City Council

200 South Hamilton Road City of Gahanna Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes City Council Jamie Leeseberg, President Nancy R. McGregor, Vice President Karen J. Angelou Merisa Bowers Brian D. Larick Stephen A. Renner Michael Schnetzer April Beggerow, MPA, CMC, Clerk of Council Council may caucus at 6:45 p.m. Monday, June 1, 2020 7:00 PM Virtual Meeting Meeting Call in Details: 1 513-306-4583 Conference ID: 463 446 536# A. CALL TO ORDER - Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call Gahanna City Council met in Regular Session virtually via Microsoft Teams on Monday, June 1, 2020. President of Council, Jamie Leeseberg, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Vice President of Council, Nancy McGregor, delivered an Invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Agenda for this meeting was published on May 29, 2020. Present 7 - Jamie Leeseberg, Stephen A. Renner, Michael Schnetzer, Brian D. Larick, Nancy R. McGregor, Karen J. Angelou, and Merisa Bowers B. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO THE AGENDA. C. CONSENT AGENDA: 1. Minutes - To Approve: 2020-095 Meeting Minutes for Approval A motion was made by Renner, seconded by Schnetzer, that the Minutes be Approved and Filed.. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Leeseberg, Renner, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor, Angelou and Bowers City of Gahanna Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes June 1, 2020 2. Ordinances for Second Reading: ORD-047-2020 ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF GAHANNA, OHIO: Amending Section 529.07 Open Container Prohibited of Chapter 529 Liquor Control This item was adopted on the consent agenda. ORD-048-2020 AN ORDINANCE AUTH O R I Z I N G A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION - Federal Law Enforcement Trust Fund This item was adopted on the consent agenda. Resolutions: RES-008-2020 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SUBMIT A FORMAL GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE 2020 CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING GRANT; AND TO AUTHORIZE THE FINANCE DIRECTOR TO ESTABLISH A SPECIAL FUND FOR THE GRANT, IF AWARDED. This item was adopted on the consent agenda. End of Consent Agenda Pass Consent Agenda A motion was made by Renner, seconded by Schnetzer, to Pass the Consent Agenda.. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Leeseberg, Renner, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor, Angelou and Bowers D. ORDINANCES FOR INTRODUCTION / FIRST READING: Mr. Larick introduced the items in Section D. They stand for first reading. ORD-027-2020 ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA, OHIO: Amending Section 153.01 Creation of Chapter 153 Parks and Recreation Board. This item was introduced. ORD-049-2020 ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF GAHANNA, OHIO: Enacting Section 501.14 Misdemeanor Investigation; Examination of Witness and Evidence of Chapter 501 General Provisions and Penalty This item was introduced. City of Gahanna Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes June 1, 2020 E. CORRESPONDENCE AND ACTIONS: Clerk: None Council: None F. REPRESENTATIVES: Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) - Larick Mr. Larick stated that CIC discussed options available to assist economic development and assistance to businesses in the community. They are looking at several options in hopes of finding a path forward. Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) - Angelou Mrs. Angelou said that this Thursday is the Executive Board meeting and the regular meeting is the following Thursday. There are webinars available also. Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) - Leeseberg Mr. Leeseberg stated that he had no formal report but that the Herb Center was opening back up and to be on the watch for upcoming classes. School Board (SB) - Schnetzer No report. G. OFFICIAL REPORTS: Mayor Mayor Jadwin said that the last four days have been very difficult. She said that there were three ladies that have been in front of City hall and she had a conversation with them and it was enlightening and that we need to work together to move this forward and have a discussion with the black community in Gahanna. She invited everyone to a function at noon on Thursday at Creekside (June 4). It will be a public event and law enforcement will also participate. The Chief of Police has a goal to build good relationships within the community. They want to hear from the community and listen to know how we can do better. City of Gahanna Page 3 City Council Meeting Minutes June 1, 2020 City Attorney Mr. Mularski said that he has been a prosecutor for over 30 years and the City has a great police force and that he's proud to be associated with them. H. COUNCIL COMMENT Mr. Leeseberg asked Chief Spence and Safety Director Winn if they would like to say a few words. Chief Spence said that we have been supporting Columbus with officers in the German Village area directing traffic there 16 officers yesterday, Friday and Saturday. Some vehicles were damaged by rocks. We also served our city at the same time. We have seen great support from our residents and have done a great job treating them with respect. Mr. Winn said that he is proud to be a member of the Gahanna force and is looking forward to building bridges and discussing these topics and address how we're going to respond, not just listen. Ms. Bowers said that the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis is not new to people in 2020, this has been happening in our country from the start. People are documenting it now. What good policing looks like is accountability for officers that aren't good. We're talking about systemic, deep lack of training and not every officer or department are the same. She added that we can support systemic injustice and love one another. She complimented how OHP handled themselves at the protests and thanked the City Attorney and Mayor for discussing ways to address this issue. Also, constituent report is attached. Mrs. Angelou said it was hard to come up with the right words for what she has been hearing and seeing. She related a story from when she was in Cleveland, where she was from, back when there were riots in East Cleveland and she didn't understand it then and doesn't understand it now. How people set million dollar fire engines on fire, how it gets anything done. She said we're very lucky that we have a police department that is out to help the people. Mr. Larick said that we talk about unprecedented times, for our lives, we haven't lived through these times. Memorial day was silent, then to a weekend of unrest and fear that we haven't experienced. He said he is trying to recognize and understand. It's not a life he says he can directly understand but he said that we can listen and do the best that we can to ensure we have a strong community all around. City of Gahanna Page 4 City Council Meeting Minutes June 1, 2020 Mr. Renner said that he has struggled too and has reached out to many African American leaders, Rev. Joel King and many others. He added that he grew up in southern Mississippi and grew up around racism but had a family that taught what white privilege was, so he knows what it means. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis was a catalyst for a lot. There is not an excuse for it, but it is a reality we're dealing with. He said that he's so proud of his community. But we've walked away with objectives and the city has been changing. He's witnessed those changes and he thanked the Mayor for her leadership and time for listening. We also have an economic situation in the City. He pointed out that Business First from May 29 had a topic on this. The small businesses had dreams and now they're being lost because of the situation. Mr. Schnetzer related that he went out with a buddy to go fishing by Greenlawn dam, until they heard about the curfew. The next day his buddy sent a shot of scanner traffic where someone got shot in the area they were. What was striking was the other big incidents that didn't get addressed right away. The biggest of those where a female called 911 about a sexual assault in progress and officers had to prioritize these calls because they were spread so thin. The key takeaways are that these are the things that go unreported when cameras are trained on riots. Secondly, when the police are preoccupied it is often women that are the victims. At the end of the day we're all individuals accountable to our own actions. One program that deserves to be highlighted is the School Resource Officers program. They interact with over 1000 of the community's youth. With that interaction comes with a bond that is formed daily. Because they know the students so well, they can recognize a potential issue and address it in a caring and professional manner. Mrs. McGregor said she was thinking of Gahanna and how we addressed these issues. They had some issues back in the 1990s and had a meeting at their house to hear about these issues that led to a charter change that allowed the selection of the police chief from outside our jurisdiction. But those conversations back then, we've been moving along and it's not time to take another look. She hopes that we move forward in a positive way. Mr. Leeseberg said that a friend that is a Pickaway County Sheriff deputy visited and is a current SRO and that as Mr. Schnetzer said they do a great program, it's a proven value. He said he appreciates the updates from the Mayor and Chief and happy that everyone came back from the events in Columbus unscathed. He added that he can't say enough good City of Gahanna Page 5 City Council Meeting Minutes June 1, 2020 things about our Police Department. 2020-096 May, 2020 Constituent Report - Councilwoman Bowers I. ADJOURNMENT Meeting Adjourned at 7:55 p.m. April Beggerow, MPA, CMC Clerk of Council APPROVED by the City Council, this day of 2020. Jamie Leeseberg City of Gahanna Page 6