Cortland council adopts rezoning, approves codification emergency; holds readings on sewer cameras and smart meters

CORTLAND, Ohio — The Cortland City Council on Monday, Oct. 20, approved a rezoning ordinance and an emergency codification ordinance, completed second readings on two equipment purchase measures and a cellular water/sewer meter program, and held a first reading on an ordinance limiting access to city email accounts.

The actions came during the council's regular meeting at which members also approved meeting minutes, a schedule of bills and a bank reconciliation presented for September 2025. The council voted to write off an outstanding uncollectible utility account; the transcript record of the exact dollar amount was unclear.

The rezoning measure, Ordinance O-57-25, received its third and final reading. The bill seeks to change the zoning classification for a replat of Lot 108A and Lot 110A in Walnut Run Estates Phase 3 from S-1 Service District to R-12 Residential District. The ordinance was submitted by the Planning, Zoning and Building Commission as an item of old business and moved to passage on the final reading.

Council also approved Ordinance O-61-25, a council-submitted emergency ordinance to edit and incorporate certain existing ordinances into the city's codified traffic and general offenses codes to conform with recent enactments of the Ohio General Assembly. The measure was presented as an emergency so as "not to disrupt the services for continued operation of the affected departments," according to the item description on the agenda.

Two measures submitted by the mayor completed second readings: Ordinance O-58-25, authorizing purchase of two used Flexitrax C550 camera systems from Safety Company LLC (doing business as Emtek Company) for the service department to inspect storm and sanitary sewer lines; and Ordinance O-60-25, authorizing purchase and installation of cellular water/sewer meters, supporting equipment, and a service plan from Metron Smart Meters and Systems. Both were described on the agenda as second readings by the mayor and were carried forward in the meeting.

Councilman MacKury introduced Ordinance O-62-25, a first-reading ordinance that would prohibit review or access of city email accounts of employees or elected officials without consent or lawful approval pursuant to Ohio public records law. MacKury tied the measure to a recent public records request from Christopher Smith that revealed internal ticketing activity; he said the ordinance is intended to clarify the process council and city staff should follow on email-related records requests. "So we don't currently have anything on the books regarding email or, public records requests when it relates to emails," MacKury said during the discussion.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance O-57-25 (rezoning, Walnut Run Estates Phase 3) — third and final reading; moved and approved on final reading (transcript records affirmative roll calls).

- Ordinance O-61-25 (codification and traffic/general offenses amendments; emergency) — emergency ordinance submitted by council; moved and approved (transcript records affirmative roll calls).

- Ordinance O-58-25 (purchase of two used Flexitrax C550 camera systems) — second reading submitted by the mayor; motion carried during meeting (second-reading vote recorded in transcript).

- Ordinance O-60-25 (cellular water/sewer meters from Metron Smart Meters and Systems) — second reading submitted by the mayor; motion carried during meeting (second-reading vote recorded in transcript).

- Ordinance O-62-25 (restriction on review/access of city email accounts; first reading) — introduced by Councilman MacKury; motion carried for first reading and followed by discussion referencing a June public records request and the city's ticketing system.

Other formal actions

- Approval of minutes from the Oct. 6, 2025 council meeting — motion moved and approved.

- Approval of schedule of bills to be paid totaling $153,034.91 — motion moved and approved.

- Approval of bank reconciliation ending Sept. 30, 2025 — motion moved and approved.

- Approval to write off an outstanding uncollectible utility account — motion moved and approved; the meeting packet contained a letter but the dollar amount in the transcript is unclear.

Why it matters

The rezoning for Walnut Run Estates affects a defined subdivision parcel and changes the permitted residential density for those lots. The codification emergency moves local code language into the city’s codified ordinances to align with state-level enactments, which the council said is intended to prevent disruption to department operations. The email-access ordinance stems from a public records request and could change how the city processes requests that involve internal emails; council discussion focused on clarifying the ticketing and public-records workflow rather than on specific penalties or exemptions. The equipment purchases and meter program, if adopted in later readings or final action, would affect the service department's inspection capacity and the city's meter infrastructure.

What the council said

Councilman MacKury said the email-access ordinance is intended to create clarity for staff and ECMSI, the city's IT/vendor ticketing system, about how email-related records requests should be processed. He referenced a public records request by Christopher Smith that sought communications around potential employment or job-title changes. MacKury said the city "do[es] not currently have anything on the books regarding email" and that the proposed ordinance would formalize a process if it passes.

Next steps

Several items were at different stages: ordinances at second reading typically require further readings or final action at subsequent meetings; the rezoning and the emergency codification ordinance were advanced with recorded affirmative roll calls during the Oct. 20 meeting. The email-access ordinance will undergo subsequent readings as required by city procedures. The council also scheduled follow-up committee meetings for some departments; additional details will appear in future agendas and meeting packets.