Cambridge City Council Signs Civility Pledge
During its meeting August 11, 2025, the Cambridge City Council approved the current agenda, the minutes of the regular meeting on July 14, the special meeting on July 28, and the payment of bills.
Prior to the start of the regular meeting on August 11, a public hearing was held regarding increased or new fees and the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-26 (FY 2026). No testimony was given.
The 2025-26 budget and the certification of the property tax levy were approved. A budget hearing will be held at 7:00 p.m. on August 28. Additional information about the upcoming public hearing is available on the city’s website.
The city received a $20,000 Blue Cross Community Health Grant, which also included training opportunities through webinars. One of the key topics discussed during the trainings was civility, specifically, how civility impacts overall health. The training strongly recommended that cities have their employees and council members sign a civility pledge and post it in their chambers. The rationale for the pledge is that a lack of civility negatively affects overall health. All council members signed the pledge.
Cory Morgan stated that the city has been approved for $100,000 in construction funds for the First Street repair. Sandra McKee noted that the funds have not yet been received but are expected by October 1. If the task order is approved, the project will go out for bid in the fall, with construction beginning in the spring. The project spans First Street from Washington Street to Garfield. Mayor Mark Loveland said, “They can’t quite make it all the way down past the Catholic Church, but they will make it down to Garfield.”
Civic Plus has offered the city a free year of the Audio Eye contract on its website. The feature supports ADA compliance, which will become mandatory in 2027. For example, it allows individuals who are blind, deaf or dyslexic to navigate the site. Washington County already has this feature in place. The city voted to accept the Civic Plus Audio Eye contract.
The proposed Cambridge Area of Impact was presented to the Washington County commissioners. The city has redrawn the boundaries and reduced the overall size of the impact area. Mayor Loveland said the city has reduced the area to the smallest size possible. The purpose of the Area of Impact is to identify property that could potentially be annexed into the city within the next five years. The county has agreed to hold a public hearing on the proposed boundaries, and the city council voted to approve the new impact zone.
Resolution No. R2-2025 - Fee Schedule - was read and approved.
Ordinances No. 1-2026 (Annual Appropriation Ordinance), No. 5-2025 (Subdivision Lot Frontages), No. 6-2025 (Residential Lot Requirements in Commercial Zones), and No. 7-2025 (Central Rush Creek Overlay Zone) were approved as action items. A public hearing on these ordinances was held Wednesday, August. 6.
