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Record of Proceedings

Fairfield City Council Regular Meeting on March 9, 2026

City Council — Monday, March 9, 2026
BodyFairfield, Ohio
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, March 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

2:30

Uh March 9th, 2026, and I'd like to call this uh city council meeting a quarter.

2:39

Uh that council member grew, would you need to send a prayer?

Unassigned speaker

2:49

We

Speaker 2

2:49

come to you just grateful for the opportunity to be here to serve our unity and work it making it the best that we possibly can.

Unassigned speaker

3:04

And

Speaker 2

3:04

the loss of service service members and what's going on in the world.

3:10

We just pray for their families, offering cards and pieces right now.

Unassigned speaker

3:18

We

Speaker 2

3:19

pray that you'd be for service in here, and we're gonna with your protection director steps.

Speaker 3

3:31

I think

Speaker 2

3:33

council and

Speaker 3

3:36

leadership that we have

Unassigned speaker

3:37

here.

Speaker 3

3:38

Very great

Speaker 2

3:39

for you.

Unassigned speaker

3:42

I

Speaker 3

3:42

asked it what you're doing, and I

Speaker 2

3:46

don't know if this week and understanding to try to make the best decision possible.

3:56

Jesus might

Unassigned speaker

3:58

be called.

Speaker 4

5:00

Yes.

5:00

Council Member Craft?

5:01

Yes.

5:01

Councilmember?

Speaker 1

5:03

All are in favor.

5:04

Executive session will follow this meeting.

5:08

We have no special presentations.

5:10

Are there any citizen comments tonight before council?

Unassigned speaker

5:15

Okay.

Speaker 1

5:16

Let's see.

5:17

Council reports.

5:18

We'll start down with Councilmember Bessel.

Speaker 5

5:20

I think that's something.

5:21

Thanks, Matt Diana.

5:23

City of the year airfield has been awarded the certificate of attainment for excellence and

Speaker 4

5:28

financial reporting or annual common financial report at

Unassigned speaker

5:31

a

Speaker 5

5:32

year end 30 2024.

5:36

Certificate is the height armor break in the area final account financial report.

5:43

And it's a present accomplishment by

Speaker 6

5:46

a

Speaker 5

5:46

government.

Speaker 6

5:48

So I

Speaker 5

5:50

know that issues in our department

Speaker 7

5:55

overall

Speaker 5

5:56

doing a meeting.

5:57

I asked how long we've this award back just tonight.

6:03

And we every from that we

Unassigned speaker

6:07

our

Speaker 5

6:08

financial is some things very so I hand them all.

6:14

Nobody's but we'll get there.

Speaker 1

6:22

Council.

Speaker 6

6:23

Yes, Mayor.

6:24

I have a couple items.

6:25

Um

Speaker 2

6:27

is

Speaker 6

6:27

our

Speaker 2

6:27

contractor

Unassigned speaker

6:28

on

Speaker 6

6:29

Watch

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████47%
Energy Management███████████████████20%
Transportation Safety███████████11%
Parks and Recreation███████████11%
Economic Development██████6%
Community Engagement█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Fairfield City Council Regular Meeting on March 9, 2026

The Fairfield City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, March 9, 2026, at 7:00 PM, following a 6:00 PM Council-Manager Briefing on 2026 Strategic Initiatives. All seven council members were present. Mayor Steve Miller presided. The council unanimously passed all legislation on its agenda before recessing to executive session to discuss personnel matters. The meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM.

Council Reports

  • Councilmember Leslie Besl congratulated the Finance Department for receiving the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, an award the city has received every year since at least 1980.
  • Councilmember Debbie Pennington announced that the contractor mobilized on Route 4 for sidewalk construction, and that the residential tree program application is available online.
  • Councilmember Adam Kraft reported that the Marsh Lake interior paved trails project has started.
  • Councilmember Tim Meyers reported on Board and Commission interviews held on Saturday, describing an "unbelievable pool" of 15-20 volunteers. Common positives cited by applicants included parks, trails, and the community environment, while challenges included taxes, commercial growth, and traffic. Meyers specifically urged the City Manager to prioritize a complete redesign of the John Gray and Pleasant Avenue intersection, stating it is "not safe today."
  • Councilmember Gwen Brill also congratulated the Finance Department.

Discussion Items

  • Electric Aggregation Program (Ordinance 23-26): Councilmember Tim Meyers presented the ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into a 24-month electric supply agreement at or below $0.10199/kWh. A robust discussion followed regarding energy market volatility. City staff reported the program has saved participants over $2.5 million against Duke Energy's default rate. However, due to market volatility (supply-demand balance, data center demand), locking in a rate under the cap is currently challenging. The program may be temporarily paused, with participants returning to the Duke default rate until conditions allow relaunching. Staff noted the return on investment for the city's solar farm is expected to shorten to approximately seven years due to rising energy prices.

Key Outcomes

  • Whispering Hill Housing Development (Third Reading): Adopted Ordinance 22-26 (7-0) authorizing an economic development agreement with Mitchell Development & Construction LLC for a housing development on South Gilmore Road.
  • Electric Aggregation Program Renewal: Adopted Ordinance 23-26 (7-0) authorizing the City Manager to execute an electric aggregation agreement.
  • Harbin Park Resurfacing: Adopted Ordinance 24-26 (7-0) awarding a contract to John R. Jurgensen Company for resurfacing parking lots and paths using approximately 1,600 tons of asphalt.
  • Pavement Marking Contract: Adopted Ordinance 25-26 (7-0) awarding an annual contract to A&A Safety, Inc. for pavement markings on approximately 410 lane miles.
  • Mower Purchase: Adopted Ordinance 26-26 (7-0) authorizing the purchase of a Toro Groundmaster 5910 mower to replace a 2004 model.
  • Bond Anticipation Notes: Adopted Ordinance 27-26 (7-0) authorizing the issuance of not to exceed $3,682,000 in BANs for water system improvements. (Note: the transcript refers to these as 'series 2025 notes,' while the agenda lists them as 'series 2024, 2026 renewal.')
  • 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Program: Adopted Resolution 5-26 (7-0), a five-year capital spending plan totaling approximately $167.6 million.
  • Budget Appropriations Amendments: Adopted Ordinances 28-26 ($500,000 contractual) and 29-26 ($606,408 non-contractual) (both 7-0) funding public works projects (pavement marking, mower, Harbin Park) and public utilities projects (SCADA network upgrades, fire hydrants, health/safety equipment, utility truck).
  • Board of Health Re-appointment: Approved Simple Motion 10-26 (7-0) to re-appoint Bill Woeste as Fairfield's representative to the Butler County Board of Health.
  • Executive Session: Council voted 7-0 to recess to executive session to discuss the employment or compensation of a public employee or official.
  • Minutes Approval: The February 23, 2026 regular meeting minutes were approved as written.

Meeting Schedule

The Clerk read the upcoming schedule:

  • March 23, 2026: Council-Manager Briefing 6:00 PM, Regular Meeting 7:00 PM
  • April 13, 2026: Council-Manager Briefing 6:00 PM, Regular Meeting 7:00 PM
  • April 27, 2026: Council-Manager Briefing 6:00 PM, Regular Meeting 7:00 PM

Meeting Transcript

Uh March 9th, 2026, and I'd like to call this uh city council meeting a quarter. Uh that council member grew, would you need to send a prayer? We come to you just grateful for the opportunity to be here to serve our unity and work it making it the best that we possibly can. And the loss of service service members and what's going on in the world. We just pray for their families, offering cards and pieces right now. We pray that you'd be for service in here, and we're gonna with your protection director steps. I think council and leadership that we have here. Very great for you. I asked it what you're doing, and I don't know if this week and understanding to try to make the best decision possible. Jesus might be called. Yes. Council Member Craft? Yes. Councilmember? All are in favor. Executive session will follow this meeting. We have no special presentations. Are there any citizen comments tonight before council? Okay. Let's see. Council reports. We'll start down with Councilmember Bessel. I think that's something. Thanks, Matt Diana. City of the year airfield has been awarded the certificate of attainment for excellence and financial reporting or annual common financial report at a year end 30 2024. Certificate is the height armor break in the area final account financial report. And it's a present accomplishment by a government. So I know that issues in our department overall doing a meeting. I asked how long we've this award back just tonight. And we every from that we our financial is some things very so I hand them all.

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