Brecksville City Council Regular Meeting – July 21, 2026

The Brecksville City Council held its regular meeting on July 21, 2026, in the Ralph W. Biggs City Council Chambers. Vice President Beth Savage presided with five members present (Bender, Ganim, Jantzen, Savage, Stucky); Council President Dominic Caruso and Council Member Ann Koepke were excused. The meeting opened at 8:05 PM and adjourned at 8:27 PM. Council committees met earlier beginning at 7:00 PM.

Consent Calendar / Minutes

• Approved July 7, 2026 City Council minutes (motion by Ganim, seconded by Jantzen): 5-0.
• Approved July 14, 2026 City Council special meeting minutes (motion by Ganim, seconded by Jantzen): 4-0-1, with Council Member Stucky abstaining.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public testified or offered comments during the regular meeting.

Discussion Items

• RES. 5803 – OAPT workers' compensation retrospective rating program: Council authorized participation in the Ohio Association of Public Treasurers Workers' Compensation Group Retrospective Rating Program and the agreement with Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. Finance Director Laura Starosta described it as a continuation of last year's participation and recommended continuing with Sedgwick. The emergency resolution passed 5-0 under suspension of the rules.
• RES. 5804 – Cuyahoga County supplemental grant: Council authorized the Mayor to apply for a 2027 Cuyahoga County Supplemental Grant Program award of up to $50,000 to rehabilitate the City Hall baseball fields. Purchasing Director Monica Bartkiewicz said the selected fencing is beyond its useful life and in need of repair. The emergency resolution passed 5-0 under suspension of the rules.
• ORD. 5876 – Fire alarm and sprinkler maintenance agreement: Council authorized a five-year Planned Services Agreement with Johnson Controls Fire Protection Services LP, through the State of Ohio Administrative Services Purchasing Program, for maintenance and monitoring of fire alarm and sprinkler systems at the Community Center and Human Services Center. The annual cost is $11,744.40. The emergency ordinance passed 5-0 under suspension of the rules.
• ORD. 5877 – Whitewood Road storm sewer bid: Council accepted the bid of Leach Excavating, LLC in the amount of $302,012 for the Whitewood Road Storm Sewer Improvement Project. The engineer's estimate was $300,000, and two bids were received. City Engineer Gerry Wise said the project addresses storm outfall and slope slippage, includes work on a 45-degree slope, and will require driveway replacement and restoration. Wise also said the low bidder is new to Brecksville and that he checked references and was confident in the contractor. The emergency ordinance passed 5-0 under suspension of the rules.
• Board of Zoning Appeals recommendations: Council approved, each 5-0, the following BZA variance recommendations:
  • 6741 Wallings Road (BZA26-000007): two variances under Section 1185.03(a) – increase maximum fence height from 4 ft to 5 ft; allow a fence other than in a side or rear yard for a driveway gate.
  • 9224 Highland Drive (BZA26-000010): defer required public sidewalks under Section 1119.09(d) until the City deems appropriate.
  • 9555 Reserve Run (BZA26-000011): increase maximum pool fence height from 4 ft to 6 ft for a portion of fencing under Section 1323.03.
  • 10305 Chippewa Road (BZA26-000012): reduce minimum front-yard setback from 125 ft to 85 ft for a rear deck on a non-conforming house under Section 1151.24.
  • 6811 Farview Road (BZA26-000013): increase maximum detached garage size from 660 sq ft to 936 sq ft under Section 1151.25(d); the transcript says 930 sq ft.
  • 5901 Oakes Road (BZA26-000015): reduce minimum front-yard setback from 125 ft to 30 ft for a front garage addition on a non-conforming house under Section 1151.24.
• Planning Commission – Knuth's Boutique sign: Council approved issuance of a building permit for one 3,931 sq ft externally illuminated identification wall sign for Knuth's Boutique at 8249 Chippewa Road, conditional on a deviation from the 2,775 sq ft maximum wall-sign area under Section 1187.09(c). The vote was 5-0.
• Utilities Committee motion: Council approved final design and construction management services by Donald G. Bohning and Associates, Inc. for the 10275 and 10325 Whitewood Road Sewer and Slope Slippage Improvement Project in the amount of $16,710; vote 5-0.
• Finance Committee motion: Council approved renewal of the city's firewall maintenance contract with CDW for one year in the amount of $6,187.33; vote 5-0.
• Other committee reports: Recreation, Safety Service, Streets & Sidewalks, Buildings & Grounds, and Legislation committees reported no items for Council consideration. Department directors reported no items.
• Earlier Committee of the Whole: Before the regular meeting, the Committee of the Whole approved its July 7, 2026 minutes and then convened in executive session to discuss the employment of public employees; no open-session action resulted.
• Mayor's report: Mayor Daryl Kingston announced that the city received a $758,000 Ohio state capital budget award for the Brecksville Community Center Improvement Project and said another grant announcement would be made at a future meeting. He also offered condolences to the Caruso family on behalf of the city following the death of their 46-year-old daughter, Candace.

Key Outcomes

• All four new business items (RES 5803, RES 5804, ORD 5876, ORD 5877) passed 5-0 under suspension of the rules.
• All seven BZA variance motions and the Planning Commission sign deviation passed 5-0.
• The Utilities Committee Bohning authorization ($16,710) and the Finance Committee firewall maintenance renewal ($6,187.33) passed 5-0.
• July 7, 2026 minutes approved 5-0; July 14, 2026 special meeting minutes approved 4-0-1.
• No public comments were received; no unfinished business was considered.
• The regular meeting adjourned at 8:27 PM.

Note on Records

• The minutes contain apparent OCR/transcription inconsistencies: some roll-call lines say "Nay: one" while the recorded totals and transcript show 5-0 votes, and the detached garage variance is stated as 936 sq ft in the minutes and 930 sq ft in the transcript. This summary uses the roll call totals and transcript roll calls for vote counts.