Aurora city council & cow - 3/10/25

Aurora, Ohio, City Council and Committee of the Whole
​March 10, 2025

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, Dennis Kovach, John Seitz and Scott Wolf. Council member Sarah Grdina Gardner was absent. There were 9 City Officials and Employees present. There was 1 citizen present.

Minutes from February 24, 2025 were adopted with P. French and G. Horvat abstaining.

 There were 7 Ordinances proposed for action that evening on 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance amending Employees Generally reflecting changes in compensation for 4 individuals- an Engineer Inspector, a transfer from Service to Parks and Rec, a promotion to Sergeant and a promotion from part time to full time.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the the Mayor to enter into an independent contractor agreement with Geauga Lake Consulting, LLC to provide services at the Geauga Lake property to provide onsite security, project oversight, maintenance, and other duties as needed.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of 2 2025 Dodge Durangos from Montrose Ford for use by the Police Department in the amount of $84,977.16 to replace 2 vehicles.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal of Hall Public Safety Upfitters in the amount of $25,376.64 for the purchase and installation of equipment for 2 2025 Dodge Durango Police vehicles to properly equip the new police vehicles.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal of Johnny K’s Powersports (a UTE style vehicle) in the amount of $35,689.99 for the purchase of a 2025 Polaris Crew XP 1000 using funds from the Drug Fines Enforcement Fund (this fund is restricted for what it can be used for). This will be used for the Park Ranger to more efficiently patrol the trails and park properties. The current pickup truck will be kept and used for plowing.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of a generator and transfer switch for the Westerly Wastewater Treatment Plant from Buckeye Power Sales in the amount of $154,620.00.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of a Rehlko model KD50MT portable diesel generator from Buckeye Power Sales in the amount of $44,719.13. The quote expires soon due to the uncertainty of the market which is why it will be adopted on 1st Reading.
  

There were 5 Ordinances proposed for 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance accepting the proposal of Speelman Electric, Inc. in the amount of $30,215.00 for electrical improvements at the Walker Building to make it compatible with the new generator.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of a MILO Range M-SATS Interactive Mobile Force Simulator in the amount of $37,680.50 with funds taken from the Drug Fine Enforcement Fund which has a limited scope of use. This will be set and used at the Police Department for interactive training for officers.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal to enter into a five year agricultural use management agreement to lease 28 acres of city owned property on E. Mennonite Road to Jason Carlton of Carlton Farms in Mantua at a cost of $75.38 per acre per year. He has been farming the property for a long time.
  
• An Ordinance adopting the amendment to Aurora Civil Service Commission rules- an updated version allowing people to be appointed. This was approved by the Civil Service Commission.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal of American Fireworks in the amount of $26,000.00 to perform the city’s July 4th Fireworks program. The dollar amount is the same but the program will be a little shorter and a few less shells. They were the only response to the bid. J. Kudley questioned spending taxpayer money to pay for this when in the past businesses helped pay for the program. The Mayor replied that over the past 10 years it has been difficult to get money from area businesses as they have been asked to contribute to many other causes such as the schools.
  

Meeting adjourned at 6:24 pm

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City Council (CC):  Council President George Horvat called the meeting to order at 6:31 pm with the Pledge to the Flag of the United States of America. All Council members were present and absent as noted in the COW report. There were 9 City Officials and Employees present and 1 person in the gallery and 5 members of the Robocats from the Aurora City Schools and their teachers and family members.

February 24, 2025 Meeting Minutes were adopted with P. French and G. Horvat abstaining.

The above mentioned Robocats- a group of 5th and 6th graders from Aurora City Schools- gave a presentation of their award winning project. They were to find a solution for a real world problem concerning under water. Their project involved finding a way to keep sludge from settling in wastewater treatment plants which will potentially have practical and cost saving applications. They have won regional and district awards and will be competing at the national level in Houston on April 16. Their presentation was well researched and professionally presented. The Council Members and all present were very complimentary and impressed by their project and presentation. It can be viewed at the auroraoh.com website under the City Council live stream from March 10.

Mayor’s Report: Upcoming events include the annual EGGStravaganza on Saturday April 5th at the Aurora High School gym from 10 am to noon. The first Shred Day will be at the Service Center from 9 am to noon on April 12. The Mayor spoke at the annual State of the City at the Bertram Inn, spoke with News5 and Fox8 for special segments on Aurora’s purchase of Geauga Lake and land. She attended the March NEO Fire Prevention Association meeting and luncheon with Fire Chief McBirney and Assistant Fire Chief Lutz. She spoke at the Senior State of the City event to Aurora’s seniors at the Walker Building, Attended the Chamber of Commerce’s International Women’s Day event at Marios’s and drove the city streets with Service Director Harry Stark to assess their condition prior to bidding the 2025 Road Paving. She also attended the Aurora High School Orchestra’s Spring Strings annual fundraiser. 

Law Director’s Report: Mr. DePiero’s report included a mention of the February 19, 2025 meeting of the Bainbridge Township-Aurora JEDD Board of Directors. By-Laws were adopted and a neutral member was appointed. Next meeting is Tuesday May 6, 2025 at 1 pm in Council Chambers.

Citizens Comments -  Legislation: None
Council Remarks – Legislation: None

Ordinances on 3rd Reading:

• An Ordinance to enter into contract for the purchase and installation of a salt dome  was adopted.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of a 2025 Grapple Brush Truck was adopted.
  

Ordinances on 2nd Reading:

• The 13 Ordinances pertaining to Easements along S. Chillicothe Rd. went to 3rd Reading.
  
• The Ordinance accepting the proposal for the purchase of 140 Trees for city subdivisions went to 3rd Reading.
  

Ordinances on 1st Reading: 

• The 7 Ordinances proposed for action on first reading wereadopted with rules suspended. See COW for details.
  
• The Ordinance for the Speelman Electric proposal went to 2nd Reading.
  
• The Ordinance for the purchase of a MILO Range M-SATS went to 2nd Reading.
  
• The Ordinance for the 5 year Agricultural use by Carlto Farms went to 2nd Reading.
  
• The Ordinance adopting the Aurora Civil Service Commission rules amendment went to 2nd Reading.
  
• The Ordinance for the American Fireworks Proposal for July 4th Fireworks went to 2nd Reading.
  

Miscellaneous: There was no negative feedback for Salon Patrick having a liquor license.

Citizens Comments: None

Council Members Remarks: J. Kudley said the Aurora Historical Society is hosting a speaker about Larry Doby in the Gallery at 6:30 pm- free for members, $5.00 for non-members, so join and get in free.

 The meeting adjourned at 7:17 pm.

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