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North Royalton committee hears police hiring update and plans traffic signal at Akins and Ridge
Summary
The Safety Committee heard Police Chief Keith Tarase report three conditional job offers and an open civil service exam, and discussed installing a timed traffic signal at Akins and Ridge — funding for the signal is included in a budget amendment.
Police Chief Keith Tarase told the North Royalton Safety Committee on Feb. 17 that the department has three conditional offers of employment pending and an online civil service exam open through early March, and he hopes the city can hire two more officers from that list.
Chief Tarase also updated the committee on traffic-signal work planned for the city. A hanging, timed signal is scheduled for York and Albion, and the committee discussed installing a regular, timed signal at the Akins and Ridge intersection that would be synchronized with the nearby high-school signal. "Once the order is put in, it would be a couple of weeks before we receive everything," Tarase said, estimating installation around April and noting the signal would be a standard traffic light rather than a blinking beacon.
Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz said he has been trying to coordinate with Metroparks staff about nearby intersections and confirmed the administration will move forward if council approves a budget amendment that Finance Director Jenny Esarey said includes funding for the new signal. "If council passes the budget amendment this evening they can proceed with the light," Esarey said.
The committee discussed programming options for the new signal, including whether it should run on a fixed clock or use vehicle sensors. Chief Tarase said the original quote did not include turn arrows and that most flow would be handled by timing adjustments; he also said the signal will need to be timed to avoid confusing motorists. Committee members emphasized school operations and event traffic when considering timing and potential signage.
On staffing, Tarase said the department had sent the 2025 annual report to council and noted deer-harvest numbers were down from the prior year. He described the hiring process for lateral applicants and new recruits: "We have 3 conditional offers of employment. They are in various stages of the hiring process," he said, adding that two of the conditional offers are lateral transfers.
No formal action on the traffic signal or hires was taken during the committee meeting; the minutes record the committee approving the January 20, 2026, meeting minutes and later adjourning.
