Resident urges ordinance to bar certain offenders from living next to parks; council refers the issue to committees

A Lima resident urged the council to consider a local ordinance restricting convicted sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of city parks after she learned a Tier 2 registered offender bought a house bordering a park.

Kayla Lasha, who identified herself for the record, told council the Ohio Attorney General’s Offender Registry shows multiple parks in Lima have offenders living on bordering properties and urged the city to set a local standard to protect playgrounds and splash pads. She asked council to “consider the creation of a local ordinance that would restrict offenders from establishing residents within 1000 feet of these city parks.”

Councilor Jordan moved to refer the proposal to the Economic & Community Development Committee and the Neighborhood Concerns Committee as a joint study; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. Council did not adopt an ordinance at the meeting and directed the committees to review legal constraints and examples from other Ohio cities, which Lasha said she provided to the council.

The issue raises legal and administrative questions the committees will need to address, including the scope of local authority compared with state law and registry provisions.