Aurora City Council & COW - 11/11/24

Aurora City Council and Committee of the Whole - ​November 11, 2024
​Aurora, Ohio

Committee of the Whole (COW): The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Chairman John Kudley with Council members present: Reva Barner, Brad Duguay, Peter French, George Horvat, Sarah Grdina Gardner,  Dennis Kovach, and Scott Wolf. Council member absent: John Seitz. There were 10 City Officials and Employees present. There were 3 citizens present.

Minutes from October 28, 2024 were adopted with Sarah Grdina Gardner abstaining.

 There were 10 Ordinances and 2 Resolutions proposed for action that evening on 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance reflecting changes in compensation for 1 individual- a part time sports monitor.
  
• A Resolution confirming the Mayor’s appointment of Dr. Philip Keyser to the Board of Health of Portage County combined General Health District, for the term ending March 1, 2026.
  
• A Resolution confirming the Mayor’s appointment of Mr. Gary Cook to Aurora’s Tree Commission for the term ending December 31, 2027.
  
• An Ordinance extending the moratorium an additional 90 days with respect to the submission and acceptance of permits for vape shops, e-cigarette shops, smoke shops, tobacco shops and shops that sell any product related to CBD.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing payment to Knewco, Inc. DBS Paul Davis Restoration of Cleveland Metro & Akron in an amount not to exceed $31,025.67 for restoration work at 905 Sweet Grass Circle.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing an additional $3,869.50 for the existing contract with C&J Contractor’s Inc for the asbestos abatement and demolition of the FEMA properties within the Geauga Lake neighborhood.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the quotation of Grade Line, Inc in the amount of $19,858.00 to perform additional erosion control gabion basket work along a stream crossing Eldridge Rd.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal of Strand Associates, Inc in an amount not to exceed $40,000.00 to perform professional engineering services in relation to the city’s Stormwater Master Plan.
  
• An Ordinance rejecting all bids received for the renovations at 10 S. Chillicothe Rd as the city only received one bid that exceeded the engineering estimate by 10%.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the quotation of Bobcat for the purchase of a new Coneqtec Manhole Cutter in the amount of $47,250.00.
  
• An Ordinance awarding a contract to Perrin Asphalt for the Aurora Trail, Phase 1 project in the amount of $1,254,581.35.
  
• An Ordinance awarding a contract to Summit Construction Company in the amount of $62,308.40 for improvements to the men’s locker room at the Police Department.
  

 
Meeting adjourned at 6:20 pm

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City Council (CC):  Council President George Horvat called the meeting to order at 6:28 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 10 City Officials and Employees present and 3 people in the gallery.

October 28, 2024 Meeting Minutes were adopted with Sarah Grdina Gardner abstaining.

There was a 10 minute Executive Session to discuss Imminent Litigation.

Mayor’s Report: She thanked all who attended and participated in the Veterans Day ceremony; City offices will be closed on November 28 and 29 for Thanksgiving; The Holiday Tree Lighting Festival will be on Saturday November 30 from 4:30-7:00 at Bicentennial Park; Breakfast with Santa is on December 7 at Bertram Inn and is currently full; The Holiday Lights Tour is a new event featuring decorated homes and businesses, running from December 13-31. A map of participating locations will be available. The Mayor attended the student Presidential Debate at Aurora High School; attended and spoke at the historical marker dedication at the Converse Hurd building; attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new inclusive playground at Leighton Elementary School; spoke at the Veterans Day ceremony and attending the lunch for Senior Veterans at the Walker Building.

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 authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with Zoneco, LLC in the amount of $98,330.00 to evaluate, update, rewrite and modernize the city’s existing zoning code and subdivision regulations was adopted.
  

Ordinances on 2nd Reading:

• An Ordinance authorizing the renewal of a five-year contract with Ltech Solutions Ltd. In the amount of $150,000.00 per year for information technology consulting services went to 3rd Reading.
  
• An Ordinance increasing the threshold for capital asset tracking from $2,000.00 to $5,000.00 and the threshold for inventory tracing from $500.00 to $5,000.00 to more closely align with the best practices recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association retroactive to January 1, 2024 went to 3rd Reading.
  
• The Ordinance concerning Hejduk-Cox was adopted with rules suspended.
  
• The 8 Resolutions concerning the reappointment to various boards and commissions went to 3rd Reading.
  

Ordinances and Resolutions on 1st Reading:

• The 2 Resolutions and 8 Ordinances proposed at COW were adopted with Rules suspended. See COW report for details
  

Miscellaneous: 
   There was 1 Liquor Notice for Cafe Tandoor- a transfer.

Citizens Comments: None
Council Members Remarks: D. Kovach commented to Chief Byard about the Police Citizen Academy working out very well. J. Kudley said the High School football is advancing.

 The meeting adjourned at 7:07 pm.

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