[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6178414,"mediaKeyId","5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326","parentId",5238489,"title","Summit County Children’s Services warns of foster‑care crisis; asks Barberton residents to consider fostering","audioSeconds",446,"startMs",1722000,"endMs",2168000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326&start=1722&end=2168","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326/thumbnail_1722000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6178414/Ohio/Summit-County-Childrens-Services-warns-of-fostercare-crisis-asks-Barberton-residents-to-consider-fostering","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6178414-be50b7f4b603a7c5da1b554a435b598f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771173868&Signature=Q8F8FeegqNkSPg1UXZouS2K~lI378hedY7qXEZEjlGJcFH4uKfR7vM6XmJePu5wO06iAl5kfjolrehTLiF9mAknuRZJKDWwm6X-enSw6qwnI50j~B9kOFR4P8mrvIGmh2g2iL9dKS0Srs5EPvKq-L1WbNI1lqhVgULsSH-OgfIGv3ufhVbWWtn7GxThuLeeit5nbOsqs~-biEjc1NuSkqYkFuBpp6V4auABACvghEUyxDjUIif8D2F4Tx~SE6obOYKLJTnOcSOUS3CHdLEBqlEMEuvQ1weAJBrc9lx5mWTVDjTlxvydqUz53q3UdSQrY01rXB5ugKvxqO7uoyVDkfQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Baberton, OH","date","2025-07-07T21:32:37Z","article","At the July 7 Committee of the Whole meeting, Sandy DeLuca of Summit County Children's Services briefed council and attendees on what she called a countywide foster‑care crisis and urged residents to consider becoming foster parents.

\"We have over 840 children from this county in our custody this week,\" DeLuca said. She said Summit County had almost 9,300 children receiving services in 2024, 9,119 intake calls the same year, an 81 percent reunification rate and 81 adoptions finalized in 2024. DeLuca said last year ZIP code 44203 (Barberton/Norton area) produced 166 children who entered the agency's custody but had only five foster families available in that ZIP code.

DeLuca described who can become a foster parent and what supports the agency provides: applicants must be 18 or older and live in Summit County or a contiguous county; there is no income or education requirement; foster certifications last four years and foster parents receive ongoing training (about 15 hours per year). The agency provides a per‑diem reimbursement check for child care, covers medical, dental and optical care, and can assist with funding for extracurricular activities and enrichment.

Why it matters: DeLuca said the county has far fewer certified foster homes than children in custody and that keeping children close to family networks improves outcomes; the agency is actively recruiting local families to reduce placements outside the county.

Sources: Sandy DeLuca, Summit County Children's Services presentation at the Barberton Committee of the Whole, July 7.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Barberton City Council, 7-7-2025 Committee Of The Whole Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Sandy DeLuca of Summit County Children's Services told Barberton leaders and residents that the county has 840 children in custody with roughly 130–135 foster families and urged more local foster parents, noting ZIP 44203 contributed 166 children last year but had only five foster families.","taxTitle","Baberton City Council, Barberton City, Summit County, Ohio","taxId",70383,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6178419,"Finance committee calls for payments and ordinance changes including larger blanket purchase orders and $70,810.84 body‑camera appropriation",930,630000,1560000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326&start=630&end=1560","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326/thumbnail_630000.jpg","/articles/6178419/Ohio/Finance-committee-calls-for-payments-and-ordinance-changes-including-larger-blanket-purchase-orders-and-7081084-bodycamera-appropriation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6178419-e184478309dc39682a9c48d55a713bf6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771173868&Signature=KQ8kCgCXsmhFp0pnDghYfC3d7pwWqdwQyY8AjbqQLApRzexuowxSdgXVmDRtz7QHhh0JZjO0-E1359McjxvuYmvNVmS0g16jWN4L0IdMMEj~RtY6UpMri~-Md13DZlucffiQMIUmY-fDpHa~TqZ89omxqw-9zaQwU-TqdgAiWto8rnPr4SIM98em88v08OxJ2ODupEmeTSY8xpaXXVHfnoKr6QDH52WxA2jKtKd3iSlyCCFNwHU~JbJOl4G6Tln2dt7pjKNfNxjztCMOjnX90SAWDBOsGnuf18sc50om87jk594L6zhtIa53FbUW~zLd6OnOg7Q5EmjDGCrxkdx7HQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Barberton Finance and Personnel Committee on July 7 called for several pieces of legislation including payment of four past‑due invoices, an appropriation to pay for police body cameras and an amendment to increase the allowable blanket purchase order threshold.

Stacy Carr, planning director (not present at the meeting), had requested legislation to pay four past‑due invoices to Rental Consulting Solutions; the committee called that legislation for one reading with emergency wording. Council discussion indicated the planning department has a new invoice‑payment process to prevent future late payments.

Chief Vincent Morber of the Barberton Police Department referred a grant appropriation request that committee members called for: $70,810.84 from the city grant fund to the police department’s budget for body‑camera payments. The motion was called and approved for one reading with emergency wording.

Finance director Jeremy Plaker explained a separate request to amend ordinance 1‑20‑2006 that currently limits blanket purchase orders to $5,000. \"That ordinance from 2006 basically stated, we could only enter blanket purchase order for $5,000 ... So any blanket purchase order over that, we technically shouldn't have done,\" Plaker said, arguing auditors raised the issue in a recent audit. He proposed raising the maximum to $1,005,000 to reduce the administrative burden of entering monthly purchase orders for recurring contracted services such as health insurance and EMS billing; the committee called the amendment for one reading and emergency wording.

The committee also discussed an ordinance amending pay grades for part‑time positions (dispatchers, jailers, juvenile diversion officers, reserve officers, crossing guards, part‑time construction inspectors and interns) to adjust pay that had not been updated since 2023. That item was called for one reading with emergency wording.

Why it matters: the actions would clear outstanding payments, authorize a grant-funded purchase for police equipment and alter procurement rules to reduce monthly administrative work; each item was advanced as emergency/one‑reading legislation.

Sources: Finance director Jeremy Plaker, Chief Vincent Morber, committee chair Councilor Thompson, and committee discussion at the July 7 Finance and Personnel meeting.","Barberton’s finance committee on July 7 called for payment of past‑due invoices, moved to appropriate a $70,810.84 body‑camera grant to the police department, and voted to amend a 2006 ordinance raising the blanket purchase‑order threshold from $5,000 to $1,005,000 to reduce monthly PO work.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6178424,"Planning committee rescinds Community Entertainment District ordinance for republication; landlords protest proposed $200 rental-registration fee",203,370000,573000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326&start=370&end=573","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326/thumbnail_370000.jpg","/articles/6178424/Ohio/Planning-committee-rescinds-Community-Entertainment-District-ordinance-for-republication-landlords-protest-proposed-200-rental-registration-fee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6178424-44519ca61e05e3a4d98334b0c66d0f54/orig.mp4?Expires=1771173868&Signature=HFyMFTZtq8ZAI9F6G5gmciMYnmN4U55iWwrNQ4ohXk8BkxcFCfSaajin4yEtNxV-jXU8Y8VSguxQ-SkCAYlfjpgpBgvlcg74mcFNxgTh3NSzRnG-yG5G5BxzGzdJrPyd7iFj65aZ~~St3D0XRLHRYRnwMOhutEQ4Wcgq7bpzWr8E0pUeFCkXincqM~SFza2Gj3pSWZOawPu71JgU~r-R-ZNFrNGlghUBNn9zk3XuqHNb4LYoKQaLjnLzyn4odbt8odoc4SHtC3ShUlb~624bfxzqot4n5YT15mQ1h3p2vPmYrnsrwUjezyWv0vIKL19UIvi0rHBd~zLw6H9gQ~SGnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Barberton’s Planning, Annexation and Codes committee on July 7 moved to rescind ordinance 80‑20‑25 — the initial Community Entertainment District measure — after law director Miller identified a procedural publication error and said the ordinance had not been published two consecutive weeks as required by RC codes prior to passage.

\"According to the RC codes, prior to passage, it had to have been published 2 consecutive weeks in the newspaper of general circulation, and it was not. So this could not have been passed. It needs to be rescinded,\" Planning Chair Haddock said during the committee meeting. Council then voted to call for the rescission and to reissue the district after the notice is published correctly.

At the same meeting, the planning committee and later the Committee of the Whole also considered amendments to codified ordinance chapters 14.62 (property maintenance) and 14.78 (revised rental property registration program). Those amendments were presented as emergency wording with one reading requested.

During the public comment period, two landlords criticized a proposed $200 per‑unit rental registration fee. Don Pickering, identified in the meeting as a landlord at 242 Fifth Street, said, \"I think that's totally ridiculous. There's no way a landlord can recoup them losses in a year ...\" He urged a $40 annual fee instead. Another landlord, Fatima Rita, said charging $200 per unit would be burdensome for owners of multiple units and questioned the benefit and use of the money: \"If somebody has a lot of units, that costs a lot of money... I would like to know where is the money going to that you're charging that much.\"

Why it matters: the planning committee's vote rescinds an ordinance already passed because the required public‑notice steps were not followed; the rental registration changes and the objections from landlords speak to potential financial impacts on property owners and tenants.

Sources: Planning Chair Haddock and law director Miller in committee; public comment from Don Pickering and Fatima Rita at the July 7 Committee of the Whole meeting.","Planning committee found a procedural error in the city's Community Entertainment District ordinance and moved to rescind and republish it; at the same meeting landlords spoke during citizens' comments opposing a proposed $200 per‑unit rental registration fee.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6178429,"Barberton council approves $20,000 for removal of fallen or dangerous trees; road program, cutout repairs discussed",5872,1184000,7056000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326&start=1184&end=7056","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326/thumbnail_1184000.jpg","/articles/6178429/Ohio/Barberton-council-approves-20000-for-removal-of-fallen-or-dangerous-trees-road-program-cutout-repairs-discussed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6178429-53dbe23908c581f5a3115f206daa5613/orig.mp4?Expires=1771173868&Signature=O92v917ESvS-hcG7185YEfFLZtlQJY3MuGKKN4ne15jONvoO1BBlklyiuvPvhjs9QGXcnRPZ1V1~GQZcx5dYJN0Mp7BO3Uq8eJcJacSd63btG85JfuOK70vER-WZHhKWdq4T6TJ0xyb1Z8YkM4pSNk7edi~N0vFqe5R9wt~GNice1XCZaU5BrwysAsOpw3bJu8bMPyPoSeL4k7QysPzPnJIkfkuI9I-ihqz3TJn9gbaVjB0Af~wzf8q~j9uamNLxmlxJXr1pmSVhX7E6pMu36Auhwo7SFtkbXo0spE892nuJcO-XOuLA4xX3jXqId9u0foTEEqMC6Bvtr-QD4yym7g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Barberton City Council on July 7 approved an emergency appropriation of $20,000 from the street operating fund to remove fallen or dangerous trees from city property, Mayor William Judge told the streets committee and later the finance committee.

The appropriation was requested by Mayor William Judge and discussed in the Streets, Sidewalk and Lighting committee; the motion to call the legislation passed on a voice vote. \"So for example, we own 2 lots, at the dead end of Bird Street behind Angie's restaurant. ... they were deemed to be unsafe,\" Judge said when explaining earlier tree removals and the need for additional funds.

Public works director Todd Shreve updated council on the road program and on street cutouts. He reported that the contractor has completed milling and intermediate course paving on several streets (Way, Yale, Louis Court, Eastlake, East Baird, Eastpark, Second Street Northeast, Azalea, Fifth Street and Oak) and is about halfway finished. \"This week, they're going to be beginning the drive slash apron and curb ramps on the streets that I just listed off. That will begin this week. Residents will be notified,\" Shreve said.

Shreve also said remaining streets (Lambert, Sinclair, Grand, State) were roughly two weeks from starting work. He described limits on cutout repairs: crews carry a finite amount of asphalt per truck and larger cutouts take more material and time. He said water‑department work to reduce water loss has also tied up crews and limited paving capacity.

Council members raised the long‑standing issue of street cutouts and recording of repairs. One councilor said a shared tracking file had been discussed but not completed; Shreve said he would follow up and produce an updated, color‑coded running list of cutouts keyed to wards so council could track progress.

Why it matters: the $20,000 appropriation is intended to allow the city to remove hazardous trees on municipal property promptly; the road program and cutout backlog affect resident safety, mobility and the pace of other street repairs.

Sources: Mayor William Judge and Todd Shreve, public works director, Barberton City Council meeting July 7.","Council approved a $20,000 appropriation to remove dangerous trees on city property and heard an update on road milling/paving and street cutout repairs; city and crews said weather and competing water‑loss work limit immediate progress.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6178434,"FirstEnergy outlines inspections, bird and tree mitigation after weeks of outages in Barberton",3559,2684000,6243000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326&start=2684&end=6243","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5238489-10fef88595ec0e32105544234f013326/thumbnail_2684000.jpg","/articles/6178434/Ohio/FirstEnergy-outlines-inspections-bird-and-tree-mitigation-after-weeks-of-outages-in-Barberton","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6178434-27e35026e44890532e614a5756668ee4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771173868&Signature=lcNC9aICcQNmgfzGDYDY3UImdJYNyonPWrBXc6ZtbwjPEeyXRNC9TNPe4bS0E646lGnpQjERTToiZDOSxWKSELxAVAt~xiRUyo5aIGjWixanXKAOeLLrrKQPd2z4gkruPbfy1ghSBu4Z3jz5L6kR153L01k4czEVfaZ~vdQDQcZn4X6m5OW2rJbIuaU2khD1Kq~d~CYRvzZHw~n0XNi0FNC1NK0KU1~rr1CAJUk5OSP0p1UWfZx-RAmiMFBqN6UKw0LHGq7IIVHpARVwttDwdL-oah-OKb32kj6JiMRxqvTFcKBDjXqK88-hflWGucoUyUTxSQkAciuDfv54piNMEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","FirstEnergy officials told the Barberton City Council Committee of the Whole on July 7 that the utility is increasing inspections and system work in response to repeated outages affecting parts of the city this spring and summer.

At the meeting, Amy Hopkins, FirstEnergy local engagement specialist, introduced Dan Kanop, manager of reliability and asset management, who laid out actions the company is taking, including drone-based thermal and visual inspections, targeted repairs and a federally constrained plan to mitigate osprey nests that have interfered with lines. \"The employees that work throughout the company also live in the communities they serve,\" Kanop said, noting linemen stationed in Barberton and the company’s broader investment plans.

The company described three principal causes of the recent problems: off‑right‑of‑way trees that cannot be routinely trimmed without landowner permission, nearby osprey nests that are protected and require permits before mitigation work, and storm-related damage. Kanop said FirstEnergy’s forestry team is doing targeted work where permits and rights allow and that August 8 is the first available date to schedule some nest mitigation under federal permit windows. He added the company has installed temporary insulating materials at several nest locations \"trying to mitigate any type of short circuit or fault type event that would cause an outage.\"

Residents at the meeting pressed for faster results and more local investment. Councilor Heideck and Councilor Griffin described concentrated outage patterns on the south side and elsewhere; resident Dallas Moore said, \"This is getting ridiculous. I'm speaking for 25,000 people,\" arguing that repeated short outages and longer interruptions this summer had harmed residents and businesses. Todd Shreve, Barberton director of public service, told the meeting he is tracking cutouts and street-repair work as crews juggle water‑loss repairs and pavement patching.

Kanop described operational steps taken after the June 23 heat‑related event that caused two transformers at the Barberton transmission substation to trip and required testing before re-energizing. He said some customers were restored quickly by staged transfer of load to redundant feeders, while others required repairs and transformer testing, which prolonged restoration. Since that event, he said, FirstEnergy has flown drone thermography inspections to identify hot spots for preemptive repairs and is advancing a multiyear rebuild of a 69 kV line (work scheduled in Barberton in 2027) and upgrades to the Barberton transmission substation beginning in 2026.

On street‑level issues, Kanop said most local outages this year resulted from trees outside the company’s regular 15‑foot trimming corridor and from protected bird nests; he emphasized that the company seeks landowner permission to trim outside the corridor and that many landowners agree after arborist review. He also said the company is still in its four‑year trim cycle for the area but performs additional inspections after storms.

FirstEnergy offered a company point of contact for follow‑ups and invited residents to send inspection ticket numbers to Amy Hopkins for direct follow-up. The mayor reported that council had signed and sent a letter to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) seeking oversight and follow‑up. City officials and some residents urged FirstEnergy to accelerate investments and to provide clearer follow‑up on individual tree and reliability complaints.

Why it matters: repeated outages — both momentary and sustained — affect residents on medical equipment, businesses and public confidence in services. City and utility officials said they would continue coordinated follow‑up.

Sources: Remarks and answers from Amy Hopkins and Dan Kanop (FirstEnergy), Todd Shreve (City of Barberton), and multiple council members and residents during the July 7 Committee of the Whole meeting.

If you reported an outage or filed an inspection ticket and did not receive a response, FirstEnergy’s Hopkins invited residents to supply the ticket number so the company could follow up directly.","FirstEnergy representatives told Barberton City Council on July 7 that the company is increasing inspections, using drone thermography and planning osprey-nest mitigation after repeated outages; residents pressed for faster, local fixes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Summit County Children’s Services warns of foster‑care crisis; asks Barberton residents to consider fostering

Finance committee calls for payments and ordinance changes including larger blanket purchase orders and $70,810.84 body‑camera appropriation

Planning committee rescinds Community Entertainment District ordinance for republication; landlords protest proposed $200 rental-registration fee

Barberton council approves $20,000 for removal of fallen or dangerous trees; road program, cutout repairs discussed

FirstEnergy outlines inspections, bird and tree mitigation after weeks of outages in Barberton