City Council

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING MASSILLON CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2026 COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Good evening. Welcome to the Massillon City Council meeting for Monday, April 20, 2026. We have in attendance the following City officials: Mayor Jamie Slutz, Safety Service Director, Renee Baker, City Engineer, Alex Pitts and Director of Development, Ted Herncane. Under #5 on the agenda is where the public can speak on any topic that appears ON tonight’s agenda and under #18 is where the public can speak on any topic that does NOT appear on tonight’s agenda. I’d like to remind you that if you have a cell phone, please set it to mute, vibrate or turn it off. Thank you. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Roll call, please. 1. ROLL CALL Roll call for the evening found the following Council Members present: Holly Bryan-Huth, Sarita Cunningham, Mike Gregg, Julie Harwig Smith, Seth Marcum, John Paquelet, Mandwel Patterson, Eric Ray and Tony Townsend. Roll call of 9 present COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Thank you, Madam Clerk. Councilman Gregg. 2. INVOCATION COUNCILMAN MIKE GREGG 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE LED BY COUNCILMAN GREGG COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Thank you, Councilman Gregg. 4. READING OF THE JOURNAL COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Madam Clerk, are the minutes of the previous meeting transcribed and open for public viewing? COUNCIL CLERK ROLLAND – Yes, they are. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Are there any additions or corrections to be made? COUNCIL CLERK ROLLAND – No, there are not. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – If not, then the minutes stand approved as written. Thank you, Madam Clerk. 5. REMARKS OF DELEGATIONS AND CITIZENS TO MATTERS ON THE AGENDA 6. NEW AND MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS 1  COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – As many of you know, Trenton Campbell unexpectedly passed away on April 14, 2026, on his way home from work. He was very well liked and loved and made an impact on everyone he came in contact with. Currently, his family is in need and I ask everyone to help out in some way. There will be a fundraiser at Game Time Bar & Grill on Tusc. on Tuesday, May 5th from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Also there are many other ways to help this family in need. So please reach out and help in whatever way you can. To family listening we are behind you at this difficult time and understand that Trenton Campbell may have been taken too soon, but he will be on our minds and forever in our hearts. If you would, please stand with me and join me for just a moment of silence. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Thank you. 7. CONSENT AGENDA COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Ord. No. 46 – 2026. ORDINANCE NO. 46 – 2026 BY: FINANCE COMMITTEE AN ORDINANCE making certain appropriations from the unappropriated balance of the 1100 General Fund, for the year ending December 31, 2026, and declaring an emergency. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Ord. No. 47 – 2026. ORDINANCE NO. 47 – 2026 BY: FINANCE COMMITTEE AN ORDINANCE authorizing the Director of Law of the City of Massillon, Ohio, to enter into a one (1) year Agreement with the Village of Wilmot, Ohio, for the purpose of providing prosecutorial services, and declaring an emergency. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilman Gregg. COUNCILMAN GREGG – Thank you, President Slater. Any questions or discussion regarding these two ordinances? We discussed them at length in our Work Session. Seeing none, I make a motion to waive the rules requiring three readings and bring Ord. No. 46 – 2026 and Ord. No. 47 – 2026 forward for a vote. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Seconded by Councilwoman Cunningham. Roll call for suspension. 9 yes for suspension COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – And for passage. 9 yes for passage COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Thank you, Madam Clerk. Ord. No. 46 – 2026 and Ord. No. 47 – 2026 have passed. 8. INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Ord. No. 48 - 2026 2  ORDINANCE NO. 48 – 2026 BY: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AN ORDINANCE to accept the replat and roadway dedication for Janda Development on Richville Dr. S.E., Massillon, Ohio. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilwoman Harwig Smith. COUNCILWOMAN HARWIG SMITH – Thank you, President Slater. Ord. No. 48 - 2026 is for the replat and roadway for Janda Development. This is located in the Augusta Lakes subdivision on Richville Dr. S.E. We’re having trouble seeing the map; our City Engineer, Alex, do you want to show them? COUNCILWOMAN BRYAN-HUTH – He had mentioned that next Monday would be better. COUNCILWOMAN HARWIG SMITH – You want to wait until Work Session and show the map? ALEX PITTS – Yes. COUNCILWOMAN HARWIG SMITH – Okay. So, does anyone have any questions? Okay, so we’ll make this first read. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Ord. No. 48 – 2026 has received first reading. Ord. No. 49 – 2026. ORDINANCE NO. 49 – 2026 BY: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AN ORDINANCE to accept the dedication of road right of way and easements for Sippo Reserves Allotment, Phase IV in Massillon, Ohio. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilwoman Harwig Smith. COUNCILWOMAN HARWIG SMITH – Thank you, President Slater. So this is road way and easements 1.42-acres of roadways which includes extensions of Woodforest St. N.W. and May Ave. N.W. At the February 11, 2026 meeting, the City Planning Commission approved said plat for the subdivision. It will be 47 additional plats in the subdivision. We got a picture of that, but Alex is going to also show us this one next week. So that will be first reading. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Ord. No. 49 – 2026 has received first reading. 9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 10. PETITIONS AND GENERAL COMMINCATIONS A Request for a New Liquor License to FAFO Holdings, LLC, located at 48 – 2nd St. S.E., Massillon Ohio 44646 (formerly Ed & Bert’s). Permit Class is D1 and is located in Ward 2. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilman Ray, did you receive a copy? COUNCILMAN RAY – Yes sir. I have received it. 3  COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Thank you. 11. BILLS, ACCOUNTS AND CLAIMS US Bank Equip. Finance - $ 127.00 March Invoice for copier submitted to the Auditor’s Office for payment March 4, 2026 US Bank Equip. Finance - $ 127.00 April Invoice for copier submitted to the Auditor’s Office for payment April 7, 2026 COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Thank you, Madam Clerk. 12. REPORTS FROM CITY OFFICIALS Mayor’s Report - March 2026 13. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Our next Work Session will be Monday, April 27, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. 14. RESOLUTIONS AND REQUESTS OF COUNCIL MEMBERS 15. CALL OF THE CALENDAR COUNCL PRESIDENT SLATER – Ord. No. 26 – 2026. ORDINANCE NO. 26 – 2026 BY: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Tabled April 6, 2026 until April 20, 2026 AN ORDINANCE amending the Zoning Map of the City of Massillon, Ohio, by rezoning a certain property from R-1 One-Family Residential District to RM-1 Multiple Family Residential District. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilwoman Harwig Smith. COUNCILWOMAN HARWIG SMITH – Thank you, President Slater. Ord. No. 26 – 2026, we talked about it at length. There was a public hearing tonight. No one spoke for it or against it. Just to recap, this is 446 South Ave. S.E. The property is being rezoned from R-1 to RM-1 to accommodate for a duplex. It’s already been wired with separate utilities and the applicant is Tom Martinez which when we first started this process we had people speak highly of him. Did anybody have any questions on Ord. No. 26 – 2026? So at this time, I would like to bring Ord. No. 26 – 2026 up for a vote. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Seconded by Councilwoman Bryan-Huth. Roll call for passage. 9 yes for passage 4  COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Thank you, Madam Clerk. Ord. No. 26 – 2026 has passed. Ord. No. 27 – 2026. ORDINANCE NO. 27 – 2026 BY: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Tabled April 6, 2026 until April 20, 2026 AN ORDINANCE amending the Zoning Map of the City of Massillon, Ohio, by rezoning a certain property from R-2 One-Family Residential District to R-1 One-Family Residential District. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilwoman Harwig Smith. COUNCILWOMAN HARWIG SMITH – Thank you, President Slater. Ord. No. 27 – 2026 is also a zone change. The applicant is Lane Glick, Trustee for Frontier Land Group. Mark Holz was also here, the estates developer. This is to accommodate construction of approximately 79 new single-family homes. It was approved by the Planning Commission unanimously on February 11, 2026. This will be Phase V for Westbrook Estates. Did anyone have any questions on this? With that being said, I would like to bring Ord. No. 27 – 2026 up for a vote. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Seconded by Councilman Ray. Roll call for passage. 9 yes for passage COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Thank you, Madam Clerk. Ord. No. 27 – 2026 has passed. 16. THIRD READING ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS 17. SECOND READING ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Ord. No. 39 – 2026. ORDINANCE NO. 39 – 2026 BY: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AN ORDINANCE amending the Zoning Map of the City of Massillon, Ohio, by rezoning a certain property from B-3 General Business District to R-1 One-Family Residential District. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilwoman Harwig Smith. COUNCILWOMAN HARWIG SMITH – Thank you, President Slater. Ord. No. 39 – 2026, the applicant is Joe Glick. It is to allow for the construction of single-family residential homes. Approximately four or five single-family homes. The zoning will go from B-3 to R-1. There will be a public hearing for this ordinance on May 18th at 6:15 p.m. in Council Chambers. At this time, did anyone have any questions, on Council? Okay. Second reading. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Ord. No. 39 – 2026 has received second reading. Ord. No. 40 – 2026. 5 ORDINANCE NO. 40 – 2026 BY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AN ORDINANCE amending the Zoning Map of the City of Massillon, Ohio, by rezoning certain properties from RM-1 Multiple Family Residential District to B-3 General Business District and a certain property from R-1 One-Family District to B-3 General Business District. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilwoman Harwig Smith. COUNCILWOMAN HARWIG SMITH – Thank you, President Slater. Ord. No. 40 – 2026; this is a rezoning change where four lots are going to be made into one lot. It’s going to go to B-3 General Business District. It was approved by the Planning Commission. This is for the Take 5 Oil Change. Did anybody on Council have any questions? Okay. This will be second reading for Ord. No. 40 – 2026. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Ord. No. 40 – 2026 has received second reading. Ord. No. 41 – 2026. ORDINANCE NO. 41 – 2026 BY: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AN ORDINANCE approving the proposed Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Budget for the FY2026 Program year, and declaring an emergency. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilwoman Harwig Smith. COUNCILWOMAN HARWIG SMITH – Thank you, President Slater. On that last ordinance, No. 40 – 2026, there is also a public hearing for that on May 18th at 6:15 p.m.; sorry about that. Ord. No. 41 – 2026, this is for our CDBG Block Grant. Just a reminder that the budget is available for citizens to review and there’s a thirty-day comment period which ends May 1st. We had one public hearing on March 16th. There will be a second public hearing on April 27th at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers and we need to submit our program action plan on May 15th pending HUD’s release of allocations. Did anyone have any questions? We all received how the money was going to be allocated and they explained in depth what percentages we were allowed to give. No questions? Okay. So this will also be second reading. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Ord. No. 41 – 2026 has received second reading. Ord. No. 42 – 2026. ORDINANCE NO. 42 – 2026 BY: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AN ORDINANCE adopting the recommendations of the Massillon Tax Incentive Review Committee (TIRC) with regard to the renewal and termination of Massillon Enterprise Zone (EZ) projects. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilman Patterson. COUNCILMAN PATTERSON – Yes. We have discussed this. This is the recommendations of the TIRC Council of which they’ve made two recommendations to continue tax abatements for two projects in the City of Massillon. This is the second reading, but I would like to waive the rules requiring a third reading and bring Ord. No. 42 – 2026 forward for a vote. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER - Seconded by Councilman Ray. Roll call for suspension. 6  9 yes for suspension COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – And for passage. 9 yes for passage COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Thank you, Madam Clerk. Ord. No. 42 – 2026 has passed. 18. REMARKS OF DELEGATIONS AND CITIZENS TO MATTERS NOT ON THE AGENDA APRIL GISE – Good evening, Council. I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is April Gise. I’m a homeowner in Massillon. Been living in Massillon for over thirty years. Love living in Massillon. 321 – 27th St. S.E. and Michael Gregg represents my Ward and I just wanted to say that I know data centers is fast and furious, but it is very wise for us to develop something more substantial to slow down. I read that we only have a sixty-day retourium for the data centers and compared to other cities, we’re just not being cautious enough. Because once these things are up, it’s too late and there’s a reason that Ohio is being targeted because of our water and beautiful farm land. So, I just really, really feel that we need to be way more cautious. Because what comes into our community, once it’s here, we cannot get it out. Do we want a community where people are going to stay and live? My son is twenty-one. Is he going to move away from Massillon because it’s no longer desirable to live here? So, there’s a lot of things that we need to think about and if it gets moving way too fast and there’s things that Council can do to slow this down, is all I’m say. So, thank you for your time and have a good night. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Thank you. APRIL GISE – This is my first time, but I feel that it’s never too late. It’s never too late to start speaking up. And I do not have a prepared statement. Maybe I’ll have one next time. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Anyone else? TIM VOSSEN – Good evening. I live at 895 Liberty Ct. S.W. in Massillon, Ward 5. I want to discuss the dirt bikes that are riding around southwest Massillon constantly, well, up until last week when the cops grabbed one of them and let him go. The dirt bikes are making a lot of noise on the streets. They’re not even supposed to be on the streets. They’re disobeying speed limits and street signs and, basically, they’re not street legal bikes. No lights, no plates. One of them got pulled over by the cops last Sunday, I believe, not this past Sunday, the Sunday before and all that we heard from the kids and the kid’s parents were “At least they’re not out doing drugs and breaking into cars”. Well, you’re not supposed to do that in the first place, so that’s not a plus. They’re out there riding three to five nights a week. Nothing seems to have a muffler and they ride after hours. They’re out there at 11:00 p.m. at night. The property itself that basically is the main problem is 1003 – 9th St. S.W. It’s across the street from the old Santangelo’s. The police stopped one of them and basically gave them a warning. They walked to bike back and, in my opinion, it’s not even a slap on the wrist for them. If we want to have a solution to a problem, we need to impound the bikes and hold whoever, whether it’s the parents or the children, accountable for it. Because it is a nuisance that’s ongoing. It has slowed down the past week since the police stopped the one, but I don’t know how we’d address it because the police tell us that they can’t do anything about it unless 7 they catch them. Well, they caught him and they let him go. So, I don’t know what the solution is. Thank you. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Yes, sir. MIKE MAXHEIMER – I live at 1219 – 9th St. S.W., Massillon, Ohio. We also own the adjacent property and four other properties a block from where the dirt bikes are. I have several tenants in the area. I guess my concern, obviously, the noise and they’re on my property; they’re on the properties that we own beside us. The gentleman that is beside us, the home that we just purchased several months ago; he’s an elderly guy and they’re driving up in the woods and he can’t really do a whole lot about it. Again, we call the police and I have cameras, we have footage. They caught them but didn’t do anything. So, I guess as from a business standpoint, how I provide for my family, I have my tenants now complaining and then we have new listings. We’re looking at purchasing another house at the end of this week and I have people now asking, it’s kind of known, “Well, isn’t this where the dirt bikes are?”. Well, now you’re impacting my ability to rent in this neighborhood that me and my family have heavily invested in trying to leave it better than we found it; fixing up every home. We own a construction company; it’s what we do with my kids. So that is a concern and I’m not quite sure why we can’t just handle it. If you drive by the property, you’ll see they have a full-blown race track that goes up into Massillon Baptist Temple’s land. It goes up into my woods that I now own beside me and it is kind of non-stop. So, that’s a concern. My bigger concern as a youth pastor in this area for twenty-two years and I ran Montage Ministries for twelve years and worked with a lot of students, I’ve been in this community long enough to be a part of tragedy. I’ve had to bury young people. I personally have almost hit these bikes with my one-ton Ram and my full loaded trailer as I operate my business out of Massillon, three or four times because they run the stop signs and I have a big truck and you get going, and I just feel like something has to be done. Because in the twenty-years that I’ve been ministering here, this has been the practice. A tragedy happens and then we put up the signs. A tragedy happens and then we have a conversation. A tragedy happens and then we’re like “Oh, yeah, we probably should have took the bikes or we probably should enforce the law”. I know everybody pays property taxes, I feel with six properties in the neighborhood, I pay my fair share of property taxes and I’m fine because I live in the city, but also with that should come form of protection because we choose to live in this city. And so, I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to keep calling the cops, but we go out and film them and then they’re like we say, we got film and they’re like “Well, no. We can’t use that”. Okay. Well, they catch them and they literally say “Well, we’re not here to impound a bike”. Well, you should. Because we have a situation brewing and they’re going sometimes 55 to 60 mph through our neighborhood. The other thing is, most of the people that I rent to, along with myself; I have six children, they have small children and as it gets warmer they’re out in the neighborhoods and they’re playing and you have a dirt bike ripping through the neighborhood that shouldn’t be on the road at 55 mph down 9 th St.? Or through Liberty Court or Neale or Griffith where my properties are located. I just feel like that’s an issue and I, 100% appreciate and love and respect our police force and I’m so grateful for it and I know they can be overwhelmed, but I feel like there’s got to be some sort of solution that we probably shouldn’t be allowed to have a massive dirt bike. Like, if you guys go by it, you’ll see it goes up the hills all the way into Massillon Baptist Temple’s land, through my woods. There’s got to be something, because (a) it’s affecting my business and what we do with real estate, but also more than that, I don’t want to see anybody get hurt and I know several other neighborhoods; I know another neighborhood that I’ve talked to, who actually hit a bike and he got up and took off because he ran a stop sign. I just feel like something needs to be done. So, again, I appreciate your time. Thank you. 8  COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Sure. Thank you. Anyone else at this time? 19. ADJOURNMENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Councilman Gregg. COUNCILMAN GREGG – Thank you, President Slater. I move that we adjourn tonight’s meeting. COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Seconded by Councilman Paquelet. Roll call. 9 yes to adjourn COUNCIL PRESIDENT SLATER – Meeting adjourned. ______________________________ ______________________________ DIANE ROLLAND, COUNCIL CLERK MIKE SLATER, PRESIDENT 9