Middletown council passes year‑end ordinances, animal shelter contract and cybersecurity plan in unanimous votes
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Summary
On Dec. 16 the Middletown City Council approved 12 pieces of emergency legislation and one first reading, including renewal of a stop‑loss insurance contract with Optum for 2026, a contract increase with Animal Friends Humane Society for animal care, transfers to repay sidewalk funds, and adoption of a statutory cybersecurity program required by Ohio House Bill 96.
The Middletown City Council unanimously approved a series of year‑end ordinances and resolutions on Dec. 16, taking emergency readings on most items to meet auditing and operational deadlines.
Key approvals
- Stop‑loss insurance renewal with Optum Insurance for 2026: Council approved authorization to renew the city’s stop‑loss coverage for the coming year. The motion to approve was moved and seconded and carried unanimously.
- Animal care contract (Ordinance O2025‑73): Staff requested authorization to extend services with Animal Friends Humane Society for handling stray and seized animals. The contract rate will increase to $4,746.50 per month for 2026 (from $2,765 per month). The 2026 budget included $53,000 from the solid waste fund; staff requested a supplemental appropriation of $6,958 to cover the higher base fee and anticipated additional costs, bringing the 2026 total to $59,958. Staff noted that without a contract there would be no local provider available to manage the current animal volume. Council approved the ordinance and the supplemental appropriation on emergency passage.
- Water treatment supplies and maintenance contracts: Council approved ordinances to extend/authorize contracts with Kamira Water Solutions (ferric sulfate) and Polydyne Incorporated (polymer) for the water reclamation facility (Ordinances O2025‑69 and O2025‑70), and approved additional funds for 2025 grounds maintenance contracts (O2025‑71) and nuisance abatement contract extensions for 2026 (O2025‑72).
- Financial transfers and year‑end adjustments: Resolutions were approved to request the Butler County Auditor advance collected taxes to the city (R2025‑39); to make year‑end appropriation adjustments with a net zero effect on the general fund totaling $354,500 (R2025‑40); and to authorize repayment transfers from several prior sidewalk/curb/gutter funds totaling $243,539.42 to the general fund (R2025‑41).
- Temporary advances for solid waste and transit funds (R2025‑42): Staff requested and council approved a temporary $800,000 advance from the general fund — $500,000 to the solid waste fund and $300,000 to the transit fund — to maintain cash flow after a cybersecurity incident halted utility billing and delayed federal drawdowns for transit. Staff said the advances will be repaid when billing and reimbursements resume.
- Police grant fund appropriation (R2025‑43): The council approved a supplemental appropriation of $42,822.02 related to a $76,330 Ohio Recovery Foundation grant to align grant timing and purchase requirements for outreach equipment and vehicles.
- Cybersecurity program adoption (R2025‑44): The council adopted a cybersecurity program to meet Ohio House Bill 96 requirements. Staff described components including annual risk inventories, incident response protocols, SIEM deployment, mandatory employee cybersecurity training and a prohibition on ransomware payments absent council approval.
- Ordinance O2025‑75: first reading only to adopt the 2025 supplement to the codified ordinances; no action was taken on the first reading.
Votes and procedure
Most items were presented by Law Director Alex Ewing and staff reports from City Manager Ashley Combs. Motions to approve were made and seconded for each ordinance and resolution; roll call votes recorded “yes” from each participating councilmember and the mayor, and the clerk announced the motions carried. Several items were requested as emergency readings to meet year‑end accounting and auditing deadlines.
What changed for city operations
The approved Animal Friends contract increases the city’s monthly base fee for animal care services and requires a small supplemental appropriation. The temporary $800,000 general fund advance is a short‑term cash‑flow measure prompted by a recent cybersecurity incident that disrupted billing and federal reimbursement timing for transit.
Next steps
Emergency‑passed ordinances take effect according to their provisions; the council recorded the first reading for the codified ordinances supplement and will return to that item at a later meeting for final action.
