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Alliance City Council adopts emergency spending for dam inspections, park work; establishes host community fund for cannabis receipts
Summary
At its Jan. 20 meeting the Alliance City Council adopted a series of emergency ordinances including a $250,000 dam‑inspection contract, a $100,000 park addition, a two‑year indigent defense contract and authorized applying for an EPA chloride grant. Council also created a Host Community Fund to hold monthly cannabis excise receipts.
The Alliance City Council on Jan. 20 unanimously adopted several emergency ordinances to fund engineering, public‑safety and park projects and to set up a fund for unexpected cannabis excise receipts.
Council suspended the rules and approved Ordinance 001‑26 to contract with AECOM Technical Services, Inc. for professional engineering services to inspect and analyze the Walborn Reservoir dam and appropriated $250,000 for the work. Council also adopted Ordinance 002‑26, authorizing a two‑year contract for indigent defense counsel for the Alliance Municipal Court, and Ordinance 003‑26, which makes 2026 appropriations and transfers needed for city operations.
The council approved Ordinance 005‑26 to advertise and contract for an addition to Maple Beach Park not to exceed $100,000. Safety Service Director Dreger had earlier reviewed the park project during administrative reports. The council also approved Ordinance 012‑26, authorizing the city to apply for an Ohio EPA Chloride Reduction Grant to fund a road‑salt storage facility; Dreger had warned that existing salt supply levels were low and said on the record that current stock would last “three or four days.”
Auditor Dave Knowles told council the city received an unbudgeted distribution of cannabis excise receipts — $39,000 in January — and asked council to create accounting codes to segregate future monthly receipts. Council suspended rules and adopted Resolution 010‑26 to establish a Host Community Fund (224) for those receipts.
Votes at a glance
- Ordinance 001‑26 (AECOM dam inspection contract, $250,000): suspended rules and adopted by roll call (unanimous). - Ordinance 002‑26 (two‑year indigent defense contract): suspended rules and adopted by roll call (unanimous). - Ordinance 003‑26 (2026 appropriations/transfers): suspended rules and adopted by roll call (unanimous). - Ordinance 005‑26 (Maple Beach Park addition, ≤ $100,000): suspended rules and adopted by roll call (unanimous). - Resolution 010‑26 (establish Host Community Fund for cannabis excise receipts): suspended rules and adopted by roll call (unanimous). - Ordinance 012‑26 (apply for Ohio EPA Chloride Reduction Grant for salt storage): suspended rules and adopted by roll call (unanimous).
What it means
Council members said the measures provide immediate authority for necessary public‑safety work, legal services and municipal budgeting adjustments. Auditor Knowles emphasized that the cannabis receipts arrived unexpectedly and recommended segregating the funds now rather than letting them flow into the general fund by default. “We didn't budget anything for it,” Knowles said.
Next steps
The city will proceed with procurement and contracting under the adopted ordinances. The chloride grant requires an application to Ohio EPA. Auditor Knowles said he will report back with details on the recurring cannabis distributions and how they will be recorded once the Host Community Fund is established.
