Government

• Gubernatorial Candidates Acton and Ramaswamy Push for Tighter Flock Camera Regulation

  Both gubernatorial candidates want stricter oversight of the same Flock cameras Mentor police have used since 2021, as local pushback over privacy continues across Lake County.

• Mentor Council Commits Nearly $7 Million for Municipal Annex, Locks In Five Years of Waste Collection in One Evening

  The two votes lock in a new police-and-recreation annex that came in over $1 million under estimate and extend residential trash service through 2031.

• Levy Failure Moves From Ballot Box to Kitchen Table: Mentor Families Face New Fees This Fall

  New per-student paper charges, 20% higher activity fees, and $1,800 preschool tuition take effect this fall after voters rejected the 4.9-mill levy in May.

• Mentor Prepares Possible Appeal After Judge Overturns Car Wash Denial on Mentor Avenue

  The city's law director is now evaluating whether to appeal the ruling, which could cost taxpayers money to fight a decision the judge called arbitrary and capricious.

• Two Utility Votes Will Shape Eastern Lake County's Lakefront — but Key Details Remain Missing

  The county approved a final waterline payment in Willowick and a $412,357 sewer extension in Mentor, but completion dates and funding sources remain undisclosed.

• Mentor Avenue Resurfacing Underway Near Great Lakes Mall

  The $2.57 million project narrows the corridor to one lane each way through October, with most work overnight to limit disruption to nearby retailers.

• State Auditor Released Medicaid Review of ViaQuest Facility on West Heisley Road

  The audit reviewed the Mentor facility's 2024 Medicaid billing and documentation alongside several other ViaQuest locations statewide.

• 95-foot observation tower construction closes main trail at Mentor Marsh

  The $1.8 million tower will offer panoramic views of the 691-acre marsh, but hikers lost access to the preserve's most popular route through mid-August.

• Lake County Fair Drew 106,000 Attendees, Commissioners Report

  Attendance rose to 106,012 from last year's 102,728, with commissioners citing a record $606,000 livestock auction and incident-free operations.

• Mentor Schools weigh closing three elementary schools, moving eighth graders to high school amid budget crunch

  The district will reveal which buildings could close at an Aug. 27 meeting, after voters rejected a $13.5 million levy and $6.6 million in cuts already took effect.

• Statehouse bill would lower signature threshold for local referendum challenges from 35% to 20%

  The bill has cleared the Ohio House, but a charter exemption means it may not apply to Mentor's own referendum process.

• Mentor Fire Department Disposes of 200 Gallons of Toxic PFAS Foam, Switches to Safer Alternative

  The city used Ohio's AFFF Takeback Program to destroy stockpiled "forever chemical" foam that posed risks to local groundwater and the Lake Erie watershed.