OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Parking and Safety Committee Meeting - August 25, 2026: Emergency Management Plan and Public Safety Updates

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, August 25, 2026
BodyDelaware, Ohio
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, August 25, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:01:47

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Wants to go trick-or-treating because he's too cool and too old for that.

0:04

I can't wait.

0:05

Like, please be too cool this year.

0:11

Yeah.

0:14

Anyone you are?

0:20

Good evening.

0:21

Welcome to the parking safety committee meeting.

0:24

We are now live at 6 o'clock PM.

0:27

May we have the roll call, please.

0:29

Dr.

0:29

Bogan.

0:30

Here.

0:30

I share Frazier.

0:31

Chair Rider.

0:33

Here.

0:34

We do have the uh then approval of the motion summary.

0:37

If you read that, approval of the motion summary from the parking and safety committee meeting held on June 30th, 2026, as recorded and transcribed.

0:45

Motion to approve the motion summary.

0:48

Second.

0:49

Dr.

0:50

Bogan.

0:51

Yes.

0:51

Vice Chair Fraser?

0:52

Yes.

0:52

Chair Writer.

0:53

Yes.

0:55

All right.

0:56

Thank you.

0:56

So now we do have a public comment session.

0:58

If anyone's here that wishes to speak for up to three minutes, um we invite uh anyone would care to speak.

1:07

I think I'm willing to do that.

1:11

Uh perfect.

1:11

So that makes it easy.

1:12

So we'll close the public comment session session and move straight into the presentation and discussion then.

1:18

Um and you are then presenting.

1:21

Yeah, Mr.

1:21

Chairman, actually, if I can make an introduction.

1:23

So good evening, Chairman, the committee members.

1:26

Um I was the one that invited Alex McCarthy to talk about the emergency management plan.

1:33

This is meant as an overview, high level sort of discussion uh how that uh works.

1:41

And and more importantly, the the coordination with our public safety uh officers in the city.

1:50

Um depending on the circumstances, there's not a one-size-fits-all response.

1:58

And and I'll ask the chiefs to elaborate in the instances where give you examples where they are the incident commander.

2:07

Um, and depending on uh the example.

2:11

So we have a very strong partnership uh with Delaware County.

2:15

Um, and it's utilized in many different ways in that tabletop sort of training activities.

2:22

Um, even with the upcoming fair in the little brown jug, there's a lot of coordination that may not be apparent to individuals.

2:31

And um perhaps the chiefs or or director McCarthy can uh elaborate.

2:36

So we're not talking about a specific instance, but uh in the time that I've been here, we haven't had a presentation.

2:44

Um hopefully that's but you know, we've had a few close calls, and and of course, with the the winter weather event that happened late in January that we mobilized at a city level.

2:58

Um, fortunately it wasn't anything that catastrophic that we had to involve the county, but the county collected some information um for the possible reimbursement, but the the dowler amount did not reach the threshold uh for the the reimbursement.

3:12

But nevertheless, that is just one of many examples of the the close coordination that we have with emergency management.

3:21

So without further ado, let Mr.

3:22

McCarthy uh uh make the presentation and uh thank him so much for taking the time to be here.

3:30

Then if you'll press the perfect year, I'll see so name and address.

3:34

But before you do, um our uh representatives from the city makes office.

3:41

Definitely curious on I want to hear your insights.

3:44

Uh c micro address beyond examples that you see.

3:49

Um just little comments.

3:55

And then where we're going.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████65%
Community Engagement████████████18%
Emergency Management█████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure███4%
Procedural██3%
Technology and Innovation██3%
Summary of Proceedings

Parking and Safety Committee Meeting - August 25, 2026

The Parking and Safety Committee of the City of Delaware met on August 25, 2026, at 6:00 PM. The primary agenda item was a presentation on the Delaware County Emergency Management Plan by Director Alex McCarthy, followed by discussion among committee members and public safety officials. Staff provided updates on recent infrastructure projects, e-bike and golf cart enforcement, and upcoming community events. No public comments were made.

Consent Calendar

  • Unanimous approval (3-0) of the Motion Summary from the Parking and Safety Committee meeting held on June 30, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke during the public comment session.

Discussion Items

  • Emergency Management Plan Presentation: Director Alex McCarthy of the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) presented an overview of the office's mission, which includes preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery coordination. He explained that the EMA works as a resource for local jurisdictions, not as an incident commander. Key topics included:
    • Damage assessment processes and thresholds for state/federal assistance: For public assistance, the countywide threshold is approximately $1,040,000 (based on $4.86 per capita for Delaware County's 2020 population). The January 2026 winter storm incurred about $700,000 in costs, falling short of the threshold. For individual assistance, at least 25 uninsured or underinsured homes with major damage are typically needed to qualify for FEMA support.
    • Multi-tiered alert and warning systems: outdoor sirens, NOAA weather radios, cell phone alerts (Delco Alerts, Wireless Emergency Alerts), and the importance of having homeowners/renters insurance.
    • Coordination with city public safety: Chief Tim Pyle and Chief Moore emphasized that the city retains incident command for emergencies within city limits, with the EMA providing resource support when local resources are overwhelmed. Examples included mutual aid during the Polaris active aggressor incident, the Little Brown Jug fair, and the Trump rally where the EMA quickly sourced water.
    • Training and exercises: The EMA conducts regular drills, tabletop exercises, and offers FEMA courses for elected officials and residents. The city's police and fire personnel are trained to fill roles in the county Emergency Operations Center.
    • Plans for hazards identified in the county's hazard mitigation plan: flooding, tornadoes (worst-case scenario similar to the 2024 Indian Lake tornado), and hazardous materials spills (common along I-71).
  • Staff Comments – City Engineer Bill: Announced completion of Lake Street improvements, a new sidewalk connection from Grady Hospital to Orchard Lane, and a pedestrian crossing installation on Bueller Drive with lighted flashing signs. The striper crew is refreshing crosswalks and symbols citywide.
  • Staff Comments – City Manager Brake: Updated on e-bike enforcement (two targeted operations in July and August, 17 interactions) and efforts to clarify golf cart regulations under Ohio Revised Code. Listed upcoming events: Citizens Academy (Sept. 1), Fishing with First Responders (Sept. 5), Ohio Wesleyan Community Day (Sept. 12), and Little Brown Jug (Sept. 24). Noted a planned power interruption at the Justice Center for electrical switch replacement, with no disruption to police services.
  • Staff Comments – Chief Moore: Announced the hiring of seven new firefighters (largest class ever) for Station 305, currently undergoing orientation. Provided an update on Station 305 construction (walls up, roof started, concrete floors being poured, expected completion spring 2027).
  • Member Comments: Dr. Bogan thanked staff for the presentation and the public information campaign on e-bikes and golf carts. Vice Chair Frazier asked about Station 305 staffing (9 personnel for one engine, currently cross-staffing medic and engine). Chair Rider praised the planning and expressed hope that the extensive preparations would not be needed.

Key Outcomes

  • The committee discussed and agreed that Director McCarthy's presentation should be shared with the full City Council. Chair Rider suggested council members watch the recording, while City Manager Brake recommended inviting McCarthy to present in person at a future meeting to address additional questions. McCarthy expressed willingness to return and tailor the presentation.
  • Staff will continue e-bike and golf cart enforcement and public education.
  • The committee received the infrastructure updates and progress on Station 305 with no further direction required.
  • Meeting adjourned at approximately 7:01 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Wants to go trick-or-treating because he's too cool and too old for that. I can't wait. Like, please be too cool this year. Yeah. Anyone you are? Good evening. Welcome to the parking safety committee meeting. We are now live at 6 o'clock PM. May we have the roll call, please. Dr. Bogan. Here. I share Frazier. Chair Rider. Here. We do have the uh then approval of the motion summary. If you read that, approval of the motion summary from the parking and safety committee meeting held on June 30th, 2026, as recorded and transcribed. Motion to approve the motion summary. Second. Dr. Bogan. Yes. Vice Chair Fraser? Yes. Chair Writer. Yes. All right. Thank you. So now we do have a public comment session. If anyone's here that wishes to speak for up to three minutes, um we invite uh anyone would care to speak. I think I'm willing to do that. Uh perfect. So that makes it easy. So we'll close the public comment session session and move straight into the presentation and discussion then. Um and you are then presenting. Yeah, Mr. Chairman, actually, if I can make an introduction. So good evening, Chairman, the committee members. Um I was the one that invited Alex McCarthy to talk about the emergency management plan. This is meant as an overview, high level sort of discussion uh how that uh works. And and more importantly, the the coordination with our public safety uh officers in the city. Um depending on the circumstances, there's not a one-size-fits-all response. And and I'll ask the chiefs to elaborate in the instances where give you examples where they are the incident commander. Um, and depending on uh the example. So we have a very strong partnership uh with Delaware County. Um, and it's utilized in many different ways in that tabletop sort of training activities. Um, even with the upcoming fair in the little brown jug, there's a lot of coordination that may not be apparent to individuals. And um perhaps the chiefs or or director McCarthy can uh elaborate. So we're not talking about a specific instance, but uh in the time that I've been here, we haven't had a presentation. Um hopefully that's but you know, we've had a few close calls, and and of course, with the the winter weather event that happened late in January that we mobilized at a city level.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com