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Record of Proceedings

Toledo City Council Agenda Review - March 10, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, March 10, 2026
BodyToledo, Ohio
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:02:48

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
1:11

I'll call to order the agenda review of March 10th 2026.

1:17

Court, please call the role.

1:19

Hobbs here.

1:20

Jones, here.

1:22

Come here.

1:26

Here.

1:27

Martinez.

1:28

Present.

1:29

McPherson.

1:31

Meldon.

1:32

Here.

1:33

Morris here.

1:34

Saranto.

1:36

Williams here.

1:38

Driscoll?

1:39

Here.

1:40

Gaddis?

1:41

Yeah.

1:44

The first item is from Toledo Municipal Court.

2:05

Good afternoon.

2:09

Thank you very much for having us here today.

2:11

In January, the clerk's office solicited bids for the bulk printing of our case file folders through planet bid.

2:19

We received two bids at that time.

2:21

The lowest bid was from Friends Office LLC.

2:25

At this time, we are asking council to pass the ordinance that has been placed before you authorizing the clerk's office to enter into an agreement with Friends Office LLC to purchase case file folders for 2026 for 10,000 one hundred and twenty dollars.

2:44

The funds are budgeted in line item five two one six zero zero, which is our outside printing line item.

2:52

And we thank you for consideration in this matter, and we are requesting SEP.

2:58

Any questions?

3:04

Thank you.

3:47

Authorizing the expenditure of fifty thousand from the law enforcement trust fund.

3:52

This program assists victims of violent crime as they go through the criminal justice process to the prosecution of their offender.

3:57

There are no impacts on the general fund, and we are requesting SEP.

4:05

SEP, please.

4:16

Would you like me to jump into number two?

4:18

Please thank you so much.

4:19

I'm so sorry.

4:20

Oh no, yeah.

4:22

Item number two is authorizing the mayor to enter into a grant agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the Drones for First Responders program.

4:30

This authorizes the acceptance and deposit of an amount not to exceed two hundred and fifty thousand and the appropriation and expenditure of set amount from the operations grant fund.

4:40

Uh waiving the competitive bidding requirements as ODOT has undertaken a competitive bidding selection and evaluation process that I identified the qualified drone and vendors.

4:51

And we are requesting SEP for this, please.

5:00

I'm sorry.

5:00

Consulwan McKramer.

5:02

Thank you.

5:02

Sorry.

5:03

Thank you, Chair.

5:05

Can you explain how the drones work?

5:07

I know it says that the flight paths are published on the TBD site, but how are they activated?

5:14

How can we make sure that they are just going to the places where we need them and they're not kind of surveilling our residents?

5:23

Yes, ma'am, I'll be happy to answer that.

5:25

So the drone for first responder program, uh the drone will be directly linked to our CAD system.

5:31

Uh its main and only mission is to respond to calls of service.

5:35

So upon being dispatched, it will have a direct flight to that location.

5:40

Uh once it's done with that call, it can either respond to another call if another priority call comes in, or it will return back to its docking station.

5:49

So its whole purpose and uh the guidelines that are already uh put into place for this program is it's strictly for call to respond to calls for service.

6:00

And so they will respond and then crews will know then they need to come out after that.

6:07

Like, can you explain that how that process works?

6:10

Yes, ma'am.

6:10

So yes, depending on what the nature of the call is, uh that there are going to be times where uh the drone will get there first, uh, many times actually, and depending on what the drone the pilot is able to observe it's happening on that particular scene, they'll be able to communicate with the crews that are responding uh and let them know whether they need to continue in route to that call or if it's a call that could possibly be cleared or you know uh taken care of just by observation through the drone.

6:36

So, yes, uh, in an instance where a crew is going to continue to respond the drone, uh the pilot who's operating the drone will be able to communicate in real time immediately over the radio and give that crew updates on what they're observing.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management████████████████████████████28%
Technology and Innovation██████████████████18%
Public Utilities Management█████████████13%
Public Safety██████████10%
Lead Safety█████████9%
Economic Development████████8%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Procedural███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Toledo City Council Agenda Review - March 10, 2026

The Toledo City Council convened on March 10, 2026, for an agenda review meeting. The meeting covered a range of items including municipal contracts, a drone program grant, fire department billing services, emergency repairs, water treatment chemicals, loan applications, and lead service line replacements. Several items were approved under suspension of council procedures (SEP), while others were deferred for further information.

Discussion Items

  • Item 1: Bulk Printing of Case File Folders – The Toledo Municipal Court requested authorization to purchase case file folders for $10,120 from Friends Office LLC. Funds are budgeted in the outside printing line item. SEP was requested.
  • Item 2: Drones for First Responders Program – Authorization to accept a $250,000 ODOT grant for a drone program. The drones will respond to calls for service, provide real-time observation, and act as a force multiplier. Six pilots are already in place. Councilman Martinez expressed strong support, citing safety benefits. Councilman Melton asked about effectiveness evaluation and future technology. Questions addressed range (3-3.5 miles), weather operability, and mutual aid. The program includes quarterly technical meetings. SEP was requested.
  • Item 3: Fire and Rescue Transport Billing – Authorization to contract for advanced life support and basic life support transport billing services. Councilwoman Morris expressed concern that revenues go to the general fund rather than being earmarked for fire department expenses. SEP was requested.
  • Item 4: Emergency Repairs at 3032 Warsaw Street – Authorization to spend up to $25,000 from the Nu Sense abatement trust fund for emergency utility work. Councilman Comives questioned why city crews could not perform the work. SEP was requested.
  • Item 5: Bulk Chemical Funding for Water Treatment – Short-term funding for chemicals to maintain minimum inventory per EPA regulations. Councilwoman Morris requested a detailed list of chemicals, amounts, and pricing. Councilman Sarantsu asked about purchasing frequency. Councilwoman Gaddis inquired about sourcing and tariff impacts. Referral was made for more information.
  • Item 6: Loan Applications for Bayview Water Reclamation Facility – Authorization to apply for loans for facility projects. Councilman Sarantsu asked about the plant size compared to Houston and requested the Arcadus report. Councilwoman Morris requested a submission to OEPA. Referral made.
  • Item 7: Well Construction at Low Service Pumping Station – Appropriation for a well to reduce water purchases from Oregon, saving an estimated $200,000 per year with a payback period under two years. SEP was requested.
  • Item 8: Planning Grant from Lucas County – Acceptance of $275,000 annual grant for planning services to 11 townships. SEP was requested.
  • Item 9: Lead Service Line Replacement Loan/Grant – Authorization to use a matching grant to replace lead service lines encountered during engineering projects. Councilwoman McPherson asked about prior ARPA funding and remaining work. Councilman Martinez clarified coordination with construction projects to avoid future costs. SEP was requested.
  • Item 10: Crosstown Water Main Study – Appropriation up to $1 million for a study on replacing the crosstown water main, installed in 1941. Councilwoman McPherson requested more detail on the study scope and cost estimate. Councilman Driscoll agreed to hold for first read pending answers.
  • Second Read: Ordinance 60-26 (Customer Assistance Grant) – $100,000 for utility customer assistance. Councilman Martinez moved to hold in committee until a comprehensive water turnoff strategy is presented. Director Bannister indicated readiness to present early next month. Councilman Sarantsu requested a DPU collections progress report for March 25 finance committee.
  • New Items from City Council – Councilman Martinez introduced two resolutions: one requesting a study of the Reynolds Corner area for economic development, and another requesting a study of light industrial zoning to streamline and incentivize development. Other resolutions regarding detention facilities, federal agencies, immigration status, and education were also introduced. A committee of the whole was scheduled for 4 p.m. that day.

Key Outcomes

  • Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8 were requested for SEP. No votes are recorded in the transcript, but they were presented for approval.
  • Item 5 (chemical funding) was referred for additional information.
  • Item 6 (Bayview loans) was referred for the Arcadus report and OEPA documentation.
  • Item 9 (lead service lines) was requested for SEP.
  • Item 10 (crosstown water main study) was held for first read pending answers to council's questions.
  • Ordinance 60-26 (customer assistance) was held in committee pending a comprehensive water turnoff strategy presentation.
  • The two resolutions from Councilman Martinez were introduced and will be referred to the Plan Commission.

Meeting Transcript

I'll call to order the agenda review of March 10th 2026. Court, please call the role. Hobbs here. Jones, here. Come here. Here. Martinez. Present. McPherson. Meldon. Here. Morris here. Saranto. Williams here. Driscoll? Here. Gaddis? Yeah. The first item is from Toledo Municipal Court. Good afternoon. Thank you very much for having us here today. In January, the clerk's office solicited bids for the bulk printing of our case file folders through planet bid. We received two bids at that time. The lowest bid was from Friends Office LLC. At this time, we are asking council to pass the ordinance that has been placed before you authorizing the clerk's office to enter into an agreement with Friends Office LLC to purchase case file folders for 2026 for 10,000 one hundred and twenty dollars. The funds are budgeted in line item five two one six zero zero, which is our outside printing line item. And we thank you for consideration in this matter, and we are requesting SEP. Any questions? Thank you. Authorizing the expenditure of fifty thousand from the law enforcement trust fund. This program assists victims of violent crime as they go through the criminal justice process to the prosecution of their offender. There are no impacts on the general fund, and we are requesting SEP. SEP, please. Would you like me to jump into number two? Please thank you so much. I'm so sorry. Oh no, yeah. Item number two is authorizing the mayor to enter into a grant agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the Drones for First Responders program. This authorizes the acceptance and deposit of an amount not to exceed two hundred and fifty thousand and the appropriation and expenditure of set amount from the operations grant fund. Uh waiving the competitive bidding requirements as ODOT has undertaken a competitive bidding selection and evaluation process that I identified the qualified drone and vendors. And we are requesting SEP for this, please. I'm sorry. Consulwan McKramer. Thank you. Sorry. Thank you, Chair. Can you explain how the drones work? I know it says that the flight paths are published on the TBD site, but how are they activated? How can we make sure that they are just going to the places where we need them and they're not kind of surveilling our residents? Yes, ma'am, I'll be happy to answer that.

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