Youngstown council advances $1.6M COPS grant and a slate of procurement and wastewater ordinances to further readings

Youngstown City Council on June 4 read a series of ordinances and moved them to subsequent readings, advancing a federal COPS hiring grant, multiple public-safety purchases, wastewater contracts and a proposed settlement.

The council recorded the acceptance and appropriations for the FY2024 COPS Hiring Program grant (grant ID 15JCOPS-24-GG-03520-UHPX) totaling $1,612,170.00 with a local match of $537,390.00; related ordinances to accept the grant and appropriate $2,149,560.00 were signed out of committee and moved to further readings. The grant documents were presented by the Committee on Safety and, as the minutes record, were received and filed upon motion of Councilwoman Anita Davis.

Council also advanced public-safety procurement ordinances. One ordinance (ORD-25-146) would authorize payment up to $42,000.00 to Advanced Electronic Design, Inc. for eight mobile data terminals and accessories for patrol and K-9 vehicles. Another (ORD-25-147) would authorize payment not to exceed $695,400.00 to Jim Shorkey Auto Group for the purchase of 11 current-model Dodge Durango or Ford Explorer police vehicles and related upfitting by Ibis Emergency Vehicles; both measures were moved to additional readings.

Several infrastructure and wastewater-related measures were read and advanced. The council read an agreement with Arcadis to provide hosting, support and expansion for the Orion project-management information system, including electronic logging for the wastewater treatment plant, at a cost not to exceed $77,880.00 (ORD-25-222). The city also read ordinances to establish professional services agreements for implementation of Phase 2 of the Long-Term Control Plan (ORD-25-224) capped at $275,000.00 and to solicit pricing/purchase pumps and replacement parts for wastewater facilities (ORD-25-225) not to exceed $400,000.00; each was moved to further consideration. Separately, ORD-25-226 would waive formal bidding under Ohio Revised Code Section 735.051 to pay Marucci and Gaffney Excavating $87,864.13 for emergency replacement of two sanitary sewer manholes and 77 feet of 10-inch sewer on Poland Avenue; the ordinance was advanced to another reading.

The council also read ORD-25-221, a settlement agreement to resolve litigation with an estimated city payment of $40,000.00; the ordinance was moved to a second reading. An ordinance to declare vacant real property on Erie Street (parcel 53-051-0-136.02-0) surplus and to authorize its sale to Valley Christian School, Inc. at the appraised value of $64,460.00 (ORD-25-231) was likewise moved to a subsequent reading. Several amendments to the Master Salary Ordinance affecting wastewater positions (ORD-25-227 through ORD-25-230) were read and advanced.

Smaller discretionary expenditures to support local events and neighborhood efforts were read: $700.00 from the Sixth Ward discretionary fund for Boulevard Park Block Watch (Pleasant Grove Peace Park Phase 3), $1,500.00 from the president of council’s discretionary fund to support the Jazz in the Park series at Wick Park, and $1,000.00 from the Seventh Ward fund for community cleanup efforts; these ordinances were moved to further readings.

The zoning ordinance ORD-25-235 proposing rezoning multiple parcels on Pearce and McFarland avenues from RS-7.2 (single-family residential) to a Planned Development Overlay District was signed out of committee and sent to the Planning Commission. Several ordinances that had been signed out of committee were read a second time and scheduled for third readings where noted.

Council approved the May 21, 2025 minutes and adjourned after Councilman Julius Oliver moved to adjourn. The minutes indicate the next regular meeting is scheduled for June 18, 2025.