Medina City Council approves package of ordinances on pensions, property sale, rail grant and equipment purchases

Medina City Council voted unanimously on June 8 to adopt a series of ordinances that together affect retirement contributions, city property, railroad funding, equipment purchases and municipal fee schedules.

The council approved Ordinance 9126 to phase in the statutorily required pickup of Ohio Public Employees Retirement System contributions for employees represented by International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 436, a change Director of Finance Mr. Durham said was negotiated with the union and required legal review.

The council authorized the sale of city-owned property at 410 East Smith Road under Ordinance 9226, accepting a single bid of $355,000 from Bradley Hoington of Sweets and Geeks, as explained by Planning Director Mr. Dutton. The ordinance enables the mayor to execute the sale.

Ordinance 9326 authorized a memorandum of understanding among the city and rail partners (named in the ordinance) that implements rate increases and enables the city to accept a $920,000 ODC grant to address rail infrastructure breaks. City engineer Mr. Patton said the grant requires a 20% local match ($230,000 total), which the partners agreed to cover at $57,500 per member.

Council members also approved equipment- and service-related ordinances. Ordinance 9426 authorizes purchase of a used 2024 International container delivery unit truck for the Sanitation Department at a purchase price offered at $98,500; the council added and adopted an emergency clause to secure a purchase order before the unit was sold to another buyer. Ordinance 9726 authorized a 10-year master services and purchasing agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc., for Taser 10 deployment and related services; Police Chief Kenny said the multi-year plan should yield savings compared with shorter-term contracts.

The council adopted Ordinance 9526 to retain Venish for engineering design work on the Medina railroad improvement project (job 1192), with Mr. Patton noting design costs are eligible for 80/20 grant reimbursement. Ordinance 9626 authorized a stormwater operation and maintenance agreement for a detention system at 1080 Branch Road, which Mr. Patton described as an EPA-required acknowledgement of the facility’s maintenance responsibilities.

On municipal fees, the council adopted Ordinance 9826 to update the planning and zoning fee schedule (last revised in 2014) and Ordinance 9926 to amend building code permit fees and contractor registration provisions: it removes obsolete certificates of qualification, raises the base permit fee ($15 residential, $20 commercial), adds $0.03 per square foot where applicable and incorporates a required 1% state fee for residential permits. Building official Mr. Glattis said the adjustments align fees with software and administrative costs.

Two budget-related ordinances passed as well. Ordinance 126 authorizes the finance director to make certain fund advances to cover the local share of grant-funded projects (including the rail grant and US 42 resurfacing), and Ordinance 10126 amends the 2026 budget primarily to reflect those advances and grant-funded items; Mr. Durham said the city treats grants as additional funds rather than budgeting on their receipt.

All measures were adopted by unanimous roll call votes (6–0). Roll call participants recorded in the meeting were Councilmembers Lamb, Simpson, Coin, Dalvo, Hair and Isabella. The council did not record any negative votes or abstentions on the adopted ordinances.

Next steps: several items noted eligibility for grant reimbursement or required follow-up (e.g., engineering design under Ordinance 9526 and the rail grant local match). Where an emergency clause was adopted (Ordinance 9426), staff indicated they would complete procurement actions to secure the equipment purchase.