By Julie Erickson

Tallmadge City Council meeting

Sept. 24, 2026

Jessica Epstein – President of Council

David Kline – Vice President of Council

Lindsay Cammel Halm – Council Member 

Ted Roy – Ward 1

Jonathon Bollas – Ward 3

Tracy Pletcher – Ward 4 

The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. The opening included a moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. All members were present except Donald Pavlik, who had an excused absence.

The Sept. 10, 2026, meeting minutes were adopted as submitted. No financial reports were presented, and there were no public hearings or public comments on non-agenda topics from those in attendance.

The mayor announced the following upcoming events:

The budget process is continuing and the first Wednesday in November will be the next scheduled budget meeting.

Year to date, 35 business retention and expansion visits have been made, representing 1,760 local jobs retained in the city and over 1.5 million square feet of business space retained in Tallmadge. On Oct. 28, there is a grand opening for the Dugout training facility and Oct. 2 is the grand opening for a new beach-themed spa.

A new superintendent of Parks and Recreation has been hired, James Ray, who started Sept. 28.

No report.

No report.

Roy, representing the Planning and Zoning Committee, reviewed ordinance 2026-82 that would amend 2026-90, granting a conditional zoning certificate to Plaza LLC Burning Bush Church to expand from the current 11,000 square feet to 20,200. First reading.

Then, ordinance 2026-74, which would extend the moratorium of acceptance of any zoning application for data centers within the city of Tallmadge and provide for immediate enactment, was reviewed. Second reading.

Kline gave a first reading of ordinance 2026-78, which would appropriate additional amounts for the Southwest Avenue water line. This is asking for an additional $700,000 for the project, now inclusive of engineering costs not included in the original request of $1,000,000. Provide for immediate enactment. First reading.

Ordinance 2026-79 would authorize the issuance and sale of bonds in a maximum principal amount of $2,890,000 for city infrastructure improvements. Council approval was requested for immediate effect. First reading.

Ordinance 2026-80 would provide for the issuance of bonds in the maximum principal amount of $1,945,000 for the purpose of paying for costs of improving the city’s recreation center and providing for immediate effect. First reading.

Ordinance 2026-81 was an ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter into an energy savings performance contract with Leopardo Energy, LLC and affiliates for energy conservation improvements in an amount not to exceed $1,943,500. The energy consultant will come to council to provide additional project details and explain how the energy savings will offset the cost of the project. First reading.

Sagarmatha Grocery and Clothing submitted a liquor license request for a C-1 permit to sell beer in sealed containers for carryout after 1 a.m., as well as wine and mixed beverages in sealed containers for carryout after 1 a.m.

A question was raised about whether the nearby church would have any concerns. It was noted that the Planning and Zoning Board had reviewed the request, found no zoning issues and did not recommend a public hearing as there were no concerns with businesses in the local area. Motion was then made not to request a hearing for this liquor license. Motion carried unanimously.

No report.

No report.

No items on the agenda to discuss.

There was one item to discuss: ordinance 2026-77, an ordinance reenacting and reinserting Chapter 971 “illicit discharge and illegal connection control” to the Tallmadge codified ordinances and declaring an emergency. This item was previously in the codified ordinances and deleted in error. This is asking to reinstate without new language and declaring an emergency. Motion to adopt passed unanimously.

There were no announcements from council or reports of special committees. The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m.