OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Toledo City Council Meeting – June 9, 2026: Gun Violence Awareness Proclamation, Public Testimony, and Passage of Multiple Ordinances

City Council — Tuesday, June 9, 2026
BodyToledo, Ohio
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:26:14
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Recognizing June 2026 is National Gun Violence Awareness Month.

0:06

This is being brought forth by Councilwoman Kramer and Morris.

0:10

Whereas National Gun Violence Awareness Month is observed every June, beginning with National Gun Violence Awareness Day on the first Friday of the month to raise awareness about gun violence and advocate for prevention and safety measures.

0:23

And whereas the month was created to draw attention to the epidemic of gun violence in the United States, where an average of 120 people die in gun related incidents every day.

0:33

And whereas National Gun Violence Awareness Month honors victims, survivors, and advocates, and promotes the Wear Orange campaign inspired by the friends of 15-year-old Hadaya Pendleton, who was killed in Chicago in 2013, and the color orange was chosen because of the color that hunters wear to signal don't shoot.

0:55

And whereas key dates and events include National Gun Violence Awareness Day on the first Friday of June, and Wear Orange Weekend features events, education, and advocacy.

1:06

And whereas organizations and individuals can take action during the month by wearing orange to show solidarity and raise awareness, educating others about gun safety, including proper storage to prevent accidents, joining or hosting prevention events in schools and local community organizations, advocating for policy change such as a banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines, and sharing resources and graphics on social media with hashtags like hashtag gun violence awareness month and hashtag wear orange.

1:40

And whereas gun violence can be greatly reduced and is preventable when communities know the warning signs and take proactive steps.

1:47

And the month serves as a call to action for individuals, schools, and policymakers to work together to end gun violence.

1:55

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Council of the City of Toledo that June 2026 is hereby recognized as National Gun Violence Awareness Month.

2:05

Suspension?

2:06

Kramer, McPherson, Meldon, Morris, Williams, Driscoll, Gaddis, Hobbes, Jones, Comives.

2:12

Motion carried.

2:13

Passage.

2:14

Kramer?

2:15

Yes.

2:15

McPherson.

2:17

Yes.

2:18

Meldon.

2:18

Yes.

2:19

Morris?

2:20

Yes.

2:20

Williams?

2:21

Yes.

2:21

Driscoll?

2:22

Yes.

2:23

Gaddis.

2:24

Yes.

2:25

Hobbs?

2:25

Yes.

2:26

Jones?

2:26

Yes.

2:27

Comives?

2:28

Yes.

2:28

Resolution adopted.

2:32

And now we'll turn the meeting over to Council.

2:35

I'm sorry.

2:36

Yes, we passed it.

2:38

Thank you.

2:38

Councilwoman uh Kramer.

2:41

Thank you so much.

2:42

I want to invite the volunteers to come up.

2:47

Those from Monsi, those from Moms Demand Action, those from the multi-faith coalition.

2:51

If you would like to say a few words about the proclamation.

3:02

Everybody's being shocked.

3:03

Is that right?

3:04

Yeah.

3:04

No, it's been a rough week.

3:08

Hello.

3:08

My name is Kendra Keck and actually Kendra Seville.

3:12

I've been married less than a month.

3:14

Um first inclinations with Monsi, I've been in the justice field for 30 years now.

3:26

Um, most recently I've transitioned into public health, and currently I'm employed as the director of childhood wellness at the Toledo Lucas County Health Department.

3:38

Um, being a former justice official as well, I have seen many attempts at reducing gun violence over the years and throughout our country.

3:47

I can unequivocally say that the efforts that Malcolm, Raymond, Josh, and their team, especially the violence interrupters, are some of the best I've seen in the nation.

4:02

Um recognize the importance of their work and the tireless efforts that it takes.

4:21

And I started learning about cognitive behavioral training back in 2000 as an effective methodology to help people learn that their feelings are okay, but their thoughts then transition into behaviors.

4:38

And when you have a negative feeling, you can do something else.

4:42

You can make a different choice other than a negative action that can have horrible lifelong consequences, such as any act of violence.

4:52

Malcolm and his team quickly learned to rewire CBT and have been promoting that throughout the community.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Procedural███████████████████████23%
Water And Wastewater Management███████7%
Youth Programs███████7%
Zoning and Planning██████6%
Disability Rights████4%
Parks and Recreation██2%
Transportation Safety██2%
Fiscal Sustainability██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Toledo City Council Meeting – June 9, 2026

On June 9, 2026, the Toledo City Council convened at 9:15 AM. The meeting began with a proclamation recognizing June 2026 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month, followed by public testimony from volunteers, violence interrupters, and youth advocates. The council then considered and voted on a series of ordinances and resolutions, including items related to infrastructure, public safety, zoning, and a resolution opposing state-level Medicaid tracking requirements. Several council members delivered remarks on a mass shooting at the Old West End Festival over the weekend and discussed broader gun violence prevention efforts.

Recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Month

  • Councilwomen Kramer and Morris introduced a resolution (passed unanimously) recognizing June 2026 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month. The proclamation noted that an average of 120 people die daily in gun-related incidents in the U.S. and encouraged community action such as wearing orange, education, and advocating for policy changes.
  • Kendra Keck (Director of Childhood Wellness, Toledo Lucas County Health Department) voiced strong support for the violence interrupter program run by Monsei (Save Our Community), praising its cognitive behavioral training approach and calling for restored school programming.
  • Youth speakers Justice Meredith, Matrice Madrid, and Liviana of the Young Leaders Collective shared personal experiences as victims or family members of gun violence and thanked the Monsei team for their support.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kendra Keck expressed unequivocal support for Monsei’s violence interrupters, stating their efforts are "some of the best I've seen in the nation."
  • Justice Meredith, Matrice Madrid, and Liviana testified about how Monsei’s programs gave them hope and a sense of purpose after experiencing gun violence.
  • Councilmembers publicly thanked the violence interrupters (standing in the chamber) for their daily work in de-escalation and community outreach.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance 249-26 (Special use permit for a school at 3300 Glendale Ave.): Councilman Hobbes explained the school is a dropout recovery program for students expelled from other districts, offering trades. He emphasized it is not a traditional school and that TPS had previously considered partnering. Councilwoman Morris, a former dropout recovery principal, supported the school. The ordinance passed 8-2 (Driscoll and Comives voted no).
  • Ordinance 240-26 (Amendment to FLOC Group for portable ALPRs, two-year continuation): The vote failed with Kramer, Gaddis, Jones, and Comives voting no (6-4? Actual tally: No: Kramer, Gaddis, Jones, Comives; Yes: McPherson, Meldon, Morris, Williams, Driscoll, Hobbs. Motion failed 6-4).
  • Ordinance 241-26 (One-year drone technology continuation with FLOC Group): Passage with dissent: Kramer, Gaddis, Comives voted no (7-3).
  • Ordinance 242-26 (In-car cameras from Midwest Public Safety LLC): Passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 252-26 (Special use permit for a solar field at 427 Lotus Ave.): Passed 8-2 (Gaddis and Jones voted no). Councilwoman Jones explained her no vote was due to lack of a community benefits agreement.
  • Resolution 254-26 (Urging Ohio General Assembly to vote no on HB 795): Councilwoman Gaddis introduced a resolution expressing concerns about GPS-based electronic visit verification for Medicaid services, citing privacy, workforce, and access issues. The resolution passed unanimously.
  • Remarks on the Old West End Festival Shooting: Multiple council members (Morris, Driscoll, Kramer, McPherson, Meldon, Williams, Jones) offered condolences, gratitude to first responders, and called for state-level action on gun violence and restoration of local government funding.

Key Outcomes

  • Proclamation adopted unanimously recognizing National Gun Violence Awareness Month.
  • Resolution 228-26: Declaring intent to waive admission fees to city pools during heat emergencies — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 185-26: Spent lime disposal contract (up to $5.5 million annually) — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 229-26: Toledo Municipal Court case file scanning with ScanWorks ($72,934) — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinances 230-26 through 234-26: Department of Public Utility items (water reclamation, vector truck, stormwater boxes, maintenance equipment, permanganate facility) — all passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 235-26: Real estate conveyance to Toledo Lucas County Public Library — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 236-26: Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellow grant ($300,000) — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinances 237-26 and 238-26: Department of Transportation items (ODOT agreement, Main Street grant) — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 239-26: Project Safe Neighborhood grant ($21,900) — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 240-26: Portible ALPR continuation (failed 6-4).
  • Ordinance 241-26: Drone services continuation ($100,000) — passed 7-3.
  • Ordinance 242-26: In-car cameras ($91,000) — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 243-26: Motorola radio purchase ($62,000) — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 244-26: VAWA grant for domestic violence unit ($30,000.52) — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 245-26: Fire inspection software amendment ($7,888) — passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 246-26: Hoffman Road Landfill compliance ($360,000) — passed unanimously.
  • Zoning ordinances 247-26 through 253-26: Special use permits and zoning map changes — all passed with varying votes (see discussion).
  • Resolution 254-26: Opposing HB 795 — passed unanimously.
  • Absences excused: Councilmen Martinez and Meldon, Councilwoman Morris, Councilman Hobbes, Councilwoman Jones — all excused for specific committee meetings.

Meeting Transcript

Recognizing June 2026 is National Gun Violence Awareness Month. This is being brought forth by Councilwoman Kramer and Morris. Whereas National Gun Violence Awareness Month is observed every June, beginning with National Gun Violence Awareness Day on the first Friday of the month to raise awareness about gun violence and advocate for prevention and safety measures. And whereas the month was created to draw attention to the epidemic of gun violence in the United States, where an average of 120 people die in gun related incidents every day. And whereas National Gun Violence Awareness Month honors victims, survivors, and advocates, and promotes the Wear Orange campaign inspired by the friends of 15-year-old Hadaya Pendleton, who was killed in Chicago in 2013, and the color orange was chosen because of the color that hunters wear to signal don't shoot. And whereas key dates and events include National Gun Violence Awareness Day on the first Friday of June, and Wear Orange Weekend features events, education, and advocacy. And whereas organizations and individuals can take action during the month by wearing orange to show solidarity and raise awareness, educating others about gun safety, including proper storage to prevent accidents, joining or hosting prevention events in schools and local community organizations, advocating for policy change such as a banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines, and sharing resources and graphics on social media with hashtags like hashtag gun violence awareness month and hashtag wear orange. And whereas gun violence can be greatly reduced and is preventable when communities know the warning signs and take proactive steps. And the month serves as a call to action for individuals, schools, and policymakers to work together to end gun violence. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Council of the City of Toledo that June 2026 is hereby recognized as National Gun Violence Awareness Month. Suspension? Kramer, McPherson, Meldon, Morris, Williams, Driscoll, Gaddis, Hobbes, Jones, Comives. Motion carried. Passage. Kramer? Yes. McPherson. Yes. Meldon. Yes. Morris? Yes. Williams? Yes. Driscoll? Yes. Gaddis. Yes. Hobbs? Yes. Jones? Yes. Comives? Yes. Resolution adopted. And now we'll turn the meeting over to Council. I'm sorry. Yes, we passed it. Thank you. Councilwoman uh Kramer. Thank you so much. I want to invite the volunteers to come up. Those from Monsi, those from Moms Demand Action, those from the multi-faith coalition. If you would like to say a few words about the proclamation. Everybody's being shocked. Is that right? Yeah. No, it's been a rough week. Hello. My name is Kendra Keck and actually Kendra Seville.

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