Medina Council Opens Fall Session with Wage Boost, Deer Contract and Street Grants

Medina City Council returned from summer break Aug. 24 with a packed agenda that touched nearly every corner of city government. Members approved a wage increase adjustment, a new contract for deer removal, an updated SPCA agreement and several road and airport grants. The Finance Committee also met earlier that same evening and moved forward on a Random Acts of Kindness Day resolution, a donation toward Jump Playground and a debate over repairing a historic city owned building. Council also paused to honor a resident behind one of the summer's most talked about community events. All seven council members were present. Council approved minutes from the July 13 meeting and moved through committee reports, most of which had little to share after the break. Council Member Harjar DiSalvo said the Special Legislation Committee expects to take up a revised deer ordinance within the next few meetings. Mayor Recaps a Busy Summer Mayor James Shields spent much of the meeting walking council through everything that happened while members were away. He opened with the America 250 Kids Fitness Challenge, a program for children 10 and under that ran from June through Aug. 15. Two winners, Claire and Chase, each received a $500 gift certificate toward a new bike from Spin Bike Shop, a prize covered by sponsor Akron Children's Hospital. A new version of the program will launch this fall for adults 65 and older, focused on fall prevention and sponsored by Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital. Shields also shared numbers from the Falls Hollow Fest, the Aug. 15 event hosted by Black Cat Books and Oddities. An estimated 14,300 people visited the square between 5 and 10 p.m., with peak attendance of about 8,900 visitors at 5 p.m. The average visitor stayed 61 minutes, and roughly 91 percent came from outside the 44256 zip code. City staff have already met with organizers to begin planning next year's event. Other updates included the selection of a Cleveland based architecture firm to study the feasibility of a combined police department, city hall and municipal court building, and a sold out America 250 second story tour of buildings around the square. Construction Trades Building Dedicated The mayor described the dedication of a new addition to the district's construction trades building, focused on electricity and HVAC training. The project was funded by a $3 million gift from the Kent Cleveland Foundation. Students in Medina and Buckeye schools, along with the Career Center, returned to classes the same week. Three new officers, Vinny McBride, Brad Delphia and Mike Papish, were sworn into the Medina Police Department. Two filled retirement vacancies, while the department added a third slot after a strong pool of candidates. All three began training at the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy the morning of the meeting. Shields also noted several ribbon cuttings and community gatherings that took place over the break, including the reopening of Serenity Restaurant, the South Town Music Festival hosted by Main Street Medina, and a fundraiser for Medina Meow Mix, which cares for the city's feral cat population. A local teen, Logan Lettner, was recognized for his work in 4H after his steer was purchased by Keller Meats. Lettner graduated from Buckeye High School and plans to study criminal justice in college this fall. Tribute Honors Organizer of Graveyard Event Before moving to the evening's votes, council paused to recognize Teresa Merkel, who led the Spirit of 76 event held July 4 at Old Town Graveyard. The event, planned by a committee of about 60 volunteers with the Friends of the Cemetery, honored three Revolutionary War patriots buried at the site and drew roughly 1,000 attendees. The city will plant a frontier elm tree from Davis Tree Farm at Old Town Graveyard in Merkel's honor, along with a plaque similar to those found at Spring Grove Cemetery. Organizers also donated a copy of "Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters" by author Edward Larson to the local library. Merkel thanked the volunteers who worked alongside her, saying the turnout showed the effort was worthwhile for the community. Council Approves Wage Increase and Budget Changes Council took up four budget related items during the meeting. Finance Director Dirham explained that the city had budgeted for a 2 percent wage increase in 2025 but ultimately approved a 4 percent raise, requiring a $1,155,300 budget amendment to cover the difference across city departments. A separate, combined budget amendment totaling roughly $1.5 million covered several unrelated items bundled together, including a midyear adjustment tied to a grant received by the Municipal Court, fire department supplies and PPE funded partly through Park Foundation donations, a probation supervision grant, courthouse capital costs and bond interest payments, law department relocation costs, and $178,000 in higher than expected fuel costs spread across nearly every city department. Council also appr