Medina City Council unanimously approves land donation, grants and infrastructure actions

Medina City Council voted unanimously to approve a package of resolutions and ordinances on routine and time-sensitive city business during its November meeting, including accepting a donated 1.55-acre parcel for parkland and moving forward on multiple grant applications and service contracts.

The council adopted an ordinance to accept the donation of 1.55 acres from Mark and Alexandria Taylor that will be reserved as park property and connect to Huffman Cunningham Park. Parks and Recreation Director Worley said the parcel contains "mature flood plain forest habitat" and estimated the donation's value at "approximately a $165,000." Council added an emergency clause so the paperwork could be completed before year-end; the emergency clause and the ordinance passed by a 7-0 vote.

On public-safety funding, the council authorized filing for the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services body-worn camera grant, specifically noting the application is for expensive redaction software rather than for purchasing cameras. "It is for the software redaction for the body cameras. It's not actual body cameras," a police representative said. The application and acceptance-if-awarded authority (Resolution 18725) passed 7-0.

Other actions approved unanimously included donation of surplus municipal court furniture to Wadsworth (Resolution 18525); an amendment adding roughly $31,000 to a community corrections grant that required an emergency clause to release funds (Resolution 18625); temporary easements for Medina County sanitary engineers to perform slope stabilization and sewer work on city-owned McKee Property (Ordinance 18825); a professional services agreement with American StructurePoint for State Road reconstruction design work (Ordinance 18925); a resolution of intent to secure Ohio Public Works Commission reimbursement for a recent waterline project (Ordinance 19025); and an amendment to fund additional Winthrop Construction bills for railroad-related emergency repairs (Ordinance 19125).

The council also approved a technology services contract not to exceed $123,500 for 2026 to cover maintenance and support for about 205 devices, email archiving and spam protection, and network management tools (Ordinance 19225), and passed a budget-amendment ordinance to clean up FY2025 line items (Ordinance 19425). Every listed vote recorded was 7-0.

Votes at a glance • Resolution 18525 — Donation of court furniture to Wadsworth Municipal Court — Approved 7-0. • Resolution 18625 — Amendment to community corrections grant (≈$31,000) — Approved 7-0 (emergency clause noted). • Resolution 18725 — OCJS body-worn camera grant application (redaction software) — Approved 7-0. • Ordinance 18825 — Temporary easement for Medina County Sanitary Engineers (McKee Property) — Approved 7-0. • Ordinance 18925 — Professional services agreement with American StructurePoint (State Road design) — Approved 7-0. • Ordinance 19025 — Resolution of intent for waterline reimbursement (OPWC) — Approved 7-0. • Ordinance 19125 — Amendment to allow expenditures to Winthrop Construction — Approved 7-0. • Ordinance 19225 — Technology services contract for 2026 (≤ $123,500) — Approved 7-0. • Ordinance 19325 — Acceptance of 1.55-acre land donation for park — Approved 7-0 (emergency clause added). • Ordinance 19425 — Amendments to 2025 budget — Approved 7-0.

Why it matters: The land donation expands Medina's parkland and the emergency clauses and contract approvals allow the city to secure funding and complete time-sensitive property transfers and infrastructure work before the end of the year. Several actions are grant-dependent and contingent on award or state/federal reimbursement procedures.

Next steps: Where applicable, staff will finalize grant applications, execute contracts and complete the property transfer paperwork; several items are contingent on external fund releases or state reimbursements.