Dayton City Commission Meeting – August 7, 2025

The Dayton City Commission convened on August 7, 2025, for a regular meeting that included recognition of the award-winning Western Stars Drill Team, multiple legislative actions, a public hearing on a rezoning request, and extensive public testimony focused on housing affordability, rental conditions, and encampment removals. The Commission approved routine items, passed several ordinances and resolutions, and heard from 13 registered citizens during the public comment period.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes from the July 30, 2025 meeting (voice vote, all ayes).
• Excused Commissioner Fairchild from the meeting (motion and second, voice vote all ayes).
• Approved the city manager's recommendations (motion and second, voice vote all ayes).

Public Comments & Testimony

Thirteen citizens registered to speak on a range of housing and community issues. Key speakers and their positions included:

• Cheyenne Myrick (3730 Delphus Avenue): Expressed support for the Dayton Tenants Union's call to allocate meaningful funding into the Housing Trust Fund, specifically for home repairs and improved living conditions for tenants. She highlighted the link between poor housing and infant mortality, sharing a story of a client forced to leave Dayton due to landlord neglect.
• Kathy Rao (114 Green Street): Criticized the City's removal of an encampment at Macintosh Park on August 7, stating no warning was given and that social services were not present. She requested at least a 10-day notice and better coordination with service providers. She noted that Dayton United Human Rights issued a press statement and will send a letter.
• David Woods (3230 Lake View Avenue): Voiced opposition to Kettering Health Network, alleging that a doctor caused his father's death and that the hospital failed to provide information to his family. He called for a boycott of Kettering Hospital and requested investigations by the Civil Rights Commission.
• Ray Allison (109 Maple Avenue): Represented the Dayton Tenants Union as a board member. He advocated for a rental registry and inspection program modeled after Centerville, Ohio, which inspects all rental units every two years. He submitted exhibits A–F to the public record.
• Davion Malone (3536 PMI Avenue): Spoke about the difficulties of homelessness and called for refurbishing abandoned houses for affordable housing and building more shelters. He asked the Commission to commit to increasing funding for affordable housing.
• Joshua Thomas (1584 Eating Gill Road): Urged the city to refurbish abandoned houses for affordable housing, orphanages, and homeless shelters to reduce crime and help people get jobs.
• Kieran Smith (633 Urn Row Drive): Supported a well-funded Housing Trust Fund that includes rental assistance, home repair programs, and right to counsel to help voucher holders secure and maintain housing.
• Larry Hayden (4028 Indian Run Drive): Spoke about the need for dedicated funding for home repairs within the Housing Trust Fund, citing a high-rise building with constantly broken elevators that affect elderly and disabled residents. He also called for a rental registry to ensure landlord accountability.
• Destiny Brown (131 Second Street): Provided follow-up statistics on the current right-to-counsel pilot in Dayton: 81% of clients have multiple children, 59% have a disability or health condition, 63% are working, 87% were charged late fees (59% improper). She also shared data from Columbus showing a $4 return for every $1 invested.
• Additional speakers (Marcel Anthony, Darrell Lee, and others) addressed a church block party, personal experiences with crime and justice, and other local concerns.

Discussion Items

• Presentation – Western Stars Drill Team: The award-winning drill team was recognized for their achievements, including winning first place in the world in senior division and drum line in Las Vegas. Team members introduced themselves and shared their schools. Commissioners praised the program for providing positive youth activities. The team was formed in 1986 and operates through volunteer work and fundraising.
• Legislation – Group Home Moratorium Extension: First and second readings of Emergency Resolution No. 6877-25 were conducted, extending a temporary moratorium (not to exceed 180 days) on applications for zoning, occupancy, conditional use, and building permits for residential facilities (group homes). The resolution was declared an emergency and passed unanimously on both readings.
• Legislation – Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Management Plan: First reading of Emergency Resolution No. 6878-25 authorized the city's continued participation in the multi-jurisdictional hazard management plan with Montgomery County. It was declared an emergency and passed.
• Legislation – Sewer and Drainage Code Amendments: Second reading of Ordinance No. 32153-25 amended sections of the city code pertaining to regulation of public and private sewers and drains and discharge of water and waste into the public sewer system. It passed.
• Legislation – Zoning Code Amendments: Second reading of Ordinance No. 32154-25 repealed, amended, and enacted various sections of the zoning code. It passed.
• Public Hearing – Rezoning Request (PLN 2025-00156): The Commission held a public hearing on a rezoning application for 742–746 North Belmont Park (0.21 acres) from Mature Single Family Residential (MR5) to Campus Institutional (CI). The applicant is Kettering Health Network, and the parcels are adjacent to Grandview Hospital. Planning staff recommended approval, noting that the properties are already included in the hospital's General Development Plan (updated 2020). No citizens registered to speak. Commissioners asked about future plans, which are still being developed. The legislation (Ordinance No. 32155-25) was introduced for first reading only.
• Encampment Removal Briefing: City Manager Dixteen provided a timeline regarding the removal of an encampment at Macintosh Park: first contact on July 15, formal notice on July 25 with a departure deadline of August 4, additional contacts on August 5 and 6, and removal on August 7. She noted that the park had undergone $750,000 in improvements and that staff worked with individuals to help relocate their belongings. Commissioner Lawson requested exploring public notification methods for such removals.

Key Outcomes

• Approvals:
  • July 30 meeting minutes (unanimous).
  • Excusal of Commissioner Fairchild (unanimous).
  • City manager's recommendations (unanimous).
• Resolutions Passed:
  • Emergency Resolution No. 6877-25 (temporary moratorium on group home applications) – declared emergency and passed first reading, then passed second reading with ayes from Mayor Mims, Commissioner Joseph, Commissioner Shaw, and Commissioner Turner Sloss (apparently unanimous).
  • Emergency Resolution No. 6878-25 (multi-jurisdictional hazard management plan) – declared emergency and passed first reading (second reading not yet conducted).
• Ordinances Passed (Second Reading):
  • Ordinance No. 32153-25 (sewer code amendments) – passed with ayes from Mayor Mims, Commissioner Joseph, Commissioner Shaw, and Commissioner Turner Sloss.
  • Ordinance No. 32154-25 (zoning code amendments) – passed with ayes from Mayor Mims, Commissioner Joseph, and Commissioner Turner Sloss (Shaw not heard but passed).
• First Reading Introduced:
  • Ordinance No. 32155-25 (rezoning of 742–746 North Belmont Park) – introduced for first reading only; no final vote.
• Public Hearing Closed: The rezoning public hearing was closed with no scheduled follow-up vote at this meeting.
• Directives and Next Steps:
  • Commissioner Lawson requested City staff explore options for more public notice and coordination with service providers regarding encampment removals.
  • The City will continue to work on a housing trust fund, rental registry, and right-to-counsel program, as discussed with public commenters.
  • The General Development Plan update for Kettering Health Network's campus is expected to come forward in the near future.