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Record of Proceedings

Brecksville City Council Meeting Summary – November 4, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, November 4, 2025
BodyBrecksville, Ohio
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, November 4, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

And we'll turn it over for buildings ground to Chairperson Jansen.

Speaker 2

0:04

Thank you, Mr.

0:04

President.

0:05

Buildings and grounds to order at 6 30.

0:07

Savage here.

0:08

Stucky Jansen's here.

0:11

The only item on our docket this evening is approval of the buildings and grounds committee meeting minutes of October 21, 2025.

0:17

Any recommended changes or corrections?

Speaker 3

0:20

Yep.

Speaker 2

0:21

Hearing none, I move to approve the buildings and grounds committee meeting minutes of October 21, 2025 as presented.

Speaker 4

0:26

Second.

Speaker 2

0:27

All in favor?

0:28

Aye.

0:29

Thank

Unassigned speaker

0:29

you.

Speaker 2

0:30

Are there other matters for consideration of buildings and grounds this evening?

Speaker 5

0:34

Yes, if I could, thank you, uh, Chairperson Jansen.

0:37

I just wanted to provide council an update on the um naming, renaming of the police station to the jury and Ruby Public Safety Center.

0:47

Uh that uh project has been out for quote for the past two, three weeks.

0:51

Um quotes are um due in, I think on Thursday this week.

0:56

We'll be um trying to get this project done by the end of November.

1:01

Um I have spoken with Jerry.

1:02

We're we're trying to coordinate a date at his convenience towards the end of the month.

1:08

So once we award the project to somebody and have a better better timeline of when the letters are going up, hopefully by next council meeting.

1:19

We want to give about two weeks to kind of get organized and put together a little dedication ceremony.

1:23

So by the end of the month is what the target is.

1:27

So fantastic.

Speaker 2

1:29

And uh just in closing, I'd like to offer congratulations to everybody involved with kids' quarters.

1:34

Um, just going by there during the day, the attendance is extraordinary.

1:39

So you're having a positive impact.

1:41

Thank you.

1:42

Um I move to adjourn.

Speaker 6

1:45

Second.

Unassigned speaker

1:45

All

Speaker 2

1:45

in favor?

1:46

Aye.

1:47

Mr.

1:47

President, we are adjourned at

Speaker 1

1:49

632.

1:50

Thanks, Mark.

1:51

Uh, next with the finance committee, Chairperson Savage.

Speaker 7

1:54

Uh, thank you, Mr.

1:55

President.

1:55

I call the finance committee to order at 632.

1:58

Bender?

1:59

Here.

2:00

Kepke and Savage is here.

2:02

Uh, the first item on the agenda this evening are the committee meeting minutes from the finance committee uh meeting on October 21st, 2025.

2:11

Are there any changes or corrections?

2:14

Hearing none, I move to approve as presented.

Speaker 8

2:16

Second.

Speaker 7

2:17

All those in favor?

2:18

Aye.

2:19

Aye.

2:20

Thank you.

Unassigned speaker

2:20

The

Speaker 7

2:21

next item on the agenda um is uh is a grant.

2:25

I think we have two on the agenda, but we'll do the um 2026 Cuyoga County supplemental grant program first.

2:32

Uh Director

Speaker 9

2:32

Berkowitz.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████73%
Personnel Matters████7%
Public Safety███5%
Environmental Protection██4%
Public Engagement██3%
Engineering And Infrastructure██3%
Insurance Coverage█2%
Pending Litigation█1%
Economic Development█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Brecksville City Council Meeting Summary – November 4, 2025

The Brecksville City Council held a regular meeting on November 4, 2025, preceded by committee meetings. The full council unanimously approved all legislative items, including grants, professional appointments, and employee insurance renewals.

Consent Calendar and New Business

All resolutions and ordinances on the agenda were passed without dissent (7-0 for all full council votes).

  • Minutes: Approved the minutes from the October 21, 2025 council meeting.
  • Resolution 5720: Authorized applying for a $50,000 Cuyahoga County Supplemental Grant to rehabilitate the tennis courts near City Hall.
  • Resolution 5721: Authorized a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department for shared access to Brecksville Police radio talk groups during critical incidents.
  • Resolution 5722: Renewed engagement with Squire Patton Boggs LLP for tax increment financing (TIF) and development legal services for 2026 at the prior year's rate.
  • Resolution 5723: Appointed Kutak Rock LLP as special counsel for economic development and TIF matters. Mayor Kingston explained the city’s current TIF attorneys joined this firm, and retaining both firms allows flexibility if conflicts of interest arise.
  • Resolution 5724: Renewed the consulting agreement with William D. Logan for municipal income tax administration for 2026 with no rate increase.
  • Ordinances 5818-5821: Approved 2026 employee benefit proposals for medical insurance (Medical Mutual of Ohio), dental insurance (Delta Dental), life insurance (Lincoln National Life), and vision insurance (Vision Service Provider/VSP).
  • Ordinance 5822: Amended Section 141.01(A) of the Codified Ordinances to update the complement of the full-time Fire Service.

Finance Committee Highlights

  • Healthcare Trends: HR Specialist Nadia Alempijevic and Finance Director Laura Starosta presented the 2026 renewals. The medical insurance increase was 16% overall (13.6% on a comparable basis). The dental plan saw an 8% increase ($10,500) after the city shifted to self-funding to contain a projected 20% increase. Life insurance rose 4.6% ($1,100) with a 24-month rate guarantee. Vision costs remained flat. Employee contributions for the medical plans are increasing by 2%. Mayor Kingston expressed concern about rising healthcare costs and signaled that passing on costs to employees will require continued evaluation.
  • Central School Demolition Grant: The committee recommended authorizing an application to the Cuyahoga Land Bank for the FY 2024-2025 Building Demolition Program. The total cost is estimated at $750,000, with a 75% grant ($562,500) and a 25% local match ($187,500). The application deadline is November 7, 2025. No end user or specific redevelopment plan is required for this grant, and further public discussion on the site’s future is anticipated.
  • Professional Bills: Recommended approval of monthly invoices totaling $52,300.63.

Other Committee Reports

  • Streets & Sidewalks: Approved Change Orders 5 and 6 for the Brecksville Road (S.R. 21) resurfacing project in the cumulative amount of negative $71,357.90, allowing for final project close-out. The project is substantially complete. (Vote: 6-0, with Council Member Stucky initially excused).
  • Safety & Service: Recommended the radio MOU (RES. 5721) and the fire complement ordinance (ORD. 5822) without additional debate.
  • Building & Grounds: Council Member Jantzen reported quotes for the “Jerry and Ruby Public Safety Center” naming project were due that week, with installation targeted by the end of November. He also praised the high attendance at the Kids’ Quarters program.

Reports of Council Representatives and Directors

  • Board of Zoning Appeals: No items for council consideration.
  • Planning Commission: Next meeting November 6, 2025 at 7:00 PM.
  • Recreation Commission: Final meeting of the year scheduled for December 1, 2025 at 7:30 PM.
  • Human Services Advisory Board: Next meeting reported.
  • Building Department: Issued 108 permits in October 2025 with a total valuation of $1,522,899. Total receipts collected were $23,099.25.
  • Police Department: Chief Korinek reported collecting 116.8 pounds of unused prescription drugs at the DEA Drug Take Back event on October 25. The “Shop with a First Responder” event is scheduled for December 6.
  • Human Services: Dr. Steve Paciorek highlighted the 43rd annual Yuletide Hunger Program, serving 120-125 families across Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Independence, and Seven Hills.
  • Mayor’s Report: Mayor Kingston recognized Veterans Day (November 11), reminded residents of leaf collection through November 28, and thanked the council team for their collaboration.

Key Outcomes

  • All ten legislative items (RES. 5720-5724, ORD. 5818-5822) passed unanimously (7-0).
  • Mayor authorized to apply for $612,500 in total grant funds ($50,000 county, $562,500 land bank).
  • An executive session was held to discuss collective bargaining strategy.

Noted Discrepancies Between Sources

  • Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting Date: The official minutes record the next meeting as November 8, 2025, while the raw transcript quotes Council Member Stucky announcing it as November 10, 2025.
  • Human Services Advisory Board Meeting Date: The minutes record the next meeting as November 18, 2025, while the raw transcript quotes Council Member Koepke announcing it as November 11, 2025.

— End of Summary —

Meeting Transcript

And we'll turn it over for buildings ground to Chairperson Jansen. Thank you, Mr. President. Buildings and grounds to order at 6 30. Savage here. Stucky Jansen's here. The only item on our docket this evening is approval of the buildings and grounds committee meeting minutes of October 21, 2025. Any recommended changes or corrections? Yep. Hearing none, I move to approve the buildings and grounds committee meeting minutes of October 21, 2025 as presented. Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Are there other matters for consideration of buildings and grounds this evening? Yes, if I could, thank you, uh, Chairperson Jansen. I just wanted to provide council an update on the um naming, renaming of the police station to the jury and Ruby Public Safety Center. Uh that uh project has been out for quote for the past two, three weeks. Um quotes are um due in, I think on Thursday this week. We'll be um trying to get this project done by the end of November. Um I have spoken with Jerry. We're we're trying to coordinate a date at his convenience towards the end of the month. So once we award the project to somebody and have a better better timeline of when the letters are going up, hopefully by next council meeting. We want to give about two weeks to kind of get organized and put together a little dedication ceremony. So by the end of the month is what the target is. So fantastic. And uh just in closing, I'd like to offer congratulations to everybody involved with kids' quarters. Um, just going by there during the day, the attendance is extraordinary. So you're having a positive impact. Thank you. Um I move to adjourn. Second. All in favor? Aye. Mr. President, we are adjourned at 632. Thanks, Mark. Uh, next with the finance committee, Chairperson Savage. Uh, thank you, Mr. President. I call the finance committee to order at 632. Bender? Here. Kepke and Savage is here. Uh, the first item on the agenda this evening are the committee meeting minutes from the finance committee uh meeting on October 21st, 2025. Are there any changes or corrections? Hearing none, I move to approve as presented.

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