OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Lakewood City Council Regular Meeting – June 15, 2026

Council Meetings — Friday, June 12, 2026
BodyLakewood, Ohio
SessionCouncil Meetings
DateFriday, June 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:22:59

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

All right, we will call to order the June 15th meeting of council.

0:05

If you're able, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:24

Now pause for a moment of silence.

0:33

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

0:36

Vice President Baker.

0:37

Here.

0:38

Councilmember Bixenstein?

0:39

Here.

0:39

Councilmember Bullock?

0:40

Here.

0:41

Councilmember Evans.

0:42

Here.

0:42

President Keppel.

0:44

Here.

0:44

Councilmember Hamilton Steiner.

0:45

Here.

0:46

Councilmember Streebig.

0:47

Here.

0:48

Reading and disposal of the minutes of the regular meeting of council held June 1st, 2026.

0:55

Move to approve without the necessity of a reading.

0:57

Second.

0:58

Motion's been made and seconded.

0:59

Any discussion?

1:01

Hearing none.

1:02

All those in favor?

1:03

Aye.

1:03

And that motion passes.

1:05

Item one report from Committee of the Whole meeting held today, June 15th, 2026.

1:10

Colleagues, Committee of the Whole met earlier this evening to go through the remaining charter amendments that were before Committee of the Whole.

1:20

The we voted to table the two ranked choice voting amendments.

1:26

Council members noted that although many of us support uh ranked choice voting, the particular situation we find ourselves in is untenable and would potentially confuse voters to place them on the docket at this time or on before them at this time.

1:43

So we're looking to move forward with the other three ordinances, which are ordinance uh 16 2026 uh that would uh uh referring to elected officials' salaries uh that would change the frequency with which civil service reviews elected official salaries that ordinance uh was amended and referred favorably back to full council.

2:07

Ordinance 17 2026, which uh is to um uh uh adds requirements to the process by which council appoints new members to fill a vacancy, so it codifies our current practice of hoping holding uh call for applicants, open interviews, and then um uh appointing.

2:30

Uh it does change the date structure uh for that, so that if there's a lengthy vacancy, uh is recently happened when Councilmember Shatner stepped down of more than two years.

2:44

Um we amended that language so that whether or not there is a primary, so should ranked choice voting be adopted in the future, um that we voters would not need to come back to this section of the code.

2:57

Um so we're trying to lay some pathways there so um if we come back to ranked choice voting or when we come back to ringed choice voting uh when sands shift um that those will not be needed to be amended.

3:10

And then ordinance nineteen twenty twenty-six uh was also uh in ordinance seventeen twenty twenty-six is amended, was referred favorably back to full council.

3:19

Ordinance nineteen twenty twenty-six, uh, which is established a process and requirement for ward redistricting in the city of language, was amended uh so that establishes a best practices such as wards being contiguous um and set by natural boundaries, and we added in language uh regarding running north-south and being bordered by the uh or essentially running north-south, one element being by the lake and one by the south southern border.

3:49

So that was ordinance nineteen twenty twenty-six was also referred favorably back to full council, and then ordinance twenty-one and twenty-seven regarding ranked choice voting were uh tabled um at this time.

4:02

And with that, I will move to uh receive and file that report from committee of the whole.

4:07

Second.

4:08

Motion's been made and seconded.

4:10

Any discussion?

4:11

Hearing none, all those in favor, aye, and that motion passes.

4:16

Item two.

4:18

Um actually, without objection, let's move items four and five to the top.

4:25

Item four, communication from Councilmember Hamilton Steiner and President Keppel regarding Juneteenth, National Independence Day.

4:32

Uh Councilwoman Hamilton Steiner.

4:34

Yes, thank you.

4:35

Uh thank you, President Keppel.

4:37

Um, dear colleagues, Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday in June 2021, and this year's Juneteenth National Independence Day will mark the sixth celebration of Juneteenth in Lakewood.

4:49

Juneteenth, which can also be referred to as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, or the second Independence Day, marks the date when Federal troops came to Galveston, Texas and informed the last of the last of the enslaved that they were free.

5:02

This occurred two and a half years after the emancipation proclamation.

5:07

Juneteenth is a time for celebrating freedom, but it's also time to remember the suffering and contributions made by the enslaved.

5:14

It is also a time to reflect on the existing conditions of the black community and the still existing systems of oppression, which caused the enslavement of fellow human beings.

5:23

It is a time for hope and to look forward to the future and continue a path for forward to achieve liberation for us all.

5:30

For none of us are truly free until we all are free.

5:34

We encourage all in the community to celebrate and reflect on Juneteenth.

5:37

The community is invited to join Madison Court Community Coalition, MC3 and Lakewood Black Caucus, LBC, to celebrate together, Black Party style on Saturday, June 20th at the courts of Madison Park from 4 p.m.

5:50

to 6 p.m.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████23%
Community Engagement█████████████████17%
Racial Equity███████████████15%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████13%
Public Safety████████8%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Short Term Rental Regulation███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Active Transportation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Lakewood City Council Regular Meeting – June 15, 2026

The Lakewood City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, June 15, 2026, at 7:30 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting covered a range of items including appointments, budget priorities, Juneteenth recognition, park renovations, zoning updates, and public safety. Council adopted several resolutions and referred multiple communications to committees for further deliberation.

Consent Calendar

  • Reading and disposal of the minutes of the June 1, 2026 regular meeting were approved without a reading.
  • Resolution 2026-32 (appointing two volunteer citizens to the Community Reinvestment Area Housing Council) was adopted after filling the appointee slots with Adam Brandscombe and Troy Bratz. (Deferred from June 1, 2026)
  • Resolution 2026-35 (honoring Juneteenth National Independence Day) was adopted unanimously after a presentation and public comment.
  • Resolution 2026-36 (authorizing application for a $50,000 Cuyahoga County CDSG grant for Webb Park court renovation) was adopted following discussion about park planning.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Joey Artino, a homeowner and business owner, spoke in support of short-term rental regulation. He cited recent incidents including a reported assault, a stolen assault rifle recovered near Grant Elementary, and large parties at unregulated rentals. He urged council to require owner-occupancy, a 1,500-foot buffer from schools, and a three-strikes penalty tied to rental permits. Councilmember Bullock responded that he is working on a draft ordinance to be introduced by July 6, 2026.
  • One written e-comment was submitted for the record.
  • Two public speakers testified in support of the Juneteenth resolution, thanking council for the annual recognition.

Discussion Items

  • Committee of the Whole Report: President Kepple reported that the Committee met prior to the meeting and voted to table two ranked choice voting amendments (Ordinances 2026-21 and 2026-27) due to potential voter confusion. Three other charter amendments (16-2026, 17-2026, 19-2026) were amended and referred favorably to full council. The committee also discussed ward redistricting criteria.
  • Council Budget Priorities for 2027: President Kepple presented a communication summarizing 25 budget priority worksheets developed after the May 11 council retreat. The document covers topics such as tree preservation, speed enforcement, affordable housing, mental health response, and more. The communication was referred to the Finance Committee for detailed discussion, with a target of July 30 to align with the administration's budget calendar. Councilmembers emphasized collaboration and prioritization given limited resources. Mayor George encouraged council to meet with department directors to refine estimates.
  • LakewoodAlive Board Report: Vice President Baker reported on the May 20 board meeting, which included leadership transitions (Julie Warren becoming Past President, Amanda Santa as President, Jason Weiner as Vice President) and a presentation from Cleveland Bridge Builders on garage repair assistance for residents not qualifying for existing programs. Baker moved to refer the communication to the Housing, Planning & Development Committee to schedule a presentation. Motion passed.
  • Complete and Active Streets (CASE) Board Report: Baker reported that the CASE Board met on June 3 to review proposed Shared Use Path Code Amendments. The board discussed definitions for motorized bicycles, bikeways, shared use paths, and emerging mobility devices. No final recommendations were made. The communication was received and filed. Councilmember Bullock requested a summary of existing rules regarding e-bikes/scooters; staff agreed to provide it.
  • Reports from CHAT, CREC, Youth Council: Councilmember Strebig summarized May meetings. CHAT discussed a Community Resource Guide and 2026 priorities (behavioral health, food access, adaptive programming, affordable housing). CREC reported over 1,000 youth baseball registrations, Beck pool opening June 2, Foster's June 9, 300 seasonal staff, and gratitude for Issue 2 passage. Youth Council reported a mental health survey and upcoming elections. Received and filed.
  • Mayoral Appointments: Mayor George announced appointments of Alison Urbanek and Gavin Norris to the CRA Housing Council, and James Romano to the Local Board of Tax Review. Received and filed.
  • Webb Park Court Renovation: Planning Director Byington presented plans to apply for a $50,000 CDSG grant toward a $152,000 project to replace the tennis court with a court striped for tennis and pickleball and new fencing. A public meeting was held June 11. Council members expressed concern about lack of prior notification to the ward councilperson and the need for a comprehensive park planning process. The resolution was adopted, with Vice President Baker and Councilmember Bullock urging better future coordination.
  • Zoning Refresh Project Update: Assistant Director Baas provided preliminary drafts of four final chapters (General Provisions, Nonconformities, Decision-Making Procedures, Definitions) for council review. The communication was referred to the Housing, Planning & Development Committee.
  • Neighborhood Paramedic Program Update: Fire Chief Fairbanks requested an audience to present annual data via Firefighter/Paramedic Oliver Harper. The request was referred to the Public Safety Committee.
  • Liquor Permit: Item 14 (QAJ Enterprise LLC @ 14000 Detroit Ave.) was deferred because the Department of Liquor Control had not yet provided necessary information.

Key Outcomes

  • Adopted: Resolution 2026-32 (CRA Housing Council appointments), Resolution 2026-35 (Juneteenth), Resolution 2026-36 (Webb Park grant application).
  • Referred: Budget priorities to Finance Committee; LakewoodAlive report to Housing, Planning & Development; Zoning Refresh to Housing, Planning & Development; Neighborhood Paramedic Program to Public Safety.
  • Received and Filed: CASE Board report, CHAT/CREC/Youth Council reports, mayor's appointments, Webb Park communication.
  • Deferred: Liquor permit (no action).
  • Announcements: Councilmember Strebig noted upcoming dates: Juneteenth (June 19), Father’s Day (June 21), Summer Solstice (June 21), International Pride Day (June 28), Independence Day (July 4), and Strawberry Moon (June 30). Council presented an unofficial birthday resolution to President Kepple.

Note: The meeting date in the instruction (2026-06-12) conflicts with the agenda and transcript (June 15, 2026). The summary uses the actual meeting date.

Meeting Transcript

All right, we will call to order the June 15th meeting of council. If you're able, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Now pause for a moment of silence. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Vice President Baker. Here. Councilmember Bixenstein? Here. Councilmember Bullock? Here. Councilmember Evans. Here. President Keppel. Here. Councilmember Hamilton Steiner. Here. Councilmember Streebig. Here. Reading and disposal of the minutes of the regular meeting of council held June 1st, 2026. Move to approve without the necessity of a reading. Second. Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? Aye. And that motion passes. Item one report from Committee of the Whole meeting held today, June 15th, 2026. Colleagues, Committee of the Whole met earlier this evening to go through the remaining charter amendments that were before Committee of the Whole. The we voted to table the two ranked choice voting amendments. Council members noted that although many of us support uh ranked choice voting, the particular situation we find ourselves in is untenable and would potentially confuse voters to place them on the docket at this time or on before them at this time. So we're looking to move forward with the other three ordinances, which are ordinance uh 16 2026 uh that would uh uh referring to elected officials' salaries uh that would change the frequency with which civil service reviews elected official salaries that ordinance uh was amended and referred favorably back to full council. Ordinance 17 2026, which uh is to um uh uh adds requirements to the process by which council appoints new members to fill a vacancy, so it codifies our current practice of hoping holding uh call for applicants, open interviews, and then um uh appointing. Uh it does change the date structure uh for that, so that if there's a lengthy vacancy, uh is recently happened when Councilmember Shatner stepped down of more than two years. Um we amended that language so that whether or not there is a primary, so should ranked choice voting be adopted in the future, um that we voters would not need to come back to this section of the code. Um so we're trying to lay some pathways there so um if we come back to ranked choice voting or when we come back to ringed choice voting uh when sands shift um that those will not be needed to be amended. And then ordinance nineteen twenty twenty-six uh was also uh in ordinance seventeen twenty twenty-six is amended, was referred favorably back to full council. Ordinance nineteen twenty twenty-six, uh, which is established a process and requirement for ward redistricting in the city of language, was amended uh so that establishes a best practices such as wards being contiguous um and set by natural boundaries, and we added in language uh regarding running north-south and being bordered by the uh or essentially running north-south, one element being by the lake and one by the south southern border. So that was ordinance nineteen twenty twenty-six was also referred favorably back to full council, and then ordinance twenty-one and twenty-seven regarding ranked choice voting were uh tabled um at this time. And with that, I will move to uh receive and file that report from committee of the whole. Second. Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, aye, and that motion passes. Item two. Um actually, without objection, let's move items four and five to the top. Item four, communication from Councilmember Hamilton Steiner and President Keppel regarding Juneteenth, National Independence Day. Uh Councilwoman Hamilton Steiner. Yes, thank you. Uh thank you, President Keppel.

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