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Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 5, 2026 Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting Held January 5, 2026 7:00 PM. A regular meeting of the Oberlin City Council was held on January 5, 2026, in the Council Chambers of the Oberlin City Hall, located at 85 S. Main Street, Oberlin, Ohio. President Pro Tem Belinda Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:04 PM. Roll Call was taken as follows: 1. COUNCIL BUSINESS (a) Call Regular City Council Meeting to Order and Roll Call — 7:00 PM. Council Members: Present Absent Joseph Waltzer 8 Jessa D. New = Michael McFarlin, Vice President = O Eboni A. Johnson< President 8 L Sondra Miller im L Libni Lopez = a Kristin Peterson O Appointees: Greg Holcomb, City Manager Jon Clark, Law Director Marin Fowler, Finance Director Belinda Anderson, Clerk of Council (b) Administration of the Oath of Office by the Honorable Judge Farah Emeka Members of Council were administered the oath of office by the Honorable Judge Farah Emeka. (c) — Election of Officers — Council President and Council Vice President The President Pro Tem Belinda Anderson announced that, in accordance with the Council Rules of Order, an election for President and Vice President was required. She read the relevant section outlining the procedure and the duties and responsibilities of the Counil President. The election was held and by unanimous vote, Eboni A. Johnson was elected President and Michael McFarlin was elected Vice President for the 2026-2027 Council term. City of Oberlin I Printed on 1/21/2026 Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 5, 2026 (d) Approval of Minutes — City Council Work Session — December 2, 2025; City Council Emergency Meeting — December 4, 2025; Regular City Council Meeting (December 15, 2025; Special City Council Meeting — December 23, 2025 The minutes were approved as submitted. (e) | Appointments of City Council Members to Boards and Commissions Anderson reviewed the appointments of Council members to boards and commissions. New, seconded by McFarlin, moved to approve the slate of nominations as presented. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (f) Designation of Council Liaisons to City Boards and Commissions New went over the slate for Council Liaisons to boards and commissions. Peterson, seconded by Lopez, moved to approve the slate of nominations as presented. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (g) | Appointments to Boards and Commission New stated that two appointments are being made. One appointment is to the Library Board of Trustees and that will be Sarah Reimer Dawson. Anderson clarified that Sue Hiesser’s term for Civil Service Commission is now effective until December 31, 2028, rather than December 31, 2026, as previously stated. After a brief discussion, Waltzer, seconded by Lopez, moved to approve the slate appointing Sarah Reimer Dawson to the Library Board of Trustees and Sue Hiesser to the Civil Service Commission, with term endng dates of December 31, 2026 amd December 31, 2028, respectively. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (h) = Proclamation — Martin Luther King Jr. Day Councilmember New read the proclamation for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 2. ANY CONCERNS NOT ON THE AGENDA MAY BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNCIL AT THIS TIME N/A 3. OPPORTUNITY FOR A REPORT FROM A CITY BOARD OR COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE N/A City of Oberlin 2 Printed on 1/21/2026 Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 5, 2026 4. OPPORTUNITY FOR A REPORT FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVE N/A 5. OLD BUSINESS: A. ORDINANCE No. 25-61 AC CMS: An Ordinance Implementing 3735.65 through 3735.70 of the Ohio Revised Code, Establishing and Describing the boundaries of a Community Reinvestment Area in the City of Oberlin, Designating a Housing Officer to Administer the Program, and Creating a Community Reinvestment Housing Council and a Tax Incentive Review Council (3"*) The Clerk read the Ordinance by number and title only. New, seconded by Peterson, moved for passage on the third reading of the Ordinance. Members of Council heard from Planning Director Carrie Porter, who restated the legislation that would create a reinvestment area on the property where the proposed Oberlin Place Affordable Senior Housing project, located at 450 West College Street. Creating this area will allow us to offer tax abatement incentives, which will help finance the project. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Third,Reading) B. ORDINANCE No. 25-67 AC CMS: An Ordinance Enacting New Chapter 707 of the Oberlin Codified Ordinances to Prohibit the Provision of Conversion Therapy to Minors within the City of Oberlin (2"4) The Clerk read the Ordinance by number and title only. Lopez, seconded by Waltzer, moved for passage on the second reading of the Ordinance. Clark states it’s unclear how these types of ordinances are to be analyzed, whether they’re restriction on conduct, in which case that’s the lowest level of judicial review, or whether they are restrictions on speech. Which would invoke the highest level of judicial review. The Supreme Court, as he understands, is due to issue a determinative opinion on that probably in June, but until then, we have different decisions from different jurisdictions. Two days after our first reading of the ordinance, there was an opinion or a decision rendered by the Sixth Circuit of Appeals which has jurisdiction over the state of Ohio. That court focused on a Michigan statute which essentially tracks the same definitions as we have for conversion therapy. There are two provisions of that: the first is that it means any practice or treatment by a provider that seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings towards individuals of the same gender. The Michigan statute, like our ordinance, would prohibit that. However, the Michigan statute also like our ordinance as it currently stands, it does not include counseling that provides assurance or assistance to an individual undergoing gender transition. The court recognized that both of these types of therapy are speech-based, and that therefore that statute at issue in Michigan differentiated between one message, which was prohibited under the legislation, and the other one, which was permitted. The court noted that, in its opinion, that was a violation of the First Amendment because it was viewpont discriminatory. He informed Council that City of Oberlin 3 Printed on 1/21/2026 Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 5, 2026 he had emailed a proposed revision to the ordinance to delete the second sentence in paragraph B under section 707.02, which would eliminate the language identifying what is is expressly permitted. He doesn’t see the revision doing any damage to the legislation, as the ordinance would still retain the core definition of conversion therapy. He further explained that he didn’t feel that it was necessary to say what it doesn’t mean as long as they say what it does mean. He suggested that at the very least that amendment should be made before final passage of this ordinance. Lopez thanked Clark for his update on the pending court case and for looking at the ordinance to ensure it aligns with the court’s guidance, so that we can hopefully pass this ordinance without issue or contradiction with any court decision. He believed the amendment would help achieve that goal. Lopez, seconded by Peterson, moved to amend Chapter 707.02 Section B to delete the second sentence, which is the definition of conversion therapy. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Amendment) Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Second reading) 6. NEW BUSINESS: A. RESOLUTION No. R26-01 CMS: A Resolution Appointing Jessa New as Designee of the Members of Council for the Purpose of the Public Records Law and to Go into Immediate Effect. The Clerk read the resolution by number, title, and substantive portions only. Waltzer, seconded by McFarlin, moved for passage on the first reading of the Resolution. Clark stated that each public body in Ohio that’s bound by the public records law, is required to appoint one person to attend the public records training on behalf of the body that the person sits on. The proposal would be that Jessa New would be appointed as the representative. She would attend the training session and receive a certificate which would qualify all members of Council. Waltzer, seconded by New, moved to waive the rule requiring three readings on Resolution 26-01 CMS. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Suspension of Rules) Waltzer, seconded by New, moved that Resolution R26-01 CMS go into immediate effect to ensure the timely appointment of a designee for members of Council to meet the deadline of the Ohio Sunshine Law Certification Training. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Effective Immediately) B. RESOLUTION No. R26-02 CMS: A Resolution Appointing Representatives to the Board of Trustees of Central Lorain County Joint Ambulance District to Go into Immediate Effect. City of Oberlin 4 Printed on 1/21/2026 Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 5, 2026 The Clerk read the resolution by number, title, and substantive portions only. Lopez, seconded by New, moved for passage on the first reading of the Resolution. Clark stated Council is appointing two representatives, with one serving as the primary and the oteher as an alternate. Council would be appointing Peterson as the primary and McFarlin as the alternate. Peterson, seconded by McFarlin, moved to waive the rule requiring three readings for Resolution R26-02 CMS. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Suspension of Rules) Peterson, seconded by McFarlin, moved to that Resolution R26-02 CMS go into immediate effect to ensure the designation of a primary and secondary representative for the City Council on the Board of Trustees of Central Lorain County Joint Ambulance District by the January 15, 2026 deadline. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Effective Immediately) C. RESOLUTION No. R26-03 CMS: A Resolution Designating Sondra Miller as an Alternate Representative to the Ohio Municipal Electric Association. The Clerk read the resolution by number, title, and substantive portions only. Peterson, seconded by Lopez, moved for passage on the first reading of the Resolution. Clark stated Peterson was appointed as the primary designee for the City by a prior resolution. That piece of legislation left it open for a future appointment for an alternate which is what Council is doing today. Like the previous resolution, we can appoint up to two alternates, and this piece of legislation appoints Miller as the alternate to the primary, which is Peterson. Lopez, seconded by Peterson, moved to waive the rule requiring three readings for Resolution R26- 03 CMS. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Suspension of Rules) Lopez, seconded by Peterson, moved that Resolution R26-03 CMS go into immediate effect to ensure continuity of city representation on the OMEA Board of Directors. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Effective Immediately) 5. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS: (A). Referrals City of Oberlin J Printed on 1/21/2026 Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 5, 2026 (B). Advocacy (C). Correspondence (D). Reports Council members provided updates on board and commission meetings, initiatives, community events, and announced upcoming meeting dates. 6. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT: City Manager Greg Holcomb reported on the following: ¢ Noted that the boards and commission training that will be happening soon will have an ethics training portion, and we’re inviting all department heads and superintendents to the training as well as long as their schedules are available. e Provided an update on the Ohio Department of Development for a grant for the design and construction of a sewer to the Innovation Park. ¢ Noted, he is still working on the legislative calendar and work schedule with department heads. He hoped to have the first iteration done soon and ready for Council’s first retreat. ¢ Noted that the Vine Street bridge project will be estimated to be completed by mid-April. 7. OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER APPOINTEES TO REPORT: Marin Fowler, Finance Director e Noted the finance department will be busy preparing their financial statements and audit for2025.. e Noted that the first review of applications to fulfill the vacancy for a full-time finance assistant happened today, and should be filled soon. Jon Clark, Law Director e Noted that he has hired an assistant law director and prosecutor by the name of Carl Felice. He works for a firm in Lorain County, but has significant trial experience in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas as a prosecutor. He briefly served as an assistant law director in other Cleveland — area communitites. Belinda Anderson, Clerk of Council e Encouraged council members to contact any of the appointees if they have questions concerning the upcoming boards and commissions orientation. 8. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: N/A 9. ADJOURNMENT: Being that there was no additional business before Council, the regular meeting adjourned at 8:05 pm. Prepared by: Briana Reynolds Clerk of Council’s Assistant City of Oberlin 6 Printed on 1/21/2026 Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 5, 2026 Attest: BELINDA B. ANDERSON, MMC EBONI A. os “ay CLERK OF COUNCIL PRESIDENT OF COUNCIL APPROVED: 01/20/2026 POSTED: 01/21/2026 ES SE ETA PSE EERE IE POTS EEE EES SENAY SEATS ONE TE TEE SDS OLN EE ST SN Gc TT TE AEE NEE YE ARRAY PNR TEES IONE APNE NT City of Oberlin 7 Printed on 1/21/2026