Tallmadge City Council Regular Business Meeting (2013-2019)

REGULAR MEETING in Council Chambers @ 7:00 p.m. June 23, 16 1. CALL TO ORDER: President of Council Donovan called the Regular Council meeting of Thursday, June 23, 2016 to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. PRAYER: Rev. John Schleup, First Congregational Church, Tallmadge. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. 3. ROLL CALL: Mr. Donovan, Mrs. Kilway, Mrs. Ray, Mr. Rensel, Mr. Sisak, Mr. Stalnaker, Ms. Tricaso – present. Also present were Mayor Kline, Economic Developer Rita Weinberg, Dir. of Pub. Service Esler, Ass’t. Dir. of Finance Burns, Ass’t. Dir. of Law Scavelli and Clerk of Council Burton. 4. MINUTES: 6-9-16 Regular Council meeting minutes. Pres. of Council: Mr. Rensel pointed out that there was an error. Mr. Rensel: Mr. Stalnaker is listed as present; he was absent and so the Clerk of Council has agreed to change it. So, if you want to hold off until the next meeting to approve it; that’s fine. We can make a motion to edit it and only those present can approve it. I’m OK with that. Pres. of Council: Well, let’s do that. Mr. Rensel: Sure. I move to accept, with the revisions as stated. Seconded Mrs. Ray. Voice vote 4-0. The 6-9-16 Regular Council meeting minutes were approved by a vote of 4-0. Pres. of Council: The minutes will be accepted with the alterations. FINANCIAL REPORTS: None. 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None. 6. COMMUNITY INPUT: Pres. of Council: Is there anybody who would like to address Council this evening? No one responded. 6.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS: None. 7. REPORTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES: None. 8. AGENDA ADDITIONS: None. 9. REPORTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS: MAYOR, DIR. OF PUBLIC SERVICE, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, DIRECTOR OF LAW AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPER Mayor: Thank you Mr. Chairman. I will be very brief. Just a reminder that Jack Cooper, former Service Director for the City of Tallmadge, did pass away this week. His funeral services will be this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Methodist Church right across from Munroe School. There are no calling hours. The family; it looked like they will greet the public after the service. Jack was a great mentor to me, being that I had to follow in his footsteps as Service Director, but even prior to that when I was a Councilperson; we would always go to Jack with questions and he taught me a lot of good things when I was a Councilperson and he will be sorely missed. They are a great family; great Tallmadge family. My heart goes out to them. Keep him and the family in your thoughts and prayers. I would ask for your consideration for Item No. 10, Ord. 44-2016; Item No. 11, Ord. 45-2016; Item No. 12, Ord. 46-2016; and when Item 13, Ord. 54-2016 comes up; I would like to talk about it a little bit. End of report. Mr. Sisak: Do we have an update on North Avenue? Dir. of Pub. Service: They continue to work on the storm water. Things are a little slower than we had hoped just because we are still waiting on Ameritech to get all of their stuff moved so the poles can be removed that are in their way. We met with Summit Soil and Water today. They handle the storm water pollution prevention for the site next door and also the person who handles it for the North Avenue Project and they are going to come up with a report for next Wednesday. We meet bi-weekly with the contractors and the utilities and so they are going to come up with a report hopefully and do a little bit better of keeping the job clean. Mayor: Bi-monthly. You said bi-weekly. We meet daily, but . . . Dir. of Pub. Service: Paving is supposed to begin on July 11th in the Highlands. Tallmadge Asphalt was awarded that contract. The Paving Marking Project was awarded to JD Striping. The Memorandum of Understanding for the Freedom Portage Hike & Bike Trail Project; that is being circulated right now and I believe that Metro Parks has signed it. So as soon as we get that all signed, our street crews will work on doing the widening to that trail. We have an Equipment Operator test for July 6th; a written test at the Community Center at 6:00 p.m. We have two people retiring and so we need to replace them. As the Mayor said, Item 13, Ord. 54-2016; I would ask for 2nd Reading adoption. That is allowing us to go after some funds for sewer lining. End of report. Mr. Rensel: Mr. Esler; your meeting is bi-monthly or by-weekly? Dir. of Pub. Service: Every two weeks. Mr. Rensel: Every two weeks. OK. Thank you. Do they have a Project Manager or do you keep minutes? Dir. of Pub. Service: Yes; of the meetings. Mr. Rensel: Of the meetings; yes and a punch list or whatever . . . for all the major activity? Dir. of Pub. Service: Well, there is not really a punch list until the end of the project. But, yes, they do keep minutes.  REGULAR MEETING in Council Chambers @ 7:00 p.m. June 23, 16 Mr. Rensel: So, if any one of us wanted to see what was going on, we could stop by your office? Dir. of Pub. Service: Sure. Mr. Rensel: Great. Thank you sir. Ass’t. Dir. of Finance: No report at this time. Ass’t. Dir. of Law: No report. Economic Developer: No report this evening. Mrs. Ray: I actually do have a question and I don’t know if I should address it to the Mayor or the Finance Director or Economic Director, but it seems to me, from what I have been noticing in town, that we have a fair number of empty houses that are foreclosed houses and most of the time it catches my eye because the grass is very, very high. I know that we have an ordinance that once a house goes into foreclosure, whoever forecloses on the property; you are supposed to report that to the City. Do we have any idea how many foreclosed homes we currently have in the City and if that has increased year over year at this point in time? It just seems to me like on almost every street that I am driving down in Tallmadge there is at least one of those homes. Mayor: Some of the homes are not foreclosed that have high weeds. Mrs. Ray: Well; true. That’s true. Mayor: People are living in them and some of them just don’t care. They . . . I don’t know the sites because I don’t see that many that are coming in. I know we have just a handful that are chronic that we have to go after every couple weeks to have them mowed, but the number of foreclosed homes; I’m not aware of a lot of them. Rita; I don’t know if you . . . I mean, if you have specific addresses . . . Mrs. Ray: Yeah; there are a couple. Mayor: We do a pretty good job on property maintenance. Mrs. Ray: There is actually one on Northeast Avenue across from my husband’s business and that grass has been pretty high for about a month and they finally did cut it the other day, but again, that property specifically looks like there is nobody in that house. OK. I just wondered because I believe there is an ordinance that we are supposed to get notice if a house does go into foreclosure. Mayor: That doesn’t work. Mrs. Ray: Alright that’s fine. Thank you. Mr. Rensel: Thank you. A similar question this brings to mind; the property adjacent to the power station . . . that was cleared almost two years ago because we were going to put an emergency medical center or whatever and it is now overgrown again and it really is not kept well. Mayor: There are requirements to mow that; it is 15’ off of the public right-of-way being a vacant lot. So, off the sidewalk; they only have to mow back so far. The reason that was put on hold is because when Akron General Hospital and Cleveland Clinic started doing the merge; they stopped all future building and so that site . . . discussing with the doctor that was wanting to go in there; he said that he still wants to get that back on track, but that is not a requirement to mow going deep into that site. If you recall what it used to look like before that. Mr. Rensel: Oh yeah; I recall very well. Big trees too. Mayor: Yeah, big trees and heavy grass. Mr. Rensel: Mr. Rocco’s property; I thought I heard the Economic Director tell us that it was optioned or sold. Is there an update on that? Economic Developer: You are talking about Maplecrest? Mr. Rensel: No. Economic Developer: Rocco on West Avenue? All I know is that the one parcel is already sold at Sheriff’s sale and the company that bought that one is in conversations with Rocco, but I don’t know that he has entered into any agreement with him to have an option on it. He would like to buy the whole site for development. Mayor: Only 12 acres went to the Sheriff’s sale which is the old Rocco’s building going back to where the senior housing . . . or the apartments were approved, but there are still 3 acres in the back by Overdale that was not part of that and a couple acres along Nottingham was not part of that and the building where the book store is; that was not part of it either. But this gentleman who purchased the 12 acres is in favor or trying to get the entire site. Mr. Rensel: OK; makes sense. Thank you. Thank you Mr. President. Pres. of Council: Is there anybody else? No one responded. 10. Ordinance 44-2016 At 3rd Reading. PERSONNEL Establishing the number of employees by department and position pursuant to R.C. 731.08 and providing for immediate enact- ment. Mrs. Kilway moved for the adoption of Ord. 44-2016. Seconded Mr. Stalnaker. Roll Call: Mrs. Kilway, Mrs. Ray, Mr. Rensel, Mr. Sisak, Mr. Stalnaker, Ms. Tricaso, Mr. Donovan – unanimous. Ord. 44- 2016 is adopted by a vote of 7-0. 2  REGULAR MEETING in Council Chambers @ 7:00 p.m. June 23, 16 11. Ordinance 45-2016 At 3rd Reading. PLANNING & ZONING Amending Ordinance 63-2015 approving and granting a conditional zoning certificate to owner/applicant Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 219 for use as offices and educa- tional institution for Local Union 219 offices, union hall and apprentice training at 1655 Brittain Road. Mr. Sisak moved for the adoption of Ord. 45-2016. Seconded Mrs. Ray. Roll Call: Mrs. Ray, Mr. Rensel, Mr. Sisak, Mr. Stalnaker, Ms. Tricaso, Mr. Donovan, Mrs. Kilway – unanimous. Ord. 45-2016 is adopted by a vote of 7-0. 12. Ordinance 49-2016 At 3rd Reading. PLANNING & ZONING Amending and supplementing Ordinance 107-2005 approving and granting a condi- tional zoning certificate to applicant/owner K. Hovnanian Woodridge LLC for develop- ment of a 65-unit single-family detached planned residential development east of Dunbar Road and south of Eastwood Avenue. Mr. Sisak moved for the adoption of Ord. 49-2016. Seconded Mrs. Kilway. Roll Call: Mr. Rensel – no, Mr. Sisak – yes, Mr. Stalnaker – yes, Ms. Tricaso – yes, Mr. Donovan – yes, Mrs. Kilway – yes, Mrs. Ray – yes. Ord. 49-2016 is adopted by a vote of 6-1. 13. Ordinance 54-2016 At 2nd Reading. FINANCE Authorizing the City of Tallmadge to pre- pare and submit an application to parti- cipate in the Ohio Public Works Commis- sion State Capital Improvement and/or Local Transportation Improvement Pro- gram(s) and to execute contracts as required and providing for immediate enactment. Mrs. Ray moved for the adoption of Ord. 54-2016. Seconded Mr. Sisak. Mayor: What this ordinance actually is, and I apologize for not really going into more detail on Monday. Pat Sauner who is putting the grants together; this is trying to allow us to apply for a grant for the sewer lining of Evergreen and Sunset View sanitary sewer rehab. We have televised those streets in the last couple years and it has been determined that both of those would help the sewer system if they were relined and so with that grant . . . there is no guarantee that we are going to get the grant, but just that we need the ordinance adopted with the plans before they will consider the grant and Bryan might have more detail for you if you if you have any other questions. Pres. of Council: Is there any further discussion? No one responded. Roll Call: Mr. Sisak, Mr. Stalnaker, Ms. Tricaso, Mr. Donovan, Mrs. Kilway, Mrs. Ray, Mr. Rensel – unanimous. Ord. 54-2016 is adopted by a vote of 7-0. 14. Ordinance 55-2016 At 2nd Reading. COMMUNITY ISSUES/SAFETY Authorizing the Mayor to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tallmadge Board of Education for a School Resource Officer and providing for imme- diate enactment. Pres. of Council: Ord. 55-2016 is at 2nd Reading and will remain before the Community Issues/Safety Committee. Mayor: Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to let Council know that the Memorandum of Understanding should be in the “K” drive coming up here towards the middle of next week. Mrs. Raber is out of town and in discussing this with the Chief, who just got it to review it; he wanted to review a couple things with Jeff Ferguson before it really got to us and so I won’t expect Council to even consider this until you have a clear understanding of that Memorandum of Understanding with the school district. 3  REGULAR MEETING in Council Chambers @ 7:00 p.m. June 23, 16 15. Ordinance 56-2016 At 1st Reading. FINANCE Authorizing payment of a moral claim not to exceed $24,226.56 to George Serba and Deborah Serba for a water main break at 51 Southeast Avenue and providing for immediate enactment. Pres. of Council: Ord. 56-2016 is at 1st Reading and is assigned to the Finance Committee. 16. Ordinance 57-2016 At 1st Reading. PUBLIC SERVICE Authorizing the Mayor to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Miami Valley Fire/EMS Alliance for the City of Tallmadge Fire Department to participate in Ohio Task Force 1 and providing for immediate enactment. Pres. of Council: Ord. 57-2016 is at 1st Reading and is assigned to the Public Service Committee. Mayor: That Memorandum of Understanding is in the “K” drive or in your folders that you can get to. Pres. of Council: Is there anything else to come before Council this evening? No one responded. 17. ADDITIONAL ITEMS: None. 18. ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Rensel moved to adjourn. Seconded Mrs. Kilway. Voice vote 7-0. The Regular Council meeting of 6-23-16 adjourned at 7:18 p.m. sb Approved: _____________________________________ __________________________________ Susan E. Burton James M. Donovan Clerk of Council President of Council 4