Aurora City Council and COW - 10/9/23

City Council and Committee of the Whole - October 9, 2023
Aurora, Ohio

Committee of the Whole (COW): The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Chairman  John Kudley with all council members present: Reva Barner, Brad Duguay, Peter French, Sarah Grdina Gilmore, Harold Hatridge, George Horvat, Dennis Kovach and Scott Wolf, There were 5 City Officials/Employees and 5 citizens present.

September 25, 2023 minutes were adopted with P. French, D. Kovach and S. Grdina Gilmore abstaining.

             There were 2 Ordinances proposed for Action that evening on 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance declaring as surplus and unnecessary certain property so that those items can be advertised and disposed of via online auction.  
  
• A Resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the Budget Commission and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the County Auditor for implementation of 2024 tax rates.
  

There was 1 Ordinance proposed for 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance accepting the proposal of and authorizing the Mayor to enter into a five-year contract with Flock Safety in the amount of $17,500 per year for license plate readers. Aurora already has 7 of these.
  

There were 9 Ordinances proposed that will go on the October 23 agenda:

• The Reappointment of Deborah Davis, Rob Swaney and Kim Pease to the Tree Commission
  
• The Reappointment of Joel Snider and Michael Hydell to the Earned Income Tax Board of Review through 2026.
  
• The Reappointment of Frank Vitale and Bruce Geier to the Audit Committee.
  
• The Reappointment of Anthony Gramm to the Board of Zoning Appeals.
  
• The Reappointment of Jim Maulis to the Planning Commission.
  

 The Meeting adjourned at 6:40 pm

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City Council (CC):  Council President G. Horvat called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the Pledge to the Flag of the United States of America.   All Council members were present  as noted in COW Report. There were 8 people in the gallery.

 Reconsideration of a Prior Action: There was change order for Ronyak Paving for paving of the Hanes Parking lot at 10 S. Chillicothe Rd. Funding will come from a more appropriate fund. It passed with Rules Suspended with B. Duguay voting no.

Minutes from the September 25, 2023 meeting were adopted with P. French, S. Grdina Gilmore and D. Kovach abstaining.

Executive Session: There was an 11 minute Executive Session to discuss the Acquisition of Real Property.

 Mayor’s Report: The Mayor thanked the Aurora Chamber of Commerce and the city employees for putting on the Fall Festival remarking that a lot of people braved the weather to enjoy the day. Cemetery cleanup starts October 16 and Decorations may be replaced Saturday October 21. The City will begin annual curbside leaf pickup Monday October 16, continuing through the fall season until snow stops it. Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat is Saturday, October 28th from 1-3 at Hartman Park. Senior Leaf Raking event is on Saturday November 4th.. There were meetings with the Chamber of Commerce Executive Board and the Aurora School Board; Spoke at the Manny Berenholtz Way street dedication; attended ribbon cutting ceremonies for Aurora Spirit Gear Dry Cleaners and K and M Tire; taped her Community Focus report for October and attended the LWV Candidates Night and the Fall Festival at Sunny Lake. She also noted the passing of Dick Fetzer, Aurora Histocial Society past President.

Law Director’s Report: There were no questions for Mr. DePiero.

Citizens Comments: None

Council Remarks: None

Ordinances on 3rd  Reading:

• Ordinance 2023-104 for the Purchase of 40 acres of land and 53.63 acres of Geauga Lake with a Trail Lake Loop easement from ICP remains postponed. 
  
• An Ordinance accepting for dedication the watermain and sanitary sewer on East Pioneer Trail was adopted.
  

Ordinances on 1st reading:

• An Ordinance accepting an easement from 251 West Garfield LLC for the purpose of constructing a sidewalk at 251 West Garfield went to 2nd Reading.
  
• An Ordinance granting a 50%, 15 year tax abatement of real property taxes to Elm Aurora LTD (Goddard School and Aurora Dental) was adopted with rules suspended.
  
• An Ordinance accepting for dedication the roadways,watermains, storm sewers and sanitary sewers and dedicated easements within the Hawthorn subdivision, Phase 6A (Nancy Drive and Joseph Drive) went to 2nd Reading.
  
• The 2 Ordinances proposed at COW for Action that evening were adopted with rules suspended.
  
• The Ordinance for the five-year contract with Flock Safety went to 2nd Reading.
  

Miscellaneous:  None

Citizens Comments: Harry Caplin read the letter he submitted to the Planning Commission, City Council, Law Director and Mayor concerning his 7.14 acre parcel between the City Service facility and McDonalds with Cresco Real Estate. He wished to call attention to 2 issues that will arise upon negotiating the sale of the property. It was appraised at $1,400,000. Candidate for School Board Molly Schneider spoke about her candidacy and her commitment to open communication. Candidate for School Board Jennifer Klich introduced herself and her desire to be elected to the Aurora School Board. Miriam Connor, current VP of the School Board is running for reelection.

Council Members and Committee Remarks: S. Wolf asked for support of the Aurora Soccer players; R. Barner Thanked the City for the beautiful Fall decorations and thanked the candidates for coming to the meeting.

 The meeting adjourned at 7:34 pm.