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Record of Proceedings

Powell City Council Organizational Meeting - January 6, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, January 6, 2026
BodyPowell, Ohio
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, January 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 32:00

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

I will call to order the uh city council meeting for January 6th.

0:06

Please call the roll.

0:07

Reed Carlson.

0:08

Here.

0:08

Tom Counts.

0:09

Here.

0:10

Carlos Crawford.

0:12

Heather Herman?

0:13

Here.

0:15

David Lester.

0:16

Kurt Ramsey.

0:17

Here.

0:17

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:22

I pledge allegiance to the why of the United States of America.

0:26

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:29

One nation under God.

0:31

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:38

The next item on the agenda is the Council Oaths of Office.

0:43

And we are pleased to have the Honorable Barb Lewis, Delaware County Commissioner.

0:48

To give us the oath.

0:50

So Carlos, I think you're first.

0:54

Come down to the center.

1:05

This is how okay.

1:09

Would you please raise your right hand, Carlos?

1:13

I Carlos Crawford.

1:20

Solemnly swear.

1:21

Solemnly swear.

1:22

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

1:26

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

1:29

And the State of Ohio.

1:30

And the State of Ohio.

1:32

And will obey the laws thereof.

1:34

And will obey the laws thereof.

1:36

And that I will in all respects.

1:39

And that I will in all respects.

1:41

Observe the provisions of the charter.

1:44

Observe the provisions of the charter.

1:46

And the ordinances of this city.

1:49

And the ordinances of this city.

1:51

And that I will faithfully, honestly, and impartially.

1:55

That I will faithfully, honestly, and impartially.

1:58

Discharge the duties of city council member.

2:02

Discharge the duties of city council member.

2:05

Upon which I about I am about to enter.

2:08

Upon which I am about to enter.

2:11

Congratulations.

2:20

Okay.

2:21

Thank you.

2:23

Kurt.

2:34

Hi, Kurt.

2:37

Aye.

2:38

I, Kurt Ramsay.

2:39

Solemnly swear.

2:41

Solemnly swear.

2:42

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

2:46

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

2:48

And the State of Ohio.

2:50

And the State of Ohio.

2:51

And will obey the laws thereof.

2:53

And will obey the laws thereof.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Public Engagement███████████████████████████29%
Committee Reports██████████████████19%
Public Records Management████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Powell City Council Organizational Meeting - January 6, 2026

The Powell City Council held its first meeting of 2026 on January 6, 2026, administered oaths to four council members, elected a Mayor and Vice-Mayor, adopted two resolutions, made committee assignments, and discussed scheduling a strategic planning session. No public comments were made. (Note: The provided instruction indicated a meeting time of 12:30 PM; however, the agenda and transcript reflect a 7:30 PM start time.)

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the December 2, 2025, council meeting were unanimously approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke during the citizen participation period.

Discussion Items

  • Oaths of Office: Delaware County Commissioner Barb Lewis administered the oath of office to four council members: Carlos Crawford, Kurt Ramsey, David Lester, and Tom Counts.
  • Election of Mayor and Vice-Mayor: Council unanimously elected Heather Carr as Mayor (Resolution 2026-01) and Tom Counts as Vice-Mayor (Resolution 2026-02) for terms ending December 31, 2027. Both took oaths of office.
  • City Manager's Report: City Manager Andy reported on a two-year strategic planning session, distributing a report organized by six goals. Council discussed scheduling options: January 13, 24, or 31, with a preference for a two-hour session.
  • Resolution 2026-03 – OPERS Fringe Benefit Pick-Up Plan: Authorized a "pick-up" of the City Manager's required OPERS contributions under IRC 414(h)(2). The city manager clarified this creates no new financial obligation but adjusts tax treatment. Unanimously adopted.
  • Resolution 2026-04 – Prosecutor Agreement with Delaware: Authorized an agreement with the Delaware City Prosecutor's Office at $275 per case, with annual spending typically $15,000–$20,000. No cost increase from prior year. Unanimously adopted.
  • Committee Appointments: Council approved the following committee assignments:
    • Finance Committee: Tom Counts (chair), David Lester, Kurt Ramsey
    • Development Committee: Chair (unnamed in transcript), Kurt Ramsey, Carlos Crawford
    • Operations Committee: David Lester (chair), Carlos Crawford, David Lester (members)
    • Planning & Zoning Commission: David Lester as council representative and chair (continued)
    • MORPC Representative: Tyler Herman
  • Extension of Expired Boards and Commissions: Council voted to extend appointments that expired on December 31, 2025, until March 3, 2026, or until replacements are appointed.

Key Outcomes

  • Oaths Administered: Four council members sworn in; Mayor and Vice-Mayor elected.
  • Resolutions Adopted: Res. 2026-01 (Mayor), Res. 2026-02 (Vice-Mayor), Res. 2026-03 (OPERS pick-up), Res. 2026-04 (Prosecutor agreement) – all unanimous.
  • Committee Assignments Finalized: Council committee chairs and members appointed.
  • Strategic Planning Session: To be scheduled among proposed January dates.
  • Expired Boards Extended: Appointments extended through March 3, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

I will call to order the uh city council meeting for January 6th. Please call the roll. Reed Carlson. Here. Tom Counts. Here. Carlos Crawford. Heather Herman? Here. David Lester. Kurt Ramsey. Here. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the why of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. The next item on the agenda is the Council Oaths of Office. And we are pleased to have the Honorable Barb Lewis, Delaware County Commissioner. To give us the oath. So Carlos, I think you're first. Come down to the center. This is how okay. Would you please raise your right hand, Carlos? I Carlos Crawford. Solemnly swear. Solemnly swear. That I will support the Constitution of the United States. That I will support the Constitution of the United States. And the State of Ohio. And the State of Ohio. And will obey the laws thereof. And will obey the laws thereof. And that I will in all respects. And that I will in all respects. Observe the provisions of the charter. Observe the provisions of the charter. And the ordinances of this city. And the ordinances of this city. And that I will faithfully, honestly, and impartially. That I will faithfully, honestly, and impartially. Discharge the duties of city council member. Discharge the duties of city council member. Upon which I about I am about to enter. Upon which I am about to enter. Congratulations. Okay. Thank you. Kurt. Hi, Kurt.

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