The Struthers City Council on Jan. 7 held a special meeting to assign council members to seven standing committees for the 2026–27 term and to appoint a council president pro tem and a clerk pro tem.

Council President Hudgley opened the meeting at 5:38 p.m., the clerk read a letter explaining the meeting’s purpose and the council completed a roll call establishing a full council presence. The president then reviewed a proposed committee structure in which each of seven council members would serve as a committee chair, with designated second and third members for each committee.

The council president read the membership lists for the standing committees. The committee chairs and immediate backups announced were: Financial Legislation (Chair: Bob Burnside; Second: Dallas Bigley; Third: Lori Gohman); General Improvements (Chair: Ricky Bayes; Second: Bob Deagan; Third: Dallas Bigley); Police and Fire (Chair: Dallas Bigley; Second: Bob Burnside; Third: Richard Bayes); Public Utilities (Chair: Megan Pingley; Second: Lori Gohman; Third: Bob Burnside); Parks and Recreation (Chair: Lori Gohman; Second: James Bellick; Third: Megan Pingley); Community Development (Chair: Bob Deagan; Second: Megan Pingley; Third: James Bellick); and Annexation, Zoning and Industrial Business (Chair: Jim Balick; Second: Ricky Bayes; Third: Bob Deagan).

A motion to accept the committees 'as read' was made by Dallas Bigley and seconded by Lori Gohman. The clerk conducted a roll call; all present members voted in the affirmative and the motion passed.

The council then moved to the appointments. The president pro tem and clerk pro tem nominees presented were Bob Burnside for president pro tem and Dallas Bigley for clerk pro tem; an additional nomination was made for Lori Gohman as clerk pro tem. The motion to appoint Burnside as council president pro tem and Gohman as clerk pro tem was moved, seconded and approved by roll call.

Following the formal actions several council members thanked colleagues and staff for preparing the committee lists and noted that the new, more deliberate process gave members an opportunity to discuss preferences and continuity across committees. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn was seconded and affirmed.

What happens next: The appointed committee rosters will guide committee work through the 2026–27 term; the council did not take any separate policy votes or make other substantive assignments during the meeting.