All right.

I'd like to call this special committee uh sorry, city council meeting to order.

It is January 12th, uh 2026 at 745.

Uh Clerk Ballister, would you call the role?

CUDA.

Here Cohen.

Here, the Witfoy.

Here.

Here.

Larson.

Here.

Here.

All right.

Now that we know we're all here and there's nobody to excuse.

Um, are there any amendments to the agenda?

Yes.

Uh, I'd like to uh make a motion to admit the agenda to add essentially four resolutions.

The first being number four 2026 for first reading only.

It is for an agreement with a company to put um new seating in the um uh community center, uh 5265 uh 2026 uh for adoption.

Um first reading for adoption tonight um to uh reappoint the director of public works uh six twenty twenty-six um again for first reading for adoption.

Um the director of planning and development and uh seven twenty twenty-six uh to uh confirm the law director.

All right, that's been motioned.

Is there a second?

All right, we have a second, any discussion?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed that passes.

I'd also like to look favorably on a motion to amend the agenda to add new business.

Anyone want to second?

Okay.

Um discussion on that.

All right, all in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

That motion passes as well.

Uh Clerk Ballister, would you read the first piece of legislation?

I have resolution number 002-2026 on first reading.

A resolution authorizing an agreement with Ken Ganley Ford Inc., DBA KG Norton LLC for the purchase of five to 2026 Ford Utility Hybrid Police Interceptors for the Cleveland Heights Police Department and declaring the necessity this legislation become immediately effective as an emergency measure introduced by Mayor Petris.

We have a so moved.

There we go.

Second.

Any discussion?

We we did discuss this in committee of the whole.

Um all in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

That motion passes.

Next, I have resolution number 003-2026 on first reading.

A resolution authorizing an agreement with KG Norton LLC, DBA Ganley Ford Inc.

for the purchase of two 2026 Ford Utility Hybrid Interceptors for the Cleveland Heights Fire Department and declaring the necessity this legislation become immediately effective as an emergency measure introduced by Mayor Petras.

So moved.

Second.

All right.

Any discussion?

All in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

All right, that motion passes.

Um first reading only.

Nope, we got more on first reading for adoption.

We added I have resolution number zero zero five-2026 on first reading.

A resolution confirming the mayor's appointment of Colette Klinkscale as director of public works for the city of Cleveland Heights and declaring the necessity this legislation become immediately effective as an emergency measure introduced by Mayor Petris.

Second.

Any discussion?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

That motion passes.

Next, I have resolution number 006-2026 on first reading.

A resolution confirming the mayor's reappointment of Eric Zamp as director of planning and development for the city of Cleveland Heights and declaring the necessity this legislation become immediately effective as an emergency measure introduced by Mayor Petras.

Second.

All right.

Any discussion?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

That motion passes.

And I have resolution number 007-2026 on first reading.

A resolution confirming the mayor's reappointment of William R.

Hanna as director of law for the city of Cleveland Heights and declaring the necessity that this legislation become immediately effective as an emergency measure introduced by Mayor Petris.

Second.

All right.

Any discussion?

Mr.

President.

Um I know we talked about this in the uh committee of the hall, but we should probably let the public know that we're not just rushing through these that because of the change in the charter, it's necessary for city council now to uh confirm any continuing appointments in these positions that the mayor wants to make.

And we all we all know all of the individuals that he's asked for us to uh confirm the appointment for.

And I don't think there was any necessity to have any hearings on them.

Appreciate that.

And I'll just say uh Director Hanna, welcome back.

Not yet.

All in favor.

Aye.

Uh any opposed?

All right.

That motion passes, and now you're welcome.

All right.

Um and then uh for uh Clerk Ballister, we have one more reading.

This is first reading only.

Correct.

I have resolution number 004-2026 on first reading, a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with Farnham Equipment Company through the Source Well Cooperative Purchasing Program for the provision, installation of and related construction services for the improvement of new seating for the community center's main gymnasium and declaring the necessity that this legislation become immediately effective as an emergency measure introduced by Mayor Petris.

So again, I would ask all the council members to take a look at this legislation.

The director could not be here tonight and will not be here on the 20th.

So any questions you might have on this legislation, you you want to send them in an email uh this week.

And now we're at new business.

Uh I see a hand up there.

That would be that would be mine.

Uh that would be councilman Posh.

Um I would like to either have a quick conversation uh discussion about this, or when you think it's appropriate that our leadership team, both president and vice president, can consider a scheduling some kind of retreat for council so we can have just an opportunity just to sort of talk through some things that are important to us.

Um we have some council members here.

Um we received an email over the weekend from um councilwoman cohn about some things that were important to her.

I mean, we really can't respond to that in email, but it's good to sort of hear it.

But you know, I'd love to be able to have conversations like like that.

I mean, not spend a lot of time.

This is similar to what we tried to do last year.

We were gonna have sort of like this expectations meeting that got in the paper and was everyone's best intention to do it until the wheels fell off of everything that we're doing, and this the disruption amongst some members of the administration, the former mayor, some internal strife.

We just weren't able to get it done.

And it would be really helpful, I think, if we were all sort of maybe not on the same page, but we sort of had sort of a vision.

You know, this is what our vision is, this is what we want to do.

Both collective and individual.

Well, exactly.

Um but the issue here is there's a lot of repair that's going on right now.

And I don't want to try to like really try to advocate for this um at a point where there's some healing going on and there's a tremendous amount of work getting this new administration up to speed, and the need that we need to make a council appointment.

So I guess what I do is I ask our leadership team to consider this and what your priorities are.

Um, and whatever you guys decide obviously is gonna be fine.

I mean, you have a bigger vision, you work with the administration closer than than we do.

Um, but I'm hopeful we can actually have a good sit down, a retreat, work work through some things.

Um I don't necessarily think we necessarily need a moderator.

Um I just think to something similar to what you did on our first on one of our first meetings of the year, I think on the fifth, possibly.

I don't have the date in front of me, where we talked about legislative agenda and where we're going.

I mean, just dig into that a little deeper.

Yeah, and uh so you're picturing what what like the the Caribbean or something nothing like that.

I think in our salary that's not gonna happen.

Um, I think I think that's really appropriate.

And it it um, you know, will help the newness of this and the new, you know, the turning the page and so forth.

And I think um yeah, I'd like to hear from everybody.

Yeah, fully support.

That'd be great.

I'm uh in support, and I'm wondering if that we can work in any training pieces possibly that we need to have.

Good idea.

And talk about that just for a little bit.

What do you what kind of training are you talking about?

Open meetings act.

Open meetings act, sunshine laws.

Sunshine laws.

Okay, very good.

I I think it's a fantastic idea.

The only question I raise is whether we should wait until the seventh person is appointed so as to avoid someone feeling like they're coming in behind the I'm in favor of it.

I I agree we should wait until we've appointed someone to have it.

But we should try and get something on the calendars right now.

So we'd be looking at March, I guess if we wanted to do it sooner than later.

And um uh do you have uh like a a venue type in mind?

I think it'd be nice to be just to figure out where we could do this, where it would be um a good atmosphere.

So in the past, the school district, and I don't know if we can go outside of the city bounds.

I don't know if we if if the charter, we have to be in the city.

I was gonna suggest uh tri-c, the corporate college, but unless we annex that, not gonna work for us.

Um according to the charter, we cannot do that without or no, there's an ordinance, it's not in the charter.

There's an ordinance.

I'm asking the law director, although I'm not putting it in the form of a question.

Um this would have to be a recorded meeting.

Like yeah, go ahead.

Uh there was previously an ordinance, Mr.

President, that allowed council to conduct a retreat in executive session, but that was repealed uh several years ago.

So I think you would be looking at a um a meet at uh a council meeting that might be somewhat more along the lines of some of the meetings that were held probably in the first year of your first term.

Um if I have the timetable right, um, which were in those cases on like Saturday morning, I believe, um, or the first half of the day on Saturday, something like that.

No.

That won't work for this council.

Right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I I would suggest maybe looking at the community center.

They've got some space there and either schedule it for a Friday or a Sunday.

Yeah.

Um probably a Sunday.

Because we want enough time.

I will tell you that I've attended two of those.

I want to say, did we do two or three?

Three.

And uh you really need multiple hours.

I mean, not two or three, more like five or six to get to get deep.

Um so I'd be you know, I'd be open to that.

And uh so is there any time in March?

Does anybody know a bad time in March for them?

So as we're looking at a week or a date, yes.

More towards the beginning and middle because the end of March will be Passover, beginning of Passover.

So beginning in middle is good.

Okay.

Same.

Yeah.

Why do we have Addy do one of your classic?

And I was gonna say for me as well, even though I not necessarily required to be there, end of March is not working for me.

So that's I'll put some in the I only wanted to eliminate a block.

Yep.

You know, this way when you send out a doodle poll.

All right.

Any, yes.

And can we ask the um the the required training?

Um we had I think Thomson Hine at one point and Squires do training for the school board.

And they they they came in with a packaged presentation.

It was about an hour and a half, checked all the boxes.

I mean, we live this.

I think all of us have lived it for me over multiple decades now, I suppose.

But I think it's good to have the refresher.

And I think it's good that the public sees us actually doing it.

Um and they could learn from it.

Um, but bring on someone that has like a pre-packaged presentation that can just do it.

And I'm there's gotta be people out there.

And I'm looking at our law director, thinking if there's someone, I mean, it wouldn't make sense for you and your staff to develop a presentation.

Um there are certainly firms that can do that.

My firm does that for different organizations.

Um, the Ohio Municipal League has um seminar in March.

Um that is most of the day, if not the full day.

Um, and the um requirement for the new members of council, folks who haven't been previously on council, um is for eight hours of training.

And so um there's the general idea of receiving training that'll be helpful to council in complying with all of the rules and regulations that apply to council, and then there's the new charter imposed training requirement, which is a little bit different.

And that's um a perspective from which I think that OML training might be useful to folks.

I can send out that information if you haven't seen it yet.

For the OML, I sent it to you guys.

So if you are interested, let me know.

I've already signed up a few of you guys.

Okay.

Um anything else?

So the next steps will be that uh leadership will discuss this and Addy will send out dates and we'll look at training and putting together an agenda.

All right.

Any other new business?

All right.

In that case, this meeting is adjourned at eight o'clock.