OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Finance Committee Meeting – November 5, 2025

Council Meetings — Wednesday, November 5, 2025
BodyLakewood, Ohio
SessionCouncil Meetings
DateWednesday, November 5, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 44:04

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Ready to go.

0:00

I'm going to call a meeting to order.

0:02

If the I can't see the administration's table or is everybody ready in attendance?

0:08

Ready to rock.

0:10

Okay.

0:11

Thanks.

0:12

All right, give me one second here.

0:16

Okay.

0:17

I would like to call well pursuant to Lakewood codified ordinances 109.01B1 as chair.

0:29

I'm calling for this evening's finance committee to be held partially by video conference due to the special circumstance of personal illness.

0:38

Under ordinance 109.01c, council members participating remotely need not be present for the purposes of voting or determining a quorum.

0:53

So I'd like to call the meeting to order.

0:56

There's a couple points I'll make.

0:58

First, I'm going to be fairly brief in my remarks.

1:14

Before I forget the law directions there, there's a typo in the section two of resolution.

1:26

The second second resolution of the document, which is uh related to let me just call it up.

1:36

Minor point, but I wanted to get it, so I don't forget it.

1:42

Okay, section two of the ordinance 2025-60.

1:49

No, under the rock thing.

1:51

Hold on one second, yes.

1:55

2025 66.

2:01

Section two of resolution 2025-65.

2:09

Um properties are deep properties are deeded to have met been met.

2:14

I think it probably means property are deemed to have been met.

2:19

So deed should be deemed, I think, in section two.

2:23

Just don't let us forget that.

2:24

Thanks.

2:25

Okay.

2:26

Um to the top of the order.

2:28

We've got the presentation from Director Byington and uh direct development officer Wyman, and I think at least one of the co-chairs of the Citizens Advisory Committee to present us on what their recommendations are.

2:48

Before jumping into that, council colleagues, do you have any questions or opening remarks you'd like to make?

2:57

Okay.

2:58

Why don't we proceed with the presentation?

3:00

Thanks.

3:01

Um Director Bington, if you're there, or Mr.

3:03

Wyman.

3:05

Uh I'll take your name's Dan Wyman.

3:11

Uh I serve as development officer in Lakewood's department.

3:15

I think it's on again.

3:19

Uh I'll start over.

3:20

Uh my name is Dan Wyman.

3:22

I serve as development officer in Lakewood's Department of Planning and Development.

3:25

I'd like uh to thank committee members for this opportunity to discuss Lakewood's federal funding sources and the annual citizens advisory committee process through which these funds are allocated.

3:36

Um it's my pleasure to introduce FY26 Citizens Advisory Committee co-chair Claire Foley.

3:42

Um, and thank her for service to the her service to our community.

3:46

Unfortunately, Claire's co-chair Gail Davis is unable to attend this evening.

3:51

Again, my sincere thanks to Gail and Claire for their active participation, leadership, and service to our community.

3:59

Um the uh member the 17 members of this year's uh advisor committee are on the left side of the slide, and co chairs Davis and Foley are indicated.

4:17

On the right side is this year's meeting schedule.

4:20

Um the committee convened four times in August and September, which is typical uh annually.

4:27

Um of those meetings, the first and the fourth included mandate uh mandatory public hearings how it requires that at least two public hearings uh be held each year during the CAC process.

4:42

Um all of the meetings are are made public uh and are open to the public and properly noticed.

4:51

Um the committee reviewed funding applications and heard presentations from city departments and not for profit agencies requesting 2026 community development block grant or CDBG and emergency solutions grant or ESG funds.

5:00

The committee reviewed funding applications and heard presentations from city departments and not-for-profit agencies requesting 2026 community development block grant for CDBG and emergency solutions grant or ESG funds.

5:14

The CAC developed 2026 CDBG and ESG funding allocation recommendations based on an estimated CDBG award in 2026 of 1.75 million dollars, which is a bit lower than previous years given statements by the current administration regarding uh decreased funding for federal housing programs as well as a an appropriation by the US House of Representatives of $3.3 billion, which is level funding the same as 2025, but a $3.1 billion appropriation by the Senate, which still needs to be reconciled.

6:03

So given those variables, um I just I thought we needed to be conservative in our estimate to make sure we didn't overshoot it, and um it's better to kind of uh underpromise and uh be able to increase the allocations when we find out what the actual award is rather than to over overpromise and then have to decrease them.

6:27

Um the next slide uh shows the uh citizens advisory committee's 2026 uh allocation recommendations in the far right column also included here are the each each activities 2025 allocation and each activities 2026 funding request.

6:51

Um what you see shaded at the bottom, this the bottom seven uh programs or activities they're called activities in CDBG parlance, um, are what are called public services activities.

7:04

Um those are those are shaded uh and called out because those activities may not exceed 15 percent of total allocations, which in our case would be 1.7 as indicated at the bottom of the slide, uh 15 percent of 1.75 million dollars, which is 262,500.

7:31

So if you add up on the far right column those seven amounts, you will arrive at 262,500.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████████45%
Public Engagement███████████████████████████27%
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Community Engagement██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Finance Committee Meeting – November 5, 2025

The Finance Committee of the Lakewood City Council met on November 5, 2025, to consider two resolutions: one approving the FY26 HUD Annual Action Plan and federal funding allocations recommended by the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), and another authorizing a fourth amendment to the lease with the Lakewood Child Care Center. The meeting included a presentation from Planning and Development staff, discussion of funding estimates, and votes on both items.

Consent Calendar

  • The minutes of the October 27, 2025 Finance Committee meeting were approved without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • FY26 HUD Annual Action Plan (Resolution 2025-66): Dan Wyman, Development Officer, presented the CAC’s recommended allocations for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds. Estimated awards were set at $1,750,000 (CDBG) and $160,000 (ESG), a conservative estimate due to federal budget uncertainty and potential impacts from the government shutdown. Key allocations included $850,000 for street resurfacing, $42,500 for public art (a first-time use of CDBG funds), $75,000 for affordable housing programs (increased from a typical $42,000), and $262,500 total for public services (capped at 15% of the CDBG award). The 20% administration cap of $350,000 was also noted. Council members inquired about affordable housing capacity; Wyman stated that current staffing limits the pace of projects, but that the $75,000 allocation combined with program income and separate HOME funds allows the city to maintain an elevated project volume. Co-chair Claire Foley of the CAC expressed that committee members desire deeper engagement in the process beyond the four fall meetings, though no specific changes were proposed. The resolution was recommended to full council.
  • Lakewood Child Care Center Lease Amendment (Resolution 2025-65): The resolution authorizes a fourth amendment to the lease for the first floor of the Community Health Center at 1450 Belle Avenue. Key terms include: up to five additional five-year renewal options starting after the current lease ends in 2030; a tenant improvement allowance beginning at $15,000 per year in 2027 and escalating over time (to $20,000 in 2031–2035, $25,000 in 2036–2040, and $30,000 from 2041 onward); and the ability to carry over unused allowance up to five times the current annual amount. Director Angela Byington explained that the amendment provides long-term stability for the child care center, enabling investments such as expanding infant care capacity, interior renovations, and potential future use of the vacant second floor. Councilman Bullock recused himself from voting on the typographical correction (changing “deeded” to “deemed”) due to his wife’s board membership, but supported the resolution overall, noting the center’s five-star rating and community importance. The committee approved the typo correction (2–0–1) and then recommended the resolution for full adoption.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 2025-66 (FY26 HUD Action Plan) was recommended for adoption by the full council. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously (voice vote).
  • Resolution 2025-65 (Child Care Center Lease Amendment) was amended to correct a typo in Section 2 (changing “deeded” to “deemed”). The amendment passed with two votes in favor and one abstention (Bullock). The amended resolution was then recommended for adoption, passing with a majority voice vote; Bullock abstained.
  • The committee adjourned to a special meeting immediately following.

Meeting Transcript

Ready to go. I'm going to call a meeting to order. If the I can't see the administration's table or is everybody ready in attendance? Ready to rock. Okay. Thanks. All right, give me one second here. Okay. I would like to call well pursuant to Lakewood codified ordinances 109.01B1 as chair. I'm calling for this evening's finance committee to be held partially by video conference due to the special circumstance of personal illness. Under ordinance 109.01c, council members participating remotely need not be present for the purposes of voting or determining a quorum. So I'd like to call the meeting to order. There's a couple points I'll make. First, I'm going to be fairly brief in my remarks. Before I forget the law directions there, there's a typo in the section two of resolution. The second second resolution of the document, which is uh related to let me just call it up. Minor point, but I wanted to get it, so I don't forget it. Okay, section two of the ordinance 2025-60. No, under the rock thing. Hold on one second, yes. 2025 66. Section two of resolution 2025-65. Um properties are deep properties are deeded to have met been met. I think it probably means property are deemed to have been met. So deed should be deemed, I think, in section two. Just don't let us forget that. Thanks. Okay. Um to the top of the order. We've got the presentation from Director Byington and uh direct development officer Wyman, and I think at least one of the co-chairs of the Citizens Advisory Committee to present us on what their recommendations are. Before jumping into that, council colleagues, do you have any questions or opening remarks you'd like to make? Okay. Why don't we proceed with the presentation? Thanks. Um Director Bington, if you're there, or Mr. Wyman. Uh I'll take your name's Dan Wyman. Uh I serve as development officer in Lakewood's department. I think it's on again. Uh I'll start over. Uh my name is Dan Wyman. I serve as development officer in Lakewood's Department of Planning and Development. I'd like uh to thank committee members for this opportunity to discuss Lakewood's federal funding sources and the annual citizens advisory committee process through which these funds are allocated. Um it's my pleasure to introduce FY26 Citizens Advisory Committee co-chair Claire Foley. Um, and thank her for service to the her service to our community. Unfortunately, Claire's co-chair Gail Davis is unable to attend this evening. Again, my sincere thanks to Gail and Claire for their active participation, leadership, and service to our community. Um the uh member the 17 members of this year's uh advisor committee are on the left side of the slide, and co chairs Davis and Foley are indicated. On the right side is this year's meeting schedule. Um the committee convened four times in August and September, which is typical uh annually.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com