OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Erie City Council Meeting - September 3, 2026: Parks Plan Approval and Budget Planning

City CouncilThursday, September 3, 2026
BodyErie, Pennsylvania
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, September 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 14:32

Transcript — Verbatim
0:12

So if if council wouldn't mind taking a look and seeing if we have uh any questions on the the fur or the final readings, final passage.

0:26

Thank you.

0:36

They're pretty straightforward that with a final passage just three appropriations.

0:52

And then we only have one item under our first reading.

1:07

So we solved these.

1:15

Yes.

1:28

I did ask under new business for them for the mayor to have uh some of her team come down and just review.

1:35

We had done a study session, if you guys recall, on the Erie Outside City of Erie Comprehensive Recreation Parks and Open Space Plan, but it had been earlier in the summer, and so it's before today to vote on the resolution.

1:47

So if we had any questions or wanted to review review or go over that, um I believe we have Jacqueline down here, someone from the Yeah, Coop Cooper's here from planning.

1:57

Yes, yes, Cooper's here.

1:58

So if there are questions, since you made the journey down here, why would you just give I guess just a brief like reminder um for council?

2:26

Yeah, of course.

2:27

Um after the study session that we held in June, um we did make a couple of additional edits to the draft of the plan, and we posted it for a 30-day public comment period online.

2:39

Um we didn't get an overwhelming number of responses, but we did get some feedback during that comment period.

2:45

Um and the major themes in those comments were about environmental conservation.

2:50

Um and so many of the updated recommendations in the plan had to do with amending the zoning ordinance to allow for additional conservation districts.

2:59

Um there were some other additional comments about safety and um the importance of educating the public about the plan, which is something that we'll definitely look into once we have a plan in place.

3:11

Thank you.

3:12

Does anybody have any questions for Cooper regarding the plan?

3:17

I don't have any questions.

3:18

Uh thank you.

3:19

Very thorough and very well done.

3:24

And I'm ready to vote on it.

3:27

So second that sentiment.

3:31

This was this is a long time coming, uh, but the public was, I felt like really engaged and got a lot of input on this process.

3:38

So thank you, I think again for for demonstrating what it looks like when we engage the community so that this becomes their plan and not just uh a plan that we've all decided that would be best.

3:46

So I appreciate all the work that was done by the department of the administration here.

3:49

Thanks.

3:50

I just want to echo that just for the simple fact that we've been working on this park and recreation plan the whole time, but on council.

3:56

It's been over four years four years, so I'm happy to see more than just one or two parks actually getting done a year.

4:02

Because I know we always intentionally try to do one on the east side and one on the west side, but to have a plan to be able to get actual grants from the state is gonna be a lovely thing because as a third class city, we're able to get unlimited grants for parks and recreation.

4:16

I don't think we've been tapping into that potential, especially with these spaces being community spaces.

4:21

Thank you.

4:24

Well, I think you get to leave the hot seat, thank Cooper.

4:26

Thank you.

4:28

All right.

4:29

Does council have any other questions on any other agenda items that we see before us today?

4:41

Um I did briefly start uh before Kaka started to to talk to the mayor about uh we are budget season, budget season is here.

4:51

We'll have our first uh part of the conversation starting next week where we'll start to review the police budget.

5:00

Um but I wanted to just kind of open up to the dialogue uh with the mayor around uh setting up some of these study sessions and then also get council's input.

5:07

Uh I would like for us to start sooner rather than later, being that we've got new members of council, this first time with this administration.

5:14

Uh I don't like it when it's rushed, but that way we have time and we we're all voting with with confidence.

5:19

We've got some really big decisions to make.

5:21

And so wanted to start uh I guess some of that conversation as well.

5:25

Thanks, Dr.

5:26

Titus.

5:26

So I mean I can just give the dates we have set and then council can let me know where you'd like to go from there.

5:31

So um as Dr.

5:33

Titus noted, so the 10th next Thursday will be presenting to you a draft of the police budget.

5:40

Um that was at the request of Dr.

5:41

Titus to ask for that a little earlier than the rest.

5:44

So we're working on that one first and we'll have that to present to you during next week's study session.

5:50

And then the other kind of date of note is you'll recall PFM will be here the 24th, the last Thursday of September.

5:58

Um and then in between those, I'll be having the rest of my meetings with um Lisa and the department chairs to get their budgets together.

6:07

So by the end of September, I would expect we'll have all of our department budgets and you know all the presentation from PFM.

6:15

So when October comes, I guess I would leave it to you, council, to let us know what you want when I'm quite sure that after September is over, we'll be in a position to give you what you need in October and beyond.

6:28

So you tell us what makes the most sense for you.

6:32

What we've done in the past is kind of break it down by we'll put a lot of the departments, sometimes I'll have a couple departments that come in at a time.

6:39

But I found and and that is helpful.

6:41

It's helpful though when we also get the information prior to coming into that study session so we can start to review it and then come in with those questions.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis███████████████████████████████████35%
Parks and Recreation██████████████████████22%
Contract Management██████████████14%
Procedural███████████11%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Summary of Proceedings

Erie City Council Meeting - September 3, 2026

Erie City Council held a regular meeting on September 3, 2026, addressing final passage of appropriations, approving a long-awaited comprehensive recreation and parks plan, and beginning budget planning for the upcoming fiscal year. Key discussions included setting study session dates, the need for early budget document distribution, and a call for intentionality in contracting with minority-owned media companies.

Consent Calendar

  • No consent calendar items were explicitly mentioned in the transcript. The meeting moved directly to final passage of three appropriations (items described as "pretty straightforward") and one first reading item.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were recorded during this meeting.

Discussion Items

Final Passage of Appropriations

  • Council reviewed and passed three appropriations on final passage. No detailed discussion of the specific amounts or purposes was provided in the transcript.

Erie Outside City of Erie Comprehensive Recreation Parks and Open Space Plan (Resolution)

  • Jacqueline and Cooper from the Planning Department presented a brief reminder of the plan, which had been the subject of a study session in June 2026. Cooper noted that after the study session, additional edits were made and a 30-day public comment period was held online. The major themes from public comments were environmental conservation, leading to recommendations to amend the zoning ordinance for additional conservation districts. Other comments addressed safety and public education about the plan.
  • Council members expressed strong support. One councilor noted the plan was "a long time coming" and praised community engagement, stating it became "their plan and not just a plan that we've all decided." Another councilor highlighted that the city has been working on park and recreation planning for over four years and that having a plan will enable the city to apply for state grants. As a third-class city, Erie is eligible for unlimited grants for parks and recreation, a potential the councilor felt had not been fully tapped.
  • The resolution was seconded and appeared to be approved, though no roll call vote tally was recorded in the transcript.

Budget Planning and Study Session Schedule

  • Council President Dr. Titus opened a discussion on budget season, noting that the city has new council members and this is the first budget with the current administration. He emphasized the need to start early to avoid rushed decisions.
  • Mayor’s representative confirmed that the police budget draft will be presented at the September 10 study session, as requested by Dr. Titus. PFM (Public Financial Management) will present on September 24. The rest of the department budgets will be compiled by the end of September.
  • Councilor Horton requested that budget documents be provided to council in advance of study sessions, preferably by the Friday prior, to allow time for review. He also requested paper copies. The city clerk agreed to assist with paper copies. The mayor’s office committed to this schedule.
  • Council discussed the structure of October study sessions, preferring a model of two study sessions per month, with larger departments like police and public works getting dedicated time and smaller departments combined. The goal is to avoid last-minute budget meetings like the previous year's session on December 23.

Call for Intentionality in Contracting with Minority Media Companies

  • Councilor Horton raised a point about item number one on the agenda (a contract with Frank Media for an auto theft prevention media campaign). He noted that minority media companies exist and should be included on mailing lists or given opportunities to bid on such contracts. He stated that he was elected to represent change and intentionality, and that the status quo is not working for Erie residents. No other council members immediately responded, but the discussion acknowledged the need to help the public understand the bidding process.

Key Outcomes

  • Erie Comprehensive Recreation Parks and Open Space Plan was approved by council (implied by the motion and second, no vote tally available).
  • Budget Study Session Schedule Set:
    • September 10, 2026: Presentation of the police budget draft.
    • September 24, 2026: PFM presentation on fiscal outlook.
    • October 2026: Two additional study sessions to review department budgets, with documents provided to council by the Friday before each session.
  • Intentionality in Contracting: Councilor Horton’s concerns about minority media inclusion were noted but no formal action taken; the matter will likely be addressed in future procurement processes.
  • Appreciation Expressed: Council thanked the city solicitor for the volume of work serving both executive and legislative branches.

Meeting Transcript

So if if council wouldn't mind taking a look and seeing if we have uh any questions on the the fur or the final readings, final passage. Thank you. They're pretty straightforward that with a final passage just three appropriations. And then we only have one item under our first reading. So we solved these. Yes. I did ask under new business for them for the mayor to have uh some of her team come down and just review. We had done a study session, if you guys recall, on the Erie Outside City of Erie Comprehensive Recreation Parks and Open Space Plan, but it had been earlier in the summer, and so it's before today to vote on the resolution. So if we had any questions or wanted to review review or go over that, um I believe we have Jacqueline down here, someone from the Yeah, Coop Cooper's here from planning. Yes, yes, Cooper's here. So if there are questions, since you made the journey down here, why would you just give I guess just a brief like reminder um for council? Yeah, of course. Um after the study session that we held in June, um we did make a couple of additional edits to the draft of the plan, and we posted it for a 30-day public comment period online. Um we didn't get an overwhelming number of responses, but we did get some feedback during that comment period. Um and the major themes in those comments were about environmental conservation. Um and so many of the updated recommendations in the plan had to do with amending the zoning ordinance to allow for additional conservation districts. Um there were some other additional comments about safety and um the importance of educating the public about the plan, which is something that we'll definitely look into once we have a plan in place. Thank you. Does anybody have any questions for Cooper regarding the plan? I don't have any questions. Uh thank you. Very thorough and very well done. And I'm ready to vote on it. So second that sentiment. This was this is a long time coming, uh, but the public was, I felt like really engaged and got a lot of input on this process. So thank you, I think again for for demonstrating what it looks like when we engage the community so that this becomes their plan and not just uh a plan that we've all decided that would be best. So I appreciate all the work that was done by the department of the administration here. Thanks. I just want to echo that just for the simple fact that we've been working on this park and recreation plan the whole time, but on council. It's been over four years four years, so I'm happy to see more than just one or two parks actually getting done a year. Because I know we always intentionally try to do one on the east side and one on the west side, but to have a plan to be able to get actual grants from the state is gonna be a lovely thing because as a third class city, we're able to get unlimited grants for parks and recreation. I don't think we've been tapping into that potential, especially with these spaces being community spaces. Thank you. Well, I think you get to leave the hot seat, thank Cooper. Thank you. All right. Does council have any other questions on any other agenda items that we see before us today? Um I did briefly start uh before Kaka started to to talk to the mayor about uh we are budget season, budget season is here. We'll have our first uh part of the conversation starting next week where we'll start to review the police budget. Um but I wanted to just kind of open up to the dialogue uh with the mayor around uh setting up some of these study sessions and then also get council's input. Uh I would like for us to start sooner rather than later, being that we've got new members of council, this first time with this administration. Uh I don't like it when it's rushed, but that way we have time and we we're all voting with with confidence. We've got some really big decisions to make. And so wanted to start uh I guess some of that conversation as well. Thanks, Dr. Titus. So I mean I can just give the dates we have set and then council can let me know where you'd like to go from there. So um as Dr. Titus noted, so the 10th next Thursday will be presenting to you a draft of the police budget. Um that was at the request of Dr.

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