Committee of the Whole

City of Groveport 655 Blacklick St. Groveport, OH 43125 614.830.2052 www.groveport.org . Meeting Minutes Tuesday, January 16, 2024 5:30 PM Council Chambers Committee of the Whole Mayor Lance Westcamp Council Members - Jean Ann Hilbert, Ed Dildine, Shawn Cleary, Becky Hutson, Scott Lockett & Jack Rupp Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 16, 2024 I. Call to Order Committee Chair Dildine called the Committee of the Whole meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Staff Present: BJ King - Administrator, Kevin Shannon - Law Director, Jason Carr - Finance Director, Michael Loges - Development Director, Tom Walker - Director of Golf, Casey Adams - Chief of Police, Mindy Kay - Clerk of Council Guests Present: The Guest Book is on file with the Clerk of Council. II. Moment of Silence Committee Chair Dildine 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 - Cleary Present: 5 - Dildine,Hutson,Lockett,Rupp, and Hilbert V. Approval of Minutes The November 20, 2023 Committee of the Whole Minutes stand approved as submitted. #005-2024 November 20, 2023 COTW Minutes Attachments: COTW Minutes 11.20.2023.pdf VI. Business of Guests A. Madison Township Fire Chief Robinson #010-2024 MTFD Monthly Report Attachments: MTFD Monthly Report.pdf B. Madison Township Administrator Susan Brobst City of Groveport Page 1 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 16, 2024 Madison Township Administrator Susan Brobst greeted Council and said that in 2024 a representative from Madison Township will attend each Committee of the Whole meeting and will give an update. If the representative attending is unable to answer a question at the time, they will be sure to get back to Council in a timely manner. She then introduced Madison Township Police Chief Gary York, Commander Victor Boyd, Fire Chief Derek Robinson, and Assistant Chief Chaz Adams. Council Member Hilbert asked if the monthly police report could be made available at each meeting as well, to which Mrs. Brobst and Clerk of Council Kay confirmed the report will be made available to Council. VII. New Business A. Council Salary Discussion Mr. Dildine postponed this discussion until the next Committee of the Whole meeting, due to Mr. Cleary’s absence and Mrs. Hilbert having asked Clerk of Council Kay to research for additional information. Law Director Shannon mentioned that Council can look at Section 3.08: Salaries of Elected Officials in the City Charter for helpful information. VIII. Unfinished Business IX. Ordinances and Resolutions A. 3rd Readings B. 2nd Readings Ord. 2024-001 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING PART FIVE - GENERAL OFFENSES CODE, CHAPTER 505 ANIMALS AND FOWL, OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF GROVEPORT Sponsors: Hutson Attachments: Ord. 2024-001 Exhibit A.pdf Mrs. Hilbert explained that she has a friend who was walking her Chocolate Labrador in another community and another person was walking their dog without a leash. The dog attacked the Labrador and her friend, inflicting some serious damage. She said that since then, she has read of other places where this has happened and stated that she personally feels much better when walking and seeing dogs on a leash. She added that it is much safer for our community, our City of Groveport Page 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 16, 2024 residents, and the dog. You may have the most well-behaved dog in the world but the person walking toward you doesn’t know that. Administrator King agreed and said this would require the dog to be on a leash any time someone has a dog on City property, whether it be on the sidewalk or in the parks. Mr. Lockett said typically he wouldn’t be a big fan of this kind of ordinance, but has spoken with residents about it. It would be different if you were walking a Yorkie not on a leash, but the dogs he’s seen not on leashes are rather large dogs. He added that he would like to propose a dog park in town or one of our parks for consideration next year. Mrs. Hilbert stated she knows a lot of people go to the Rec Center area, where it’s fenced in, and let their dogs run there. She agreed that there should be a place where it’s safe to take your dog. Mr. Lockett commented that people should also be picking up after their dog at the Rec Center. Mrs. Hilbert agreed and said if you’re responsible enough to have a dog, you should be responsible enough to pick up after it too. Mayor Westcamp asked Law Director Shannon who would regulate this if Council passes it. Mr. Shannon stated it is under the criminal section and the Police department would enforce it. Mr. Rupp inquired what the fine would be for someone who gets sited, to which Mr. Shannon replied it is a minor misdemeanor offense and a fine of $0-$150 plus court costs. Mr. Dildine expressed how we need to keep people safe. He said we’ve already banned dogs from community events because of unfortunate incidences where people couldn’t control their dog. He said he likes the idea of a dog park. He said he takes his dog to the park on Lithopolis road and it definitely gets used. A motion was made by Council Member Hutson, seconded by Council Member Hilbert, to recommend approval to the City Council. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Dildine,Hutson,Lockett,Rupp, and Hilbert X. Financial Report Finance Director Carr gave highlights from the Financial report. He said income taxes were 6% higher than 2022. We ended the year at $23.7 million. We collected 27% above our budgeted figure. We had $26.7 million under investment and $706,000 in interest income. This is about $500,000 higher than last year. He said we collected 29% higher than our budget of general fund revenues. We spent 81% of our general fund budget. With those highlights, we ended the year with $14.6million in the general fund, which is $4.7 million higher than 2022 and the highest fund balance we’ve ever had in the general fund. He went on to say our capital projects fund, which also receives income tax, was about $1.1 million higher than last year. Mr. Rupp said he notices we have some investments that are going to mature this year. He asked if we will look for other sources or stay with the City of Groveport Page 3 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 16, 2024 current people they’re with. Mr. Carr said he looks at it by total duration, meaning what’s the total of the years it’s going to mature. Right now, we’re getting about one year. With rates where they’re at, that’s probably still where most of the recommendation lies. We may go out to two to three years to buy a certificate of deposit or whatever is best available at that point in time. Mr. Dildine gave kudos to Mr. Carr and the department heads for putting out such a good budget and only spending 81% of it. Mr. Carr expressed how he appreciates Council’s support. Administrator King added that not only are we only spending 81%, but we’re doing that while still replacing old equipment and getting things like new golf carts. We are certainly spending our money wisely and getting much needed equipment. #011-2024 Financial Report Attachments: Financial Report.pdf XI. Other Business A. JoEllen Stebelton JoEllen Stebelton said she came to speak in support of Ordinance 2024-001, requiring dogs to be on leashes in public spaces. She stated that while she had not been menaced by a large dog, there is a large dog in the neighborhood that frequently goes unleashed. It is large enough to where she is hesitant to make any movement when the dog approaches her. She said she is very cautious with that dog and went on to explain how that particular dog had menaced an acquaintance of hers before. She then stated that after it was brought to his attention, the owner was menacing her acquaintance. She expressed how she feels it is important to be careful that that doesn’t happen as well, and that she is in support of the Ordinance going forward. XII. Reports A. Mayor - Lance Westcamp B. Administrator - BJ King Administrator King reported about a meeting last Thursday with Capital City Towing. They are one of the two firms who will be doing the eighteen heavy hauls for the Intel project. He said it will be an interruption to our traffic as they come through. Mr. Dildine asked if the Township was involved to which Mr. King said yes. Mr. Dildine said he wanted to make sure all the Police Chiefs and Fire Chiefs were all on City of Groveport Page 4 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 16, 2024 the same page. Mr. King went on to say that the first one will come through on February 10th, depending on weather. They will depart Rickenbacker that morning and make their way to 17 up through Rohr. When they get to 317 they will go northbound in the southbound lane. They have to do that so they can zig zag around traffic signals and have enough turning radius to turn onto Bixby. When they get to Bixby, they’re going to pull off on Old Bixby and spend the night there. he then said on the 11th, they’re going to back out and take Bixby up to 33. Mrs. Hilbert asked how big these trucks are and Chief Adams replied 200-250 feet. Mr. King added that they are anywhere from 16-20 feet tall as well. Council and staff continued to discuss the route and concerns about how they will maneuver Bixby road. Mr. King informed Council that there will be maintenance bonds put in place for any damage. He said Bixby isn’t the widest of roads and Intel has been informed they need to notify property owners of any trees that need trimmed. We have a whole list of things we asked for including signage to be put up thirty days in advance. He then said Intel claims it will only take twenty to thirty minutes to get up 317 and park at Bixby. Also, the first truck must reach the intel site and be unloaded before the next one can leave. This will occur about every other two weeks. He then reported he has set up a similar meeting with the other company, Edwards Towing, so we can get their information and share with them what we want to see happening. He said the trucks will be traveling with six State Troopers and thirteen Columbus PD, as well as AEP and contractors to lift any power lines that may need to be lifted. Mayor Westcamp inquired about the weight of the trucks. Mr. King said he would include that in the report he is sending Council. The Mayor and Council then discussed how the trucks are going to make it through the roundabout on Rohr. Mr. Dildine asked if the County would be sending out road closure notifications. Mr. King answered that the County and ODOT would take care of that. In the meeting they said they were going to rely on social media and press releases. Mr. King said not everybody has social media and that he requested the notices so the City can get word out to people. Council and staff continued to discuss the route and changes to traffic patterns. Mrs. Hilbert asked about extra coverage from the Madison Township Police Department. Chief Adams stated he’s working with Lieutenant Short. He stressed that he does not want semi-trucks coming down old Hamilton road as they’re waiting at 317. We’re going to push them west down Bixby road toward Alum Creek Drive. He said he checked the security cameras at 317 and there are a lot of semi-trucks going southbound on Saturday mornings. He said if they come into old downtown they’re going to get lost or stuck somewhere. He reiterated that PD is working to have everyone go westbound. We’ll have to have an officer up there until Columbus PD can come to relieve them. City of Groveport Page 5 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 16, 2024 Council and staff then discussed time frames on the entire trip and the extent of possible damage to the roads. Chief Adams said one of his main concerns is how many power lines are along the routes and said he was assured by AEP there would be no outages. He said he was also assured the truck route will not interfere with Pelotonia and the Air Show this summer. Topics such as departure times and weather restrictions were then discussed. Mr. King then updated Council on the Columbia Gas gas line project. He said he has an internal meeting with them on Friday and there will be a representative at the January 22nd meeting to answer any of Council’s questions. He went on to say that today we reserved our table for the MORPC state of the region event on March 14th from 11:00am-1:00pm. C. Director of Law - Kevin Shannon D. Director of Finance - Jason Carr Mr. Carr reported that non-filing letters for tax years 2022 and prior were mailed out by RITA. He said he would be glad to assist if anyone gets a question or call from a resident. E. Chief of Police - Casey Adams Chief Adams updated Council on newly sworn in Patrolman Josh Dillard. He said he is attending a field training program this week and will be assigned a shift. Patrolman James Reed, Patrolman Freeman Nixon, and Patrolman Gregory Martin are all off their probationary period. He then reported that the body worn camera grant, which is close to $35,000, will be applied to digital evidence storage and giving our officers unlimited data. He then spoke about a grant from the Violent Crime Reduction program. He said they will be buying one camera trailer for us, and that will have license plate readers like our Flock cameras. He went on to say that two of our detectives will be getting free training with the US Secret Service. They will be going down to Alabama for cyber security training. Mr. Dildine stated he’s been seeing a lot of residents’ windows being busted out on social media. He said the thieves are out so make sure your belongings are secured. Chief Adams said he’d seen videos and it appears to be teenagers. It started at Founder’s Bend. It’s very rare for them to bust windows out. Usually they just pull on the door handle. They didn’t really get anything other than change, nothing of real value. He said officers did have a foot pursuit with a juvenile over in Mr. Rupp’s neighborhood. They caught up to him somewhere around the 6000 block at Groveport road. He was detained and turned over to his parents pending future charges. This was going on between the hours City of Groveport Page 6 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 16, 2024 of midnight and 2:00am. Council and Chief Adams spoke about the twelve-year old who fled from officers on Hendron road, as well as possible charges, the Juvenile Detention Center being full, and property damage. Law Director Shannon shed light on the subject, stating it depends on the circumstances. It depends if the child snuck out, if the child is being neglected, and other factors when it comes to charging them. #012-2024 PD Council Report Attachments: PD Council Report.pdf F. Economic Development Director - Michael Loges Economic Development Director Michael Loges said he’s happy to answer any of Council’s questions about his report. He said he and Mr. King had a conversation about a pot of money that the General Assembly made available last year for strategic community investments. It’s a $700 million pot of funding that is over-subscribed to. There are many more requests than that could be possibly been supported at the end of last year. He said we will be having conversations internally in order to potentially get a project on that list. #013-2024 EDEV Council Report Attachments: EDEV Council Report.pdf G. Public Services Director - Brian Strayer #014-2024 PS Council Report Attachments: PS Council Report.pdf H. Chief Building Official - Stephen Moore #015-2024 B&Z Council Report Attachments: B&Z Council Report.pdf I. Director of Golf - Tom Walker Director of Golf Tom Walker stated he is happy to answer any questions Council has about the first round of the market survey in his report. Mr. Lockett inquired about Mr. Walker informing the leagues about a potential increase. Mr. King informed Council that there will be City of Groveport Page 7 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 16, 2024 legislation introduced next Monday, which will be deferred to the Committee of the Whole to discuss golf rates. #016-2024 GOLF Council Report Attachments: GOLF Council Report.pdf J. Recreation Director - Seth Bowers #017-2024 REC Council Report Attachments: REC Council Report.pdf K. Community Affairs Director - Jessica Wyke #018-2024 CA Council Report Attachments: CA Council Report.pdf L. City Engineer - Steve Farst #019-2024 ENG Council Report Attachments: ENG Council Report.pdf M. Director of Transportation / Senior Services - Bob Dowler #020-2024 DOT Council Report Attachments: DOT Council Report.pdf N. Personnel Director / Human Resources - Joyce Myers #021-2024 HR Council Report Attachments: HR Council Report.pdf O. Director of Information Technology - Trevor Swackhamer P. Clerk of Council - Mindy Kay Q. Council Members - Jean Ann Hilbert, Ed Dildine, Shawn Cleary, Becky Hutson, Scott Lockett and Jack Rupp City of Groveport Page 8 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 16, 2024 Mr. Rupp reported that he had attended the first school board meeting of the year, and that they have another special meeting tomorrow night to discuss the schedule for the next two years and some other issues that have come up. He stated he also attended the training session from the American Red Cross at the Rec Center. They did a great job at explaining the registration process and the difference between someone coming into the facility as housing as opposed to someone who is a client. And so, the registration for someone just coming in and sleeping or eating there is different than someone coming in for financial support from the Red Cross. They also talked about mental and social services, pastoral services, health, safety, and security. He said this is a huge benefit to the community to be able to shelter our residents in our Rec Center and that he was very pleased with the training. Mr. Dildine stated that he attended the training as well and it was very informative of how many arms the Red Cross has and what they can get accomplished in a short amount of time. He spoke about how they start with a small area of the building and expand based upon the need, and how most of the time in certain areas the buildings aren’t even getting utilized. There may be fifteen or twenty people in a community of fifty thousand using it, and it’s usually only for a day or two until they can get other stuff figured out. It’s a very positive thing for our community to be able to provide that. He went on to say that the Fire Department is also involved for any medical need, to make sure things are accessible and guidelines are being followed. He added that the Red Cross even has programs with AEP to provide generators. It is definitely interesting what all they provide and how their model has changed with society. Council then talked about police presence in the facilities and how nobody is turned away, even with a criminal background. Registered sex offenders are given separate accommodations. Mr. Lockett said he was recently on a website with all the festivals listed across the state and wondered if Apple Butter Day would be on there. Sure enough, it was. He said please thank Community Affairs Director Jessica Wyke and whoever else is responsible because often times we are left off those lists. Mr. Dildine gave thanks for the opportunity to be President Pro-Tem for the next couple years. He said if there’s anything he can do for anyone to please let him know, and that he is looking forward to the City having another successful year. City of Groveport Page 9 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 16, 2024 XIII. Adjournment Council Member Hilbert made a motion, seconded by Council Member Hutson, to adjourn at 6:15 p.m. All in favor stated AYE, None Opposed. Motion passed. __________________________________________ Edward Dildne, President Pro Tem __________________________________________ 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