Fairfield City Council Regular Meeting Summary – July 13, 2026

The Fairfield City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, July 13, 2026, at 7:00 PM at 5350 Pleasant Avenue, Fairfield, Ohio, following a 6:00 PM Council-Manager Briefing on the Income Tax Process Improvement Initiative. Six councilmembers were present; Councilmember Adam Kraft was excused. The Council approved a two-item agenda addition, heard citizen comments, administered oaths, and acted on a range of development, public safety, public works, and finance items. All votes on adopted items were 6-0 unless otherwise noted.

Council-Manager Briefing: Income Tax Process Improvement Initiative

• City Manager Scott Timmer and Utility Billing Supervisor Christine Roach presented a Lean-based review of the Income Tax Division, requested by Mayor Miller in January 2026.
• The objective is continuous improvement, not evaluation of individual employees. It covers workflow, communication, service delivery, complaint trends, staff interviews, and operational improvements; personnel evaluations, tax policy changes, software replacement, and individual taxpayer case reviews are out of scope.
• Project leadership: Scott Timmer (sponsor), Diana Davenport (Finance Director/champion), Christine Roach (project manager).
• Work to date includes a project charter, resident sensing sessions, staff interviews and workflow observations, a community survey, current-state process mapping, complaint trend analysis, and Voice of the Customer input including a meeting with a local CPA.
• Resident feedback consistently identified notice clarity, documentation requirements, processing timelines, account status and domicile questions, and penalties/filing expectations.
• The project follows DMAIC; current-state analysis is expected to be completed in summer 2026, improvement pilots in fall 2026, and SOPs, training plan, KPIs, and implementation roadmap by year-end 2026.
• Income Tax Administrator resignation is effective July 24, 2026.

Special Presentations & Ceremonies

• Mayor Miller administered the Fire Department oath of office to Firefighter Tyler Todhunter and Firefighter Jacob Schoch.
• Mayor Miller presented Chris Ferguson with a Key to the City for repairing and re-selling donated bicycles to raise money for local animal shelters; Ferguson has raised nearly $15,000 (just under $15,000 since March 3, per transcript).
• Mayor and Councilmembers read the Declaration of Independence to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States; Councilmember Tim Meyers proposed the reading.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Scott Lepsky (7 Carousel Circle; transcript spells Leipski) asked for status updates on the Whispering Hills and Pleasant/John Gray Road residential developments. He asked whether the city was having conversations about alleviating traffic concerns at intersections identified as gateways in the Fairfield Forward Vision and whether tools such as a TIF could be used. Development Services Director Adam Kathman said new Whispering Hills engineering drawings had just arrived and would go to Planning Commission, then Council; the John Gray/Pleasant project is still being worked on by the developer, with zoning in place. Mayor Miller said he was not willing to create a TIF for the John Gray/Pleasant project unless it was completely focused on intersection safety; Lepsky said he hoped Council would use every tool at its disposal.
• Jason Levline (5638 Lindenwood Lane; transcript spells Leveline) said a house at 5648 Lindenwood Lane operated by Inclusive Housing Inc. was functioning as a mental health triage center. He said children with disabilities had entered his home, his daughter could not play outside, and he had about 25-26 police reports. He asserted the company has 19 other houses in Fairfield; staff said the county auditor website showed about five Fairfield properties, and the company has around 69 properties across Butler, Warren, and Clermont Counties. Staff and Police Chief Steve Maynard explained that state law preempts local zoning for residential facilities with fewer than six people, but agreed to review this location, discuss the matter with the company, and continue documenting calls for service. Councilmember Meyers asked staff and Chief Maynard to meet with the company. The resident was encouraged to contact State Representative Jennifer Gross and State Senator George Lang about possible state-level changes. (Name spellings follow the minutes.)

Council Reports

• Councilmember Leslie Besl congratulated the Finance Department on receiving the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the 2026 Budget Book from the Government Finance Officers Association, the highest recognition in government budgeting. She also reported that five Grooving on the Green concerts averaged about 1,500 attendees and Fairfield Fest drew about 4,500 attendees.
• Councilmember Debbie Pennington reported Barrett Paving completed the paving portion of the city's resurfacing project, and the EV charging station contractor will begin work this month.
• Councilmember Tim Meyers thanked Mayor Miller for allowing him to present a Miracle League proclamation to Sean Casey; he said the event included all-star athletes from six states, a police escort, and a drone show.

New Business – Development Services

• Ordinance 76-26 (approved 6-0): Authorized the City Manager to execute a Restricted Fund Agreement with the Fairfield Community Foundation to create the Fairfield Commercial Revitalization Fund, helping private owners or tenants with exterior upgrades to commercial properties. The fund supports the Commercial Revitalization Grant Program implemented with the Community Improvement Corporation.
• Zoning Map Amendment, 5145 Pleasant Avenue (first reading only): Would rezone the rear portion of the 1.68-acre parcel from R-3 to D-1, matching the front D-1 zoning, to facilitate commercial redevelopment. A joint public hearing was set for August 10, 2026.

New Business – Public Safety

• Simple Motion 23-26 (approved 6-0): Council voted not to request a hearing regarding a Class D5 liquor permit application for Eastly NW LLC dba Wildwood Pub, 5877 Ross Road, Fairfield.

New Business – Public Works

• Resolution 11-26 (approved 6-0): Declared intent and necessity of the BUT US127-0.61 Pleasant Avenue Road Improvement Project, which involves 11 parcels with 7 owners and includes sidewalks on the west side of Pleasant Avenue from Hunter Road to Nilles Road.
• Ordinance 77-26 (approved 6-0): Authorized the ODOT Consent Agreement for PID 114653 Bypass 4 Culvert Invert Paving Project; the state will bear 100% of the cost.
• Ordinance 78-26 (approved 6-0): Authorized a contract with Choice One Engineering for preliminary engineering, alternatives, and design for Pleasant Avenue pedestrian improvements from Augusta to Happy Valley.
• Ordinance 79-26 (approved 6-0): Authorized a contract with Henderson Products Inc. to outfit a Freightliner 108SD single axle truck cab/chassis with snow equipment for the Street Department, replacing unit #29; the old unit will be auctioned.
• Ordinance 80-26 (approved 6-0): Authorized a contract with Prodigy Building Solutions LLC for bathroom additions at Firestation 32 (Dixie), adding three shower stalls and remodeling two, for a total of five.
• Ordinance 81-26 (approved 6-0): Authorized a contract with Prodigy Building Solutions LLC for construction of an additional maintenance building at the Public Works campus, about 9,000 square feet, for emergency response equipment storage; funded at $800,000 in the 2026-2030 CIP.
• Ordinance 82-26 (approved 6-0): Authorized a contract with Cargill Inc. for road salt at $110.68 per ton, about 14.8% higher than the 2025 price of $96.40. Council confirmed the city is locked into the Butler County joint purchase price.

New Business – Finance & Budget

• Ordinance 83-26 (approved 6-0): Levied special assessments for sidewalk repairs. Invoices totaling $149,050.75 were sent to benefited property owners; outstanding assessments were $75,383.50 as of July 3, 2026. Unpaid amounts may be placed on tax bills over five years by the County Auditor.
• Ordinance 84-26 (approved 6-0): Established salaries and hourly rates for Municipal Court employees and increased Deputy Bailiff positions from 2 to 3 full-time positions due to turnover and difficulty filling part-time positions.
• Ordinance 85-26 (approved 6-0): Made supplemental appropriations to the 2026 budget; per the City Manager, these were administrative in nature, primarily travel and training.
• Ordinance 86-26 (approved 6-0): Made contractual appropriations totaling $1,374,000: $800,000 for the Public Works maintenance building, $279,000 for Firestation 32 bathrooms, $220,000 for snow plow truck outfitting, and $75,000 for engineering consultant services.
• Ordinance 87-26 (approved 6-0): Made non-contractual appropriations totaling $283,988, including $25,000 crack sealing, $10,000 wastewater electrical equipment, $10,000 water electrical equipment, $21,317 wastewater grit conveyor replacement, $33,000 storm sewer cleaning and televising, $25,000 Oakwood Park pedestrian path extension, $75,000 for the 2026 Sustainable Business Technical Assistance Program, $35,000 network/WiFi infrastructure, and $49,671 police personal protective equipment.
• Ordinance 88-26 (approved 6-0): Authorized the City Manager to enter into the IUOE Local 20 collective bargaining agreement for wages, hours, and terms of employment from March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2029. This item was added to the agenda by modification.
• Ordinance 90-26 (approved 6-0): Established salaries and hourly rates for certain salaried and hourly city employees and repealed Ordinance 51-26. This item was also added to the agenda by modification.

Key Outcomes

• Roll call: six members present; Councilmember Adam Kraft excused 6-0.
• Agenda modification to add two Finance & Budget ordinances approved 6-0.
• Regular Meeting Minutes of June 8, 2026 approved as submitted.
• Motion to read all new business by title only approved 6-0.
• Zoning map amendment for 5145 Pleasant Avenue remains a first reading; public hearing set for August 10, 2026.
• No public hearings and no executive session were held.
• Next meetings: August 10, 2026; September 14, 2026; September 28, 2026, each with a 6:00 PM briefing and 7:00 PM regular meeting.
• The meeting adjourned at 8:06 PM.