YOUNGSTOWN — By only a one-vote margin, city council approved legislation requiring facial coverings and social distancing in Youngstown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, who voted against the proposal Wednesday, said face masks give a “false sense of security” to people that they won’t get the virus and asked for scientific proof that they stop the spread.

Tara Cioffi, the city health department’s environmental health director, responded that scientific studies show properly wearing face masks reduces the spread of the virus.

“This is another layer of protection,” she said.

But Oliver remained skeptical.

The legislation codifies Mayor Jamael Tito Brown’s executive order that took effect July 20. Gov. Mike DeWine put a statewide face mask mandate in place that took effect three days later.

Brown’s and DeWine’s orders are largely the same though the mayor’s is mandated for those at least 6 years old while the governor’s is for those at least 10 years old. Both include numerous exemptions.

Also, Brown’s order includes a $100 fine enforced by the police department and / or the city health district, but he said the first step is to educate people, then warn them before a citation is issued.

After much discussion, the legislation was approved 4-3 with Oliver; Basia Adamczak, D-7th; and Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd; voting against it. Those who supported it were Samantha Turner, D-3rd; Mike Ray, D-4th; Lauren McNally, D-5th; and Anita Davis, D-6th.

Oliver said: “Citizens should decide” whether to wear masks.

Adamczak said it is “important to encourage people to wear a mask and not require them” — even though state law requires it with exemptions.

She also said she didn’t like making police enforce it.

Davis said if face masks save one life, it’s worth wearing them.

She said a face mask for the virus is like wearing a condom to “prevent pregnancies. It doesn’t work 100 percent, but it’s effective.”

Adamczak later said the city doesn’t mandate men wear condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancies so it shouldn’t do it with face masks.

Brown said masks are already required by the state and his executive order and he wanted city council to affirm what he has mandated through an ordinance.

It passed 4-3 so the legislation is not an emergency measure and won’t take effect for 30 days. But because of DeWine’s and Brown’s orders, masks are required in the city.

BIKE TRAIL VOTE

Also Wednesday, council voted 4-3 in favor of a request to increase the cost by $202,000 of a bike trail connecting the West Side to downtown.

Voting against the legislation were Adamczak, Davis and Turner.

Council approved spending up to $770,000 on June 3 for the trail, but the city administration asked that amount be raised to $972,000 because of changes needed to the project.

“I don’t like it coming back to us again and again because (the administration) failed to properly assess a project’s budget,” Davis said.

She pointed out the city is facing a $2 million deficit right now that could grow to as much as $4 million because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the $202,000 could be better used to balance the budget.

Ray said: “It’s a small investment” when you look at how it will tie Mill Creek Park and the West Side to the major improvement project being done to Fifth Avenue.

The city hasn’t approved a contract for the work yet, and the project isn’t going to be finished until late spring 2021.

In yet another 4-3 vote Wednesday, council chose to postpone approving a tax abatement for P&S Bakery, which is relocating to 2716 Intertech Drive from Poland.

Council sent the request to its community planning and economic development committee with Adamczak, Hughes, Oliver and Turner voting to do so. Davis, McNally and Ray opposed the delay.

The company employs 57 full-time workers and four part-timers and plans to add 20 full-time employees annually in 2021 and 2022. It purchased the city property for $1.5 million and plans to invest another $1.2 million in improvements and for equipment.

When told of the delay, David George, the company’s chief operating officer, said: “We’ll have to wait to see how it will play out and wait for the outcome. We’re hopeful it will work out.”

dskolnick@tribtoday.com