Middletown City Council approves routine minutes and financial report, confirms environmental health hire

The Middletown City Council at its Feb. 10 regular meeting approved routine business and heard departmental reports.

Votes and formal actions: Council voted to excuse Mister Richmond and Miss Miller from the session after a motion and second. The body approved the Jan. 2026 meeting minutes and accepted the January 2026 financial report by roll call. Later in new business the council voted to appoint Charm Street as an environmental health specialist in training, with a reported start date "the seventeenth" of the month.

Health department and program updates: The health commissioner briefed the council on community outreach — including a community health assessment presentation and a planned health fair in April — and on a septic-notification task supported by an EPA grant. The medical director reported January reportable illnesses: 23 chlamydia, 7 gonorrhea, 3 chronic hepatitis C, 3 pertussis, 3 strep pneumoniae, 1 syphilis, 1 campylobacter and 1 hepatitis B, and said influenza activity is declining. The director of nursing said reported COVID case counts have fallen because reporting rules changed in October (now reportable for hospitalizations only) and described proactive Legionella monitoring at a long-term care facility.

Planning and operations: The environmental health director reported an expedited plan review for Butler Tech Aviation and said licensing renewals for food service expire Feb. 28; she also said six micro markets are being installed at Cleveland Cliffs to replace vending machines and that staffing changes should help complete inspections.

Next steps: Council set the next regular meeting for March 10. No new ordinance or budget items requiring additional council action were adopted at this meeting.