Written with the help of AI from the Middletown City Council agenda, Tuesday, October 20, 2026 and the meeting video.
What council approved
This recap is based on the video of the Middletown City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, and the meeting agenda. Votes are as heard in the recording, where roll calls were sometimes hard to make out.
Manchester site lease: Council passed, as an emergency, an ordinance (a city law) authorizing a 50-year ground lease of the site known as the Manchester Hotel and Sunshine Building to the Middletown Port Authority. The lease covers 16 parcels and costs $1 per year. According to the city manager, it lets the Port Authority coordinate site preparation, demolition and development to keep the project on schedule. The city keeps ownership, its approval rights and its legal protections, and existing funding sources do not change. The vote was heard as unanimous.
Playgrounds: Council approved a contract of $258,040.20 with Snyder Recreation Incorporated to replace the playground equipment at Lefferson Park. Completion is expected by spring 2027, with funding already in the budget. It also approved $143,922.40 with the same company to replace and upgrade the equipment at Gardner Park, paid from the park impact fee fund, also expected to finish by spring 2027. Both votes were 4-1, with Vice Mayor Carter voting no.
Vice Mayor Carter argued for putting off the Lefferson project a year and using the money to fix equipment and concrete at Michigan Park. Other council members said they were comfortable following the Park Board’s priority list. The public works director, who also serves on the Park Board, said much of the Lefferson equipment does not meet current safety standards and most of it has been removed. He said the board has focused on larger parks first and that Michigan Park has not yet been scheduled but can be considered for future projects. The city manager noted that $340,000 went into nearby Oakland Park.
Cincinnati-Dayton Road: Council authorized a contract not to exceed $141,275 with Crawford, Murphy and Tilly Incorporated for design of improvements to Cincinnati-Dayton Road. Work includes repaving, repairing damaged areas, repainting road lines, fixing curbs and driveways, and upgrading handicapped ramps as needed. Funding is already budgeted in the Capital Improvements Fund. Council also passed Resolution R-2026-25, authorizing an application to the Ohio Public Works Commission for project year 41 funding to resurface and rebuild Cincinnati-Dayton Road from State Route 122 south to the city limits. Both votes were heard as unanimous.
Jail food and well maintenance: On second reading, council passed Ordinance 0-2026-60, extending the contract with CBM Managed Services, now known as Summit Food Service, for jail food service in 2027. It also passed Ordinance 0-2026-61, a contract with National Water Services, LLC for well and pump maintenance for 2027 through 2029.
Park renaming: On second reading, council passed Resolution R-2026-26, an honorary renaming of a city park for Mr. Pierce, who was in the audience. The city manager said the legislation now reflects a permanent name change rather than the two-year change discussed at an earlier meeting. Council members thanked him and the park board members who backed the application.
Property taxes: Council passed Resolution R-2026-27, accepting the property tax rates set by the Butler County Budget Commission for collection in 2027. The estimated total is about $7.1 million, supporting the general fund, police and fire pensions, capital improvements, fire services and conservancy. The resolution had to be filed with the Butler County Auditor by October 31.
Whole blood pilot: Resolution R-2026-28, on first reading, would add a supplemental appropriation of $10,000 donated by the Atrium Medical Foundation to help the Middletown Division of Fire start a whole blood pilot program. Fire and EMS paramedics would carry whole blood to begin treating patients with severe blood loss before they reach the hospital. The city manager said there would be no added cost to the city beyond the donation. No vote was taken because it was a first reading.
Consent agenda: Council approved, with no items pulled, the minutes of the October 6 meeting, receiving and filing the Board of Health minutes from September 8, confirming the termination of a code specialist in the Community and Economic Development Department, and confirming the conditional appointment of a maintenance worker in the Department of Public Works and Utilities.
Presentations and council comments
Midway Baseball: Two representatives of Midway Baseball gave the only report of the night. They said the program, started in 2022, has finished its fifth year with more than 500 children playing baseball and softball. They described improvements at Goldman Park made with the city and the park board, including a new roof, electrical work and furnace for the park building, rebuilt dugouts, leveled and resodded fields, a repaved and re-striped parking lot, new playground equipment, signage and a security system.
Their wish list included lights in the back parking lot, scoreboards, a left-field wall on Field 1 following preliminary talks with the city and Cleveland-Cliffs, and use of the old fire headquarters next to the park for indoor winter workouts, with batting cages in its four bays. They said they were not asking for anything that night. Council members praised the program, and one said using the old fire building for youth winter training was an excellent idea.
Flock cameras: Council members responded to residents’ comments on Flock license plate cameras. Council Member Lawley said he is fully in support, believing the benefits outweigh the risks. Council Member West said he is about 50-50 and is willing to hold a town hall. Vice Mayor Carter said the community should have a voice and supports a town hall. The mayor said the city has been working on a date for a Flock town hall, with more to come.
Road and Sorg funding: Council Member Mulligan reported that the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) is funding about $800,000 in Middletown road repaving, with Dixie Highway North next. He also said city officials, Middletown Community Foundation and Butler County Finance Authority representatives, and a historic architect met about helping the Sorg Opera House in the short and long term, and that local corporations have offered short-term funding for its 2027 season.
Fire drill and community events: Council Member Lawley praised the Fire Department for a multi-agency mass casualty drill on October 10 at the Town Mall. The mayor read a long list of upcoming events, including the Kiwanis Pancake Day on October 24, Trick or Treat in Middletown on Saturday, October 31, from 6 to 8 p.m., and the State of the City Address on Tuesday, November 10, at Sunny Hill Community Center, 800 Lafayette Avenue, starting at 6 p.m. Several council members urged residents to vote on November 3.
Public comment
Three residents spoke. The president of the Southwest Ohio Philharmonic board announced that the group has registered the name Middletown Symphony Orchestra with the Ohio Secretary of State and is bringing back the orchestra with its music director, Carmen De Leon. She also said the group plans to bring the Carnegie Hall Link Up program to fourth graders in Middletown City Schools.
Two residents spoke about Flock Safety’s automatic license plate readers. One cited national cases of officers allegedly misusing the data to track former partners, including two in Ohio this year, and asked for a town hall. She said she believes the police chief said the discussion must wait until an accusation is made, and that multiple residents have wanted a town hall but have not heard back. The other asked council to cancel the city’s Flock contract. At a minimum, he asked for a town hall and a public transparency portal, citing his Fourth Amendment concerns and a public records request for the city’s contract.
Next meeting
Council’s next meeting is Tuesday, November 3, at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers.
Source: Middletown City Council agenda, Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Meeting video: watch on YouTube.
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