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Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 20, 2026 Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting Held January 20, 2026 7:00 PM. A regular meeting of the Oberlin City Council was held on January 20, 2026, in the Council Chambers of the Oberlin City Hall, located at 85 S. Main Street, Oberlin, Ohio. Council President Eboni A. Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:02 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 ~ Jessa D. New 8 Michael McFarlin, Vice President im O Sondra Miller a Libni Lopez Kristin Peterson Eboni A. Johnson, President 8 Appointees: Greg Holcomb, City Manager Jon Clark, Law Director Marin Fowler, Finance Director Belinda Anderson, Clerk of Council (b) Approval of Minutes —Regular City Council Meeting — January 5, 2026 The minutes were approved as submitted. (c) Discuss Proposed Changes to the Community Organization Grant Program Members of Council heard from Greg Holcomb, City Manager, as he outlined proposed changes to Oberlin’s community organization grant program, which currently allocates $100,000 annually. The program, now managed by the City Manager rather than Council, aims to fund organizations serving Oberlin residents, regardless of their physical location, with reporting requirements to track the number of residents served. Past recipients include Oberlin Community Services (OCS), Oberlin City of Oberlin 1 Printed on 2/4/2026
Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 20, 2026 Business Partnership (OBP), Community Action to Save Strays (CATSS), Firelands Association of the Visual Arts (FAVA), Juneteenth, and Salvation Army. Council discussed maintaining flexibility for recreation-related services, confirmed funding is awarded annually, and emphasized - the importance of progress and outcome reporting for grant recipients. 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 4, OPPORTUNITY FOR A REPORT FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVE Members of Council heard from Chief Ryan Warfield, Oberlin Police Department, as he gave an update on the department. A copy of the presentation is attached to the minutes. Following the presentation, members of the Council had asked Warfield for advice on how to handle situations that are currently happening in the United States. He advised everyone to use common sense, but to be careful. 5. OLD BUSINESS: A. 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 (3°) The Clerk read the Ordinance by number and title only. Lopez, seconded by Waltzer, moved for passage on the third reading of the Ordinance. Members of Council heard from Jon Clark, Law Director, as he noted that at the last meeting, Council did adopt an amendment to delete the second sentence in section 707.02 (b). Council is voting on the ordinance as amended. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Final Reading) 6. NEW BUSINESS: A. ORDINANCE No. 26-01 AC CMS: An Ordinance Authorizing the Acquisition and Acceptance of Easements Necessary for the Construction of the South Pleasant Street Bridge to Go into Immediate Effect. The Clerk read the resolution by number, title, and substantive portions only. City of Oberlin 2 Printed on 2/4/2026
Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes || January 20, 2026 New, seconded by Peterson, moved for passage on the first reading of the Ordinance. Members of Council heard from Randall Roberts, City Engineer, as he explained the ordinance. There is a plan to replace the Pleasant Street bridge through the Municipal Bridge Replacement program, which provides additional state and federal funding, as well as Ohio Turnpike revenue. To facilitate the replacement, some utility changes need to be made. One, there are two gas mains that are attached to the east side of the bridge and run along the bridge itself. The purchase of these easements will allow Columbia Gas to reroute those gas lines on those private properties through those easements. McFarlin sought clarification on the ordinances. With 26-01, this is for the west side and the rights-of- way, and wondered about what Ordinance 26-02 entailed. Roberts commented that the first ordinance is to acquire the easements. With Council’s approval, we’ll be able to cut checks and get those in the hands of the property owners, but that has to go through someone that has followed the certification of all the real estate issues that the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has in place to protect property owners and the public interest to make sure that they’re appropriately compensated. The second ordinance will be for the right-of-way for the city-owned property that will become a public right-of-way. New, seconded by Lopez, moved to waive the rule requiring three readings on Ordinance 26-01 AC CMS. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Suspension of Rules) New, seconded by McFarlin, moved to that Ordinance 26-01 AC CMS, goes into immediate effect to provide for the acquisition of easements necessary to construct, operate, and maintain the South Pleasant Street bridge. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Effective Immediately) B. ORDINANCE No. 26-02 AC CMS: An Ordinance Dedicating 0.0404 Acres of Land as Right-of-Way Necessary for the Replacement of the Pleasant Street Bridge to Go into Immediate Effect. The Clerk read the resolution by number, title, and substantive portions only. Peterson, seconded by Waltzer, moved for passage on the first reading of the Ordinance. Roberts stated the City got the parcel for the right-of-way on the west side, and that would be for the extension of that gas service, and then the right-of-way on the east side would be for sanitary. He noted that the easements with the gas company, rather than issue easements to Columbia Gas, we chose to issue the easements to the City, and then the City can use that and allow Columbia Gas to put their utility in. Waltzer, seconded by New, moved to waive the rule requiring three readings for Ordinance 26-02 AC CMS. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Suspension of Rules) City of Oberlin 3 Printed on 2/4/2026
Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 20, 2026 Waltzer, seconded by Lopez, moved to that Ordinance 26-02 AC CMS goes into immediate effect to provide the necessary public right-of-way to construct, operate, and maintain the South Pleasant Street bridge. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Effective Immediately) C. RESOLUTION No. R26-04 CMS: A Resolution Submitting the Question of a Renewal Tax Levy for the Purpose of Current Expenses of the Oberlin Public Library to the Electors of the Territory Served by the Library, Pursuant to 5705.23 of the Revised Code, to Go into Immediate Effect. The Clerk read the resolution by number, title, and substantive portions only. McFarlin, seconded by New, moved for passage on the first reading of the Resolution. Members of Council heard from Marin Fowler, Finance Director, as she explained the resolution. The Oberlin Public Library has requested by the library board of trustees for a renewal of their tax levy. The proposed renewal amount is $723,019. McFarlin sought clarification because when reading the resolution, the cost of putting this on the ballot is coming from the library board funds to reimburse the City. From his understanding, this was a mistake back in November, and so the county is not covering the cost for reimbursement. David Fausnaugh, Oberlin Public Library Director, addressed Council by stating that, from his understanding, the library will not be charged for the election that took place last November, in which there was an error at the Board of Elections, as the issue wasn’t placed on all the correct ballots. The resolution is just for this issue; the tax money will come from what we received from the county auditor’s office. Clark noted there was a minor amendment in section 8, which says “wherefore, and in accordance with Section 5705.23 of the revised code”, that should be deleted. That sentence comes from an earlier ordinance when it used to be in there. It should read, ”...and provided that at least five (5) members of Council, determined by motion, this resolution shall go into full force and effect immediately after its passage.” Lopez, seconded by McFarlin, moved to remove the language under section 8, wherefore, and in accordance with Section 5705.23 of the revised code. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Amendment) Lopez, seconded by Peterson, moved to waive the rule requiring three readings for Resolution R26-04 CMS. Roll Call: 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Suspension of Rules) Lopez, seconded by New, moved to that Resolution R26-04 CMS goes into immediate effect to ensure the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety of the City of Oberlin, and for the further reason that its immediate effectiveness is necessary to meeting the filing deadlines for the May 5, 2026, election. City of Oberlin 4 Printed on 2/4/2026
Oberlin City Council Roll Call: Regular City Council Minutes | January 20, 2026 7 Ayes 0 Nays Motion Carried (Effective Immediately) 5. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS: (A). Referrals (B). Advocacy (C). Correspondence (D). Report Ss Council members provided updates on board and commission meetings, initiatives, community events, and announced upcoming meeting dates. Council decided to hold a special meeting on Monday, February 9" at 2:30 pm at the Oberlin Enrichment and Activities Center to discuss goal setting for the 2026-2027 terms. A second meeting was scheduled for February 26" at 9:00 am at the Oberlin Enrichment and Activities Center to review the zoning code and map. 6. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT: City Manager Greg Holcomb reported on the following: Noted there will be a contract amendment for EDG regarding the multi-use path and for them to redo the stormwater calculations and design, and that will come before Council in the second half of February. Noted that a meeting was held with the GPD group, as they have been doing an analysis of East Lorain Street and Oberlin Road for a traffic analysis study. It was agreed that a four- way stop would be our next option, which would mean changing the intersection to a full four-way stop with flashing, stop signs. A proposal is being put forward to ODOT to get the process started. Noted that he has asked departments to review their fees so that they’re aligned with other communities in the county. Announced he attended the Martin Luther King Jr Day event. o McFarlin asked about the East Lorain Street and Oberlin Road intersection. Does that change ODOT’s calculations potentially, or is a four-way stop still appropriate for that situation, or does it need another study since homes will be built at Green Acres? Holcomb noted that there might need to be another study done. With the few homes that will be built there, he doesn’t think it would be adjusted too much. Roberts noted that the number of crashes that have happened at that intersection has increased, and we’ve done everything we can to prevent more. He looks forward to putting in a four-way stop sign, and there have been some conversations about eliminating the left turn lanes. The GPD group has recommended eliminating those lanes, but he would like to see how well the four-way stop works first. McFarlin asked whether the City is still on track to make the northeast corner of that intersection some sort of green space with trails, and hopefully have a sidewalk connecting it with the Green Acres lot via sidewalks. Also, does the four- way stop provide safe pedestrian traffic to Green Acres? Holcomb responded that we did discuss that as well as part of the traffic study, and it would provide additional safety as green space develops. City of Oberlin 5 Printed on 2/4/2026
Oberlin City Council Regular City Council Minutes | January 20, 2026 7. OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER APPOINTEES TO REPORT: Marin Fowler, Finance Director e Noted that the finance department is still busy preparing its year-end filings together. e Noted that a proposal has been received from the insurance company that will be on the agenda at the next council meeting. e Wanted clarification from Council on what is expected for a review of the 2025 budget. There will be a slideshow that is being put together, and that will be presented at the first meeting in March. Council commented that they would like context for the adjustments and be able to ask department heads questions. e Noted, W-2’s are done and have been sent through the mail. Belinda Anderson, Clerk of Council e Expressed gratitude to everyone involved in organizing the Boards and Commissions Orientation. e Noted that Council will need to complete their financial disclosure forms before the May 15", 2026, deadline. 8. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: N/A 9. ADJOURNMENT: Being that there was no additional business before Council, the regular meeting adjourned at 8:47 pm. Prepared by: Briana Reynolds i Clerk of Council’s Assistant Attest: BELINDA B. ANDERSON, MMC EBONI A. yl CLERK OF COUNCIL PRESIDENT OF COUNCIL APPROVED: 02/02/2026 POSTED: 02/03/2026 | 3A FRU ATOR TR TE RP RRR AT AE PAR TUE YANN EIEN PEA LIPSENSE TIT ES SEE BE A ORE ADEE LIEN ET DEORE LTE SE OES TS TLE OE ER ETI City of Oberlin 6 Printed on 2/4/2026
Oberlin Police Dept Chief Warfield
: . th FIRST RESPONDERS & COMMUNITY e Police Pictures 5" annual a TRUNK OR TREAT First Responders Ea Ssteherie gies dot Trunk Or Treat ©6000 Detective Wiley, R.C. Podrosky and Sgt. Beyer participated in the First Responders & Community Trunk-or-Treat ® — Police Pictures is ran by our former Aux Officer, Josh Kelly Located at the Crushers Stadium ° — Estimated attendance of over 5,000 people Join us for the Sth Annual event in partnership with the Avon Police Department. Bring your best dressed kids to join Ohio First Responders. FREE TO THE PUBLIC policepictures.org/trunkortreat
Walmart Trunk or Treat ® SRO Robinson & Ptl. Kubicki participated in the Walmart Trunk or Treat Joined with Oberlin Fire Department & Central Lorain County Ambulance District Walmart >< ff JOIN US FOR 4 WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMEN & FIRE DEPARTMENT re OCTOBER 23 *
THE BILLIE NEADHAM WALK & ROLL to SCHOOL Thursday, October 23, 2025 Meet at Park Street Park at 7:30 am // Depart at 7:45 am B | | | | € N €a d h a mM Wa | k & This event is in honor of our beloved SRO, Billie Neadham, who was a huge part of Oberlin and Oberlin City Schools. He is dearly missed, and we are proud to celebrate his life and legacy with this event. Roll to School Event ° Approx. 100 students participated in the Billie Neadham Walk & Roll to School. ® Joined by Oberlin Police and Billie’s wife, Cherice.
“Welllenncc Pocatlo & Specktacular! Saturday, October 25% Halloween 10:00am-12:00pm Grab Your Costume & Join Inthe Parade! ® Officers attended the City Halloween Parade to assist with Pap bite Guceeronllar Grnad traffic and pass out candy ¥ + 5 cast + Pumpkin Decorating Sponsored by Oberlinkids Join Us on Tappan Square Afterthe Parade ° Officers also handed out candy from their cruisers during Trick-or- Treat a, OPEN VO Ann Z ae? Xs.
Drug Take Back Event ® Sgt Crossan Participated in the DEA National drug take back event ° Hosted Saturday, October 25 at the OPD lobby ° Anopportunity to safely dispose of your unneeded or expired prescription meds
Cram-A-Cruiser © OPD hosted aCram A Cruiser Food Drive ° November 14-17 ® Drop off non-perishable food items at the Oberlin Police Department ° Allitems will be donated to Oberlin Community Services to help those in need this holiday season
Cram-A- Cruiser was a huge success. 1,132 pounds of food was collected in the OPD's Cram-A-Cruiser event
Holidays with Hometown Heroes ® Participated in the “Holidays with Hometown Heroes” event hosted by Avon PD ° 5 Oberlin City School Students were selected to attend ® Included breakfast, a special gift from Santa, and shopping trip to Meijer.
Shop with a Cop ® 25 Students from Oberlin City Schools were selected to participate in our annual “Shop with a Cop” Program. ° This event was organized by SRO Robinson & Oberlin City Schools °® Mickey Mart & McDonalds also donated to the event and gift cards were raffled off to the families.
Promotion ® Jacob Crossan was recently promoted to sergeant ° Sgt. Crossan previously served as a field training officer and K-9 officer
New Hire ® Gage was sworn-in this morning as our newest full-time patrol officer ° He is attending the Lorain County Community College Police Training Academy * — His field training will begin immediately upon completion.
New Hire ° We hired two new Dispatchers ® Tenzella Shadid started in November & has been training with DTO Mullins and DTO White. ® Selena Mobley just finished her background and will begin Dispatch training soon.
SRO Robinson ®* Completed a 40-hour training course administered by the Ohio School Resource Officers Association ® He is a 2018 Oberlin High School graduate.
Training ® Chief Warfield attended the Mental Health and Wellness Conference ® Focusing on Physical Wellness, Mental Health Wellness, Spiritual Wellness, & Financial Health (plus reg platform fees) Registration is Required Our two-day pultifaceted training and networking events are for all ist Responders, Police, Fire, EMS, Dispatchers, Military/Veterans, Corrections, Coroners, Chaplains, Retired First Responders, Spouses, Professional staff, Clinicians, and all those who work in or around the Public Safety field. + Certificate of Attendance will be offered upon completion o 11 hours of OPOTA approved CPT + Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Networking Social, SWAG bag, and Raffles + Location: Embassy Suites Cleveland Rockside, 5800 Rockside Woods Blvd N, Independence, OH 44131 JY: {3 clevetana Ciinic attitist FIRSTNET. Oe Hospitals CITY OF CLEVELAND “SHARP eis Raat @ (2 Perrornance $F Autism Society\ QJ FINANCIA