A month after a Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority board of directors meeting was disrupted by a personal dispute and a threat of a beating, board Chairman James Tuschman on Thursday announced new rules that require members to stick to the agenda and not bring up irrelevant topics.

In the memo to board members, obtained by The Blade through a public records request, Mr. Tuschman said a code of conduct was requested by Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson and the Lucas County Commissioners for the 13-member board.

The policy and plans for a code of conduct were distributed to board members at the start of the board’s regular monthly meeting Thursday.

“We have all been through in the last month some ‘heated’ conversations over a multitude of various topics. While debate and discussion is encouraged and appropriate, it must not detract from the mission, goals, objectives and priorities that we as a Board have agreed upon and seek to pursue in our role as Port Directors and public servants,” he wrote in the memo.

At its April 28 meeting, board member Bernard “Pete” Culp became angry at Mr. Tuschman over comments Mr. Tuschman had made to a female board member at a committee meeting the previous week, and at what Mr. Culp thought was Mr. Tuschman’s attempt to sweep the issue under the rug.

Mr. Tuschman had previously apologized to the board member, Andrea Price, for having told her to sit down and shut up.

The outburst during the public board meeting prompted several members to call on Mayor Hicks-Hudson to dismiss Mr. Culp as a city appointee to the port authority board, an action she declined.

Mr. Tuschman said the code of conduct, spelling out standards of behavior, was recommended by Mayor Hicks-Hudson and commissioners. Code violations would be reported to the member’s appointing authority, accompanied by a recording of the incident.

Mr. Culp said he agrees there needs to be a code of conduct, but said it must clearly apply to board officers too.

“Who reports the chair?” Mr. Culp asked. As stated in the memo by Mr. Tuschman, a violation is determined by both the chairman and vice chairman, raising the question whether either one would self-report a violation.

In other action Thursday, the board voted to construct a new fuel storage complex at Toledo Executive Airport in Lake Township. Board member Bill Carroll said aviators have had to buy fuel in Bowling Green. The two 12,000-gallon storage tanks are to be built by Industrial Power Systems, Inc., of Rossford for $526,959.

The board also voted to approve a $5 million bond issue to assist the City of Dublin, Ohio, and the Bridge Park New Community Authority to build a 350-space public parking garage and a $5 million bond issue for the Dayton-Montgomery County Port Authority to assist construction of 60 independent-living units, 56 assisted-living units, and 48 memory-care units on a 9.82-acre site in Centerville, Ohio.

The board agreed to a free, 19-year lease with the Customs and Border Protection division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for a 5,008-square-foot general-aviation facility to clear passengers and flight crew on international arrivals at Toledo Express Airport. The port authority is required to provide all service, utilities, and maintenance.

Contact Tom Troy: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058 or on Twitter @TomFTroy.

First Published May 27, 2016, 7:41 a.m.