Summit County Council adopts emergency measures, equipment purchases and labor deal on Jan. 26, 2026

Summit County Council on Jan. 26, 2026, moved swiftly through its agenda and suspended the rules to adopt a series of emergency resolutions covering procurement, appropriations, a legal settlement and a new deputies’ contract.

Heidi Swindell of the Summit County Engineer’s Office told council the county exhausted last year’s salt encumbrance and asked for a new encumbrance to restore deliveries; "It's been pretty rough out there," Swindell said. Council later confirmed a purchase contract with Cargill Incorporated for up to $524,000 to supply road salt for the 2026 snow-and-ice season.

Tommy Smoot of the executive department of public safety described two related procurements funded by the FY24 State Homeland Security grant: night-vision scopes (the lowest bid from Steel Industries, $69,197.50) for special operations teams and three tactical robots from I Corps Technology for a total not to exceed $179,885.88. Council suspended the rules and adopted both measures.

Brian Harnack, executive director for the law department, summarized a proposed settlement in a juvenile-court case involving a minor and asked for first-reading passage of a settlement in an amount not to exceed $115,000; council approved the resolution authorizing the settlement and trust placement for the minor.

Phil Montgomery (executive’s office) presented the annual carryover/rollover reappropriations and related appropriation legislation. Montgomery listed several large life-to-date and grant items (TCAP and opioid fund entries among them) and cited a total carryover figure of $171,529,851.94. Council moved to suspend the rules and adopt the carryover and appropriation resolutions.

Marvin Evans of the Department of Law and Risk Management described a late-filed collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police deputy unit; under the negotiated schedule the deputies would receive a 4% increase this year, 3.5% the following year and 3% in the third year. Council suspended rules and adopted the contract (Resolution 2026-022); Montgomery advised the executive branch will bring appropriation adjustments in the next cycle to fund the 4% increase.

Other adopted emergency items included a professional-services contract with Fratellis Financial Consultants to perform a sanitary sewer cost-of-service study (not to exceed $88,200), acceptance of an opioid remediation grant from the Ohio attorney general for $134,240 (no local match) with a contract to Orient A House Inc. for remediation services, and routine grant and maintenance agreements described on the agenda.

Council carried the routine agenda, confirmed a slate of committee appointments and standing committees for 2026, and then moved to public comment before entering executive session.

The meeting record shows the council moved to executive session to discuss personnel matters under ORC Section 121.22(g)(1) and did not take a further public vote on investment policy during the session.