Summit County approves multiple emergency contracts and confirms appointment to Children's Services Board

Summit County council voted to approve several emergency resolutions and contract awards and confirmed an appointment to the county Children's Services Board.

The most prominent items included a resolution authorizing a contract for a building abatement at a property identified in the agenda with a not-to-exceed amount of $208,000 funded through a grant from the Ohio Department of Development's Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program; several construction and equipment purchase contracts for road resurfacing and county facilities; a 10-year lease for a sheriff's multifunctional drug unit vehicle; and a one-year master service agreement to process nonemergency calls using automated voice assistance. The council also confirmed the appointment of Megan Recker to the Children's Services Board, replacing Andrew Shulerman.

Why it matters: The items carry budgetary and operational impact for county services and infrastructure. Several were taken as "emergency" resolutions, which affects procurement timelines and the county's ability to execute contracts before the usual competitive solicitation or standard calendar schedules. The largest single award listed on the agenda was $3,114,476.70 for resurfacing work; other awards and authorizations include amounts from roughly $88,040 to $3.1 million, and several agreements include grant matches or outside funding sources.

Key actions and details

- Appointment: The council confirmed the appointment of Megan Recker to the Children's Services Board to replace Andrew Shulerman (agenda item listed as 0182025). The council stated the motion and the roll call was taken; the motion carried.

- Abatement contract (Resolution 2025-93): A resolution authorizes the executive, subject to Board of Control approval, to execute a contract with NTWA LLC for a vested abatement at a building identified on the agenda (listed with an address in the agenda materials) in an amount not to exceed $208,000. The resolution notes a 25% grant match and that funding would come from the Ohio Department of Development's Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program. The resolution was passed as an emergency item.

- Road and construction contracts (Resolutions 2025-95 and 2025-96): The agenda lists a construction contract confirmed by the Board of Control with Parent Asphalt Incorporated for the 2025 Southern County 441 Asphalt Concrete resurfacing project, not to exceed $3,114,476.70 (engineering emergency). A separate contract with Darren Asphalt Incorporated for another 2025 resurfacing project is listed at $1,432,012.55 (engineering emergency). Both were listed as emergency resolutions and included in the council's approvals.

- Equipment and facility contracts (Resolutions 2025-97 and 2025-98): The agenda includes a purchase contract with Ohio Machinery Company (doing business as Ohio Cat) for one Caterpillar 309 excavator at $204,500 (engineering emergency). It also lists a construction contract with RV Construction Company Inc. for a parking lot improvement project at the county animal control facility in the City of Akron for an estimated amount not to exceed $88,040 (administrative services emergency).

- Sheriff and public safety agreements (Resolutions 2025-99, 2025-100 and 2025-101): The agenda contains a 10-year lease agreement with the City of Akron for the sheriff's multifunctional Southern County drug unit, not to exceed $627,315.72 (executive and sheriff emergency); a mutual aid agreement with the City of Akron authorized under Ohio Revised Code section 302.21; and a master service agreement with Neal Incorporated (d/b/a Aurelien) to process nonemergency calls with automated voice assistance for a one-year term beginning 05/01/2025 in an amount not to exceed $284,000 (public safety emergency).

- Human services contract adjustment (Resolution 2025-102): A change order to a professional services contract with United Way of Summit (and related partner names on the agenda) adds funding for additional homeless prevention services for the period 10/01/2024 through September 30, 2025, listed as an amount not to exceed $300,000 for the change order and a cumulative total not to exceed $1,000,000 for the contract (job and family services emergency).

- Other agenda items: The agenda also lists a resolution supporting renewal of the State Capital Improvement Program application and other appropriations and emergency funding items for the executive's departments of finance, administrative services, and engineering.

Votes and attendance

A motion to approve the slate of items (as presented in the agenda) was moved and called; the transcript records "Motion carried." During roll call on at least one item later in the agenda, council members recorded "Yes" votes with the following names named on the record: Miss Taya; Mister Ganafrio; Mister Kayshen; Miss Stevenson; Mister Ford; Mister Wilhite; and Mister Smith. The transcript does not provide a complete, labeled yes/no/abstain tally for every individual resolution on the printed agenda; where specific vote counts or dissent were not recorded in the transcript, the article notes that the tally was not specified.

What was not resolved or was not specified

- The transcript contains agenda wording and grant/contract amounts but does not provide full vote tallies for each numbered resolution in the meeting record supplied here. When individual vote counts or dissenting votes were not explicit in the transcript excerpts, they are reported as not specified.

- Several agenda descriptions include subject-to-Board-of-Control approval language; final execution of those contracts is contingent on that separate Board of Control action as noted on the agenda.

Next steps

Contracts listed as subject to Board of Control approval will proceed through that review; contracts that reference grant matches or state program funding depend on the stated fund sources. The master service agreement for automated call handling was listed to begin on 05/01/2025 per the agenda.