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Record of Proceedings

Whitehall City Council Meeting Summary - December 16, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, December 16, 2025
BodyWhitehall, Ohio
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, December 16, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:18

Thank you.

Speaker 2

0:19

I am going to now.

0:21

Yeah.

0:21

Well, it's it's 6 38, and I'm going to open our agenda meeting for December 16th.

0:31

But before I do, Mr.

0:33

Dika Dermis, if you would Nicodemus.

0:38

Audience, and once again, I'm going to need you to please be quiet.

0:41

All

Speaker 3

0:41

right.

Unassigned speaker

0:42

A

Speaker 3

0:42

little bit of an unusual matter.

0:44

It's been brought to my attention.

0:46

I think we all saw there are children in the room.

0:49

One of the conditions of Mr.

0:50

Dixon's bond was reported as a stay away from children.

0:55

I cannot give legal advice to Mr.

0:57

Dixon in this matter.

0:59

Except that to say, as city attorney, who have the prosecutors.

1:03

Prosecute our crimes downtown that this could be a violation.

1:10

So I just I believe Mr.

1:12

Dixon.

1:14

I can't give you advice, but I believe you should probably contact your attorney prior to continuing.

1:31

I I I don't know, but I I believe I again I can't give you legal advice.

1:37

This is one of those instances where you should contact your attorney.

1:42

If you choose to stay, that is your choice.

1:46

But uh yeah, I I I would uh again I if you should contact her.

Speaker 4

1:54

It doesn't children come to our events.

1:56

Excuse me,

Speaker 5

1:56

I'm speaking to uh

Speaker 4

1:57

children come to

Speaker 3

1:58

our Mr.

1:58

Nicodemus.

1:59

I I don't know either.

2:01

I know in normal course of things, if it if a court orders a stay away from a person or there's a protection order, and a protected party shows up where the restrained party is at, the restrained party has to leave.

2:18

Um again, this one is kind of unique uh because of the council dynamic and your right to be here.

2:26

Let me make a call.

Speaker 4

2:32

This that was one of the points I have in this legislation.

2:35

It wasn't too early.

Unassigned speaker

2:36

Okay, so it doesn't matter.

Speaker 2

2:38

Well, he steps away.

2:39

We are gonna move forward with our agenda meeting.

2:42

So we'll start with a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance.

2:45

We'll have the roll call.

2:47

Um we've got the approval of our minutes.

2:49

I'm gonna need somebody to make a motion and somebody to second.

2:53

I'll make a motion.

Speaker 3

2:54

Okay.

2:55

Second.

Speaker 2

3:02

Okay.

3:03

Uh then we have a special presentation.

3:05

Scott Brown, Central Ohio Regional Representative for the High Auditors State Office.

3:09

He'll be presenting an award to Mr.

3:12

Quincel.

3:13

Um we'll then move into our standing committee reports, followed by our officials' reports.

3:19

And

Unassigned speaker

3:20

uh the

Speaker 2

3:20

following official reports have been filed in the council office since our last meeting.

3:23

We have one item, which is the auditors financial report for October and November of 2025.

3:28

Under communications, petitions and claims.

3:31

We have no communications, petitions, or claims

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Personnel Matters███████████████████19%
Budget Equity Analysis██████████████14%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Public Safety█████████9%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Neighborhood Development█████5%
Public Engagement███3%
Water And Wastewater Management██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Whitehall City Council Meeting Summary - December 16, 2025

The Whitehall City Council met on December 16, 2025, for its final regular meeting of the year. The meeting was dominated by two major issues: the failed vote to expel Councilmember Gerald Dixon and the adoption of the city's 2026 budget. The meeting also featured the presentation of the Auditor of State Award to retiring Auditor Steve Quincel and farewells to departing council members Joanna Heck and Amy Smith.

Consent Calendar

  • The minutes from the December 2, 2025, regular meeting and December 9, 2025, committee meeting were approved unanimously.
  • Verification of copies was confirmed by roll call.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jasmin Starlink expressed profound disappointment in the council's failure to expel Councilmember Dixon, calling the alleged conduct "disgusting and wicked."
  • Tara Alston, speaking as a survivor, stated the vote was "disheartening" and argued it negatively impacts victims coming forward.
  • Tina Matthews stated she was "disgusted and appalled" and directly criticized Councilmember Morrison for his dissenting vote, asking if he had grandchildren.
  • David Jackson argued that leaders are held to a higher standard and the accusation alone damages the city's reputation, urging removal in the future.

Discussion Items

  • Expulsion Vote on Councilmember Gerald Dixon: Prior to the meeting, City Attorney Nicodemus informed Dixon his bond conditions restricted contact with children. After consulting his attorney and the court, Dixon left the meeting. A motion to expel him resulted in a 5-1 vote (Morrison dissenting), which failed to meet the required threshold. Mayor Michael Bivens condemned the outcome, criticizing Morrison for not reviewing the evidence. Morrison defended his vote, stating he conducted independent research and represented his constituents. Council members Heck and Brown emphasized there were no coordinated discussions among the voting majority.
  • 2026 Budget Adoption (Ord. 118 & 119): The city adopted its 2026 operating budget. Ordinance 118 (General Fund, $44.99 million) passed 6-1. Ordinance 119 (Special Revenue, $35.61 million) passed 6-0. Mayor Bivens highlighted the $6.9 million carryover into 2026.
  • Department of Neighborhoods Created (Ord. 127): Adopted 6-1. Councilmember Morrison voiced fiscal concerns, advocating for expansion of existing services. Other members supported creating a new department to better reach underserved residents.
  • Special Permit for Drive-Through (Ord. 120): Approved 6-1 for the Wright-Patt Credit Union drive-through at 0 S. Hamilton Road.
  • Interference with Council Communications (Ord. 133): A motion to suspend the rules failed 1-5, sending the ordinance to a second reading. Council and the City Attorney noted the language required further refinement.
  • Treasurer's Annual Financial Report: Treasurer Shaquille Alexander presented a detailed breakdown. He reported 90% of general fund revenue comes from income tax, highlighted a 2025 budget surplus, and noted the Budget Stabilization Fund holds $1.51 million towards its $6 million operational reserve goal.

Key Outcomes

  • Expulsion Failed: Motion to expel Councilmember Gerald Dixon failed (5-1). The matter may be revisited by the new council in 2026.
  • 2026 Budgets Adopted: Ordinance 118-2025 (6-1) and Ordinance 119-2025 (6-0) were adopted.
  • Department of Neighborhoods Created: Ordinance 127-2025 (6-1).
  • Drive-Through Special Permit Approved: Ordinance 120-2025 (6-1).
  • School Compensation Agreement Approved: Resolution 48-2025 (6-0-1, Heck abstained).
  • Communication Ordinance Delayed: Ordinance 133-2025 deferred to second reading after suspension of rules failed (1-5).
  • Personnel Table and Fees Updated: Ordinances 129, 130, and 131 adopted.
  • Water Line Grant Accepted: Resolution 49-2025 authorizing the mayor to accept an ARPA construction grant for East Main Street water lines.
  • Farewells and Transitions: The meeting marked the final official session for retiring Auditor Steve Quincel and departing council members Amy Smith and Joanna Heck. Treasurer Shaquille Alexander will succeed Quincel as City Auditor.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you. I am going to now. Yeah. Well, it's it's 6 38, and I'm going to open our agenda meeting for December 16th. But before I do, Mr. Dika Dermis, if you would Nicodemus. Audience, and once again, I'm going to need you to please be quiet. All right. A little bit of an unusual matter. It's been brought to my attention. I think we all saw there are children in the room. One of the conditions of Mr. Dixon's bond was reported as a stay away from children. I cannot give legal advice to Mr. Dixon in this matter. Except that to say, as city attorney, who have the prosecutors. Prosecute our crimes downtown that this could be a violation. So I just I believe Mr. Dixon. I can't give you advice, but I believe you should probably contact your attorney prior to continuing. I I I don't know, but I I believe I again I can't give you legal advice. This is one of those instances where you should contact your attorney. If you choose to stay, that is your choice. But uh yeah, I I I would uh again I if you should contact her. It doesn't children come to our events. Excuse me, I'm speaking to uh children come to our Mr. Nicodemus. I I don't know either. I know in normal course of things, if it if a court orders a stay away from a person or there's a protection order, and a protected party shows up where the restrained party is at, the restrained party has to leave. Um again, this one is kind of unique uh because of the council dynamic and your right to be here. Let me make a call. This that was one of the points I have in this legislation. It wasn't too early. Okay, so it doesn't matter. Well, he steps away. We are gonna move forward with our agenda meeting. So we'll start with a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance. We'll have the roll call. Um we've got the approval of our minutes. I'm gonna need somebody to make a motion and somebody to second. I'll make a motion. Okay. Second. Okay. Uh then we have a special presentation.

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