Aurora City Council & COW - 10/14/24

Aurora City Council & Committee of the Whole - October 14, 2024
​Aurora Ohio

Committee of the Whole (COW): The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Vice Chairman Scott Wolf with Council members present: Reva Barner, Brad Duguay, Peter French, Sarah Grdina Gardner, Dennis Kovach, John Seitz. Council members absent: George Horvat and John Kudley. There were 10 City Officials and Employees present. There were 4 citizens present.

Minutes from September 23, 2024 were adopted with R. Barner, P. French and S. Grdina Gardner abstaining.

 There were 4 Ordinances proposed for action that evening on 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance accepting the quotation of Grade Line, Inc in the amount of $31,415.00 for the Culvert Replacement Project on Page Road near Bartlett Rd.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a membership and participation agreement with Metro Swat with an annual membership fee of $5,152.86.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the renewal of the city’s employee life, AD&D and long-term disability coverage through Lincoln Life Insurance Co in an amount not to exceed $37,969.00 annually.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing for disposal of city assets no longer needed for municipal purposes via online auction.
  

There were 2 Ordinances proposed for 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance granting a CRA tax abatement to Piping Rock Health Products, LLC for 100%, 12-year abatement of real property taxes.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing a contract with ZoneCo, LLC to update the zoning code and subdivision regulations.
  

There were 2 Ordinances proposed for the October 28 Agenda

• An Ordinance for a contract renewal for IT Services with Ltech Solutions Ltd.
  
• An Amendment of Resolution 2003-162 adjusting thresholds for capital asset and inventory tracking.
  

The meeting adjourned at 6:43 pm

City Council (CC):  Council Vice President Dennis Kovach called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the Pledge to the Flag of the United States of America. Council members were present or absent as noted in the COW report. There were 9 City Officials and Employees present and 7 people in the gallery.

September 30, 2024 Special Meeting Minutes were adopted with S. Grdina Gardner abstaining.

The Mayor gave a Proclamation to Samuel Colmery- Ranger Sam- for his 19 years as the City’s first Park Ranger and his years of service to the City in various roles.

Mayor’s Report: A Thank you to all city employees for a successful Fall Festival; Cemetery clean up starting the week of October 21; Members of the Administration and City Council will be volunteering at the concession stand during the Aurora High School Football game on October 18; Chamber of Commerce Trunk or Treat will be on October 26 from 1-3 pm; Trick or Treat is on October31 from 6-8 pm; Senior Leaf Raking on Saturday November 2; Geauga Lake redevelopment plans are proceeding.

Law Director’s Report: Mr. DiPiero’s report was included in the packet.

Citizens Comments: None

Council Remarks: None

Ordinance on 3rd Reading:

• An Ordinance from Planning Commission granting a conditional zoning certificate to MJ Property Group, LLC for a storage facility located at 300 Lena Drive was adopted.
  

Ordinances on 2nd Reading:

• An Ordinance accepting for dedication the roadways, watermains, storm sewers and sanitary sewers located within the right-of-way and dedicated easements within the Hawthorn subdivision, Phase 6B went to 3rd Reading.
  
• An Ordinance to enter into a one year contract with Spar Clean in an amount not to exceed $55,920.80 annually for the cleaning of city buildings was adopted with rules suspended.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of 18 Automated External Defibrillators from Stryker in the amount of $33,074.98 went to 3rd Reading.
  

Ordinances on 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance approving and adopting the current replacement pages of the Aurora Codified Ordinances, as prepared by the Walter H. Drane Company and verified by the Clerk of Council was adopted with rules suspended.
  
• The 4 Ordinances proposed for Action that evening were adopted with rules suspended. See COW for details.
  
• The 2 Ordinances on 1st Reading went to 2nd Reading. See COW for details.
  

Miscellaneous: There was further discussion about changing the starting time for the COW/CC meetings. It was proposed that COW start at 6:00 followed by City Council. Several Council members spoke in favor of this citing conflicts with the School Board meetings and having a consistent start time.

Citizens Comments: The co-chairs for Citizens Committee for Quality Schools spoke in favor of the upcoming school bond issue on the November 5 ballot, saying they have worked diligently to run an informative campaign- addressing everyone.

Council Members Remarks: R. Barner remarked how beautiful the City looks and giving a plug to the new restaurant Wrap City.

 The meeting adjourned at 7:38 pm.

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