CITY OF TWINSBURG, OHIO
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005
Mr. Steve Murphy President of
Council called this meeting to order at 8:15 PM.
INVOCATION & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
Mrs. Studer bestowed the
Invocation. Council led in the Pledge
of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL:
PRESENT: B.
Furey, W. Hon, B. McDermott, S. Murphy, A. Romito, S. Scaffide & J. Studer
ALSO PRESENT: Mayor Katherine Procop
Charles
K. Webster, Law Director
Cynthia
A. Kaderle, Clerk of Council
The minutes of the regular Council meeting of February 8,
2005 stand approved as written.
DEPARTMENT HEAD REPORTS/COMMUNICATION (MAYOR’S REPORT):
Finance Department:
§
City Income Tax receipts as of February 16, 2005 totaled 2.4
million compared to February 16, 2004 were in receipts of 2.1 million. This reflects an increase of 12%.
Fire Department:
Police Department:
Parks and
Recreation Department:
COMMITTEE AND/OR COMMISSION REPORTS:
§
Recycle met February 7, 2005 and they were concerned about
the upcoming interviews and who would be on the Committee. They are starting to
discuss this year’s household hazardous waste collection. The next meeting will be March 7, 2005 at
7:00 PM.
§
Environmental Commission met last month but stated he was
unable to attend. Stated he sent an
e-mail to Mr. Murphy requesting to be removed from that Commission due to time
restraints and stated if any other Council member would be willing to serve on
that Commission he would appreciate it.
Due to the time restraints he would never be able to make the meetings.
§
Architectural Review Board met last week and Mr. Romito read
a letter from Ryan Homes regarding the shingles to be used specifically in the
Highlands subdivision.
§
The Safety Committee met this evening and discussed 4 Police
cruisers that the City is going to purchase and in this case the City has to
purchase from Ford instead of Chrysler as Chrysler does not make Police
cruisers.
§
The Safety Committee met this evening regarding the fire
station and the Committee recommended scheme B2 for the fire station, which is
6,926 sq. ft. at an estimated cost of $897,750.00, which is $124.00 a sq. ft.
§
BZA did not meet since the last
meeting and Mr. Furey will give the Capital Improvement report as he sat in for
her.
§
The Capital Improvements Board met
on February 10, 2005. The major
roadways had already been sent out to bid and came to a total of
$945,000.00. The road program was
trimmed down to $655,000.00 and he will make a motion later tonight to
authorize the Mayor to go to bid on that program.
§
Money for streetlights requested
by Mr. Scaffide was added along with money for the Boggs (wetlands) and
renovations for Kent State at the Old School.
§
Money was allocated to the Fire
Department to remodel the kitchen of the existing fire station and recommend
replacing a 1997 squad/ambulance. They
also recommended to update a calling alert system that will get them notified
for any emergency within seconds and also add an additional thermal imaging
camera.
§
Parks and Recreations will get
some tennis courts resurfaced in conjunction with the school system as well as
replacing the Senior van, obtaining some finishing mowers for the ball fields
and putting in restrooms at the Liberty Park facility.
§
Public Works is looking for
additional chippers and a composting program.
§
The Police Department will be
getting crime scene imaging equipment and some additional IP adders for windows
server and a remote access video system.
§
The grand total of the projected
expense for Capital Improvements including the debt is 3.12 million.
§
Planning Commission has not met since the last meeting and
their next meeting will be February 28, 2005.
§
The Finance Committee met this evening and primarily
discussed the salary ordinance, which reflects a 3% increase. Since there are still some questions, he is
requesting that on the second reading tonight it be passed over and be passed
with the rest of the budget probably at the last meeting in March.
§
Discussed the Capital Improvements overview.
§
A Finance Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday March
3, 2005 where they will be reviewing the budget with the department heads.
§
Stated the Parks and Recreation Commission met on February
16, 2005 and announced the officers.
§
Stated Mr. Seikel applied for a grant through the Ohio
Department of Natural Resources for the possibility of building the pavilion at
Liberty Park.
§
Announced and highlighted some of the activities that will
be going on in March which will be listed on Channel 27.
§
Stated the senior activities are very well attended.
§
Stated the seniors would like Council to discuss lowering
their rate at the Fitness Center. Mr.
Hon stated he would like that request put on a Finance Committee agenda for
discussion.
§
Stated there has been 4 new pieces of cardio vascular
equipment added to the weight room at the Fitness Center.
§
Stated pepper ball will not be allowed at various ball
diamonds since this entails batting the balls against the outfield fences,
which in turn destroys the fences and then they have to be replaced. Signs will be posted in some of the
ballparks especially at Liberty Park.
§
Announced Meredith Shreve does have the first two weekends
in November reserved for a youth theatre production.
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Gustavus Crichlow, 9081 Ravenna
Rd.:
Mr. Crichlow spoke about Council
reconsidering the rezoning of the Courtad Property and is disappointed that
they approved it. Stated Council should
have tabled the legislation for further discussion.
Mrs. Gerald Noland, 9057 Ravenna
Rd.:
Mrs. Noland expressed her disappointment
with Council in reversing and approving the rezoning request of the Courtad
property. Stated it was originally a
unanimous decision to strike down the zoning request. Stated Mr. Courtad informed Council he wanted the residential
property rezoned so he could consolidate it with his adjoining parcel the
property and get both refinanced.
Stated she couldn’t understand who would want to rezone land only to
leave it empty. Stated in the past years Mr. Courtad stated he was going to
build on that property.
LEGISLATION:
ORDINANCE 09-2005 – ABOLISHING THE PLANNING COMMITTEE OF
COUNCIL AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY (Stands on second reading)
Read by S.
Murphy.
MOTION: TO ADOPT ORDINANCE 09-2005 AS READ
Moved by S.
Murphy, seconded by A. Romito.
Mr. Hon stated
there should be a discussion in a committee meeting as to why this committee
should be abolished. Stated he felt the
new members of Council should explain as to why this committee should be
abolished. This has not been discussed
or researched as to how it all started.
Stated he felt this should be tabled or put to committee.
Mr. Murphy
stated research was done and nobody has any record of what this and the next
committee was to do. As Council
President it is his function to appoint other Council members to certain
committees and when this is divided up and then these committees never meet,
this takes a person away from a committee that they could serve a purpose
on. By removing these committees from
Council then he can assign Council people to a committee where they would make
better use.
Mr. Furey
stated he sent e-mail to Mr. Webster almost two months ago to see what
commissions or committees by Charter that Council could eliminate. There was a discussion at a Committee of the
Whole meeting addressing these as well as some of the resident Boards. At the end of the meeting some were kept and
some were put forward on recommendation to have them abolished. This has been discussed for over two
months. This will take 5 votes to pass
as per Charter.
Mr. Hon stated
he is in opposition to this and feels it should go back to committee.
Mr. McDermott
stated this is a housekeeping function and if the need arises in the future it
can be reinstated.
Upon roll call
the motion passed with a vote of 6 – 1 with Mr. Hon dissenting.
ORDINANCE 10-2005 – ABOLISHING THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS
COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY (Stands on second reading)
Read by S.
Murphy.
MOTION: TO ADOPT ORDINANCE 10-2005 AS READ
Moved by S.
Murphy, seconded by B. McDermott.
Mr. Hon stated
for the same reasons he will not be voting for this ordinance.
Upon roll call
the motion passed with a vote of 6 – 1 with Mr. Hon dissenting.
ORDINANCE 19-2005 – 2005 SALARY ORDINANCE (Stands on second
reading)
Read by S.
Murphy for third reading.
This is the
third reading and at the recommendation of the Finance Committee, Council wait
until the budget is discussed before voting on this Ordinance.
ORDINANCE 20-2005 – NATURAL GAS OPT-IN PROGRAM (Stands on
first reading)
Read by S.
Murphy for second reading
ORDINANCE 21-2005 – 2005 BUDGET (Stands on first reading)
Read by S.
Murphy for second reading.
RESOLUTION 23-2005 – CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT (Referred back
to Planning Commission 2-8-05)
Read by S.
Murphy
Mr. Hon stated
in addition to this being referred back to the Planning Commission, which is on
Monday, February 28, 2005, tomorrow evening at the Board of Zoning Appeals, is also
in a discussion on this very topic, which has to do with variances. This meeting is at 7:00 PM and is open to
the public.
ORDINANCE 24-2005 – AGREEMENT WITH ORIANA HOUSE (Stands on
first reading)
Read by S.
Murphy for second reading.
ORDINANCE 26-2005 – CHANGE ORDER/DLZ (Stands on first
reading)
Read by S.
Murphy
MOTION: TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND PLACE ORDINANCE 26-2005 ON
THIRD AND FINAL READING AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Moved by S.
Murphy, seconded by B. Furey
Mr. Hon stated
this was to go to the Committee of the Whole and it wasn’t.
Mr. Murphy
stated he discussed this with the City Engineer and the Mayor and they attached
more information which is for traffic studies that will take in the
intersections in the downtown area including the square itself and out to I-480
and Route 82 and I-480.
Mr. Hon asked
why this was not discussed in Committee as was agreed to?
Mr. Murphy
stated the main reason he would like to move on this is that this will be a
traffic study and he would like to see it done because of the Sheetz gas
station. This will give Council a traffic report that will tie in the
intersections at the Sheetz’s site.
Upon roll call
on the emergency the motion passed with a vote of 6 – 1 with Mr. Hon
dissenting.
MOTION: TO ADOPT ORDINANCE 26-2005 AS READ
Moved by S.
Murphy, seconded by B. Furey. Upon roll
call the motion passed with a vote of 6 – 1 with Mr. Hon dissenting.
ORDINANCE 27-2005 – LEASE AGREEMENT – CONGRESSMAN LATOURETTE
Read by S.
Murphy.
MOTION: TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND PLACE ORDINANCE 27-2005 ON
THIRD AND FINAL READING AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY
Moved by B.
Furey, seconded by A. Romito. Upon roll
call the motion passed unanimously.
MOTION: TO ADOPT ORDINANCE 27-2005 AS READ
Moved by S.
Murphy, seconded by W. Hon. Upon roll
call the motion passed unanimously.
ORDINANCE 28-2005 – STATE PURCHASE – FOUR CRUISERS AND
DECLARING AN EMERGENCY
Read by S.
Murphy
MOTION: TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND PLACE ORDINANCE 28-2005 ON
THIRD AND FINAL READING AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY
Moved by S.
Murphy, seconded by A. Romito. Upon roll call the motion passed with a vote of
6 – 1 with Mr. McDermott dissenting.
MOTION: TO ADOPT ORDINANCE 28-2005 AS READ
Moved by S.
Murphy, seconded by A. Romito.
Mr. Romito
stated again that Chrysler does not make this product so they will be Fords.
Mr. McDermott
stated he thought Council would be able to look at the findings of the auditors
group. Why do we have to do it now?
Mr. Murphy
stated based on the report from the Police Department, the vehicles in service
right now, the mileage comes into play.
These will be replacing those 4 vehicles, as the mileage will be well
over 100,000 miles. These are front
line vehicles.
Upon roll call
the motion passed unanimously.
UNFINISHED
BUSINESS, NEW BUSINESS, MISCELLANEOUS:
Mayor
Procop:
Mayor Procop stated the Kent State
University Advisory Board for the Geauga campus is requesting another resident
from Twinsburg to sit on the Board since the campus in Twinsburg is growing so
rapidly. Stated she has appointed Walt
Hoffman to the Dean’s Advisory Board and he will be serving in that
capacity. He is well qualified since he
was the Assistant Superintendent for the Twinsburg City School system.
There will be an art show at the
Fitness Center and will be conducted March 1st through April 19th. This is a special art show as it displays
Ohio’s individuals with disabilities artwork.
You can bid on the works of art and the Mayor encouraged attendance of
this event.
Announced that hydrant flushing
will begin May 2nd through July 1st. Signs will be posted.
Appreciates the approval of the
DLZ change order for the traffic study, as the City wants to keep that study
moving along. They will be doing a
presentation shortly to Council to relay the public input they received from
the meeting at the Fitness Center.
Congratulated the General Manager
of Arby’s in Twinsburg. The Manager
found a purse that had been left and it contained money and jewelry. The
manager was able to locate a phone number and trace the purse back to a person
in Pennsylvania who drove back to Twinsburg to pick it up.
S.
Scaffide:
Thanked the Administration and the
Capital Improvements Board for their consideration given to the paving of
Dooridge and the street lighting upgrade in Glenwood Acres.
B.
McDermott:
Thanked the Capital Improvements
Board for their great work and research and stated they were very well
informed.
Thanked all of the residents who
called him about the Sheetz gas station & restaurant. It has been running 12 to 1 in favor of
Sheetz in his ward.
A. Romito:
Thanked the Service Dept. for
having the street sweepers out taking advantage of good weather and getting a
good start.
MOTION: TO
ACCEPT SCHEME B2-2 BAYS FOR THE FIRE STATION ON GLENWOOD
Moved by A. Romito, seconded by W.
Hon. Upon roll call the motion passed
unanimously.
W. Hon:
Thanked all the people who call
him to give Council suggestions for our community as well as the ward.
Announced the Comprehensive
Plan/Master Plan Committee is meeting February 23, 2005.
Thanked Amy Mohr on behalf of the
Ward 5 residents and how she has communicated with the residents on the Sherwin
Dr. reconstruction project, which is primarily being done by e-mail.
Stated he has also received all
kinds of calls, e-mails and voice mails regarding the Sheetz gas station.
Thanked Catherine Tyler,
Chairperson of the Beautification Committee for attending a residents meeting
of Warren Condominium 1. They would
like a tree line set up along SR 91 and they are willing to buy the trees, in
hopes of having it look like the tree line at the Deer Run apartments. This would be very beautiful for the City as
well as Ward 5.
Stated the Treasury Investment
Board goes out for bid for the best possible interest rate the City can get on
its money. At this time the City is
getting anywhere from 2.24% to 2.746%.
B. Furey:
Mentioned again that the Recycle
Committee is taking applications for all wards. Contact Cindy Kaderle in the Clerks Office for information.
MOTION: TO AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO REQUEST RFQ’S FOR
THE CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS FOR THE FIRE STATION SCHEME B2 WITH 2 BAYS
Moved by B. Furey, seconded by S.
Murphy. Upon roll call the motion
passed unanimously.
MOTION: TO
AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO BID THE 2005 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT ROAD PROGRAM AS STATED
ON THE DRAFT OF FEBRUARY 5, 2005, 13 ITEMS THAT COME TO A BUDGETED TOTAL OF
$655, 000.00.
Moved by B. Furey, seconded by S.
Scaffide
MOTION: TO
AMEND THE ROAD PROGRAM TO ELIMINATE THE MUNICIPAL PARKING LOT.
Moved by B. McDermott, seconded by
S. Murphy
Mr. Hon stated this is in his ward
and Council has discussed this. Council
has scaled down the amount of money to $120,000.00 and there is no reason to
take that project off the list at this point.
Asked Mr. McDermott to rescind his motion as it has been well discussed
by the Capital Improvement Board.
Mr. McDermott stated he would not
do this as he feels it is still too much money for what has to be done at the
parking lot.
Mr. Hon stated he is asking
Council for their help on this matter, as the residents and the residents of
Ward 5 need it.
Upon roll call on the amendment
the motion failed with a vote of 2 – 5 with Mr. Scaffide, Mrs. Studer, Mr.
Furey, Mr. Hon and Mr. Romito dissenting.
Upon roll call of the original
motion to authorize the Mayor to go out for bid for the road program the motion
passed unanimously.
The Mayor thanked Council for that
vote as it serves the constituents well.
The earlier the City goes out for bid the better prices the City gets.
MOTION: TO
ALLOW COUNCIL TO START MEETINGS AT 6:30 PM
Moved by B. Furey, seconded by S.
Murphy. Upon roll call the motion
passed with a vote of 5 – 2 with Mr. McDermott and Mr. Romito dissenting.
S. Murphy:
Mentioned he is excited about
moving ahead on the fire station. This
is a great step forward.
Mentioned again a fundraiser,
spaghetti dinner and Chinese auction held at Grantwood Golf Course banquet
facility for a child named Isaiah who is ill. Please contact Pam Kopsic at
963-7501 for details.
Mr. Murphy stated in response to
the audience participation about the action Council took to reconsider a motion
stated in the City Codes, in section 111.10 (c) it specifies a motion to
reconsider may be made by a member of the prevailing side only. The motion to reconsider a subject which was
acted upon favorably must be made at the meeting which the action was
taken.
Mr. Murphy stated this particular piece of legislation was
not acted upon favorably it was declined.
The next sentence states that a motion to reconsider any
other subject must be made no later than the next regular meeting after such
action was taken.
Therefore, Council was following the rules and Council is
not in violation of any rule where it had to be publicized.
Section 111.10 (c) also states no motion to reconsider shall
be considered more than once on any subject.
ADJOURNMENT:
This meeting unanimously adjourned at 9:40 PM.
ATTEST:
__________________________________ ______________________________
Cynthia A. Kaderle, CMC Steve,
Murphy
Clerk of Council President
of Council