Committee of the Whole

200 South Hamilton Road City of Gahanna Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes Committee of the Whole Nancy R. McGregor, Chair Brian D. Larick Karen J. Angelou Merisa Bowers Jamie Leeseberg Stephen A. Renner Michael Schnetzer Krystal Gonchar, MPA, Clerk of Council Monday, June 28, 2021 7:00 PM VIRTUAL MEETING Meeting Call-In Details: +1 513-306-4583 Conf ID: 539 850 327# A. CALL TO ORDER Vice President of Council Nancy McGregor called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. B. RECOMMENDATIONS FROM CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION Chair of Charter Review Commission Sheila Vitale stated that the commission reviewed the charter and discussed proposed changes; they decided on the seven proposals that are before Council tonight; each change has the redline and reason for change; these were mostly cleanup changes to help the city run efficiently and were in the best interests of the residents. McGregor asked about the section related to departments, where council can establish departments. Vitale stated that there was a lot of discussion on that, because council approves the budget and funding; any department that the mayor creates, council could opt not to fund; there is a control and balance and the mayor still has flexibility. Vitale stated that the commission met every other week, and then in May and June met weekly; had many discussions. Renner thanked Vitale; seeing the current, proposed, and reasoning in 3 columns was very helpful; is curious about the reasoning behind changing qualifications for council from 1 year to 15 months. Vitale stated that during the last charter review they wanted to make sure that there was a one year residency requirement; then we learned during this charter review that there are different filing times; the way it was originally proposed 5 years ago assumed there were no write-in candidates; City of Gahanna Page 1 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 28, 2021 write-ins have a different schedule; 15 months covers that timeline. Angelou asked about section 4.03; there are some people who may plan to run but may be in conflict due to a compensated position; if someone plans to run for council and holds a high level office in the federal government, would that preclude them from running. Vitale stated that the City Attorney Ray Mularski was instrumental in assisting the commission; the intent was that a council member could serve on another board or commission that was not compensated; MORPC is an example; this change was just to clarify. Angelou said that in the past, a person ran for office but worked at the Board of Elections; would hate to see someone spend time and money campaigning and not be eligible; would not want someone to be upset. Vitale stated that was more an issue for the Board of Elections than a City issue. Mularski stated that there are two prongs; the qualifications don't kick in until the person is sworn in; they can run while holding that position but would have to resign before taking office; secondly, there must be conflict with council and also being a compensated position; nothing changed except to add the word "compensated". McGregor said they did a great job in such a short amount of time. Angelou stated that these must be submitted as is. Mularski confirmed . Mayor Jadwin thanked Vitale and the commission for their service and hard work; having served on the commission 5 years ago, understands the commitment it takes; had a member start out on the commission but he had to resign due to health issues. Leeseberg thanked them for their time. 1. RES-0018-2021 TO PROVIDE FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE ELECTORATE AN AMENDMENT TO THE GAHANNA CITY CHARTER PERTAINING TO ELECTION, TERM, QUALIFICATIONS OF MAYOR. Recommended for Adoption on the Consent Agenda on 7/6/2021. 2. RES-0019-2021 TO PROVIDE FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE ELECTORATE AN AMENDMENT TO THE GAHANNA CITY CHARTER PERTAINING TO QUALIFICATIONS OF COUNCIL. Recommended for Adoption on the Consent Agenda on 7/6/2021. 3. RES-0020-2021 TO PROVIDE FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE ELECTORATE AN AMENDMENT TO THE GAHANNA CITY CHARTER PERTAINING TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. Recommended for Adoption on the Consent Agenda on 7/6/2021. 4. RES-0021-2021 TO PROVIDE FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE ELECTORATE AN City of Gahanna Page 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 28, 2021 AMENDMENT TO THE GAHANNA CITY CHARTER PERTAINING TO ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENTS. Recommended for Adoption on the Consent Agenda on 7/6/2021. 5. RES-0022-2021 TO PROVIDE FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE ELECTORATE AN AMENDMENT TO THE GAHANNA CITY CHARTER PERTAINING TO POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS. Recommended for Adoption on the Consent Agenda on 7/6/2021. 6. RES-0023-2021 TO PROVIDE FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE ELECTORATE AN AMENDMENT TO THE GAHANNA CITY CHARTER PERTAINING TO PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARINGS. Recommended for Adoption on the Consent Agenda on 7/6/2021. 7. RES-0024-2021 TO PROVIDE FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE ELECTORATE AN AMENDMENT TO THE GAHANNA CITY CHARTER PERTAINING TO PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL. Recommended for Adoption on the Consent Agenda on 7/6/2021. C. ITEMS FROM THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SERVICE & ENGINEERING 1. ORD-0042-2021 AN ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO CONTRACT WITH LOCAL WASTE SERVICES, FOR RESIDENTIAL WASTE COLLECTION IN THE CITY OF GAHANNA. Director Grant Crawford provided a summary of the attached report to council; Gahanna is part of SWACO consortium; this was bid to Reynoldsburg and Gahanna in an effort to increase competition; the pricing breakdown is listed in the report; after evaluating all options, would like to move forward with Local Waste; they will provide a 95-gallon bin to residents but would be owned and maintained by the company; all items will be collected together; service will be split over entire city over two days; $200,000 per year will be saved and over $1M saved over the lifetime of the contract. Schnetzer said he understands the cost savings; asked if we are breaking with the consortium on this. Crawford said no; reiterated that this process makes the market more competitive; when the entire consortium is bid, Rumpke wins every time. Schnetzer asked if we relinquish any leverage on subsequent contracts. Crawford stated that he does not believe they will; having entire city on one day makes it difficult to collect 30,000 households on one day; Local Waste has no other community that collects different items on different days. Leeseberg asked what would happen to the new cans we just got. City of Gahanna Page 3 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 28, 2021 Crawford said those recycling cans are property of the City; those will remain for recycling services. Leeseberg asked if residents can put an additional bag outside of the 95-gallon cart. Crawford said the bid did include unlimited collection. Leeseberg asked about bulk pickup, will that remain as before, where you need to call ahead. Crawford confirmed. McGregor asked when the contract would start. Crawford stated Jan.1, 2022. Renner asked for clarification, that there is not just one 95-gallon bin to collect all trash, yard waste, etc.; residents would still bag up trash and yard waste separate and still use the blue cans for recycling . Crawford confirmed. McGregor asked about the size, if someone can get a smaller can if needed. Crawford confirmed that the 95-gallon is standard, but there is an option for a smaller can if there is a hardship . McGregor asked for a size comparison with the current blue recycling cart. Crawford said the blue cart is around 65 gallons. McGregor was curious if residents could use the smaller cans they already own, because there was some push back when they got the blue cans. Crawford said they will work on logistics and work with residents. Angelou asked how long Local Waste has been in existence. Crawford said since 1999, but the owner was part of another company before it was renamed Local Waste, and that is what the City used prior to Rumpke; owner is very familiar with Gahanna. Recommended for Introduction/First Reading on 7/6/2021; Back to Committee on 7/12/2021. 2. ORD-0043-2021 AN ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO CONTRACT WITH RUMPKE WASTE AND RECYCLING SERVICES FOR RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING IN THE CITY OF GAHANNA Crawford provided a summary of the attached report to council; this is bid with consortium as well; Rumpke was the only contractor who submitted a bid; contract still includes revenue clause. Recommended for Introduction/First Reading on 7/6/2021; Back to Committee on 7/12/2021. D. ITEM FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 1. ORD-0046-2021 AN ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENT WITH WOOLPERT, INC. TO IMPLEMENT CITY WORKS ASSET AND WORKORDER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM & CITIZEN PORTAL; AND TO REQUEST A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION; WAIVE SECOND READING. Mayor Jadwin stated that this project came about over the past year; City of Gahanna Page 4 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 28, 2021 when she took office, one of her top priorities was to streamline operations; one of the biggest opportunities in this area has to do with the way residents communicate with the city; there are different spreadsheets and logs throughout city departments but we are looking for one way to track those; there was no centralized portal which causes a lag time when responding; we are proposing to implement a 311 system; there are several surrounding communities that use such a system; this is essentially a work order process; also captures inventory and purchasing control; can track how long it takes for staff to work through requests; has metrics built in. Kevin Schultz, IT Manager, spearheaded the project and RFP process; the RFP was broken into asset management, work orders, and citizen request; we received 7 proposals; after review, there were 3 vendors short listed; the review committee chose this vendor which has a local presence in Ohio; will use City Works product; will have a mobile app available for submitting service requests; project will review GIS for asset location; requesting a supplemental from Capital Improvement. McGregor asked if people could report anonymously or are they identified by phone number or email. Schultz said it could be anonymous and some requests could remain hidden. Schnetzer said the concept has his support; but asked if this will compliment, incorporate, or replace code enforcement system. Shultz said code enforcement will continue to be handled through LAMA; would have to have an add-on, but they have explored integration for the future. Angelou asked about the yearly fee . Schultz said the maintenance cost in year 2 is under $65,000, which is on par; will stay steady at 3% increase from year to year based on market value. Angelou asked about the future, in 5 years for example, would this be old technology. Shultz said City Works is a major player and they lead the field in this industry; this technology has been around for awhile and will continue to be upgraded; it is software as a service (SOS); not disposable. Angelou said it's important to keep projected funds set aside for upgrades. Shultz agreed that budgeting maintenance costs is important. Schnetzer asked about data, is that owned by the city if we ever switch vendors. Schultz confirmed that we would own the data, but they would own the software. McGregor asked if they are asking for an emergency because it says that in the report. Schultz said that is a typo, but they are asking for a waiver due to September deadline to secure resources. Recommended for Introduction/First Reading, Waive Second Reading, and Adoption on the Regular Agenda on 7/6/2021. City of Gahanna Page 5 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 28, 2021 E. ITEMS FROM THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE 1. ORD-0044-2021 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND ORDINANCE ORD-0018-2021, AN ORDINANCE AUTH O R I Z I N G A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION - Federal Law Enforcement Trust Fund. Director of Finance, Joann Bury, provided a summary of the attached report to council; this item was brought forward in March, when the results for the audit were ran through, there was activity in the pipeline that was not accounted for; reviewed the side by side balances; need to be in line with reporting. Recommended for Introduction/First Reading on 7/6/2021; Back to Committee on 7/12/2021. 2. RES-0025-2021 RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE TAX BUDGET OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA, OHIO, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2022. Bury said this allows the county budget commission to make a determination; they will send back certification of tax levy and amounts; pulled from 5-year forecast; will have updated forecast with 2022 budget. McGregor asked for confirmation that this is something done every year . Bury confirmed. Recommended for Adoption on the Consent Agenda on 7/6/2021. 3. RES-0026-2021 A RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE A THEN AND NOW PURCHASE UNDER OHIO REVISED CODE 5705.41(D)(1) FOR THE PURPOSE OF A NEW TIMEKEEPING AND SCHEDULE SYSTEM. Bury stated that there was a need to upgrade current time keeping system; signed the quote and an invoice was immediately generated; allows for a then and now purchase. Recommended for Adoption on the Consent Agenda on 7/6/2021. 4. RES-0027-2021 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER OF FUNDS AMONG VARIOUS ACCOUNTS. Bury stated that during 2021 budget process, it was determined that the Director of Economic Development would not be hired immediately, but we now have that position filled and he has determined his staffing needs. Recommended for Adoption on the Consent Agenda on 7/6/2021. 5. Discussion and update on ARP Funds City of Gahanna Page 6 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 28, 2021 Bury stated that she has been sitting through a lot of training on guidance; the state has done their part to accept the dollars; they are appropriating those dollars; the state cannot give us more than 75% of operating budget; still unsure when we will get those funds; townships are now included and were not previously, so estimates that were gathered will now be reduced; there are no preliminary numbers out yet; the state has multiple 30-day extensions that can be requested; believes that by September-October, the first 50% will be distributed followed by more one year later; must strategically plan where those dollars will go; must have numbers behind it; will involve a lot of tracking that falls under federal guidelines; will have to review procurement procedures to meet requirements; does not want to make determination on loss due to income tax increase; lost could be $1M-$3M; money must be used for general government operations. Schnetzer asked if the federal government authorized the dispersal of some amount of money because we are filtered through the state; so, the state is working on correcting that. Bury confirmed. Schnetzer said the money is being projected based on population, but now there is an overlap with Mifflin Twp. and Jefferson Twp. and Gahanna, serving the same population; so that's why it is being adjusted. Bury confirmed . Schnetzer asked about the final date to send the money. Bury said the first round must be sent within 60 days from the time they receive it, based off that first 30 day extension, but still unclear about the date it was actually received in coffers; but the state has up to 120 days to extend. Schnetzer asked if they at least knew the month when the funds were delivered. Bury said it was in June. Schnetzer asked if we got the funds in October, would that allow enough time to budget for next year's budget . Bury confirmed that it would. McGregor asked if there are requirements for council to pass legislation to accept the funds. Bury said there is a need to create a new special fund, so that will require legislation . Angelou asked about estimates. Bury said prior to including townships, the estimate was $7M, but there are over 1,000 townships in the state with varied populations. Jadwin said they could expect the original estimate to be reduced by 50%. F. ITEM FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 1. ORD-0045-2021 AN ORDINANCE DECLARING IMPROVEMENTS TO CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY OF GAHANNA, OHIO TO BE A PUBLIC PURPOSE AND EXEMPT FROM REAL PROPERTY TAXATION; REQUIRING THE OWNERS OF THOSE PARCELS TO MAKE SERVICE PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF TAXES; ESTABLISHING A MUNICIPAL PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT TAX INCREMENT EQUIVALENT FUND FOR THE DEPOSIT OF THOSE SERVICE PAYMENTS; City of Gahanna Page 7 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 28, 2021 SPECIFYING THE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE THAT DIRECTLY BENEFIT THE PARCELS. Director of Economic Development, Nate Strum, stated that Aaron Underhill, legal counsel for Larry Canini is present tonight; this ordinance is related to the TIF, which is non-school; Exhibit B lists public infrastructure related to the TIF. Recommended for Introduction/First Reading on 7/6/2021; Back to Committee on 7/12/2021. G. DISCUSSION FROM DIRECTOR OF PLANNING 1. Code Enforcement Update Mayor Jadwin stated that the code enforcement program was discussed earlier in the year, and staff wished to provide an update on staffing and the program; administration is making changes and will continue making changes; is a work in progress. Director of Planning, Michael Blackford, provided an update; have received numerous concerns from the public; concerns about technology, fees, etc.; there was a discussion with Council on 2/22/2021; discussed restructuring and hiring staff. Reviewed the purpose of code enforcement; discussed some misconceptions about code enforcement; top complaints are not zoning related. Code enforcement is now under Planning and Zoning; a new supervisor was hired due to a retirement; full time officer started in May; part time officer started in February. The department will continue to look at standard operating procedures and priorities which were last updated in 2018; ideally shifting to proactive enforcement; will focus on repeat and egregious offenders. The department is in the process of completing a massive code rewrite . Code enforcement has seen 678 cases in 2019, 509 in 2020, and 917 in 2021 so far; 35% increase over 2019 and 80% increase over 2020. McGregor asked if the increase in cases is due to more code enforcement officers. Blackford said the percentages of proactive is similar to past years; appears to have increased more due to public; perhaps less cases in 2020 due to COVID. H. RECOMMENDATION FROM PLANNING COMMISSION 1. ORD-0041-2021 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND PART ELEVEN, PLANNING AND ZONING CODE, CHAPTER 1153, GENERAL COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS, SECTIONS 1153.03 - CC COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL City of Gahanna Page 8 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 28, 2021 DISTRICT, OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA. Blackford provided a summary of the presentation he gave at the recent Planning Commission Meeting; meeting minutes attached in file ORD-0041-2021; the request is to amend the code allowing for auto related uses in the CC district; provided a list of uses allowed by conditional use; if the change is approved then they would no longer be allowable by conditional use application; the City has few areas left to develop; less than 10% of the city is vacant land; would like to better align with the Land Use Plan; this is the first step in a larger zoning code rewrite; current auto related uses will be able to remain even if code is changed, but they cannot expand operations. The auto related uses will still be allowed in the CS, OCT, PUD, and SCPD zoning districts. Planning Commission recommended approval unanimously. Renner thanked Blackford; this is a much-needed change; asked about 752, could that be deleted. Blackford said that could be removed, but as of right now, we are not a big city and do not have paid parking lots; by leaving it in, it does not have a negative effect. Renner asked about 751, does that refer to car rentals? Blackford said that language comes from the Department of Labor, but yes that refers to car rentals; there is one in Stoneridge Plaza, which is CC and they could be negatively impacted. Renner said that from time to time there are semi-trucks that park over on the west side; they are noisy and we get complaints; how can that be removed from that area. Blackford said it is most likely a code enforcement issue; does not believe there is anything that would prohibit semi truck parking in a commercial parking lot, but if someone is parking on a roadway that would be up to the Police Department to investigate; signage could be helpful; there is specific code that covers parking in residential areas. Recommended for Introduction/First Reading on 7/6/2021; Back to Committee on 7/12/2021. I. ITEM FROM COUNCIL OFFICE 1. 2021-0116 Liquor Permit Requests: Sexton's Pizza and Social Nail Bar Clerk stated that we received two liquor permit requests and those are attached; each are new permits; there were no objections from the police department. McGregor asked about requested action. Clerk stated that if there were no objections from council, then the permits would be approved; that council could request a hearing if needed. Council had no objections. City of Gahanna Page 9 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 28, 2021 J. ADJOURNMENT Adjourned at 9:03 p.m. City of Gahanna Page 10