Norton City Council approves police vehicle, EMS reporting system, guardrail repairs and road resurfacing

The Norton City Council (board of control) on April 6 approved a series of procurement and public-works items, including a replacement police vehicle, an EMS reporting system partially paid by Cleveland Clinic, repairs to highway signage and guardrail, and a payment to ODOT for resurfacing work.

Council members voted to purchase a 2025 Jeep from Fred Martin for an amount not to exceed $33,244 to replace a 2020 vehicle that had been totaled; insurance proceeds of $27,000 leave a net city cost of about $5,534. The motion to approve the purchase passed on a roll call with five yes votes.

The council also approved buying a new national EMS reporting software product from ESO for up to $11,433. Cleveland Clinic is contributing $8,450 toward that package, reducing the city’s out-of-pocket cost to roughly $2,983. Council members said the new system is needed to meet national reporting requirements that the city's existing software cannot support.

A bid to replace an extruded highway sign on State Route 21 — a sign that points drivers toward Doylestown and includes a Silver Creek Metro Park attachment — was awarded for up to $6,345 including installation. Members discussed earlier missed opportunities to recover costs via insurance and said the assistant service director is now following up more proactively on police reports and claims.

Council authorized repairs and replacement of damaged guardrail across several city locations, awarding the work in an amount not to exceed $50,310. Council members noted guardrail damage is recurring and said the administration has increased the guardrail repair budget to $100,000 for the current year, while flagging that additional funds (the administration estimated roughly another $100,000) may be needed in a subsequent year as insurance recoveries and police reports are pursued.

The board approved proceeding with 1.1 miles of resurfacing on State Route 261 by the Ohio Department of Transportation for an amount not to exceed $72,880. Councilors explained the segment had been left off earlier paving plans while a waterline project was expected; because that funding did not materialize, the council voted to pay the city's share rather than amend an existing escrow agreement.

Finally, members voted to replace a proposed contract with an unnamed vendor and instead enter a quarterly preventative-maintenance contract for city-owned HVAC systems with SA Communel for an amount not to exceed $16,940, with council members citing local business ties as a reason for the change.

The council approved the minutes of March 2, 2026 as submitted and adjourned at 6:20 p.m.

Votes at a glance: - Purchase of 2025 Jeep from Fred Martin — Approved (yes: Mayor Zita; Mr. Roar; Miss Keener; Mr. Harbert; Mr. Dart) — Amount not to exceed $33,244. - ESO EMS reporting system — Approved (same five yes votes recorded) — Amount not to exceed $11,433; Cleveland Clinic contribution $8,450; city share ≈ $2,983. - SR 21 sign replacement (Lake Erie Construction Company) — Approved (five yes votes) — Amount not to exceed $6,345. - Citywide guardrail repairs — Approved (five yes votes) — Amount not to exceed $50,310; administration increased guardrail budget to $100,000 for the year. - Removal of agenda item 5 — Motion approved; item deferred for updated bid specifications. - Resurfacing 1.1 miles of State Route 261 (ODOT) — Approved (five yes votes) — Amount not to exceed $72,880; council to pay the city's share rather than amend escrow. - HVAC quarterly preventative maintenance contract (SA Communel) — Approved (five yes votes) — Amount not to exceed $16,940. - Approval of minutes of March 2, 2026 — Approved; meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m.

What to watch: councilors said they expect continued guardrail work and further insurance-recovery efforts; any large insurance recoveries or additional guardrail bids will likely return to the board for further action.