The Dayton City Commission met on March 5, 2026, to conduct routine business, including approving minutes and ordinances, appointing members to the Dayton Sister City Committee, and hearing public comments. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a detailed presentation by Deputy City Manager Shea Lofton on the use of the city manager's increased spending authority ($50,000), which had been raised from $10,000 in 2024. Multiple residents spoke, urging greater transparency, a formal performance evaluation for the city manager, and the passage of a resolution condemning U.S. military actions in Venezuela and Iran. The commission also honorarily renamed a section of Madison Street after the late Amy C. Walbridge.
The Dayton City Commission meeting will now come to order. Would you all please join me in the invocation as well as the Pledge of Allegiance? And this evening's invocation will be given by Commissioner Beckham. Dear Lord, thank you for this evening. Thank you for uh keeping us and uh protecting us as we came to this meeting today. Continue to lead and guide us as we make uh progress and make decisions for the betterment of this community and continue to protect us all as we do your work in your name we pray. I'm in the United States of America. And to the Republic for which you stand under God, invisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, my dear. Thank you. All right. Ms. Blackshare, may we please have a roll call this evening? Mayor Turner Slaus. Aye. Commissioner Joseph. Aye. Shaw. Aye. Beckham. Aye. May I have a motion to approve the minutes for the uh February 25th, 2026 meeting? So moved, second the motion. It has been properly moved and seconded to approve the minutes of the February 25th, 2026 meeting. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Ms. Blackshare, are there any communications or petitions this evening? There are none, Your Honor. Thank you, Ms. Blackshare. Ms. Blackshare, are there any additions, deletions, or comments to the calendar? I have none, Your Honor. Thank you. Ms. Dixtein, are there any additions, deletions, or comments to the calendar this evening? Your Honor, I have no additions or deletions to this evening's calendar. I do have one item to highlight, which is the first reading of resolution number 6921-26. Honorarily naming Madison Street between First Street and Third Street as Amy C. Walbridge Way for a two-year period. Madison Street is the street where the AC Hotel sits. And it was one of the streets that one of the many projects that Amy helped facilitate and get across the finish line in her over 30 years of public service to the city of Dayton. We are coming up close on her one-year anniversary of her death and losing her both in the organization as well as in the community. She worked in neighborhood housing, community, and economic development in those 30 years at the city. She was a staunch collaborator, community builder, and what I always refer to as a professional dot connector. When I needed to know anybody that was connected to anything or anyone, Amy was my go-to girl. So it is with great honor and um bittersweetness that I bring that we bring this forward. As well as Jen Hanauer who helped with this application to bring this forward to you this evening.