St. Marys Council approves ODOT sidewalk project consent, adopts street and bonding measures

The St. Marys City Council voted to consent to safety and pedestrian improvements on Indiana Avenue (a state route) tied to an Ohio Department of Transportation project and adopted a package of street, bonding and contract-authority measures during its most recent meeting.

Council gave formal consent for ODOT to proceed with planned safety improvements on Indiana Avenue (State Route), which officials described as including sidewalks on both sides of the road, upgraded traffic signals, pedestrian crosswalks, drainage work and other pedestrian-safety elements. The full project cost was described in the meeting as about $1,700,000; the city’s share was stated as just under $217,000. Council approved the resolution consenting to ODOT’s plan and authorizing the city to proceed with the local escrow for its share.

The council also adopted Ordinance 2025-09, described as an emergency ordinance to issue bonds to retire a short-term note related to the East Spring Street reconstruction (Phase 2). Council members said the short-term note had been used to pay property-owner shares and that issuing bonds would convert that short-term financing to longer-term debt spread over five years; the ordinance was passed under suspension of the rules.

Council approved Resolution 24505 (the annual street program authorization) to bid spring resurfacing work for McKinley Road (Spruce Street to the railroad) and a short segment of Holly Street (near Hillsdale subdivision). The resolution was presented as a scaled-back program for the year because of revenue constraints. Council members requested early bidding to seek better pricing.

An emergency ordinance (2025-10) authorizing execution of an agreement with Clemens Nelson and Sunnysheets Inc. for legal/retainer services was read; the ordinance documents a retainer increase from $175 to $250 per year effective April 1. Council members noted the firm has been retained by the city for decades and that this is the first retainer change in many years.

All the listed ordinances and resolutions were presented for passage under suspension of the rules and were approved by voice/hand vote as recorded in the meeting (each item was passed as described; votes were announced as "all yeses"). The fiscal officer’s certificate was read into the record for one improvement project, and council recorded its consent for the state-route improvements to proceed with ODOT coordination.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 2025-09: Issuance and sale of bonds (East Spring Street reconstruction, Phase 2). Motion to suspend rules moved by "Mister Eulnick," second by "Mister Fitzgerald." Passed under suspension of the rules; final passage recorded as approved. (Introduced and passed in the meeting.)

- Ordinance 2025-10: Emergency ordinance authorizing agreement with Clemens Nelson and Sunnysheets Inc. (retainer increase). Read in the meeting; listed as emergency; to be returned for further readings. Passed under suspension of the rules as presented.

- Resolution 24505 (2025 street program): Authorization to bid resurfacing work for McKinley Road and Holly Street as part of the 2025 street program. Passed under suspension of the rules.

- Resolution consenting to ODOT Indiana Avenue improvements (state route): Council recorded consent for ODOT-led safety improvements; project cost ~ $1,700,000 with the city share described as just under $217,000. Passed under suspension of the rules.

Context: why this matters

The Indiana Avenue/ODOT consent is the largest budget item discussed: because Indiana Avenue is a state route, ODOT leads construction and design. The city’s escrowed share must be authorized so ODOT can schedule the work; council members noted timing considerations and said the state intends to proceed in spring. The street program and the East Spring Street financing are part of routine municipal infrastructure financing and annual resurfacing cycles; council used the suspension of rules to expedite passage.

What council members said and how the votes proceeded

Council members repeatedly requested early bidding for the street program to seek lower costs. The fiscal officer read a certificate describing appropriated funds available for a sidewalk and pedestrian-signal project on a specified avenue. Multiple items were handled as emergency measures and passed after motions to suspend the rules; recorded votes in the meeting were announced as unanimous (“all yeses”). No roll-call vote listing individual yes/no positions was recorded in the transcript provided.

Next steps

- The city will work with ODOT on design and scheduling for Indiana Avenue improvements; the local escrow payment and coordination were approved by council. - The engineering and finance steps necessary to issue bonds for East Spring Street will proceed per the approved ordinance.