Struthers City Council approves emergency ordinance to hire KO Consulting for 2026 grant services

The Struthers City Council on Jan. 14 approved an emergency ordinance authorizing the mayor and the city's safety-service director to enter into a contract with KO Consulting LLC to provide grant services for calendar year 2026. Councilmembers voted to suspend the rules to take up the ordinance immediately and then approved it on a roll-call vote.

Megan read the ordinance aloud, describing it as a contract-authorizing measure for grant services in 2026. President Patton moved to suspend council rules so the ordinance could be considered at the meeting; Bob moved to approve the suspension and the motion was seconded. After the suspension vote the council proceeded to adopt the ordinance under emergency declaration.

The contract counterparty named in the ordinance is KO Consulting LLC. The ordinance text submitted to council declares the measure an emergency to allow immediate execution; the ordinance does not specify a contract dollar amount, term beyond calendar year 2026, or the specific scope and deliverables of the grant services (those details were not provided in the meeting record).

On the roll-call vote recorded immediately after the reading under suspension, the council answered in the affirmative in sequence (members identified in the roll call included Ballard, Bates, Beagle/Beagley, Burnside, Deegan/Deagan, Gohman/Goeman and Pink/Pinkley), and the measure passed. The clerk's roll call during the vote shows seven affirmative responses; no nays or abstentions were recorded in the segmented vote sequence.

The council also received and filed routine financial and departmental reports submitted for December 2025, including tax collection reports from Ryan Magalski (tax commissioner), cash- and revenue-position reports from Christina S. Cole (city auditor), and treasurer reports from Mark T. Brenner (city treasurer). The safety-service director, Anthony O'Riches, had submitted a report and the mayor's report (submitted by Mayor Chacon Miller) was noted as read in caucus earlier.

The council chair reminded the public that Finance and Legislation will meet Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. and invited members of the public to address council on pending legislation (those wishing to speak were asked to state their name and address for the record). The meeting moved to adjournment following the regular business.

Details that were not specified at the meeting: the contract dollar amount for KO Consulting LLC, specific deliverables or milestones, the exact signature dates, and whether the contract requires additional approvals beyond mayoral and safety-service director signature.