North Royalton council approves slate of 2026 grants, equipment purchases and appointments

North Royalton City Council met on Jan. 6, 2026, and unanimously approved a wide-ranging set of resolutions and ordinances covering grant applications, infrastructure planning loans, and multiple vehicle and equipment purchases for city departments.

The meeting, called to order by Council President Paul Marnecheck at 7:45 p.m., began with routine housekeeping: acceptance of Dec. 16 minutes and authorization for Clerk Helen Dunlap and Karin Foltzer to attend the public-records training required by House Bill 9. “It was an honor,” Clerk Helen Dunlap said about presenting a resolution recognizing Demetri Mattheou for attaining Eagle Scout.

Why it matters: The ordinances together authorize the city to pursue external funding and to commit budgeted funds for equipment and planning that affect daily municipal services — from stormwater and sanitary-sewer planning to police and service-department vehicles.

Key actions and outcomes

- Appointments: Gary Petrusky was appointed President Pro Tem for the 2026–2027 term; Kaylee Green was appointed to the Planning Commission; Matt Coleman was appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals; and Mary Gorjanc was appointed to the Recreation Board. All appointments passed by unanimous roll call (7–0).

- Grants and small awards: Ordinance 26-07 authorized the city to apply for a $6,000 Community Recycling Awareness Grant (CRAG) from the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District to support recycling guidelines and two community shred events; Ordinance 26-08 authorized acceptance of a $5,476.80 cybersecurity grant from the Ohio Emergency Management Agency with a local match of $1,369.20. Both were adopted 7–0.

- Infrastructure planning loans and contracts: Council authorized applications for two Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) planning loans — $596,900 for a citywide sanitary sewer model (Ordinance 26-13) and $362,600 for a citywide storm sewer model (Ordinance 26-15) — and approved matching consultant agreements with GPD Group for the sanitary and storm sewer models (Ordinances 26-14 and 26-16). All measures were adopted unanimously.

- Fleet and equipment purchases: Council approved multiple vehicle and equipment purchases for the Police and Service departments. Ordinance 26-09 authorized purchase of three 2026 Ford Interceptors for an amount not to exceed $144,000 (base vehicles); Councilmember Mary Gorjanc asked whether that figure included upfitting (lights, radio, other equipment). Gary Petrusky replied, “This is just the basic vehicle,” and President Marnecheck said a subsequent ordinance is expected to cover upfitting costs. Council also approved purchases and equipment packages for several Western Star chassis and dump bodies/snow-plow packages (Ords. 26-17 through 26-20) and authorized a Vermeer BC100XL brush chipper for up to $53,054 (Ord. 26-21). Several ordinances (26-17 and 26-18) were amended on the floor to change descriptions from ‘tandem’ to ‘single’ axle before adoption. All equipment and vehicle measures passed by unanimous roll call.

Details and fiscal notes

- CRAG grant: $6,000 (Ordinance 26-07). - OEMA cybersecurity grant: $5,476.80 with local match $1,369.20 (Ordinance 26-08). - Police vehicles: up to $144,000 for three 2026 Ford Interceptors (Ordinance 26-09); transcript indicates this covers base vehicles and that upfitting costs will be addressed separately. - WPCLF planning loan requests and consultant agreements: $596,900 for a sanitary sewer model (Ordinances 26-13, 26-14); $362,600 for a storm sewer model (Ords. 26-15, 26-16). - Western Star chassis and equipment packages: amounts on file for Ordinances 26-17 through 26-20 (each ordinance lists a vendor and a not-to-exceed amount as recorded in the minutes). - Vermeer brush chipper: up to $53,054 (Ordinance 26-21).

Executive session and adjournment

Council recessed to executive session at 8:20 p.m. to consider personnel matters and pending court action under ORC 121.22(G)(1) and (3); invited attendees included Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz, Law Director Tom Kelly, Clerk Helen Dunlap, Chief Keith Tarase, Lieutenant Cutler and James McDonnell. The executive session ended at 9:53 p.m., the meeting reconvened at 9:55 p.m., and Council adjourned by unanimous vote.

What’s next: The adopted authorizations allow the mayor’s office and city departments to proceed with grant applications, vendor contracts and purchase orders as applicable; the council expects further legislative items to address vehicle upfitting and any contract specifics required by the approved planning loans or equipment purchases.