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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-21-15 Council MinutesRECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Minutes Dublin City Council BARRETT BROTHERS• DAYTON, OHIO Held September 21, 2015 CALL TO ORDER Meeting Form 6101 Mayor Keenan called the Monday, September 21, 2015 Regular Meeting of Dublin City Council to order at 6:30 p.m. at the Dublin Municipal Building. ROLL CALL Members present were Mayor Keenan, Vice Mayor Gerber, Ms. Chinnici - Zuercher, Mr. Lecklider, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Reiner and Ms. Salay. ADJOURNMENT TO EXECUTIVE SESSION Mayor Keenan moved to adjourn to executive session to discuss the purchase of property for public purposes, for conferences with an attorney for the public body concerning disputes involving the public body that are the subject of pending or imminent court action, and personnel matters related to the appointment of a public employee. Mr. Peterson seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: Ms. Chinnici - Zuercher, yes; Vice Mayor Gerber, yes; Mayor Keenan, yes; Ms. Salay, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Mr. Lecklider, yes; Mr. Peterson, yes. The meeting was reconvened at 7:20 p.m. Staff members present were Mr. McDaniel, Ms. Crandall, Ms. Readler, Ms. Mumma, Mr, Foegler, Ms. O'Callaghan, Ms. Goss, Mr. Earman, Ms. Puskarcik, Mr. Hammersmith, Mr. Papsidero, Mr. Langworthy, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Kridler. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Ms. Chinnici - Zuercher led the Pledge of Allegiance. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS/ PROCLAMATIONS • Recognition of Dublin Chamber of Commerce 40"' Anniversary Mayor Keenan read and presented a proclamation in recognition of the 40"' anniversary to Chamber Board President Breanne Taylor, who was joined by Margery Amorose, Executive Director and current Board members. Ms. Taylor, Board President, on behalf of the Board and member businesses, thanked Council for this recognition. They are fortunate to have such a great partner in the City government and have been successful over the years thanks to this partnership and collaboration. She introduced Ms. Amorose, Executive Director of the Chamber. Ms. Amorose, Executive Director commented that this tribute is very touching. It has been her pleasure to serve this Chamber and its membership for nearly 40 years. Their leadership has remained strong over all of those years. She noted the following: • Forty years ago, the Chamber office consisted of a rotary dial telephone on the kitchen counter of their home. Everyone involved was a volunteer, but they never lost sight of things to come in the future. All worked toward the betterment of the Village of Dublin. • In 1986, the Dublin Chamber sponsored ' "The Dublin Connection" — an event that reopened the SR161 bridge, reconnecting the east and west sides of the river. The attendance for this event staged by volunteers was 4,000- 5,000. By 1987, Dublin had the required 5,000 registered voters to be a City, and the Village became the City of Dublin. In 1988, the Chamber hosted the party celebrating the city status of Dublin, again all done by volunteers. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Minutes of Dublin City Council BARRETT BROTHERS • DAYTON, OHIO Held September 21, 2015 Meeting Forth 6101 Page 2 of 7 The Chamber sponsored and marshalled parades, tree lighting ceremonies, the State of the City presentation, and was involved in every aspect of this developing city. When the City wanted to survey the business community, they asked the Chamber to spearhead this, including one -on -one interviews with existing business leaders. The Chamber again provided quality volunteers to carry this out. • The Dublin Chamber is the largest suburban Chamber of Commerce in the state of Ohio. Strong leadership and love of this city has never wavered. The Chamber hopes that everyone can attend the 40"' anniversary celebration on Tuesday, October 20 at the Embassy Suites! She thanked Council for this recognition. • "Hatred Doesn't Work" — Dublin Arts Council exhibition by Alfred Tibor, Holocaust survivor Mayor Keenan noted that Mr. Tibor is a 95 -year old Holocaust survivor who endured captivity as a Russian POW and numerous other atrocities, emerging as a positive, gentle soul with a desire to spread his message that "Hatred Doesn't Work." His artwork is found in nearly 500 private collections and museums worldwide, and an exhibition of his works will open in Dublin at the end of September. Mayor Keenan then read and presented a proclamation in recognition of the upcoming exhibition to David Guion, Executive Director of Dublin Arts Council and Evan Eichert, PNC Bank, a sponsor of the exhibition. Mr. Guion thanked City Council and PNC Bank for recognizing the artistic value and incredible messages delivered by Alfred Tibor and his exhibition. Mr. Tibor could not be present tonight, and so he will deliver the proclamation to him personally. He thanked PNC Bank for awarding Dublin Arts Council a competitive and prestigious PNC Arts Alive grant, allowing the DAC to recognize Alfred Tibor and to curate this exhibition. The exhibition includes 14 sculptures, a video feedback booth, a poster contest, augmented reality videos of the artist, a pay -it- forward activity, and field trips and workshops for schoolchildren. Mr. Tiibor's message of hope and love for all humanity is inspiring and is delivered unforgettably through his artwork and stories. Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement begins tomorrow at sundown, and Mr. Tibor's message of inclusion and tolerance is especially timely. He invited everyone to join the DAC on Tuesday, September 29 for the opening reception from 6 -8 p.m. Due to the generosity of supporters, the exhibition and activities are offered free of charge and all are welcome. He introduced Evan Eichert, Dublin Branch Manager of PNC Bank. Evan Eichert, PNC Bank, thanked Council for the opportunity to participate and for the City's valued partnership. PNC is aware of the impact that art can make in communities and is dedicated to ensuring that great artists, such as Mr. Tibor are supported. Through PNC Arts Alive, a multi -year $2.5 million initiative of the PNC Foundation, they are here to assist in increasing arts access and engagement. CITIZEN COMMENTS Wallace Maurer, 7451 Dublin Road, Dublin stated that he has a constitutional question, but noted he is aware that the City has a Charter. He will check his question against the City's Charter prior to bringing his question forward. CONSENT AGENDA Vice Mayor Gerber moved approval of the actions listed for the four items on the Consent Agenda. Ms. Chinnici - Zuercher seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: Ms. Salay, yes; Mr. Lecklider, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Mayor Keenan, yes; Ms. Chinnici - Zuercher, yes; Mr. Peterson, yes; Vice Mayor Gerber, yes. Minutes of BARRETT BROTHERS -DAYTON OP Held RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council September 21, 2015 Approval of 9 -8 -15 Regular Council Meeting Minutes Page Meeting Form 6101 • Ordinance 66 -15 (Introduction /first reading) Appropriating a 0.023 Acre, More or Less, Fee Simple Interest, and a 0.070 Acre, More or Less, Temporary Easement from Richard Ramey II and Sherry S. Allison, from the Property Located at 8961 Locherbie Court. (Second reading /public hearing October 12 Council meeting) • Ordinance 67 -15 (Introduction /first reading) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Utility Easements Granting American Electric Power Easements on Property Owned by the City of Dublin, Located Between SR 161 /US 33 and Perimeter Drive for the Coffman Park Expansion — Phase III. (Second reading /public hearing October 12 Council meeting) • Resolution 63 -15 (Introduction /vote) Accepting the Lowest and Best Bid for Waterford Village Stormwater Improvements — Areas 4 and 5. (Project No. 14- 017 -CIP) SECOND READING /PUBLIC HEARING — ORDINANCES Ordinance 65 -15 Declaring the Improvement to Certain Parcels of Real Property in the City's Bridge Street District to be a Public Purpose and Exempt from Taxation; Providing for the Collection and Deposit of Service Payments and Specifying the Purposes for Which Those Service Payments May be Expended; Authorizing Compensation Payments to the Dublin City School District and the Tolles Career and Technical Center, and Declaring an Emergency. Ms. Readler stated there are some property conveyances that need to occur prior to consideration of this ordinance. Staff therefore requests postponement of Ordinance 65 -15 until the October 12 Council meeting. Ms. Chinnici - Zuercher moved to postpone Ordinance 65 -15 to the October 12 Council meeting. Mr. Reiner seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: Ms. Chinnici - Zuercher, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Mr. Lecklider, yes; Mr. Peterson, yes; Vice Mayor Gerber, yes; Ms. Salay, yes; Mayor Keenan, yes. OTHER • Appointments of City representative and alternate to the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission Mr. McDaniel stated that in the past, staff has represented the City at the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission. Gary Gunderman served in this role, but he recently retired from service with the City. At this time, staff is recommending that Tammy Noble, Senior Planner be the primary representative, with Claudia Husak, Planner II as the alternate representative. Vice Mayor Gerber moved approval of the appointment of Tammy Noble as Dublin representative to the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission and Claudia Husak as alternate representative. Ms. Salay seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: Vice Mayor Gerber, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. Salay, yes; Mr. Peterson, yes; Mr. Lecklider, yes; Mayor Keenan, yes; Ms. Chinnici - Zuercher, yes. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Minutes of Dublin City Council BARRETT BROTHERS - DAYTON, OH1- Held September 21, 2015 STAFF COMMENTS Meeting Forth 6101 Page 4 of 7 Mr. McDaniel recognized Steve Langworthy, who has served as the City's Planning Director since late 2006. He will be leaving service with the City of Dublin and relocating to Michigan, where he has family and a new job. He thanked him for his talent and expertise in planning. He has provided great leadership to his staff and has mentored planners through his example and by sharing his knowledge. He wished him the best in the future. Mayor Keenan wished him the best, on behalf of all of Council. COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS • Planning & Zoning Commission Ms. Salay, Council representative to PZC, stated that they met on Thursday, and the main agenda item was the design for the Home2 Hotel. The developer brought forward two different proposals for the Commission feedback. Those designs will come to Council very soon for review. • Administrative Committee Vice Mayor Gerber, Administrative Committee Chair, stated: 1. An Administrative Committee of the Whole meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. to interview three candidates for the ARB vacancy. 2. A proposed 2016 Council meeting schedule has been distributed previously. He asked Council members to review this in order to adopt the 2016 meeting schedule at the October 12 meeting. Mr. Reiner, liaison to Dublin Arts Council noted that they are very excited about the Alfred Tibor exhibit. Mr. Tibor is currently hospitalized, but he is hopeful that everyone is able to meet him during the exhibition of his works. He has an important and positive message to deliver about living and life, based on his experiences. • NW 33 Innovation Corridor Mr. Lecklider stated he was not able to attend the most recent meeting, but the City was represented. He is not aware of any major items to report at this time. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Mr. Peterson noted that documents related to the Fitch and Moody's ratings were included in the Council packet. He asked Ms. Mumma to provide additional information about them for the benefit of the many students in tonight's audience. Ms. Mumma responded that when the City plans to issue debt, the City requests a rating of the bonds from one of three rating agencies — Fitch, Moody's Investors Service or Standard and Poor's. The City has traditionally requested ratings from Fitch and Moody's. The reports in the packet are the rating agency assessments of the City, based on financial data they have received. The City had a telephone conference with Fitch and hosted Moody's Investor Services in Dublin. These meetings are a dialogue about many items, including the management structure of the City, which is a criteria for the rating; plans for the future of the City in terms of anticipated revenue; and information beyond that which is available in financial reports. The documents in the packet were the summaries of the findings from those conferences and meetings. The City did receive the highest ratings from both agencies on the General Obligation bonds. Mr. Peterson stated that those bonds will be issued, in part, to fund the Bridge Street District developments and other items. Ms. Mumma responded that is correct. The General Obligation bonds were sold last Wednesday and the sale was very successful. The City is tentatively planning for the issuance of the Non -Tax Revenue bonds in mid - October. These Non -Tax Revenue bonds are for the two parking structures. The City did not request a rating from Fitch on the Non -Tax Revenue bonds, as it is not something Fitch would typically rate. The r RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Minutes of Dublin City Council Meeting BARRETT BROTHERS - DAYTON, OHIO Forth 6101 September 21, 2015 Page 5 of 7 Held _ City did request a rating from Moody's on these Non -Tax Revenue bonds and was awarded an AA1, which is the highest rating they award for a non General Obligation bond. Mr. Peterson stated that this information is available on the open market. This this information from an independent, third party is the information that a bond buyer takes into consideration when making a decision about whether or not to purchase the bonds. Ms. Mumma stated that is correct. Mr. Peterson added that if anyone wants to understand the financial structure of this component of the Bridge Street District, this document is very helpful and is an outstanding report from an independent rating agency about a City. He referenced a portion of the document: ' "The City's conservative budgeting and adherence to prudent fund balance policies have resulted in substantial reserves and ample financial flexibility; exposure to income tax volatility is additionally mitigated by the City's careful monitoring of revenue performance and demonstrated willingness to adjust costs to offset shortfalls." The document then lists the dynamics of the community — the highly educated residents and their income levels. This is a great endorsement from an independent agency. It also takes into consideration the economic development agreement for Bridge Park and all of the other things underway in the City. Ms. Mumma responded that the rating agencies were informed about the economic development agreement with Crawford Hoying, and greater detail was provided to Moody's as the City was requesting a rating on the Non -Tax Revenue bonds. It was important that they were familiar with all of the nuances of the agreement. It was also touched upon with Fitch, because in order for Fitch to make a decision on the rating for the General Obligation bonds, they needed to understand this additional information. Mr. Peterson stated that all of the work done by the staff who have worked in Dublin for many years, and all of the work done by many City Councils over the years demonstrates that any "doom and gloom" message about the City of Dublin has no basis in fact. Reading this report from Fitch, a worldwide rating agency, with a glowing endorsement of the City is all that one needs to know. With 80 percent of the residents college educated, they will understand this report as well and its implications. He asked that this report be published on the City's website so that it can be shared with everyone. Ms. Mumma responded that staff will ensure it is placed on the City website. Ms. Salav congratulated Ms. Mumma and the City team for their excellent work on the bond issuance. Ms. Chinnici - Zuercher: 1. Congratulated Ms. Mumma and the team for an excellent job. She looks forward to a continuation of the excellent financial practices of the City. 2. Congratulated the Dublin Arts Council for the additional $25,000 contribution by Crawford Hoying to the match for the NEA Our Town grant submission. This additional commitment brings the total match to $100,000, which is very helpful in the competition for this grant. 3. Noted that she had the opportunity to travel to Japan with Mr. Gracia to attend the Midwest - U.S. -Japan Association annual conference in Tokyo, Japan. She distributed the joint statement from the meeting. It was an excellent two -day conference with great representation from Ohio. Highlights of the conference were speeches by U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yoichi Miyazawa. They both spoke about the value of the Trans - Pacific Partnership (TPP). This is the new trade agreement, which is critically important to the Japan- America relationship, but has not been executed by all parties involved. The agreement also does not include China or Korea, which was controversial because it is not inclusive of all Minutes of _ BARRETT BROTHERS . Held RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS OHIO Dublin City Council September 21, 2015 — Meeting Form 6101 Page 6 of 7 of the Asian countries that have great export value to the United States. It is important to stay apprised of the status of the execution of this agreement. She and Mr. Gracia will prepare a report for Council about their corporate meetings in Japan, and this report will be presented in an October or November Council meeting. They met with companies who for the most part have a sales office in Dublin and thanked them for choosing Dublin. Generally, the manufacturing facilities for these companies are located in Japan and other countries. They also talked with the companies about potential expansion plans. They met with companies who were identified as potential companies to relocate to Dublin. Also in attendance with the Dublin representatives were representatives from Columbus 2020, as there is a regional interest in the Japanese companies in Central Ohio. More details will be provided in their report. Mr. Lecklider: 1. Congratulated Ms. Mumma and the team for both the Fitch and Moody's ratings. He added that Councils, past and present, share some responsibility for and deserve some credit for the results. Ultimately, Councils vote on budgets and how the City spends money. Councils over the years have taken a thoughtful and conservative approach to budgets and spending, and work closely with staff to achieve these good ratings. It is a point of pride for the City. 2. Thanked Mr. Langworthy for his service and noted he has enjoyed working with him over the past nine years. He wished him the best of luck in future endeavors. 3. Commented regarding the Dublin Chamber of Commerce 40"' anniversary, noting that the Chamber and the City government complement each other well. Both are responsible, to some degree, for each other's success over the years. He looks forward to the Chamber's representation as the City welcomes many new businesses to the community, particularly in the Bridge Street District and appreciates their support and partnership. 4. Noted that he attended the funeral services on Friday for Herb Jones -- one of Dublin's "founding fathers." He knows that all of Council and staff were sad to hear of his passing. The service was a very nice tribute to him, and he will forever be a part of Dublin's history. It is amazing to reflect upon all Herb Jones has done for the community and what a part he has played in his 30 plus years as a public school teacher, most of those years in Columbus; his 30 plus years with the Washington Township Fire Department; training firefighters as a state certified fire instructor; and his many years of conducting tours of Historic Dublin and the Coffman Homestead for third graders. Many fond remembrances and stories about Herb were told at the services. Mr. Reiner: 1. Congratulated Mr. Langworthy on his new career in Michigan. He added that the job of Planning Director is one of the most difficult jobs in the City, caught in the middle of zoning "battles." He has served Dublin very well in this endeavor. 2. Echoed Mr. Peterson's comments about the Fitch and Moody's reports and ratings. This is good information to bring forward for the public's information. During this campaign season, he has heard some negative comments about the Bridge Street District. He believes the rating agency reports counteract the negative information being circulated. Thanks to staff for their hard work, which has resulted in these ratings. Vice Mayor Gerber: 1. Recalled that he served as Chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission at the time Mr. Langworthy began his service as Director of Land Use and Long Range RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Minutes of Dublin City Council BARRETT BROTHERS - DAYTON, OHIO September 21, 2015 Held Meeting Form 6101 Page 7 of 7 Planning. As an Ohio State University graduate, and knowing Mr. Langworthy hailed from Michigan, some lively discourse took place at that time! He wished him all the best and thanked him for his service to Dublin. 2. Noted that he had the privilege to speak at the Bridge Park groundbreaking last Tuesday. The weather was perfect, and the groundbreaking was the culmination of five years of hard work. It was an honor to represent Council at the event, and there was a good turnout. Everyone was very excited and looking forward to the future. Mr. Keenan: 1. Noted that he watched a video of the groundbreaking ceremonies and thanked Mr. McDaniel and Vice Mayor Gerber for their nice comments. 2. Reported that he will speak at the celebration of the partnership between Ohio University and Columbus State on Wednesday, September 23 at the Dublin campus of Ohio University. 3. He will speak on Thursday evening and present a proclamation to the Dublin Community Preschool Board, staff and families. The Preschool is celebrating 40 years in Dublin. He added that his three children who are now grown all attended Dublin Community Preschool. 4. He echoed Mr. Lecklider's comments about Herb Jones. He and Washington Township Trustee Bostic visited Herb last fall at a local rehabilitation center. There was a crowd of people in his room, and Herb was holding court! He will be greatly missed by all! Th - meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m. MKor — Presiding Officer l] Clerk of Council