Aurora City Council & COW - 12/16/24

Aurora, Ohio, City Council and Committee of the Whole
​December 16, 2024

Committee of the Whole (COW): The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Chairman John Kudley with all Council members present: Reva Barner, Brad Duguay, Peter French, George Horvat, Sarah Grdina Gardner,  Dennis Kovach, John Seitz and Scott Wolf. There were 10 City Officials and Employees present. There were more than 50 citizens present.

Minutes from November 25, 2024 were adopted  with J. Seitz abstaining.

Finance Director’s Report: Fund balances remain in a healthy position with $51,075,322 unencumbered in all funds and $19,948,666 unencumbered in the General Fund. “Due to the strong performance of our General Fund this year, I am requesting that Council authorize a transfer of $6.85 million out of the General Fund into various capital funds to prepare for our future needs. This should leave the General Fund with a year-end balance comfortably above the $10-$12 million required by our informal fund balance policy”.

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

• An Ordinance reflecting changes in compensation for 1 individual.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the establishment of a non-union, non-exempt full-time Engineering Inspector position in lieu of Assistant Engineering Position which they have been unable to fill.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the establishment of a classified, non-union, non-exempt full-time Project Services Coordinator/Administrative Assistant position – a position that will include new duties with a current job.
  
• An Ordinance selecting the bid of and awarding a contract to Architectural Siding, Trim, and Roofing, Inc. in the amount of $156,860.00 for the replacement of the roof of the facilities building at the former Sea World property. 
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of a Rehlko model KD50MT portable diesel generator from Buckeye Power Sales in the amount of $48,690.00.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal of contract with Speelman Electric, Inc. in the amount of $35,725.00 for electrical improvements at City Hall to make it compliant for the Portable Generator.
  
• An Ordinance requesting a one-year extension with Dynegy for the city’s electric aggregation opt-out program for residents for the term of May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2025.
  
• An Ordinance appropriating and transferring excess operating funds in the amount of $6,850,000.00 from the General Fund with $250,000.00 transferring to the Street Construction, Maintenance and Repair Fund and $6,600,000.00 transferring to the Capital Improvement Fund.
  
• An Ordinance adopting the final appropriation for the City of Aurora.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal to enter into a five-year agricultural use management agreement with Carlton Farms of Mantua to lease 12.30 acres of city owned property located at 619 Bartlett Road at a cost of $142.33 per acre per year.
  

 
Meeting adjourned at 6:20 pm

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City Council (CC):  Council President George Horvat called the meeting to order at 6:24 pm with the Pledge to the Flag of the United States of America. All Council members were present as noted in the COW report. There were 10 City Officials and Employees present and more than 50 people in the gallery.

November 25, 2024 Meeting Minutes were adopted with J. Seitz abstaining.

Police Awards Presentation: 3 Officers and 3 Civilians were honored for their response to rescue a woman pinned in her overturned car on Barrington Blvd. The victim and more than 50 citizens were in attendance to add their support.

Mayor’s Report: The annual holiday blood drive will take place on Tuesday December 24 from 8 am to 2 pm at Fire Station 1 with homemade chili being served to all donors;   City Offices will be closed on December 24, 25, 31 and January 1 in observance of the holiday season; Meetings and events attended include the Holiday Tree Lighting Festival, Aurora Seniors holiday luncheon, retirement celebration for Vic Vigluicci, met with Cub Scout Pack 3265, and attended the Aurora Chamber of Commerce Holiday luncheon to present proclamations and keys to the city to the Chamber’s Person and Business of the Year.

Law Director’s Report: Mr. DiPiero’s reported there was a $30,000 settlement for the Splash Pad repair.

Citizens Comments: None
Council Remarks: None

Ordinances on 2nd Reading:

• An Ordinance approving and adopting the Annual Budget for 2025 went to 3rd Reading.
  

Ordinances on 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance from the Mayor, Horvat and Kovach authorizing the Mayor to enter into a settlement to settle the City of Aurora v. Daniel A. Terreri & Sons, Inc. et al. Litigation matter.
  
• The 10 Ordinances proposed at COW for action on 1st Reading with adopted with rules suspended. See COW for details.
  

Miscellaneous: the 2025 City Council Meeting Calendar was adopted. 1 change was noted that the March 17 meeting would be moved to March 31 because of the holiday, to make sure there would be a quorum.

Citizens Comments: A citizen who lives on the corner of East Blvd and California requested help in finding a solution to people speeding past stopped School Buses and endangering the school age kids trying to get on the bus. G. Horvat will look into solutions.

Council Members Remarks: R. Barner responded to the Citizen’s request, also. G. Horvat wished everyone a Happy New Year.

 The meeting adjourned at 7:00 pm.