The Kettering City Council met November 23, 2021

Kettering, Ohio – The Kettering City Council met Tuesday, November 23, 2021. The meeting was held in Council Chambers at the Kettering Government Complex, 3600 Shroyer Road, Kettering.

Mayor Don Patterson swears in new Kettering City Council Member Lisa Duvall - Todd Elzey

Council’s meeting opened with the swearing in of Kettering’s newest council members Lisa Duvall (District 1) and Bob Scott (District 2). Duvall and Bob Scott were elected in November to fill the remaining term of office for Council seats vacated by the resignations earlier this year of Rob Scott (District 1) and Joe Wanamaker (District 2). Rob Scott resigned to accept a temporary appointment as Kettering Municipal Court Clerk, a position to which he was elected in November. Wanamaker resigned due to health concerns. Duvall was sworn in by Kettering Mayor Don Patterson, and Bob Scott was sworn in by his son Rob Scott. Duvall and Bob Scott will both serve until December 31, 2023.

Kettering Municipal Court Clerk Rob Scott swears in Bob Scott as new Kettering City Council Member - Todd Elzey

Because of the election of the two new members of Council, Council also amended its current 2021 Committee structure as follows:

Long Range Planning – Councilor Fisher, Chair, Councilor Klepacz
Intergovernmental/Interagency Relations – Councilor Duke, Chair, Councilor Lautar
Community Relations & Promotions – Councilor Scott, Chair, Councilor Fisher
Finance & Personnel – Councilor Klepacz, Chair, Councilor Duke
Public Health & Safety – Councilor Lautar, Chair, Councilor Duvall
Public Service, - Councilor Duvall, Chair, Councilor Scott

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This committee structure will only remain in effect until the end of December because Council will undergo another change in January 2022 when Jyl Hall (At-Large) and Mayor-Elect Peggy Lehner join the Council. Hall will replace Bill Lautar who did not run in the November election, and Lehner will replace Patterson, who is retiring.

Council presented two Proclamations. First, Mayor Patterson proclaimed November 2021 Lung Cancer Awareness Month in the City of Kettering. The Proclamation called upon the community to recognize those in the community who volunteer to raise awareness of lung cancer, who work towards new lung cancer treatment options, and who care for those fighting lung cancer. Kettering resident Lisa Moran (SP) accepted the Proclamation on behalf of Kettering residents. Moran (SP) spoke of her personal battle with lung cancer, and of how lung cancer is the #1 killer in the U.S. Despite this, Moran (SP) spoke of how the disease is often misdiagnosed leading to a late lung cancer diagnosis that makes the disease difficult to treat. Moran (SP) used herself as a specific example stating that she had never used tobacco products and that her lung cancer was originally mistaken for other far less serious conditions. Moran (SP) stated that by the time doctors realized she had lung cancer, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.

Kettering Mayor Don Patterson completes a lung cancer awareness white ribbon with Kettering resident Lisa Moran (SP) - Todd Elzey

Moran (SP) also told Council about the White Ribbon Project, which seeks to promote awareness of lung cancer. According to Moran (SP) and the project’s website, one of the specific goals of the project is to make people aware that lung cancer can strike anyone, even if they have never smoked or used other tobacco products. Moran (SP) invited Mayor Patterson to join her in completing a White Ribbon by applying a sticker to the ribbon and writing an encouraging message on it. Mayor Patterson and Moran (SP) joined together in completing a ribbon on a table in front of Council and the audience. You can learn more about lung cancer and the White Ribbon Project at https://www.thewhiteribbonproject.org/.

Patterson also reaffirmed Kettering’s support of local small businesses by proclaiming November 27, 2021, as Small Business Saturday. The Proclamation called on residents to support small businesses by shopping with them on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year. Small Business Saturday is a national effort that was created by American Express and is co-sponsored by the United States Small Business Administration. You can learn more about the effort at https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/
and https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/organization/sba-initiatives/small-business-saturday.

In official actions, Council also approved three resolutions.

First, Council unanimously approved a contract with Bladecutters for snow and ice removal from City properties. The Resolution said that the estimated cost of the contract is $126,000 and that the City budgeted $126,000 for the project. City Manager Mark Schwieterman told Council that one of the goals of this contract is to ensure that City personnel are available to keep Kettering streets clear of snow and ice during inclement weather. Bladecutters will only work on City property, such as the Government complex, and will not be involved in snow and ice removal on streets.

Council also unanimously approved a Resolution to increase the street light maintenance budget for 2021 to $42,000. Kettering originally budgeted $24,000 for street light maintenance. But the Resolution says that the City has incurred $18,000 in unforeseen street light maintenance costs.

The third Resolution, also approved unanimously, authorized the transfer of $1,235,638 from various funds to cover expenses and expenditures for the current fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. Schwieterman indicated that this transfer was intended to ensure that Kettering complies with State law, which mandates that all funds have a positive balance at the end of the fiscal year.

The Kettering City Council will next meet on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, when they hold a joint meeting with the Kettering School Board. The meeting will be held at 6:00 P.M. at the Kettering School District Administration Building at 500 Lincoln Park Boulevard, Kettering.

Council will also be changing its meeting schedule in December due to the holidays. Instead of meeting on the 2nd and 4th
Tuesday, Council will meet on the 1st (December 7th) and 2nd (December 14th) Tuesday of December. In addition, Council’s workshop session on December 14th will be earlier at 5:30 P.M. because this is a budget workshop.