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Record of Proceedings

Green Veterans Advisory Commission Meeting - June 2, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, June 2, 2026
BodyGreen, Ohio
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, June 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 29:59

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:08

All right.

0:10

Good afternoon.

0:11

I officially call this meeting to order.

0:14

If you'll please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:22

I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and the visible with liberty and justice for all.

0:41

Nicole, roll call, please.

0:43

Sure.

0:44

Mr.

0:44

Mickelson.

0:46

Mr.

0:46

Burgess.

0:47

Here.

0:47

Mr.

0:48

Hughes.

0:48

Here.

0:49

Mr.

0:49

Suffolk is absent.

0:50

Mr.

0:51

Moore.

0:51

Here.

0:52

Okay.

0:53

All right.

0:54

Uh I want to take a minute and introduce our newest commission member, Kyle Moore.

0:59

Congratulations.

1:00

Thank you.

1:01

Welcome aboard.

1:02

We're excited to have you.

1:03

Excited to be here.

1:05

Um forward, did anybody and everybody get a chance to look at the minutes from the last meeting?

1:14

Yes.

1:16

And thank you for running the meeting last month with in my absence.

1:20

I appreciate that.

1:22

Does everybody approve the minutes from the last meeting?

1:26

Motion to approve.

1:27

Second.

1:29

Aye.

1:31

All approve?

1:32

Aye.

1:33

Aye.

1:34

Aye.

1:35

First off, um, I want to take a minute to thank the citizens in the community.

1:41

Um, we appreciate your guys' support as a commission.

1:44

So I just want to take a minute and say thank you for that.

1:47

Are there any citizens in attendance that have any comments, notes, anything that they would like to provide to the commission.

2:02

Uh moving on.

2:04

Unfinished business.

2:07

Memorial day recap.

2:08

Overall, I think Memorial Day went very well.

2:11

Uh spoke with Nicole in the back.

2:14

We're gonna order more flags for next year.

2:17

We're gonna look at possibly doing 2,000 instead of ordering a thousand that we had this year.

2:22

Um, how far down the block did we get with a thousand?

2:26

If we would have been on both sides, we would have ran out just in front of acne.

2:31

If we were you really uh we had five six kids that were handing out flags, so I want to say thank you to the high school kids that took time to do that as well.

2:42

Um they all volunteered to do that for us, and they were all eager and excited to do it.

2:47

Um to go back on that, Kyle.

2:49

If you don't know, during the Memorial Day parade, the Veterans Commission is the second in the parade to lead off, and the city provides flags and we hand them out to the community as a way to say thank you.

3:04

And it also helps build our relationship with the community.

3:08

It's one thing that they every time you go by maps this year provided vehicles for us.

3:13

That was fantastic.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Veterans Affairs█████████████████████████████████████████████60%
Community Engagement████████████████21%
Procedural██████████████19%
Summary of Proceedings

Green Veterans Advisory Commission Meeting - June 2, 2026

The Veterans Advisory Commission of Green, Ohio, met on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 5:08 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Chair Mike Hughes presided. The meeting covered a recap of the Memorial Day parade, updates on the Veteran Friendly Businesses project, planning for Veterans Day, discussion of a local Veterans Hall of Fame, and approval of a summer recess. The commission also agreed to pursue adding two seats to the commission.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the May 5, 2026 VAC minutes: Motion by Commissioner Mickelson, seconded by Commissioner Burgess, carried unanimously (4-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • None.

Discussion Items

Memorial Day Parade Recap

  • Commissioner Hughes reported the parade went well, with the community enjoying the flags distributed by ROTC students. He requested doubling the number of flags from 1,000 to 2,000 for next year to cover both sides of the parade route further down the block.
  • Commissioner Burgess offered to write a thank-you letter to Keith Bucklew and MAPS for providing vehicles.
  • Commissioner Mickelson inquired about reception of new parade rules. Communications Manager Valerie Wolford stated she was unaware of any issues, though last-minute adjustments were made by the sheriff and parks staff in response to resident feedback.
  • Commissioner Hughes noted the humbling experience of seeing emotional reactions from veterans in the crowd.

Veteran Friendly Businesses Project Update

  • Commissioner Hughes briefed new member Kyle Moore on the ongoing initiative with the Chamber of Commerce to identify and recognize veteran-friendly businesses. A decal is being designed, and criteria for what qualifies as "veteran friendly" will be developed jointly with the Chamber.
  • Commissioner Burgess asked who defines the criteria; it was clarified that the Chamber would have the final say, but the commission would partner in the effort.
  • The project has been in development for about 18 months, and the commission hopes to launch it in the fall after meeting with the Chamber’s new president.

Veterans Day Planning & Changes

  • Valerie Wolford noted that Mike Elkins, who served as MC for Veterans Day, has left the city. The commission is asked to suggest a new speaker/presenter and to begin thinking of a Green veteran to honor at the ceremony.

Veterans Resource Hub

  • Wolford announced a new monthly Resource Hub Connection at MAPS Air Museum, starting June 18, 2026 (10 a.m.–12 p.m., Thursdays). The hub connects area veteran resources. Commissioners Carl Mickelson and Kyle Moore volunteered to attend the June 18 meeting.
  • The SAM (acronym not defined in transcript) Veterans Resource Fair is scheduled for October 1–2, 2026.

Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame – Local Chapter

  • Chair Hughes proposed creating a local Green Veterans Hall of Fame to recognize outstanding veterans in the city. He noted this would require coordination with the parks department, mayor’s office, and possibly city council approval for funding. The commission agreed to further discuss the concept.
  • Hughes also mentioned a prior attempt to nominate a veteran for the state Hall of Fame did not proceed due to insufficient documentation; they may revisit that nomination next year.

Commission Expansion

  • Chair Hughes proposed adding two more seats to the Veterans Advisory Commission (from five to seven). All present commissioners expressed support. Council President Speight and Mayor Yeargin will discuss the necessary legislative steps. The appointing authority for new members will need to be decided.

Meeting Frequency

  • After approving summer recess, Hughes suggested shifting to bi-monthly meetings starting in August. Commissioners debated the value of monthly formal meetings versus bi-monthly with informal gatherings. Valerie Wolford offered a schedule of five meetings per year (February, April, June, August, October) as a compromise. The commission tabled the decision to the August meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Memorial Day recap: Positive review; 2,000 flags ordered for next year; thank-you letter to MAPS to be drafted by Commissioner Burgess.
  • Veteran Friendly Businesses project: Continued development with Chamber of Commerce; launch targeted for fall 2026.
  • Veterans Day: Call for suggestions for a new MC and a veteran to honor; decisions deferred.
  • Resource Hub: Commissioners Mickelson and Moore will attend the June 18 MAPS meeting; fair dates noted.
  • Hall of Fame: Concept approved for further exploration; next steps to involve coordination with city departments.
  • Commission expansion: Unanimous agreement to pursue adding two seats; referral to Council President Speight and Mayor Yeargin.
  • Summer recess approved: Motion by Commissioner Mickelson, seconded by Commissioner Burgess, all in favor – no July meeting; next meeting August 4, 2026 (subject to change if frequency is altered).
  • Veterans social: Reminded of monthly social at Kittles that evening from 6–8 p.m.
  • Adjournment: Motion by Commissioner Mickelson, seconded by Commissioner Burgess, carried unanimously at 5:37 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Good afternoon. I officially call this meeting to order. If you'll please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and the visible with liberty and justice for all. Nicole, roll call, please. Sure. Mr. Mickelson. Mr. Burgess. Here. Mr. Hughes. Here. Mr. Suffolk is absent. Mr. Moore. Here. Okay. All right. Uh I want to take a minute and introduce our newest commission member, Kyle Moore. Congratulations. Thank you. Welcome aboard. We're excited to have you. Excited to be here. Um forward, did anybody and everybody get a chance to look at the minutes from the last meeting? Yes. And thank you for running the meeting last month with in my absence. I appreciate that. Does everybody approve the minutes from the last meeting? Motion to approve. Second. Aye. All approve? Aye. Aye. Aye. First off, um, I want to take a minute to thank the citizens in the community. Um, we appreciate your guys' support as a commission. So I just want to take a minute and say thank you for that. Are there any citizens in attendance that have any comments, notes, anything that they would like to provide to the commission. Uh moving on. Unfinished business. Memorial day recap. Overall, I think Memorial Day went very well. Uh spoke with Nicole in the back. We're gonna order more flags for next year.

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