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Record of Proceedings

Whitehall City Council Meeting Summary: May 6, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, May 6, 2026
BodyWhitehall, Ohio
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, May 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:04

So you're good.

Unassigned speaker

0:07

You

Speaker 2

0:07

can be the attorney and the director or two heads.

Unassigned speaker

0:14

Good

Speaker 1

0:14

evening, everyone.

0:15

Welcome to Whitehall City Council agenda meeting for Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

0:19

Hope where we got a chance to go out and vote yesterday.

0:23

So we'll start our meeting with a moment of silence, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, then do our roll call.

0:28

All members are here.

0:30

We then have the approval of the minutes, which includes April 7th, 2026 agenda and regular meeting minutes.

0:35

The April 14th, 2026 special meeting minutes, the April 14th, 2026 committee meeting minutes.

0:41

The April 21st, 2026 agenda and regular meeting minutes, as well as the April 28, 2026 committee meeting minutes.

0:49

I will need somebody to make a motion to approve.

Speaker 2

0:53

Ms.

Speaker 1

0:53

Harkar, thank you.

0:54

Second.

0:55

Thank you, Ms.

0:56

Elmore.

1:00

And then we have special presentation this evening from Mayor Bivens for the motorcycle awareness month proclamation, as well as the municipal clerks, we proclamation.

1:09

So we look forward to that, Mayor.

1:12

Well, we're standing committee reports, our officials' reports.

1:17

And since our last meeting, no official reports have been filed in the office.

1:21

Under communications, petitions and claims.

1:23

There have been no communications petitions or claims that have been filed in the council office.

1:28

Then move to our first call public.

1:30

And as usual, folks just need to sign in and to state their name, and you'll have up to three minutes.

1:37

We'll have verification of copies.

1:40

Under third reading, we have got no legislation.

1:42

Under second reading, we have no legislation.

1:45

So under first reading, we have ordinary 34, 2026, allowing a special permit under 1125.04 to allow a drive-through facilities and a property located at the 4600 East Broad Street, parcel number 09008427-000.

2:02

And 009008 249-00.

2:07

Property owned by Meyer Foods Management Company and declared emergency.

2:11

Again, that will be title only, and that is going to plan a commission.

2:20

Authorizing and approving an amendment to the codified orders of the city of Whitehall.

2:24

161 table of authorized personnel for the fiscal year 2026 and declaring an emergency.

2:29

This will need a first and a second.

2:34

Thank you, Mr.

2:35

Dixon.

2:38

Thank you, Mr.

2:38

Morrison.

Speaker 3

2:43

Yes, sir.

2:44

Can we have a little bit of discussion on this?

2:46

Sure.

2:46

Go ahead.

2:49

We had discussion on this last week.

2:54

Ms.

2:54

Russell.

2:55

And we've talked about various things.

2:59

I know that we talked about having

Unassigned speaker

3:02

the

Speaker 3

3:02

second code enforcement position come in, and I saw that.

3:06

That's terrific and everything.

3:08

A couple concerns that I have, and I and some others here may have as well.

3:13

Is uh I know that when you first brought the uh city planner position to us, you had kind of talked about it kind of going to uh Mr.

3:24

Nutter.

3:25

Uh but then you said that the field was going to be open and Mr.

3:29

Nutter was uh going to be one of the uh applicants for it.

3:33

Um I feel that the the uh the the and we and we got your email regarding the various uh uh schedule of salaries through Morpse uh for this position in different communities.

3:51

Uh I still feel that, and I don't know how to deal with this uh uh dilemma that I have, and that is that uh

Unassigned speaker

3:59

you

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████32%
Personnel Matters███████████████████19%
Community Engagement███████████████████19%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Public Safety███████7%
Elections████4%
Transportation Safety███3%
Technology and Innovation██2%
Youth Programs██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Whitehall City Council Meeting Summary: May 6, 2026

The Whitehall City Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chamber at City Hall. The evening began with proclamations for Motorcycle Awareness Month and Municipal Clerks Week. Council unanimously adopted a series of ordinances, including key personnel amendments to hire a City Planner and a Code Enforcement Officer, alongside multiple fund transfers for debt service, energy projects, and record keeping. City finances were reported as stable, and public comments raised concerns about street safety and ward representation.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the meeting minutes from April 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2026. (Motion by Harcar, second by Elmore. Adopted unanimously).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Robert Fisher (Country Club Village resident, 25-year resident): Raised urgent safety concerns about persistent street racing and excessive speeding (50–60 mph in a 25 mph zone) on Dipsom Drive East. He noted the area includes several disabled residents and the problem has lasted 2–3 years. Council member Brown, chair of Infrastructure, offered to follow up.
  • Tina Matthews (Columbus resident): Addressed the Council regarding Ward 1 Council member Gerald Dixon, inquiring about the process for a recall petition related to his pending litigation. She requested a detailed community presentation for the ward. Her time expired following procedural warnings.

Discussion Items

  • Personnel Amendments (Ordinances 35-2026 & 36-2026): A significant discussion focused on adding a City Planner and a full-time Code Enforcement Officer.
    • City Planner (up to $37.37/hr): Council member Morrison expressed a dilemma about the salary, questioning the value for a fresh graduate versus an experienced professional. Director Russell justified the range based on the required degree, the role as the sole zoning administrator (carrying liability), mandatory night meetings, dual GIS duties, and market comparisons. She noted the position saves costs compared to external GIS contracts.
    • Code Enforcement Officer (up to $36/hr): Director Rowlands explained the need for a second officer after moving Animal Control to the Police Department. The hire is critical to prepare for the retirement of a veteran officer with 20 years of knowledge. Funds will come from the General Fund.
  • Financial and Audit Reports:
    • The General Fund is stable, starting 2026 at $6.9 million and sitting at $6.5 million after four months. Income tax collections totaled $11.26 million through April 30. Budget spending (33.78%) is closely tracking the target rate (33.33%).
    • Debt Service Fund Transfers: Council approved over $1.4 million in aggregate transfers to Fund 401 to service bonds, OWDA loans, and other obligations. Council President Potter requested that the Auditor's detailed explanations for these transfers be made publicly available online, rather than distributed only to council members.
  • Department of Neighborhoods Report: Director Wright reported engaging over 300 residents through meet-and-greets. He introduced a new "See Something, Say Something" bicycle patrol initiative to improve neighborhood connection and issue reporting.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance 34-2026: Drive-through facility at 4600 E Broad St. Referred to the Planning Commission.
  • Ordinances 35-2026 & 36-2026 (Personnel): Adopted unanimously. Administration authorized to begin hiring for a City Planner and Code Enforcement Officer.
  • Ordinances 37-2026 (Energy Project Fund): Adopted unanimously.
  • Ordinance 38-2026 (Accrued Benefit Reserve): Adopted unanimously.
  • Ordinances 39-44 (Debt Service & Records): Adopted unanimously. Includes fund transfers for bond payments, water/sewer loans, and a $6,500 records maintenance appropriation.
  • Future Events:
    • Ice Cream Social (Dept. of Neighborhoods): May 14, 3:00 PM, Whitehall Library.
    • Community Conversation (Elmore/Alexander): May 18, 6:30 PM, Senior Center.
    • Memorial Day Flag Raising: May 25, 10:00 AM, City Hall.
    • Ward 2 Quarterly Meeting (McCann): Scheduled for early August.
  • Councilmember Statements: Council member Harcar publicly defended her employer (ETSS) regarding immigration services and detailed her work assisting seniors and veterans. Council member Dixon acknowledged the traffic concerns raised by the public and praised the cooperation on the personnel ordinances.

Meeting Transcript

So you're good. You can be the attorney and the director or two heads. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Whitehall City Council agenda meeting for Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Hope where we got a chance to go out and vote yesterday. So we'll start our meeting with a moment of silence, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, then do our roll call. All members are here. We then have the approval of the minutes, which includes April 7th, 2026 agenda and regular meeting minutes. The April 14th, 2026 special meeting minutes, the April 14th, 2026 committee meeting minutes. The April 21st, 2026 agenda and regular meeting minutes, as well as the April 28, 2026 committee meeting minutes. I will need somebody to make a motion to approve. Ms. Harkar, thank you. Second. Thank you, Ms. Elmore. And then we have special presentation this evening from Mayor Bivens for the motorcycle awareness month proclamation, as well as the municipal clerks, we proclamation. So we look forward to that, Mayor. Well, we're standing committee reports, our officials' reports. And since our last meeting, no official reports have been filed in the office. Under communications, petitions and claims. There have been no communications petitions or claims that have been filed in the council office. Then move to our first call public. And as usual, folks just need to sign in and to state their name, and you'll have up to three minutes. We'll have verification of copies. Under third reading, we have got no legislation. Under second reading, we have no legislation. So under first reading, we have ordinary 34, 2026, allowing a special permit under 1125.04 to allow a drive-through facilities and a property located at the 4600 East Broad Street, parcel number 09008427-000. And 009008 249-00. Property owned by Meyer Foods Management Company and declared emergency. Again, that will be title only, and that is going to plan a commission. Authorizing and approving an amendment to the codified orders of the city of Whitehall. 161 table of authorized personnel for the fiscal year 2026 and declaring an emergency. This will need a first and a second. Thank you, Mr. Dixon. Thank you, Mr. Morrison. Yes, sir. Can we have a little bit of discussion on this? Sure. Go ahead. We had discussion on this last week. Ms. Russell. And we've talked about various things. I know that we talked about having the

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