Brecksville City Council Regular Meeting – December 2, 2025

The City of Brecksville, Ohio City Council met at 8:00 PM on December 2, 2025 in Ralph W. Biggs City Council Chambers, following committee meetings that began at 7:00 PM. The meeting included approval of prior minutes, unfinished TIF legislation, several personnel and fiscal measures, committee reports, department updates, public comment on Snowville Road TIFs, and adjourned at 8:36 PM.

Approval of Minutes

• The agenda included approval of the November 18, 2025 City Council Minutes, October 21, 2025 Public Hearing Minutes, and November 24, 2025 Special Meeting Minutes. The transcript shows a unanimous 7-0 vote at the point the recording begins, consistent with approval of one of the agenda items.

Unfinished Business – TIF Ordinances

• Agenda items ORD. 5808 (Woodlands), ORD. 5809 (Highland Park), ORD. 5810 (Edgerton Road), ORD. 5811 (Snowville South), ORD. 5812 (Downtown), and ORD. 5813 (Snowville North) would create Tax Increment Financing (TIF) incentive districts, exempt qualifying improvements from real property taxation, require service payments in lieu of taxes, and authorize school compensation and public infrastructure improvements.
• According to Committee of the Whole minutes, Special Counsel Russell Balthis told Council that the Downtown TIF (ORD. 5812) had met all statutory requirements and was ready for consideration on third reading. He requested that Council read the other five TIF ordinances but postpone votes until the December 16, 2025 meeting to continue negotiating with Cuyahoga County after the County filed an objection. Law Director Matty concurred. The postponement did not affect any statutory deadline.

New Business – Resolutions and Ordinances

• RES. 5727 – Council received the Legislation Committee’s recommendation to appoint Stephen J. Zawacki as a part-time firefighter/paramedic. Fire Chief Bender described the Zawacki family as longtime Brecksville residents; Mayor Kingston noted the City has 13 full-time firefighters and relies on part-time personnel for coverage. (No roll-call vote was captured in the transcript.)
• RES. 5730 – Authorized a Mayor’s agreement with Safe Staffing of Ohio for temporary general labor staffing for January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026. Purchasing Director Bartkiewicz reported the request for qualifications went to eight companies and Safe Staffing was again the lowest and best bid. (Recommended by Finance Committee; vote not captured.)
• RES. 5731 – Authorized the Mayor to enter an audit Engagement Letter with the Auditor of State for the City’s basic financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025. (Recommended by Finance Committee; vote not captured.)
• ORD. 5827 – Amended Ordinance 5778 regarding employee compensation. Council Members Bender and Koepke excused themselves due to a conflict. The suspension and passage each passed 5-0 (Caruso, Ganim, Jantzen, Savage, Stucky). The Committee of the Whole minutes list a 7-0 vote, but the council transcript clearly records only five members voting. This is a discrepancy.
• ORD. 5828 – Retained Local Government Services (LGS) of the Auditor of State’s Office to assist in preparing the City’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for 2025. Passed 7-0.
• ORD. 5829 – Made appropriations for current and other expenditures of the City. Finance Director Starosta said the ordinance was based on the 2026 budget presented to Council. Passed 7-0.
• RES. 5732 – Made necessary transfers between funds for FY ending December 31, 2026. Starosta explained transfers are planned quarterly based on needs and cash flows of capital project funds. Passed 7-0.

Finance Committee Actions Brought to Council

• Council approved a requisition of $7,618.84 to Parr Public Safety Equipment for two Mobile Data Terminals for the Police Department. Police Chief Korinek said one unit was nonfunctional and the other needed $1,600 in repairs; IT Director Grein recommended new units. The purchase was an emergency and not in the 2025 budget. Vote was 7-0.
• Council approved monthly professional bills totaling $51,088.01, including Matty, Henrikson & Greve LLC ($16,320.33), Squire Patton Boggs ($2,500.00), William Logan ($4,000.00), Mary Hanna, Esq. ($2,100.00), Mansour Gavin LLP ($1,646.50), Donald G. Bohning & Associates, Inc. ($23,992.68), and Sixmo ($2,175.00). Vote was 7-0. (The transcript appears to misstate the Sixmo amount as $2,001.)

Committee and Board Reports

• Board of Zoning Appeals: no items; next meeting December 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM.
• Planning Commission: no items; next meeting December 4, 2025 at 7:00 PM.
• Recreation Commission: held its final meeting of the year; discussed cleanup of meeting requirements to align with the department’s current operations; no council action.
• Human Services Advisory Board: next meeting December 9, 2025 at 3:00 PM in the Human Services Building.
• Safety-Service, Streets & Sidewalks, Utilities, Buildings & Grounds, and Legislation Committees: each reported no items for Council.

Department Director Reports

• Building Department: issued 66 permits in November with a valuation of just under $1.4 million; total receipts were $28,569.
• Human Services: thanked volunteers for Salvation Army bell ringing, Yuletide Hunger and Adoptive Family donations, and school food drives; reminded residents to reach out to lonely or needy neighbors and connect them to the department.
• Police Chief: announced the Shop with the First Responder event on December 6, 2025, with tickets available at the Police Department or City Hall.
• Mayor Kingston: thanked service crews who left Thanksgiving to plow streets, and praised police and fire personnel for handling a serious volatile incident and a technical rope rescue of someone who fell 30 feet into a ravine in the Metro Parks during a snowstorm. He announced December 6 Shop with the First Responder, December 13 Christmas movie night (Disney’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure), December 14 Kiwanis Santa Delivery, and December 22 Breakfast with Santa, and encouraged Yuletide Hunger donations.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Emily Midgley of 10155 Deer Run read a letter from Ellen Mahendele, an Echo Hills neighbor unable to attend. Mahendele opposed the City assuming costs of sight-line and related safety improvements on Snowville Road near Dewey Road to enable a proposed development, arguing the owner-developer knowingly bought land unsuited for development without modifications and should bear those costs. She also raised concerns about worsening stormwater runoff as development along Snowville Road increased and asked Council to hold the developer accountable for mitigation. Midgley said she echoed the letter.
• Mayor Kingston responded that the City is only establishing TIF districts at this stage, that no funds are earmarked for specific projects, and that substantial TIF revenues are likely 8-10 years away. He added that the TIF districts have a nexus to Snowville Road and could be used for street projects by a future Council.

Key Outcomes

• Six TIF ordinances were on the agenda; the Downtown TIF was ready for consideration, while votes on the other five were postponed to the December 16, 2025 meeting pending negotiations with Cuyahoga County.
• ORD. 5827 passed 5-0 after Bender and Koepke recused themselves (with a noted discrepancy in the committee minutes showing 7-0).
• ORD. 5828, ORD. 5829, RES. 5732, the Police Department equipment requisition, and the professional bills payment all passed 7-0.
• RES. 5727, RES. 5730, and RES. 5731 were recommended by committees; their passage is implied by the agenda and minutes but not fully captured in the raw transcript.
• The meeting adjourned at 8:36 PM.