Moraine City Council advances legislation drafts on fuel-system removal, resurfacing, mowing assessments and staffing

Moraine City Council members voted to prepare legislation on several routine infrastructure, procurement and personnel matters and approved an executive session for personnel at the end of the meeting.

The council voted to move forward with legislation to remove the Street Department’s aging underground fuel system and to enter an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation for South Dixie Drive Resurfacing Phase 2. Members also approved sending unpaid grass-mowing assessments to the county tax roll, renewing licensing for fire and police mobile devices with Montgomery County, and awarding a motor-vehicle-registration audit. Council approved preparing legislation to appoint a new finance director after a staff confirmation that the candidate accepted the council’s offer.

Those items matter because they authorize staff to finalize contracts, budgeting and procurement steps that set the projects and hiring process in motion; the resurfacing project and fuel-system removal involve outside agencies and environmental oversight, and the finance appointment starts a standard hiring and background-check process.

The Street Department requested approval to remove two in-ground tanks the department has been decommissioning and to have the vendor handle permits and EPA oversight. A Street Department staff member said the vendor will “be on-site” and handle hauling and disposal, and that the quoted work is a 2025 budgeted item. The staff member told council the tanks still contained “a couple hundred gallon of gasoline and diesel in each tank” but that crews had stopped general use after water contamination was detected and had used department vehicles to lower levels.

Council also approved preparing an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation for South Dixie Drive Resurfacing Phase 2, described in staff remarks as resurfacing “South Dixie from Hoyle Place to the city's northern corporate line.” Staff stated the city’s share of the work “is currently estimated at a hundred and $35,000,” and construction engineering was estimated at about $31,000. Staff further said the city is “responsible for 35 of the overall project, with ODOT covering the remaining,” language that was recorded in the meeting record; staff characterized ODOT as leading construction in its fiscal-year 2026 second quarter. Council directed the law director to prepare legislation that mirrors ODOT’s template agreement so the agency may proceed.

Council approved legislation to send unpaid summer and fall grass-mowing and cleanup assessments to the county for placement on property tax bills. The measure was presented as a regular process to collect unpaid municipal cleanup charges.

The fire department and police department requested an update to the existing Montgomery County agreement to add mobile data terminals for medics and additional licensing on police iPads; staff said the change is budgeted and will be rolled into next year’s CAD service renewal. Council approved preparing the contract for the next meeting.

Council approved a motor-vehicle-registration audit with the vendor identified in the meeting as Daelene Bridal; staff said the city performs the audit every couple of years and skipped last year.

On staffing, a staff member told council that finance candidate Aneta Williams had “accepted the offer the council has made” and that she would complete a drug test and background check before final appointment. Council voted to prepare the necessary legislation to appoint the new finance director; the roll call showed one dissenting vote.

The council also approved two procedural motions earlier in the meeting: adding the finance-director appointment as agenda item F and convening an executive session at the end of the meeting “for personnel reasons with no business to follow.”

Votes at a glance

- Add agenda item F (finance director appointment): approved (roll-call votes recorded as yes from Daugherty, Perchett, Wood, Allen, Mayor Murphy, Miller, Marcus). Motion to add item F to business passed.

- Executive session for personnel (no business to follow): approved (roll-call votes recorded as yes from Miller, Doherty, Richette, Witt, Allen, Mayor Murphy, Marcus).

- Fuel-system removal (Street Department): motion to have legislation drawn up — approved (roll-call votes recorded as yes from Daugherty, Perchett, Wood, Allen, Mayor Murphy, Miller, Marcus).

- Grass-mowing assessments to county tax roll: motion to have legislation drawn up — approved (roll-call votes recorded as yes from Vergette, Witt, Allen, Mayor Murphy, Miller, Doherty, Marcus).

- South Dixie Resurfacing Phase 2 agreement (ODOT): motion to have legislation drawn up — approved (roll-call votes recorded as yes from Witt, Allen, Mayor Murphy, Miller, Doherty, Bridgette, Marcus). Staff gave city-share estimate of $135,000 and estimated $31,000 for construction engineering; staff also said the city is “responsible for 35 of the overall project” (language from staff remarks; percent not specified in the record).

- Fire MDT and police iPad licensing with Montgomery County: motion to prepare legislation for next meeting — approved (roll-call votes recorded as yes from Allen, Mayor Murphy, Miller, Doherty, Pathet, Witt, Marcus). Staff said this is a budgeted item and will be included in next year’s CAD costs.

- Motor-vehicle-registration audit (vendor: Daelene Bridal): motion to have legislation drawn up — approved (roll-call votes recorded as yes from Mayor Murphy, Miller, Dougherty, Precheck, Witt, Allen, Marcus).

- Finance director appointment (authorize preparation of employment agreement for Aneta Williams): motion to prepare legislation to hire/appoint the finance director — approved (roll-call votes recorded as yes from Miller, Dorey, Burchett, Allen, Mayor Murphy, Marcus; Councilmember Witt voted no). A staff member told council Williams had accepted the offer and would complete standard drug testing and background check before finalization.

What remains

All passed motions direct staff to draft the necessary legislation or agreements for a future meeting; the council did not adopt final contracts or hire the finance director during this meeting. Several items involve outside approvals or subsequent steps — ODOT scheduling and construction engineering, vendor procurement and EPA oversight for fuel removal, county processing for tax assessments, and background checks for hiring.

Local context

Moraine’s action to remove an aging fuel system follows a yearlong shift to fueling vehicles off-site, which staff said reduced risk to police and fire vehicles while the department drew down remaining fuel. The South Dixie resurfacing item is identified in the city’s capital project list and is slated for ODOT construction in its FY2026 second quarter, according to staff.

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