Portsmouth City Council approves alley vacations, emergency road repairs and other ordinances; several budget items advanced

Portsmouth City Council on April 14 approved a package of ordinances and advanced several budget items, including emergency funding for a road repair, two alley vacations and distribution of hotel‑motel tax proceeds to cultural organizations.

Key actions at a glance:

- Police trust fund transfer: Council approved an ordinance authorizing a fund transfer of $10,530 from general fund No. 101 into the Police Department law‑enforcement trust fund No. 225. Vice President Levette Mosley moved the ordinance; roll call recorded unanimous aye votes.

- Alley vacations: Council passed two ordinances to vacate alleys. One ordinance authorized vacation of two alleys parallel and perpendicular to Wilson Road and Shoemaker Road as requested by Timothy Harr and Kathy Barringer; another ordinance vacated Vine Alley (between Fifth and Sixth streets behind the Martins Building and the Edward Jones office) at the request of the 1922 partnership. In each case the ordinance preserved all city easements and passed after roll‑call votes recorded as ayes.

- Hotel‑motel tax distribution (emergency): Council introduced and passed an emergency ordinance to distribute $31,093.84 (33 1/3 percent of hotel‑motel tax assigned to cultural affairs) to organizations recommended by the Cultural Affairs panel. The ordinance was advanced with emergency language citing Section 10 of the City Charter and Council Rule 5; at least one councilmember asked why the three‑reading waiver was requested, and the council voted to approve the emergency request and pass the ordinance.

- Capital improvement budgets: Council moved the 2025 capital improvement program budget and related enterprise (water/wastewater) CIP items as first readings. The council also took a first reading to accept $4,570.17 into the Fire Department training line item No. 101.2230.5222.

- Emergency street repair: Council approved appropriation of $58,000 from Street Fund No. 231 for road slippage repairs on Russell Road and waived the three‑reading rule under emergency language. Councilmembers described active water runoff and potential property damage to lower‑lying yards as the reason the appropriation was urgent.

- Insurance recovery and vehicle funding: Council introduced an ordinance accepting $23,785.66 from the Public Entity Pool of Ohio (Sedgwick) into the general fund and appropriating $3,525 to police department vehicle maintenance (for teardown, storage and towing invoices) and $20,260.66 to Capital Improvement police department vehicles line item No. 301.2210.5532 toward a replacement vehicle.

Votes, motions and procedure notes: Many motions were made by Vice President Levette Mosley and carried by roll call. Several items were advanced only as first or second readings (not final adoption). Where the meeting record shows a roll call, the transcript lists individual aye votes by name; where the transcript records first readings or procedural moves without a final vote, the article notes the action as a first or second reading.

Ending: The council concluded legislative business after completing the listed ordinances and advancing budget items. The public‑comment period that followed was dominated by requests to schedule a resolution designating Portsmouth as a safe haven for LGBTQ people and to protect gender‑affirming care; council members asked the manager and solicitor to review the draft and place it on the conference agenda for discussion.