Development News for Xenia, Ohio

Mayor Updates Council on City Projects, Events, and Infrastructure Improvements

Mayor Reynolds provided an update on city activities and upcoming events. He mentioned attending the CSU commencement, a run across 50 states for mental health awareness by runner Andy Lewis that passed through Zena, and the SOS Ministries Polar Plunge. He also noted the upcoming XRE event on June 2nd. The mayor highlighted significant construction activity across the city, including projects by AES, Centerpoint, fiber optic companies, the market district project, and the jail demolition, apologizing for the inconvenience but asking for patience. He also addressed recent issues with the traffic light at Main and Detroit, explaining a temporary fix was implemented after identifying a problem potentially caused by lightning, and hoping the light is now functioning normally. Additionally, he noted the upcoming Fourth of July program on July 3rd, with fireworks.

City Council Addresses Annexation, Forfeited Properties, and Wastewater Treatment Supplies

The city council introduced Ordinance 2026-8, authorizing the annexation of approximately 327.016 acres of state-owned land from Central State University. This process requires an affirmative vote of five council members. Additionally, Resolution 2026-34 was introduced, empowering the city manager to purchase forfeited properties at the Green County Auditor's sale, a measure designed to prevent the city from bearing maintenance costs for unsold, state-owned properties. Resolution 2026-35 was approved, accepting Carmuse Lime's proposal for quick lime supply for wastewater treatment, following an emergency appropriation of $50,000 due to increased costs.

City Moves Forward with Street Lighting Assessment Ordinance

The city council introduced Ordinance 2026-9, which concerns the improvement of city streets and public ways through lighting. This ordinance aims to continue the citywide street lighting assessment with new rates applied under a 7-year contract with Miami Valley Lighting. The process requires three legislative steps, with this ordinance representing the second step: adoption to proceed with the project. The city's responsibility is estimated at 2% of the lighting cost, resulting in a citywide assessment of approximately $274,000, proportionally divided among all parcels based on tax value. The average annual cost per parcel is estimated at $35, or about $3 per month.

City Council Approves Quick Lime Purchase for Wastewater Treatment

The city council approved Resolution 2026-35 to accept the proposal from Carmuse Lime for the provision and delivery of quick lime, essential for the public service department's wastewater treatment process. This chemical compound is used to increase pH, neutralize acidic water, and precipitate impurities, serving as a cost-effective method to stabilize sludge, reduce odors, and destroy pathogens. Due to a significant year-over-year price increase of approximately 45% for quick lime, the city received only one proposal from Carmuse Lime for the 2026 supply. Although the city has limited storage capacity at its wastewater treatment plant, the purchase is necessary for the year's operations. The council had previously approved an emergency appropriation of $50,000 for this purchase (Ordinance 2026-15).