RECOGNITION
Local business owner Stacy Jurich was recognized during the last Toledo City Council Meeting of the year, on Tuesday.
The owner of Boochy Mama’s Kombucha addressed council with her arms wrapped around her five-year-old son, Isaiah Cohen.
Jurich said that, as a businesses owner “in the trenches,” it has taken years to grow the business, and she did feel honored by the council recognizing her.
“I started in my home kitchen,” she said, adding that she grew the business out of a church basement in the Old West End. “That’s about as Toledo as you can get.”
District 5 Council Member Sam Melden lauded Boochy Mama’s Kombucha as an “excellent” product, and At-Large Council Member Nick Komives fondly remembered his days serving the kombucha at Black Kite Coffee when he was a barista there.
Summing up the recognition, the young Cohen said the parting words for the recognition, “Me love kombucha.”
APPOINTMENTS
Dave Zenk, the executive director of Metroparks Toledo, replaced Timothy Schlachter as an appointment to the Toledo Community Improvement Corporation.
At-Large Council Member Cerssandra McPherson opposed the appointment. While she said that Zenk was a “stand-up guy,” appointments, according to McPherson, ought to “reflect our community,” citing that Zenk was not a resident of Toledo. McPherson also said she wanted to give others opportunities to get involved with appointed positions.
The Metroparks director has a listed address in Whitehouse.
SECOND READ ITEMS
(All Ordinances on the agenda passed)
555-25: Appropriating money for current ordinary expenditures of the various departments for the City of Toledo for the first quarter (January, February and March) of 2026 and declaring an emergency. The amount of money for the total appropriation was $273,832,070.
Ordinances 556-25 to 559-25 were all declarations that provided funding for clearing or maintenance of streets.
Ordinances 560-25 to 562-25 repealed different parts of the Toledo Municipal Code (TMC) and enacted new parts to it.
During the agenda review, preceding the passage of these ordinances, Adam Martinez, District 2 council member, raised questions on the changes to the TMC, and voiced concerns about the changes putting immigrants at risk.
In the week’s time, Martinez had changed his tune, and said he was, “very comfortable” with all three changes, calling the revisions “well thought out [and] well rationed legislations.”
Respectively, the changes to TMC deal with General Contractor and Subcontractor Tax Registration, Wage theft and Wage and Tip Compensation Requirements.
563-25: Expenditure for accounting services for the division of accounts in the preparation of the ACFR $75,000 General Fund.
NEW ITEMS FROM COUNCIL
566-25 DIP District 5, Westwood Park Football Fields, $42,430 CIP
567-25 DIP District 5, Sanger Branch Library HAWK Signal, $100,000
NEW ITEMS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION
Items 568-25 to 572-25 dealt with strengthening neighborhoods.
568 extended an agreement with the United Way of Greater Toledo, giving $39,520 to the Healing & Compassion Fund, for survivors of gun violence from the General Fund.
567 gave $34,400 to the Young Leaders Collective, a mentoring and exploration program for youth, through the United Way of Greater Toledo.
570 and 571 modified HOME loan agreements in South East Toledo. Home 1
In lieu of forgiveness of the South East Toledo Home 1 and 2 scattered sites’ HOME Loan current balance, the City will modify and amend the terms of HOME Loan Agreement in order to provide a measure of debt relief, as properties in the South East Toledo Home 1 and 2 portfolio are sold.
Both loans were for $370,000.00 with 5.5 percent interest rate for a 20-year term HOME Loan. Home 1 was for 28 units and started in September 2006. Home 2 was for 25 units starting in December 2007.
572: CODE BLUE, the cold weather response initiative was given $80,000 from the General Fund to open up warming centers.
“…local shelters are experiencing a 100 percent occupancy rate during summer months,” the ordinance reads, emphasizing the already burdened state of shelters for the unhoused. “The Code Blue Cold Weather Response Initiative aims to mitigate these risks by providing overnight Warming Centers along with transportation to these centers through the Ride United program.”
Two individuals have already died this year in the city of Toledo due to cold weather, prompting this response.
Warming Centers do not have beds, but provide a warm space for people to stay.
The city’s list of warming centers can be found here.
Individuals in need can also call 211 for transportation or to find locations near them.
No notes:
573-25: Authorization and expenditure for a professional services agreement for collections efforts
574-25: Resolution- Declaring the necessity for streetlights on Brockton Dr. bounded by Imperial Dr. & Sylvania Ave.
575-25: Authorizing the acceptance of an OEPA Grant 319(h) for the Delaware Creek Restoration project $278,480 OGF
576-25: Authorizing the acceptance of the OEPA Grant H2Ohio for Detwiler Golf Course stream restoration project $400,000
577-25:: Authorizing a contract with SCS Engineers for Construction Quality Assurance GCCS at Hoffman Rd Landfill $12,100
578-25: Authorizing a sewer agreement with Northwestern Water and Sewer District for 40 years
579-25: Authorization to contract services & parts for Allen Bradley Electrical Equip. Prev. Maint proj at Water Rec $600,000
580-25: Authorization to contract parts/equipment & services for construction of digester heat exchangers. Project BVWR $100,000 SSR
581-25: Authorizing a 5th amendment for professional services w/ Black and Veatch to extend for consent decree
582-25: Authorization to contract parts/equip. & services for Roots air blower proj secondary Treatment BVWR $200,000 SSR
583-25: Authorization & expenditure to Toledo Lucas County CareNet to support healthcare access $20,000 GF
584-25: Authorizing a three-year contract for banking services 5/3.
Komives and Martinez both voted against this ordinance. Martinez had no problem with 53rd banking, but wished the city contracted with a local bank or credit union.
585-25: Authorizing year-end appropriations and budget adjustments w/in the 2025 Operating and Capital Improvements Budgets
ITEMS FROM ZONING AND PLANNING
586-25: Special Use Permit for operations building at 2162 W. Alexis Road
587-25: Zone change at 1427-1429 W. Bancroft Street
588-25: Special Use Permit for a Daycare Center at 3302 Buckeye Street
589-25: Zone change at 1336 Craigwood Road
590-25: Special Use Permit for a Type A Family Daycare at 1920 Eastgate Road
591-25: Zone change at 5820 and 5930 Hagman Road
592-25: Special Use Permit for Gasoline & Fuel Sales at 5820 and 5930 Hagman Road
593-25: Zone change at 1805 E Manhattan Blvd.
594-25: Zone change at 1321 and 1327 W. Sylvania Avenue
595-25: Special Use Permit for a Daycare Center at 2894 Tremainsville Road
596-25: Special Use Permit for Major Urban Agriculture at 648 Woodland Avenue
CLOSING REMARKS
Each council member said their closing remarks for the last meeting of the year. Most notable of the bunch were Komives’s closing remarks, where he said he had observed Toledo Police chasing the UHaul truck through the streets on Dec. 10 and was displeased with the response.
Komives said he was stopped at Monroe and Central when the UHaul sped past him.
“I do have some real concerns about the experience,” he said. “All these things cost money and it was chaotic…It was not okay.”
The At-Large Council Member said he had asked the mayor to address the police department concerning the chase.
