City Council

City of Groveport 655 Blacklick St. Groveport, OH 43125 614.830.2052 www.groveport.org . Meeting Minutes Monday, July 10, 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 July 10, 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, Casey Adams - Chief of Police, Jeff Green - Development Director, Mindy Kay - 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 Present: 6 - Shawn M. Cleary, Edward Dildine, Jean Ann Hilbert, Becky Hutson, Scott Lockett, and Jack Rupp V. Approval of Minutes The June 26, 2023 City Council Minutes stand approved as submitted. #141-2023 City Council Meeting Minutes June 26, 2023 Attachments: 2023.06.26 City Council Meeting Minutes.pdf VI. Business of Guests A. Michelle Cuthbert Michelle Cuthbert approached the podium and said she understands that Mr. Casserly has withdrawn his use variance application. She told Council she had a few questions and that there were discrepancies on what he had said on his original application to the Zoning Committee. She said she and the Littles had met with Mr. Casserly and were told they would be given a plan pertaining to his business, and that never happened. She inquired that since he has been working his business on weekends, after hours and did whatever he wanted to do, what would be in place to keep that from happening in the future. Law Director Kevin City of Groveport Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes July 10, 2023 Shannon said we would take enforcement action on him. The only reason we did not take any enforcement action on him before is because he followed the process of applying for a use variance. Once he’s withdrawn that application he cannot continue to operate something which is in violation of the zoning code and of the uses for a residential property. If our Chief Building Official and his inspection crew see anything or receive a report then it will get investigated. If it rises to the level of a violation he can be charged in Mayor’s Court or we have the option of filing a Civil Action in the Environmental Division of the Municipal Court seeking a permanent injunction to enjoin him from violating our zoning code. Mrs. Cuthbert asked if Mr. Casserly could submit another application in the future, to which Mr. Shannon replied he can but he has to follow the same process. There is no shortcut that’s created simply by withdrawing the application. He further explained that in terms of a violation, we have to have proof or evidence to substantiate probably cause to file a charge. Ultimately, we have to have evidence of such a nature to be able to prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of a violation of the zoning code. In terms of a criminal action brought forth in Mayors Court, we have the option to do that or we can proceed civilly. We have to have evidence to substantiate whatever we do as far as enforcement action. Mrs. Cuthbert said she is curious because he doesn’t have a vendor license. She said she called the State of Ohio and they have no record of a vendor license or a subsidiary, as Mr. Casserly had indicated in her meeting with him and the Littles. She added that he has been doing this business for four years, and even today as of the minute he sent in the withdrawal letter. Is there going to be any recourse to get some of those funds or tax dollars back? Mr. Shannon replied that what Mrs. Cuthbert has indicated in the several times she’s spoken to Council as far as his operating, cash he is receiving and not paying taxes on; we have no case that we are actively pursuing against him for any of those issues that you have alleged. Our sole aim from the start has been to reach a resolution as it relates to the use variance issue. If there is evidence as to any violation of law, then the appropriate authority needs to be contacted and we go that route. Mrs. Cuthbert then asked who would report if it’s after hours or on the weekends because he’s already done this so many times. Mr. Shannon said we have a fantastic crew in our Chief Building official’s office and they will, if necessary, go out on weekends and take action. Council Member Dildine then said we have to know about it first and not to hesitate to tell us if she sees something that they don’t. Mr. Shannon stated that hypothetically if someone saw the Mayor at Kroger and told him someone is operating a business illegally or contrary to the zoning laws, the Mayor will inform the Administrator and we’ll get our staff involved. She then asked what Administration would City of Groveport Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes July 10, 2023 need from the neighbors. Mr. Shannon said if you have information as far as sales going on there, where you believe that he is conducting commercial activity as he had been before with respect to the selling of flowers and other items, then give us what you have and we have to evaluate it and determine if it sustains a violation. Council Member Hutson inquired if Mr. Casserly will still be allowed to do yard sale permits, to which Mr. Shannon and Administrator King both replied yes. Council Member Hilbert suggested he sell his items at the farmer’s market. Mrs. Cuthbert asked if a vendor license is needed to sell at the farmer’s market to which Council, Mr. King and Mr. Shannon all said no. Mr. King followed up by saying we have a great zoning department. They’re aware of the withdrawal of the application as well as Chief Adams and his crew. We will certainly keep an eye out for any violations and respond accordingly. B. Rebecca Little Mr. Shannon stated that Mrs. Little had authorized him to speak on her behalf and say that she appreciates the opportunity, but she was not going to speak on our forum. She had a satisfactory explanation as to the withdrawal and ultimate postponement. C. Peggy Jones Peggy Jones said most of her questions were answered but she didn’t hear what was said about the yard. She asked if he can still have his greenhouse and plow in his yard. Mr. Shannon replied that Mr. Casserly has apparently talked with Chief Building Official Stephen Moore about what is permitted with respect to the greenhouse and Mr. Moore has explained the requirements to him. He said if he does not follow those requirements he has every bit of confidence that Mr. Moore will take action. As far as the yard, he has the ability to have yard sales by getting a valid yard sale permit. Mrs. Jones expressed her concern for how Mr. Casserly has plowed up everything and asked if he’s allowed to do that. Mr. Shannon said he can do that as long as he’s not selling. D. Joellen Stebelton Joellen Stebelton addressed Council and said she wanted to publicly recognize our outstanding Police Department in handling the crowd that gathered after the fireworks display on July 4th. We always enjoy the peoplewatching that occurs after the fireworks. We enjoy the small talk with those returning to their homes and cars as they walk past our driveway. But this year there was an unusual phenomenon. A very large City of Groveport Page 3 City Council Meeting Minutes July 10, 2023 crowd had gathered at the south side of Main Street, at the intersection of Front Street. She estimated the crowd being well over a hundred individuals. She said from what she could observe, the crowd was not violent in any way at this time but understands it had been very trying earlier in the evening resulting in the arrest of an individual. But at the time there was no fighting or property damage that we could see. However, the officers were very patient with those in the crowd in spite of the fact that many of them refused to follow direction, for example, crossing the road in front of traffic and being openly defiant with officers’ requests. She said at all times the officers conducted themselves in a professional manner and the crowd was eventually disbursed without incident and that she is proud of all of them. E. Michelle Radcliffe Michelle Radcliffe made Council aware of a hornet’s nest at a home across from her that has grown quite large. There are a lot of hornets flying around that area where children play and the neighbor does not want to do anything about it. She asked if anyone had the authority to step in. She stated the address is 205 College Street, on the corner of College and Elm and that the nest is on the back of the garage along the alley. Law Director Shannon stated that can be a safety issue and that the Chief Building Official would have to review it. It falls along the lines of a property maintenance issue if you’re allowing the accumulation of insects or other harmful things. Mrs. Radcliffe thanked Mr. Shannon and expressed her next concern, being that people are parking their vehicles along the alley right behind her garage, leaving a blind spot. She said it is impossible to see to pull out of the garage. She asked if she could put a no parking sign on her garage or if the alley could be a one-way so that nobody could park there. Administrator King asked if they are blocking her driveway and she said it’s more like an apron to the alley but yes, they do block it. Law Director Shannon said that people should not be blocking the access to her garage. She informed Mr. Shannon that people park there all the time, including the mail truck. She went on to say that a bus from a couple properties away parks in front of her garage a couple times a day. Mr. King confirmed that he had Mrs. Radcliffe’s contact information and told her he would be in contact with her tomorrow. F. Andrew Nimely Andrew Nimely expressed his appreciation to our men in blue. He said he’s been here so many years and was proud that he and his family could be a part of the parade, when they used to be in the crowd watching it. City of Groveport Page 4 City Council Meeting Minutes July 10, 2023 He thanked Mayor Westcamp for his leadership and thanked the organizers of the parade. He then thanked Chief Adams and all the first responders and said they did everything perfectly. He said he appreciates everyone’s dedication and hard work in making the Fourth of July celebration so great. He concluded by giving his full support to Groveport and the first responders as they continue to protect our city. VII. Ordinances and Resolutions A. 3rd Readings Ord. 2023-021 AN ORDINANCE GRANTING A VARIANCE AS TO THE PERMITTED USES IN THE ESTABLISHED ZONING DISTRICT FOR THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 385 MAIN ST, PARCEL NUMBERS 185-000282 AND 185-000283, CURRENTLY ZONED RESIDENTIAL (R-6), BRIAN CASSERLY, APPLICANT Sponsors: Dildine Attachments: Ord. 2023-021 Exhibit A.pdf A motion was made by Council Member Dildine, seconded by Council Member Hilbert, to postpone indefinitely . The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Cleary, Dildine, Hilbert, Hutson, Lockett and Rupp Ord. 2023-026 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATOR TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH GROVEPORT MADISON SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PROVIDE A SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER. Sponsors: Dildine Attachments: Ord. 2023-026 Exhibit A.pdf Administrator King commented that we already have the agreement and there is a companion piece of legislation coming up for first reading. Ordinance 2023-028 will expand the Police Department in order to accommodate for this ordinance. A motion was made by Council Member Dildine, seconded by Council Member Hilbert, to adopt. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Cleary, Dildine, Hilbert, Hutson, Lockett and Rupp Ord. 2023-027 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATOR TO SOLICIT PROPOSALS AND TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH THE COMPANY OR FIRM THAT SUBMITS THE MOST BENEFICIAL AND/OR City of Groveport Page 5 City Council Meeting Minutes July 10, 2023 ACCEPTABLE PROPOSAL TO THE CITY FOR PLANNING SERVICES WITH RESPECT TO THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF "AREA C". Sponsors: Hilbert A motion was made by Council Member Hilbert, seconded by Council Member Dildine, to adopt. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Cleary, Dildine, Hilbert, Hutson, Lockett and Rupp B. 2nd Readings C. 1st Readings Ord. 2023-028 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE 2023-015 ESTABLISHING THE CITY OF GROVEPORT’S POLICE DEPARTMENT STRENGTH OF STAFF. Sponsors: Hutson This Ordinance was referred to the Committee of the Whole Ord. 2023-029 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO PREPARE AND SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE OHIO PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION STATE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND/OR LOCAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM(S) AND TO EXECUTE CONTRACTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PORT ROAD RECONSTRUCTION (PHASE II) PROJECT Sponsors: Lockett This Ordinance was referred to the Committee of the Whole VIII. Reports A. Mayor - Lance Westcamp Mayor Westcamp said July 4th was a great day for the City of Groveport. The parade and entertainment were great and the kid’s games worked out really well. He recognized staff in the Community Affairs, Public Service, Parks, and Police Departments for all their hard work in making it such a success. He addressed the trouble Mrs. Stebelton witnessed and said we’re working on plans for next year. It’s sad how certain individuals can ruin it for everyone. The Fourth of July in the City of Groveport is a family day. After the parade you can walk through town and everybody’s sitting, having a barbeque with their family. He added that most people, including himself and Council, sit in their back yards to City of Groveport Page 6 City Council Meeting Minutes July 10, 2023 watch fireworks. These people are coming from other communities, that we understand. It was a great day and thanked Mrs. Stebelton for her comments and said that we know we have a number one Police Department. B. Administrator - BJ King Administrator King added to the comments on July 4th, stating there was a lot of planning that went into it and all of our community events. He then spoke about the meeting with EMA he attended last Thursday with Chief Adams about implementing a notification system. He said we are going to be able to launch this. We just need to come up with a creative six to eight letter phrase that allows us to use it. It can be used for anything, there are no limitations. We certainly don’t want to over use it, but it can be used for road closures, community event reminders, emergencies, whatever it may be. He said he just got an email today that the account has been set up and added that we are going to create a QR code and get the word out to the community probably within four to six weeks. He added that there will be an option for people to opt in or opt out of notifications. He went on to say that IT Director Trevor Swackhamer is on the verge of launching an IT support ticket system that we’re going to be able to use internally for reporting issues. This will allow users and administration to submit and view the status of tickets. He said this project should be complete in a couple of weeks. Mayor Westcamp thanked Council Member Rupp for also being a part of setting up our EMA notification system. C. Chief of Police - Casey Adams Chief Adams expressed how excited he is about the new EMA notification system, not only for emergencies but for getting messages out on traffic patterns and other things. He then spoke about July 4th and how he had the honor of driving in the parade with passengers Emma Graham, who won the raffle the Groveport Elementary school’s carnival, and her father. He said he gave her the PA mic and she shouted “Happy Fourth of July Everybody!” and it felt like the first real post pandemic Fourth of July with everyone’s patriotism in hearing her saying that. He then said the main frustration with the fireworks was traffic and trying to get people out. The real positive of the night is we had no reported injuries. Our officers were tired but stayed the whole night and made sure the city was kept safe. He added that the camera trailer was a true asset. Council Member Cleary inquired about the new Flock cameras the City is buying, and if one would benefit in an area or event like this. Chief Adams said they would not, because they take still pictures and concentrate on an object or a license plate. He also informed Mr. Cleary City of Groveport Page 7 City Council Meeting Minutes July 10, 2023 that they have three mobile pro cameras in additional to the camera trailer. He said he’s worked with AEP and Public Services Director Brian Strayer and his crew and we’re pretty close to getting those up and running. One of them will be in front of the Rarey’s Port Building, which will help with some footage out there. The second camera will be at the intersection of Groveport Road and 317, and the third will be at 317 and Old Hamilton Road. He said those cameras will take video, which will help in injury accidents and being able to monitor traffic patterns. Council Member Dildine asked if it would be beneficial to rent a couple more of the camera trailers for the next Fourth of July event. Chief Adams said he’d have to see if they rent those and that he would actually like to use an upcoming grant to purchase another one. He said that Detective Gilbert has moved around the one we have to several areas that need monitored and it does deter. He added that detective Gilbert has already volunteered to maybe even man the laptop to run that trailer during the Fourth of July and maybe move the PTZ camera to where we can zoom in and out and monitor the crowd that way. Council Member Rupp inquired if there had been any consideration for the use of drones at any of our special events. Chief Adams said the trouble with a drone is that some of the air space will be part of Rickenbacker and we’d have to watch how high the drones go. He added that there are grants and trainings out there and he’s been looking into finding which officer wants to take that project on. The FAA has actually sent inspectors out to test fly drones and see if the radar at Rickenbacker picks them up. Mr. Dildine stated that Bloom Township Fire Department received a grant for a drone so we can see how that’s working for them. Chief Adams said that currently we are using Franklin County’s drones, which are very expensive, but knows there are less expensive ones available. D. Director of Finance - Jason Carr E. Director of Law - Kevin Shannon F. Development Director - Jeff Green Mr. Green informed Council that leases had been signed for the last two spaces at Rarey’s Port, Lissy Bee’s Boutique and Choptank Agency. Bids have come in from the contractors for the tentative improvements. We will be working with Leukco Construction and the turn around time will hopefully be about ninety days. The small business training classes will be starting on August 29th. There will be two intense sessions to begin with, and then sessions every Tuesday up through November 7th. City of Groveport Page 8 City Council Meeting Minutes July 10, 2023 G. Council Members - Jean Ann Hilbert, Ed Dildine, Shawn Cleary, Becky Hutson, Scott Lockett and Jack Rupp Council Member Rupp echoed how well the Fourth of July celebration went. He said he and his family certainly enjoy it year after year. He then informed Council that he will be attending a conference the week of the next Committee of the Whole meeting and will not be in attendance. Mayor Westcamp reminded everyone that the intersection of Rohr Road and 317 will be closing on the 17th for the construction of the roundabout. He asked Chief Adams if the detours were ready. Chief Adams said they are. Council Member Cleary asked if any decision had been made about having a Council Meeting at the Groveport Elementary School in celebration of its 100th year. Mayor Westcamp said as of now, no, but the celebration for the school will be on August 5th. H. Clerk of Council - Mindy Kay I. Standing Committees Council Member Dildine stated that before tonight’s Council Meeting we had a Trees and Decorations Committee Meeting. The upcoming Apple Butter Day and Haunted Forest events were briefly talked about, as the committee is getting prepared for them. He said the committee also talked about the completion of the Tree Inventory and the maintenance and removal. We got a recommendation from the company that did it. There was extra money left over in the budget so they came up with a plan to eliminate some of the bad trees and replace them with good trees. An email came in from a resident regarding planting more trees at the schools on Arbor Day next year. The resident suggested planting trees to create a shade barrier between Groveport Elementary School and Wirt Road. He then said the committee followed up about the sign at the entrance to The Orchard subdivision. We figured out that when it was originally put up by the developer it was put on private property and then when it was moved, it was moved to the city right-of-way. The committee is looking at options such as taking it out, replacing it, and seeing what the residents want done with it. He went on to say that the group of pine trees by Kroger along 317 will be coming out and something else planted there because they’re overgrown. The committee is looking at any other potential area where this could also be a problem. IX. Other Business City of Groveport Page 9 City Council Meeting Minutes July 10, 2023 A. Angela Leist Angela Leist spoke to Council about her experience with the Fourth of July fireworks. She said she was behind the businesses when the fireworks started and had given her video footage to officers. She explained that there was a bomb that went off about ten feet from her and her daughter and said she thinks we definitely need some type of video camera system in that area for everyone’s safety. She added that she was scared for the officers at one point because the group started running and she didn’t know what was going to happen. At that point she told her daughter to go inside. She reiterated that there needs to be video footage taken in that area. She said she witnessed the roman candle go off right by the food truck and saw the person get immediately arrested, but at that point she thought for sure there was going to be a stampede of people. She said she doesn’t know why Madison-Township wasn’t there to offer more Police help and there should definitely be more surveillance. Mrs. Hilbert asked if Mrs. Leist had security cameras on the back of her building, to which she said yes and the officers talked to Mr. Steelesmith at the Veterinary Clinic next door. She said she isn’t sure what footage they got. Chief Adams stated they did receive video and are still conducting investigations. Mrs. Leist thanked the Police Department and applauded them on handling the situation so well. X. Adjournment Council Member Rupp made a motion, seconded by Council Member Hilbert to adjourn at 7: 13 p.m. All in favor stated AYE, None Opposed. Motion passed. __________________________________________ Lance Westcamp, Mayor __________________________________________ Mindy Kay 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 10