City Council

City of Groveport 655 Blacklick St. Groveport, OH 43125 614.830.2052 www.groveport.org . Meeting Minutes Monday, March 27, 2023 6:30 PM Council Chambers City Council Mayor Lance Westcamp Council Members - Jean Ann Hilbert, Ed Dildine, Shawn Cleary, Becky Hutson, Scott Lockett & Jack Rupp City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 I. Call to Order Mayor Lance Westcamp called the City Council meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Staff Present: BJ King - Administrator, Kevin Shannon - Law Director, Jason Carr - Director of Finance, Casey Adams - Chief of Police, Brian Strayer - Public Service Director, Seth Bowers - Recreation Center Director, Joyce Myers - Personnel Director, Annie Short - HR Generalist, Mindy Kay - Assistant Clerk of Council Guests Present: The Guest Book is on file with the Clerk of Council. II. Moment of Silence The Mayor asked everyone to join him in a moment of silence. III. Pledge of Allegiance Chief Adams led the Pledge of Allegiance. IV. Roll Call Absent: 1 - Jean Ann Hilbert Present: 5 - Shawn M. Cleary, Edward Dildine, Becky Hutson, Scott Lockett, and Jack Rupp V. Approval of Minutes The March 13, 2023 City Council Minutes stand approved as submitted. #066-2023 City Council Meeting Minutes March 13, 2023 Attachments: City Council Meeting Minutes March 13, 2023.pdf VI. Business of Guests A. Brenda Longwell Brenda Longwell introduced herself as the VP of the HOA at Founder’s Bend. She said she would like to discuss the shelter, how the decision City of Groveport Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 was made, and if it is what is best for her community. She said she would kindly like to ask the board how they came about with this decision and expressed her concerns of the HOA community not being involved, as well as parking issues and complaints. That particular area has nowhere to park. She also questioned if the shelter would even be used, and added that currently the playground is not used. She said the HOA has spoken to several residents. We asked the residents two questions because we were not given the opportunity to do a survey to ask the community if they’d like a shelter. The first question was “Do you ever see anybody go down to the park with your children at all?” They said no. The second question was “Would you want a shelter there?” They said no. Those answers came from 90% of the community. She went on to say that there was a suggestion from the community that if you want to proceed with a shelter, there is a soccer field across the street. People also walk there, there’s a bike path and also where Groveport hosts food truck events. The shelter would better serve the surrounding communities if it was located there. She stated that the HOA had recently gone to the board and asked for assistance in controlling the geese in our community. We were given the answer no because if they helped our community they would have to help all the communities. She then asked Council if they are putting a shelter in Founder’s Bend, are they putting a shelter in all the other communities. Council Member Lockett asked Mrs. Longwell “When you say board, you’re talking about City Council?” She replied yes, whoever made the decision to put the shelter in. Mayor Westcamp asked Mrs. Longwell “For the record, are you referring to Cruiser Park?” She said yes and said that the playground in Founder’s Bend is not a park and the only way to it is down a path. “The only place for people to park would be on our streets” she added. She said that there have already been several complaints of too many cars parked on the street and there have been calls to the Sheriff’s office. There would be even more complaints if the playground were being used. Council Member Hutson said she believes somebody came to Council and requested a shelter house at the playground. Council Member Lockett agreed and said that James Chilton had requested the shelter. Mrs. Longwell replied that Mr. Chilton is not representing the HOA or the community. Council Member Lockett stated that the shelter was requested in hopes the playground would be used more, so that is how we got to where we are today. Mrs. Longwell said that the HOA would like the community to make that decision. She went on to say that the HOA would have sent a mailer out to the residents and asked for a vote. Council member Dildine stated that it was a misunderstanding on Council’s part and personally, a letter from the HOA stating they the community doesn’t want the shelter house, that is not a no problem. We City of Groveport Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 can put it somewhere else. He added that the playground was put there solely for Founder’s Bend because there is no other park in walking distance for children to go play. It was not put in for any other neighborhood’s use. Council assumed at the time Founder’s Bend residents would be the only community using the playground. Council Member Rupp inquired if the playground was in the development plan. Mrs. Longwell said no, that somebody came to the HOA and asked for a playground. B. Patricia Thacker Patricia Thacker introduced herself as the president of the HOA at Founder’s Bend. She told Council she is speaking on her own behalf not the HOA. She said several homeowners had brought the issue to her attention and said they were concerned about the shelter house being there, particularly the fact that there is no parking. There is no parking on one side of the street, and on the other side is one house where there would be parking all around it. If we had a shelter house the only thing it’d be used for is a gathering. The residents are concerned about where the gatherers would park. She added that her family mostly uses the Log Cabin at Heritage Park for their events because it’s nice and there’s shade. She then said the playground at Founder’s Bend is nice for the kids to have a place to play, although she never sees children playing there. She said she doesn’t see the need for a shelter house, maybe a covered swing would be nice for a parent to sit on while they watch their kids play. She added that she would never go down there for an event or a picnic or anything like that because there’s no parking. She said a shelter house here would not benefit the majority of Groveport. The majority of Groveport has other parks that can be reserved for events. She said the money could be better spent putting in water fountains at Cruiser Park or something other than a Port-A-Potty. She said she thinks that Groveport as a whole takes their kids to Cruiser Park and the little kids have nothing to do when the older kids are playing soccer. A playground over there would be nice. She said she’s not suggesting taking the playground equipment out of Founder’s Bend and putting it at Cruiser Park. She then said if the City wants to add something to the playground at Founder’s Bend they could add a bush or a tree because right now there’s nothing to look at and no shade. She went on to say she can see both sides’ point of view and understands wanting shade there but the majority of the people are not going to be using the shelter. She appreciates that Mr. Chilton cares about his community and wants the best for it. Everybody should care about their community. She then said that she thinks Groveport should be investing money into something that City of Groveport Page 3 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 helps the whole community instead of 120 homes who don’t all have little kids and who aren’t going to utilize the shelter house there. She said she took her great nephew to the playground at Founder’s Bend once and he was ready to leave because there was nobody to play with. She added that with the parking issue, if you build a parking lot which costs a lot of money, nobody would go down there anyway. She also said there is no grill there and would rather go to the Log Cabin. She then said if she were to go to Cruiser Park for a food truck event I would use a shelter house there. She stated that is a busy park and it would look better for Groveport to have a really nice park when you first come into town that everyone can use. She then spoke in regards to the geese that Brenda Longwell had previously mentioned. She said she understands the City’s standpoint on having to do it for each community but Founder’s Bend is the one with the pond. There are certain things that can be done that would reduce the population but you have to have permits and we would have to use a specific specialist to decrease the population of geese. She said she understands that the City didn’t think it would benefit everyone in the community but a shelter house at Founder’s Bend wouldn’t benefit the whole community either. Council and Mayor Westcamp asked if the issue of the geese had come before them. Mrs. Thacker stated that it did not come before Council but it was a request that was made because the HOA has several complaints about the geese. They are a nuisance, as there are hundreds of them. She then suggested a dog park with a fence around the pond would make the geese leave. But again, you would have no parking. She concluded by saying this resource should be for everybody not just a few. Council Member Cleary stated that she is speaking on her own behalf but could also be speaking on the behalf of the HOA. He then asked if two weeks from now would ten people show up saying they would like the shelter house. Mrs. Thacker said that could be a possibility and there was one lady who mentioned liking the idea because it would offer shade. She added if the issue went before the HOA they would have a meeting and take a vote. It would take time to send out a notice but the HOA could do that if it would help make a decision. C. Jonathan Thacker Jonathan Thacker greeted Council and stated that he is against putting in a shelter house. He agrees with Brenda Longwell’s statements about Cruiser Park. We could put more resources into upgrading that park instead of the playground at this time. It would be a much bigger success for the City of Groveport. He said he thinks that more people would support a shelter there, or maybe even putting a restroom there. He said City of Groveport Page 4 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 the City could put a restroom facility there with water supply. We’ve got the food trucks coming in and need facilities for that type of operation. He then said that there is no parking at Founder’s Bend and that nobody even goes to that park. It’s just a playground. He then said it is awesome for the community of Founder’s Bend, he’s taken his children there and it’s in walking distance. He said so is Cruiser Park. He suggested putting in a crosswalk from Founder’s Bend to Cruiser Park would benefit everyone who walks in the community. He then said there are better options for spending these funds than putting them back into a park that is not going to be utilized even if there is a shelter house there. He said we could start by putting a parking lot there then people start to notice that there is a park there in Founder’s Bend. He said we could go from there in regards to building a shelter or not. D. James Chilton James Chilton introduced himself and stated that he is the one who had requested a shelter house be put at the playground in Founder’s Bend. He said he came to the City Council and asked for it because if you want something done you have to go to the City Council. You can’t sit at home. He said he initiated the request because it would be nice to have when you take your family there. He said he understands there’s no parking but everybody in the neighborhood could walk there if they want to go. He then said his grandkids and great grandkids go down there to play and his neighbor’s kids use the park as well. He went on to say he doesn’t know why everyone’s saying nobody uses the park. The only other thing he’d like to see later on is to put some swings there. He concluded by saying he thinks a shelter there would be very nice. E. Continued Discussion Administrator BJ King summarized by saying that the City has a shelter house that was approved in the budget that we could move forward with or not. He recommended the HOA at Founder’s Bend conduct a vote and submit the results to Council. He said the City will not move forward with the shelter until Council receives the results of that vote. Both Council and the HOA agreed. Council member Hutson inquired if the HOA handles such business like the geese as well. Administrator King directed the question to Public Service Director Brian Strayer. Mr. Strayer said the request came in about a month ago and we looked into it in our department. He said he spoke with two different specialists. They advised what would need to be done and then we started calculating what the cost would be. He said they look at a couple different options, one being hiring the specialist and the other was to apply a chemical to City of Groveport Page 5 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 the grass area to hopefully deter the geese. He then said if you do Founder’s Bend you’d have to do Cruiser Park. The geese just go back and forth so they’d have to be controlled on both properties. The cost annually would be $12,765 between the two. He added that is not a one-time thing, that is for one season and a continual effort, as we also have the same problem over at Groveport Park. He said we are constantly having to sweep off that trail because of all the waste from the geese. He said if you look at the long-term cost for just one park that’s an enormous amount of money, and as soon as that happens these other parks are going to be in the same boat, especially Groveport Park. Mayor Westcamp asked what kind of guarantee the specialists gave Mr. Strayer, to which he said there is no guarantee. He said they are methodical in what they do. They start early in the season chasing the geese away, they remove the eggs, they remove the nests and stay on top of it and keep a dog coming in. It is a weekly thing. He went on to say if you break down the cost by week it’s not that expensive, about $165 a week. But if you figure 3-4 hours with a dog and trainer out there chasing the geese, with travel and everything else it’s a very decent price but it adds up very fast. You’re at about $40,000 a year by the time it gets to the rest of the communities that have the issues. He said it was just too much money for the City to invest in one place knowing that’s not the only issue we have. Patricia Thacker then said that in regards to what they have done as a community, they have put several hundred dollars into trying to curb these geese. After a while it doesn’t do any good. There are different things that could be done instead of destroying the nest, because they’ll just build another one. She said she spoke with several people who do goose control and their quotes were not as high. She suggested making it to where they are not able to cross the street into Founder’s Bend because once they lay their eggs the adults start molting, meaning they cannot fly. If we had a fence that kept them out of the neighborhood they would not be able to stay during their molting period. She said they looked into temporary fencing that does not cost much. Brenda Longwell said that the road the geese cross is a main road so she experiences it on a daily basis. As the geese start migrating there it obstructs traffic. We have a landscaper who has to clean the sidewalk weekly. You cannot even walk there sometimes because the feces are so bad. She then said when we bring up other communities she wants Council to keep in mind that Founder’s Bend is on a main road, there is a lot of traffic and those geese do obstruct us as we travel. Council Member Cleary stated that Council had written a grant originally for that playground equipment. He asked if we decide to move it to move it to Cruiser park, would we be allowed? Was the grant written City of Groveport Page 6 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 specifically for that location? He said he wants to make sure if we do decide to move it, we could. Administrator King said he’d take a look at it and let Council know. He said that typically grants have a lifespan on them. Mr. Cleary then thanked everyone for coming in to speak and invited them to come to any Council meeting they’d like. Mayor Westcamp thanked everyone for coming and speaking in front of Council before moving on to the Ordinances and Resolutions. VII. Ordinances and Resolutions A. 3rd Readings Ord. 2023-010 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF NOTES IN THE AMOUNT OF NOT TO EXCEED $1,300,000 IN ANTICIPATION OF THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF DESIGNING, ENGINEERING, AND CONSTRUCTING VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS TO THE CITY'S MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE, WITH RELATED SITE IMPROVEMENTS AND APPURTENANCES THERETO; AND APPROVING RELATED MATTERS Sponsors: Hilbert A motion was made by Council Member Hutson, seconded by Council Member Dildine, to adopt. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Cleary, Dildine, Hutson, Lockett and Rupp Ord. 2023-011 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES IN THE AMOUNT OF NOT TO EXCEED $200,000 IN ANTICIPATION OF THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ACQUIRING VEHICLES AND OTHER RELATED EQUIPMENT FOR MUNICIPAL ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND SERVICING PURPOSES, AND APPROVING RELATED MATTERS Sponsors: Hilbert A motion was made by Council Member Rupp, seconded by Council Member Hutson, to adopt. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Cleary, Dildine, Hutson, Lockett and Rupp Ord. 2023-012 AN ORDINANCE CONSOLIDATING UP TO TWO BOND ANTICIPATION NOTE ISSUES OF THE CITY OF GROVEPORT, OHIO INTO A CONSOLIDATED NOTE ISSUE, AND ESTABLISHING THE TERMS OF SUCH CONSOLIDATED NOTE ISSUE City of Groveport Page 7 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 Sponsors: Hilbert A motion was made by Council Member Hutson, seconded by Council Member Dildine, to adopt. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Cleary, Dildine, Hutson, Lockett and Rupp B. 2nd Readings C. 1st Readings Ord. 2023-013 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE PAY GRADE FOR THE GROUP SWIM INSTRUCTOR, LIFEGUARD, HEAD LIFEGUARD, AND AQUATICS SUPERVISOR CLASSIFICATIONS IN THE RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND THE DECLARATION OF AN EMERGENCY Sponsors: Hutson Attachments: Ord. 2023-013 Exhibit A.pdf Administrator King stated that what we’ve learned and what we’re struggling with is competing with other places for lifeguards. He said the season is right around the corner. We’ve been training people but they leave to go make more money elsewhere after we’ve trained them. Mr. King’s goal is that this amendment will keep us competitive for the years moving forward. If they’re a seasoned lifeguard $14.91 is a competitive rate. Also, the amended language in the ordinance was regarding Swim Instructors. The majority of our Group Swim Instructors are lifeguards. Our group swim lessons sell out all the time. When our lifeguards teach swim lessons their expectation is to make the same amount as they make when they are a lifeguard. That is the reason we’ve amended it to include Group Swim Instructor. Mr. King added that he would recommend approving this amendment so that we can get fully staffed. Mayor Westcamp agreed that was his understanding so that we can stay fully staffed and remain competitive with our pay. Personnel Director Joyce Myers said that it is our hope that that happens. The rates have been going up very quickly and by a lot. She added that we are also in the process of a salary survey study that will also come into play. With those two things we should be in a much better place going forward. Council member Dildine stated that we may have to do a survey every year to stay competitive if everyone else continues to jump their rates up. That’s not just lifeguards, that’s across the board. Mrs. Myers states that’s where the salary survey comes into place and how often you do that. We are putting a lot of thought into it and putting together a really good plan. Mr. Dildine said it seems when we do a survey we don’t do them again for another five or six years and that is a problem. He said this has got to City of Groveport Page 8 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 be an ongoing thing. Council member Hutson stated that the survey should be done before the issue is brought to Council. Administrator King then said that our compensation plan requires us to do a compensation study every three years. That is what we are doing right now. Certainly, if we want to do a survey every year we would need to amend that compensation plan to make it less than every three years. Now we’re getting into the situation where, here we are in year three and in a situation now where we have low lifeguard pay and need staff before the three years is up. So, we have this immediate need for this. We are not talking about any other positions, but if Council wants to change the compensation plan to be more frequent than every three years we can certainly do that. Mr. Cleary said he agrees with that, not just because of the lifeguard situation, but obviously we have great employees here. The only way we’re going to keep them is we’ve got to pay them. He said he is in favor of moving up the compensation plan. We would need to make sure it is in the budget but we do not want to be behind either. Administrator King stated that for this, what he recommends doing is to approve this ordinance tonight and then go through the compensation plan. It will be done within six months. Mrs. Myers confirmed it would be August or September. Mr. King said we would then look into the 2024 budget and also amend the compensation plan to do it more frequently if that is Council’s desire. Council member Rupp then questioned if our rate raise is even sufficient. He said that neighboring municipalities had starting rates upwards to $20 per hour. Mr. King said the current compensation plan allows managers to hire at up to midpoint. If the pay grade changes, it would make the range from $14.91-$19.44 which he said he feels is sufficient. Recreation Center Director Seth Bowers agreed that range is sufficient. He added that he believes that the Recreation center provides a great culture and positive work environment. A lot of the Lifeguards we already have want to stay through the season and work at the Recreation Center year-round as well. He concluded by saying that the pay raise would definitely put us in a competitive spot for the summer. Council member Dildine stated that hopefully this puts us ahead of the curve. He added that with rising unemployment rates we’ve got to be able to do something to get people to work. Hopefully this brings people in and gets them to stay. Administrator King agreed and said to Mrs. Meyer’s point, when we’re looking at the compensation study, we look at many different things. We’re not only looking at salaries, we’re looking at positions, titles and competitive pay. Mr. Dildine inquired if we decide to do a compensation study every year, would it be as intense as every three years or would make the process simpler? Mrs. Hutson raised the point that Council would need the most current information in order to make an informed City of Groveport Page 9 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 vote when dealing with taxpayer dollars. Mr. King stated we would still have the comparables. Finance Director Jason Carr stated that there are a number of things our compensation plan speaks to. Obviously, it speaks to how many years we do a study but part of it is the evaluation process. The compensation plan states that we have a merit-based system and then we can also go to City Council and ask for a cost of living adjustment. If we ask for a cost of living adjustment, that is what changes the salary schedule itself and moves rates up and down. He then said the last cost of living adjustment he can recall coming to Council for was in 2019. He said if we do not do a cost of living adjustment, we’re looking at only doing a merit-based system of raises from zero to 4.5%. By not changing cost of living on a yearly basis, that will impact how far we fall behind the curve. He raised the question of whether we need to go through an annual survey and look at comparables or do we just look at how we do a cost of living adjustment each year and look at what Council is comfortable with in regards to percentage increases. He agreed with Mrs. Hutson that we should be mindful of taxpayer dollars and also how it fits into the budget. He suggested, as we go through this process for this year, maybe we look at every time we do a cost of living adjustment so the scale gets upgraded so we’re not falling behind the curve. Then we can look at how we incorporate the merit-based system to reward those employees who are going above and beyond and try to combine the two together. Maybe that’s something different we can consider and not just go through the same process as we have done in previous years. Mr. King added that with the compensation study we are also forming an internal committee to revamp how we do performance evaluations. In the past if an employee was doing their job and doing well they could get a 2 but everyone’s gotten 4.5. There’s nothing that talks about the intangibles of professional development, leadership and how employees are bettering themselves. If someone wants to just come in and do their job and go home every day so be it, but somebody who is going above and beyond, doing trainings and becoming more valuable to the organization should be compensated for doing such. That is what Mrs. Meyers and the committee are doing internally, to look at those things and see how we can change evaluations. He said it is going to be a huge culture change when we do that. Mr. Dildine said to his understanding, we’ve hired companies to write our evaluation process sheet, and that everything that has to do with compensation is done by Clemans Nelson feedback or input. He said maybe that’s not the route to go. Mayor Westcamp asked how much each compensation study costs to which Mr. King replied that each one is $10,000. Mrs. Meyers said she understands Mrs. Hutson’s point that the compensation study is coming up soon but then we want to City of Groveport Page 10 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 change the rates beforehand for the Lifeguards, and informed Council that the HR department has blown out every opportunity to advertise, to go to schools, to have on-site job fairs, and have shown a lot of applications come in for other departments such as Golf. However, no applications came in for the Lifeguard positions. She said this was very telling and proves that they are not going to come in for a Lifeguard position for the amount of pay we currently offer. Mr. Dildine asked if people go to a Lifeguard school or attend some kind of class before they can apply to be a Lifeguard with us. Mr. Bowers answered that we have Lifeguard instructors who are on staff, including himself, who teach the Lifeguard course. In order to get into the Lifeguard course there are three perquisites an individual would need to complete. They have to swim 300 yards which is twelve lengths of the pool nonstop. It’s not timed but they have to complete it without stopping. The second thing is to tread water for two minutes with no hands. The final and most difficult is the brick test. They have to swim from the shallow end of the pool, surface dive down to the deep end of the pool, pick up a ten-pound brick, place it on their chest, and kick back to the shallow end of the pool without using their arms. If they break at all they fail. Once they get to the shallow end they have to place the brick onto the ledge of the pool. All of this must be completed within a minute and forty seconds. An individual has two chances to complete this task and if they do not pass the second time they cannot enter the class. Once they get into the class they have to pass all of the in- water skills tests, and successfully pass CPR. There are two more tests they have to pass with an 80% or higher, as well as two more final skills tests they have to successfully complete. Mr. Bowers went on to say that a Lifeguard has to complete this course every two years to get recertified. He said we’ve had sixteen people in the class this year and of those sixteen we’ve only hired two. He said what we’re seeing is that people love our culture and are excited to be here and go through the class until they ask how much we pay. He said when we tell them we hire at $11.00 an hour their face drops and we don’t hear from them again. He added we are recruiting as best as we can but it is difficult when we’re up against this rigorous certification process for only $11.00 an hour when other places are offering $13.00-$14.00 an hour. Mr. Dildine asked Mr. Bowers if the Lifeguard certification tests are mandated by the state or if different organizations have different requirements. Mr. Bowers explained that there are different organizations and informed Council that we use the Red Cross’ certification which is pretty much the standard across the state. Mr. Cleary asked Mrs. Meyers if we were to pass this ordinance, how would we get the word out now that it is so late into the season? Mrs. Meyers stated that one of the things they did when they went to the schools was to give away door City of Groveport Page 11 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 prizes. To enter, students would sign up with their email address and phone number. As soon as the ordinance hopefully passes, we will begin to reach out to all those students, inform them of the pay rate and really sell them on the job. She said we will also advertise on the boards and post on Facebook and Instagram. We will also send out an email to all current employees so they can send it to their friends and post it on their social media. Council member Rupp asked it we will be advertising the hourly rate or the range. Mrs. Meyers and Administrator King both said we would advertise the range. Mr. King added that we will let everybody who has recently gone through our Lifeguard classes know as well. We want to prevent people from going elsewhere after we’ve trained them. A motion was made by Council Member Hutson, seconded by Council Member Cleary, to adopt. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Cleary, Dildine, Hutson, Lockett and Rupp VIII. Reports A. Mayor - Lance Westcamp Mayor Westcamp spoke of the recent trip to LifeCare Alliance with some of our staff and Council members. He said it was a good experience stuffing meals on wheels and encouraged everybody to go. Council Member Rupp said it was very enjoyable and the people there have been working for some time and are very dedicated to the program. He said it was great to be able to form a relationship with them and learn from them about their job. Mrs. Hutson added that it is a rewarding experience. B. Administrator - BJ King Administrator King further spoke about LifeCare Alliance and about how they are open to volunteers. He also encouraged any staff or member of Council who would like to volunteer to let him know so that he could sign them up. He said the total volunteer time is an hour. He then reminded Council of the Tree City USA banquet coming up on April 19th. He mentioned that some Council members will be attending and said that if anyone else is interested in attending to let him or Brian Strayer know. He then informed Council that he will be at the Ohio City Managers Association Conference Thursday and Friday of the first week of April as well as MORPC on Friday March 28th. #067-2023 Admin Report to Council City of Groveport Page 12 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 Attachments: Admin Report to Council.pdf C. Chief of Police - Casey Adams Chief Adams wanted to personally thank Brian Strayer and his staff for all the work they’ve recently done at the Police Station. He said it was part of his vision to get all the detectives in one room. They’ve done a phenomenal job. There’s still some tweaking left to be done to the building but it’s nice to see all the progress. He went on to say that Detective Mike Sturgill will be retiring April 6th. We are making plans to start the hiring process and recognize the individuals who will be moving up. He said the three individuals that we hired at the beginning of this year and end of last year will be starting on single status out by themselves probably within the next two weeks. We will be moving a full-time detective back in and will be at full staff with patrol and detectives. He thanked Lieutenant Short with the FBO program. Detective Gilbert and Lieutenant Murphy have had their hands full trying to get all these detectives up and running as well as with investigations and conclusions of a lot of their cases. He said it is nice to see them being resolved. Mayor Westcamp added a kudos to Brian Strayer, Brian Grote, Mike Schweinsberg, Rocky Patete and Jim Roe. He said he ovserved their work ethic the other day with a downed tree. He said these guys are very well trained and did an excellent job. D. Director of Finance - Jason Carr Finance Director Carr stated that the 2022 Audit will be starting next Monday April 3rd. He asked Council to check their emails for anything from the auditor to fill out their fraud questionnaires and also to express any complaints or concerns they may have. E. Director of Law - Kevin Shannon Law Director Kevin Shannon reported that he got a call from Detective Gilbert last week for his assistance regarding the plea offer on the second catalytic converter case. He contacted Ian Jones, Assistant County Prosecutor to work it through. Mr. Shannon said that Mr. Jones told him that Detective Gilbert is the finest detective he has ever worked with. He further stated that he wishes that he had the motivation and the relentless pursuit that Detective Gilbert has as far as finishing a task or a case. Case in point, he said there was a trailer that needed to be found and tracked. It was in Kentucky and Detective Gilbert went to Kentucky City of Groveport Page 13 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 and got that trailer. Mr. Shannon said that there is no question we have very fine officers. Detective Gilbert has impressed so many Prosecutors and various people in the Criminal Justice field and is very well thought of. F. Development Director - Jeff Green G. Council Members - Jean Ann Hilbert, Ed Dildine, Shawn Cleary, Becky Hutson, Scott Lockett and Jack Rupp Council Member Rupp reiterated that even though they only volunteered for one hour at LifeCare Alliance it was a very enjoyable and memorable experience. Mayor Westcamp said he appreciates him going. Council Member Cleary mentioned that he was at Kroger on Saturday and ran into Fire Engine 4 and spoke to them. He asked why they were all the way down here at Groveport Kroger? They said they couldn’t afford Giant Eagle. Mr. Cleary said it was interesting that our demographic is changing so much. He said maybe we should reach out to Kroger and make them aware that we are growing so much and maybe get in contact with the other business owners to get some movement. Mr. Dildine said they closed the Kroger at Refugee Road. Mr. Cleary said that’s great for business at our Kroger and that opportunity is knocking. He added that with the opening of Delaney’s and Little Italy Groveport is hopping right now. Council Member Dildine spoke about the latest school shooting leaving six people dead, three students and three adults. This was a female shooter in a private school of 200 kids. He reminded everyone of our due diligence of “If you see something, say something.” Take care of each other, let’s be in the schools and make sure their safety plan is working like it should and our officers are trained in mass shooting incidents. This is a relatively religious wealthy community, a school of 200 kids that should be well prepared. It is a very unique, terrible situation and should serve as a reminder of due diligence for everybody. He added that it’s not a matter of if, but when. He wants our City and our schools to be as prepared as possible. He said he knows our Police and Fire Departments have done more trainings in recent years than in the past 30 years and that is definitely a step in the right direction. He concluded by saying it is also ever-changing and we are always learning new tactics and new information. H. Clerk of Council - Ruthanne Sargus Ross Assistant Clerk of Council Mindy Kay requested that Council consider City of Groveport Page 14 City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2023 making a motion to appoint her as their designee for certified Public Records training. She is scheduled for a webinar on Tuesday, April 11th 2023. A motion was made by Council Member Cleary, seconded by Council Member Dildine, to approve. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Cleary, Dildine, Hutson, Lockett and Rupp I. Standing Committees IX. Other Business X. Adjournment Council Member Hutson made a motion, seconded by Council Member Cleary to adjourn at 7: 42 p.m. All in favor stated AYE, None Opposed. Motion passed. __________________________________________ Lance Westcamp, Mayor __________________________________________ Mindy Kay Assistant Clerk of Council PLEASE NOTE: THESE MINUTES ARE NOT VERBATIM. A RECORDING OF THE MEETING IS AVAILABLE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS. City of Groveport Page 15