Mount Vernon — During the council’s public-comment period, Justin Meyer, a Mount Vernon pastor and long-time resident, told the council he remains concerned about lingering lime-sludge at Forest Park and questioned the frequent use of emergency declarations that move measures to a third reading quickly.

Meyer recounted the 2022 lime-sludge incident and said he still worries about possible leaching. He told the council: "When everything is an emergency, well, nothing is." He asked whether labeling many measures as emergencies short-circuits the public’s chance to respond.

Council members acknowledged the concern and explained the distinction between suspending reading rules and declaring an emergency. One council member summarized the procedural point: "There's the suspension of the rules, and then there's declaring an emergency," and walked through how readings provide staged opportunities for public review and amendment. City staff also told the council that the lime-sludge response is being brought to closure under the city's permit from the Ohio EPA: "We're in compliance with our permit from the Ohio EPA, and so we're, hopefully this year winding it up." (as stated in the meeting record.)

Meyer appealed for additional minutes and raised the prospect of more citizen follow-up; council members invited staff to return with an update on the lime-sludge remediation and the administration pledged to brief neighbors and the full council on compliance status.

The council did not take formal action on the remediation during the meeting; members said they would report back with more details at a future session.