The Toledo City Council held an Agenda Review meeting on August 18, 2026, at 2:00 PM in Council Chambers to preview items for the August 25, 2026 regular meeting. Council reviewed over 30 legislative items, including appointments, zoning changes, infrastructure projects, and policy amendments. Key discussions revolved around the demolition of the former Health Department building, Phase II of the Arlington Avenue sewer repair, a new West Toledo police substation lease, and amendments to the Human Relations Commission.
All right, we want to do a little bit of housekeeping. If you see our on the agenda, please make sure once this table clears from the last you jump in. So make sure you know where you are your agenda, please. I thank you all for being here and welcome back. Go. Go. I call out to order the agenda review meeting of August 18, 2026. Clerk, please call the roll. McPherson, Meldon, Morris, Sarantu. Here. Williams here. Driscoll. Gaddis. Hobbs. Jones. Here. Comives. Kramer. Here. Martinez. Present. Six present. All right. And Councilman Hobbes is on his way. Items one and two are from the Department of Community Services. Please introduce yourself and go ahead. Good afternoon, Council members. My name is Karen Maloney. I'm the Commissioner of Civic Engagement in the Office of Community Services. And I'm here to request approval for an amendment to Toledo Municipal Code Chapter 141.01 appointments to boards and commissions. This amendment updates the chapter to include an annual review of boards and commissions to determine inactivity before the end of the fiscal year. It establishes an inactive board as one who has failed to hold a meeting, conduct business, issue a report, or perform functions assigned to it in a calendar year. A board who has been deemed inactive for five consecutive calendar years will be presented to council and elimination will be recommended. Documentation that the board or commission has been inactive for five or four f five or more years, and a statement that the board or commission is not required by the city charter, Ohio revised code, or any federal law. Okay. Councilmember McPherson and Councilmember uh Gavis is not here, so we'll go forward with SEP. Item number two. Okay. I am also here uh to request an amendment to Toledo Municipal Code Chapter 159 Human Relations Commission. This amendment would implement recommendations from the BGSU boards and commissions analysis that was completed early this spring and presented to committee on May 28th. This amendment specifically includes the thirteenth recommendation of the report to consolidate boards and commissions with overlapping missions to improve coordination and efficiency. Um the executive board becomes three at-large members. And so the initial makeup of the HRC is 13 mayor-appointed members approved by council and one member of council serving it uh as an ex-officio member. Umbly encouraged to be ambassadors for the city, and the HRC meetings become a mechanism for residents to connect to city resources and unofficially report systemic concerns. Um the HRC can then respond to residents' concerns with educational opportunities, resources, events, and so on. The HRC then will become a living body um and that is goal driven in conjunction and c in conjunction with the city strategic priorities, where commissions, working groups, and committees can be popped up, dissolved, or put on hold as determined by the needs of our residents and the administration. So while the initial makeup of the HRC of this evolved HRC includes the six district liaisons and four community advocates, it's intended not to stay that way. Um initially. All right, thank you, Councilwinner Sarantsu, and I'd like to recommend recognition recognize Councilman Hobbes as being in attendance. Thank you.