City of Aurora, Ohio CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES May 8, 2017

Transcription

1 City of Aurora, Ohio CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES May 8, 2017 The Council of the City of Aurora, Ohio met in Council Chambers at City Hall on Monday, May 8, 2017 for the purpose of holding a regular public meeting. Council President George Horvat called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge to the Flag of the United States of America. ROLL CALL Present: Also Present: Reva Barner Kathi Grandillo Harold Hatridge George Horvat Dennis Kovach John Kudley, Jr. Amy McDougald James Vaca Scott Wolf Ann Womer Benjamin, Mayor Karen Aldredge, Chief of Staff Dean DePiero, Law Director Denise Januska, Director of Planning, Zoning & Building Division James Kraus, Director of Parks & Recreation John Trew, Director of Public Services Jack Burge, Director of Economic and Entrepreneurial Development Brian Byard, Police Chief Donna Hawks, Clerk of Council For clarity all items appear in the meeting minutes in the same order as they appear on the meeting agenda. Consideration of Minutes MOTION: Approval of the April 24, 2017, Meeting minutes Mr. Hatridge moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote. Swearing-in of Part-time Police Officer John Catena Mr. DePiero administered the oath of office to Police Officer John Catena. Executive Session To Consider the Purchase of Property for Public Purposes MOTION: To enter into Executive Session pursuant to Ohio Revised Code (G)(2) to consider the appropriation and dedication of property and to discuss a dispute over said property that may be the subject of imminent court action pursuant to Ohio Revised Code (G)(3). Mr. Kudley moved; Mr. Hatridge seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote.

2 City of Aurora, Ohio Page 2 05/08/2017 City Council Minutes Council entered into Executive Session at 7:03 p.m. MOTION: To return to open session Mr. Kudley moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote. Council returned to open session at 7:20 p.m. Mayor s Report (Attached) Mayor Womer Benjamin said McMaster-Carr is considering expansion in Aurora. She said the company has requested tax abatement; and it is on Council s agenda for first reading and hopes Council will support the initiative. She said the city has been negotiating for a number of years with Mr. Constantino to acquire Aurora Lake Road, to protect the publics continue use of the road and to upgrade it to public safety standards. She asked for Council s approval of the agreement. Mayor Womer stated Aurora will host the Tree City USA Annual Awards on Wednesday, May 10. She said the event is at the Bertram Inn and it is expected to draw over 200 representatives from cities across Northeast Ohio. She said Ms. Kristine Allen has agreed to become her new Executive Assistant. She provided information on Ms. Allen s experience and education. She said she is confident Ms. Allen will serve the city well and asked Council for their support. She said Ms. Allen will be train with Ms. Humbert over of the next few weeks. Mayor Womer Benjamin provided the specifics for the Memorial Day Ceremony. Mayor Womer Benjamin provided a brief recap of those she met with and functions that she attended since the last meeting of Council. Mayor Womer Benjamin said the city is hosting for three weeks an Aurora High School intern, Mr. Scott Carlson. She said Mr. Carlson is an Eagle Scout and will attend Ashland University this fall. Law Director s Report (Attached) Mr. DePiero did not read his report. Council President s Report (Attached) MOTION: To amend the agenda by adding Ordinances thru Ms. McDougald moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. MOTION: To schedule a Public Hearing for Ord for June 12, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Wolf moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. Citizens Comments Legislation Ms. Deb Conti, S. Chillicothe Road, commented on Ord she said she was wondering if it is different than what is on the website. She said she is wondering if the amount has changed. Ord she said she wants to know if there are city employees that fall into that category and have we used the company before. She said she would like to know if the city s insurance covers the contractors while working in the city. Mr. George Mazzaro, Eldridge Road, commented 0n Ord he asked if there is an estimated cost to the city to bring the road up to specifications. Ord he said he is trying to figure out why the city needs another engineer. Ord he said it needs to be approved as soon as possible. He said

3 City of Aurora, Ohio Page 3 05/08/2017 City Council Minutes it is a good company and they have treated the city fairly. Ord he said he has a problem going through the process and he said he does not understand what State Term Schedule means. Ord he asked if there is cost involved. Ord he said no discussion took place at the Committee of the Whole meeting. Ord he said McMaster-Carr is a good company and he said he would not wait three meetings to approve the legislation. Mr. Scott Carlson, Thornhill Lane, commented on Ord he said he attended the for Under 21 program. He said it is a very well run program and it is very impactful. He explained the events of the day. He said it was a very affective program and is well worth the investment. Ms. Barner thanked Mr. Carlson for his feedback. Councilman Remarks Legislation Mr. Vaca commented on Ord he said he does not have a problem with the issue itself, but has a problem with item 14 in the contract and objects to it completely and will vote no. Mr. Wolf commented on Ord he said he objects to item 14 as well but will vote yes because of the safety issue and only because of that. Mr. Kudley commented on Ord he said for as long as he has been on Council, almost 20 years, the road has been an issue. He said the agreement resolves an issue that really needs to be done. He said his father-in-law who served on Council when Aurora Shores went in, always said if you want to control what happens on a piece of land you have to own it. He said this solves that problem and he said he supports the legislation. Legislation Ordinance AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT, SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE FORM ATTACHED HERETO, WITH HAWTHORN OF AURORA AND THE CONSTAN DEVELOPMENT CO. FOR THE DEDICATION FOR PUBLIC USE TO THE CITY OF AURORA, A PORTION OF AURORA LAKE ROAD IN THE CITY OF AURORA, PORTAGE COUNTY OHIO AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY Mr. DePiero stated he appreciates the patience of Council as he worked to finalize the agreement. He said this is one of the first issues as the city s Law Director for 3 ½ years that he has worked on. He thanked the Service Director for his assistance in understanding some of the ins and outs. Mr. DePiero said it is an unusual situation the city has been involved in for many years. He said although the agreement is not perfect it is a good agreement for the city. He said the agreement guaranties certainty the road will stay open and over time improved; it guaranties the city is going to be compensated in some way or form for the road; it ends a potential dispute; and most importantly it protects the public. He said as public officials it is their obligation to make sure that the public is safe. He said there are school buses, police cars and safety vehicles that travel the road on a daily basis and need to have access to many citizens. He said the road needs to be improved and safe for passage. He asked for Council s support. Mr. Vaca said after listening to his colleagues and the Law Director he will vote yes. MOTION: To adopt Ordinance Mr. Kudley moved; Ms. McDougald seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote.

4 City of Aurora, Ohio Page 4 05/08/2017 City Council Minutes Ordinance AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING THE PROPOSAL OF, AND AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH, LANDSONG ENGINEERING, FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR INSPECTION PURPOSES FOR IN-HOUSE AND OUTSIDE PROJECTS, TAKING THE NECESSARY FUNDS FROM THE DEVELOPER'S ESCROW FUND (#80) To third reading Ordinance AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING THE PROPOSAL AND RENEWING THE CURRENT POLICY WITH HCC/U.S. SPECIALTY INSURANCE CO. FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING THE CITY'S PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE FOR THE POLICY PERIOD JUNE 1, 2017 TO MAY 31, 2018 THROUGH EDWARD SUTTON INSURANCE AGENCY, THE PREMIUM FOR WHICH SHALL BE IN THE AMOUNT $128,552.00, TAKING THE NECESSARY FUNDS FROM THE GENERAL FUND (#01), WATER FUND (#70) AND SEWER FUND (#72), AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AS THE CURRENT POLICY EXPIRES MAY 31, 2017 To third reading Ordinance AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING THE QUOTATION OF, AND AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH CDW-GOVERNMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $20,472.00, THROUGH THE STATE TERM SCHEDULE, FOR THE PURCHASE OF A DELL POWEREDGE SERVER WITH MICROSOFT EXCHANGE SERVER LICENSING TAKING THE NECESSARY FUNDS FROM THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND (#60) AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AS THE SERVER WILL BE THE BACKUP FOR THE CURRENT SERVE Mr. Wolf moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. Mr. Kraus explained the Sate Term Schedule is similar to the State Bid pricing. He said the price was checked with Dell but was cheaper with CDW. Mr. George Mazzaro, Eldridge Road said the State Bid is not always the lowest. MOTION: To adopt Ordinance Mr. Wolf moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote. Ordinance AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING THE QUOTATION OF, AND AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH CDW-GOVERNMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $11,807.00, THROUGH THE STATE TERM SCHEDULE, FOR THE PURCHASE OF A BARRACUDA BACKUP SERVER 690 DEVICE TAKING THE NECESSARY FUNDS FROM THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND (#60) AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE CURRENT BACKUP DEVICE Mr. Hatridge moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. Mr. Kraus stated he checked prices for the server as well with Mirifex and CDW was better. Mr. George Mazzaro, Eldridge Road, asked why the administration did not state in the documentation that other companies were asked for quotations.

5 City of Aurora, Ohio Page 5 05/08/2017 City Council Minutes Mr. Kraus explained the need for the Barracuda server and that it is the backup to the PowerEdge server. He said the city s data is backed up every night, the data has gotten so large and the server being purchased is the next model up. Mr. Wolf asked if the first ordinance is for a secondary server to back up the primary server and the second ordinance is for a server to back up both of them offsite. Mr. Kraus said the second server is backing up the data on site but there is also a subscription the city pays for to back up offsite. MOTION: To adopt Ordinance Ms. Grandillo moved; Ms. McDougald seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote. Ordinance AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE TAX BUDGET OF THE CITY OF AURORA FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR 2018, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AS THE BUDGET MUST BE ADOPTED BY JULY 15, 2017 IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH OHIO REVISED CODE To second reading Public Hearing is scheduled for June 12, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. Ordinance AN ORDINANCE GRANTING A TAX ABATEMENT TO MCMASTER-CARR SUPPLY COMPANY FOR A 100%, 15 YEAR ABATEMENT OF REAL PROPERTY TAXES, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE CITY'S COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT AREA KNOWN AS CRA 1 AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY IN ORDER TO FACILITATE CONSTRUCTION AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE Mr. Burge introduced Mr. Josh Truck, Director of Expansion, McMaster-Carr. Mr. Josh Truck, Director of Expansion, McMaster-Carr said they are excited to expand their operations with the distribution center. He said the interior height is about 32 ft. with 30 dock doors to facilitate 40 to 50 trailers a day, and there will be roughly 50 employees of which 20 are additional to the current level. MOTION: To discuss for five minutes Mr. Vaca moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. Mr. Kovach said he would like to suspend tonight. Mr. Horvat said the city is not ready to. Mr. Hatridge asked for the exact location. Mr. Truck said south of the existing facility on the Davis property. Mr. Hatridge asked if it will be a 24 hour operation. Mr. Truck said they typically do not run 24 hours and shut the lights off at 8:00 p.m. Mr. Hatridge asked if the building will be seen from the road. Mr. Truck said the developer will be working with the city on the design, but you might be able to see it more than the existing building.

6 City of Aurora, Ohio Page 6 05/08/2017 City Council Minutes Mr. Vaca asked if there will be a different product or an expansion of the existing material. Mr. Truck said it will be an expansion of existing materials and larger, bulkier, heavy items that may be stored there as well. To second reading Ordinance AN ORDINANCE AMENDING EXHIBIT "A" TO AURORA CODE OF ORDINANCES CHAPTER 161, "EMPLOYEES GENERALLY," TO REFLECT CHANGES IN COMPENSATION FOR THE INDIVIDUALS LISTED ON THE ATTACHED SCHEDULE AND/OR TO PLACE THOSE NEWLY HIRED INDIVIDUALS LISTED ON THE ATTACHED SCHEDULE ON EXHIBIT "A" AT THE COMPENSATION SPECIFIED FOR THEM, APPROVING SUCH COMPENSATION, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY (ALLEN, PART-TIME FIREFIGHTERS/PARAMEDICS) Mr. Vaca moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. MOTION: To adopt Ordinance Mr. Vaca moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote. Ordinance AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PLANNING, ZONING AND BUILDING INTERN POSITION AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY Mr. Hatridge moved; Mr. Wolf seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. Ms. Januska thanked Council for their approval. MOTION: To adopt Ordinance Ms. McDougald moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote. Ordinance AN ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $5, FROM THE TRUST/AGENCY NONE FOR UNDER 21 FUND (#85) TO COVER EXPENSES FOR THE NONE FOR UNDER 21 PROGRAM Ms. Grandillo moved; Mr. Wolf seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. MOTION: To adopt Ordinance Mr. Vaca moved; Ms. Grandillo seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote.

7 City of Aurora, Ohio Page 7 05/08/2017 City Council Minutes Ordinance AN ORDINANCE AMENDING EXHIBIT "A" TO AURORA CODE OF ORDINANCES CHAPTER 161, "EMPLOYEES GENERALLY," TO REFLECT CHANGES IN COMPENSATION FOR THE INDIVIDUALS LISTED ON THE ATTACHED SCHEDULE AND/OR TO PLACE THOSE NEWLY HIRED INDIVIDUALS LISTED ON THE ATTACHED SCHEDULE ON EXHIBIT "A AT THE COMPENSATION SPECIFIED FOR THEM, APPROVING SUCH COMPENSATION, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY (DOMBROSKI) Mr. Kovach moved; Ms. Barner seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. MOTION: To adopt Ordinance Mr. Kovach moved; Mr. Wolf seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote. Citizens Comments Ms. Debbie Rudy-Lak, Chatham Drive, thanked the Mayor for arranging a meeting with the residents. She stated she understands why the Planning Commission has to rely on the professionals but have any of the members ever visited the sites. She commented on the issues she sees with the development at Treat Road. She said she hopes to meet Mr. Czekaj at the next meeting. Mr. Horvat stated the Planning Commission take their job very seriously and do visit the sites. Ms. Deb Conti, S. Chillicothe Road, thanked the Law Director for his comments on Ord She said thanks to McMaster-Carr she now has a new neighbor who works there. She said some of the best people are moving into Aurora. She said she has attended a lot of the Memorial Day Parades and that they are still one of the best things going. She said some of the time she forgets what goes on at the Veteran s Memorial at 9:30. Mr. George Mazzaro, Eldridge Road, said he does not know why Council did not pass Ordinance He said they have been a good company in the area for years. He said he believes Council is the checks and balances of the Administration. He said there are six items Council passed that were in violation of their own rules, regulations and laws. He asked who is using a van purchased over six years ago by a previous mayor. He wished everyone a Happy Mother s Day. Mr. Horvat explained why Council did not pass Ordinance Mr. Clymer said a copy of the proposal was sent to the Board of Education last week and they are to have a period of 14 days to respond and that is why he did not ask for approval this evening. Mr. Horvat stated the city owns two vans; one for the seniors and one to transport the elderly to doctor appointments. Councilman and Committee Remarks Ms. Grandillo said Planning members and engineers go to the sites they are looking to approve. She said she and the members take this very seriously. MOTION: For Mr. Kudley to assume the Council President s responsibilities in the absence of Mr. Horvat at the May 22 meeting Ms. Grandillo moved; Mr. Vaca seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote.

8 City of Aurora, Ohio Page 8 05/08/2017 City Council Minutes Mr. Wolf said he knows for a fact that there members of Planning at the sites. Mr. Kovach said he is all over the city looking at problems. He said the van Mr. Mazzaro is referring was an SUV used by Mayor McGill. Ms. Barner commented on a resident in her Ward parking a boat in her driveway. She said she would like to know the restrictions on that. She asked for an update on the house across the street from the Police Station. She wished everyone a Happy Mother s Day. Ms. Januska said they have called the owners of the house across the street from the Police Department about mowing the lawn. She said she will look into the response. She said there are stipulations on the size of the boats and she will check on them and the information. Ms. Barner said a maintenance code needs to be looked at. Mr. Kudley said Council is constantly challenged by a member of the audience who always states who cares it is a statement of criticism posed as a question. He said to answer the question or comment of criticism, everyone on Council cares, elected officials and paid administrators all care. Mr. Hatridge said he drives around his Ward 2-3 times a week. He said he attends the Planning meetings when there is an item in his Ward being discussed and at times when there is not. He thanked McMaster- Carr for b where they are building. Adjournment MOTION: To adjourn Mr. Vaca moved; Ms. McDougald seconded. The motion carried on a 9-0 roll call vote. The meeting was adjourned at 8:16 p.m. George Horvat, Council President Donna Hawks, Clerk of Council