Vermilion City Council’s committees met Monday, August 11, for a near two-hour run through public safety, finances, street work, and several policy updates. Health & Safety, Finance, Legislative, and Streets, Buildings & Grounds met consecutively before the regular council session.
Health & Safety: Cardiac save, training, and a drive-by case closed
Fire Chief Bill Brown opened with July activity: 29 calls for service, bringing the year-to-date total to 219, about 34 percent ahead of last year. EMS makes up roughly 29 percent of calls, which Brown said is consistent with the last decade. He highlighted a July 28 response to Kingston of Vermilion for a patient in full cardiac arrest. Police and fire worked shoulder-to-shoulder in a crowded room of roughly ten responders and the patient regained a pulse before transport. Brown credited the teamwork and named several firefighters who were on the call.
Brown said the department will host its own Firefighter II course this fall. Instead of sending seven to nine high-performing members out of town two nights a week, the class will run in Vermilion and align with Monday trainings. He estimated about nine thousand dollars in savings and less strain on staffing. Command staff completed countywide active-shooter training, and all officers will be required to take it. The city is exploring the purchase of ballistic vests and related gear.
A spring training collaboration with Citizens First Fire blossomed into help pursuing a Bureau of Workers’ Compensation grant for new battery-powered extrication tools. The target package includes a spreader, cutter, ram, and lift bags. Brown noted most manufacturers now favor battery tools over pump-driven hydraulics and said the department hopes to standardize on a single battery platform to simplify charging and maintenance. The equipment package is estimated in the mid-fifty-thousand dollar range, with a BWC grant likely capped at fifty thousand and a local match required. Separately, the department expects four manufacturers to submit ladder truck bids by August 31. A committee will shortlist two, meet with each, and aims to recommend a purchase by October.
Police Chief Chris Hartung began with condolences to the Rittman Police Department following a recent ambush. He noted Lake Erie Lanes is hosting a community fundraiser, supported by FOP Lodge 125, to assist affected families. Then Hartung turned the microphone over to Sgt. Holmes to brief council on the July 23 overnight drive-by shootings.
According to Holmes, calls began around 3:23 a.m. near Brownhelm Station and High Bridge, with a home in the 3400 block of Brownhelm Station struck at 4:07 a.m. While investigators recovered a 5.56 rifle round from the residence, more shots were reported along Sunnyside Road around 5:33 a.m., where officers collected shell casings and a spent 20-gauge shotgun shell. Home surveillance provided partial vehicle information. Investigators then leveraged regional license plate reader data and found a dark pickup traveling east on North Ridge minutes after the Sunnyside shots. A tip identified a 16-year-old juvenile and an 18-year-old adult as possible suspects. Search warrants were executed August 1 in Sheffield Lake and Lorain County, with assistance from multiple agencies, and investigators recovered a rifle and a shotgun consistent with the evidence. The 18-year-old was arrested on five felony counts. The juvenile case is being prepared through the county’s juvenile division. Ballistics confirmation is pending. Holmes credited license plate readers for accelerating the case and said the technology has also been pivotal in a Pizza Hut robbery arrest and an aggravated murder timeline reconstruction.
Council members noted the case eased anxious residents who had been sleeping in basements. Holmes said the incident appeared to be random, not targeted, and likely involved poor decisions by two young people late at night.
The department will seek a presentation from Flock Safety on license plate readers. Prior pricing was about four to four-and-a-half thousand dollars per camera per year, plus installation. Ten units focused on major entry routes and school areas was cited as a practical start. Using existing traffic poles reduces cost. Grant opportunities may help offset expenses. The chief also mentioned active listings on GovDeals this week, including impounded bicycles, a relisted city dump truck, and a seized pickup.
On safety stats, the chief reported zero golf cart crashes year-to-date. He later corrected the pedestrian incident record with current figures provided by staff, noting several incidents in recent years but not clustered at the Liberty bridge.
Councilman Jeff Lucas introduced a neighborhood-driven pilot called See Something, Say Something V.O.L. centered on Showse Park and surrounding streets. The pilot combines increased patrols, 24/7 active video monitoring at the park, and new signs that tell residents how to report suspicious behavior, with the option to remain anonymous.
Finance: Where the big funds are headed by year-end
Finance Director Amy Hendricks walked through an updated budget planning summary. The General Fund opened 2025 at approximately 6.9 million dollars and is projected to close around 3.1 million. Road dollars will tighten: the dedicated road levy is forecast near 131,779 dollars at year-end; the street maintenance and repair fund is expected to be near zero; the permissive license tax fund is projected around 162,888 dollars. About 285,000 dollars remains from the street bond for contingencies and potential late-year project needs. The Water Fund started near 2.7 million and is projected around 1.7 million after planned work that is heading to bid. Wastewater opened near 2.5 million and could close near 2.8 million, reflecting repairs rather than major capital upgrades while long-term planning continues. Council previously set aside 350,000 dollars in a sewer capital reserve. The sewer bond fund is about 205,000 dollars and likely to be fully used by year-end. The EPA compliance fund began around 560,000 dollars and is expected to be substantially drawn down this year.
Hendricks also flagged an August invitation from the Erie County Auditor for council members to attend the 2026 Budget Commission session. The commission has limited authority to lower a taxing entity’s rates if the next year’s needs appear lower than planned. Statehouse language about reducing or eliminating certain tax mechanisms has been fluid. A recent veto was not overridden in July, and lawmakers may revisit it in October. The county framed these conversations as part of a wider response to taxpayer frustration over rising property taxes.
Legislative: Food trucks, ice cream trucks, cannabis zoning, and a crosswalk
Council reopened the food truck ordinance for targeted fixes. One goal is to clarify the difference between mobile peddling and operating like a stationary food truck. Staff described a recent example where an ice cream truck obtained a peddler’s permit, then cruised slowly through parks, effectively vending on public property without a food truck permit. The committee asked for language to make clear that peddler permits authorize door-to-door sales on neighborhood streets but do not automatically allow vending on public land, parks, or beaches without specific approval. Members also discussed whether to set a simple cap on how long a unit can remain in one place and how to handle requests for semi-permanent setups on a business’s own commercial parcel. The consensus was to draft clarifying amendments and bring back both the food truck section and the peddler section for review.
Zoning for cannabis distribution and cultivation came back for direction. Council members said state buffer rules like distances from schools already apply. They discussed treating retail distribution as a conditional use in existing business districts rather than creating a brand-new zone. Some cautioned against restricting locations to only one side of the city, arguing for fairness across districts with sensible spacing rules. Cultivation is typically in enclosed buildings and could fit in appropriate districts with conditions.
The crosswalk at Liberty and Toledo, located near the Garage Bar and Vermilion Boat Club. was revisited after the city engineer shared concept images. Members discussed sight lines, whether curb work and solar-powered flashing beacons would help, and how to use available grant money without displacing other planned energy-savings projects. With questions lingering about parking impacts and actual pedestrian patterns, the committee kept the item on the agenda for another round.
Finally, the committee moved to amend Ordinance 2018-17 to update salary language for the Assistant Clerk of Council role. The motion carried.
Streets, Buildings & Grounds: Golf carts, speed signs, Highbridge Road, and a sidewalk idea
Golf carts on Liberty Avenue drew a quick legal boundary. Under state law, low-speed vehicles cannot travel where posted speeds exceed 35 miles per hour. Since Liberty is 40 to 50 in the approach to and over the river bridge, a local exception is not permitted. Members floated driver feedback signs as a practical safety step and discussed increased enforcement in problem spots.
The speed limit near the bridge on Liberty Avenue came up again. The service director said a formal speed zone study would be required and could cost about ten thousand dollars. The state also weighs crash history, and current data does not support a reduction. He noted that narrowing lanes is a modern traffic-calming strategy the state has been using in projects elsewhere.
Residents spoke during discussion. One walker described how the lack of a tree lawn between Park Drive and the bridge leaves pedestrians only inches from fast-moving trucks and asked the city to consider either lane narrowing or physical separation there. Another suggested a sidewalk or paved shoulder option on Berkley to help people who avoid the steep overpass.
On funding, the city will apply in Ohio Public Works Commission Round 40 for Highbridge Road Phase 4 from North Arkansas Avenue north for roughly 800 to 900 feet. A supporting resolution passed in committee. Council noted that ongoing waterline work has battered some roads, particularly east of Overlook, and agreed that finishing phases in order is the most efficient path.
Legislative Committee
The committee reviewed proposed ordinance changes and procedural updates. Items included property maintenance code adjustments and clarifying language in existing ordinances to improve enforcement.
Council will reconvene for its next regular meeting on Monday, August 18, 2025, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Vermilion Municipal Court Complex, 687 Decatur Street, Vermilion, Ohio.
About the Author
