Sylvania council refers immigration-related ordinance and values resolution to committee after public concern

The Sylvania City Council on April 20 set a Committee of the Whole meeting for Monday, May 4 at 6:00 p.m. to consider two administration-drafted items about how the city will interact with federal immigration enforcement: a nonbinding values resolution and a proposed ordinance that would increase transparency around potential city actions.

Mayor (reading background into the record) said the measures aim to "balance the concerns of many Sylvanians on this issue, increase transparency regarding potential actions and activities the city will undertake in the future, and send a message of safety." He also told council he had directed the director of public service to notify council of any policy changes regarding cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agencies regardless of the ordinance's passage. The mayor noted, "The city has not had a request from a federal immigration enforcement agency in the past 3 years." The council voted by voice to refer ordinance 75 and resolution 4, 2026, to the Committee of the Whole on May 4.

During public comment resident Patty Barnes asked whether the proposed approach addresses possible uses of local facilities and raised concerns about surveillance methods she described as "stingrays," which she said federal enforcement has used to gather location data. Mayor and staff answered that the city does not control federal enforcement technology or decisions and that school-district facility uses would be a separate conversation with the district. The referral sends the measures back for more review and public input at the scheduled committee meeting.