Commission pauses $163,000 supplemental janitorial contract for Dayton International Airport after union, commissioners raise concerns

Mayor Gretta Turner-Sloss and the City Commission on June 10 paused consideration of a one-year supplemental janitorial services contract at Dayton International Airport after questions from union representatives and several commissioners about staffing, costs and long-term scope.

City Manager Shelley Dickstein described the contract as a one-year agreement to provide specialized overnight deep-cleaning services and said it would not replace existing airport custodial staff. "Wages are above minimum and consistent with industry standards," Dickstein said, but she warned that delaying the contract could worsen service gaps caused by vacancies.

Deputy Director of Aviation Dan Zenk, who led the request for proposals, said the City and the union are generally aligned on the proposal but that the primary issue is employee retention. "Prior approaches, including reliance on overtime, were not sustainable due to burnout and ongoing staffing losses," Zenk said, adding that existing staffing levels would be sufficient if positions were filled.

Union representative Lucas Smith told the Commission he believes the work should remain in-house. He said the RFP included "guardrails" to prevent overlap with first- and second-shift custodial duties but added that the union "does not agree with contracting out the work, stating it is part of their core responsibilities" and raised concern that contracting could expand beyond its original scope.

During public comment, Noah McCalister urged the Commission to consider using existing staff or hiring additional in-house personnel instead of contracting, and he suggested redirecting funds to neighborhood investments. Mayor Turner-Sloss clarified that the supplemental janitorial agreement is $163,000, not the larger figure some speakers feared.

Commissioner Fairchild asked to remove Calendar Item #2 from the calendar; Mayor Turner-Sloss instead requested a pause to allow more discussion with the union and staff and asked that a clear timeline be set to prevent indefinite delay. Commissioners Shaw and Fairchild then moved to approve the City Manager’s reports with Calendar Item #2 excluded; the motion passed unanimously.

The approved action (City Manager’s reports excluding Calendar Item #2) means the supplemental janitorial contract will not proceed immediately; staff were directed to return with additional analysis and a timeline for the paused item. Mayor Turner-Sloss also requested exploration of alternatives such as a pilot program or pay adjustments to improve recruitment and retention.

The Commission did not adopt or reject the contract during the June 10 meeting; a further report and timeline were requested for the paused item.