Canton Council adopts a package of emergency ordinances including FOP contract, grant for downtown substation and several settlements

Canton City Council suspended the statutory rules to bring three ordinances back to the floor and adopted a series of emergency ordinances covering financial settlements, grants, labor agreements and capital projects.

Council adopted ordinance 21, approving a negotiated settlement related to Historic Hercules LLC. Committee discussion indicated investors in default (principal around $775,780) offered to pay $1,000,000 to "make us whole," and the net effect reported to council was that, if approved, the note balance and repayments would produce about $2.5 million in total repayments on a $2 million note. The ordinance passed by roll call with "twelve yeas," the chair announced.

Ordinance 23 authorized the mayor or director of public safety to accept a Stark County Community Foundation grant not to exceed $48,000 to purchase signage, security technology, and cameras for a downtown police substation. Debate produced at least one recorded abstention and a dissent, but council approved the ordinance (roll call recorded 11 yeas, 1 abstention, motion carried).

Ordinance 24 ratified a collective-bargaining agreement between Canton and the Fraternal Order of Police and was adopted as an emergency. Several other ordinances and resolutions were adopted on third reading during the meeting, including ordinance 25 (enterprise zone recommendations), ordinance 26 (settlement regarding Centennial Plaza lease with the Professional Football Hall of Fame/National Football Museum, with an estimated remaining liability of about $415,000), ordinance 27 (property acquisitions for the Tuscarora Street West Safety Corridor), ordinance 28 (changes to Centennial Plaza management and related agreements), ordinance 29 (authorization to purchase a street sweeper, with lease/loan authority), ordinance 30 (contract amendment for Civic Center engineering services, up to $12,870), and ordinance 31 (payments related to a CJIS notification issue). Most of those measures passed on roll calls where the chair announced the motion carried (twelve yeas in several cases; ordinance 27 recorded as "eleven yeas, one nay").

In committee, finance members discussed ordinance 21 and explained the negotiated settlement’s terms and recommended approval; personnel committee reviewed the FOP agreement before its adoption. Council also approved routine first readings and referrals for other items earlier in the meeting.

The measures will go into effect consistent with the ordinances’ emergency declarations and with the administrative steps outlined in each ordinance. The council adjourned after adopting the legislative package.