Whitehall City Council Meeting – July 21, 2026

The Whitehall City Council met Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall, with President Thomas Potter presiding. All seven councilmembers were present; no minutes were submitted for approval. The meeting featured a farewell tribute to President Potter, a public hearing on the OPWC grant application, public comment, first readings, and unanimous votes on seven legislative items. Council adjourned at 8:50 p.m. Note: the transcript's opening agenda-review line refers to July 24, but the agenda and the formal meeting opening both state July 21, 2026.

Special Presentation – President Thomas Potter

• Mayor Michael T. Bivens presented Potter with a plaque honoring his years of service, calling him a man of integrity, civility, and righteousness, and said Potter would never be an outsider to Whitehall.
• Auditor Shaquille Alexander and councilmembers also thanked Potter; council gave him a dinner gift card and a keepsake.
• Potter announced he was stepping away at the end of the meeting because he is moving outside the city limits. He said serving Whitehall had been one of the greatest honors of his life and that 'Whitehall will never leave me.'

Standing Committee and Officials' Reports

• All standing committees reported they had met and generally had no pending legislation; Economic Development had two title-only items, and Parks and Recreation's chair was on vacation.
• Mayor Bivens relayed resident requests that council appointment interviews for vacancies be held publicly and formally invoked Charter Section 25, asking to be invited to those meetings without a vote. He also announced the city's Food Truck Festival on Saturday, July 25, at John Bishop Park from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with more than 20 food trucks and a talent show.
• Auditor Alexander reported the 2025 audit was complete. He said the city received the best possible audit opinion (the transcript quotes him as saying 'modified opinion') and that the federal single audit had no findings. The report is to be posted on the city's website.
• Economic Development Director Jackie Russell announced that Curtis Nutter accepted the city planner position and starts Monday. She requested postponement of Ordinance 060-2026 to a special meeting to await an appraisal, and clarified Ordinance 065-2026 as described below.
• City Attorney Nicodemus, Public Safety Director Gregg, and Neighborhoods Director Wright were not present; the Treasurer position remained vacant.

Public Hearing – Resolution 030-2026 (Ohio Public Works Commission)

• President Potter opened the public hearing at 7:20 p.m. and closed it at 7:35 p.m.; no correspondence had been filed, and no one spoke in favor or opposition after the presentation.
• Brian Andrews, presenting for the city, described the East Broad Street Improvement Project. Phases 1-3 are substantially complete, Phase 4 is about to begin construction, and Phase 5 is the remaining Beachwood Road gap and is the smallest phase.
• The city is applying for $3.7 million for Phase 5 from OPWC: the maximum 75% grant plus a 25% zero-interest loan payable over 25 years. Auditor Alexander said the loan payments would be about $150,000 to $160,000 per year out of a general fund budget over $40 million.
• OPWC funding decisions are expected Friday, December 18, 2026; if awarded, funds would arrive next summer, with final design followed by construction in 2028.
• Andrews distributed a questionnaire and QR code for public feedback to include in the grant application.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Joel Harkar, a Whitehall resident speaking as a concerned citizen, said Councilmember Gerald Dixon should step aside while an active criminal investigation is pending. Harkar summarized publicly reported allegations involving a December 8, 2025 arrest, charges of gross sexual imposition and compelling prostitution, FBI involvement, allegations involving underage boys, and the later dismissal of municipal charges for future indictment.
• Mark Butler, a Whitehall resident with more than 20 years in child sexual abuse prevention, said he was not accusing Dixon of a crime, but asked council to review Dixon's writings and reconsider his fitness for public office.
• Trina Macy, a lifelong Whitehall resident, said she was tired of the focus on Dixon, argued the legal process and voters should decide, noted that the city has major division, and called on all councilmembers to act with professionalism and respect.
• Lena Collins, a former Whitehall resident now living in Columbus, criticized Dixon's conduct at a previous meeting and online, questioned his calls for unity, and said he was fueling division.
• A written comment from Jeff Thoburn, read by Councilmember Dixon, urged a definitive no vote on the purchase of 3791 East Broad Street, arguing it would distort land values, misuse public capital, bypass established governance, damage public trust, and de-risk private real estate investment.
• During the second public comment period, Mark Butler encouraged the city to implement child sexual abuse prevention training for employees and volunteers, offered free training, and cited statistics that one in ten men and one in five women report childhood sexual abuse.
• Several residents and former officials, including former mayor Kim Byron and a former elected official later identified as past Council President Jim Graham, thanked President Potter for his service and described the importance of the council president's role.
• A resident also mentioned King Euros' 35th anniversary and receipt of the key to the city.

Legislation and Votes

• Ordinance 060-2026 (third reading), authorizing purchase of 3791 East Broad Street from She Buys Houses 365 LLC, was postponed unanimously to a special meeting on Tuesday, July 28, after Director Russell said the appraisal was expected later that week and the purchase agreement's closing schedule required action by that date.
• First readings, by title only, were held for:
  • Ordinance 064-2026, rezoning 4870 Poth Road from Community Crossroads District to Industrial District.
  • Ordinance 065-2026, rezoning 265 North Hamilton Road from Community Crossroads District to Industrial District.
  • Ordinance 066-2026, amending the Planning and Zoning Code to limit gasoline station construction or operation.
• All three first-reading items will go to the Whitehall Planning Commission on August 6, 2026, with public hearings on August 18, 2026.
• Director Russell clarified for Ordinance 065-2026 that the property owner is BCORE Defender OH1M05 LLC, but the rezoning applicant is Link Logistics, the existing warehouse owner; the project is a 35,000-square-foot warehouse expansion. She said the WCIC acquired the land for a zero-dollar transfer and approved its sale for $320,000, and that the rezoning matches a new strategic plan and would retain and grow an existing employer and income-tax base.
• Unanimous roll-call votes (7-0) adopted:
  • Resolution 030-2026, authorizing the OPWC application and contracts.
  • Resolution 031-2026, approving 'then and now' certificates.
  • Resolution 032-2026, authorizing the 2026 OCJS JAG Byrne Grant application and acceptance.
  • Resolution 033-2026, authorizing acceptance of funding from the Office of Economic Engagement and Community Development.
  • Ordinance 067-2026, appropriating $75,000 from the Mayor's Department Grant Fund to the Food Truck Inclusion Grant expense account.
  • Ordinance 068-2026, appropriating $400,000 from the General Fund to utilities expenses.
  • Ordinance 069-2026, appropriating $25,000 from the General Fund to election expenses.

Councilmembers' Closing Comments

• Councilmember Dixon read a passage about revitalization being a continuous process, not a finish line, and thanked President Potter for his professionalism and civility.
• Councilmember Brown thanked Potter and publicly invited Councilmember Dixon to a moderated community conversation at a neutral location, with residents allowed to ask questions.
• Councilmember Elmore praised Potter, noted the workforce development component of the Food Truck Festival, welcomed Curtis Nutter, and thanked King Euros for 35 years in the community.
• Councilmember Morrison thanked speakers, congratulated Nutter, and supported the Food Truck Festival's location at John Bishop Park.
• Councilmember Harcar thanked speakers, said silence can be complicity, offered to work with Mark Butler on trauma-responsive care training, and noted her nearly 16,000 hours of victim advocacy work.
• Councilmember Adkins thanked Potter and wished him well.
• Councilmember McCann announced an August 6 community conversation at a church across from City Hall at 6:30 p.m., with refreshments and group discussion, and thanked Clint Heikes for helping moderate it.

Key Outcomes

• President Thomas Potter announced he was stepping away at the end of the meeting because of his move outside Whitehall; the mayor had referenced receiving Potter's formal resignation as his final official act.
• Ordinance 060-2026 was postponed to a special meeting on July 28, 2026, pending the appraisal of 3791 East Broad Street.
• Resolution 030-2026 was adopted, allowing the city to apply to OPWC for $3.7 million in state funding, with a decision expected December 18, 2026.
• All roll-call votes on legislation were unanimous; no negative votes were recorded.
• Councilmember Devin Brown publicly invited Councilmember Gerald Dixon to a moderated community conversation at a neutral location.
• Councilmember Brian McCann announced an August 6 community conversation at a church across from City Hall at 6:30 p.m.