The Portage City Council held its regular meeting on October 7, 2025. Key actions included awarding a contract for the new Farmers Market pavilion, approving a tax abatement transfer, making appointments to boards and commissions, and delaying first readings of two revised ordinances (solicitor/canvassers and secondhand dealers) to the next meeting. The council also heard public comments on cell tower regulation, storm debris removal, a proposed data center, and the new waste contract. The Planning Commission presented its annual report.
We have an aeronautical science. Good evening. I call to order the October 7th Portage City Council meeting in honor of all denominations and personal beliefs. And as we reflect in gratitude to the Rotary organization and its impact both locally and globally to create lasting change, promote goodwill and peace throughout our world. Please rise for a moment of personal introspection and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join me in the pledge. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And if I could please ask the clerk to call the roll. Yes, Madam Mayor, start with Burns. Here. Ledbetter. Here. Miller. Here. Pearson. Here. Randall. Here. Urban. Here. And Young. Here. Thank you. All right. As you may have guessed, our proclamation for this evening is World Polio Day, and the Rotary President, Jose Santa Maria will read this into the official record. Good evening and welcome. Good evening, Mayor Patricia. The Rotary International Proclamation. Whereas Rotary is a global network of neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem solvers who unite and take action to create lasting change in communities across the globe. And whereas the Rotary motto, Service Above Self, inspires members to provide humanitarian service, follow high ethical standards, and promote goodwill and peace in the world. And whereas Rotary in 1985 launched Polio Plus and in 1988 helped establish the global polo polio eradication initiative, which today includes the World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to immunize the children of the world against polio. And whereas polio cases have dropped by 99.9% since 1988, and the world stands on the threshold of eradicating the disease, with polio remaining epidemic in just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. And whereas polio cases, I'm sorry, and whereas to date, Rotary has contributed more than 2.7 billion and countless volunteer hours to protecting nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries. And whereas Rotary is working to raise an additional 50 million per year, which will be leveraged for maximum impact by an additional 100 million annually from the Gates Foundation. And whereas these efforts are providing much needed operational support, medical staff, laboratory equipment, and educational materials for health workers and parents. And whereas the processes Rotary helped bring to fight polio have also been used to protect communities from COVID-19 and other diseases. This illustrates the plus in polio plus. Thank you again, rotor Rotary and Rotarians for all being here this evening. The work that you do is amazing. And if you'd like to give us a heads up on some exciting things coming up in Rotary, or the floor is yours. Sure, thank you. Well, we're active in a many different ways. Currently, we are uh right this month we've got a blow drive that we uh operate. Um we're I think participating in the monster match again as we have with the city uh over the years, and we uh provide plus or minus $15,000 a year in small grants to local nonprofits uh in the community. Okay, rotary lunch and learn. And thank you. On October 29th at the Zhang Senior Center, uh, we meet on Wednesdays. We have a Rotary Lunch and Learn from for anyone that's interested in learning more about our club. Thank you.