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Record of Proceedings

Whitehall City Council Committee Meeting - March 10, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, March 10, 2026
BodyWhitehall, Ohio
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:01

How are you

Speaker 1

0:01

now?

Unassigned speaker

0:01

Do you know when you're good evening?

Unassigned speaker

0:05

So let's that's really

Speaker 1

0:07

on the WWE ladders and chairs.

Unassigned speaker

0:10

It is very loud.

Speaker 2

0:12

I can show you this time.

Unassigned speaker

0:15

We

Speaker 2

0:15

are seeing it.

Unassigned speaker

0:17

That's the bottom we are on, just so that's the one.

Speaker 2

0:19

I remember the same thing.

Speaker 3

0:22

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the White House City Council committee meetings for Tuesday, March 10th, 2026.

0:30

I've got a couple things on here.

0:32

First off, we have got uh three pieces of draft legislation.

0:37

And uh in that, under second reading, we've got ordinance 11, 2026.

0:43

Authorize the adoption of the May 2026 replacement page is the codified ordinance of the city of Whitehall and declaring the urgency.

0:49

I think we've talked that through pretty well.

0:51

Uh this will be introduced by Mr.

0:53

Morrison and second by Mr.

0:54

Atkins.

0:56

I'm now gonna move into standing committees, and actually I'd be remiss.

1:00

Um Julie did everybody's drive a copy of the draft, and uh her changes are in red and Brad's are in blue, correct, Julie?

1:09

So please take this, read it at your leisure, uh, and then we will be moving on that uh next week.

1:14

Uh so Julie, thank you for getting that out in the timely manner.

1:18

So um administration financial management, Chair

Speaker 4

1:21

Personnel.

1:22

Thank you, Mr.

1:22

President.

1:23

Administration and financial management will open at 632.

1:27

Um the first draft one ordinance 20, 2026, up for first reading, uh adopted 317 2026 and advancing 250,000 from the previously unappropriated monies in the general fund 101 to the fleet reserve and maintenance fund 313 and appropriating 250,000 from the fleet reserve and maintenance fund 313 to the fleet reserve and maintenance expense account 313 000 50,000.

1:59

And the police department and the service department were approved for purchases on multiple replacement vehicles, which um they'll have to be outfitted.

2:07

And um, is there anything else to add to that?

Speaker 5

2:09

Yeah, so essentially we're doing this as an advance.

2:12

Um, the 313 is an end of month transfer, so we only get a small percentage of what is in the general fund each month.

2:19

Unfortunately, right now there is not enough to cover the uh fleet for the service department, which is a dump truck, as well as a couple of the vehicles for the police department.

2:28

So essentially this is taking that the that money um putting it in so we can make those purchases, and then as it grows through the end of the year and gets to that point, we will then put it back from the 313 into the 101.

2:42

Okay,

Speaker 4

2:43

all right.

2:44

Does anybody have any questions regarding that?

Speaker 6

2:46

You will

Speaker 3

2:47

need

Speaker 6

2:47

a second.

Unassigned speaker

2:48

I'm

Speaker 6

2:48

gonna have uh Morrison.

Speaker 4

2:50

Thank you.

2:51

Sorry, you can't second.

2:56

Okay, and don't throw your pin top at this point.

3:01

Okay, draft two ordinance 21, 2026.

3:05

Um first reading, adopting it 317, and it's authorizing and approving an appropriation on the amount of 400,000 dollars from unappropriated monies in the city, the city hall renal fund 330 to the 330 000 50,000 City Hall Reno Expense Account, and that's issued by the Capital Facilities Bond to finance improvement of City Hall's building and exterior renovations.

Speaker 5

3:34

Yeah, so um we pulled 1.6 million from that bond for the city hall renovation.

3:40

Um majority of that obviously went to the exterior of the renovation.

3:43

We have about 400,000 left in the fund, so the money is there.

3:47

This is just to move it into the expense account so that we can start looking at interior renovations, hint hint.

3:53

Hopefully, this room.

3:54

Okay,

Speaker 4

3:55

and I'm gonna have uh councillor Brown give me a second on

Unassigned speaker

3:59

that.

Speaker 4

4:03

I believe that's good for legislation unless somebody has uh something for the getting to buy.

Unassigned speaker

4:11

I

Speaker 4

4:11

will close

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement████████████████████████████████████████40%
Economic Development████████████████████████24%
Procedural███████████████████████23%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Veterans Affairs█████5%
Personnel Matters██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Whitehall City Council Committee Meeting - March 10, 2026

The Whitehall City Council held committee meetings on March 10, 2026, beginning at 6:32 PM. The agenda included three draft ordinances: a codified ordinance replacement (second reading), a fleet fund advance, city hall renovation funding, and a zoning amendment for detention facilities. An additional personnel ordinance was added at the end. Committee chairs reported on ongoing initiatives and projects. No final votes were taken; all items will proceed to regular council.

Committee of the Whole (President Potter)

  • Ordinance 011-2026 was taken up under second reading (the chair referred to it as second reading, while the agenda listed it as a third reading). It authorizes adoption of the May 2026 replacement pages to the Codified Ordinances and declares an emergency. Councilmembers Morrison and Adkins will introduce and second the measure.

Administration and Financial Management (Chair Elmoe)

  • Ordinance 020-2026 (first reading): Advances $250,000 from unappropriated General Fund monies to the Fleet Reserve and Maintenance Fund to outfit replacement vehicles for the Police and Service Departments. Director Casey Rowlands explained that the 313 account is an end-of-month transfer and currently lacks sufficient funds; the advance will be repaid by year end.
  • Ordinance 021-2026 (first reading): Appropriates $400,000 from the City Hall Renovation Fund (330) for interior renovations, including possible upgrades to the council chamber (chairs, carpet, dais). The fund originally held $1.6 million for exterior work; the remaining $400,000 is now being moved into an expense account to begin planning.
  • Both ordinances are scheduled for suspension and adoption at the March 17 council meeting.

Community and Elder Advocacy (Chair Harcar)

  • No pending legislation. Chair Harcar reported her participation in the Franklin County Suicide Prevention Coalition and is arranging for a VA representative to speak to council about veteran suicide.
  • Councilmember Dixon shared that he attended a Zoom meeting with Carolyn Thurman of Civic Uplift regarding the Whitehall Rise project and arts in Whitehall; notes were provided to the group.

Community Standards and Enforcement (Chair McCann)

  • Ordinance 022-2026 (third reading): Amends the Planning and Zoning Code to require a special permit for the construction or operation of a detention facility. Economic Development Director Jackie Russell explained that current code bundles all government facilities as by-right uses, potentially allowing a detention facility to bypass public review. The change would make detention facilities a special-use permit item, requiring Planning Commission recommendation and three council readings.
  • Russell stated the intent is to protect Whitehall's limited warehouse space for job-creating and recreational uses (e.g., breweries, indoor pickleball, go-karts) and to be proactive, noting that the City of Columbus has already adopted a similar policy.
  • Councilmembers expressed support for recreation and event spaces and discussed the positive impact on local businesses. The measure will be up for adoption on April 21.

Infrastructure, Maintenance and Services (Chair Brown)

  • No legislation. Chair Brown updated that Yearling Road construction will resume within two weeks, with paving to start in about a month. Completion is anticipated in June or July. The goal is to minimize disruption during the school off-season.

Other Standing Committees (Economic Development, Public Safety, Parks and Recreation)

  • All three committees reported no drafts or pending legislation and were quickly adjourned.

Additional Legislation (Added at End of Meeting)

  • Ordinance 023-2026 was introduced as an add-on. It authorizes an amendment to the Codified Ordinances regarding the FY2026 table of authorized personnel, specifically a title change in the Auditor's Office (no salary change). The council discussed the process and decided to formally place it on a future agenda with a first reading.

Key Outcomes

  • Three ordinances advanced in the committee process: fleet funding (020-2026) and city hall renovations (021-2026) are on track for adoption March 17; the detention-facility zoning amendment (022-2026) is scheduled for adoption April 21.
  • The codified ordinances replacement (011-2026) continues to a future reading with an adoption target of April 7.
  • A new personnel ordinance (023-2026) was introduced as an add-on and will be assigned to an upcoming agenda.
  • No formal votes were taken at the committee meeting.

Meeting Transcript

How are you now? Do you know when you're good evening? So let's that's really on the WWE ladders and chairs. It is very loud. I can show you this time. We are seeing it. That's the bottom we are on, just so that's the one. I remember the same thing. Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the White House City Council committee meetings for Tuesday, March 10th, 2026. I've got a couple things on here. First off, we have got uh three pieces of draft legislation. And uh in that, under second reading, we've got ordinance 11, 2026. Authorize the adoption of the May 2026 replacement page is the codified ordinance of the city of Whitehall and declaring the urgency. I think we've talked that through pretty well. Uh this will be introduced by Mr. Morrison and second by Mr. Atkins. I'm now gonna move into standing committees, and actually I'd be remiss. Um Julie did everybody's drive a copy of the draft, and uh her changes are in red and Brad's are in blue, correct, Julie? So please take this, read it at your leisure, uh, and then we will be moving on that uh next week. Uh so Julie, thank you for getting that out in the timely manner. So um administration financial management, Chair Personnel. Thank you, Mr. President. Administration and financial management will open at 632. Um the first draft one ordinance 20, 2026, up for first reading, uh adopted 317 2026 and advancing 250,000 from the previously unappropriated monies in the general fund 101 to the fleet reserve and maintenance fund 313 and appropriating 250,000 from the fleet reserve and maintenance fund 313 to the fleet reserve and maintenance expense account 313 000 50,000. And the police department and the service department were approved for purchases on multiple replacement vehicles, which um they'll have to be outfitted. And um, is there anything else to add to that? Yeah, so essentially we're doing this as an advance. Um, the 313 is an end of month transfer, so we only get a small percentage of what is in the general fund each month. Unfortunately, right now there is not enough to cover the uh fleet for the service department, which is a dump truck, as well as a couple of the vehicles for the police department. So essentially this is taking that the that money um putting it in so we can make those purchases, and then as it grows through the end of the year and gets to that point, we will then put it back from the 313 into the 101. Okay, all right. Does anybody have any questions regarding that? You will need a second. I'm gonna have uh Morrison. Thank you. Sorry, you can't second. Okay, and don't throw your pin top at this point. Okay, draft two ordinance 21, 2026. Um first reading, adopting it 317, and it's authorizing and approving an appropriation on the amount of 400,000 dollars from unappropriated monies in the city, the city hall renal fund 330 to the 330 000 50,000 City Hall Reno Expense Account, and that's issued by the Capital Facilities Bond to finance improvement of City Hall's building and exterior renovations. Yeah, so um we pulled 1.6 million from that bond for the city hall renovation.

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