Orange Village Council Meeting: Tables $18 Million Safety Complex Financing, Updates Charter Review, and Retools Fire Department

The Orange Village Council meeting on June 3, 2026, exposed significant structural friction between the administrative branch and lawmakers regarding an upcoming $18 million safety forces and village hall infrastructure project. While council members expressed unilateral support for the village’s police and fire personnel, a majority blocked the immediate engagement of special legal counsel to draft a November bond levy, citing a severe lack of collaborative planning, transparency, and communication from the mayor’s office. Conversely, the legislative body successfully moved forward with a historic overhaul of its municipal charter review cycle and established an administrative fire marshal position to manage commercial growth. Tabling of Special Counsel for $18 Million Bond Levy The primary point of contention during the Orange Village Council meeting centered on Ordinance 2026-14, which sought to engage Bricker Graydon LLP to provide special counsel regarding the financing of major capital projects. Mayor Judson Kline explained that the legal firm is critically needed to build the legislative launchpad for an $18 million bond issue targeted for the November 2026 ballot. The project aims to construct a modern safety complex to house the police and fire departments, replacing facilities built decades ago that lack adequate operational space and room for growth. However, Councilman Jim Boyle launched an aggressive pushback against the legislation, stating he refused to authorize spending “bills and bills” on specialized attorneys before substantive internal debates occurred. Boyle noted that the $18 million figure was abruptly dropped on council members just days prior, leaving a remarkably short runway to research traffic studies, neighbor impacts, and coordination strategies with the Orange City School District Board of Education, which is running a concurrent levy this November. Council member Kim Ullner echoed these reservations, noting that lawmakers were completely excluded from early programmatic focus groups with the project architects. Lisa Perry emphasized that to pass a massive capital tax issue at the ballot box, council must present a unified front, warning that a split 4-3 or 5-2 vote would doom the initiative. Law Director Steve Byron advised that preliminary legislation—specifically a Resolution of Necessity—must be sent to the county fiscal office by July to calculate required millage, meaning any delay compresses the timeline. Despite the pressure, Council voted unanimously to table the ordinance for one week to allow Mayor Kline to conduct one-on-one clarifying discussions with individual members. Comprehensive Charter Review and Switch to Six-Year Cycle Council received the final report from the Charter Review Commission, presented by resident spokesperson Ned Van Valkenburgh. The commission, which completed a concentrated review from February to May 2026, forwarded nine distinct recommendations to be placed on the ballot as individual issues for voter approval. Key changes include updating archaic language—such as replacing references to a “state militia” with the Ohio National Guard—refining residency and attendance requirements for council members to prevent prolonged unexcused absences, and establishing strict operational criteria for the village treasurer position. Additionally, the commission recommended altering the makeup of the Architectural Board of Review to require a four-member quorum that must include at least one professional architect. The most debated recommendation was a structural shift altering the frequency of the Charter Review Commission itself. The commission proposed shortening the review cycle from every eight years to every six years, while mandating that the appointment process begin a full year in advance (in July of the preceding year). Van Valkenburgh and Commission Chairman Scott Lewis explained that rapid societal and technological changes necessitate more frequent evaluations to prevent municipal guidelines from becoming obsolete. While Council President Lisa Perry initially favored keeping the traditional eight-year system to avoid perpetual committee oversight, the body ultimately built a consensus to support the six-year cycle in a single, unified piece of upcoming legislation. Retooling the Fire Department and Municipal Updates In a unanimous vote, Council suspended the three-reading rule to adopt Ordinance 2026-17, amending the organizational composition of the fire department to create a dedicated, part-time fire marshal position. Fire Chief Larry Genova explained that the village’s commercial footprint has expanded dramatically over the past decade, causing the administrative demands of fire prevention, annual commercial compliance inspections, fireworks monitoring, and state-mandated testing to skyrocket. The new structure shifts these heavy administrative and fire investigation dut