MINUTES

The Council of the city of Oakwood, Ohio, met in a work session at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 24, 2020 in the council chambers of the city of Oakwood, 30 Park Avenue. The Mayor of the City, William Duncan, presided.

Council members in attendance were Mayor William Duncan, Vice Mayor Steve Byington, Councilmember Rob Stephens, Councilmember Anne Hilton and Councilmember Chris Epley. Staff in attendance were City Manager Norbert Klopsch and City Attorney Rob Jacques. Also in attendance were Public Safety Director Alan Hill for a discussion on recent thefts of yard signs and flags, and Finance Director Cindy Stafford for a discussion on CARES Act funding.

Mayor Duncan called the work session to order at 5 p.m. and began the meeting with a discussion on recent thefts of yard signs and flags. Chief Alan Hill provided a briefing on thefts of yard signs, particularly Black Lives Matter and Biden/Harris signs, and gay pride flags. As with all criminal activity, the Oakwood Public Safety Department will conduct a thorough investigation and is confident that the department will identify those persons involved. Based on security camera footage from several residential properties, it is believed that teenagers are responsible for these thefts. Chief Hill also commented on his preliminary estimate of the cost to purchase in-car and body cameras for Oakwood Public Safety Officers. Additional research is being conducted to determine exact costs. Chief Hill departed the meeting at 6 p.m., at which time Finance Director Cindy Stafford joined the meeting. Mrs. Stafford provided an overview on CARES Act funding. The funding is provided by the Federal Government and is distributed through the state of Ohio. Basic criteria for use of these funds include the following:

1. Expenses must be necessary and incurred due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
2. Expenses must not be accounted for in the budget approved in December 2019.
3. Expenses must be incurred and paid during the period March 1, 2020 through December 30, 2020.

The city has already adopted the required legislation necessary to receive and use the funds. Staff is planning to use the funds to pay for unbudgeted administrative leave for city employees; for increased costs related to cleaning, sanitation, safety barriers, and signage; for expenditures related to telework and remote capabilities within the city, including IT and hardware costs; for expenses to build “Zoom Rooms” in the city council chamber and the great room at the OCC; and for costs to install touchless faucets at several city facilities. Thus far, approximately $45,000 has been spent for items that are reimbursable under the CARES Act. The estimated cost of the two “Zoom Rooms” is $55,000. The estimated cost to install touchless faucets is $20,000. Mrs. Stafford concluded her comments by mentioning that the Auditor of State recently opined that certain capital expenses may not be eligible for CARES Act funding. Additional clarification from the Ohio Auditor must be received before the city will proceed with building the two “Zoom Rooms” and installing the touchless faucets. Mrs. Stafford departed the meeting at 6:25 p.m. Mr. Klopsch then asked Law Director Jacques to provide an update on the status of COVID-19. Mr. Jacques commented on the cases in Montgomery County and most recent directives from Governor DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).

Mayor Duncan then led a discussion on the following agenda items: