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East Canton adopts 2026 budget totaling $3.67 million; solicitor reports court order to allow DeWald property demolition
Summary
Council adopted the 2026 appropriation ordinance totaling $3,671,089.67 and discussed grants and private solicitations; solicitor reported a judge granted summary judgment permitting the village to abate and demolish a nuisance property, with demolition costs to be certified to the tax duplicate if necessary.
The Village of East Canton moved forward on fiscal and legal matters at the council session.
Finance and the annual appropriation: The fiscal presenter (speaker S10) introduced Ordinance 2026-10, the annual appropriation for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2026, which lists appropriations by fund (general fund $1,353,469.61; special revenues $992,518.11; capital projects $356,029.16; proprietary funds $910,468.08; fiduciary funds $58,604.71) for a grand total of $3,671,089.67. Council conducted a roll call and the ordinance was approved.
Grants and private donations: Staff reported outreach to state legislators for grant assistance. Council asked the solicitor to research whether soliciting voluntary private donations for public projects would raise legal or ethical issues; the solicitor said she would follow up with guidance but noted that employees and officials should not be using public resources to solicit donations.
Nuisance property and demolition authority: The solicitor (speaker S8) told council that Judge Farciani signed an order granting the village’s motion for summary judgment in the DeWald nuisance case, authorizing the village to abate the nuisance and demolish the structure if needed. The solicitor explained demolition can be fronted by the village and nuisance abatement costs can be certified to the tax duplicate; council discussed options including applying to the Stark County Land Bank’s demolition assistance (applications should be submitted before demolition to be considered for matching funds).
Next steps: The solicitor will supply the judgment entry to staff and the village will assess demolition bids and any available external funding to offset abatement costs. The solicitor will also advise whether soliciting private philanthropic donations for specific public projects is permissible and, if so, the proper procedures to avoid using public resources for solicitation.
