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Council dissolves 1500 ad hoc committee after heated debate over ARPA timing and communications
Summary
North College Hill council voted to dissolve the ad hoc committee assigned to the 1500 building after members aired conflicting accounts about ARPA deadlines, an open purchase order and whether demolition or renovation could be funded. Councilmembers demanded a joint fact-finding call with administration and committee chairs.
Council voted to dissolve the ad hoc committee charged with overseeing work on the cityowned 1500 building after an extended exchange about timelines and how American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds may be used.
The motion, made by Councilmember Miss Gaston and seconded by Miss Alexander, carried on a recorded vote that the clerk announced as passing 4-3.
The action followed weeks of discussion and several council members describing conflicting information about whether the city had to begin work by Dec. 31, 2025, and about what uses ARPA would permit. "My goal is alignment as everyone else's," Miss Gaston said, calling for a conference call among herself, the chairs of Community, City Development & Recreation and Budget & Finance, and the city administrator so "we can collectively receive the same factual information at the same time from the appropriate professionals."
Mayor responded that he had acted to encumber funds and start limited work to preserve the city's ability to use the ARPA allocation, saying councilmembers had been urged to act because the property was deteriorating. "If we don't do something about the building, it continues to deteriorate," he said, framing the urgency as both financial and structural.
Council debate included repeated references to an open purchase order for RWB (a contractor previously identified to do work at the site) and to conflicting information council members had received when they contacted Hamilton County and other officials. At one point a councilmember cited a conversation with the city's ARPA representative indicating funds could be used through Dec. 31, 2026, and that demolition could be a permitted use; others said they had been told a different deadline and different constraints.
Supporters of dissolving the committee said the ad hoc bodyas composedhad not produced the consistent, verified answers the council needed and that restarting a working group with clarified membership and expert participation would allow the city to proceed in a coordinated way. Opponents cautioned that dissolving a volunteer advisory group without completing its work could be unfair to citizens who had contributed time and asked for continuity in the decision-making process.
Miss Dukesteine, the city administrator, told council she had been working to gather required quotes, appraisals and documentation and asked for collaborative follow-through. She described juggling grant deadlines, staff vacancies and other administrative tasks while trying to supply the requested information.
The council also earlier added Resolution 01-2026, a formal censure item, to the agenda by a separate roll-call vote (6-1). Council indicated the censure matter and the 1500 project are distinct items on the agenda; both will return for further action.
What happens next: Councilmembers who called for a joint briefing said they will schedule a conference call with the administrator and committee chairs to try to align the factual record before further votes on ARPA allocations or a redevelopment plan for the 1500 building.
