Aurora City Council & COW - 5/8/23

Aurora, Ohio, City Council and Committee of the Whole
​May 8, 2023

Committee of the Whole (COW): The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Chairman John Kudley with council members present:  Brad Duguay, Peter French, Sarah Grdina Gilmore, Harold Hatridge, George Horvat, Dennis Kovach, and. Reva Barner and Scott Wolf were absent. There were 10 City Officials and Employees present and 6 people in the gallery.

Adoption of March 27 minutes was postponed as there were not enough people present from that meeting. April 24 minutes were adopted with P. French and H. Hatridge abstaining.

             There were 3 Ordinance proposed for 1st Reading:

•  An Ordinance accepting the proposal of and renewing the City’s current property and casualty insurance with HCC/U.S. Specialty Ins. Co. through Edward Sutton Insurance Co. The total premium will be $197,542.00 which reflects a 5-15% increase due to increases in liability, more expensive vehicles and property insurance is up 10% for inflation.
  
• An Ordinance approving the 2023 annual maintenance contract in the amount of $23,548.44 with Software Solutions for software support and maintenance for the Finance and Utility Billing Departments.
  
• An Ordinance approving and adopting the tax budget of the City of Aurora for the calendar year 2024. This is an annual document with estimates- not the actual budget- for the County’s purposes. A Public Hearing will be scheduled. 
  

There were 5 Ordinances proposed for action that evening:

• An Ordinance authorizing the establishment of a classified non-union, non-exempt full time Finance Coordinator position which will replace the A/P clerk and Administration Assistant.
  
• An Ordinance amending Employees Generally for changes in compensation for one employee.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the contract proposal with Gardiner Services Co. , LLC, in the amount of $259,712.00 to perform upgrades to the HVAC system at the Police Department.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal to enter into an Agricultural Use Management Agreement with Brian Stoltzfus to lease approximately 27 acres of city owned property on Page Road in the amount of $40.00 per acre per year. He has been farming this property for a few years.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal to enter into a contract with Midwest Public Safety in the amount of $62,862.00 for the purchase of 35 GETAC body worn cameras. The old ones were leased and will go back to Axon.
  

Meeting adjourned at 6:51 pm.

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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 March 27 meeting were not adopted as there were not enough members present who could vote to adopt them. 
April 24 meeting minutes were adopted with P. French and H. Hatridge abstaining.

 Mayor’s Report: Karen Pope read Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin’s report speaking about the City’s Electric Service not being a NOPEC city but offers an electric aggregate program of its own- an opt out program- at the rate of $4.94/Kwh through April 2025. Memorial Day ceremony will take place on May 29 at 10:15 beginning at Veteran’s Memorial Park and a procession to the Cemetery. Applications are being accepted for 4th of July grand marshal. She attended several meetings and taped her monthly television report for Community Focus.

 Citizens Comments: None
Council Remarks: None

Ordinances on 3rd Reading:

• An Ordinance renewing the current policy with Traveler’s Insurance for Cyber Insurance was adopted.
• An Ordinance accepting for dedication the watermain located within the right-of-way on Equestra Court in Walden Subdivision was adopted.
• An Ordinance to execute an addendum to the Development Agreement with Pulte Homes for the Renaissance Park at Geauga Lake was adopted

Ordinances on 2nd  Reading:

• An Ordinance accepting for dedication storm sewers within the Homestead Subdivision went to 3rd Reading.
• An Ordinance approving and adopting the March 2023 replacement pages of the Aurora Codified Ordinances as prepared by the Walter H. Drane Company and verified by the Clerk of Council in order to comply with current state law was adopted with Rules Suspended.
• An Ordinance approving and adopting a Master Plan for the City of Aurora went to 3rd Reading. J. Kudley said this is a guideline, not a mandate. Finances are a big consideration along with Community Support. He would like to see more comparisons with neighboring communities, not just other Portage County communities. The City’s Growth rate seems to be slowing down and thinks we should look at housing for the aging population. He is also concerned about Historic Preservation and adding to the Historic District.
• An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with National Driver Training School to pay for classes went to 3rd Reading.

The 5 Ordinances proposed at COW for action that evening were adopted with rules suspended. See Committee of the Whole report for details.

The Other 3 Ordinances proposed at COW on 1st Reading went to 2nd Reading. See that report for details.

Miscellaneous: None
Citizens Comments: None

Council Members and Committee Remarks: D. Kovaks asked for assurance that the Development agreement addendum with Pulte Homes would be strong enough. Law Director Dean Dipiero  gave such assurance.

 The meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.​