Toledo City Council Meeting - September 8, 2026
Toledo City Council Meeting - September 8, 2026
The Toledo City Council convened on September 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting opened with an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a resolution honoring social justice activist Linnie Liggins Willis. Council passed several ordinances on second reading, introduced new items from various departments, and engaged in extensive debate over the use of Flock license plate reader cameras, with multiple members calling for a pause pending an audit. Other topics included the Brent Industries chemical incident, the city's lead law enforcement, and community events.
Consent Calendar
- All items on the agenda were considered individually; no consent calendar was used.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were heard.
Discussion Items
- Resolution R-381-26 (Honoring Linnie Liggins Willis): Councilwoman McPherson presented the resolution, highlighting Willis's delayed degree from the University of Mississippi due to a 1970 protest, her subsequent receipt of the diploma in 2020, and her decades of community service as CEO of Lucas County Metropolitan Housing Authority. Council members praised Willis's perseverance and impact. The resolution passed unanimously (11-0).
- Second Reading Items:
- O-349-26 (Water bond refinancing): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-350-26 (Noxious weed assessment liens): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-353-26 (Lake Erie West Regional Council dues): Councilman Driscoll noted questions about dues calculation and announced a future committee meeting to review data tools. The item was referred to the Transportation Committee without a vote.
- New Items from Council:
- R-382-26 (Commitment to disability inclusion): Councilman Meldon introduced the resolution, which passed unanimously.
- O-383-26 (Reappropriation of funds in Judges Division): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-384-26 (Safe Streets for All Grant for fleet safety): Referred to the Transportation Committee.
- O-385-26 (Settlement of claims in Singletary v. City of Toledo): Passed unanimously (10-0, with one abstention noted for Councilman Serrant) with an emergency clause.
- O-386-26 (Fire truck antitrust litigation legal agreement): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-387-26 (Acceptance of $13,224 donation from Elevance Health for ultrasound): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-388-26 (Smaller pump stations replacement contract up to $1,020,000): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-389-26 (Amending community recreation zoning code): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-390-26 (Special use permit for community center at 355 Dearborn Ave): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-391-26 (Special use permit for used auto sales at 5057 Lewis Ave): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-392-26 (Zoning map change at 3959 Lagrange St): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-393-26 (PUD amendment for new library at 3027 W. Alexis Rd): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- O-394-26 (Vacation of Jefferson Ave portion near Maumee River): Passed unanimously with an emergency clause.
- Councilmember Statements (1st Call):
- Councilman Meldon highlighted R-382-26's importance and announced an upcoming Economic Development and Innovation Committee hearing on AI strategy and data privacy (Sept 15).
- Councilwoman Morris noted staff changes, a Point Place academic plan, and upcoming art walks (Sept 19, 26).
- Councilman Serrant announced the Greek American Festival (Sept 11-13).
- Councilman Driscoll criticized the condition of Pickford pool facilities, urged budget prioritization for capital investments, expressed concern over lead law enforcement driving landlords to sell, and called for pausing the Flock camera system until an audit of data handling is completed.
- Councilwoman Gaddis supported the Flock audit, noted her pending 10-point records request for Flock data made 69 days prior, raised issues with grass-cutting disparities in her district, and requested information on ordinances tied to the Swain Field Farmers Market funding.
- Councilman Hobbes emphasized September as Suicide Prevention Month, opposed pausing Flock cameras citing its role in solving kidnappings and homicides, and urged continued use pending evidence of abuse.
- Councilwoman Jones updated on Brent Industries: health department has a webpage but no on-site testing; she is working on a hotline. She also corrected misinformation that council had involvement in a problematic RFP for food systems, and announced upcoming community events (Connecting Kids to Meals Sept 12, Sickle Cell 5K Sept 19).
- Councilman Colmines thanked attendees of the Brent Industries hearing, noted that chemical tanks had been removed and the cleanup company requested pausing air/water testing (to be approved by OEPA), but city environmental services will continue monitoring. He also stated that 5% of all past due water bills are owed by Brent Industries, called for investigation into such companies, and reiterated his opposition to Flock cameras, citing Columbus's pause and constitutional concerns. He asked if any city employees have been investigated for Flock misuse.
- Councilwoman Kramer shared positive feedback on a produce party at Sonya Organics, urged inclusion of urban farmers at Swain Field stands, and supported pausing Flock cameras due to bipartisan concerns and examples from Monroe County, Columbus, and Florida. She warned that data access by out-of-state law enforcement could endanger people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care.
- Councilman Martinez thanked Meldon for the disability resolution, highlighted inclusive projects in District 2 (Snyder Park playground, crosswalks), and opposed pausing Flock cameras. He argued that pausing would violate TMC Section 30 (prohibiting council interference in day-to-day operations), noted that recent federal ruling (Schmidt v. Norfolk) upheld legality, stated there have been no investigations of abuse locally, and stressed that pausing Monroe County's system could harm Toledo safety due to interstate criminal activity. He also encouraged colleagues to meet with TPD for detailed understanding.
- Councilwoman McPherson expressed condolences for fire victims at St. Agnes Church (unhoused individuals), praised DPU communication during heavy rains, thanked Connecting Kids to Meals volunteers (noting 16,000 snack bags distributed weekly), and promoted the Toledo Sister Cities International Festival (Sept 12).
- Council President Williams shared details of a Flock-assisted murder investigation (Joseph Johnson, March 2025) that led to arrests within two weeks, argued that Flock has reduced crime in District 4, and urged council to obtain the same TPD presentation before deciding on a pause. He announced a town hall on Sept 10 at 5 PM at Zablocki Center.
Key Outcomes
- Adopted Resolutions: R-381-26 (Honoring Linnie Liggins Willis), R-382-26 (Disability inclusion commitment).
- Passed Ordinances (Emergency): O-349-26, O-350-26, O-383-26, O-385-26 (10-0 with one abstention), O-386-26, O-387-26, O-388-26, O-389-26, O-390-26, O-391-26, O-392-26, O-393-26, O-394-26. All votes were unanimous where tallied.
- Referred to Committee: O-353-26 (Transportation), O-384-26 (Transportation).
- No vote taken on Flock pause: Multiple council members expressed support for or opposition to a pause, but no formal motion was made. President Williams announced he would introduce legislation to audit the Flock system. The administration has not paused the system.
Meeting Transcript
Here. Gaddis. Here. Hobbs. Here. Jones. Here. Colmines? Here. Kramer. Here. Martinez. Present. McPherson. Here. Eleven present. Please stand for the invocation by Reverend Sohan from Buddhist, the Buddhist Temple of Toledo, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag and a performance of the national anthem by Adam Beanman. Good afternoon, everyone. Could we have like about uh thirty seconds of silence and everybody just enjoy the silence? Okay. May this city council session have the blessings of mindfulness, clarity, compassion, and right intention. Let understanding, harmony, and cooperation fill this space. May your work, your inspired work, be a benefit to all who are touched by the decisions made here today. May it be so I am space on America. Councilman Meldon. Thank you so much, President Williams. This is uh you know, it's always fun. We get to put these pairings together, and this one really threw me off to be honest with you, because these two uh gentlemen here are one is a very new friend, one is a very, very old friend, so I'm gonna give a little background on Reverend So on. Um I reached out to the temple to have someone uh come out for this month, and I did not know who it was gonna be. Kind of dealer's choice, if you will, and so wouldn't you know when I go find someone who we've twenty years ago we first met, um and I have memories of us playing music together, and Reverend plays a mean mandolin among many other things, I'm sure. That's true. I know Buddhist is to go on. It's not mean. It's probably not a mean mandolin. Um thank you so much for being here. That's very, very meaningful, and then Adam, thanks for being here too. Uh new, much, much newer friend, not 20 years. We don't go 20 years back. Uh, but I got to see you. My wife and I got to see you perform recently, and I was like, man, if we can pull this off, that'd be pretty cool too. So thank you so much for being here. I don't know how our meeting could be off to a better start because of both of you, so thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Clerk, please begin with the resolution in attendance. Resolution 381-26, honoring Linny Liggins Willis for her social justice activism and the delayed conferral of her degree from the University of Mississippi. This is presented by Councilwoman McPherson. Whereas Linny Liggins Willis completed all coursework and requirements for her degree from the University of Mississippi in 1970, and whereas Linny and 88 other students engaged in a peaceful protest at the university in 1970, which resulted in the expulsion of eight students, the old Miss Eight, despite fulfilling the academic requirements for graduation, Linny, as one of the eight was denied the opportunity to receive her diploma and participate in the commencement ceremony. And whereas for nearly five decades, Linny carried the distinction of having earned her degree while awaiting the formal recognition and diploma that should have accompanied that accomplishment. And whereas in 2020, the University of Mississippi acknowledged this history, issued an apology to Linny and her classmates, and presented her with the diploma formally conferring the degree she had earned in 1970.
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