Aurora City Council/COW - 3/13/23

Aurora Ohio City Council and Committee of the Whole - March 13, 2023

Committee of the Whole (COW): The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Chairman John Kudley with all other council members present:  Reva Barner, Brad Duguay, Peter French, Sarah Grdina Gilmore, Harold Hatridge, George Horvat, Dennis Kovach, and Scott Wolf. There were 11 City Officials and Employees present and 7 people in the gallery.
​
There were 12 Ordinances proposed for action that evening and 1 Resolution proposed for the March 27 agenda:

• Employees Generally: 6 Employees affected, some new hires, rehires, change in compensation
• An Ordinance approving the Income Tax Split with the Aurora City Schools due to Tax Abatements in the amount of $235,628  less $59,946 for a Resource Officer with the net amount being $175,682.
• An Ordinance for the purchase of LIFEPAX 15 V4 Cardiac Monitor/Defibrillator for the Fire Department at a cost of $29,473.90.
• An Ordinance for the Purchase of a 25 yard Chassis Mounted Leaf Collector for the Service Dept. at a cost of $236,366.36
• A 1 year Contract with H&M Landscaping for the 2023 Turf and Landscape Maintenance at a cost of $63,630. They have provided this service to the City in the past.
• The Purchase of 3 Flow Meters to monitor the City’s Sanitary Sewer Collection at a cost of $37,728.
• A Contract with Asphalt Fabrics for Joint/Crack Sealing in the amount of $36,519.
• A 1 year Contract with Perrin Asphalt for the 2023 Concrete Rehabilitation Program.
• A 1 year Contract with Dura Mark Inc. for the 2023 Road Striping Program at a price not to exceed $125,834.13.
• A 1 year Contract with Signal Service Company for the 2023 Traffic Signal Maintenance Program at a cost of $1,980 and $65/hr for repairs. The low price is due to the newness of the Traffic Signals still under warranty.
• A Contract with Hejduk-Cox and Associates, Inc for design of sidewalks on New Hudson Rd from SR 82 to E. Pioneer Trail at a cost of $49,232.
• A Resolution for the Reappointment of Marge Bjerregaard to the PARTA Board of Trustees.
• An Ordinance for the purchase of a Ford F-150 for the Fire Dept that will cost $41,686 with a $4,000 trade in for a 2010 Impala.

​Meeting adjourned at 6:52 pm.

---

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

Minutes from the February 27 meeting were adopted.

 Mayor’s Report: Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin gave tribute to “longtime resident and visionary developer Manny Barenholtz” who recently passed away. She announced that Thorncreek Winery has been sold to the owners of Sapphire Creek who will continue to operate it as a dining and event center under the name Orchid Place.  State Representative Gail Pavliga will hold office hours at the Walker Building on March 16 from 4-7 and residents can sign up for a meeting time. She met with the owner of the Chagrin Valley Times and the publisher of the Portager to discuss options for news coverage in Aurora since The Aurora Advocate will cease publication. She gave her State of the City address to the Aurora Seniors and attended the Aurora High School Orchestra’s spring concert and fundraiser.

 Citizens Comments: 1 Citizen expressed concern about the proposed Storage Facility on Page Rd and how it will be sited. The owner of the property Greens of Aurora, that will have a Goddard School built on, thanked the planning commission for accepting the proposal. A Chatham Drive resident thanked Council for the proposed Parking Ordinance that she believes will help keep property values up.

Council Remarks: 3 Council members expressed opinions that another day care facility is needed in Aurora since there are waiting lists for the 2 existing facilities and numbers of preschool age children continues to increase. J. Kudley said that even though the Parking Ordinance won’t resolve everyone’s concerns about parking in front yards since it is complaint driven, it is the best alternative at this time.

Ordinances on 3rd Reading:

• Ordinance amending “Prohibited Standing or Parking Places” was adopted.
  
• Ordinance approving a Conditional Zoning Certificate for the property located in the Greens of Aurora which will become the home of Goddard School was adopted. A letter from a neighbor expressing concerns about this was put into the record.
  
• A Resolution to submit an application for a Clean Ohio Trail Fund Grant with the state of Ohio for the construction of a section of Aurora Trail was adopted.
  

Ordinances on 1st Reading:

• A contract with United Systems and Software for the Purchase of Itron ERT transmitters and parts for meter reading devices went to 2nd Reading
  
• A contract with Everett J. Prescott for the purchase of water meters and parts went to 2nd Reading
  
• An Ordinance granting a Conditional Zoning Certificate (CZC) for a climate controlled storage facility on Page Road went to 2nd Reading.
  

• The 12 Ordinances proposed at COW for action that evening were adopted with rules suspended. See Committee of the Whole report for details.
  

Miscellaneous: The Orchid House Winery LLC is having the liquor license from Thorncreek transferred to them.
               
Citizens Comments: Another resident from Chatham Drive thanked Council for passing the Parking Ordinance.

Council Members and Committee Remarks: None

 The meeting adjourned at 7:40 pm.