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Sylvania council adopts police-policy ordinance and passes batch of emergency measures
Summary
The Sylvania City Council on May 4 approved Ordinance No. 75-2026 affirming police policies (6–1), adopted Resolution No. 4-2026 affirming respect for all people (7–0), rejected an initiative petition and advanced several administrative agreements, including a public defender contract and a final change order reducing a road project contract.
Sylvania Mayor Frye presided as the City Council on May 4, 2026 passed a package of emergency measures including an ordinance reaffirming police department policies and several administrative agreements.
Council member Mary Westphal presented and moved passage of Ordinance No. 75-2026 — described in her reading as “an ordinance affirming the City of Sylvania Police Department’s policies; requiring notice to City Council of certain policy changes and re-affirming the City of Sylvania’s commitment to community safety, professional law enforcement and nondiscriminatory policing; and declaring an emergency.” The motion was seconded by Council member Brian McCann. The ordinance passed on a roll-call vote, 6–1 (Marcus Hansen, Brian McCann, Shawn Murphy, Patrick Richardson, Lyndsey Stough and Mary Westphal voted yes; Doug Haynam voted no).
The council also adopted Resolution No. 4-2026, which Westphal read by title as “A Resolution affirming the City of Sylvania’s commitment to respecting and valuing all people,” on a unanimous 7–0 vote after Mr. Shawn Murphy seconded the motion.
On a related procedural action, the council rejected the Initiative Petition titled Sylvania Resource Conservation and Equal Access Ordinance and asked the administration to prepare legislation in lieu of allowing the petition to proceed; that motion, moved by Westphal and seconded by McCann, passed 7–0. Westphal told the committee earlier that signatures for the petition had been submitted to the Board of Elections for certification and that certification was likely to be delayed until the last week of May because of the primary election. The administration stated it would not act on related legislation until certification was complete.
The meeting also approved Ordinance No. 81-2026 authorizing the mayor and finance director to enter into an agreement with the Board of Lucas County Commissioners for public defender services in the Sylvania Municipal Court for 2026. Westphal moved the ordinance and Council member Lyndsey Stough seconded; the vote was unanimous, 7–0.
Finally, Council approved Ordinance No. 82-2026 to accept Change Order No. 2 (Final) reducing the contract amount with Helms and Sons Excavating, Inc. for the Harroun Road and Ravine Drive Intersection Improvement Project by $140,474.98. The motion to pass the ordinance as an emergency was made by Council member Patrick Richardson and seconded by Brian McCann; the roll call vote was 7–0.
Council concluded by scheduling an Annexation & Zoning Committee meeting for the next council session on May 18, 2026 and adjourning at 7:21 p.m.
The ordinances and resolution passed at the meeting were recorded as emergency measures; the administration will await Board of Elections certification before taking further action on the Initiative Petition.
