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 Thomas R. Kneeland, Chair, Karen J. Angelou, Ryan P. Jolley, Brian D. Larick, Jamie Leeseberg, Stephen A. Renner, Michael Schnetzer Kimberly McWilliams, CMC, Clerk of Council Monday, April 14, 2014 7:00 PM Council Committee Rooms ROLL CALL Present 5 - Ryan P. Jolley, Thomas R. Kneeland, Jamie Leeseberg, Karen J. Angelou, and Stephen A. Renner Absent 2 - Brian D. Larick, and Michael Schnetzer ADDITIONAL ATTENDEES Dottie Franey, Karl Wetherholt, Matt Holdren, Jennifer Teal, Tony Collins, Gen. Williams, Sue Wadley, Chief Murphy, Niel Jurist, Joann Bury, Anthony Jones, Mike Blackford, Emanuel Torres, Kim Marcum and Todd Kurgan from MNX, Kristin Rosan, City Attorney Ewald, Clerk McWilliams PENDING LEGISLATION ORD-0052-2014 TO AMEND ORD-0005-2014, PART-TIME PERSONNEL, TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE HEALTH CARE REFORM CHANGES; AND TO REVISE SEASONAL JOB TITLES TO ACCURATELY REFLECT THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. Clerk stated we changed title because we are not doing a restructure; took out the word restructuring and said revised job responsibilities to reflect duties and responsibilities. Angelou asked about the need to amend by substitution. Wadley said yes; there is no intent to restructure. RECOMMENDATION: 2nd reading, amend by substitution on consent agenda. ORD-0059-2014 TO RECLASSIFY A RECREATION SPECIALIST POSITION TO A RECREATION SUPERVISOR; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. Angelou asked whether it should read to reclassify "a" recreation specialist because there are two. Wadley agreed. Angelou said it is disconcerting to note that we have one not filled and one leaving; having problem with this because there are some not filled; perhaps City of Gahanna Page 1 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 14, 2014 we should take them off. Collins said that will be corrected when we come forward with operations plan. Wadley said she would not want confusion that both positions are reclassified; in salary ordinance there is one title but positions are labeled 1 and 2 because they have different responsibilities; would feel more comforatble saying "a" recreation specialist. Collins said he is okay with whatever words make it clear in the ordinance. Kneeland stated we have to amend by substitution anyway, can this be captured in the substitution that we are amending to. Clerk advised it can be captured in this. 4. Office & Industrial Incentive - MNX Global Logistics Jones stated here to recommend an Office & Industrial Incentive for MNX Global Logistics; the Office & Industrial Incentive Advisory Board met today and approved this; MNX will lease approximately 9,000 sq. ft. of office space at 690 Taylor Road; relocating from Rickenbacker area; would like you to hear from applicant to explain their business; introduced Todd Kurgan & Kim Marcum. Kurgan said we are a global logistics company with offices all around the world; Singapore, Sydney, Los Angeles; based in Los Angeles; deal mainly here with life sciences; transportation for blood and tissue; specialized transportation; Marcum and I grew up in Gahanna; like the area; excited about hopefully moving back. Marcum stated she is still here and all 4 of her kids go to Gahanna schools. Jones stated they are also looking at a site at Easton; do have competition; this is a three year 65% incentive on the net new jobs; proposing 12 net new jobs and relocating 39 current jobs to the City; the City would only be providing incentive on new jobs; worked to modify optical use agreement with Community Improvement Corporation (CIC); plan on using GahannaNet on this site; total estimated incentive payment to MNX would be just over $12,000; City expected to get over $161,492 over the term; have not signed any leases yet; the document would be an agreement; has been distributed; it is 3 pages outlining terms and conditions; they agree to invest in machinery and equipment; is a lease for period of 6 years; they will stay here twice limit of the term allowing the City to recoup costs; requires legislation passed by Council, signed by Mayor. Kneeland stated he was appointed to the Office & Industrial Incentive Advisory Board; impressed this company is coming after local talent; new jobs; good thing. RECOMMENDATION: 1st reading, no need to come back, 2nd reading, consent agenda. ITEMS - From Clerk of Council: City of Gahanna Page 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 14, 2014 1. Liquor Permit - Gahanna Lanes Chief stated we have no objections to the permit. RECOMMENDATION: Motion Resolution; consent agenda. ITEM - From Director of Finance: 2014-0022 Finance Supporting Docs 1. Fund Transfers Authorized in Appropriations Teal said included in the annual appropriations are fund transfers between various funds; the auditor of state does not permit fund transfers without a separate piece of legislation; we learned this the hard way couple of years ago; numbers are updated to reflect current appropriations; requesting ordinance to reflect those moves. RECOMMENDATION: 1st reading, no need to come back, 2nd reading, consent agenda. 2. Planning Commission - Paperless Process Clerk stated Planning Commission has decided to move forward with electronic packets; as with Council, this is a cost savings as well as a more effective way to communicate; will have 2 packets that are going to be a test; will be giving training next Wednesday. Rosan stated she was a test case; downloaded on iPad 1; would rather carry iPad than iPad and bunch of paper; think it might be rocky with some members that aren't as technologically experienced; once we get training, it will be a good process; Council Office will still have large plat maps in paper for review; zooming on the iPads retains clarity. Clerk stated in terms of transparency, Council, press, etc. will more easily see exactly what the Commission sees; met with Wester and Rosan and they indicated they were ready to move forward. RECESS FOR SPECIAL MEETING - 7:20 P.M. Council recessed for Special Meeting at 7:20 p.m. Council reconvened at 7:25 p.m. with all present members returning to Committee of the Whole. ITEM - From City Engineer City of Gahanna Page 3 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 14, 2014 1. Hamilton Road Development - Underground Power Lines Update Wetherholt said he did an estimate on burying underground powerlines; made sense to go from intersection to intersection; went from Rocky Fork South to Rocky Fork North; estimate is about $1 million; also involves relocating phone there into underground conduit; included costs on electric and phone; others would follow along as well. Kneeland said he got some information today; thought South Hamilton Road project was going to force some of this but because of where they would be placed, there is no need for concurrency. Wetherholt agreed; need to go in the road; would pretty much take up a lane. Kneeland said at Planning Commission (PC), there were several members that had brought this question to the table; invited PC tonight to share their thoughts on this. Rosan said we had quizzed Jones on this; he made a presentation on the Tax Increment Financing and what those revenues were going to go towards; going to put in a beautiful development on Hamilton Road; what about the power lines; at that time, did not realize they would go in the street; thought we had a revenue stream and redevelopment; thought it would be an appropriate time; raised the question with Council; this is one of those things, although not imminent because of obvious budget constraints, would like it to be one of those things to get on the radar; this is an area where the City is going to be spending more money on the bridge, more development near roundabout; this should be on our radar screen. Kneeland stated we are going through a lot of financial strategies that need to be adjusted; along with development, we are going to be working more closely with PC; is this something we would ask PC to make a recommendation on and is this a capital project down the road; did not want to lose an opportunity; appreciate all the information from Wetherholt; eye-opening but not shocking. Wetherholt stated Dublin has done quite a bit of this on new builds ; gave us an estimate right on with my calculations; Westerville has its own electric division; Holdren came from there and had all the unit prices. Leeseberg stated Reynoldsburg did this as well. Jolley asked what the advantages and disadvantages are. Holdren stated majority of disadvantage is cost; extremely expensive to build; availability to access facilities is easier above ground. Wetherholt stated adding new services and laterals is difficult underground. Holdren stated some requires EPA notification. Jolley asked about advantages besides aesthetics. Williams stated from disaster standpoint, you don't have to reconstruct powerlines every time you get a big storm event; throughout the south, all poles are being replaced with metal poles; here if they are underground, you don't have to worry about overheads being taken out by a storm; don't have to worry about the cost of tree trimming and removal around lines. Jolley said obvious benefit is no trees falling on powerlines; biggest challenges facing country is water City of Gahanna Page 4 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 14, 2014 supplies in electric grid; looking to reconfiguring how we transmit electric; wondering if this would be a wise investment if that might happen anyway in 10, 15, 20 years; issues around maintenance is concerning; is there a happy medium between burying the lines and replacing wood poles with metal. Holdren stated with Westerville, this happened mainly when a street was reconstructed, new builds or in treelawn; they do have their own electric division; is a little bit different. Angelou asked if it would be appropriate with the rebuild of Hamilton Road North. Holdren that would be a typical time to look at it. Williams said when we redid Mill Street, did some underground work there. Jones stated also moved those wires to alley. Wetherholt stated electric went to alley and phone put in conduit on Mill Street. Kneeland stated it was put to me as more of a development and aesthetic issue; certainly need to look at all these concerns; not sure any action right now; like to have PC look at things like this and work with development. Leesesberg said under the impression we were talking about rebuild of Hamilton Road; this is not part of that plan at this point. Wetherholt said not at this point; we haven't really started to have lengthy conversations with power company; almost due for that; next step to discuss utility relocation; they like to have right of way cleared before relocation plans begin. Leeseberg said if they have to move poles and relocate anyway, might be a good time to look at that. Kneeland said if we had some formal recommendation from PC, that may give us something more to discuss. Jones said development is working with PC to provide additional strategies; going through land use plans. Williams said that if we cannot force utilities to use certain materials, should advocate for metal poles. ITEM - From City Attorney: 2014-0018 High Street Lease DOCS 1. South High Street Lease Agreement Ewald said this is a lease option similar to what we've done in the past where we have someone maintain piece of a parcel; similar to area down by Old Bag of Nails; we have an offer from property owner to maintain this at their expense. Wetherholt said first request was a vacation so they could own it; revocable lease would allow property owner to maintain it and we could revoke it if necessary. Collins stated this is a small pocket of property the parks department maintains. Ewald stated small partial fence; goes down to creek; potential upside is we do not have to maintain it but could access it if needed. Collins stated it is a negligible amount to take care of it but adds up; gentleman wanting the lease just wants to expand his garden; this is one parcel we've always had; this seems like a good use of it for the City of Gahanna Page 5 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 14, 2014 time being; allows us to see if it works; not paying for maintenance of it. Ewald said if Council approves, we could bring it back with a full packet including lease. Leeseberg stated area is 3000 sq. ft.; frees up our people; what is the term on the lease. Ewald answered 10 years with 10 year renewable; revocable by either party. RECOMMENDATION: lease package; back to Committee. ITEM - From Director of Emergency Operations: 1. Emergency Operations Plan Williams gave overview of Emergency Plan; said previous Council and Administration insisted on paper; don't think you need huge binder; put it on the City's transfer (T) drive; bulk of information lies in the annexes; there are a number of sensitive items; for example, school plans are listed as an annex to this; this record is kept in my office; won't see those annexes on T drive; non-sensitive annexes all kept on T drive; this plan assigns functions to various agencies that support the emergency operations plan; puts responsibility on those agencies; coordinates instructions; all covered in basic plan; in addition to annexes, there are information appendices; the plan is a requirement that must be promulgated by the City; done by signage by Mayor and President of Council; follows Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Homeland Security guidance; it tells who does what, what has to be done, where they do it, why they do it and when they do it; does not tell how they do it; that is in the standard operating policies and procedures of each department or agency; plan includes standard operating procedures for each department and standard operating guidelines for emergency services; in plan we have a lot of references to various federal and state laws; provide proof that we have adopted the National Incident Management System; includes a risk analysis; looked at probabilities, geographical influences and demographical influences; purpose of plan is saving lives, protecting property; phases of emergency management are mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery; lists responsibilities/functions of Emergency Management Director, Mifflin Township Fire Department, Gahanna Police Department, Parks & Recreation Department, Finance Department, City Attorney, Public Service Department, Department of Development, Franklin County Health (under contract every year), Information Technology Department, Public Information Manger, Gahanna City Council; direction and control is housed at the Emergency Operation Center; need continuity of government; an annex in this section deals with economic recovery; need basic plan signed by President of Council. Angelou asked why City of Gahanna Page 6 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 14, 2014 Jefferson Township and Board of Education are not listed. Williams said school plan is covered in here; schools are applying for a radio system allowing them to punch into 911; we get to Jefferson Township from fire service through Mifflin Township; no legislative action requested; required to be updated every year; adopted the plan once; ordinance says it will happen annually. Kneeland said President will return this week. ITEMS - From Director of Planning & Development: 2014-0015 Development Supporting Docs 1. Establishment of North Triangle TIF District Jones gave presentation on North Triangle Tax Increment Financing (TIF) project; said we want to create new TIF district called North Triangle; map displayed; geographical area roughly bounded by North Hamilton Road, Morse Road and Johnstown Road; infrastructure projects and property development areas are outlined; TIF creates alternative revenue stream for public infrastructure; also increases flexibility; is an Economic Development tool that redirects future property taxes; no increase; only what's new gets the burden; identified some needs; necessary to attract higher quality commercial users; always targeting the highest and best use of land; better infrastructure= better tenants=more tax revenue; have a land use plan for this area created in 1997; some improvements include roadway improvements, intersection improvements, bikeway improvement and connectivity, sanitary sewer extension and fiber optic expansion; giving resources in future to make improvements on Morse Road; imperative for our benefit; covers all sorts of infrastructure improvements. RECOMMENDATION: 1st reading; no need to come back; 2nd reading; consent agenda. 3. Modifications to CRA #5 Jones said the development department is recommending an expansion of Community Reinvestment Area #5; will provide West Gahanna with additional incentives that will help with attracting new development; expansion as proposed captures some lower density uses; this is the targeted commercial redevelopment focus for West Gahanna; want to encourage development of these sites; this tool will help us do that sooner; primarily want to encourage redevelopment along Agler Road; could become better commercial fit for Gahanna; does not abate currently existing businesses; have to do a housing City of Gahanna Page 7 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 14, 2014 survey for expansion; this would be the second modification to this district; still maintains its pre-1994 status. Kneeland highly encouraged this. Jolley asked about the significance of pre-1994 status; why expand instead of creating new. Jones answered in 1994, the state changed the rules; this is more property entitlement; we cannot prevent someone from getting an abatement who applies for it; this is a more attractive tool because people know they are going to get it; post-1994 rules require Council approval on each abatement; this is easier to administer; see this in older areas of communities; we have 2 pre-1994 CRAs; cannot have more than 2 changes. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; no need to come back; 2nd reading; consent. 5. Fee Waiver for Fence Variance - 220 Cam Court Jones said this is a request to waive fees for a variance approved by Planning Commission located at 220 Cam Court; on March 26, PC passed V-0007-2014; permit was received in 2006 to install fence in rear yard; was installed in side yard; when neighbor wanted to do same thing, we informed her she needed a variance; PC thought it was such a large amount of time, fee could be waived; this is for a $150 fee that has already been paid. RECOMMENDATION: Motion Resolution; consent agenda. Jayme Maxwell, CMC, Reporting City of Gahanna Page 8