CORTLAND — City Council voted Monday to move forward with a project to build an outdoor event space on West Main Street. However, the project will proceed more slowly than city officials had requested after council rejected emergency legislation tied to the project.

Mayor Jim Bradley said the emergency designation was requested to give city administrators more time to prepare reports to the Ohio Office of Budget and Management before the end of June and to get work moving.

“I’m just looking to gain extra time for our admin staff to be able to compile everything and submit the reports,” Bradley said. “If we can get into the contractor schedule sooner the better.”

In order for a measure to pass as an emergency — skipping three formal readings and going into effect immediately — two-thirds of council must approve the measure. Because three council members voted against the emergency designation — Chelsea Munroe, Kevin Piros and Chris Wadley — the measure failed. However, the actual ordinance, to hire Site Prep Services LLC for construction of the project site at 181 W. Main St., passed unanimously.

The project is to redevelop an existing parking lot into an outdoor event space featuring a pavilion, repaved parking lot, walkways and utility connections.

In other business, council:

• Approved a replat request for lot 111-B in the Walnut Run development.

• Gave first reading to a contract to renew the fire department’s reporting software contract with ESO Solutions Inc. The annual cost is $9,385.63.

• Heard from Fire Chief David Rea that civil service lists for the fire chief and captain positions have been certified and that entry-level firefighter testing is scheduled for Tuesday.

• Learned the asbestos removal work is underway at the former Pearl Street School. Demolition on the abandoned site will follow.

• Heard the city’s splash pad is expected to open by Friday, barring any issues.

• Heard a report from police chief David Morris that the police department received a $2,600 reimbursement grant for body armor purchases.

• Learned that city investments earned about $24,000 in interest in April at a rate of 3.87%.