Committee of the Whole

City of Groveport 655 Blacklick St. Groveport, OH 43125 614.830.2052 www.groveport.org Meeting Minutes Monday, March 16, 2015 6:30 PM Council Chambers Committee of the Whole Mayor Lance Westcamp Council Members - Ed Rarey, Jean Ann Hilbert, Donna Drury, Ed Dildine, Shawn Cleary & Becky Hutson Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 16, 2015 I. Call to Order by Committee Chair Cleary at 6:30 p.m. Staff Present: Marsha Hall - Administrator, Kevin Shannon - Law Director, Jeff Green - Director of Finance, Stephen Moore - Chief Building Official, Patty Storts - Community Affairs Director, Steve Farst - Engineer, Dennis Moore - Public Works Superintendent, Kyle Lund - Parks and Recreation Director, Tom Walker - Director of Golf, Ralph Portier - Chief of Police Guests Present: The Guest Book is on file with the Clerk of Council. II. Moment of Silence Committee Chair Cleary asked everyone to join him in a moment of silence. III. Pledge of Allegiance Chief Portier led the Pledge of Allegiance. IV. Roll Call Absent: 1 - Council Member Hilbert Present: 5 - Council Member Cleary, Council Member Dildine, Council Member Drury, Council Member Hutson, and Council Member Rarey V. Approval of Minutes - February 17, 2015 Approved as submitted. #044-2015 COTW Meeting Minutes 2-17-15 Attachments: COTW Meeting Minutes 2-17-15.pdf VI. Business of Guests a. Madison Township Fire Chief Bates - Monthly Update Madison Township Fire Chief Bates referred to the 2014 Annual Report submitted in Council's January 17, 2014 Committee of the Whole packet. Chief Bates reported in respect to the department's Automatic Aid there was a difference of 24 incidents in the number of Automatic Aid given to other agencies and the Automatic Aid City of Groveport Page 1 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 16, 2015 Madison Township Fire received. Of the 913 aids received, a Madison Township Unit was not assigned to the incident for one reason or another. 2014 was the busiest year in the history of the Madison Township Fire Department with 6,295 runs. Madison Township Trustees approved a 5.25 mil fire levy to be placed on the ballot this spring. The levy will help support the five-year plan which includes putting a third medic into service and implementation of the equipment replacement schedule. Fire Marshall Rick Stelzer will be retiring on May 1, 2015. Chief Bates' recommendation to the Madison Township Trustees was promoting Scott Hite to the position of Fire Marshall. Scott has been in the Fire Prevention Bureau for several years, has been doing a good job and working toward the position of Fire Marshall. The department has bid out Scott Hite's current position and Jim Embree from Station 182, on 1 Unit has been awarded the position of Fire Inspector. Jim Embree had several years of experience before he joined Madison Township Fire working as a fire inspector at Ohio State, giving him field experience doing fire inspections. The department is working with Chief Portier and Warren Motts on departmental training sessions for later this spring. Sessions will be scheduled once they finish the development of the class. Madison Township Fire Department will be a beta site for a new national movement on the way to approach firefighting. Madison Township staff will beta test the class here and parts of the class were shared with the police department last week when Firefighter Ruetsch did training with police staff. Not opening doors and windows until fire units get to the scene has been recognized as a big issue. The department has been busy with several incidents: the fire on Westport Drive, the warehouse roof collapse on Port Road, plus Fire Marshall Stelzer and Groveport Chief Building Official Stephen Moore working together on the roof collapse. #045-2015 MTFD February 2015 Monthly Report Attachments: MTFD February 2015 Monthly Report.pdf VII. New Business None VIII. Unfinished Business None IX. Ordinances and Resolutions City of Groveport Page 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 16, 2015 A. 3rd Readings None B. 2nd Readings ORD. 15-012 AN ORDINANCE CREATING THE POSITION OF DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION, ACCEPTING THE POSITION DESCRIPTION AND PAY GRADE THEREFORE Sponsors: Rarey Attachments: ORD. 15-012 Director of Transportation Job Description.pdf Administrator Marsha Hall stated she and Assistant Administrator / Finance Director Jeff Green had come to Council in January regarding meetings held with some of the City's industrial developments. The companies have the inability to obtain and retain qualified employees due to a lack of transportation. At that time, Council gave the go ahead for Ms. Hall and Mr. Green to start putting together a shuttle system that would start from where COTA leaves off and go out to the various buildings. They met with New Albany, who has started their own system, to see how it worked. They also met with the shuttle vendor who provides New Albany with service for drivers instead of the municipality hiring drivers. This company has been involved with MORPC and COTA on this issue for some time. Groveport is at the place where someone needs to be brought on board to oversee that area. What staff wants to do is create the department, bring someone on board to be in charge of the transportation issues and move Senior Transportation under the Department of Transportation. The department would oversee scheduling, maintain vehicles, assist with the workforce program and fill in as the need arises. The City will need to have someone on board if Groveport is to meet their goal of having this program in place by September 1, 2015. The businesses need the program in place by then, or as close to the 1st as possible, due to the start of hiring for their busy season. Assistant Administrator / Finance Director Jeff Green added staff has met with these companies individually, and in groups, all are excited that Groveport will be implementing this program. They have indicated they cannot go through another year without something to fill in the gap of transportation to the warehouses. Mr. Green stated the shuttle company mentioned by Ms. Hall has stated they are willing to do whatever Groveport wants to help the City put the program together. Groveport will market the program once it it up and City of Groveport Page 3 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 16, 2015 running and get more companies to buy into the program. Several companies have expressed a willingness to participate financially. Mr. Green stated COTA comes as far as Homer Ohio Lane and there is a stop at Eddie Bauer. COTA does not serve any of the industrial park where GAP is located or any other businesses. Lacking any sidewalks, or any type of pedestrian infrastructure in the industrial parks, people are walking in the roadways to get to work. There are issues with late at night when the buses stop running, weekends and the heavy seasonal hours. Council Member Cleary asked if Homer Ohio Lane is the City's rendezvous point and someone is picked up, then brought back but the bus won't run until 6:00 a.m., would they be taken to a different location. Mr. Green responded the service would pick people up a little before 6:00 a.m. to get them to the warehouses by six to start their shift, then the service would be there at shift change and a final run at the last shift at 11:00 p.m. The City has the run schedules coordinated with COTA to coincide with the program. In 2017 COTA will be increasing their service, not further down, just in the number of runs. Mr. Cleary expressed concerns with implementing this program and serving only one person, Council would need numbers, if this program doesn't go, Groveport could lose. Ms. Hall responded one thing the shuttle company can do for the City is to use their own vehicles for the first year. It saves the City the expense of investing in vehicles until it can be determined how well the program is running. The businesses have said they will buy in and are willing to finance the program. They just weren't willing to run the program. Mr. Cleary inquired since COTA cannot provide the service for those businesses and their workers, are there any grants or monies out there to supplement the program. Ms. Hall stated COTA has said they could help the City finance any stop shelters needed. Also, COTA would be willing to administer grants, which involve a lot of information, should the City want to purchase buses in the future. Mr. Green commented COTA, regardless of how much they expend, simply cannot add that last mile on their runs. New Albany had the same push from their businesses to do something about the same concerns. New Albany hired someone to create a marketing program for them. Mr. Green and Ms. Hall talked with New Albany's Development Director, Jennifer Chrysler, who stated after September the numbers steadily picked up. The program has become so popular they had to add more routes and buses. Unemployment is hovering around 3% in Central Ohio, a boon to Groveport but a bane to the companies, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. Eddie Bauer spent over $7,000 over last Thanksgiving weekend just to get people to their warehouse. GAP currently has 1700 employees with no service by COTA. All of Groveport's companies are expanding. SK Food Group has people walking down Toy Road and one employee was hit by a car while walking. It is a risk on the City's part, but a calculated risk that needs to be taken. City of Groveport Page 4 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 16, 2015 Groveport cannot run the risk of losing any of these companies. If companies are struggling to get people in to work, or keep them working and moving products out, then the City will have companies going somewhere else. Groveport wants to do whatever it can to keep the companies here. Mr. Green believes this is just a new way of looking at incentives. Our City has provided tax abatements to get the companies here but unfortunately today's workforce has issues; transportation issues, childcare issues, etc. The companies are asking for help, they will be part of the solution but they cannot run a transportation service. Chair Cleary read by title Ordinance No.15-012. A motion was made by Council Member Dildine, seconded by Council Member Drury, to recommend approval to the City Council. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5 - Cleary, Dildine, Drury, Hutson and Rarey ORD. 15-013 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATOR TO CREATE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PURSUANT TO GROVEPORT CITY CHARTER SECTION 7.05 AND TO FURTHER ADD THE POSITION OF DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION TO SAID NEWLY CREATED DEPARTMENT Sponsors: Cleary Administrator Marsha Hall stated this Ordinance will add the Department of Transportation to the City's Organizational Chart. Chair Cleary read by title Ordinance No.15-013. A motion was made by Council Member Dildine, seconded by Council Member Hutson, to recommend approval to the City Council. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5 - Cleary, Dildine, Drury, Hutson and Rarey X. Financial Report Finance Director Jeff Green referred to the Financial Report submitted in Council's packet. Income taxes are up again this year. February 2015 was approximately 20% higher than February 2014. The City had a bit of a deficit in January due to lower than expected business taxes, but withholding was way up and more than made up for that deficit. #046-2015 Attachments: Finance Report February 2015.pdf City of Groveport Page 5 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 16, 2015 XI. Other Business None XII. Reports A. Mayor - Lance Westcamp Nothing to report. B. Administrator - Marsha Hall Nothing further to report. #047-2015 Adm Report to Council - Mar 16 Attachments: Adm Report to Council - Mar 16.pdf C. Director of Law - Kevin Shannon Nothing to report. D. Director of Finance - Jeff Green Nothing further to report. E. Chief of Police - Ralph Portier Chief Portier reported a correction to his submitted report in regards to the mileage. Mileage was actually about 18,000 miles. #048-2015 Attachments: PD Council Report 3-16-15.pdf F. Public Works Superintendent - Dennis Moore Public Works Superintendent Dennis Moore requested Council to consider legislation for the City's participation in the ODOT Cooperative Purchasing Program for the purchase of rock salt. It is a one hundred percent purchase this year, the tonnage the City puts in for is the amount that has to be purchased. Mr. Moore will provide Council with the price of the salt after the contract goes out for bid. This year crews have put down around 850 tons of salt. ODOT is asking for proof of adopted legislation by April 1, 2015. City of Groveport Page 6 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 16, 2015 Council Member Dildine asked if crews are working on a pothole repair plan. Crews have been putting down cold patch in between snows for the last month. Mr. Dildine requested Mr. Moore check into areas with good sized potholes: Green Avenue @ Tallman Street and Greenhill Drive @ Rohr Road. #049-2015 PW Mar 2015 Council Report Attachments: PW Mar 2015 Council Report.pdf G. Chief Building Official - Stephen Moore Chief Building Official Stephen Moore updated Council on the building with the roof collapse. Repairs to the outside of the building have been made except in the collapse area. This Wednesday workers will remove the steel from the building for the inspectors, engineers and other interested parties to examine. After that point the engineer will look inside the building at the collapsed area to determine what failed on the structure. There have been some repairs and tenants have been given access to enter the building to remove what they can of their products. For the last two weeks the fire department has the structure on a fire watch due to no fire suppression in the building. Tenants have been using part of the new Rickenbacker 717 warehouse next door as a temporary storage area for their merchandise. Building & Zoning is working on getting plans approved so the tenants can obtain an occupancy permit to allow them to work in the building. #050-2015 Attachments: B & Z Council Report March 2015.pdf H. Director of Golf - Tom Walker Director of Golf Tom Walker reported there has been some flooding at the golf course but the weather has brought out the golfers. #051-2015 Golf Report to Mayor and Council 3-16-15 Attachments: Golf Report to Mayor and Council 3-16-15.pdf I. Parks & Recreation Director - Kyle Lund Parks & Recreation Director Kyle Lund reported there are some plots available at the community garden if anyone is interested. The Easter Hunt is coming up on the 28th of March starting at noon with different age groups running until 4:00 p.m. and the Easter Bunny at 5:30 p.m. City of Groveport Page 7 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 16, 2015 at the Groveport Recreation Center. Mr. Lund provided Council with a draft hardcopy of the 2015 April Newsletter "The Connection". J. Community Affairs Director - Patty Storts Community Affairs Director Patty Storts reported Town Hall held the St. Patrick's Day Irish Gig on Sunday, March 15th with around 125 people in attendance. #052-2015 CA Council Report - March 2015 Attachments: CA Council Report - March 2015.pdf K. Director of Facilities Management - Tom Byrne Not present. #053-2015 FM 3-16-15 status Attachments: FM 3-16-15 status.pdf L. City Engineer - Steve Farst Nothing further to report. #054-2015 EngineersReport_3_11_15 Attachments: EngineersReport_3_11_15.pdf M. Clerk of Council - Ruthanne Sargus Ross Nothing to report. N. Council Members - Ed Rarey, Jean Ann Hilbert, Donna Drury, Ed Dildine, Shawn Cleary and Becky Hutson Council Member Drury informed Council she received a call regarding the fence at Ace Hardware. The resident wanted to know why the fence has a gap allowing trash to collect on their property. City Engineer Steve Farst responded the screening intended to be completed is a combination of fence and landscape plantings depicted on the development plan approved by Council. The fencing has been completed per the development plan. The landscape plantings will take place this spring. Once the landscaping is completed, it will help with the matter of trash blowing onto homeowners' properties. The resident expressed concerns about the City of Groveport Page 8 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 16, 2015 trash and people walking through the gap in the fence. Mr. Farst will look into the matter. Council Member Cleary raised the matter of baseball season patrons parking on Cron Drive. Ms. Hall stated they are still deciding on what to do and are considering fencing off the whole area. XIII. Adjournment A motion was made by Council Member Dildine, seconded by Council Member Hutson, to adjourn at 7:02 p.m. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5 - Cleary, Dildine, Drury, Hutson and Rarey __________________________________________ Shawn M. Cleary, President Pro-Tem __________________________________________ Ruthanne Sargus Ross, 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 9