Council confirms appointment of Tonita Tillman as Solon director of finance

The Solon City Council unanimously confirmed Tonita (also recorded as Tannita/Tonita in the meeting record) Tillman as the city's director of finance and approved compensation under emergency and suspension of the rules. The council recorded its roll-call votes in both the suspension and final passage votes. Why it matters: The director of finance is the city official responsible for budgeting, forecasting and managing municipal budgets; the appointment comes as the council prepares for major capital decisions and the 2026 budget cycle. Vote and process: The appointment ordinance (Ordinance 2025-150) was introduced and put under suspension for immediate consideration. A motion to confirm the appointment was made and seconded; the roll call recorded unanimous support and the meeting record shows final passage. Comments and context: Councilmembers welcomed Tillman and several representatives from her prior employer, the Maple Heights city council, attended and publicly thanked her for her prior work. Council members described the hire as timely and said they expect Tillman to assist with upcoming debt and budgeting matters tied to capital projects. Next steps: Tillman will assume the director-of-finance duties as established in the ordinance. Council requested further financial modeling and follow-up from the finance director on pending capital-finance questions raised elsewhere on the agenda.