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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Vandalia, Ohio City Council Meeting - July 21, 2025

City Council — Monday, July 21, 2025

BodyVandalia, Ohio

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, July 21, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 39:58

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:04

The Monday, July 21st, 2025, City of Vandea Council meeting is now called to order.

0:09

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

0:18

Please stand for the pledge.

0:23

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:29

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:40

All right, Council, you've had an opportunity to review the council study session minutes of May 5th along with the council meeting minutes of May 5th, the council study session minutes, and the council meeting minutes of May 19th.

0:53

Are there any comments or corrections?

0:55

Being none, they stand approved.

0:57

That brings us to communications petitions and awards, and we have an introduction and oath of office.

1:02

I'll turn it over to Mr.

1:03

Althouse.

1:04

Thank you, Your Honor.

1:05

Tonight I have the privilege of introducing two members of the Division of Fire who we have here tonight.

1:11

We're going to recognize them.

1:13

The first one is Brian Sowers.

1:15

Brian, if you'll stand up, we'll read your bio and then we'll come down and administer the oath of office to you.

1:20

Sir Brian started with the Division of Fire as a part-time fire fire firefighter paramedic in August of 2020.

1:27

Brian is a graduate of Wayne High School in Huber Heights and has been involved with the fire service since 1997.

1:33

Rich has worked at other departments over the years, such as Butler Township, Inglewood, Harrison Township, and Lewisburg Fire Departments, where he's also held ranking positions of lieutenant and assistant chief.

1:44

Brian notably has multiple unit citations and letter accommodations with the Division of Fire.

1:49

Brian delivers top tier service and will continue to be an asset as he moves into his new role as the community risk reduction coordinator within the division of fire.

1:58

So I'll meet you down here at the podium and we'll administer your oath of office.

2:07

And I might add if any family want to do photos, you can do photos while we're here, and then we'll get photos in front of the banner once we administer the oath of office.

2:23

All right, Brian, if you'll raise your right hand and repeat after me.

2:31

Solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution.

2:38

And will obey the laws of the United States.

2:43

And of the state of Ohio.

2:46

That I will, in all respects.

2:53

Of the charter and ordinances of the City of Vandalia.

2:58

And the ordinances of the city of India.

3:01

And we'll faithfully dischargefully discharge the duties of the office of the office of community risk reduction coordinator.

3:14

Within the division of fire.

3:16

Congratulations.

3:21

We'll do the honors of pinning his badge.

3:50

Do you want to do any pictures?

3:51

Okay.

3:52

Let's go ahead and take some time to do some pictures.

4:39

Congratulations once again, Brian.

4:40

We're glad to have you as our community risk reduction coordinator.

4:44

The second member we have to introduce tonight is Eli King.

4:47

Eli, if you'll stand up for us.

4:50

Eli joined the Division of Fire as a part-time employee in April of 2024.

5:00

He is a graduate of Northridge High School and attended the Miami Valley Career Technology Center, where he was enrolled in their Fire EMS program, earning multiple certificates, including honors recognition before graduating.

5:06

Eli is continuing his education and is currently working for his paramedic certification.

5:11

Eli will continue to be an asset as he moves into his full-time role with the Division of Fire.

5:16

So congratulations, welcome aboard to the full-time status.

5:33

All right, Eli, if you'll raise your right hand and repeat after me.

5:39

I, Eli King, solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution.

5:45

That I will support the Constitution.

5:46

And will obey the laws of the United States.

5:51

And of the state of Ohio.

5:53

And the state of Ohio.

5:54

That I will, in all respects, I will in all respects observe the provisions of the charter of the charter and ordinances of the City of Vandalia.

6:07

And will faithfully dischargefully discharge the duties of the office of firefighter EMT.

6:17

Within the division of fire.

6:18

Within the division of fire.

6:19

Fantastic.

6:20

Congratulations.

6:58

All right.

6:58

Well, congratulations to both of you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████48%

Zoning And Land Use██████████████15%

Personnel Matters██████████11%

Public Engagement████████8%

Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%

Pending Litigation████4%

Liquor License███3%

Budget Equity Analysis███3%

Water And Wastewater Management███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Vandalia, Ohio City Council Meeting - July 21, 2025

The Vandalia City Council met in regular session on Monday, July 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. The agenda included oath-of-office ceremonies for two Fire Division employees, a Civil Service Commission appointment, a liquor permit decision, several resolutions and ordinances, board reports, and an executive session on pending litigation.

Consent Calendar

Council approved the minutes of the Council Study Session and Council Meeting of May 5, 2025 and May 19, 2025, with no comments or corrections.

Oaths of Office & Appointment

Bryan Sowers was sworn in as Community Risk Reduction Coordinator (full-time employment began July 9, 2025). Sowers had served as a part-time firefighter/paramedic since August 2020.
Eli King was sworn in as Firefighter/EMT (full-time employment began June 21, 2025). King had served part-time since April 2024.
Council appointed James Carman to the Vandalia Civil Service Commission, and he was sworn in.

Public Comments & Testimony

A Brown School-area resident criticized the Council's handling of the Brown School development. He stated that nearly 600 signatures collected for a referendum effort were deemed legally insufficient by the City despite a recommendation to the contrary by the Montgomery County Board of Elections, due to critical errors on petition forms prepared by City Law Director Gerald McDonald.
The resident argued the Council ignored months of resident objections, passed a "cheapened proposal" after denying the original legislation, and failed to follow the City Charter's petition and referendum provisions. He urged the Council to let citizens decide via the charter's referendum process (Section 9) and said the citizens of Vandalia "deserve to have their trust restored."

Action Items

Appointment: James Carman was appointed to the Vandalia Civil Service Commission.
Liquor permit: Council voted (motion by Councilwoman Farst, second by Councilman Lewis) not to request an ODCL hearing for the C1 permit at 175 Northwoods Boulevard (Pilot Travel dba Flying J Travel Plaza).
Resolution 25-R-32 (Desales (N) Watermain Replacement & Resurfacing Project): Bids were opened July 8, 2025, with nine bids submitted ranging from $1,042,800 to $1,429,743. Council awarded the contract to the lowest and best bidder at $1,042,800 and authorized use of the full appropriated budget for contingencies. The project is supported by $500,000 in OPWC funding.
Resolution 25-R-33 (contract extension with Plattenburg & Associates Inc.): Approved an extension of audit/compilation services for 2025 through 2028 without rebidding, within the 10-consecutive-year limitation.
Resolution 25-R-34 (LED sign leases with Outfront Media): Authorized two LED sign leases for billboards on Airport Access Road. The leases prohibit political nudity, pornography, lewdness, or adult-oriented materials in any signed messages; the LED portion is limited to one face only, with static back signage reserved for city use. The resolution also authorizes the City Manager to enter into an easement agreement with the school district for access to the sign structure on the east side of Airport Access Road.

Public Hearings & Ordinances

Rezoning ordinance (second reading): The subject property would be rezoned from RSF-1 Single Family Residential District to the HB Highway Business District. The Planning Commission voted 4-0 on May 13, 2025, to recommend approval. A public hearing was opened and closed.
Ordinance amending Chapter 1040 (Water and Sewer Tap) and codifying 2024 legislation and Ohio Revised Code amendments (second reading; agenda lists it as 25-16, while discussion referenced 25-14/25-15): A public hearing was opened and closed. One speaker questioned the ordinance language ("What is this gobbledygook?"). The City Manager read a summary stating the update codifies all pertinent legislation passed by Council in 2024 and incorporates amendments to the Ohio Revised Code. A council member raised a point of order noting that the summary sheet numbering differed from the actual ordinance title, explaining that the summary sheet caused the numbering confusion.

Reports from Boards and Commissions

Board of Zoning Appeals: Voted 4-0 on June 11, 2025, to recommend approval of a variance for total accessory structure area at 842 Denora Drive.
Planning Commission meeting minutes of May 13, 2025, were reviewed by Council.

Council Comments

A council member expressed confidence that the City Manager's reasoning on a contested matter was sound and that the City's course of action is proper under Ohio law and the City Charter.
A council member congratulated Parkinson Rec for placing at the OPRA awards.

Executive Session

Council entered executive session to discuss pending or imminent litigation with the City Attorney.

Key Outcomes

Minutes approved; oaths administered to two Fire Division employees; Civil Service Commission seat filled.
No ODCL hearing requested for the liquor permit; construction contract awarded; audit contract extension approved; LED sign leases and school-district easement authorized.
Public hearings for both second-reading ordinances were opened and closed; both ordinances remain pending final action.
Next regular Council meeting: Monday, August 18, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., with the study session tentatively beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

The Monday, July 21st, 2025, City of Vandea Council meeting is now called to order. We'll begin with a moment of reflection, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Please stand for the pledge. 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. All right, Council, you've had an opportunity to review the council study session minutes of May 5th along with the council meeting minutes of May 5th, the council study session minutes, and the council meeting minutes of May 19th. Are there any comments or corrections? Being none, they stand approved. That brings us to communications petitions and awards, and we have an introduction and oath of office. I'll turn it over to Mr. Althouse. Thank you, Your Honor. Tonight I have the privilege of introducing two members of the Division of Fire who we have here tonight. We're going to recognize them. The first one is Brian Sowers. Brian, if you'll stand up, we'll read your bio and then we'll come down and administer the oath of office to you. Sir Brian started with the Division of Fire as a part-time fire fire firefighter paramedic in August of 2020. Brian is a graduate of Wayne High School in Huber Heights and has been involved with the fire service since 1997. Rich has worked at other departments over the years, such as Butler Township, Inglewood, Harrison Township, and Lewisburg Fire Departments, where he's also held ranking positions of lieutenant and assistant chief. Brian notably has multiple unit citations and letter accommodations with the Division of Fire. Brian delivers top tier service and will continue to be an asset as he moves into his new role as the community risk reduction coordinator within the division of fire. So I'll meet you down here at the podium and we'll administer your oath of office. And I might add if any family want to do photos, you can do photos while we're here, and then we'll get photos in front of the banner once we administer the oath of office. All right, Brian, if you'll raise your right hand and repeat after me. Solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution. And will obey the laws of the United States. And of the state of Ohio. That I will, in all respects. Of the charter and ordinances of the City of Vandalia. And the ordinances of the city of India. And we'll faithfully dischargefully discharge the duties of the office of the office of community risk reduction coordinator. Within the division of fire. Congratulations. We'll do the honors of pinning his badge. Do you want to do any pictures? Okay. Let's go ahead and take some time to do some pictures. Congratulations once again, Brian. We're glad to have you as our community risk reduction coordinator. The second member we have to introduce tonight is Eli King. Eli, if you'll stand up for us. Eli joined the Division of Fire as a part-time employee in April of 2024. He is a graduate of Northridge High School and attended the Miami Valley Career Technology Center, where he was enrolled in their Fire EMS program, earning multiple certificates, including honors recognition before graduating. Eli is continuing his education and is currently working for his paramedic certification. Eli will continue to be an asset as he moves into his full-time role with the Division of Fire. So congratulations, welcome aboard to the full-time status. All right, Eli, if you'll raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Eli King, solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution. That I will support the Constitution. And will obey the laws of the United States.

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