Council pauses Lumos pole-attachment action after member’s recusal; second reading set for June 9

The Amherst City Council on May 27 sent an ordinance authorizing a right-of-way use agreement and a pole attachment agreement with Lumos to second reading and recorded a formal recusal by one councilmember.

Item 6b, described by the clerk as “an ordinance authorizing the city of Amherst, Ohio to enter into a right of way use agreement and a pole attachment agreement with Lumos,” was moved to second reading and scheduled for a June 9 public hearing. Councilmember Heberling initially moved to send the item to second reading; the clerk recorded the motion and a second before the roll-call vote.

During discussion, Councilmember Wnarski indicated he might need to be recused. Councilmember Dembinski moved to invoke Rule 13 to recuse Wnarski from discussion and voting on the item; Heberling seconded. The council approved the recusal by voice vote and recorded it for the roll call. The clerk noted the recusal for the official record; the transcript records that Wnarski would remain mute during the discussion and vote.

The item will appear on the council agenda for a second reading on June 9. The law department was asked to note the recusal for the record. The transcript shows no substantive debate on Lumos’s agreement at the May 27 meeting; council members voted to move the measure forward for further consideration with the recusal in place.