Ashtabula City Council Honors Retiring Pastor, Zonta Chapter and Advances Full Slate of Budget, Contract Votes

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ASHTABULA, Ohio – The Ashtabula City Council meeting on Dec. 15, 2025 opened with heartfelt tributes, then moved into a dense agenda of contracts, pay resolutions and budget votes that set the city’s financial course for 2026.

Council Honors Rev. Peter W. Nielsen III On Retirement

Council first adopted Resolution 2025‑209, honoring Rev. Peter W. Nielsen III on his retirement from St. Peter Church after more than a decade serving the community.

In brief remarks, Nielsen reflected on his 11 years in Ashtabula, calling the city a blessing and expressing confidence that the church will remain a blessing to the community under new leadership. Council members thanked him publicly and noted he will be missed.

Zonta Club Of Ashtabula Recognized For 16 Days Of Activism

Next, council turned to Resolution 2025‑210, honoring the Ashtabula chapter of Zonta International during Zonta’s worldwide 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, held annually from Nov. 25 through Dec. 10.

Councilor Jodi A. Mills welcomed local Zonta members, describing them as “a standing pillar in this community” whose members “are here, there and everywhere” volunteering year-round.

Councilor Jane E. DiGiacomo read the full resolution, which credits the chapter for:

• Hosting the annual international fair trade holiday gift fair at Austinburg Town Hall.
• Making comfort pillows for breast cancer patients in Ashtabula.
• Sharing Zonta’s mission at the Ashtabula County District Library.
• Holding an annual spring luncheon fundraiser celebrating women.
• Completing a “lasagna love” service project delivering meals to local families and Home Safe.
• Organizing annual nut sales and other fundraisers.

The resolution cites Zonta’s global mission to empower women through service and advocacy, notes the prevalence of domestic violence across all communities, and commends the local chapter for education, outreach, partnerships and visible advocacy to promote safety and dignity in Ashtabula and Ashtabula County.

A Zonta representative told council the Ashtabula club will mark its 100th anniversary in 2027, nearly a century of local service. Members thanked the city for its long-standing support of their work.

Both resolutions — for Rev. Nielsen and for Zonta — passed unanimously on voice votes, later recorded as 6–0.

Minutes Approved From December 1 Sessions

Council then approved and waived the full reading of three sets of minutes from Dec. 1, 2025:

• A 5:30 p.m. public hearing
• A 6:30 p.m. organizational meeting
• A 7 p.m. regular council meeting

All three motions to waive the readings and approve the minutes passed 6–0.

January 5 Work Session To Consider Agenda Changes

Council President John S. Roskovics announced that the Jan. 5, 2026 meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a work session, including the city solicitor and other officers.

The session will focus on modifying the council meeting format and agenda, a topic members have discussed previously.

City Manager’s Report: Transit, APL, Chemicals, Cybersecurity And More

City Manager James M. “Jim” Timonere presented a long list of legislative requests, all of which council agreed to add to the agenda by 6–0 votes:

1. Public Transportation Agreements

   • Ordinance 2025‑211 authorizes entering two agreements with the Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners in Jefferson for public transportation services and a lease for the operations center.
   • City contributions will come from the General Fund (Fund 101).

2. Animal Protective League Contract

   • Ordinance 2025‑212 authorizes an agreement with the Ashtabula County Animal Protective League to handle intake of animals for the city at a cost not to exceed $24,200, paid from Fund 101.

3. Water Treatment Chemicals

   • Ordinance 2025‑216: Contract with USALCO for sodium aluminate up to $133,000, from Fund 503 (water/sewer).
   • Ordinance 2025‑215: Contract with Polydyne Inc. for Clarifloc (heard as “chlorofloc”) in an amount not to exceed $55,000, also from Fund 503.

4. Cybersecurity Policy

   • Ordinance 2025‑217 adopts a cybersecurity policy to comply with the recently updated Ohio Revised Code regarding municipal cyber standards.

5. Ending City Pension “Pickup”

   • Ordinances 2025‑218, 219 and 220 repeal 2012‑144, 2012‑145 and 2012‑171, ending the city-paid 5% pension pickup for employees covered by:
     • Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund (police and fire)
     • Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS)
   • City officials discussed a minor exhibit mismatch between the new legislation and attachments from 2012 and directed staff to ensure the correct exhibits are on file.

6. USA Waste Geneva Landfill Contracts

   • Ordinance 2025‑221 authorizes three contracts with USA Waste Geneva Landfill, Inc. for:
     • Receipt and treatment of leachate
     • Sludge disposal
     • Solid waste disposal
   • The contracts run Jan. 1, 2026 to Dec. 31, 2030 (five years).

7. Wastewater Treatment Pump Replacement

   • Ordinance 2025‑223 approves a contract with Schultz Fluid Handling for a replacement Moyno feed pump and components for the wastewater treatment plant centrifuge, up to $20,000, funded by Fund 504.
   • Public Services staff noted an existing pump went down about a month ago. Because the equipment is a single-source item and over $10,000, it had to come to council. Staff have been relying on a backup pump in the meantime and used the discussion to highlight how current procurement thresholds can slow emergency repairs.

8. Union Contract Authorizations

   • Ordinance 2025‑226 accepts and ratifies tentative agreements with:
     • AFSCME Local 1197
     • FOP Lodge No. 26
     • IAFF Local 165
   • It authorizes the city manager to execute collective bargaining agreements effective Jan. 1, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2028.

9. Non-Union Pay And Terms

   • Ordinance 2025‑227 adopts pay rates and employment terms for non-union personnel effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Councilors praised Timonere, Finance Director Vladimir Kan and City Solicitor Cecilia M. Cooper, along with staff, for a year of union negotiations covering five contracts and for supporting city employees who “go above and beyond,” from sanitation crews working in bitter cold to public safety responders.

Sanitation Fund Shortfall, Garbage Rate Changes And Budget Actions

Finance Director Vladimir Kan then presented three key finance items:

1. GAAP Conversion And Health Board Report

   • Ordinance 2025‑222 authorizes a contract with Ciuni & Panichi CPAs for the 2024 GAAP conversion and preparation of the Board of Health report, not to exceed $32,000, with costs split among:
     • General Fund
     • Sanitation Fund
     • Water Pollution Control Fund

2. Sanitation Fund Advance And 2025 Supplementals

   • Ordinance 2025‑224 advances $216,000 from the General Fund to the Sanitation Fund and approves year-end supplemental appropriation changes totaling $243,000 across the general fund and other funds (Exhibit A).

   • Timonere explained that:

     • The sanitation department operated in the red this year because delinquent trash revenues were overestimated in the previous budget.
     • A prior finance director had certified two rounds of delinquent trash fees to the county in one year, leaving no delinquent revenue to arrive in 2025 even though it remained in the revenue estimate.
     • The resulting gap is just over $200,000; the city expects to need slightly less than the full $216,000 (possibly closer to $190,000) once year-end is closed.
     • Planned sanitation rate increases—still below typical private hauler prices—are intended to help pay back the advance without compromising local grant match funds for future trash and recycling bins.

   • Council members asked how long sanitation has been in the red (only this year, according to staff) and how delinquent accounts are handled:

     • Under state law, garbage delinquencies must reach $250 before they can be certified to property tax bills.
     • With a base residential charge of $15.50 per month, it takes time to reach that threshold, but the city typically certifies around $200,000–$225,000 in delinquent trash charges each year.

3. 2026 Appropriations (City Budget)

   • Ordinance 2025‑225 sets the 2026 annual appropriations for all city funds for the period Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2026.
   • Council called the budget document “very readable” and “thorough,” and Roskovics thanked Kan for helping navigate increasingly complex state-level rules affecting municipalities.

All three finance ordinances were added and later passed 6–0.

Harmonizing Local Income Tax Code With State Law

Council also added and later approved Ordinance 2025‑213, which:

• Repeals codified ordinance sections 191.062, 191.094 and 191.10, and
• Enacts replacement sections via Ordinance 2025‑214 to harmonize the city’s tax code with the Ohio Revised Code.

The city solicitor clarified this is largely a housekeeping measure to keep Ashtabula’s income tax ordinances in sync with state-required language.

Committee Reports: Safety, Jail Project, E-Bikes And More

Committee chairs provided updates on recent meetings:

• Safety Forces Committee (Chair Terence P. Guerriero)

  • Police calls and fire/EMS runs were slightly above average in the past month.
  • The committee discussed e-bikes traveling the wrong way on city streets. While it is not allowed, officers must personally witness violations to issue citations.
  • Ashtabula County Commissioner Casey Kozlowski briefed the committee on the design and timeline for the new county jail in Jefferson, with a tentative groundbreaking at the end of 2026.
    • The facility is expected to be a major asset for the county and Ashtabula but will create short-term parking and construction disruptions in Jefferson.

• Planning Commission

  • Scheduled to meet the Thursday after the council meeting, with alley vacation requests and at least one rezoning request on the agenda.

• Historic Preservation Commission

  • Did not meet.

• Community Development/Economic Development/Parks & Recreation Committee

  • Next meeting: Jan. 7 at 5:30 p.m., City Council Chambers.

• Finance & Personnel Committee

  • Next meeting: Jan. 16 at 8:30 a.m.

• Public Works/Public Utilities/Cable/Schools Committee

  • Next meeting: Jan. 27 at 8:30 a.m. – Council President Roskovics jokingly noted this is his birthday.

Solicitor’s Report: Harbor Ridge Apartments And Scam Warnings

City Solicitor Cecilia M. Cooper reported that, late in the previous week, the city filed for injunctive relief against Harbor Ridge Apartments because of repeated alleged violations of Ashtabula’s housing and property maintenance codes.

She credited a large multi-department team—housing, fire, and others—for long efforts to work with management before going to court. The city is asking the court to force compliance and improve living conditions for residents.

Cooper also warned residents about telephone scams, including:

• Utility shutoff threats
• Fake court notices claiming missed jury duty or expert witness appearances, sometimes demanding thousands of dollars in “fines”

Her advice:

• Do not send money via phone or allow strangers to come to your home to collect.
• Hang up, look up the official phone number independently, and call back to verify.

Holiday Closures And Snow Operations

Timonere announced the city’s holiday schedule:

• City Hall and the courts:

  • Close at noon on Christmas Eve
  • Closed Christmas Day
  • City administrative offices closed the day after Christmas, though some employees may still work; offices will be closed to the public.
  • Similar schedule for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

• Trash collection:

  • No pickup on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.
  • Friday pickups during holiday weeks will be one day late.

He also noted third shift snowplow operations started at 11 p.m. Sunday, giving the city 24-hour winter coverage. As of the meeting, crews had spread substantial salt but had not yet faced major plowing events.

Roster Dispute And Advisory Committee Debate

Under unfinished business, Ward 3 Councilor RoLesia R. Holman returned to concerns about the council roster and communications:

• Holman objected to listing her personal phone number on public council documents.
• She proposed listing the Clerk of Council’s office number next to her name instead — mirroring the Ashtabula County Commissioners’ practice of listing a central office line with members’ names.

Council President Roskovics responded that:

• Council already voted two weeks earlier to adopt the roster in its current form.
• No one is forcing Holman to list her personal number; it is not being published.
• The Clerk of Council’s number is already public on the city website, but he questions adding it individually next to a single councilor’s name.
• Historically, Ashtabula council members have listed direct phone numbers so residents can reach them after hours about plowing, garbage and similar issues—matters county commissioners typically don’t handle.

The solicitor confirmed there is no legal requirement to list a private number and that council rules currently do not address what number, if any, must appear on the roster. Council members agreed to take up that question, along with other rules, at the Jan. 5 work session when they revisit their organizational rules and meeting format.

Holman also noted she would like future discussion on:

• How special committees are formed, particularly hiring and planning-related advisory bodies.
• Whether each ward can be assured representation on such committees through clearer, more inclusive selection guidelines.

Later in the meeting, another councilor questioned whether an earlier-proposed advisory committee ordinance should proceed, suggesting council consider whether there are enough votes to justify additional legal drafting. The solicitor explained that because the ordinance has not been fully introduced or given a number, council would first have to place it on an agenda and then vote it up or down.

Codes, Housing Conditions And Limits On Enforcement

During public comment, speakers raised ongoing concerns about property maintenance, especially in rental housing.

One resident asked how many rentals the city has and suggested the city is not doing enough to respond to trash, derelict furniture and visibly unsafe structures. She noted she had reported multiple properties in late September with photos and addresses but had seen limited visible change.

Timonere and Cooper responded that:

• The city believes over half of Ashtabula’s housing units are rentals.
• The city has two code enforcement officers, only one of whom is fully certified today, with the second position recently added to the budget.
• Enforcement is triaged for life-safety issues first—such as sewage leaking through ceilings—before aesthetics like couches in yards.
• Staff have taken down more than 400 houses in recent years and are handling 20+ active injunctive cases, including Harbor Ridge.
• At least one of the addresses she mentioned is a fire-damaged structure already in court; others have shown partial compliance and are being monitored.
• Code staff regularly work in all weather, and the city could do a better job of sharing success stories and compliance rates, not just the problem cases.

The solicitor noted that filing in Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court for code enforcement injunctions does not cost the city extra filing fees, but it does require substantial staff time and repeated follow-up inspections.

Homeless Encampments In “The Gulf” And Township Tensions

Residents also raised questions about homeless encampments in the area known as “the Gulf,” which straddles the boundary between the City of Ashtabula and Ashtabula Township parkland.

• A Ward 1 resident said he spoke with the Ashtabula Township Parks Commission, which doubted the city had acted to remove encampments on city land.
• Timonere and Cooper responded that:
  • City housing, fire and police personnel have been into the Gulf, posting notices and working to clear encampments within city limits.
  • A standing police-led outreach group regularly walks the area, offering assistance and emphasizing no camping is allowed.
  • Several years ago, city and county officials spent over an hour at a joint meeting seeking the Township’s cooperation to prohibit camping in the Township park—without that formal policy, enforcement was hampered.
  • The city has largely stopped calling the Township for help and instead acts directly within its jurisdiction.
• Recently retired captain Steve Chase told council he hiked the Gulf from the hospital to Plymouth Ridge Road in the last week and personally counted only four encampments left, all outside city limits in Ashtabula Township, with some previous camps fully abandoned.

Residents thanked the city for at least addressing the areas it controls and urged all entities to prioritize the Gulf as a regional natural asset.

Warming Center Concerns And Humanitarian Appeals

Several speakers referenced the recent controversy on social media over Candy’s Warming House, a former informal overnight site for people without shelter.

• Former councilor J.P. Ducro said he toured the site and told the property owner it looked “fixed up nice,” but he did not offer any legal opinion on zoning or code compliance.
• He said he hopes the city and other partners can find some solution to provide safe, legal warming space for unhoused residents, especially in winter.

Another resident spoke emotionally about imagining life without a car or place to go on a cold winter night, calling on officials and community members alike to put “human beings first” and find ways to help.

Ram USA Clinic, Shea’s Theater And Bridge Street Holiday Crowds

Under the “Tell Us Something We Don’t Know” portion, councilors and residents shared community notes:

• Councilor Kym A. Foglio announced dates for the next RAM USA free medical, dental and vision clinic at Lakeside Junior High School, scheduled for April 11–12, 2026. She urged residents without insurance or with limited coverage to save the date and watch for volunteer and lodging support opportunities.
• Councilors reported touring the renovated Shea’s Theater downtown and said portions of the complex—such as the coffee shop, meeting space and upstairs offices—could be opening as early as March. Council members described the project as “thrilling” and a bright spot in Ashtabula’s revival.
• Roskovics highlighted a recent Bridge Street holiday event, praising the merchants and the Lift Bridge Community Association for organizing horse-and-carriage rides, an ice skating rink and costumed characters. He said the street was “filled with activity” and credited business owners for their creativity and investment.
• Several speakers also wished council and the community a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Holiday Adjournment And Next Meeting

After approving all legislative items G through W—from transportation and landfill contracts to union agreements and the 2026 budget—on a consent agenda followed by individual roll-call votes of 6–0, council adjourned.

The next Ashtabula City Council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2026, starting with a 5:30 p.m. work session, followed by pre-council at 6:30 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7 p.m.