City Council

200 South Hamilton Road City of Gahanna Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes City Council Jamie Leeseberg, Chair Nancy R. McGregor, Vice Chair Karen J. Angelou Merisa Bowers Brian D. Larick Stephen A. Renner Michael Schnetzer April Beggerow, CMC, Clerk of Council Council may caucus at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, January 2, 2020 7:00 PM City Hall, Council Chambers * Reception Beginning at 6:00 p.m.* Organizational Meeting/Regular Meeting A. INTRODUCTION AND ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF OFFICE Present 7 - Jamie Leeseberg, Stephen A. Renner, Michael Schnetzer, Brian D. Larick, Nancy R. McGregor, Karen J. Angelou, and Merisa Bowers Laurie Jadwin, Mayor: Oath administered by Jay Jadwin, Attorney at Law Jay Jadwin administered the Oath of Office to Mayor Laurie Jadwin. Raymond Mularski, City Attorney: Oath administered by Judge Lisa Sadler, 10th District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Sadler administered the Oath of Office to City Attorney Raymond J. Mularski Karen J. Angelou, Council At-Large: Oath administered by Lt. Governor of Ohio Jon Husted Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted administered the Oath of Office to Councilmember Karen Angelou Merisa Bowers, Council At-Large: Oath administered by Ohio State Representative Mary Lightbody Representative Mary Lightbody administered the Oath of Office to Councilmember Merisa Bowers. City of Gahanna Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 Nancy McGregor, Council At-Large: Oath administered by Laurie Jadwin, Mayor Mayor Laurie Jadwin administered the Oath of Office to Councilmember Nancy McGregor B. CALL TO ORDER by Mayor Jadwin - Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call C. ELECTION OF PRESIDENT MT-005-2020 MOTION TO NOMINATE JAMIE LEESEBERG FOR COUNCIL PRESIDENT A motion was made by Larick, seconded by Schnetzer, that the be Approved.. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Leeseberg, Renner, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor and Angelou No: 1- Bowers D. ELECTION OF VICE PRESIDENT MT-006-2020 MOTION TO NOMINATE NANCY McGREGOR FOR VICE PRESIDENT A motion was made by Larick, seconded by Angelou, that the be Approved.. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Leeseberg, Renner, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor, Angelou and Bowers E. ASSIGNMENTS FROM THE PRESIDENT * Finance Committee Chair - SCHNETZER * Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) Representative - LARICK * Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) Representative - ANGELOU * Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Representative - LEESEBERG * School Board Representative (SB) - SCHNETZER City of Gahanna Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 F. BOARD, COMMISSION AND COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS MT-0002-2020 MOTION TO APPOINT BOARD, COMMISSION AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS FILLING TERMS THAT EXPIRED DECEMBER 31, 2019. Mr. Renner asked that this be amended to include all of those members that are currently appointed until a process that is clear and transparent is established on how to deal with all of the board appointments. Ms. Bowers said she thinks that specifically in regards to the appointment to the Parks and Rec Board, there has been a request from an existing board member to retain his position and it is her understanding that he has served well, honorably and has been a devoted public servant in that role and she understands that Mr. Piccolantonio wishes to retain his role on the Parks and Rec Board. She requests that he be retained on that board. Mr. Renner moved to change the current ordinance to retain Mr. Piccolantonio as a member of the Parks and Rec Board. Mr. Schnetzer asked those that made the motion and the second what the justification behind this. This was a unanimous decision is how it got on this agenda as is, so I'm wondering what circumstances have changed that would persuade other members of Council to alter this particular piece of legislation. Ms. Bowers asked Mr. Schnetzer to clarify what he means by unanimous decision. Mr. Schnetzer replied that this item was agreed to by Council and its how it landed here in its current form. It occurred prior to Ms. Bower's swearing in so she wasn't party to those discussions, the rest of Council was, but he is curious what is behind the request. We have a routine matter of business as part of our standard organizational meeting every 2 years with appointments and it seems at the 11th hour there is a request to change that. He asked what is the justification for the ask. Ms. Bowers asked Mr. Schnetzer to clarify when the decision was made, you said there was a discussion and a decision, when did that happen. Mr. Schnetzer replied to Ms. Bowers, that it happened prior to her term and he would leave it at that. Mr. Renner said that he could add some clarification, there was a discussion, he didn't recall any kind of agreement or official agreement City of Gahanna Page 3 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 what-so-ever. It was clear there was some type of a majority that there was picking out one member out of all of the boards and commissions that we have, I guess I would ask, what is the intention and desire to make this one change when we're not making changes on any other boards or commissions at all. Mr. Schnetzer replied that we have an existing appointee for another board assignment that had months ago expressed interest in becoming more involved. That request was made to me specifically. Doing my duties as a Councilman, I put that request in front of Council for consideration and that request was honored by at six of us up here. Again here we are at the eleventh hour with a request to make a change and I'm just wondering what circumstances have occurred or how have the circumstances changed to justify essentially rescinding that appointment which, for the record has already been made, I should say, it's already been accepted by the appointee. Again, I'm just asking for further substantiation of the request. Mr. Renner asked you keep pointing out that there was a decision made by six of us, I assume that you're pointing out the fact that Ms. Bowers was not part of our discussion because she was not an elected member of Council, however, it would probably be more correct to say that there was probably five, but I don't want to speak for everybody else up here. I was part of a meeting where there was discussion about this, but again, there was no decision being made. What I'd like to understand is that we do have other, and I appreciate a resident being actively engaged and wanting to be a member of one of our boards and commissions and be a productive member of the City of Gahanna, but why the Parks & Rec. Why not the Records Commission when there is a probably seat there, why not any other. Mr. Schnetzer replied that that was the particular assignment that was requested by the individual. The order of operations was the resident reached out, asked to be more involved, they were directed to Gahanna.gov/boards-commissions, they came back and said that Parks board was their first choice, that information was communicated to Council, Council considered it and ultimately we have the item on the agenda in front of us that is now asking to be changed. There was no disagreement or angst at the time or else it seems suspect that it would have landed on our agenda in its current form. Mr. Renner said he was always open and has a long record of actually accepting everything to be on our public agenda and be publically discussed. But why the Parks and Rec, why not some of the others. Or why not go back to the email he sent asking colleagues about creating a City of Gahanna Page 4 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 process, about how we want to select and fill the various boards and commissions. Why can't we use 2020 to focus on creating a transparent process for that and just leave the members who all which have committed and said they would like to continue to service? Mr. Schnetzer replied that in the absence of a formal or adopted process, this is essentially how we've operated in the past. Other appointees and commission members have been dropped for the lack of a better word, as council has decided that a certain skill set were sought out, I can think of Mr. Keener on Planning Commission as a more recent one that most of us participated in. This is the process that has existed for years if not decades in the City of Gahanna. I'll just point out that I personally was not in a leadership position last year and if we were going to outline a formalized process for appointments, I would say that responsibility lies with Council leadership. In the absence of that, this is the path we've taken year in and year out. Mr. Leeseberg said that there were emails in October and November asking about committee appointments which weren't made until the very last meeting of the year. It is unfortunate that that was the process that we had last year. I have made promises that we will come up with a better process with deadlines moving forward. Mrs. Angelolu said that she thinks part of the problem was a lack of communication and leadership usually checks with those that are up for staying or leaving are actually called or emailed- typically called, and I think there is a lack of that that happened that probably has called this misunderstanding. So we do need a better process. As Mr. Schnetzer stated, Mr. Keener left Planning Commission and its just part of the process that we've had. Ms. Bowers said that her understanding that the process has been to appoint someone only when the board member either to perform their duties or chooses to not seek reappointment and in Mr. Keener's case, he chose not to seek reappointment. Mr. Leeseberg replied that was not true at all. Ms. Bowers said thank you for clarifying. Mrs. McGregor said she wanted to be clear that they we were not picking out a person. This person wanted to be on a more active board. We have 2 very active boards, Planning Commission and Parks Board and he requested Parks Board. The person we have on Planning Commission we just appointed this past year. So he filled an unexpired City of Gahanna Page 5 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 term, so he'll be reappointed. So this person, the current person on Parks has served 7 years, I'm a big believer of getting lots of people involved, if somebody else steps up, it's no reflection on what he's done or not done, it's just that I think that this guy is from Ward 1, we sometimes don't have people from Ward 1 apply to positions and I think this is a great way to get someone from the west side involved and I was encouraged that he wanted to be active on this board. I do think there was a failure that Mr. Piccolantonio wasn't notified ahead of time and he had to find out through an agenda because the Council President should have notified him that he was not being reappointed, or the Vice President last year. Mr. Schnetzer added that one issue at fault here was that the current seat holder was not properly notified, but the motion on the floor is essentially rescind an appointment, and I'll remind everyone, that Mr. Wright has already been notified, accepted and is ready to begin that appointment. I feel that it is not appropriate to essentially withdraw that nomination from him at no fault of his. It does seem there was a breakdown of communication but we've got an innocent bystander here that is not becoming a political football and I don't feel it's appropriate to make a substitution at the eleventh hour here. Ms. Bowers said she would like to thank Mr. Wright for his interest in serving in a public role. This isn't about Mr. Wright and his capacity to serve. Mr. Renner said thank you Merisa, well said. He asked if Mr. Wright was contacted by the President for this. Mr. Schnetzer said he believed Krystal reached out to him? Mrs. Beggerow replied I don't know. Mr. Schnetzer said she was instructed to reach out to him and I'm aware that he's accepted the position. I have first-hand knowledge he has accepted the position, he's excited about it and he's aware that the appointment is forthcoming. Mr. Renner said another thing, as was brought up by Mrs. McGregor, it's never fallen on to the Vice President of Council, and it’s always been the duties of the President, so remember that. Mr. Leeseberg asked for further comment. Mr. Schnetzer said that this was an unfortunate set of circumstances that City of Gahanna Page 6 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 he didn't know could be rectified by pulling the rug out from under the current appointee as is. He apologized to Mr. Piccolantonio for the circumstances but he thinks the most appropriate path is to stick with the original decision that was made. Ms. Bowers stated that she would like to object to calling him an appointee when no vote has been taken as to this motion. Mr. Leeseberg replied dually noted. Mr. Larick thanked Mr. Piccolantonio and Mr. Wright for their service and interest in the position. Mr. Leeseberg asked for a second to Mr. Renner's motion to amend. Second by Ms. Bowers Roll call as follows: Renner, Yes; Bowers, Yes; McGregor, No; Schnetzer, No; Angelou, Yes; Larick, No; Leeseberg, No. Motion to amend failed. A motion was made by Schnetzer, seconded by Larick, that the Motion be Approved.. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Leeseberg, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor, Angelou and Bowers No: 1- Renner MT-0003-2020 MOTION TO CONFIRM THE MAYORAL APPOINTMENTS TO THE COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT CORPORATION FOR A THREE YEAR TERM EXPIRING DECEMBER 31, 2022. A motion was made by Schnetzer, seconded by Larick, that the Motion be Approved.. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Leeseberg, Renner, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor, Angelou and Bowers G. ESTABLISH TIME AND DAY OF REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS MT-007-2020 MOTION TO ESTABLISH TIME AND DAY OF REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS: * Regular City Council Meetings to be held at 7:00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Monday each month, unless Monday falls on a holiday, then on the following Tuesday. * Council Committee Meetings to be held at 7:00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Monday each month, unless Monday falls on a holiday, then on the City of Gahanna Page 7 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 following Tuesday. A motion was made by Larick, seconded by Schnetzer, that the be Approved.. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Leeseberg, Renner, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor, Angelou and Bowers City of Gahanna Page 8 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 A. REGULAR MEETING: CALL TO ORDER - Roll Call Gahanna City Council met in Regular Session on Thursday, January 2, 2020, in Council Chambers of City Hall, 200 South Hamilton Road, Gahanna, Ohio. President of Council, Jamie Leeseberg, called the meeting to order at 7:50 p.m. Agenda for this meeting was published on December 27, 2019. B. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO THE AGENDA. C. HEARING OF VISITORS. Brian Metzbower, 734 Park Ct, Gahanna: Mr. Metzbower said he sincerely apologized to Mr. Piccolantonio that he failed to communicate and apologize for that error. He said he forgot to thank two incredibly important people: Krystal Gonchar and April Beggerow for all that they do to make these meetings run smoothly. They take care of so many of the details as this is a part time job and they are the full time staff that deal with the constituents and they do so much. Thank you. Andy Piccolantonio, 963 Riva Ridge Blvd, Gahanna: My name is Andy Piccoiantonio. My wife Beryl and I have lived in Gahanna for nearly 20 years. We first became involved with the parks and recreation programs during the summer before our oldest son began kindergarten. Vincent, now a sophomore at Lincoln, went to Camp Friendship full time that summer which is when we really felt in love with Gahanna. All three of our boys went to Camp Friendship and made lifelong friends - they were even in the wedding of two camp directors who met at camp Friendship. Since living in Gahanna, Beryl and I have worked hard and Spent countless hours on every city or citizen led initiative to get adequate funding for our parks and rec programs. We volunteer for events and support the Parks and Recreation Foundation- we believe the parks and recreation programs are critical for our community. In fact, because of the positive interaction we’ve had over the years with the wonderful parks and rec programs and staff, when Vincent was thinking about a first job, we encouraged him to become a lifeguard-which he began last summer and plans to continue. He's also worked actively year-round for the city’s special events. I began serving on the Parks board when l was appointed by Council in summer of 2013, was re-appointed in 2016 and have only missed two meetings during my tenure. In 2020, l was expected to serve for my second time as Chairman. For all of these reasons, it never crossed my mind that I would not be City of Gahanna Page 9 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 re-appointed. On Monday, Beryl called me to say she just looked at the agenda for tonight's meeting and saw that Council was recommending I be replaced on the Parks board. I was never contacted by anyone in any way regarding your decision. ln fact, the only conversation I had regarding my reappointment was when a parks and rec staff member, Pam Ripley reminded me in November would be sworn in at the organizational meeting in January. I began reaching out to try to understand what was going on. My parks board colleagues and Director Barr were unaware. I spoke with Councilman Renner, Leesburg, Councilwoman McGregor and Angelou. I was told by Councilwoman Angelou the decision had already been made in executive session and so it could not be undone. Which leads me to why I am here tonight. I am speaking tonight to make clear I wish to continue to represent the community we love by serving on the Gahanna parks and recreation board. Beryl and l are deeply hurt and disappointed by your decision and how you chose to handle it. This experience runs counter to all of the reasons we decided to call Gahanna home. You all have both of our contact information if you wish to reach us. Thank you. E. CONSENT AGENDA: Minutes - To Approve: 2019-0185 Meeting Minutes for Approval A motion was made by Larick, seconded by Renner, that the Minutes be Approved and Filed.. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Leeseberg, Renner, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor, Angelou and Bowers Ordinances on Second Reading: ORD-0126-2019 ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A WORKING AGREEMENT WITH FRANKLIN SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT (FSWCD) FOR NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) STORMWATER COMPLIANCE. ORD-0127-2019 ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A WORKING AGREEMENT WITH FRANKLIN SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT (FSWCD) FOR NATIONAL POLLUTANT City of Gahanna Page 10 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) ILLICIT DISCHARGE DETECTION AND ELIMINATION (IDDE) COMPLIANCE. End of the Consent Agenda Pass Consent Agenda A motion was made by Larick, seconded by Renner, that the be Pass the Consent Agenda.. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Leeseberg, Renner, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor, Angelou and Bowers F. CORRESPONDENCE AND ACTIONS: Clerk: None Council: None G. REPRESENTATIVES: Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) Mr. Larick: Looking at the CIC to streamline and make it an even better organization. Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) Mrs. Angelou: No meetings this month. Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Mayor Jadwin said that there has been a new director hired for the CVB and a formal announcement will be forthcoming within the next week. School Board (SB) None H. OFFICIAL REPORTS: Mayor Mayor Jadwin thanked the voters for their vote of confidence and she City of Gahanna Page 11 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 said she will devote every day to do her very best. She added that for the first time in many years we actually have funds to invest in our roads, parks, and safety forces but that doesn't mean it is an open checkbook. She said 2020 will be a transition year. There are key staffing positions that are open and that will be the focus of the administration. Steps have already been made to fill the Development Director position. There has been some streamlining of departments, for example, we will be separating the Department of Development and Planning, creating 2 separate departments in an effort to create a defined process for development. With staffing, training will be a major part of that. The HR department has plans to conduct monthly training sessions with staff and will be kicking that off at the end of January with Ethics and Sunshine Law training. Communications are going to be a key focus and streaming is a first step. Streamlining the website to make the information more accessible and easy to find, looking at commonly asked questions. Lastly, she wants to focus on building relationships with our neighbors like Jefferson Township. She looks forward to working with everyone. City Attorney The City Attorney issued a report on the current status of pending legal cases. Report is attached. 2020-011 LEGAL CASES UPDATE: Report to Council I. COUNCIL COMMENT Mr. Renner congratulated Mayor Jadwin, City Attorney Mularski, newly elected Councilmember Bowers, and Council re-elected Angelou and McGregor. He said local official is probably one of the toughest jobs because not all decisions are going to be in line with neighbors. He hopes that the community continues to participate. He said he was excited that the meeting was Facebook live and hopes that it continues. Mrs. Angelou said that we are human and that’s why mistakes happen and thanked all the humans for being here tonight. She said it was awesome the number of people that were in attendance. She congratulated Mayor Jadwin, City Attorney Mularski, Councilmembers Bowers and McGregor. She said that this was her last term in office and she wants it to be special for the people of Gahanna. She doesn't think there is a better city than the City of Gahanna. Ms. Bowers: Thank you to everyone who attended tonight, and to those watching on Facebook and especially to my husband, son, and mom and dad. I am deeply honored to be able to serve our community. I wanted to offer this introduction tonight and perspective as I join Gahanna City City of Gahanna Page 12 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 Council. I come ready to address the hardest questions we face together with nuance: To encourage job growth while supporting both small business and protecting the environment, to protect those who are vulnerable within our community, and to keep our community safe while respecting our Constitutional Rights. As an attorney, I will advocate for how we want our city to grow while protecting our most valuable assets - our children and our environment. I plan to help set policies that protect our environment, and insist on development that will weather economic ups and downs. I come to serve the public with legal training to question, translate, and collaborate with fellow electeds to ensure all angles are considered. I seek to serve as an asset first and foremost to our constituents, the Administration, and my fellow councilmembers. To this body, I bring skills, passion, and perspective to complement - NOT undermine or threaten the skills, perspectives, and experience already existing within and among my colleagues. I applaud Mayor Jadwin’s commitments to improving and building relationships and collaboration and I’m very grateful to hear about the planned ethics and sunshine law training, we are on the same page with that, so thank you Mayor Jadwin. I am looking forward to working with our new City Attorney, as I’ve had the opportunity to work with Mr. Mularski as colleagues at the courthouse. It’s great to hear a legal case update tonight and to hear such a great summary of the legal litigation that is pending so thank you. Congratulations to the incumbent City Councilwomen that retained their seats, Councilwoman Angelou and Councilwoman McGregor, I’m looking forward to serving with you and learning from the experiences that you bring to this body. MOST importantly, this is not about policies or politics. Rather, it’s Service to you - my constituents, my neighbors, my family, and my friends. We see this service modeled by the esteemed elected officials who joined us tonight: in Lt. Gov. Husted’s InnovateOhio office initiative to expand broadband to rural Ohio, in State Rep Mary Lightbody’s collaboration Ohio Promise initiatives to protect and invest in public education, and Appellate Judge Sadler’s career commitment to public service with the lens of social work. Those of us committed to service recognize that we are at a critical time where our engagement is more important than ever. And… you already City of Gahanna Page 13 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 know that! It is your engagement that elected me, and it is your awareness of this urgent need for a government that is for the people and by the people at every level, including those who serve and wish to serve the public in unelected ways on commissions and boards. To that end, I hope to contribute to a shift in City Hall. I will hold weekly constituent hours on Monday afternoons, monthly community events, and quarterly roundtable conversations. I am open to your ideas, and I stand ready to address your concerns. Finally, I want to leave you with some thoughts for 2020… In activist circles, we call it “speaking truth to power” … in comedy, it’s called “punching up.” This means using critical and direct language to critique and challenge power structures, rather than to harm people disempowered relative to yourself. In 2020, I encourage you to think about “punching up.” What can we do to form a more perfect union, a more perfect community, a more perfect Gahanna, by insisting on better practices, higher standards, and greater accountability from those in power. Mr. Larick thanked everyone for the debate and discussion, it is imperative in any democratic society that there is public discussion and evaluation of the things that are at hand whether they are small or incredibly vocal to an entity. A governmental body that does not encourage or provide or have debate is one that should be monitored because somewhere that discussion or debate is occurring. He said I'm proud of the City and proud of the people that participate in the City and congratulate those that just won, it's going to be another long year, and there is a mountain of work to do. With the passage of issue 12 there is an important long term perspective that we need to consider and make sure that we do the best that we can as human beings to leverage and use those funds effectively and appropriately for the community. Mr. Schnetzer thanked everyone that came out and viewing on Facebook. He thanked Mayor Jadwin and said it is an exciting time and that he is pleased to hear the projected path that she has outlined. He congratulated Mr. Mularski and Councilwomen Angelou, Bowers and McGregor. He said he was looking forward to working with Council President Leeseberg and VP McGregor and everyone on Council for a successful new year. Mrs. McGregor thanked everyone for coming tonight and thanked the voters for electing her. She said Council had a lot of hard decisions to make last year and she appreciated the support of the voters. She said appreciated her grandchildren and children coming and wished everyone City of Gahanna Page 14 City Council Meeting Minutes January 2, 2020 a Happy New Year. Mr. Leeseberg said that he echoes the sentiment of his colleagues and congratulated Mayor Jadwin, City Attorney Mularski, and Councilwomen Angelou, Bowers and McGregor and thanked everyone that stayed. He said there is a bright future with the passage of Issue 12 and he looks forward to what Gahanna is going to do. Thank you for your vote in confidence in electing him President. J. ADJOURNMENT April Beggerow Clerk of Council APPROVED by the City Council, this day of 2020. Jamie Leeseberg City of Gahanna Page 15