Aurora City Council & COW - 8/12/24

Aurora Ohio City Council and Committee of the Whole
August 12, 2024

Committee of the Whole (COW): The meeting was called to order at 6:45 by Chairman John Kudley with Council members present: Brad Duguay, Peter French, Sarah Grdina Gardner, George Horvat, Dennis Kovach and John Seitz. Reva Barner and Scott Wolf were absent. There were 7 City Officials and Employees present. There were 5 citizens present.

Minutes from July 22, 2024 were adopted.

Finance Director’s Report: Tim Clymer reported the “Fund balances remain in a healthy position with $46,889,005 unencumbered in all funds, and $18,852,506 unencumbered in the General Fund- a comfortable balance”. His report was accepted.

 There were 6 Ordinances proposed for action this evening on 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance amending “Employees Generally” to reflect changes in compensation for 3 employees.
• An Ordinance for the submission of unpaid lawn nuisance invoices to the Portage County Auditor.
• An Ordinance for the submission of unpaid water and sewer invoices to the Portage County Auditor.
• An Ordinance to enter into an extension agreement not to exceed $34,000.00 with James G. Zupka, CPA for financial auditing for 1 more year.
• An Ordinance authorizing an additional $65,416.09 to Northeast Ohio Trenching Service, Inc. for additional work performed in the field on the replacement of waterlines on Maple Lane, Fox Hill Dr and SR 43/Pioneer Trail as a result of subsurface field conditions.
• An Ordinance accepting the quotation of Bain Enterprises in the amount of $20,580.00 for the purchase of two Ver-Mac Automated Flagger Assistance Devices in order to secure the grant monies through the State Bureau of Workers Compensation.

There was 1 Ordinance proposed for 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of bulk road salt from Cargill, Inc. at the price of $43.70 per ton (basic salt) and $61.22 per ton (Clearlane) in an amount not to exceed $310,000.00 for the 2024-2025 Snow Season.

The meeting adjourned at 6:58 pm

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. Council members were present and absent as noted in the COW report. There were 7 City Officials and Employees present and 5 people in the gallery.

July 22, 2024 Minutes were adopted.

Mayor’s Report: Read by Karen Pope: Items included: The canceling of National Night Out event due to the severe weather and thanks to the Safety Forces and Service Dept who managed road closures and downed trees. She met with representatives from the Aurora Historical Society, recorded her August Community Focus report had, a discussion with the Cleveland Jewish News, attended the annual Unity Walk at Sunny Lake Park and presented a proclamation to Brian Miller at his Court of Honor Ceremony.

Law Director’s Report: Mr. DiPiero’s report was included in the packet. “To date the City has received $17,620.00” from the National Opioid Litigation and expects to receive an additional $16,516.34 in upcoming weeks.

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.

Ordinance on 2nd Reading:

• The Ordinance for a contract with Chagrin Valley Engineering proposed for 1st Reading  went to 3rd Reading.

The 6 Ordinances proposed at COW for adoption on 1st Reading were adopted with Rules Suspended. See COW report for details.

Ordinance on 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of bulk road salt from Cargill, Inc. went to 2nd Reading.

Citizens Comments: Rachel Reight and her co-chair for the Aurora’s School Levy Citizens Committee spoke about the upcoming bond issue and what they hope to use the funds for. They are planning on hosting Information Nights in the neighborhoods. April Secura, President of the LWV of NPC spoke about the concern people have about voting security. LWVNPC, with guest speaker Terrie Nielsen, Deputy Director, Portage Board of Elections, will be hosting “Inside the Ballot Box” at Hiram College at 6:30 pm on September 4.

Council Members Remarks: B. Duguay said a lot of citizens in Ward 1 were affected by the storm. He said the FEMA grant will help and more money and alternate solutions are needed. J. Kudley said people can also reach out to the Councilmen at Large to express their concerns.

 The meeting adjourned at 7.22 pm.