Aurora City Council & COW - 6/24/24

Auroro, Ohio, City Council and Committee of the Whole
​June 24, 2024

Committee of the Whole (COW): The meeting was called to order at 5:30 by Vice- Chairman Scott Wolf with Council members present: Brad Duguay, Reva Barner, Peter French, Sarah Grdina Gilmore, George Horvat, Dennis Kovach, John Seitz and John Kudley was absent. There were 8 City Officials and Employees present. There were 5 citizens present.

Minutes from June 24, 2024 were adopted.

Finance Director’s Report: Mr. Clymer’s report was included with the packet and mentioned that “the City of Aurora has been recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) with a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for our 2022 annual financial report. This award is a testament to the work done by our department and the city in striving to abide by best practices and to serve as good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

 There were 2 Ordinance proposed for action on 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance selecting the bid of Northeast Trenching Service, Inc. in the amount of $75,741.75 to replace 3 water vaults located on SR 43/Barrington golf course, SR 82/Bissell Road and West Mennonite/Parkview Drive.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal of Emery Electric, Inc. in the amount of $24,930.00 for electrical improvements within the Aurora Cemetery and authorizing a donation of $5,000.00 from Emery Electric and a donation of $10,000.00 from the VFW Post #2629 to offset the cost of the improvements. The city will pay the remaining amount.
  

The meeting adjourned at 5:33 pm

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City Council (CC):  Council President G. Horvat called the meeting to order at 5:35 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.

June 10, 2024 Minutes were adopted.

There was a 23 minute Executive Session to discuss the Acquisition of Real Property.

Public Hearing concerning Adopting the Tax Budget for 2025: No comments.

Mayor’s Report: Items included: Tony Dockus has been selected as the 2024 4th of July parade Grand Marshal. 4th of July events were mentioned. City Hall has been undergoing a facelift, being painted for the first time since 2011. The City owns the Library building and the land it sits on but the building has been overseen by the Aurora Library Trust. The Trust is dissolving and the city will assume responsibility for managing the building as of July 1. 

Food Truck Wednesdays and Summer Concert Series continues. She wished everyone a Happy Pride Month.

Law Director’s Report: Mr. DiPiero’s report was included in the packet. He wished the Mayor good luck in her meeting with Mantua about the proposed new Trail, the reason she needed to leave the Council meeting early.

Citizens Comments: The Commander of Aurora VFW Post #2629 spoke about the proposed Ordinance concerning the electrical improvements to the Aurora Cemetery. The USA flag should be illuminated at night and it would eliminate the need for noisy generators during Memorial Services.

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.

• An Ordinance approving and adopting the tax budget of the City of Aurora for the calendar year 2025 was adopted with rules suspended for not voting on the same night as a Public Hearing.

The Ordinance on 2nd Reading prohibiting all Cannabis Operations went to 3rd Reading amended with the addition of “for business or commercial businesses”.

There were 13 Ordinances from the Charter Review Commission concerning: Wards; Qualifications; Executive Powers; Administrative Offices, Departments, Boards and Commissions; Contracts and Purchasing; Department of Public Safety; Division of Planning, Zoning and Building; Planning Commission- Composition and Term; Organization; Public Hearings by Council; Composition and Terms; Establishment; Submission to Electors. All went to 2nd Reading and will be voted on at the next Council Meeting in order to get them on the November 5, 2024 ballot. 

The 2 Ordinances proposed at the COW for action that evening were adopted with rules suspended- see the COW report for details.

Citizens Comments: A citizen asked for confirmation that the Ordinance concerning Recreational Marijuana went to 3rd Reading, which it did.

Council Members and Committee Remarks: None

 The meeting adjourned at 6:14 pm.