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, October 19, 2020 7:00 PM Virtual Meeting Meeting call-in details: 513-306-4583 Conference ID: 528 010 580# Hearing of visitors - email your request not less than 1 hour before the meeting starts to: april.beggerow@gahanna.gov A. CALL TO ORDER - Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call Gahanna City Council met for a virtual regular session on Monday, October 2020. President of Council, Jamie Leeseberg, called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. Vice President of Council, Nancy McGregor, delivered an Invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Agenda for this meeting was published on October 16, 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: None. C. HEARING OF VISITORS: None. D. CONSENT AGENDA: 1. Minutes - To Approve: 2020-168 Meeting Minutes for Approval City of Gahanna Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes October 19, 2020 These Meeting Minutes were Approved on the Consent Agenda. 2. Resolutions a. RES-023-2020 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATIONS AMONG VARIOUS ACCOUNTS. This Resolution was Adopted on the Consent Agenda. 3. Ordinances for Second Reading & Adoption: a. ORD-079-2020 ORDINANCE TO ACCEPT AN APPLICATION FOR ANNEXATION OF 0.8 +/- ACRES FROM JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP, COUNTY OF FRANKLIN, STATE OF OHIO, TO THE CITY OF GAHANNA, OHIO (Greg A. & Paula Stonerock PID#170-000215-00). This Ordinance was Adopted on the Consent Agenda. b. ORD-080-2020 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH EMH&T FOR ENGINEERING & DESIGN OF IMPROVEMENTS TO THE INTERSECTION OF TAYLOR STATION AND CLAYCRAFT ROADS. This Ordinance was Adopted on the Consent Agenda. c. ORD-083-2020 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORD 0121-2019 TITLED: ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING THE BENEFITS FOR PERSONNEL OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA, EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2020. This Ordinance was Adopted on the Consent Agenda. End of Consent Agenda Pass the Consent Agenda A motion was made by Renner, seconded by Bowers, to Pass the Consent Agenda. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Leeseberg, Renner, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor, Angelou and Bowers E. ORDINANCES FOR INTRODUCTION / FIRST READING: Schnetzer introduced the items under Section E (stands as First Reading). a. ORD-085-2020 ORDINANCE TO GRANT A VARIANCE APPLICATION TO VARY SECTION 1109.08 - PUBLIC AREAS, OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA, FOR PROPERTY City of Gahanna Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes October 19, 2020 LOCATED OFF HAMILTON ROAD; PARCEL ID NO. 025-013767, CURRENT ZONING SELECT COMMERCIAL PLANNED DISTRICT; PROPOSED ZONING LIMITED MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT; CRESCENT AT CENTRAL PARK; LARRY CANINI, APPLICANT. This item was introduced (stands as First Reading). b. ORD-086-2020 ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA ADOPTED BY ORDINANCE 198-96 ON NOVEMBER 19, 1996 AND AS SUBSEQUENTLY AMENDED: Changing the Zoning District of a 17.90 +/- acre parcel located off of Hamilton Road PID# 025-013767 from Select Commercial Planned District; to Limited Multi-Family Residential Development; Larry Canini, applicant. This item was introduced (stands as First Reading). a. ORD-087-2020 AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING APPROVING AND RATIFYING THE SUBMITTED RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA TAX INCENTIVE REVIEW COUNCIL This item was introduced (stands as First Reading). F. ORDINANCES FOR INTRODUCTION, WAIVER & EMERGENCY ADOPTION: a. ORD-088-2020 ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF GAHANNA, OHIO: Enacting Chapter 132 DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING; WAIVING SECOND READING AND DECLARING IT AN EMERGENCY. A motion was made by Schnetzer, seconded by Renner, that the Ordinance be Introduced, Second Reading Waived, and Adopted as an Emergency. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Leeseberg, Renner, Schnetzer, Larick, McGregor, Angelou and Bowers G. CORRESPONDENCE AND ACTIONS: Clerk- None. Council- None. H. REPRESENTATIVES: Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) - Larick Larick stated that the CIC will meet via Zoom on October 20, 2020 at 7:30 a.m. He also stated that he was able to meet the newly appointed City of Gahanna Page 3 City Council Meeting Minutes October 19, 2020 Director of Economic Development, Donna, and is excited to have her here. Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) - Angelou 2020-172 MORPC Board Report October, 2020 Angelou stated that she sent a copy of William Murdock's letter; reviewed some items from the letter; Summit on Sustainability was on Thursday and Friday of this past week; Friday's presentation was exceptional; there was a discussion on climate change; the theme was "Resilient, Adaptable, Bold"; was a joint feature with the Atlanta Regional Commission; presented Central Ohio's Collaborative Achievement Award, which went to the Regional Sustainability Dashboard, which is available on the MORPC website; broadband access project is going along well; we will hear about the Regional Housing Strategy later this evening, which came out on September 2; COVID19 resource hub is also available online; there were 30 communities contributing to the salary study; ROI was about $27,000, for dues; ROI was $29 on each $1; Transportation Policy Committee produced a telecommute guide; see attached report for further details. Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) - Leeseberg 2020-169 Convention & Visitor's Bureau Report for October 19, 2020 Leeseberg highlighted the points included in the attached file. School Board (SB) - Schnetzer No report. I. OFFICIAL REPORTS: Mayor 2020-170 Mayor's Report for October 19, 2020 Jadwin read from her report, attached in the file 2020-170, but also discussed the following: Has been a busy few weeks; early last week, Gahanna Police Department arrested a suspect, without incident, who was involved in the shooting that took place in West Johnstown Rd. area on Friday, October 9; Chief Crispen from Whitehall Police Department played an important City of Gahanna Page 4 City Council Meeting Minutes October 19, 2020 role and aided in a safe arrest; thanked Chief Spence and officers involved and for keeping the community safe. Last week the SRO contract with the schools was passed, and those SROs will return to the schools over the next two weeks. Officer Hixon will retire in early November; Officer Buchman will be filling that assignment with the schools; ready and prepared to fill that role. Officer Parrish will also be serving as the SRO Supervisor. CORA launches later this week; Creekside businesses are excited; hoping for good weather. Design Code review is underway and ready to move into the community engagement portion; survey will go live; will be announced on website and social media; important opportunity to decide what Gahanna will look like in the future; asked Council to complete and to encourage residents to complete. 2020 continues to be a tough year; when presented with difficult times, the easy solution and response is to take sides and divide; which usually only serves to create lasting divides and cause further damage to communities; has been a difficult last few weeks; much like a family, we may struggle and argue for a while, but Gahanna, unlike many places, at the end of the day, we default to coming together and moving on; we are a strong and resilient community; believes we will bounce back stronger, better, and more united than ever. Is very glad that the two sides, school board and union, came together to agree on a contract that benefits students, and families; remains ready to help all partners; school district remains a strong partner in so many ways; thanked the school board, Gahanna-Jefferson Education Association and all their membership, and superintendent for reaching a resolution during an emotionally charged time. City Attorney Mularski stated that he is also glad to hear that the union and school board came to an agreement during negotiations; was in a relatively quick time period; glad everyone realized this was for the children; congratulated both sides. J. PRESENTATIONS 2020-171 MORPC PRESENTATION: Regional Housing Strategy Speakers: Dr. Kerstin Carr & Jennifer Noll Kerstin Carr and Jennifer Knoll, presented the attached slide show; a City of Gahanna Page 5 City Council Meeting Minutes October 19, 2020 summary on the MORPC Regional Housing Strategy. Afterwards, they called for questions. Bowers asked about the Bexley ordinance for the anti-discrimination on income; what is the enforcement mechanism. Carr and Knoll stated that they were unsure, but would follow-up. Carr stated that if nothing else, it made a statement that Bexley is a diverse community. Knoll said a carrot approach could be used; if there could be a policy, to encourage good behavior; would like to talk more about that with other cities. Bowers asked if there's a housing non-discrimination policy for other characteristics in Bexley. Knoll said she does not think they do, will follow up. Syx asked about "good faith" and how that works with financing for homes; asked if there's another entity guaranteeing funds; to cover risk. Knoll asked if she is referring to the development side. Syx confirmed. Knoll said we need to ensure a back stock is in place to ensure that government is not burdened; would want to take a closer look, but does not see anything specific that would be a gap-stop measure. Carr said now is the time to make these strategies successful and strong as they are being implemented; Knoll touched on housing agendas; needs may be identified, but we may not have the solution right away, but important to keep the conversation open. Bowers asked the best way to engage; is newer to council and looking to understand what that collaboration looks like; does it vary from city to city; how do they envision this happening with MORPC. Knoll said for this process, it does vary from city to city; our preference is to engage with anyone who wants to come to the table; we talked about some specific tools that council members could use, such as a development road show; some of our communities have great examples of good development; it helps dispel myths and concerns about density and construction aesthetics. Jadwin thanked them both for sharing their time this evening; discussed with them earlier about doing a development road show; is on the agenda, although not easy now due to COVID19, but talked about having council and planning commission join to see what other communities are doing to give us ideas for the future. Carr said she is happy to put that together; the local housing action agenda is up to the city, on how engaged they want to make this process; encourages an internal discussion; they will come in after to assist. Renner thanked Carr and Knoll; has been watching during the day, from County position, has been aware of this project; regarding a road show, City of Gahanna Page 6 City Council Meeting Minutes October 19, 2020 developers come to the city and ask for incentives to develop; when we do this road show, would like to see other examples of performance base that actually meets these objectives; what tax incentives are provided, are there lowered housing standards; would like to see how they are being implemented. Carr stated that one of the biggest concerns for developers is the streamlining of the development process; they feel strongly about opportunities within governments to streamline to reduce variance processes because when it is prolonged, it costs developers and the city money; Reynoldsburg is a city that has started that; ensure that there is an updated comprehensive land use plan and zoning code. Angelou thanked Carr and Knoll; this is why she loves attending MORPC; this is helpful in finding a strategy to make this community better, what it needs to be. Carr thanked Angelou for being the excellent Chair that she is. K. COUNCIL COMMENT Angelou: longtime career teacher, was a union negotiator; husband also led union negotiations as a chief negotiator; once led negotiations through a 5 day strike; they are a sensitive process; is important for everyone to let the process play out; people think we have control over this, but it is a different agency; if you have not been a teacher, it's a wonderful way to make a living; sometimes you sacrifice things in order to do something you were made to do; teachers should be applauded; we should be sensitive to this process if it ever comes to this again; we can now move on; congratulated Ernest Choung; he is deserving of any award he gets; we are fortunate to have the best police force in the area. Bowers: working on a few things, will have details at the next meeting; thanked community for their patience and resiliency over the last few days; thanked the GJEA for reaching a contract. Renner: regarding the community, cannot emphasize enough the healing component; one of our residents, Cathy Hope-Cunningham has been doing live facetime; she took initiative to do more volunteering in the community; asks all residents to chip in and find a cause to rebuild community. Had a fun event on Saturday; had a West Side community pride event; had 12 families participate; picked up garbage; thanked Mayor and her husband for participating. Afterwards, had a community safety meeting; thanked Chief Spence for insight into stats on public safety, but also discussed broken windows theory; emphasized how City of Gahanna Page 7 City Council Meeting Minutes October 19, 2020 wonderful it was to work with colleague Bowers, and Jason Ruark for coordinating. Larick: nothing to add, but asked if Officer Hixon is retiring. Leeseberg confirmed. Larick said he is an excellent man. Chief Spence said he is leaving with 25 years of service, served in the military previously. Schnetzer: good to see Walnut and Shepherd streets being completed; pleased to learn that CARES Act funds are being used as intended; sobering to see the need quantified; next week will have 2021 budget kick off; excited and look forward to discussion in the weeks ahead. Leeseberg: echoed comments about Chief and his staff on awards they are receiving; we have one of the best trained police forces and great men and women who serve; has good memories of Choung and Hixon; they are to be appreciated and congratulated. Dad served on the school board for 30 years in their hometown; recalls them coming to agreements where everyone could remain friends. Jadwin asked Jennifer Syx to give an update on CARES Act funding. Syx said most applications are being approved, but there are a handful of residents who don't reside in Gahanna proper; some difficult discussions. Most businesses are qualifying and being approved. Committee is now meeting twice a week and talking daily; will run out of funds unless more allocated. Jadwin said they received an additional $1.2 million; will bring forward a proposal on how those funds should be spent. Renner stated that Franklin County does have a program to help those residents in need, who may not reside in the City, but reach out to us; they can provide assistance with rent, utilities, etc. Bowers asked about the total amount received through CARES Act. Jadwin threw out some numbers, as the funds were received in multiple installments and Bowers confirmed it was close to $2.2 million. Jadwin said she would provide more information at the next meeting. L. ADJOURNMENT By Larick at 8:28 p.m. City of Gahanna Page 8 City Council Meeting Minutes October 19, 2020 April Beggerow, MPA, CMC Clerk of Council APPROVED by the City Council, this day of 2020. Jamie Leeseberg City of Gahanna Page 9