Aurora City Council & COW - 9/9/2025

Aurora, Ohio, City Council and Committee of the Whole
​September 9, 2025

Committee of the Whole (COW): The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Chairman John Kudley with all Council members present: Reva Barner, Brad Duguay, Peter French, Sarah Grdina Gilmore, George Horvat, Dennis Kovach, John Seitz and Scott Wolf. There were 10 City Officials and Employees present. There were 6 citizens present.

Minutes from August 11, 2025 were adopted with George Horvat abstaining.

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

• An Ordinance amending Employees Generally to reflect changes in compensation for a Utility Payment Clerk, part time firefighter paramedic and 2 part time sports monitors.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of a generator and transfer switch from Buckeye Power Sales in the amount of $32,870.00 plus shipping costs not to exceed $3,000.00.
  
• An Ordinance selecting the bid of Platform Cement, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $727,220.00 to perform earthwork services at the Aurora Park at Geauga Lake property.
  
• An Ordinance selecting the bid of Spirac (USA) Inc. in an amount not to exceed $99,330.00 to supply the city with a complete and functional replacement screw conveyer system.
  
• An Ordinance amending the contract with Hall Public Safety for the upfitting of new police vehicles to reflect a $3,891.75 increase due to the inability to transfer equipment from old vehicles to new vehicles.
  
• An Ordinance accepting the proposal of Corworth Restroom Facilities Ltd. In an amount not to exceed $255,937.00 for the design and construction of a prefabricated public restroom to be located at Paddock River Preserve. EPA approved the placement which will have water and sewer- not a vault type.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into an agreement with the State of Ohio Department of Natural Resources accepting a $25,480.00 grant through the Capital Improvement Community Park Recreation Conservation Project Pass-Through Program for the installation of a kayak launch platform at Sunny Lake Park.
  

There were 4 Ordinances and 1 Resolution proposed for 1st Reading:

• A Resolution to adopt the Solid Waste Management Plan for the Portage County Solid Waste Management District.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into an Income Tax Rebate Incentive Agreement with Rotek/thyssenkrupp in the amount of 30% for three years, commencing with taxes paid in 2026. Rotek is expanding in Aurora with a $10 million dollar expansion with 60 new jobs.
  
• An Ordinance selecting the bid of and awarding a one year contract to Aero-Mark Company, LLC for the Citywide Pavement Marking Program in an amount not to exceed $160,210.07 and having the option to renew the contract for the second and/or third year at the prices set forth in the bid documents.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the purchase of bulk road salt from Cargill Inc. at the price of $62.89 per ton (basic salt) and $78.06 per ton (clearlane) in an amount not to exceed $400,000.00 for the 2025-2026 snow season.
  
• An Ordinance awarding a one-year contract with Perrin Asphalt for the 2026 Concrete Rehabilitation Program at the pricing set forth in the bid documents, having the option to renew the contract for the second and/or third year. They have done an excellent job and were the only bidders.
  

 
Meeting adjourned at 6:23 pm.

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City Council (CC):   Council President George Horvat called the meeting to order at 6:27 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 10 City Officials and Employees present and 6 people in the gallery.

August 11, 2025 Meeting Minutes were adopted with George Horvat abstaining.

Appeal to City Council: There were 2 Appeals to City Council to overturn the rulings by the Architectural Board of Review which denied permits for a metal roof. 2 Homeowners from the Four Seasons subdivision spoke about the type of metal roof they would install. For several reasons they do not install asphalt shingles, preferring the look, durability and sustainability of metal roofs. These would be of a newer design, no loud colors, looking more like a traditional shingle roof. Many Council members and the Mayor had comments: Mr. French said many metal roofs look like shingles. Mr. Duguay thinks they should be allowed throughout the city. Mr. Kudley said the ABR followed the guidelines they had in denying the permit since metal roofs are not permitted on homes. Homes that have them now were installed without a permit. He said homes should reflect the Western Reserve Heritage, keep Western Reserve architecture. He took issue with what 1 member of the ABR told the petitioners that if they went before Council, they would probably get a favorable ruling. Mr. Seitz, in light of other homes having metal roofs in the subdivision, that what is done for 1 should be done for all. Mr. Wolf said he has issues with the guidelines and thinks they should be updated. He noted that Four Seasons is not Western Reserve architecture having a mixture of home styles from the 60’s and 70’s. Mr. Kovach agreed with Mr. Wolf that the guidelines are behind the times and need more discussion. The Mayor said she has an obligation to uphold regulations and asked Denise Januska and Dean DePiero to review the guidelines noting there are penalties for not following the guidelines. In response to the comment that there are metal roofs on city buildings and other buildings throughout the city, she said there is one metal roof on a rest room and many metal roofs were not approved. She wishes to maintain the character of the Community but was agreeable to updating the guidelines. Ms. Januska is open to look at the way the new technology blends in. In response to Mr. Horvat’s question about when this issue was last looked at, the reply was 2018-2019. Metal roofs have changed in the last 7+ years. Mr. Seitz commented it is time to look at the regulations and it is not fair to make the homeowners wait. Mr. Kudley thought that approval that night would be premature because the new guidelines might not fit with what was put on. Mr. DePiero replied that applicants, after guidelines are reviewed and updated, would have to abide by the new guidelines. The homeowner applicants understand the aesthetics and their roofs would have black textured paint. They mentioned that interest in metal roofs has tripled. Mr. DePiero drafted ordinance language to overturn the ABR denial. It passed with 2 no votes from Sarah Grdina Gilmore and John Kudley. An Ordinance to grant the permit also passed with 2 no votes from the same Council members as above.

Mayor’s Report: City News highlighted:

• The Sunny Lake Boathouse is only open on weekends now, 11 am to 6 pm through September 14.
  
• The Splash Pad hours remain 10 am to 8 pm through September 14.
  
• The 9/11 Memorial Ceremony will be held at 6:00 pm at the Memorial Tree Garden at Sunny Lake.
  
• Aurora Car Show is Sunday September 14, 1:00-3:00 pm at Sunny Lake Park.
  

Parks and Rec just completed a successful summer event schedule including Food Truck Wednesdays and Summer Concert Series. The city entered into an arrangement with the Aurora Inn to host the concerts in its tent in the event of inclement weather. The City has launched its first ever Aurora Trail Challenge, a free, self-guided hiking or walking tour to explore trails in Aurora’s city parks. Over 300 people have already registered to participate. Rotek/thyssenkrupp has been working on expanding its Aurora facility. Holly Harris-Bane has been working with Rotek for the last 6-7 months and the deal closed in August. They are investing $10 million in expanding its manufacturing and engineering capabilities and expects to add 60 people to its Aurora facility. The Mayor has been working with Harry Stark and Laura Holman on many details for the new park at Geauga Lake, including color schemes. She thanked all of the people who participated in the Chamber Golf Outing that honored her late husband, David Benjamin.

Law Director’s Report: Mr. DePiero’s report was included with the agenda.

Citizens Comments on legislation– None.
Council Remarks on legislation– None

Ordinance on 3rd Reading:

• The Ordinance concerning ODOT and reimbursement for the snow plowing was adopted.
  

Ordinances and Resolution on 2nd Reading:

• An Ordinance from Planning Commission approving the final plat for Renaissance Park at Geauga Lake located on Treat Road went to 3rd Reading.
  
• An Ordinance amending the “No Smoking Zones” to clarify non-smoking area on city owned properties was adopted as amended with rules suspended.
  
• A Resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the Budget Commission and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the County Auditor went to 3rd Reading.
  
• An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to execute a development agreement with Pulte Homes of Ohio LLC for the Renaissance Park at Geauga Lake-Phase 2/3- East went to 3rd Reading. Pulte will transfer 96 acres of greenspace and the quarry as a donation to the city for greenspace as part of the agreement.
  

Ordinances on 1st Reading:

• The 7 Ordinances proposed for action that evening were adopted with Rules Suspended. See COW for details.
  
• The 4 Ordinances and 1 Resolution on 1st Reading went to 2nd Reading. See COW for details.
  

Miscellaneous: The Updates to the Rules of the City Council were adopted. Mr. DePiero complimented Marie Lawrie on the great work and thorough job she did on this project.

Citizens Comments: A citizen, referencing the debate about metal roofs, asked that if metal roofs are allowed on commercial buildings, could she put a metal roof on her garage since her property is zoned commercial. They will get back to her on that.

Council Members Remarks: G. Horvat said that the Chamber golf outing was very well done and a good way to honor David Benjamin.

Meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

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