Council hears resident safety complaints about alley by UDF; police chief reports crime and traffic trends

Residents and council members raised longstanding safety and nuisance concerns about an alley entrance used by a UDF property, including graffiti, camera visibility and vehicle conflicts. Several speakers said the alley conditions have persisted despite requests to the property owner and asked whether the city has authority to block the entrance.

Council directed the city manager to consult the law director and the building official and to report back at the next meeting with legal options. The city manager said he would check permitting history and coordinate with the law director to determine whether the city can legally restrict or close access to the right of way.

In a separate report, Police Chief Jerry Geitatheimer told council the department hired a replacement officer, Austin Jones, who will attend the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy and is expected to graduate in January. The chief reported that a recent OBI checkpoint screened 400 cars with no OBI detections; he said traffic citations were up more than 60%, Part 1 crimes were down about 27% year-over-year, and traffic crashes were down roughly 11%.

Council members said they want legal guidance on the UDF alley and requested staff follow up with the property owner and bring options back to council. The law director and building official will be asked to review permitting and return with a recommendation.

Status: matter is open; council requested a legal opinion and additional information for the next meeting.