Committee of the Whole

Office of the Clerk of Council City of Gahanna 200 South Hamilton Road Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes Committee of the Whole Ryan P. Jolley, Chair Beryl D. Anderson Karen J. Angelou Brian D. Larick Stephen A. Renner Dav id L. Samuel Brandon Wright Tuesday, May 28, 2013 7:00 PM Council Committee Rooms Present 8 - Stephen A. Renner, Ryan P. Jolley, Brandon Wright, Beryl Anderson, Karen J. Angelou, Brian D. Larick, David L. Samuel, and David L. Samuel Additional Attendees: Isobel Sherwood, Dottie Franey, Karl Wetherholt, Mike Andrako, Jennifer Teal, Joann Bury, Anthony Jones, General Williams, Chief Murphy, Troy Euton, Sue Wadley, Shane Ewald, Mayor Stinchcomb, Brandi Braun; Doug Maddy, Jim Watkins, Dave Reutter, and David Hodge for Meadowbrooke, Press. PENDING LEGISLATION Renner called the meeting for Tuesday, May 28, 2013, to order; said Meadowbrooke would be first on the agenda. ORD-0091-2013 TO REZONE 3.9+/- ACRES OF PROPERTY AS ROD/SF3, RESIDENTIAL OVERLAY DISTRICT/SINGLE FAMILY 3; SAID PROPERTY LOCATED AT 5593 HAVENS CORNERS ROAD; KNOWN AS THE MEADOW B R O O K E SUBDIVISION; BROOKEWOOD CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC., DOUG MADDY, APPLICANT. Jones said you have before you tonight the rezoning request as well as a request for variance from Brookewood Construction; it was part of the discussion at our last meeting; since that time there was a BZA hearing and they voted 4 to 1 to uphold the Planning Commission's review and approval of the applications; here tonight are the applicant and his contractors to answer any questions; there were some questions about the storm water management plan and long term maintenance of the project; the team of experts is here; David Hodge, Doug Maddy, Dave Reutter, and Jim Watkins. Samuel asked when does the HOA (Home Owners Association) kick in; after all the lots are sold. Maddy said we would structure documents to say we would transfer the association when the sales were 60% or greater; we typically don't do it then because we want to maintain it for as long as possible; sometimes we get feedback from the owners that they want to run the HOA; realistically it is around 75 to 80%. Samuel said what does the HOA fee cover; is it lawn and garden maintenance. Maddy said it City of Gahanna Page 1 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 28, 2013 is maintenance of the entry feature and the BMP's (Best Management Practices). Samuel said I have walked the property several times; the last time it came up and recently; the trees have been there for years but there is one tree in particular behind the Schmidt's property on Maddy's property; it looks like it will come down in a storm; are there any plans to remedy that situation. Maddy said I am willing to remedy that situation; I understand in conversations today that a Parks and Rec representative went out and looked at it; they did identify that this tree could be removed from the no build no touch zone; as soon as I get authorization to enter the no build zone I will take care of it. Larick asked is there anyway that tree is recoverable. Maddy said I have not had an arborist look at it so I can't answer that question. Euton said we can follow up with our City Arborist; he is a Certified Arborist. Jones said he is the one who said to cut it down. Euton said his preference is to save it if that can be done; it must be in a bad way or he would not have made that recommendation. Angelou said I have questions and I would like some more input on the rain gardens; how they work; there are issues around maintenance; are you going to replant the right kind of plants and make sure the soil is correct; are you bringing in soil; I have read that bringing in the correct soil and planting correct plants is critical; are there pipes underneath these; I have read there are 2 types; one with filtration and one that is not; could you go into that please. Watkins said for rain gardens, the first thing done is a permeability test to see what kind of infiltration we have; I met with City of Gahanna Staff several weeks ago; their preference is not to have native plants; I would like to have native plants; that is my personal opinion; they are worried about maintenance; these rain gardens can do the same thing with a grass channel which is easily maintained; as for the under draining and the overflow, I did speak with Larick; he was the only Council Member that came over so I shared with him how they work; it is the smaller storms with 3/4 inch rain that pound the streams all the time; that is what we are trying to capture and release slowly into the ground water; we have a combination of under draining and a storm sewer pipe in case of a bigger flow so they won't be soggy all the time; the rule of thumb is you want them down and infiltrated in 24 hours; 72 hours is a breeding ground for mosquitoes; we are not going to have that; if we get a major storm we will have an overflow pipe that will route the water back to the dry basin in the corner. Angelou said that is good to know; in the maintenance that piping has to be regularly inspected and cleaned out; so that would be the HOA that has to do that. Watkins said I would think it would be contracted out to a professional like myself; I have been qualified from the City of Columbus to do these BMP maintenance on sites; I also want to do it; I work here in Gahanna and I will design it so I would like to insure the sustainability through the years. Angelou said the other thing in the maintenance was there should be minimizing of compaction; should not even be walking on them; and the plants need to be watered. Watkins said yes if go that route; some plants can thrive in dry and wet conditions. Angelou said storm water has always been an issue in the City of Gahanna; I am not against being forward looking and having something neat and cool but we need to make sure it works; that is my major concern. Watkins said this is a paradigm shift in storm water design; old way of thinking as you notice in older subdivisions upstream, there is not one detention basin; the thought was collect the water and shoot into the stream; the second shift was we don't want to do that; let's fold it back into retention basins; current thinking is let's try to get the water from the most frequent storms into ground water; the professional consensus from my colleagues is this is a great thing to do. Angelou said you can say then this will work so that the stream will not be impacted even though you will have more surface space to runoff in roofs. Watkins said the theory is you are trying to mimic frequent storms in the natural course; not City of Gahanna Page 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 28, 2013 the big storms. Angelou said how would it work in a 100 year storm. Watkins said that would be flood routing; you don't design storm pipes for 100 year storm; you have to have a flood routing path and you are still going to have that. Reutter said you will also have that in the pre condition; if it was a natural forest you would still get that runoff; they are required in the Storm Water Manual to meet the requirements of the pre-developed condition; that is what they are trying to mimic in the design. Angelou said the rain gardens are part of the individual lots. Watkins said yes but not every lot will have a rain garden; just where I feel it is warranted. Angelou said most of them go along where the barn is now. Watkins said that is going to be a dry detention basin which is going to be a grass channel with depressions in it. Angelou said they are on both sides. Hodge said they are along the east, along the south, and along the west of Grand Ridge Court. Watkins said and also in the middle here. Angelou said this pond is really large, the existing pond; (they show where it is on the map). Angelou said and we did decide that does not have an underground spring. Reutter said it is the roof drain off the existing house. Angelou said that much water is there from one existing house. Watkins said yes it is; it is an unusual thing because it was built on the high part of the site; first time I have seen that; evidently the owner wanted it done that way at the time. Angelou said and that is all from one house and you are adding houses where the water from those roofs will go into this. Watkins said Scatter BMP's I call them. Hodge said I did some research and found the Gahanna Storm Water Plan, which is something the City worked on and adopted last year 2012; as a product of that plan, there is actually a Gahanna Rain Garden Initiative where grants are being provided to homeowners before we walked in the door with this; it provides them $250 dollars to implement a rain garden on their lot; worth adding to the discussion this evening. Larick said to Watkins; you mentioned you would be interested in doing the maintenance; roughly what would the cost be; it would be paid for out of the HOA. Watkins said talking minimum amounts; see myself going out once a month for $150. Maddy said you are referencing the periodic maintenance and inspection of the BMP's; yes that would be paid for by the HOA. Wright said if Reutter could speak to erosion and if the increased number of lots will effect that. Reutter said everything is directed into the BMP's; not having willy nilly flow; it is directed and contained in the BMP's; not going to have the erosion potential that you would if it were being released anywhere; the only points of erosion are where it discharges; we will take a look at those out falls and how they are treated; other than that, there shouldn't be any erosion. Wright said another question; if that one house created a pond with roof run off, how are we to know we won't have those additional ponds throughout the development. Reutter said those ponds are lined; made to hold water; these are not made to hold water; the whole idea is to infiltrate; I have no doubt that they have lined that pond with bentonite; they have done something to make it hold water in the first place;not going to have that with the BMP's; there will be a test done at all sites to see what their capacity is; then the soil will be amended if needed to increase capacity; the native plants also help with that infiltration; that is the reason we stress the native plants in the rain garden because of their adaptability and deep root systems they have. Recommendation: 2nd Reading, Regular Agenda. ODOT/Structurepoint Contract Jolley said we will move on to ORD-0077- 2013 for American Structurepoint; Franey handed out a copy of the Capital Improvement Projects Sheet. Wetherholt said the idea of doing enhancements to the bridge has been a long term City of Gahanna Page 3 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 28, 2013 desire of the Development Department with no real way to get it done or identifying a funding source; early this spring both things came to us; ODOT in their big project to increase the bridge clearance on I-270 will have to redo the deck on the Hamilton Road bridge over I-270; that gives us the opportunity to go ahead and put the decorative feature on there; the Hamilton Road TIF is in its embryonic stages as to how it would develop, and it would have the capacity to pay for this; the project is about $250,000 in construction and has 2 components that need to be done; the first component is the architectural type portion of it which selects the lighting fixtures and gives the basic design for the fence that would have "GAHANNA" on it just like the Techcenter Drive bridge; the second portion is something the ODOT design engineer needed to do which is to incorporate all of these architectural features into the ODOT plans in complete compliance with ODOT and to do the structural analysis on this to make sure it will work; we went forward with the architectural design; it was started with OHM; then we brought forward the proposal from American Structurepoint who is ODOT's engineer that is doing the plans; their proposal was for $16,758 and was passed by Council; now we are rethinking the priorities on the project; what you have on the first sheet is what the whole project would look like; Franey is passing out the reduced version that has an additional explanation; in both versions, ODOT says we will put up 2 lights because that is the absolute minimum required on the bridge and there are already 2 lights on it; they are willing to design for all 8 lights that we want and put in the bases and conduit required but they are going to charge us for the decorative fence, and for the additional 6 poles that are not part of their requirement; so a reduced version would be to do only what the ODOT requirement is which would be to put in the bases for all 8, but only 2 poles; this reduced version has us paying for only the 6 additional poles and not putting in the decorative fence; the total cost is about $281,000; the reduced version would need about $25,000 to put in just the bare extra poles; we are already through most of the design on those poles; the project is going to be bid by ODOT either late this winter or early next spring which means we have to move very quickly since they need to have their plans complete. Mayor said when you briefed us this morning you also talked about the change in timing from what our original thoughts were. Wetherholt said originally we thought it would be about 2016; what happened is ODOT is shifting monies around so that they can do this project as soon as they can which would be late this year or early next spring; they are that serious about moving forward; they need to know where we want to go on this and be ready to put the money up front. Mayor said so after Wetherholt briefed us this morning, I asked we put this on tonight's agenda; the Structurepoint contract that Council approved has not been signed by me yet; it is sitting on my desk; since I had not signed it yet I wanted to bring it to Council. Wetherholt said I was concerned that ODOT had gone off on their own path and were close to doing this; they might have to turn around and go another way and we would owe them money for that; today I found out they are willing to build the infrastructure for our design the way it is without us paying anymore money; we haven't caused them any extra expense that they weren't going to do anyway; we won't owe them anything; we could cut off the Structurepoint design at this point and go forward with either the reduced version or just the 2 poles. Larick said does the new layout establish a foundation that the old layout could be finished on at a later date. Wetherholt said yes; if we reduce to 0 we will still have the anchor, conduit and so forth so that sometime in the future we could come back and put the poles in. Mayor said for the lights but not the fence. Wetherholt said once we say no fence, it is gone. Jolley said why is that; seems the fence would be easier to add. Wetherholt said no; there are ODOT standard details for the light pole bases which are kind of like plug ins; the fence would require more detailing and ODOT is going to require more structural analysis to make sure it will build correctly. Franey said and the estimate on that is $75,000 to $80,000 to get it primed and be able to go back and add the fence later. Larick said the fence was not only to support signage City of Gahanna Page 4 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 28, 2013 but also to allow walkability. Wetherholt said it could theoretically be modified to have sidewalks on it; but the problem is how do you get to the bridge safely with a walking path; there are no plans to put sidewalks on the bridge. Larick said with this view there is no branding. Wetherholt said there is nothing that says Gahanna on it. Larick said there is no signage, no branding and no future completeablitlty. Wetherholt said exactly. Samuel said are there different styles of vandal fence that are more or less decorative; aren't they important; on the news recently, kids were throwing rocks at cars; is that something we need to worry about. Wetherholt said there will be no fence at all; the only time vandal fence is warranted is when you have sidewalks on it; without that there is no fence; there are different styles of fence; not a whole lot of difference in costs; we did get ODOT to support the version we used on Techcenter Drive which I really like. Larick said and that is not possible here. Wetherholt said if we don't put the anchor bolts in and do the design portion of it we are locked out of it; you can't go back and retrofit the bridge to put it in afterwards. Larick said I get that; we are talking about a significant cost; what I think you are saying is the fence on Techcenter was paid for by ODOT. Wetherholt said not really paid for by ODOT; it was done with federally attributable MORPC funds; it did have to meet ODOT specifications and then it was an 80/20 split. Larick said separate from the proposals is it possible to use that fence in this bridge and get that funding. Wetherholt said no; that was a grant that we spent a long, long time to get; we do not have it on this; I asked MORPC if they would consider decorative feature enhancement; they said all the enhancement has now gone to bike and pedestrian items. Larick said do you have any knowledge of the cost of the Grove City signage and bridge. Wetherholt said no, but for one of their bridges we basically plagiarized the design for Techcenter although we got ours in way before they did; so whatever the costs it would be about the same. Larick said I do not have a good answer for this; I am concerned about the long term 30 year impact. Wetherholt said probably longer than that. Mayor said that is part of my concern; we thought we had until 2016 or 2017 to make these determinations; we don't since they are moving it up; so we have to make the decision now on what we want the bridge to look like; would I like to have a nice bridge that says Gahanna on it, sure, but we do have one; it is not that we are not branded in the community at all; would it be nice, yes, is it a core service; it is not; that is why I asked Wetherholt if there are any things that we can look at; he was busy with ODOT to see if modifications could be made if we choose to put the poles in; the fence is more of a problem. Larick said I understand the core/not core component; but this is entirely funded out of a TIF as opposed to the General Fund, Income Tax revenue. Franey said if we go the full route, the actual construction would have to be fronted by General Fund. Mayor said the TIF has no money in it yet. Larick said understood but the TIF would be funding the recoupment of this expenditure. Jones said it will generate approximately $43,000 a year. Larick said so that would be 5 years or so. Mayor said assuming there is no other use for the TIF funds. Angelou asked was this moved up from 2016 to now because of the structural integrity of the bridge. Wetherholt said no; it is a very large project going from Broad Street, involving work on I-270 over Big Walnut Creek; it has a multitude of bridges through there; this had more to do with ODOT funding and turnpike monies; this was the result of ODOT's internal funding process not our bridge. Angelou asked do you recall what our 20% match was on Techcenter. Wetherholt said I think 8 million; I could get it for you. Angelou said that might be doable; it might be less than the $251,000. Wetherholt said no; that is what I based the fence on; that is exactly the numbers I used. Angelou said she understood. City of Gahanna Page 5 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 28, 2013 Jolley said can you break down the 2 construction costs versions; the reduced version for 8 bases, 2 poles or the $250,000 version for all 8 poles and bases, the fence, that is our local match; is that the same 80/20 split. Wetherholt said no; ODOT agreed that they needed to put 2 poles on the bridge; we said it would be more decorative if we had 8 and we want this design; they said you can pick whatever pole type you want, we will put 2 in and the conduit for all 8; after that you have to pay locally. Jolley said my question wasn't clear; the original project has a construction total of quarter million; that was only our local match. Wetherholt said yes; they will put in the conduit, all the bases and 2 poles; so you take those out. Jolley said the reduced version is only 10% of the original; the remainder is all for fencing. Wetherholt said there were other decorative features that if there is no fence it doesn't make sense to those. Jolley said does the $251,000 represent the total costs; are we getting a match. Wetherholt said we are getting nothing beyond that. Jolley said that is completely our costs. Wetherholt said completely 100% local. Jolley said no grants or anything on top of that. Wetherholt said I looked for any available; it didn't match anything that was grantable. Jolley asked what is the timeline you need on this for action. Wetherholt said ODOT wanted to know this a couple of weeks ago. Jolley said I think the reduction in expenditure is a good thing right now; but Larick brings up an excellent point that this will be paid for over time with a TIF; the fact this can't be modified at a later date is also a concern; is there time, even a day or two, for a little more detail to help us make a decision. Samuel asked are you going to present something about the vandal fence without Gahanna and decorative stuff; the basic fence. Wetherholt said the decorative portion like the word "Gahanna" is really cheap; what costs is all the anchor bolts, the fence, and construction. Angelou asked when do we expect the TIF to be producing. Jones said 2015. Angelou said and you expect it to be approximately $46,000. Jones yes at this time. Mayor said it would be a 10 year payback. Jolley asked Wetherholt what are you looking for legislatively. Mayor said I talked to the City Attorney today and this would be to repeal and replace; I don't see how we can pay for this; we could possibly go with the reduced version which would be my recommendation at this time, regretfully. Jolley asked Ewald what is the swifter route; amending the existing legislation or doing the repeal and replace. Ewald said the contract has not been signed, you can repeal and replace. Wright said I share concern; seems like we are swift to cut,cut,cut; need to realize the plan passed for Hamilton Road, this plays into it; this is an opportunity for Gahanna to brand itself; people stop on 270 where there is light and activity; know we have to make cuts; want everyone to take into consideration you are looking at branding and where we sit strategically, and what ODOT is willing to give; we have been stuck doing things on the cheap; if we keep that mind set, it will reverse the progress we have made to this point. Larick said we are talking about this as a singular project; where does this fit in to the overall branding and identity of the community; expect it to be a piece of the pie; is this a little piece coming out or a significant piece coming out; what is the overall picture; what infrastructure components, signage, light pole styles that help identify Gahanna to those coming into town are we doing away with; how does this fit in the overall plan. Mayor said I agree with all you said; we administratively are faced with making significant cuts; nothing new; we have spent time since the election going through things identifying those that are not core; branding is not a core function; say with sincere regret; we are working to get to you by the 24th or sooner a list of cuts we are recommending as the administration to you for 2013 and as we work for 2014 budget; business still goes on here; we are still making regular decisions; when we City of Gahanna Page 6 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 28, 2013 got the word this was moving up, I had to bring it to Council tonight; we may need emergency depending on how much time ODOT is giving us. Wetherholt said we can make the decision right now and let them know which way we want to go; they don't have to have an ordinance. Mayor said I am not asking them to make the decision today; just wanted to take advantage of the meeting to discuss it; there are cuts that will have to made and with branding there is a lot on the list; signage for Central Park, entry way signage, they are significant funds on the chopping block; this is what we have talked about for a year; we have to cut with no additional sources of revenue; some can be brought back if revenues increase in the future; this decision is a 30 or 50 year decision to make in a short amount of time. Wetherholt said a good thing about this is no matter what right now we have a design on the light poles that is paid for and ODOT is willing to go along with the plan to put up 2 poles and all the anchors and anchor bolts, bases and conduit for this; so if we did nothing on this and had no portion to contribute, we have a space that we can fill in later on, other than the fence. Jones said I think branding is essential for our ability to instill community pride as well as to attract and retain businesses; that is why we are strategic with where our TIF's are so we can have alternative revenue streams; they take time; Hamilton Road is a specific example of how in the future we will have resources available for branding components. Anderson said given cuts will it be possible to go back and retrofit the bridge to add the branding. Wetherholt said you mean somewhere in between the original design that had everything and the one that just includes the lights. Anderson said yes. Franey said you mean preparing for the decorative fence at a later date; that is the possible $80,000 cost. Wetherholt said we would have to go forward with the contract with American Structurepoint to do the detailed design even if we don't put the fence up; we would be at $75,000 to $80,000 to put the anchor bolts in even though we don't actually pay for the fence. Mayor said then it could be done at a later date. Anderson said if this is not acted on tonight what is deadline for meeting ODOT's interests. Wetherholt said we have a couple of weeks; they are going ahead with the design we have selected on the poles. Franey said we should have a pretty good feel by next Monday; possibly do legislation next Monday. Wetherholt said we could do 3 weeks out for the legislation. Anderson said so we could bring it back. Jolley said we could do 1st Reading then bring it back to committee. Mayor said then amend by substitution your decision. Renner said this is a tricky thing; need to cut and I have been vocal about that; but this is one of those capital projects where we do have a possible revenue source; what I hear others saying is we have a contractor out on the bridge mobilized ready to do the work anyway; I understand how ODOT works; this is an opportunity; the only thing I want to say tonight is we should weigh carefully the repeal and replace and going down to nothing; this is a special unique case; need to take a harder look at it. Mayor said if that is the decision, it is not budgeted and there would have to be a supplemental appropriation in 2013 for $250,000. Renner said I know, but we have a TIF for possible replacement in the future. Jolley said or we could lay the foundation for a possible $80,000. Mayor said there are 3 options on the table; the whole program, the $80,000 option or the $35,000 option. Angelou asked Jones if he had any information on how a structure like this pays back in development terms. Jones said it is an intangible impact; there is no study that gives the results of a direct impact. Wright said the Grove City exit of 270 is bustling; driving there you notice the signage; think this is valuable; can't put dollars and cents to a return on investment City of Gahanna Page 7 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 28, 2013 but you can definitely see it; looking at Hamilton Road, you can see businesses starting to redevelop along it. Anderson said as someone who travels by car, she identifies with the lights and branding at intersections. Mayor said I agree with everything said; this is a quarter million dollars; I regret the list is not done; we wanted it to you before we have to make these decisions; money spent here won't go into other things that your administration believes to be core. Larick said you mention not doing other items that are core; are these funded from the TIF. Mayor said that is one choice; TIF's are broad and can be used to pay for a lot of different things. Larick said what is on the table for this TIF. Mayor said it is a possibility but this is not in our 5 year plan. Franey said this would be a supplemental. Anderson asked can you get your information to us in 2 weeks. Mayor said I will do my very best to get you the recommended cuts for 2013. Jolley said do a first reading back to committee; looking at the middle option so we have the option to add the enhancements in the future. Mayor asked Wetherholt to specifically price that option out in time for Monday. Sherwood said what should I prepare; a repeal and replace with what. Wetherholt said if we do the middle option that has the possibility of putting up the fence at some point in the future, we've got it exactly as it stands; and we save $16,000 if we ditch the fence. Jolley said so the immediate savings are just the engineering fee. Wetherholt said yes. Teal said those immediate savings are in the TIZ. Franey asked is there time to bring this back to next committee. Wetherholt said yes. Franey said if no legislation has reading on Monday. Mayor said that would force a waiver. Angelou asked is there any money left in the TIZ's. Teal said as it stands with what is authorized for this project it empties the TIZ. Angelou said we need to determine what we want before we go to the agenda; if a waiver is needed then we do that. Recommendation: Back to Committee of the Whole on June 10. ORD-0082-2013 TO AMEND THE PRIOR FILING WITH THE FRANKLIN COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO REESTABLISH WARDS IN THE CITY OF GAHANNA; TO REDISTRICT SAID FOUR WARDS IN A MANNER EQUITABLE TO THE POPULATION THEREIN; TO AMEND CHAPTER 105 OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY Sherwood said I believe you all received the new maps in your packet on Friday; the legal descriptions did not get sent out but I do have them; they correspond to the map. Jolley said I would like to post to the white board; a copy of this chart is available in the Council office; this is information adapted from the last committee discussion; I am adding a couple of statistical notations; the first 4 rows are the information that was included in the ward changes packet; the first scenario is what we currently have; this is as the wards are drawn right now and we do not pass any proposed legislation; the second column is what we already approved; the right hand column is what is proposed based on changes from the Board of Elections; what I wanted to drill down on is the bottom 2 rows; we are looking at a range; the largest ward and the smallest ward under each scenario; and then the standard deviation which is a measure of internal consistency; our current structure leaves us today with a disparity City of Gahanna Page 8 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 28, 2013 of almost 1,400 voters; which if you look at the size of ward 4, this would be a quarter of our smallest ward difference between the smallest and the largest; if you look at the standard deviation to see how closely the wards match one another we are at 586; that is the number of voters from the mean each one of these comes out to be; the approved plan the committee came up with reduces the range significantly to 116; the proposal the Board tweaked makes it slightly better though that change is nominal; the big issue is how great a disparity we have right now between the smallest and largest; 1,390 voters would be reduced to 233; and the standard deviation for internal consistency would be down to 110; to me that is phenomenal that we have that kind of variance between our 4 wards; it is not pleasant to have the State come down and meddle in what we are doing at the City level; their changes are minor; as a former Math teacher wanted to put this on the board and share with everyone; it is going to change as people are always moving, but this reduces 80% of our disparity. Wright said our charter says to balance the wards; when you look at these numbers it definitely explains we are not at a balanced ratio right now; may not be what we proposed, but overall there is progress made. Recommendation: 2nd Reading, Regular Agenda, Amend by Substitution. Meeting Adjourned. Della Brandenberger, Reporting City of Gahanna Page 9