Commission Meeting May 6, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrK0wO6tEr8&list=PLgMuFaWBmSmgjv9PAU5-TxqJ30ZDE8VgV

No mention of questions or answers from the last meeting.

**Presentations

On domestic violence.

(This has been an issue brought up in almost every meeting lately.)

City of Springfield Victim Services Office. Sheriff's Office. Prosecutors of Springfield.

Sheriff's Office Denise Jones. She's explaining the crime. Some program in 2017 for misdemeanor offenses. A grant to advocate with Project Woman to talk to them for support. Victim communicates with them, not the sheriff's office to be impartial. They get calls from the prosecutor, "calls of service" from police. Some victims can't report. Might start as a criminal offense but gets lost when victim can't...

They're trying to improve.

Prosecutors - New Chief Prosecutor - Erin somebody. Adult misdemeanor cases only. They don't handle juveniles or felony. They're notified by the court. They assign to a prosecutor. Subpoena the victim for the hearing. Assign a victim's advocate through the process.

They're blaming the victim for not following through the entire process to docketing a case.

Felonies are sent to a different court. Municipal dismissals could actually be transferred to felony or another court. Domestic violence cases aren't always listed as domestic violence.

Supporting victims doesn't always mean a municipal record.

Police Chief said, "Imagine being a person of color or LGBT or Haitian trying to report to law enforcement right now. It's dangerous for them."

City Lookout Journey to Freedom program.

**Citizen Speakers

Rue statement - Anyone providing false information in ID or comment cards shall not be allowed to speak in the next meeting.

While we honor the first amendment, the commission reserves the right to manage disruptions. Asked to leave, 3 times, trespassing and barred.

Beth - I'm livid about the presentation. Those comments are directed to me. Domestic violence survivor Trying to get some data on it .I've been threatened. Police have reported to OBIC stats. Sheriff's Office doesn't report at all. Yes, you can compare cities. Ohio law is the same for all.

Melissa Rexlow Ruff - Numbers and grants about domestic violence. Continues to be abused by the courts. It doesn't end. Can't get data. Victims do not get what we need. She was denied an order of protection. One of them laughed at her photos. Project Woman - told by their lawyer to be punished.

Glenda Bailey - Read out five days of statistic of Haitian traffic "situations". April 23rd - no DLs, failure to stop, one wrong way, speeding, ignoring traffic control device, texting, OVIs, drivign wtihout lights, 26 in one day! speeding, passing a school bus, marked lane violations, unsafe vehicle, failure to register, suspension. 68! Doesn't include those with no insurance. DeWine and your simulator solution doesn't work. Incapable at best, criminal at worst. YOu hav a handful of sichophants to come speak. You are incapable. Beth Donoshue deserves a complete work session without a 3 minute time limit. Karl Rubie - you helped him create the chaos.

Rue is ticked.

Diane Daniels - divisiveness defiinition. Posturing, virtue signaling. Like being called racist or now facist. Political meanuevering. The billbaoards all aroudn town. Activists WE DREAM FAITH IN PUBLIC LIFE the CHURCHEs. The haitian bridge alliance. Paying for them. SPringfield Neighbors United - the town aroudn Springfield for us. I'm not after teh Haitians, I have a list of who I'm after.

Dr. Rev. Marian Stewart.

Help the non-citizens. What about us? What about the citiens? We don't figure in. IT's all designed to help them. I asked Heck last week - what's the number of immigrants in the city. No answer. How many in 2024? Leaker, and whistle blower. There are people in this city fed up to here. Now whistleblowers. Information will asotound you. Don't know how many came in 2024? You're incomepetent and shouldn't be in your position.

Jimmy Stewart - 200 serial domestic violence offenders.Wasy to track. Named a name and listed all his offenses. The presentation - we want to help the victim. ALl teh cases are dismissed. Making it look like we dont' know what we're doing. Said SHAME ON YOU!!!

Racida Jeffrey - 10 times a day. When is Yellow Springs Street going to open? Can you please open up the street? The grass is growing back. Heck answered: Yellow Springs opening June. Waited for asphalt plants to open. This as a complete rebuild.

Wes Fabian - Thank you to the Commission. Our city faces many serious issues. I am grateful to our officials responding to our needs. Commend our teachers. For a positive way forward. More than just identify problems. It's easy to complain. It's not easy to act for our common good. Those that believe that they can say anything they wish and escape accountability. Grateful to the commission to hear us and doing your best. Be encouraged and stand strong.

Kevin Bouzher - What is the dismissal rate DV charge dismissed/disposed of? DV charges - that have a prior history? He's asking questions but no data. An undeniable re-offender problem. Over an over in a year. A revolving door. Charges are dismissed at the request of the prosecutor. Failure of policy.

Melissa Skinner - Domestic violence. In 2021, new residents on our property doing immigration services. Residential home. City opened the Haitian store western and Columbia street - so it moved. The front of the house being remodeled to create a single unit to a double unit. Should be a process. The Inspector's office told her it was none of her business. they wouldn't be going out or checking it out. Inspector told them to stop for the day. But they kept working.

Rue has address she texted, he will follow up.

Rue I will have an answer very shortly. Yellow Springs opening June. Waited for asphalt plants to open.

**Commission Responses

Rue
We asked for the presentation to learn. We have a group of people trying. He takes issue that he doesn't have concern or care. It's not true. We're all doing the best we can. Online postings that lies will be told upsets him.

Tackett
I've spent multiple sessions with you all to learn. Learning the judicial side. May is mental health month. Her daughter committed suicide in 2019 so she's sharing resources.

**Heck Reports

ODOT Chris - talking road repairs - St Paris Pike not our manholes. South Fountain, South Limestone. Manholes done by May 16th by ATT. Bridge question - article in New Sun - sidewalk on Bechtel. Funding breakdown. Why instead of paving?

4 year period - ODOT 1.6 million federal money to the state to give to local. City has 420K in project. 75K in design. 35K local money for easements. 310K in construction. Fed money is CMAC money - congestion purposes - strings about how it's spent. Can't use it to fix a bridge or paving. Encourages people to use alternate mode of transportation.

Bridge work on 4 and 41. Ferncliff cemetery safety funds.
Purchases at Wastewater treatment plant.
Property annexed. Zoning what nots.
Deep dive into data about what drives our community. Drives many focus groups and action plan. State contributed 100K.
Choice One Engineering is doing Bechtel sidewalk project.

**Commission Comments

Estrop
Required to be read into the minutes. Kickoff of 5-year plan about how they invest federal resources and support the vulnerable. Coming months - engaging lots of people to hear all voices. Committed to transparency and meaningful public involvement. How you can get involved - next 5 years. Barring any federal cuts. Repeat that. $11 million in federal funds to support community development opportunities. HOME investment program. Emergency Solutions Grant program. Community led planning program.

Community Needs Survey - open May 6 to June 6, 2025. Survey Monkey. On their Facebook page and website.

General Assembly of Ohio passed an energy bill. Food Pantry has cancelled contract with local farmers because they're not sure they'll have the funds. Youth Guns Violence Grant has been cut - 1.24 million for us. Not a priority of this administration (federal). Health Dept - significant reductions but don't have specific number. Loss in state and federal revenues.

Two May 21st and June 14th - town hall meetings. Open to the public. Discussion of what can be funded under each program. Evening and Saturday.

Public notices in News Sun. And specifics online.

Focus groups and one-on-one with stakeholders. Philanthropic, developers.

Public comment opens in June for 30 days. To review and comment on the draft of the plan. City Commission legislates the final plan to HUD.

City staff creating flyers.

Community Development - Logan someone - contact him.

Federal funding is cutting and cutting and cutting. No resources.

We need to work together on this. No one agency can do this by themselves. WE keep coming back to this: Forward Together. Federal and state money we are losing - trying to track this. Grants that you've lost - please let Heck's office know. They're trying to put together a report card of all the monies - received and spent. Here's what they would've paid for.

Brown
Forgive me for clapping during Teacher Appreciation week mention. But Ms. Daniels - speaking to But you are threatening multiple times. I feel very uneasy and I know you're not a violent person, but it could be interpreted that way - "your name is on a list". I don't want that to happen. Not everyone knows you like I know you.

To answer the question about what data we are collecting in the courts? "Our office doesn't collect data." Victim Witness Division tracks data. Currently updating grant management system - been manual grant reporting. Do you guys take cultural training? Yes we do.

**My thoughts
Neither Town Hall meeting happened. They were cancelled, because "we're still working on things".

Brown just cannot stop trying to start a racism fight. Tackett bringing up her daughter's suicide is disgraceful, but even more so, she showed not one iota of emotion.

The Domestic and Gun Violence discussions just keep coming. They'll have 2 more in July. But they never address the issue of lack of data. The police chief has been ordered not to collect information on Haitian crime, so it's not included. So how would a citizen believe in any data, if they miraculously decided to provide any?

The survey? What a waste of the state's 100K: https://springfieldohiosyndicate.com/community-needs-survey

Estrop's big report to come - stay tuned, it was 3 rows and required an intern and several "staff" members to create.

Yellow Springs opened right before the June 20th meeting.