The Council of the city of Oakwood, Ohio, met in a work session on Monday, March 16, 2026, in the conference room at the city building, 30 Park Avenue. The Mayor of the City, William Duncan, presided.
Council members present were Mayor William Duncan, Vice Mayor Steve Byington, Leigh Turben, Healy Jackson, and Sam Dorf, who arrived late to the meeting at 6:00 p.m. Staff present was City Manager Katie Smiddy. Also in attendance was Brandy Luhn with Veolia.
Mayor Duncan called the work session to order at 5:00 p.m., and the following items were discussed.
BusinessFirst! Event Discussion
Mrs. Smiddy discussed the upcoming BusinessFirst! event to be held in Centerville next week. She and Mrs. Turben plan to attend.
Committee Appointments Approval
Mayor Duncan updated Council on pending committee appointments. He made a procedural motion to approve the appointment of Aaron Finley to the Planning Commission; Nathan Randall and Jim Milroy to the Budget Review Committee; and Terri Jones to the Board of Health. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Turben and carried by voice vote, 4–0. The appointments were thereby approved.
Mayors and Managers Meeting Recap
Mayor Duncan updated Council on the March 11 Mayors and Managers meeting held in Tipp City. The agenda included a segment on e-bikes and e-scooters; however, the presenter from Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) addressed the topic only in general terms. Council then engaged in an extended discussion regarding e-bikes and e-scooters.
Beautification Committee and Green Oakwood
Vice Mayor Byington shared his experience attending a recent Beautification Committee meeting. He initially believed it might be beneficial to involve the Green Oakwood group in the Committee’s activities but now does not feel that it would be useful. He noted that the two groups have different focuses, with the Committee being project- and event-oriented, while Green Oakwood focuses more on broader sustainability concepts.
Codified Ordinances Now Online
Mr. Jacques informed Council that the Charter and Codified Ordinances have been converted to an electronic format and are now hosted online through American Legal Publishing. He encouraged Council members to utilize the system and report any software issues.
April 6 Meeting Agenda and Consultant Presentation
Mrs. Smiddy reviewed the agenda for the April 6 Council meeting, including logistics for an upcoming presentation by the City’s consultant, Fishbeck, regarding recent studies of the water distribution system.