:02:12beside and saw my passion for women that

1:02:14I have and developing them up and

1:02:16helping be a help support in community

1:02:18and in their families.

1:02:20I have some high school women that I'm

1:02:21walking with as well, too, but they

1:02:22cannot be here today clearly. They are

1:02:24in school.

1:02:26We have been um going on like I said for

1:02:28a year now and I'm here today um to

1:02:30simply point out not problems, but what

1:02:33women could be facing in families and

1:02:35our communities and I want to be a part

1:02:37of the solution.

1:02:39There are women in our communities who

1:02:40are trying to rebuild their lives, but

1:02:41are facing multiple barriers at the same

1:02:44time. They may need stable housing,

1:02:46employment, transportation,

1:02:47identification, a driver's license,

1:02:50professional skills, financial

1:02:51stability, or simply someone willing to

1:02:53walk alongside them while they are

1:02:55getting everything back in order in

1:02:57their lives personally right now.

1:02:59The Narrow Path program is designed to

1:03:01help women move from instability towards

1:03:03independent. My vision is to create a

1:03:06stronger transitional housing program

1:03:08where women can come into a safe and

1:03:09structural environment receiving

1:03:11mentorship and work on their practical

1:03:13areas of lives that will help them

1:03:15become self-sufficient.

1:03:17That could include helping a woman

1:03:19obtain all the things I mentioned above,

1:03:21even with resumes, finding a job, and

1:03:23keeping it, preparing for interviews,

1:03:25developing workplace skills, organizing

1:03:26finances, and connecting with community

1:03:29resources as well, too, and just getting

1:03:31them set up with going forward in the

1:03:33community.

1:03:35As I observed the Desoto complex rebuild

1:03:37project, I love what is going on there.

1:03:39Looks great.

1:03:41But from my heart for people,

1:03:43all I could look at and think about is

1:03:45the people we are going to put back into

1:03:47those areas who could possibly need help

1:03:50with certain things or even maintain and

1:03:51keep it that up and just being a help to

1:03:53the community, and not just going back

1:03:55in with the same mindsets, and just

1:03:57making sure that they have everything

1:03:58that they need as well, too, as they go

1:04:00back in getting this blessing of getting

1:04:02a rebuild production and complex.

1:04:05My goal is to keep women in the not to

1:04:08keep women in the program indefinitely,

1:04:10but the goal is to rebuild, equip, and

1:04:11release them back out better than they

1:04:13were before. But I also recognize that

1:04:16no one organization can do it alone.

1:04:17That is why I'm here today. I want to

1:04:19build relationships with all of you.

1:04:21I've gotten to know some of the

1:04:22commissioners and mayor and different

1:04:23people in the city, and have meetings

1:04:25one-on-ones to just share my heart. It

1:04:27could have been for another

1:04:28organization, but this is my heart. It's

1:04:29helping rebuild women, and building them

1:04:32up so they'll be the lead, and if they

1:04:33are by themselves, single families, I

1:04:35take them in, house them, and if that is

1:04:37in my community own house, that is

1:04:38working. But right now, we need a little

1:04:40help. I'm pretty much Thank you.

1:04:44>> [laughter]

1:04:44>> We're just looking for donations

1:04:47But thank you.

1:04:48>> Thank you, Ms. Paula.

1:04:50That concludes speakers, Your Honor.

1:04:54Thank you, Ms. McClendon. Ms. Dixon, do

1:04:56you have any closing comments this

1:04:57morning?

1:04:59>> Ms. McClendon, do you have any closing

1:05:00comments this morning?

1:05:02>> Yes, Your Honor. There is a work session

1:05:04immediately following today's meeting

1:05:06regarding Miami Valley Community Action

1:05:08Partnership, and it will be in the PRC.

1:05:12>> All right, thank you. Commissioners, do

1:05:14you have any closing comments?

1:05:15Commissioner Beckham?

1:05:17>> Uh yes, Your Honor. Uh just want to

1:05:19thank all the speakers who came out

1:05:21today to

1:05:23uh voice your comments, concerns, and

1:05:24ideas. I appreciate that. Um

1:05:27I want to speak to the comments

1:05:29regarding the

1:05:30um IAA. Um

1:05:33I think last week uh Chief Henderson

1:05:35of course expressed uh that um the

1:05:39policy review

1:05:41uh

1:05:42committee within the department uh would

1:05:44work with the IAA to bring us some

1:05:46recommendations forward as it relates to

1:05:49uh use of force. In in in my perception,

1:05:52this builds on the work of police

1:05:53reform. I don't think um

1:05:56I don't think this is

1:05:58uh I would say identical to the

1:06:01recommendations that were made by police

1:06:02reform. There are some I I think ways in

1:06:04which this goes a step further.

1:06:07Um as it relates specifically

1:06:09uh to the use of force committee that

1:06:11Mr. Mr. Stark brought up, um that

1:06:14committee uh was reformed uh under Mayor

1:06:18Memms. Um and yes, I I worked in his

1:06:20office. Um

1:06:22it was not disbanded. So, I want to make

1:06:25sure that that is corrected for the

1:06:26record. But uh since I've been on this

1:06:28commission,

1:06:29um I have not engaged uh with the use of

1:06:32force committee. I am not uh certain uh

1:06:35where their work is at this point in

1:06:36time. And uh my my commitment is

1:06:38certainly uh to pick up that work. I'm

1:06:41happy to. Um I think it is a need. Uh

1:06:44and I am more than willing uh to

1:06:46re-engage with the use of force

1:06:47committee and really make sure that

1:06:49we're implementing the right

1:06:50recommendations because it is it is

1:06:52critical, right, to the work of our our

1:06:54police department. Um and I want to

1:06:56thank the IAA for again the presentation

1:06:58last week and look forward to the timely

1:07:00recommendations um that they'll bring

1:07:03forth. Yes, Chief Henderson noted that

1:07:04it would take a month, so I think we'll

1:07:06be eagerly waiting um to implement those

1:07:09recommendations and review them

1:07:11as a commission.

1:07:12I want to thank Ms. Paula Wolford. We've

1:07:15had the opportunity to connect outside

1:07:18of here. Thank you for the work that

1:07:20you're doing. I certainly admire your

1:07:21passion. Please keep going.

1:07:23I also want to thank um

1:07:26the staff. I have been having quite a

1:07:29bit of I would say internal

1:07:32conversations with a number of our

1:07:35our departments,

1:07:36public affairs, public works, DPD,

1:07:39planning, law, and the city manager's

1:07:40office as it relates to trying to

1:07:43reduce something

1:07:45that is

1:07:46maybe not as as uh

1:07:49noted as significant, but it it costs

1:07:52the city quite a bit of money, and

1:07:53that's graffiti.

1:07:55We are spending about $30,000 a year

1:07:57removing it right now, and I just want

1:08:00to thank all of the work and the

1:08:01coordination of all those departments

1:08:04thus far as we try to heighten

1:08:07folks' sensitivity and help us

1:08:09both report and remove graffiti. So,

1:08:12public affairs has recently announced a

1:08:14new

1:08:15graffiti

1:08:16delete campaign. So, please look out for

1:08:20that. Please report graffiti in your

1:08:22neighborhoods, and this is just the

1:08:24start. We're trying to raise awareness

1:08:27so that we can, of course,

1:08:29continue to beautify, right, the

1:08:31neighborhoods in which we all live in.

1:08:33So, last but not least,

1:08:36um

1:08:37I think that might be all I had. So,

1:08:39thank you, Your Honor. Those are my

1:08:41comments.

1:08:41>> Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner

1:08:42Fairclough.

1:08:43>> Yeah, no, thank you. And thank you,

1:08:44Commissioner Beckham, for your comments.

1:08:47Um

1:08:47I appreciate you

1:08:49opening up the possibility of looking at

1:08:52the use of force committee.

1:08:54When we revised it,

1:08:57I felt like we

1:08:59um

1:09:00we we missed an opportunity there. We

1:09:02went from four meetings a year to two

1:09:03meetings a year.

1:09:05Um and given the number of cases of use

1:09:09of force, I thought that was

1:09:10insufficient. And so, I think

1:09:13I think re-looking at that whole

1:09:15committee, how it's structured, its

1:09:16scope, might be an important first step

1:09:19as we

1:09:21look to address that issue. And and just

1:09:22for some clarity,

1:09:24um I think I can't remember the comment

1:09:26that was made, but

1:09:27the IAA looks at complaints that are

1:09:31made about officers' actions. They're

1:09:35not reviewing the use of force

1:09:38incidents, though they have the ability

1:09:40to observe some of those in real time

1:09:44with the thought that a complaint um may

1:09:46occur.

1:09:48So, just want to be clear that really

1:09:49for

1:09:50a review of the use of force incidents,

1:09:53it's that committee. And I think it's a

1:09:55good time to revisit that.

1:09:58And uh Madam City Manager,

1:10:01I didn't know if we could expect on

1:10:02[music] September 30th or October 7th a

1:10:05report from the chief regarding

1:10:08what decisions have been made around the

1:10:10de-escalation policy.

1:10:12>> Mhm.

1:10:13I've noted the to follow up on that. So,

1:10:15I'll let you know as soon as I know.

1:10:17>> Okay.

1:10:18Um

1:10:20And Mr. Johnson, uh thank you for

1:10:22lifting up the strong mayor and thinking

1:10:24about how we do our governance. I think

1:10:26it's an important question. I would just

1:10:28note that

1:10:29before Bishop came here, others have

1:10:32been raising this issue, including Ms.

1:10:34Hastings, who has done some education in

1:10:36the public about that already. So, um

1:10:39the seed was planted um long before the

1:10:41Bishop came and tried to nurture and

1:10:43water it a bit.

1:10:44>> [music]

1:10:44>> Um

1:10:45I'm interested in that conversation. Um

1:10:47I always think that we can look at how

1:10:50um we can make a more perfect [music]

1:10:52union, including our local government.

1:10:54So, I look forward to the conversation.

1:10:56And um

1:10:57And I even called uh

1:10:59the bishop um

1:11:02uh last week and uh told him I'd be

1:11:05interested in looking at some ways to

1:11:07start a forum or some conversation uh

1:11:10kind of building on what Ms. Hastings

1:11:12has already started.

1:11:14And so

1:11:15>> [music]

1:11:15>> um and thank you to all the citizens who

1:11:17who come.

1:11:18Um

1:11:20I welcome you coming and having these

1:11:22comments and I think it's part of a

1:11:25healthy democracy. So um

1:11:27whatever

1:11:29sense that there's a culture here that's

1:11:31trying to deter that, um

1:11:33I would kind of bat that down cuz I

1:11:35think the mayor and the commit- my

1:11:36fellow commissioners

1:11:38um

1:11:39value citizens who come and the

1:11:41comments.

1:11:42Uh finally, there's a couple of

1:11:44opportunities.

1:11:45Uh

1:11:48There's an opportunity called uh repair

1:11:50ready budgeting planning for home

1:11:51improvement session. We'll be provided

1:11:54we'll provide practical guidance on

1:11:56creating a realistic renovation budget,

1:11:58preparing for unexpected costs, and

1:12:00working effectively with contractors.

1:12:02And this session is taking place uh next

1:12:05Tuesday from 6:00 to 7:30. It's a

1:12:08virtual session and I assume the city

1:12:12has more information on this. Um

1:12:15and then does someone have the world

1:12:17soccer games?

1:12:20>> Yeah. Go ahead.

1:12:20>> All right.

1:12:22>> You have it?

1:12:23>> I'm

1:12:23>> Thank you.

1:12:24>> Thank [snorts] you.

1:12:25>> Commissioner Fairchild, Commissioner

1:12:26Shaw.

1:12:27>> Oh, well. Sorry.

1:12:28>> Go ahead.

1:12:28>> Um and just um you know, Friday will be

1:12:31September 11th. So I know that that

1:12:34is uh a day that people observe and so I

1:12:38encourage people to take a moment there

1:12:40to reflect. We know a lot of um

1:12:44uh families were impacted by that

1:12:46experience. We also know that a lot of

1:12:48policies were made out of that

1:12:50experience and I'm not sure that we have

1:12:52fully kind of taken in

1:12:54uh the significance of the consequences

1:12:57of that event and come to terms with all

1:13:00of that. So, I invite people to take a

1:13:02moment to observe that day.

1:13:05>> Thank you, Commissioner Fairchild,

1:13:06Commissioner Shaw.

1:13:08>> Yes, thank you, Commissioner, for those

1:13:09comments and you're right. We do

1:13:10appreciate the citizens coming down and

1:13:12speaking and engaging with us and it's

1:13:14really important

1:13:15that that be maintained and and

1:13:17continue. Also, Commissioner Wakam,

1:13:20thank you for your leadership regarding

1:13:21the graffiti. I mean, that's just a huge

1:13:24issue and

1:13:25I've seen it in other places. I've seen

1:13:27it

1:13:28>> [snorts]

1:13:28>> be remediated in other places and I just

1:13:30think it's really important for you to

1:13:32lead there and and and continue that and

1:13:33I will come alongside you whenever

1:13:35needed.

1:13:36Um

1:13:37Uh I want to just uh briefly launch

1:13:41Dayton Startup Week will take place

1:13:43September 15th through the 17th

1:13:45at the Hub at the Dayton Arcade. The

1:13:473-day event will bring together

1:13:48entrepreneurs, business leaders, and

1:13:50members of the community for expert

1:13:52speakers, meaningful networking

1:13:53opportunities, and practical business

1:13:55education. Registration is required and

1:13:58the event is free for attendees. I was

1:14:00at the Arcade yesterday and met with a

1:14:01group of um

1:14:03uh business owners and folks that are in

1:14:05that kind of small business ecosystem,

1:14:06had some really good conversations and

1:14:09was really impressed with

1:14:10uh the way that the Arcade project is

1:14:13really coming together. These kind of

1:14:14cultural collisions that they have, they

1:14:17spoke about them, I witnessed them uh

1:14:19myself while I was there. So, I just

1:14:20think

1:14:22this was a good uh project and and I'm

1:14:25so glad that it um

1:14:27continues to build and [music] grow.

1:14:29Um having said that, just finally, I

1:14:31want to wish my wife a happy 26th

1:14:33anniversary today.

1:14:35And uh looking forward to seeing you

1:14:37later on. So, thank you very much,

1:14:38Mayor.

1:14:40>> You're welcome, Mayor.

1:14:41Uh Commissioner uh

1:14:43Joseph.

1:14:43>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh thank you,

1:14:44colleagues, for excellent comments and

1:14:46excellent work. Uh I just have one

1:14:48additional comment here as Commissioner

1:14:50mentioned. Hope everybody can come out

1:14:51this Saturday, September 12th, to join

1:14:53me to watch the Dayton World Soccer

1:14:56Games out at Kettering Field Sports

1:14:57Complex.

1:14:58The parade of nations, the traditional

1:15:00parade of nations starts at 8:30, games

1:15:02start at 9:00. Representatives of FC

1:15:05Cincinnati will be there supporting us,

1:15:07which is really nice. There'll be some

1:15:08international food, some activities for

1:15:10everybody in the family.

1:15:11We're getting actually I saw there was

1:15:13another new team new entry just

1:15:14yesterday, a Turkish adult team from our

1:15:16Turkish community. So, there're going to

1:15:18be plenty of good teams, plenty of good

1:15:20soccer, and a lot of fun. So, I hope to

1:15:21see you out there this Saturday,

1:15:23Kettering Field Sports Complex. Thank

1:15:25you, Mayor.

1:15:26>> Thank you, Commissioner.

1:15:27Just a couple brief comments. Would like

1:15:29to thank all of the the residents that

1:15:31came out this morning. Thank you to all

1:15:32the staff.

1:15:34Thank you to the Area Agency Aging

1:15:37Agency for being here. Good to see you,

1:15:39Ms. Holder Nelson.

1:15:41And I also would like to just uplift the

1:15:43comment from Commissioner Fairchild in

1:15:46regards to welcoming comments and

1:15:49welcoming feedback. It reminds me of the

1:15:51quote the famous quote, one of my

1:15:53favorite activists, poets, writers,

1:15:57intellect, and and great thought leader,

1:16:01and that is James Baldwin when he talks

1:16:03about just the right to criticize and

1:16:05being able to

1:16:07note the perpetual love that he has for

1:16:09the country. And I also believe that

1:16:11that is as where we are in terms of

1:16:13upholding and uplifting the our

1:16:16democracy and the love that the

1:16:17residents have for the city of Dayton.

1:16:20So, again, I too I welcome feedback,

1:16:23criticism.

1:16:24It don't always feel good, but feelings

1:16:26ain't got nothing to do with what people

1:16:28are experiencing. And so, with that,

1:16:30please if you have any questions,

1:16:32comments, any any anything that I can

1:16:35do. And to your point, I am a public

1:16:37servant. That's why we are in fact

1:16:39elected. So, my phone is always open.

1:16:42The office the doors is always open,

1:16:44whatever we need to do to make sure that

1:16:46we are addressing those concerns and and

1:16:48and those grievances. So, thank you for

1:16:50Commissioner Fairchild for uplifting

1:16:52that

1:16:53as well as all of my colleagues. Thank

1:16:55you for your words. Ms. Hastings, thank

1:16:57you for being here, your comments.

1:16:59And just really trying to find ways and

1:17:01means for us to to uplift the work and

1:17:03provide some level

1:17:06of education and awareness and

1:17:07explanation as to why we do what we do

1:17:10and the decisions that are being made on

1:17:11a daily basis. So, thank you for raising

1:17:14those points this morning.

1:17:16Ms. Mary Sue as well in terms of the use

1:17:18of force report. I know Ms. Dixon, you

1:17:20wrote a note and made a point to make

1:17:23sure that we have follow up on the the

1:17:25policy from

1:17:26the use of force policy. But, where are

1:17:29we in the report? The 2025 report

1:17:31itself. If we could just get an an

1:17:33update on that as well. I appreciate you

1:17:36following up on that. Mr. Johnson, thank

1:17:38you for being here. Ms. Wolford, thank

1:17:40you ladies for being here. I look

1:17:41forward to speaking with you after the

1:17:43the meeting this morning to find out

1:17:45more information about your programming.

1:17:47I know we've had some high-level

1:17:49conversations, so I welcome

1:17:51those additional conversations to be

1:17:53had. I also want to make a point. Last

1:17:55week, I made a statement that was

1:17:58inaccurate

1:18:00in regards to the Dayton Home Repair

1:18:02Network.

1:18:03And this has a lot to do with all my

1:18:05enthusiasm for the program and know that

1:18:07it is a a heightened need for a repair

1:18:11program. So, with that being said, the

1:18:13applications they are in fact being

1:18:15accepted, but funding right now is on

1:18:18pause. There's some additional work that

1:18:20needs to be done and that will probably

1:18:22require the attention and the direction

1:18:25and approval of the commission. So, with

1:18:27that being said, the Dayton Home Repair

1:18:29Network, the program is in fact

1:18:32accepting application, but funding

1:18:34awarding of a funding is is in fact on

1:18:37pause.

1:18:38So I look forward to the planning and

1:18:40neighborhood development team continuing

1:18:42that work and bringing those

1:18:43recommendations forward. We'll have more

1:18:46information on that. And with that being

1:18:49said, I think that is all the comments

1:18:50that I have this morning. Note that

1:18:52there is in fact a work session after

1:18:55the commission meeting as Ms. McLendon

1:18:57has already noted. With no further

1:18:59business to come before the commission,

1:19:01this meeting is now adjourned.

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