Wooster council adopts codified ordinance updates, grant appropriations and routine vendor contracts in unanimous votes

At its June 15 meeting, the Wooster City Council unanimously adopted a set of legislative and budget measures that administration described as routine updates and budget corrections tied to grants, vendor consolidation and infrastructure maintenance.

Ordinance 2026-14 was presented to update the city’s codified ordinances so local code matches recent state changes, especially in the traffic code; the administration said the updates also touch on animal (dogs running at large) and fireworks provisions so local enforcement aligns with state law. Council suspended the rules and voted to adopt the ordinance by roll call; Miss Hamilton recorded unanimous yes votes from the council.

Ordinance 2026-15 amends the annual appropriation ordinance to include a newly awarded Small Cities Community Development Block Grant for the CHIP program. Staff said the city had applied under prior authorization and the award requires retroactive appropriation because the money was not budgeted earlier. Council suspended the rules and adopted the appropriation amendment unanimously.

Council also approved four resolutions: - Resolution 2026-37 authorized a professional-services contract to clean three stripping towers required by permit; public works staff explained larger-capacity units (I7) are cleaned more frequently because they process more water and accumulate more iron deposits. The item was budgeted and adopted by roll call. - Resolution 2026-38 approved additional funds for laboratory services after Alloway Labs’ acquisition and invoice consolidation (the consolidation combined charges previously split between two vendors and pushed expenses over the council-review threshold). Staff told council they will monitor vendor performance and solicit competitive quotes as appropriate. - Resolution 2026-39 authorized additional funds for parts and supplies used in utility infrastructure (staff cited an unplanned valve replacement for the Madison booster as an example); the item was described as budgeted work and adopted. - Resolution 2026-40 appropriated grant funds from the Ohio Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Body Armor Program to reimburse most of an earlier vest purchase; the administration read a reimbursement figure of roughly $15,890 during the meeting and the item was adopted and placed on third and final reading.

All votes called during the meeting on these items were unanimous yes votes by the seated councilmembers present.

Administration asked for, and council approved, an executive session to discuss two real-property matters; no substantive action was announced publicly after the executive session. The council adjourned and confirmed its next regular meeting on September 8, 2026.