Findlay Council fast tracks spending

FINDLAY — Findlay City Council voted Feb. 17 to jump‑start a trio of public‑safety and infrastructure projects, pushing through $404,000 in spending after the first reading. The project allows the city to begin sewer projects, replace eight disaster sirens and purchase and train a new police dog. Council voted 9-0 to waive its three-reading rule on each piece of legislation, with Councilwoman Carol Smirth, R-3, absent. The vote was then 9-0 to approve each of them. All three ordinances included emergency declarations, meaning they take effect immediately and are not subject to the 30‑day waiting period that normally allows time for public review and the possibility of voters filing a referendum petition. Most legislation adopted by Findlay Council includes emergency language. A total of $300,000 was appropriated from the Capital Improvement Restricted Account to complete the replacement of the city's remaining eight disaster sirens. Eight sirens were replaced in 2024, and the 2026 replacements are the final phase of the project. In a letter to council, City Engineer Jeremy Kalb said the vendor's current quoted pricing is only guaranteed through the end of the first quarter. Price increases are expected in the second quarter, prompting city staff to ask council to advance the purchase now so equipment can be ordered at the lower cost. In the fall of 2024, the city completed the first phase of its disaster‑siren overhaul, replacing eight aging units at a cost of about $290,000 from the capital improvement fund. Many of the sirens removed were roughly 50 years old, though the list also included units installed in 1990, 1999 and 2006. City officials selected the replacements based on functionality rather than age, noting that some newer sirens had become unreliable while several of the oldest continued to perform consistently. The new equipment was purchased from ASC Mass Notification Solutions of Milwaukee and installed and programmed by P&R Communications, a regional radio‑systems vendor. As part of the project, poles were replaced where needed, and the city plans to salvage usable parts from the retired units to extend the life of the remaining sirens. Another $89,000 in start‑up funding was appropriated for 2026 sewer projects at the Feb. 17 meeting. The measure shifts $64,000 from the Sewer Fund and another $25,000 from the Sewer Fund – Stormwater Restricted Account into four targeted projects: $2,000 for the 2026 Annual Sewer Lining Program, $2,000 for the North Main Street/Bigelow Avenue sanitary sewer project, $10,000 for a Lawn Avenue sewer repair, and $50,000 for the 2026 Annual Sewer Repair Program, with the stormwater funds providing an additional $25,000 toward that same repair program. Kalb said the funding was needed so staff could begin design work, bidding preparation, and early repair activity as soon as the weather allows. The projects are all included in the 2026 Capital Improvement Plan, and Kalb wrote that early authorization was necessary to keep them on schedule. A total of $15,000 was appropriated from the Capital Improvement Restricted Account to purchase a new police dog and cover handler training. Kalb wrote that the police department needs to secure a training slot "in the near term" to keep pace with the current training schedule and operational needs.