Dayton City Commission Meeting – September 17, 2026

The Dayton City Commission met on September 17, 2026. No written agenda or minutes were available; this summary is based solely on the raw transcript. The meeting included an invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, approval of prior minutes, a Welcoming Week proclamation, calendar review, two public comment periods, city manager recommendations, and closing discussion on violence prevention and neighborhood engagement.

Consent Calendar

• The commission moved and seconded a motion to excuse Commissioner Shaw’s absence.
• The commission moved and seconded motions to approve the minutes of the September 9, 2026 regular meeting and the September 15, 2026 executive session.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A resident criticized the city manager search, saying residents still had no clearly announced public process and asking when the position would be posted; the resident also said weekly questions went unanswered and called on the commission to “prove faithful.”
• One speaker urged that before launching anything the city verify demand, contract timing, workforce capacity, financing, licensing, and worker interests, saying they wanted “public power and public policy” to “produce public wealth.”
• A resident reported a 20-foot-diameter, 10-foot-deep cistern hole on an adjacent property that the city had marked off and said would be demolished; no cleanup had occurred, there were asbestos concerns, and the resident said it might take two to three years under another contract, asking the city to complete the work.
• A Walnut Hills Neighborhood Association representative thanked two commissioners for attending a meeting, supported a partnership between established and struggling associations, and asked the city to notify associations in advance so agenda time could be arranged.
• Several speakers raised violence and accountability. One said Dayton has “a violence problem” and asked, “What are we doing before the next person gets shot?”, calling for a safe space for dialogue. Another said a city board was effectively disbanded because no meeting notes, minutes, or agenda had been produced and asked what happened to its six original members.
• A speaker pressed the commission to make appointments to the public hospital governing board, saying it was a long-standing priority.
• One resident said the commission does not have direct authority over the school system but should use its influence on Dayton Public Schools.
• A speaker offered a religious and ideological critique of capitalism, invoked scripture, and called for a Dayton in which all residents can flourish.
• Another speaker angrily criticized several named commissioners and suggested they should not remain in office.

Discussion Items

• The commission recognized Welcoming Week 2026, reading a proclamation that described the theme “stories we share, the courage to connect” and affirmed Dayton’s commitment to being welcoming and inclusive.
• City staff presented Ordinance No. 3209-26, the first reading of the 2026 second revised appropriation. The item included a $186,400 increase to the commission budget, a $100,000 increase for 2026 Enterprise Zone Income Tax Sharing Payments to Dayton Public Schools and the Trotwood-Madison district, AMI meter replacement, and lead service line replacement. One project had been rebid after initial bids exceeded budget.
• Commissioner Beckham said the ordinance was changed from a first reading to an emergency reading to move faster, particularly on the city manager contract search. Commissioner Fairchild called the change an educational moment about using emergency procedures.
• The commission moved and seconded approval of the city manager’s recommendations and moved to declare Ordinance No. 3209-26 an emergency.
• Closing comments addressed the gap between emergency demolitions and cleanup, used police shooting data to show where violence is concentrated, and expressed a long-term, collaborative commitment to reducing violence. Commissioners also mentioned peace ambassadors, support for a hospital board, and follow-up on speed bumps.

Key Outcomes

• Motions were made and seconded to excuse Commissioner Shaw, approve the September 9 and September 15 minutes, approve the city manager’s recommendations, and declare the 2026 second revised appropriation an emergency ordinance. No vote tallies were recorded in the transcript.
• Ordinance No. 3209-26 was advanced on an emergency track to avoid further delay, including delay of the city manager recruitment process.
• The mayor invited a resident with the cistern/property concern to stay after the meeting to provide additional information.