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YOUNGSTOWN -- A rare tie vote from city council led to the rejection of a $350,000 grant to provide assistance to the struggling Sparkle Market in Cornersburg.
Council voted 3-3 Wednesday with Councilwoman Amber White, I-7th Ward, abstaining on the advice of the city law department.
A tie vote means the proposal failed and if it will be considered again by council it will have to be reintroduced.
Voting in favor of the grant were Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward; Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward; and Pat Kelly, D-5th Ward. Those in opposition were Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward; Mike Ray, D-4th Ward; and Cynthia McWilson, D-6th Ward.
Law Director Adam Buente said: "An ordinance is entitled to three readings, not three votes. Once the rule requiring three readings was suspended, the ordinance was placed on council floor for consideration and needed to receive a majority of votes to pass. A tie is insufficient and the ordinance therefore failed to pass when it only received three affirmative votes."
The proposal wasn't going to even be considered on Wednesday until council's community planning and economic development (CPED) committee met a few hours before the full council meeting.
During the committee meeting, Oliver said: "The city is picking and choosing. There are businesses in Youngstown on the verge of failing and they're looking for the same help as Sparkle."
The owners of the Cornersburg Sparkle sold their former store on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township for $2.2 million in August.
At the July 13 CPED meeting, Vince Furrie Jr. and Joe Vitullo, Sparkle's owners, said the Cornersburg store is struggling and is in danger of closing.
The Sparkle grant proposal, sponsored by Mayor Derrick McDowell, stated: "The closing of the store will create a food desert, which will have a very serious impact to the health and welfare of city citizens, and the economic stability grant program will provide a financially sustainable long-term solution to provide necessary grocery services."
The grant included a "clawback provision if certain standards are not met," such as requiring Sparkle to stay open for at least five years after it receives the city funding. That clawback amount would have been reduced by $70,000 annually until the five-year mark is reached.
The city funding could have only been used to purchase grocery inventory, food and household products and other merchandise to be sold at the location.
As a safeguard for the grant, the city would have been given "a second-priority open-end mortgage and security agreement encumbering the property," according to the proposed agreement.
Kelly said he was in the supermarket at 3623 S. Meridian Road a few months ago when he noticed the shelves were empty so he met with the owners and asked what the city could do to help.
Council decided Wednesday not to vote on the proposed $350,000 sale of the former Bottom Dollar grocery store, 2649 Glenwood Ave., to Potential Development, a pre-K through grade 12 school system for students with autism.
Potential Development was the lone proposal to buy the building, vacant since January 2015, from the city. It wants to invest $1,066,067 into the building for a K-3 school.
The delay was because Oliver wanted to know if there would be an issue with selling the building because the city used $1.2 million in American Rescue Plan funds in 2024 to renovate the 18,285-square-foot building for a different purpose.
With the absence of Finance Director Kyle Miasek from Wednesday's meeting, Buente said he wanted to "triple check" to make sure the city is in federal compliance to sell the building.
"I don't want to move too quickly," Buente said.
OTHER BUSINESS
Council Wednesday voted 7-0 to authorize the board of control to finalize a job creation grant agreement with BBM Railway Equipment to relocate its business operations from 5211 Mahoning Ave. in Austintown to 101 Andrews Ave. in the city.
A railway engineering and testing equipment supply company, BBM is a subsidiary of Brilex Industries. Brilex renovated its Andrews Avenue location to house BBM.
The incentive would provide partial payments of the city's 2.75% income tax paid by BBM employees to the company in the following year.
The company plans to have 13 employees in 2027, the first year of the incentive.
In that first year, BBM would get a 75% payment of the income taxes paid by its employees. The legislation states with 13 employees and an annual payroll of $1.15 million, BBM would receive $23,719 in the first year.
In the second year, the payment drops to 50% with 14 employees and a $1.35 million annual payroll. BBM would get a $18,563 payment.
In the third year, the payment declines to 25% with 15 workers and a $1.55 million annual payroll. BBM would get a $10,656 payment in the final year of the agreement.
If the employment benchmarks are met, BBM would receive $52,938 for the three years.
Council ratified Wednesday a three-year contract with its wastewater department union. The contract calls for a 5.75% raise, retroactive to Jan. 1, and then 4% starting with the Dec. 26 payroll and 2.5% in 2028.
The city does pattern bargaining, meaning the highest pay raises given to one union in a particular year are then given to all other unions.
The city's fire, police patrol and police ranking officers unions received 4% raises for 2025 and 2026 with the latter two unions set to get 4% in 2027.
The wastewater department union members received a 2.25% raise in 2025 so the 5.75% raise for 2026 is the 4% raise given to all city unions with an additional 1.75% to make up for the difference in 2025.
Wastewater union members are also getting $1,000 annually in "exposure pay," up from the $805 they receive each year, and an increase from $125 to $225 in annual work boots-safety shoes reimbursements.
Also Wednesday, council defeated another ordinance amendment to ban the parking of vehicles on the front yards of residential properties.
Council voted Aug. 17 to amend the city's general ordinances on the ban with an amendment to the city's parking ordinance proposed.
At a Sept. 1 council parking committee meeting, most members spoke in opposition to changing the ordinance, saying it was unnecessary and the current language is clear.
Council members said city police should enforce the current ordinance, which bans vehicles from parking on front lawns.