<body><div>Dear Neighbors,City Council has been working from a variety of angles to address multi-modal safety. Following significant research and valuable input from residents and Vice President Baker, City Council passed both the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) and the Safe Streets for Lakewood Safety Action Plan in 2024. These plans lay out concrete steps to reach our goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2038. Additionally, I served on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan Task Force, helping steer the plan to include a comprehensive evaluation of our public rights-of-way.Vice President Baker and I also co-sponsored two previously adopted additional pieces of safety legislation:<ul><li>The Complete Streets Ordinance: This encourages safety features like curb bumpouts and raised crosswalks whenever streets are redesigned.</li><li>The Complete and Active Street Education &amp; Advisory Board (CASE) Ordinance: This established a citizen-led group of neighbors who bring diverse, lived experiences to navigating our streets and sidewalks.</li></ul>Vice President Baker, Councilmember Bixenstine and I also introduced two new pieces of safety legislation Monday night:<ul><li>Ordinance 32-2026 enabling the use of speed cameras in school zones</li><li>Ordinance 31-2026 establishing the Safe Routes to School fund to use funds received from speed camera citations for safety measures</li></ul>City Council continues to prioritize funding for infrastructure and programs that make walking and biking to school safer. Simultaneously, the Public Works and Planning Departments are working on the infrastructure improvements laid out in these plans. Our goal remains making Lakewood’s rights-of-way safer and more accessible for users of all ages and abilities.Given this ongoing focus, we deeply appreciate the passion and support of residents who share these goals. We are pleased to see that the citizen initiative petition introduced on Monday evening as Ordinance 30-2026 embraces the plans previously adopted by Council as aligned with creating safe paths to school for children.Next Steps &amp; TimelineOn Monday evening, we referred Ordinance 30-2026 to the Committee of the Whole. We will officially take up the matter on November 16th at 6:00 PM, and potentially again on November 30th. According to the Charter, a formal report out of committee is due by the third regular meeting after initial introduction, which falls on December 21, 2026.Council is navigating an exceptionally tight timeline. We are simultaneously holding 2027 budget hearings—which this ordinance would likely impact—and the Administration has also requested a two week turnaround on a significant real estate investment.To uphold our legislative and fiduciary responsibilities, Vice President Baker and I have requested written reports from city departments to evaluate the petition’s operational impact, cost, and legal alignment. These reports are due no later than Thursday, November 12th at 1:00 PM from the following departments:<ul><li>Law: Evaluating legal alignment with Ohio law and Lakewood’s Charter, and providing a draft substitute to resolve any potential conflicts under Charter Section 9.2(a).</li><li>Mayor / Public Safety: Evaluating the impact on overall city and public safety operations.</li><li>Public Works (City Engineer): Providing capital and operating cost estimates, engineering impacts, and legal alignment.</li><li>Housing &amp; Building: Evaluating impacts on building operations and legal alignment.</li><li>Finance: Outlining the impact on the city budget, capital reserves, and operating finances.</li><li>Planning: Analyzing the impact on planning operations and the Planning Commission.</li></ul>We have also invited the sponsors of Ordinance 30-2026 to meet with us directly to discuss how we can collaborate effectively to achieve our shared goals.How to ParticipateWe welcome and encourage you to attend committee meetings in person, watch the live stream, or view the archived video recordings. Public comment is typically welcomed at committee meetings (barring time constraints) and is always scheduled at full Council meetings. Residents may also use the eComment feature.City Council Tentative Year End Schedule:Date/ Time Meeting TopicNov 9th 6:00-7:00pm Finance Committee Citizens Advisory Committee CDBG/ESG Funding Recommendations Nov 9th 7:00-8:30pm Committee of the Whole Franklin Playground Purchase Agreement Nov 16th 6:00-7:30pm Committee of the Whole Ordinance 30-2026 &amp;Ordinance 31-2026 &amp; 32-2026 (time permitting)Nov 16th 7:30pm Regular Meeting of Council Nov 23rd 6:00-8:45pm Finance Committee 2027 Budget Nov 30th 6:00-8:00pm Committee of the Whole Ordinance 30-2026 Ordinance 31-2026 &amp; 32-2026 (time permitting)Dec 7th 5:45-7:30pm Finance Committee 2027 Budget Dec 7th 7:30pm Regular Meeting of Council Dec 14th 6:00-9:00pm Finance Committee 2027 Budget Dec 21th 6:30-7:30pm Finance Committee 2027 Budget Dec 21st 7:30pm Regular Meeting of Council 2027 Budget and COW report on Ord 30-2026 due <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Mt2ip_1Gl1uj8200" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Mt2ip_1Gl1uj8200" width="1280" height="1024" ><figcaption>Sarah Kepple, President Lakewood City Council</figcaption></figure></div></body>

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City Council has been working from a variety of angles to address multi-modal safety. Following significant research and valuable input from residents and Vice President Baker, City Council passed both the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) and the Safe Streets for Lakewood Safety Action Plan in 2024. These plans lay out concrete steps to reach our goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2038. Additionally, I served on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan Task Force, helping steer the plan to include a comprehensive evaluation of our public rights-of-way.

President’s Page: Safety Initiative Next Steps

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City Council has been working from a variety of angles to address multi-modal safety. Following significant research and valuable input from residents and 

President’s Page: Safety Initiative Next Steps

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