BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW) – Retired Visiting Judge Dale A. Crawford has denied a temporary restraining order (TRO) requested by local taxpayer Greg White. White sought to block the City of Bucyrus from moving forward with the purchase of new trash sanitation equipment.
The legal challenge centered on Resolution 229-2026, which authorizes the city to acquire the equipment.
White argued that the resolution was invalid because it contained an emergency provision that failed to secure the required three-fourths majority vote from the City Council on three separate occasions.
White contended that the emergency clause was inseparable from the rest of the legislation, rendering the entire resolution improper when it was ultimately passed as a non-emergency measure.
In his decision, Judge Crawford rejected the plaintiff’s argument, ruling that emergency clauses are “severable” from the substance of legislation. The court noted that because the resolution was read three times and passed by a majority vote, it was validly enacted as a standard, non-emergency ordinance.
In his reasoning, Judge Crawford emphasized the principle of judicial restraint, stating that the judiciary should avoid interfering in legislative and executive functions unless those actions clearly violate a citizen’s constitutional or legislative rights. The court found no such violation in this instance.
While the denial of the TRO allows the city to proceed for now, the legal battle is not over. The underlying lawsuit, which seeks preliminary and permanent injunctions against the city, remains active.
Judge Crawford has scheduled a consolidated hearing for those requests on August 31, 2026.