Norwalk City Council approves emergency budget amendment, ODOT urban-paving payment and related resolutions

Norwalk City Council passed a set of ordinances and resolutions during the meeting that included a 2025 budget amendment, authorization to pay the local share for an Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) urban-paving project, cooperation and permissive-tax applications tied to that project, acceptance of the 2025 comprehensive tree plan, and adoption of replacement pages to the city’s codified ordinances. Council unanimously approved the measures in roll-call votes recorded during the meeting, and several items were declared emergency measures to meet statutory or administrative deadlines.

Key votes and outcomes

- Ordinance 25-515 — Supplemental amendment to the 2025 budget appropriation ordinance: The clerk read the ordinance, council moved to suspend the normal second-reading requirement and approved an emergency declaration citing the city charter and the need for supplemental appropriations. The ordinance was adopted. Motion to instruct the clerk to read the ordinance was made by Mrs. Wilhelm and seconded by Mr. Duncan; the adoption motion was moved and seconded (recorded motions and roll calls show unanimous yes votes among council members present). Outcome: adopted (emergency).

- Ordinance 25-016 — Authorize finance director to pay the Ohio Department of Transportation $508,610.35 for the city’s estimated local share of the urban paving project: The council read and adopted the ordinance as an emergency measure. The ordinance states ODOT requires payment of the local share by 03/21/2025. Motion to read was moved by Mrs. Lukel and seconded by Mr. Duncan; motions to suspend rules and accept the emergency were approved and the ordinance was adopted in roll call. Outcome: adopted (emergency); note: transcript records the ODOT local-share payment amount as $508,610.35 and the stated deadline of 03/21/2025.

- Resolution 25-017 — Cooperation with the Ohio Department of Transportation on the described highway improvement project (US 250 / SR 601 / SR 61 segments) and appropriation of the city’s estimated share: Council passed a resolution formalizing the city’s cooperation with ODOT on the project. The resolution describes estimated total project shares (total estimated cost, OPWC share and balance) and directs the finance director to issue payment requisitions as requested by the director of transportation. Motion for passage was moved by Mr. Duncan and seconded by Mr. Shum; roll call recorded all yes votes. Outcome: passed.

- Resolution 25-018 — Authorize submission of an application for permissive highway tax funds (county motor vehicle license tax) for the urban paving project: Council authorized the mayor to apply to the county for permissive highway-tax funds for the same urban-paving project. Outcome: passed.

- Resolution 25-019 — Accept and approve the Norwalk Tree Board’s 2025 Comprehensive Tree Plan: Council approved the tree board’s written plan (filed as an exhibit). Outcome: passed.

- Ordinance 25-020 — Adopt replacement pages to the 2025 codified ordinances and related amendments: Council adopted the codified-ordinance replacement pages and declared the measure an emergency to permit earliest publication and distribution. Motion to suspend rules and accept the emergency declaration were approved and the ordinance was adopted. Outcome: adopted (emergency).

Process notes

Council repeatedly used the suspension-of-rules procedure to waive a second reading and adopted emergency declarations when staff noted statutory deadlines or administrative needs (for example, ODOT’s March 21 local-share payment requirement and the procedural need to publish updated codified ordinances). The meeting record shows the clerk read proposed ordinances aloud, council members moved and seconded standard procedural motions, and roll-call votes were taken on rule suspensions, emergency declarations and final adoptions.

The meeting record does not include competing amendments or recorded no votes for these items; all recorded roll calls in the transcript show affirmative votes for the items listed above. The materials referenced for the paving project and permissive-tax application cite Ohio Department of Transportation documents and Ohio Revised Code sections governing permissive highway funds and city cooperation with state projects.

Where to find documents

The ordinances and resolutions are recorded in the city’s proceedings. The urban paving project estimate, the permissive-tax application and the tree-board plan were presented as exhibits during the meeting and are available from the City Clerk’s office or on the city website.