Written with the help of AI from the Dayton City Commission minutes, August 12, 2026.
Notable actions
This recap is based on the approved minutes of the Dayton City Commission’s regular meeting on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, which began at 8:30 a.m. in the Commission Chambers of City Hall. Mayor Turner-Sloss and Commissioners Shaw, Fairchild and Beckham were present. Commissioner Joseph’s absence was excused by unanimous vote.
Two resolutions, which are formal statements of city policy or authorization, were adopted on second reading, each by a 4-0 roll call vote. Resolution 6947-26 approves submitting grant applications to the District 4 (Montgomery County) Public Works Commission Integrating Committee. It also authorizes the city to accept grant awards from the State of Ohio Public Works Commission’s State Issue 1 Program for public capital infrastructure improvements, in an amount not to exceed $3,390,987.
Resolution 6948-26 approves a grant application under the Fiscal Year 2023 States and Tribal Assistance Grants administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for the Wolf Creek Trunks Sanitary Liner Installation Project. It authorizes the city to accept a grant of $1,255,295.
The Commission also made four appointments to the Human Relations Council Board, all approved unanimously for terms ending August 31, 2029. Nikol Miller and Marlon Aldridge were reappointed, and Kameron Anderson and Sabrina Chupp were appointed.
Three ordinances, which are city laws, were listed for first reading. Ordinance 32200-26 declares the Commission’s intention to vacate the alley east of South Main Street, from the alley south of East Sixth Street to 106.54 feet south of that alley. Ordinances 32201-26 and 32202-26 appropriate property parcels in connection with the Smithville Road Reconstruction Project and the Salem Avenue Reconstruction Phase 5 Project. The minutes do not record votes on these first readings.
The minutes also list Ordinance 32203-26, an emergency ordinance that amends Section 150.130.7 of the Revised Code of General Ordinances relating to the zoning code. It was listed for first and second reading following a public hearing, and the minutes do not record a vote on it. The Commission approved the minutes of its August 5 meeting and the City Manager’s Reports, both unanimously.
Dayton Power and Light settlement
City Manager Shelley Dickstein highlighted item four on the calendar, a legal settlement with Dayton Power and Light. She said it reduced the average annual AES rate increase to 1%, continued support for solar development at Dayton International Airport and maintained water and aviation waivers to help keep rates low. She also said it strengthened customer protections by requiring new large data centers to cover their own infrastructure costs.
Commissioner Beckham congratulated the Sustainability Office and Law Department, saying residents were well represented. Meg Maloney, the city’s Sustainability Manager, said the offices worked to reduce AES’s proposed rate increase to protect residents, businesses and nonprofits. She also cited continued funding for disadvantaged communities and protections against added utility charges on public facilities such as the airport and the water treatment plant.
Mayor Turner-Sloss asked how the settlement affects the 900 low-income households on the wait list for the Dayton Home Repair Network. Ms. Maloney said AES and CenterPoint funding had helped the city and its partners assist roughly 450 homes over the past three years. She said the additional settlement funding could support repairs for about 425 to 450 homes a year over the next two years, with about 80% of Dayton residents potentially qualifying based on income. She also described a new landlord-tenant pilot program to extend home repair help to rental properties, noting that more than half of Dayton residents rent and that assistance had traditionally been limited to homeowners.
Zoning civil penalties public hearing
Tony Kroeger, Planning Division Manager, led a public hearing on zoning civil penalties. He said the proposed amendment would refine how unpaid civil penalties for zoning violations are collected. The city moved from criminal enforcement to civil penalties, he said, because the earlier process had become less effective, particularly against commercial violators who repeatedly ignored zoning rules.
Mr. Kroeger said the Commission approved civil penalties in 2025, but the Finance Department and the County Auditor determined that more language was needed to establish how unpaid penalties can be collected. The amendment would set a specific process for assessing and collecting them and give the zoning administration and Law Department discretion to pursue collection in egregious cases. He described the changes as primarily administrative. No citizens registered to speak at the hearing.
What residents raised in public comment
Two residents spoke on calendar items. One raised the absence of the NCA item from the agenda, concerns about trust in city leadership, the City Manager’s priorities and the timeline for hiring a replacement. The other spoke against the NCA’s proposed 5% charge, arguing it would burden residents, discourage trips downtown and possibly reduce tips for downtown workers. The NCA is the proposed New Community Authority.
Eight residents spoke during the general public comment period. Several addressed the NCA, urging stronger safeguards before it is created. Requests included more public review and resident participation, wage and local hiring standards, anti-displacement protections, transparency, a formal review and sunset process, and use of the normal two-reading process rather than an emergency vote. One speaker also questioned roughly $1 billion in city tax incentives and how much business profit is reinvested locally.
Other speakers questioned whether downtown recommendations were backed by data and how downtown investment would benefit residents, and called for more investment in community groups and in East and West Dayton. One resident praised city employees for work on traffic and park concerns in Walnut Hills while calling for improvements in the Communications Department, citing delayed public records requests. That resident also advocated for a more welcoming downtown with parks, benches, restrooms and drinking fountains. Two speakers criticized the recent downtown security meeting.
One speaker urged the city to reconsider the suspension of Flock cameras, citing their value in criminal investigations and noting that Springfield renewed its Flock contract with transparency measures and search filters. Another spoke about the history of slavery and connected it to present-day concerns about police brutality, criticizing the Commission’s response to systemic racism.
Two speakers described conditions at Peak 10 properties. One cited maintenance delays and problems with a toilet, a dishwasher, air vents and a balcony door. The other said a locked exit door kept her from leaving safely during a fire. That speaker also criticized the City Manager and Commission over raises, city contracts and an emergency NCA vote, and called for Ms. Dickstein’s removal.
Remarks from the City Manager and commissioners
Ms. Dickstein said the City of Dayton was recognized as one of Ohio’s Best Workplaces for 2025, and the only government employer with more than 200 employees to receive the recognition.
On the NCA, Ms. Dickstein said legislation was being finalized, including the formal declaration of the NCA and appointment of its board members. She said the Commission was expected to receive it by the end of the week and could then decide when to bring it forward, with no additional timeline between the public hearing and final legislation. Mayor Turner-Sloss later said the NCA resolution was being reviewed by the Law Department. She said proposals from three or four firms were being evaluated for the city’s audit, and that some commissioners also wanted an investigation to accompany it.
Commissioner Beckham congratulated Daybreak on a $270,000 Lowe’s community impact grant toward its $1 million campus renovation, and congratulated Dayton Public Schools on the start of the school year. Commissioner Fairchild encouraged residents to attend the Dayton African-American Cultural Festival at Island Park and Porchfest, and said the 6888 Kitchen Incubator was seeking volunteers for events including the 2026 From Scratch Food Founder Expo. He said he supported two readings of the NCA and was leaning toward supporting it as an economic development tool. He also said Commissioner Joseph recused himself from votes on Sierra Nevada contracts because of his employment with the company.
Mr. Fairchild also addressed a disagreement with Commissioner Shaw over the police chief selection process. He said the Commission reached a collective understanding in April, directing the City Manager to set up a process, and that some commissioners later changed positions. He called on the Commission to address internal trust issues.
Mayor Turner-Sloss proposed revisiting the rental registration ordinance during the budget process to improve conditions in multifamily housing and hold property owners accountable, noting that legislation had already been drafted. She said more than 70% of Dayton’s job base is downtown, making income tax from those jobs a major source of city funding. She said the notice for the recent joint downtown security meeting with Montgomery County could have gone out earlier, and she highlighted collaboration on street outreach, the Gateway shelter, the continuum of care and permanent supportive housing.
Work session on civil enforcement
After the meeting adjourned at 10:11 a.m., the Commission held a work session on the Property Code Enforcement civil enforcement ordinance. Staff said that from July 2025 through March 2026 the city issued 2,795 warning notices, with about 1,158 violations corrected, roughly 41% compliance through warnings alone. In the same period there were 2,981 civil enforcement cases, including 2,883 civil citations and 98 escalated citations, with overall compliance for the most common violations of about 26% to 27%.
Staff said about 1,734 civil citations went to LLC- or business-owned properties, with 314 abated, or about 18% compliance. Under the process described, a warning generally carries a 10-day compliance period, and owners then have 20 days to request a hearing or 30 days to pay a citation before unpaid fines double.
Mr. Musto of the Law Department described proposed changes: simplifying the five-level fine structure, giving inspectors and hearing officers more discretion, requiring owners who request a hearing to state the reason, making landlords jointly responsible for residential violations and adding zoning violations. He said that would let the city address problems such as auto repair businesses run from residential properties. Commissioner Beckham said he looked forward to supporting the ordinance. Commissioners also discussed excessive outdoor storage and the rental registry, and Mr. Gondol said he would follow up on the timeline of a Housing Task Force subcommittee.
Routine items
Commissioner Fairchild gave the invocation and Mayor Turner-Sloss led the Pledge of Allegiance. The minutes record no communications or petitions. Chief of Staff Verletta A. Jackson and City Manager Shelley Dickstein were also present.
Source: Dayton City Commission minutes, Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Meeting video: watch on YouTube.
Follow Dayton Report: Facebook · X
