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Vice Mayor· 2026-01-01 to 2029-12-31

Rick Ford

Vandalia

No biography on file yet.

At a glance

News mentions
1

Term ending Dec 31, 2029.

Voice

Meetings spoken in
7
Total speaking time
9:29
Avg per meeting
1:21
Segments
247

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The OpenCity MCP for Claude.ai answers questions like “what has Ford said about housing this year” with one prompt — full speaking history, with YouTube timestamps.

Filtered to Public Safety

Top issues during term (20)(Public Safety)

high↓Feb 2026[12]

Police Fleet Upfits

$142,890 for three cruisers, within the $168,000 budgeted for 2026.

low↑Oct 2026[10]

Presidential visit security

Extra staff hours were worked over the weekend, though no cost figure was given.

medium↑Nov 2026[10]

EMS billing rate update

Higher billing rates could bring in more EMS revenue to the city, helping offset ambulance service costs.

high↓Jul 2026[7]

Cybersecurity staffing and compliance mandates

A new full-time hire plus roughly $150,000 next year for server replacements — with server prices roughly tripled because AI data centers are buying up all the memory.

medium↓Aug 2026[6]

Resident complaints regarding police interactions

high↓Aug 2026[5]

Removal of Councilmembers (Charter Section 3-8)

medium↓Sep 2026[5]

Conflicts of interest for council members serving other jurisdictions

medium↓Sep 2026[5]

Police camera system replacement

$242,999 total over five years — $48,499.80 a year — with $55,000 budgeted in 2026 and part offset by grants.

low↓Sep 2026[5]

Building code appeals process change

Avoids the cost of creating and maintaining a local volunteer appeals board.

high↓Jun 2026[4]

Fire Division lieutenant staffing plan

Future capital needs could include a substation and squad platform vehicle, plus ongoing maintenance on an aging light fleet.

high↓May 2026[3]

Dispatch Radio Console Replacement

$219,208 from the General Fund, transferred through the Police-Fire-Street CIP Fund.

medium↓Jun 2026[2]

Neighborhood traffic safety on Koch Avenue

Minor cost for signage and tree trimming, not yet quantified.

low↓May 2026[2]

Lightning detection at city parks

medium↓Mar 2026[1]

Fire Station 2 kitchen remodel

$45,657.67, within the $50,000 budgeted in the 2026 Capital Improvement Plan.

high↓May 2026[1]

Municipal Court Supplemental Funding

About $149,584 in added 2026 spending, not budgeted this year.

medium↓Jan 2026[1]

Fire department equipment and training funded by grants and donations

Both items are under $50,000 each and already budgeted; exact figures weren't stated.

high↓Apr 2026[1]

Municipal Court staffing and funding strain

Restoring court staffing could cost roughly $500,000 to $600,000 against a court budget already running thin on fines and fees.

high↓Jan 2026[1]

Police union contract, 2026-2028

Not stated in the record beyond the corrected $1,910 Stoney Springs property figure.

low↓Apr 2026[1]

Public Comment Rules Update

low↓Mar 2026[1]

Liquor permit process change

Decisions during term (1)

Recorded while Ford was in office — not necessarily decisions they moved, spoke to, or voted on.

Voting record (0)(Public Safety)

No votes found matching Public Safety.

In the news (1)