Aurora City council & cow - 7/21/2025

Aurora, Ohio, City Council & Committee of the Whole
​July 21, 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. Sarah Grdina Gilmore was absent. There were 12 City Officials and Employees present. There were 4 citizens present.

Minutes from June 23, 2025 were adopted with J. Kudley abstaining.

Finance Director’s Report:   Timothy Clymer  reported that “The 2024 financial audit has been completed by our independent accounting firm with a clean opinion and has been submitted to the Auditor of State’s office for final review. We expect the Auditor of State to publicly release the report within the next 30-45 days.” “Fund balances remain in a healthy position with $44,838,583 unencumbered in all funds, and $17,679,423 unencumbered in the General Fund.”

 There were 3 Ordinances and 1 Resolution proposed for action that evening on 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance amending the Schedule of Fees of Aurora’s Codified Ordinances to update fees, to standardize them.
  
• An Ordinance approving a change order to the contract with Wertz Geotechnical Engineering in an amount not to exceed $20,000.00 for additional soil investigations at the Aurora Park at Geauga Lake. 50-60 borings have already been done.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of a crack sealer (TR-125 DA Crackfilling Machine) including attachments and training from SealMaster Hillsville in the amount of $76,697.35. In the past that equipment has been rented but the company has changed hands and we will no longer be able to rent from them. This purchase will make the City more efficient. Mr. Kovach asked if cracksealing could be coordinated with road striping to which Mr. Stark said yes.
  
• A Resolution confirming the Mayor’s reappointment of Mr. Frank Vitale as a member of the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority “PARTA” Board of Trustees for the term ending June 30, 2028. 
  

There was 1 Ordinance proposed for 1st Reading:

• An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportion (“ODOT”) for reimbursement of the cost of snow plowing State Route 43 from the city line to the county line north in an amount not to exceed $24,000.00 for the 2025-2026 & 2026-2027 snow seasons. 
  

Meeting adjourned at 6:11 pm.

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City Council (CC):   Council President George Horvat called the meeting to order at 6:16 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 12 City Officials and Employees present and 3 people in the gallery.

June 23, 2025 Meeting Minutes were adopted with J. Kudley abstaining.

Mayor’s Report: City News highlighted:

• The Splash Pad and Sunny Lake Boathouse will be open through September 14.
  
• The Sidewalk Assistance Program is accepting applications until August 1.
  
• Food Truck Wednesdays began June 11 and continue through August on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday from 11 am to 2 pm at Kiwanis-Moore Park
  
• Summer Concerts began June 12 and continue through August on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 6:30 pm at Veterans Memorial Park.
  
• National Night Out and Truck and Tractor Night will be held Thursday August 5 from 5-8 pm at Kiwanis-Moore Park. The event includes free food and fun, city vehicles and equipment.
  
• Tax Free Holiday runs from August 1-15. Local retailers and dine in meals are among those qualified for tax free benefits.
  

The Aurora Trail grand opening at the end of June was a huge success and people have been hiking and biking the 2.84 miles stretch of trail ever since. People walking pets were cautioned that the asphalt path can get very hot for their pet’s feet.

4th of July events enjoyed perfect weather. Thanks were extended to the city employees who worked hard to ensure that the events were successful and the city was in great shape.

Road Paving is completed.

The Mayor put a focus on 2 Departments: 
 Focus on Police: The city’s newest Police Officer, Joshua Andexler, an Aurora High School grad, was sworn in by the Mayor on July 7. He lives in the city with his wife and son, and brings over 5 years of law enforcement experience with him.  Chief Byard presented the Rotary Club of Aurora with a $3,000.00 donation from the Aurora Police Foundation. They will host their annual golf outing on Aug 4 which raises money for the non-profit Aurora Police Foundation which supports local charities. Safety Town ended its fifth weeklong session of July 10th, graduating over 150 kids. Thanks to Officer Alex Libertucci. The Police Department will be hosting its annual Citizens Police Academy in the fall. See the Department’s Facebook page for details.
 Focus on Fire: The Mult-Agency Radio Communications System (MARCS) radios purchased earlier this year are now in service, meeting the July 1 deadline for compliance. Two new full-time Firefighter/Paramedics were recently hired. Josh Sirk was promoted to Fire Lieutenant and assigned to a 40 hour/week day shift schedule in the Fire Prevention Bureau. 2 new Chevrolet Special Service Vehicles for response to emergencies and other operational tasks were recently received. Emergency call volume is up 7.5% over the same point in 2024 with more than 100 additional responses. It is anticipated that they will exceed 3,000 calls for this year.



The Mayor presided at the Aurora Trail Opening; participated in the July 4th festivities; attended a Safety Town graduation; attended the Salon Patrick grand opening. She did her Community Focus television taping and completed an article for “Aurora Neighbors”. She served as a docent at Town Hall for the Historical Society’s historic house tour and attended the American Legion’s annual picnic. She also mentioned that property has been purchased on SR 43 for a Mexican Restaurant in the Geauga Lake Mixed Use Development Area.

Law Director’s Report: Mr. DePiero was not present at the meeting but a report was included with the agenda. 

Citizens Comments – None
 Council Remarks – None

Ordinances and Resolution on 1st Reading: 

• An Ordinance from Planning Commission granting a Conditional Zoning Certificate to the City of Aurora for a public outdoor recreational facility located at 1100 Squires Road was adopted with rules suspended. The City is on a tight timeline in hopes of opening the first phase of development of Aurora Park at Geauga Lake by next Summer.
  
• The 3 Ordinances and 1 Resolution proposed at COW for action that evening were adopted with rules suspended. See COW for details.
  
• The Ordinance concerning ODOT and reimbursement for snow plowing went to 2nd Reading.
  

Miscellaneous: There was a transfer of Liquor License from the Mason Jar restaurant to Silver Creek Hospitality LLC.
  The Clerk of Council requested that Council begin the Review of the update to the Rules of the City Council.

Citizens Comments: None
Council Members Remarks: None

Meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.

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