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1 MINUTES OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE JANUARY 5, 2026 COUNCIL CHAMBERS Present: Councilmembers Kepple, Baker, Bullock, Evans, Strebig, Hamilton Steiner Also Present: Mayor George, Law Director Vargo, Council staff Call to Order: 6:31 p.m. Approval of the minutes of the December 5, 2025 Committee of the Whole. Motion by Councilmember Kepple, seconded by Councilmember Baker to approve the minutes of the December 5th Committee of the Whole without the necessity of a reading. All members voted in favor. Minutes approved. RESOLUTION 2025- 77 - A RESOLUTION to take effect immediately provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the members of Council, or otherwise to take effect and be in force after the earliest period allowed by law, appointing __________________ to the Ward 4 seat on Lakewood City Council for the remainder of the four-year term ending December 31, 2027. ( referred to COW 12/15/25) Councilmember Kepple explained that Council solicited applications in anticipation of former Councilmember Marx’ s resignation. In response, Council received eight applications. Following past practice, she anticipated that interviews would be conducted and she reserved January 12th for interviews. She expressed the expectation that the new Ward 4 member would be sworn in on Tuesday January 20th. Motion by Councilmember Kepple, seconded by Councilmember Baker to enter executive session for the purpose of considering the appointment of a public official. A roll call vote was conducted as follows: Yeas: Kepple, Baker, Bullock, Evans, Strebig, Hamilton Steiner Nays: none Councilmember Kepple stated that Council staff and Law Director Vargo were also invited to executive session. Motion passed. Committee of the Whole entered executive session at 6:34 p.m. Council exited executive session at 7:09 p.m. Motion made by Councilmember Kepple and seconded by Councilmember Baker to direct the clerks to schedule 30-minute interviews with the following applicants: Jason Frederick, Matt Bixenstine, AJ (Pixi) Mallo, and Sydney Lightner- Canaday. Councilmember Kepple expressed appreciation to those who took time to apply. On the motion: All members voted in favor. Motion passed. Docusign Envelope ID: BCC0616B- 52F6-4CB5-9E96- 24A2EACD7BD2 2 Without objection, Councilmember Kepple proposed that the remainder of the time be spent discussing the upcoming City Hall space considerations; a topic which is on the docket for the regular meeting. She reviewed the proposed timeline for discussions which included a change to accommodate the bond counsel. Following the Administration’ s and the bond counsel’ s presentations on Jan. 26th, there are two additional weeks reserved for discussion. Councilmember Kepple asked members to consider and share what information they would like to see presented during these meetings that would help them to make an informed decision. Councilmember Bullock initiated a discussion on the overall process. He mentioned what he has found to be helpful so far and asked to continue where the previous conversations left off by hearing more detail from both the Administration and Council’ s consultants. He asked for information regarding the targeted timeline to be deliberative and get expert advice. Councilmember Kepple responded that if the City Hall project is to be paid for with bonds, then the deadline for a decision would be Feb 17th. Councilmember Bullock noted that the options presented to Council are radically different from one another and that he is inclined to take time to study them carefully. He noted that the bond counsel’ s recommendation is only a recommendation and that Council may have other options. Councilmember Kepple remarked further on the rationale for coming to a decision by Feb 17th. She stated that she has directed the bond counsel to draft the bond legislation both with and without the funds for the Warren Rd. building, so that Council can deliberate on the impact. She reviewed the project cash flow timelines as presented by the City’ s consultants. They indicated that in all three scenarios, the first year would include a $1-$2 million capital outlay for design and architecture, with most of the capital expense for construction in the following year or years. Councilmember Baker remarked that he is eager to understand the details of the proposed design for all options being considered. He explained that understanding the design is crucial for obtaining accurate pricing. He noted that he places a high value on the independent third-party analysis that was conducted regarding price comparison. Councilmember Evans echoed Councilmember Baker’ s priority on understanding the design and asked that the City’ s consultants join in one or more of the upcoming Committee of the Whole meetings. Councilmember Kepple thanked her colleagues for taking the time to address this topic and encouraged them to reach out to Council leadership and the Administration with questions and/or requests about the process moving forward. Committee of the Whole adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Approved: Sarah Kepple, Chair Committee of the Whole Maureen M. Bach, Clerk of Council 01/12/2026 Docusign Envelope ID: BCC0616B- 52F6-4CB5-9E96- 24A2EACD7BD2