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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Vandalia City Council Meeting - June 16, 2025

City Council — Monday, June 16, 2025

BodyVandalia, Ohio

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, June 16, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:12:02

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0:02

The Monday, June 16th, 2025 City of Andaya Council meeting is now called to order.

0:08

Um we anticipate many citizens um many citizen comments regarding the referendum matter, which is not on our agenda tonight.

0:15

So in order um to be timely and get through our regular business of the city and allow those that are here for appointments in various positions and variants request uh to be heard timely, I ask that a motion be to amend the agenda to move the item comments from interested citizens before the city manager's report to immediately following the reading of the May 2025 bill listing and the monthly expenses over 25,000 and a monthly purchase card detail item.

0:45

So moved.

0:47

Second.

0:48

Motion by uh Vice Mayor Blakesley and a second by Councilman Lewis.

0:53

Called roll.

0:54

Councilmember Dugan.

0:56

Yes, Councilmember Lewis, yes, Councilmember Fallett, yes, Councilmember Farrest, yes, Councilmember Avalodis Weaver, yes, Vice Mayor Blakesley, yes, Mayor Herbs.

1:06

Yes, and the motion passes 70.

1:08

And tonight we'll begin with a moment of reflection, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

1:18

Please stand for the pledge.

1:23

I pledge allegiance to the flag 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.

1:42

Next we have the approval of minutes where councils had an opportunity to review the study session meeting minutes along with the council meeting minutes of April 7th and the study session minutes and council meeting minutes of August 21st.

1:56

Are there any comments or corrections?

2:00

They stand approved.

2:01

That brings us to communications petitions and awards where we have three proclamations tonight.

2:06

Uh tonight we'll begin with uh a proclamation for from the B City USA to Mr.

2:12

Al Tuttle.

2:13

So if he can join me at the podium, take all this jump with me.

2:39

All right, well, this is something we do yearly to keep our certification and everything.

2:43

We certainly appreciate you and everything you've done to uh make us a b city.

2:48

So uh again, congratulations, and we will present this to you, and we're we're gonna proclaim that the week of June 16th as uh pollinator week here in the city of Vandalia.

2:58

Thank you very much.

2:59

I accept that on the on behalf of the Storp Society of Andalia Butler.

3:03

Uh, we appreciate the city support since we were uh named a city of uh B City USA in 2016.

3:09

So uh especially Angela Schwartz for her uh B display and also over the parks for all the work that they've done in planting pollinator-friendly uh plants.

3:19

All right, well, thank you.

3:20

There you go.

3:24

You're welcome.

3:30

All right, and next we have a um proclamation recognizing Paige Harsman, if she could join me up here at the podium recognizing Paige for earning the Girl Stout Gold Award.

3:47

If you don't mind, I'd like to read this to you.

3:49

Okay, all right.

3:50

All right, whereas the City of Vandalia seeks to recognize and honor those citizens who have distinguished themselves through good deeds and work, and whereas the Girl Scouts Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts in the USA, recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments of senior and ambassador girl stouts, and whereas only 5.4% of eligible girl scouts earn this prestigious honor, reflecting the exceptional dedication, leadership, and service to the community.

4:23

And whereas Paige Harsman, a member of Girl Scout Troop 35209 in Vandalia, and a junior at Shamanad Julianne High School, has been a committed girl scout for 11 years.

4:37

And whereas Paige Harsman's earned the gold award through her exemplary project awareness of an alternate for food allergies, in which she identified a critical need in her community for increased awareness of food allergies, particularly at youth sporting events.

5:00

And whereas Paige researched allergen-free snack options, created a comprehensive educational flip book containing information on common allergens, healthy alternatives, and allergy-friendly recipes, and distributed these materials to troop leaders and children's activity organizers across the community.

5:14

Now, therefore, I, Richard Herbst, as the authority vested in me as the mayor of the City of Andalia, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, June 17th, as Paige Harzman Day in the City of Andalia.

5:27

Congratulations.

5:46

And lastly, we have a proclamation for the Parks and Recreation Month.

5:51

So who's going to be joining us?

5:54

Come on.

6:01

You can tell who drew the short straws.

6:08

All right.

6:09

Well, we all know that it's been a very busy year in the Parks and Rec.

6:13

We've had the complete renovation of several parks.

6:16

We have new equipment at the Rec Center.

6:18

And we appreciate all you do because our Parks and Rec is definitely an asset to our community and our families that live here.

6:24

So again, congratulations.

6:26

And we want to uh proclaim that July is Parks and Rec month here in the city of Andalia.

7:02

Bear with me here.

7:08

All right, next we have a retirement acknowledgement.

7:12

Mr.

7:12

Althouse.

7:14

Well, thank you, Your Honor.

7:15

And this evening we have the distinguished privilege of recognizing a long-term employee for the City of Vandalia, Steve Clark, our Parks and Recreation Director.

7:25

Steve, if you would stand and be recognized.

7:28

For those in the audience, uh, just so you know, Steve has served the city for over 37 years in the parks and recreation department and has done an outstanding job.

7:39

Steve, your leadership has been an example to all of us here.

7:43

You've you've served through a number of councils and uh leadership positions here, and we just want to take this time to acknowledge the work that you've done, the leadership you've provided to Parks and Rec and your dedicated service to making our city a great place with Parks and Rec programs.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural███████████████████████████████31%

Public Engagement███████████████15%

Zoning And Land Use█████████████13%

Arts And Culture████████8%

Election████████8%

Community Engagement██████6%

Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%

Fiscal Sustainability████4%

Environmental Protection████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Vandalia City Council Meeting - June 16, 2025

The Vandalia City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, June 16, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included proclamations, recognition of a retiring employee, approval of routine items, two emergency ordinances, and extended public comments regarding a recent referendum and zoning decisions. All votes were 7-0 unless noted.

Consent Calendar

Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the Council Study Session (April 7), Council Meeting (April 7), Council Study Session (April 21), and Council Meeting (April 21) were approved without comment.
Proclamations:
- Proclamation for Pollinator Week (June 16–22, 2025) presented to Al Tuttle on behalf of the Storp Society of Vandalia Butler.
- Proclamation recognizing Paige Harsman, a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient; June 17 was declared Paige Harsman Day in Vandalia. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts earn this award.
- Proclamation for Parks & Recreation Month, declaring July 2025 as such.
Retirement Acknowledgement: Steve Clark, Director of Parks and Recreation, was recognized for 37 years of service. He introduced his family and thanked the community and staff.
City Manager's Report – Action Items: Reappointments to various boards and commissions were approved, and oaths of office were administered to Kristen Cox and Dave Arnold (Planning Commission) and Mike Johnson (Board of Zoning Appeals).
Resolution 25-R-31: Authorized a Phase 2 contract amendment with Energy Systems Group LLC for $26,393 (budget $90,000) for planning and design of facility infrastructure improvements (recreation center boiler replacement). Approved.
First Reading Ordinances:
- Ordinance 25-13: Rezoning 0.919 acres at 3320 Benchwood Road from RSF-1 to HB (Highway Business). Planning Commission recommended 4-0. Approved.
- Ordinance 25-14: Codification update including ordinances passed in 2024 and Ohio Revised Code amendments. Approved.
Emergency Ordinances (both with public hearings—no comments):
- Ordinance 25-11: Issuance of $1,272,000 in notes to retire 2024 land acquisition notes (Stone Quarry Crossing Development). The new note matures July 2026; debt paid in full by 2036.
- Ordinance 25-12: Issuance of $865,000 in notes to retire 2024 various purpose notes (for a fire engine and fire ladder truck). New notes mature August 2026; fire engine debt paid by 2026, ladder truck by 2031.
Variance BZA 25-0006: Approved a variance at 650 Pool Avenue (The Landing) to allow zero feet of lot frontage (required 125 feet). Board of Zoning Appeals voted 2-1 to recommend.
May 2025 Bill Listing: $7,544,238.51 in bills and $32,336.18 in purchasing card expenses were acknowledged.

Public Comments & Testimony

David Todd (156 Colebrook Drive): Complained about code enforcement regarding overgrown weeds (over 40 inches) at 144 Colebrook. He criticized the lack of action after notices. Also reported an abandoned vehicle (license JNV 9512) at 131 Colebrook and limbs/debris at 751 Spartan. City manager said he would follow up.
Lydia Plyman (4001 Old Springfield Road): Advocated for pollinator habitat, noting that each acre of agricultural land converted to development removes 96 million microliters (20 gallons) of honey. She urged council to consider the impact on bees and food supply.
Robert Shanahan (7733 South Brown School Road): Expressed strong opposition to the council's approval of the PUD (planned unit development) for 167 homes, criticizing the denial of the referendum and the requirement for two-story homes along South Brown School Road. He accused council of being developer-friendly and disregarding citizens.
Jeff Hoagland (817 Deerhurst Drive): Stated he was 100% supportive of housing at the South Brown School Road location but wanted higher standards (larger lots, no vinyl siding, more brick/stone). He criticized the city for providing a petition form that did not comply with Ohio Revised Code (form not updated since 2010) and called for immediate charter amendments. He also reported that a council member contacted his employer (Dayton Development Coalition) to complain about him, questioning his ethics. He said the council member did not reach out to him directly.

Discussion Items

City Manager's Report – Information Items: Upcoming events announced: Stars, Stripes & Songs with the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight (June 19, 7-9 PM at Art Park on Alkaline Springs); Vandalia FlightFest (June 20-21, 6-10 PM each day at Sports Complex) featuring the Thunderbirds, Golden Knights, and the Lt. Dan Band; Star Spangled Celebration (July 3, 6 PM, fireworks at 10 PM, rain date July 5 at 10 PM with fireworks only); City offices closed July 4; Council Retreat on July 7 at 4 PM at Justice Center; Summer schedule: July 21 meeting at 7 PM with study session at 5:30 PM.
Council Comments: Council members congratulated Steve Clark, thanked board volunteers, and previewed community events. Councilmember Follick apologized to Jeff Hoagland for the inappropriate contact by a council member and stated he did not believe any city staff intentionally derailed the referendum process. He noted the need for charter amendments. Vice Mayor Blakesley and others also expressed condolences for Ted Russen, a former city employee.
Post-Adjournment Exchange: After the meeting was adjourned, a citizen (likely from the referendum committee) questioned City Manager Althouse about the petition form. Althouse stated the form complied with the city charter and the relevant Ohio Revised Code section, but acknowledged he did not check the section for nominating petitions that requires specific language. He said he had traced the missing language back to at least 2010. The citizen argued that the city's form was deficient and that the city attorney should have ensured correctness. The citizen also claimed that a letter meant for Tamala Weatherhead was not delivered to her. Althouse responded that he handed the letter to someone else (Mr. Hoagland) to deliver. The citizen asserted that no committee member received communication until the referendum was rejected.

Key Outcomes

All agenda items passed unanimously (7-0).
The council did not take any action on the referendum or the petition form issue during the meeting. The exchange after adjournment indicated ongoing disagreement.
Council members acknowledged the need to consider charter amendments in the near future.
The city manager will follow up on Mr. Todd's code enforcement and abandoned vehicle complaints.
Steve Clark's retirement was formally recognized, and his contributions were praised.

Meeting Transcript

The Monday, June 16th, 2025 City of Andaya Council meeting is now called to order. Um we anticipate many citizens um many citizen comments regarding the referendum matter, which is not on our agenda tonight. So in order um to be timely and get through our regular business of the city and allow those that are here for appointments in various positions and variants request uh to be heard timely, I ask that a motion be to amend the agenda to move the item comments from interested citizens before the city manager's report to immediately following the reading of the May 2025 bill listing and the monthly expenses over 25,000 and a monthly purchase card detail item. So moved. Second. Motion by uh Vice Mayor Blakesley and a second by Councilman Lewis. Called roll. Councilmember Dugan. Yes, Councilmember Lewis, yes, Councilmember Fallett, yes, Councilmember Farrest, yes, Councilmember Avalodis Weaver, yes, Vice Mayor Blakesley, yes, Mayor Herbs. Yes, and the motion passes 70. And tonight we'll begin with a moment of reflection, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Please stand for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag 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. Next we have the approval of minutes where councils had an opportunity to review the study session meeting minutes along with the council meeting minutes of April 7th and the study session minutes and council meeting minutes of August 21st. Are there any comments or corrections? They stand approved. That brings us to communications petitions and awards where we have three proclamations tonight. Uh tonight we'll begin with uh a proclamation for from the B City USA to Mr. Al Tuttle. So if he can join me at the podium, take all this jump with me. All right, well, this is something we do yearly to keep our certification and everything. We certainly appreciate you and everything you've done to uh make us a b city. So uh again, congratulations, and we will present this to you, and we're we're gonna proclaim that the week of June 16th as uh pollinator week here in the city of Vandalia. Thank you very much. I accept that on the on behalf of the Storp Society of Andalia Butler. Uh, we appreciate the city support since we were uh named a city of uh B City USA in 2016. So uh especially Angela Schwartz for her uh B display and also over the parks for all the work that they've done in planting pollinator-friendly uh plants. All right, well, thank you. There you go. You're welcome. All right, and next we have a um proclamation recognizing Paige Harsman, if she could join me up here at the podium recognizing Paige for earning the Girl Stout Gold Award. If you don't mind, I'd like to read this to you. Okay, all right. All right, whereas the City of Vandalia seeks to recognize and honor those citizens who have distinguished themselves through good deeds and work, and whereas the Girl Scouts Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts in the USA, recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments of senior and ambassador girl stouts, and whereas only 5.4% of eligible girl scouts earn this prestigious honor, reflecting the exceptional dedication, leadership, and service to the community. And whereas Paige Harsman, a member of Girl Scout Troop 35209 in Vandalia, and a junior at Shamanad Julianne High School, has been a committed girl scout for 11 years. And whereas Paige Harsman's earned the gold award through her exemplary project awareness of an alternate for food allergies, in which she identified a critical need in her community for increased awareness of food allergies, particularly at youth sporting events. And whereas Paige researched allergen-free snack options, created a comprehensive educational flip book containing information on common allergens, healthy alternatives, and allergy-friendly recipes, and distributed these materials to troop leaders and children's activity organizers across the community. Now, therefore, I, Richard Herbst, as the authority vested in me as the mayor of the City of Andalia, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, June 17th, as Paige Harzman Day in the City of Andalia. Congratulations. And lastly, we have a proclamation for the Parks and Recreation Month. So who's going to be joining us? Come on. You can tell who drew the short straws. All right. Well, we all know that it's been a very busy year in the Parks and Rec. We've had the complete renovation of several parks. We have new equipment at the Rec Center. And we appreciate all you do because our Parks and Rec is definitely an asset to our community and our families that live here. So again, congratulations. And we want to uh proclaim that July is Parks and Rec month here in the city of Andalia.

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