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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-25-2023 Council MinutesRECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Minutes of Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 September 25, 2023 Held 20 CALL TO ORDER Vice Mayor De Rosa called the Monday, September 25, 2023 Regular Meeting of Dublin City Council to order at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Present were Ms. Alutto, Ms. Amorose Groomes, Vice Mayor De Rosa, Mr. Keeler, Ms. Kramb and Mr. Reiner. Mayor Fox was absent. Staff members present were Ms. O’Callaghan, Mr. Ranc, Chief Paez, Ms. Weisenauer, Ms. Blake, Ms. Goliver, Mr. Hammersmith, Mr. Stiffler, Mr. Earman, Mr. Smith, Ms. Willis, Ms. Rauch, Mr. Hendershot, Ms. Mullinax and Mr. Althouse. Others present: Dr. John Marschhausen and Brian Kern, Dublin City Schools ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION Vice Mayor De Rosa moved to adjourn to executive session for the purposes of considering the employment of a public employee and the appointment of a public Official. Ms. Alutto seconded. Vote on the motion: Mr. Keeler, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Ms. Alutto, yes; Vice Mayor De Rosa, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. Amorose Groomes, yes. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Vice Mayor De Rosa invited Ms. Alutto to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. SPECIAL PRESENTATION e School Levy Presentation Dublin City Schools Superintendent Dr. John Marschhausen and Chief Financial Officer Brian Kern came forward to share facts about the upcoming school levy ballot issue. Dr. Marschhausen shared statistics regarding the current status as well as projected future growth of Dublin City School District student enrollment. Mr. Kern shared the financial impacts of the growth. They also shared the impacts of both a positive levy outcome and a negative levy outcome. Vice Mayor De Rosa thanked them both for the presentation and explanation. Ms. Amorose Groomes commented on the schools preparing to recognize 40 National Merit Scholars and stated that it was a testament to the good work that the schools are doing. CITIZEN COMMENTS There were no public comments. CONSENT AGENDA e Minutes of the August 30, 2023 Joint Work Session e Minutes of the September 11, 2023 Regular Council meeting e Excuse the Absence of Council Member Reiner from the September 11, 2023 Regular Council meeting. There was no request to remove an item from the consent agenda. Vice Mayor De Rosa moved to approve the consent agenda. Ms. Alutto seconded. Vote on the motion: Ms. Kramb, yes; Ms. Alutto, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes; Ms. Amorose Groomes, yes; Vice Mayor De Rosa, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Minutes of Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 oeptiember 25, 2025 Page 2 of 11 Held 20 SECOND READING/PUBLIC HEARING - ORDINANCES Ordinance 35-23 (Amended) Adopting the 2024-2028 Five-Year Capital Improvements Program Mr. Stiffler stated that the changes made to the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) from the first reading and work session were: e Funding decreased by $400,000 for preliminary design of future water and sewer extension projects from the proposed 2024-2028 CIP to the 2023 Q3 supplemental. e Increased funding for the Speed Management Projects by $20,000 in 2024 to purchase two additional sets of driver feedback signs for the Rotating Driver Feedback Sign program. e Programmed $1,000,000 for design of an Amtrak Railway Station in the West Innovation District in 2027 with General Fund Funding and $15,000,000 for construction of the station in 2028 with the funding source to be determined. Staff recommended approval of the Ordinance. Staff also recommended completing preliminary design of future water and sewer extension projects prior to moving forward with construction of extension projects in Areas 3A and 3C as well as construction of future extension projects. Staff also recommended a policy level discussion with Public Services Committee in early 2024 regarding the water and sanitary sewer extension program and associated funding. There were no public comments. Ms. Kramb sought clarification regarding the spreadsheet provided to Council where she observed $400,000 in funding. Mr. Stiffler clarified that the funding for the design of those extensions (3A and 3C), was encumbered in December 2022. It is included in the bond ordinance that Council will be hearing at this meeting. Ms. Kramb confirmed that when this topic comes before Public Services Committee in early 2024, the engineering work would all be done in 2024 so a decision could be made in 2024. Mr. Stiffler answered affirmatively. Mr. Hendershot verified that the final engineering would be finished in 2024. He stated that there will be better clarity on the alternative to move forward and the associated funding. Ms. O’Callaghan stated that staff wanted to move forward with the preliminary engineering work as that will inform the detailed design work. In response to Ms. Kramb’s question regarding Area 3C, Mr. Hendershot stated that the final design is already in process. Ms. O'Callaghan added that staff was intentional about leaving the funding for the detailed design for the previously programmed extensions so they could keep moving forward as specific solutions for each of the extensions is identified. Ms. Amorose Groomes clarified that by the end of 2027, all sewer projects in the City will have been designed. Mr. Hendershot stated that there are several projects that are shown beyond the 2028 CIP. The intention of the $400,000 for preliminary engineering is really to better understand what those alignments would look like. He added that it would also help staff understand the cost associated with some of the areas that have been more conceptual in nature. Ms. Amorose Groomes asked if there was a target when all of the design engineering would be complete. Mr. Hendershot stated that the target is 2035. Ms. Amorose Groomes asked about the water and whether the timeframe is about the same. Mr. Hendershot stated that they would be about the same as they are designed simultaneously. Vice Mayor De Rosa noted that this topic is still in the Public Service Committee’s purview so an additional referral is not necessary. Vote on the Ordinance: Mr. Reiner, yes; Vice Mayor De Rosa, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Ms. Amorose Groomes, yes; Ms. Alutto, yes. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Minutes of Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 September 25, 2023 Page 3 of 11 Held 20 Ordinance 36-23 Amending the Annual Appropriations for Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2023 Mr. Stiffler stated that there have been no changes to this Ordinance from the first reading. Staff recommended approval. There were no public comments. Vote on the Ordinance: Ms. Amorose Groomes, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Vice Mayor De Rosa, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes; Ms. Alutto, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes. INTRODUCTION/FIRST READING — ORDINANCES Mr. Stiffler introduced the three separate bond ordinances coming before Council. He stated that the financing team for all three are the same and have been in place for several years. The City is working with Baker Tilly as our Municipal Advisor and Squire Patton Boggs as our Bond Counsel with the same individuals that have provided these services for several years. Mr. Stiffler stated that staff expects to issue bonds totaling just under $12.2 million for the following general purposes: $1,000,000 in sewer projects; just under $200,000 in water funded projects; and $11 million for the Tuller Road to Emerald Parkway crossing over I-270. In terms of Debt Metrics and whether we met these guidelines, Metrics One, Two and Three have been met. Metric Four indicates that we are continuing to stay below the 10% operating revenue in that metric. These four metrics indicate that we are capable of issuing this debt. Mr. Stiffler explained the timeline of the bond issuances. He stated that after the second reading on October 9, the financing team expects to move toward rating meetings with Moody’s near the end of October. They will meet with all three rating agencies during that timeframe. They are expected to close in early December. Ordinance 37-23 Providing for the Issuance and Sale of Bonds in the Maximum Aggregate Principal Amount of $1,000,000 for the Purpose of Paying the Costs of Improving the Municipal Sanitary Sewer System by Extending Certain Sewer Lines, Repairing and Lining Certain Existing Sewer Lines, Reducing Inflow and Infiltration, and Installing New Sewer Lines, New Force Mains, a Lift Station and Pump Station, Together with all Incidental Work and Related Appurtenances Thereto. Ms. Alutto introduced the Ordinance. Mr. Stiffler stated that this provides funding of up to $1,000,000 for the Deer Run Sanitary Sewer System Improvements for the Glick Road Relief Sewer. These would be design funds. Secondly, this would include the final design for the sanitary sewer extension for Areas 3A and 3C. This debt will be repaid from sewer funds either directly or through transfers. There were no public comments. Vice Mayor De Rosa asked if there is an estimate regarding financing costs. Mr. Stiffler stated he would provide that at the second reading of this Ordinance. Ms. Amorose Groomes asked if these were to be cash funded, how far out of compliance with our policy would we be in terms of our reserves. Mr. Stiffler stated that in terms of the sewer fund, we could cash fund one million dollars. It becomes a question of whether we will ever be able to comply with the policy if we do not take action that brings us toward compliance. Policy compliance would be about 25% of the system value, which would be about $16 million and at this point, we only have $7 million in the fund. He added that the fund is slowly growing which is a positive sign. A concern would be that over time, we might face other expenditures that are unknown that we would want to utilize this for and we would want more of a buffer RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS lin City Council Minutes of Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 september 25, 2023" Page 4 of 11 Held 20 than $7 million. Debt funding this type of improvement makes a lot of sense because these are long improvements. Ms. Amorose Groomes agreed with Mr. Stiffler’s assessment, but added that it is worth the discussion because of the price of money right now. Mr. Stiffler added that we would issue these bonds with a 10-year call as we do with all our debts, so if something good happens in the next 10 years, we could take advantage of it. Second Reading/Public hearing is scheduled for October 9, 2023. Ordinance 38-23 Providing for the Issuance and Sale of Bonds in the Maximum Principal Amount of $195,000 for the Purpose of Paying the Costs of Improving the Municipal Waterworks System by Upgrading and Replacing Certain Existing Water Lines and Installing Water Line Extensions, together with all Incidental Work and Related Appurtenances Thereto. Ms. Alutto introduced the Ordinance. Mr. Stiffler stated that this bond issuance is for a little under $200,000. It includes $115,000 for design of waterline extensions and $80,000 for design of waterline replacement. The waterline extensions are in 3A and 3C. Water fund revenues will be used to repay the waterline replacement whereas the waterline extensions will be funded through a transfer from the Capital Improvements Fund. Mr. Stiffler added that staff is recommending to debt finance this small amount because the water fund revenue is more extreme than the sewer fund, so it would take a substantial period of time for the fund balance to go up $200,000. The fund balance has been relatively flat for the last five years. If policy compliance requires a fund balance of $16 million, it is better to debt finance these types of sums so that we can have small payments over 20 years. There were no public comments. Second Reading/Public hearing is scheduled for October 9, 2023. Ordinance 39-23 Providing for the Issuance and Sale of Bonds in the Maximum Principal Amount of $11,000,000 for the Purpose of Paying the Costs of Acquiring and Preparing Certain Real Property in Connection with the Construction of a Bridge Crossing over I-270, together with all Incidental Work and Related Appurtenances Thereto. Ms. Alutto introduced the Ordinance. Mr. Stiffler stated that this bond issuance is for up to $11 million for the acquisition of land associated with the bridge over I-270. The total acquisition and demolition cost for that property is about $11.5 million. A half million dollars in General Fund revenue will be utilized. This was just approved in the third quarter supplemental to purchase the land that will become the remnant when construction is completed on that parcel so that we are not using tax-exempt bonds for potential economic development purposes. The advance will be repaid from the General Fund when we do acquire the land. The repayment will occur in early December when the funding is received. There were no public comments. Ms. Amorose Groomes stated that there will be residual land and the revenue from selling that residual piece would be applicable to this transaction. Mr. Stiffler responded affirmatively and stated that the revenue from that could go back to the General Fund, which is why we are utilizing that Fund. Second Reading/Public hearing is scheduled for October 9, 2023. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Minutes of Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 oeptember 25, 2025 Page 9 of 11 Held 20 INTRODUCTION/PUBLIC HEARING/VOTE — RESOLUTIONS Resolution 64-23 Accepting the Amounts and Rates as determined by the Budget Commission and Authorizing the Necessary Tax Levies and Certifying them to the County Auditor Ms. Alutto introduced the Resolution. Mr. Stiffler explained that a mill represents the amount of property tax paid on real estate. One mill is equal to $1 in property tax levied per thousand dollars of property’s assessed value. He encouraged anyone with questions about property tax to go to the City’s website and read our “Understanding Your Taxes” guide. It does a good job of explaining property taxes, income taxes and where those funds are utilized across the different governmental entities that serve the City of Dublin. This resolution is purely administrative in nature. It does not authorize the collection or creation of any additional property taxes. It allocates existing property taxes that are part of the City’s inside millage and restates the City’s agreement that the outside millage, based on previously voter approved levies, are correct. Inside millage is unvoted millage and outside millage is voted millage, which means that inside millage does not change. Mr. Stiffler provided some history regarding inside and outside millage as follows: Inside Millage - History: » 1929-1933 Constitutional limit was 1.5% or 15 mills = 1932 Constitution amended during Great Depression to reduce unvoted millage limit from 1.5% or 15 mills to 1% or 10 mills » All political subdivisions received 2/3rds of what they received from 1929-1933 permanently « Inside millage shared between political subdivisions » county, city, township and school district Outside Millage - History: » City approved a property tax levy dedicated to police services in 1976 « The effective rate of this levy has been reduced from 1.2 mills to 0.159152 mills for residential rate payers. It provides approximately $550,000 annually to the Safety Fund. There were no public comments. Vice Mayor De Rosa thanked Mr. Stiffler for the explanation of the millage. She asked if the inside millage would move along with the assessed value of the property. Mr. Stiffler stated that the City will always earn $1.75 for every thousand dollars in assessed value. The benefit of that is that it does increase with property values. He added that when the Auditor says that property values in Franklin County are increasing by an average of 20-40%, the inside millage will see that increase. The outside millage will be reduced and will not see an increase. This is why property taxes will increase slightly, not by that 20% increase in property valuation. There are many moving components. In response to Ms. Amorose Groomes’ question regarding a cap on what the City could collect and the schools cap, Mr. Stiffler stated that the schools only get an increase on their inside millage which is a very small component of their overall millage. The schools do not see a benefit of that increase property valuation whereas the City is the opposite. Vote on the Resolution: Ms. Alutto, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Ms. Amorose Groomes, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Vice Mayor De Rosa, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Minutes of Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 oeptember 25, 2029 Page 6 of 11 Held 20 Resolution 65-23 Acceptance of a Preliminary Plat for the Resubdivision of the State Bank Dublin Plat, located within the Bridge Street District (Case 22-010PP). Ms. Alutto introduced the Resolution. Ms. Mullinax stated that the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) reviews and makes recommendations of preliminary and final plats to City Council. The purpose of the plats is to subdivide land, to identify property lines, establish easements, dedicate open space and create public rights-of-way. This site has no development proposed at this time; however, future development is subject to the Bridge Street District Code and the development process. In the interim, the applicant received approval from the Administrative Review Team to demolish the two existing single-family homes on the site. The State Bank is on the lot furthest to the west and the existing single-family dwellings to be demolished are on the lots to the east of State Bank. The preliminary plat request is for the resubdivision of three existing lots into two new lots. The plat includes five access easements and vacates two existing easements. Two recommended conditions of approval address the timing of plat recording and demolition of the existing homes; and that future developers construct pedestrian access between the lots. PZC recommended approval with four conditions of the preliminary plat to City Council. Two of those conditions have since been met and staff recommended acceptance of this preliminary plat with the two conditions remaining. Mr. Troy Kemelgor, the applicant, was present if there were any questions. There were no questions. Ms. Kramb stated that there is a curb cut for the east property and asked if that was going to be eliminated. Ms. Mullinax stated that primary access will be obtained from Banker Drive to the north of the lots and the existing driveway will remain for now and be reconsidered with future development when that comes. Ms. Kramb clarified that there is no access on SR 161, but the side street could provide access. Ms. Mullinax responded affirmatively. In response to Ms. Kramb’s question regarding turning radius in the northwest corner, Ms. Mullinax stated that Engineering did review that and has no concerns. Vote on the Resolution: Mr. Keeler, yes; Vice Mayor De Rosa, yes; Ms. Amorose Groomes, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. Alutto, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes. Resolution 66-23 Acceptance of a Final Plat for the Resubdivision of the State Bank Dublin Plat, located within the Bridge Street District (Case 22-010PP). Ms. Alutto introduced the Resolution. Ms. Mullinax stated that this is the final plat for the State Bank. Staff recommended approval of the final plat with the same two conditions: 1. The plats are recorded and existing structures are demolished within one year of City Council approval; and 2. The future developer of Lot 1A and Lot 2 construct pedestrian access between Lot 1 and the adjacent properties Lot 1A and Lot 2. There were no public comments. In response to Ms. Amorose Groomes’ question regarding the demolition of the two existing structures, Ms. Mullinax stated that the applicant received approval from the Administrative Review Team to demolish the structures, which they would have to do before recording the plats with the County. Vote on the Resolution: Vice Mayor De Rosa, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes; Ms. Alutto, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. Amorose Groomes, yes. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Minutes of Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 oeptiember 29, 2025 Page / of 11 Held 20 OTHER BUSINESS e Proposed 2024 Council, Work Session and Committee Meeting Schedules Vice Mayor De Rosa opened discussion regarding the proposed schedules for 2024. o Mr. Keeler stated that he usually reserves the week of February 19 for travel, so he may not be available for the work session proposed on February 20. o Ms. Amorose Groomes proposed moving the February 12 Regular Council meeting to February 5, as she will likely be in Washington D.C. at a conference with MORPC on February 12. There were no objections. o Ms. Alutto stated she would not be able to be present for a work session on June 24. She also proposed moving the Finance Committee start times to 4:30 p.m. instead of 4:00 p.m. There were no objections. o Ms. Kramb stated that she would prefer the September 16 Regular meeting date option. There were no objections. o Vice Mayor De Rosa sought consensus from members regarding having the retreat in April again versus earlier in 2024. Council consensus was that the April dates were fine. Adoption of the proposed 2024 meeting calendars with the stated revisions is scheduled for October 9, 2023. e J-270/U.S. 33 Interchange Planting Beds Renovation — Community Development Committee Recommendation Mr. Earman stated that this renovation project was referred to the Community Development Committee (CDC) at the May 22 Council meeting. The original landscape was installed in 2016 and was met with standing water challenges that did not allow the landscape to perform as intended. The renovation project is included in this year’s CIP for $250,000. At the August 15 CDC meeting, staff presented a new landscape concept, which includes new tree and shrub species that are more tolerant to the current conditions, and provides an enhanced textural and three dimensional concept. There were also minor adjustments to the irrigation system and installation of French drains to mitigate some of the excessive groundwater issues. This updated concept is estimated to be $250,000 as budgeted in the CIP. Upon review, the Committee recommended some alternative species to the proposed concept for more color variety and extended seasonal flowering color. Staff presented the updated concept with the preferred species incorporated in the design at the Committee’s August 29 meeting. These modifications did not increase the estimated cost for the project. Also at the August 29 meeting, staff provided a third concept with the preferred species for consideration. This third concept brings additional irrigation requirements for this type of concept; additional numbers of plants; and drainage needed to accommodate the design. These additions elevated the estimated cost of the project to approximately $900,000. The Committee, with a vote of 2 to 1, recommends to City Council approval of the second concept and for staff to proceed with the final design, solicitation of bids and construction. There were no public comments. Mr. Reiner, Chair of the CDC, stated that the Committee did a good job of recommending certain plant materials that will last longer and require less maintenance. Vice Mayor De Rosa moved to approve the I-270/US 33 Interchange Planting Beds Renovation Plan as recommended by the Community Development Committee. Ms. Alutto seconded. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS blin City Council Minutes of Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 September 25, 2023 Page 8 of 11 Held 20 Vote on the motion: Ms. Amorose Groomes, yes; Vice Mayor De Rosa, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Ms. Alutto, yes. e Accepting the 2023 Tax Incentive Review Council (TIRC) Reports Mr. Stiffler stated that there were three TIRC meetings held, one for each County (Franklin, Union and Delaware). He was pleased to report that all City of Dublin TIFs were found to be in compliance. The County Auditor’s request is that Council accept the reports from the meetings. Ms. Alutto moved to accept the TIRC reports for 2023. Mr. Keeler seconded. Vote on the motion: Ms. Kramb, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. Amorose Groomes, yes; Vice Mayor De Rosa, yes; Ms. Alutto, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes. STAFF COMMENTS Ms. O’Callaghan shared the following updates: e A community input session for the Sustainability Plan will be held this Thursday at the Dublin Community Recreation Center from 6 — 7:30 p.m. This initiative and engagement is in furtherance of, and will inform, the Envision Dublin community plan work. e The Ohio University Dublin Campus is kicking off a speaker series with its first event this Wednesday, September 27: “Live Longer, Live Stronger,” a presentation by specialists with the OU Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. The event begins at 6:30 and will be held at the Dublin Integrated Education Center Auditorium on the OU Dublin Campus. Our Outreach & Engagement team has served on the Steering Committee led by Dean Bill Burke. This will engage the overall interest of our Dublin residents for lifelong learning, healthy aging in place, and connecting with higher education in Dublin. e The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has a contractor performing exploratory excavation of the Zoo’s private sanitary force main at six locations within the City of Dublin along the west side of Riverside Drive in the public right-of-way. This work is to investigate, assess, and make repairs to the private sanitary force main as necessary. This work is estimated to be completed within the next two to three weeks. Ms. Amorose Groomes asked if all the marked areas will be dug up and how deep the main is buried. Mr. Hammersmith stated that Igel will be excavating to look at the condition of the force main at the marked locations. In the event there are repairs necessary, Igel is capable of making repairs to it. Ms. Amorose Groomes’ asked if the force main is water or sewer. Mr. Hammersmith stated it is a sanitary sewer. He stated it is about four feet deep. e The 2023 Japan-American Grassroots Summit took place this past week in Central Ohio. Dublin was a sponsor and one of eight local communities participating. She thanked the six Dublin families who welcomed guests into their home. This person-to-person exchange and shared enthusiasm for local and cultural experience is the essence of the Summit. Our host family residents exemplify why Dublin is truly a global city of choice. She concluded her report with a brief recap of the recent trip to Japan. She reported that she, Councilmember John Reiner, and Director of Communications Lindsay Weisenauer had a successful trip to Japan September 7" through the 15" in furtherance of economic opportunities and international relations. Minutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 Held oeptember 25, 2025 Page 9 of 11 20 She shared that they joined a delegation of more than 60 people from Ohio -- more than 40 from the Columbus Region - at the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association Conference. The annual conference brings together business leaders from the Midwest region of the United States and Japan each year to discuss the growth and progress of economic relations between the American Midwest and Japan. This year’s conference included speeches by the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, five U.S. governors and four Japanese governors of prefectures. Next year’s Conference will be held in Columbus, and plans are already underway to ensure we offer attendees the same level of hospitality and programming that Tokyo showed us this year. While in Japan, she reported that they also had the opportunity to visit our Friendship City Mashiko and to engage with several businesses. She thanked Economic Development staff for setting up those business visits. They also met with various organizations, including JETRO — the Japanese External Trade Organization — and had the opportunity to present to more than a dozen businesses. The business engagements provided opportunities for two-way dialogue about opportunities for growth and challenges the companies are facing in their global operations and at their Dublin facilities. Many indicated plans to grow, and staff offered resources to help them with ongoing workforce recruitment challenges. They also ensured they were aware of the amenities and infrastructure available through The Beta District and from Dublin specifically, including the Dublink Transport Network. The business executives expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet with us and build upon our existing relationships, and the conversations were productive and insightful. Our Economic Development team is already working on several follow-ups with these businesses based on those conversations. A memo summarizing the mission will be included in the September City Manager Report. COUNCIL REPORTS e Finance Committee: Ms. Alutto reported that Redtree Investments were present to discuss the Investment Policy. The Committee discussed benchmarking and using it more to determine how the City fares against other cities rather than a solid performance metric. They will be returning to the Committee at a future meeting for updates for the Investment Policy based upon the Committee’s feedback. Ms. Alutto shared that the cost of City services was also discussed. There will be some amendments to the fees that will be coming to Council in an upcoming meeting. e Public Services Committee: Ms. Kramb reported that the Committee met on September 19 for a follow-up to the Holiday Market discussion. The Committee had asked staff to do more research. Staff spoke with the Historic Dublin Business Association, Visit Dublin Ohio, Crawford Hoying and the Dublin Arts Council. Staff also visited markets in Carmel, IN, Bethlehem, PA and Philadelphia, PA last season. The recommendation that will be coming to Council is for an RFP for a feasibility study that would answer the questions of providing potential ownership models, potential operating models and potential locations. Ms. Kramb also stated that the Committee discussed that this RFP could be broad enough that it could inform other future events. The memo and recommendation will be coming forward to Council on that broader scope. e Liaison Reports: o Dublin Arts Council: Mr. Reiner shared that the Chapa Sari: The Story of Cotton will be on display from September 19 through December 15. The final Sunday at the Scioto concert will be October 8 and the British Invasion will be performing. Meeting RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Minutes of Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 oeptember 25, 2025 Page 10 of 11 Held 20 o Veterans Committee: Mr. Reiner stated that they are working on developing some great programs for the veterans and he complimented the staff assistance. o Architectural Review Board: Ms. Kramb stated that they are meeting this week (September 27) and the code updates are on the agenda. These Code amendments are regarding the wording related to the demolition criteria. There are also some other minor code process updates. o Washington Township: Ms. Kramb, in response to Mr. Keeler’s question, stated that she will be attending the Stakeholder meeting on behalf of Council as the liaison. She further clarified that the request from Washington Township that Mr. Keeler referred to was asking each Council member to provide a name or two from your wards or neighborhoods of people to participate in the stakeholder’s meeting. They are hoping to get a good cross-section of the population. If any Council member would like to submit a name or two, please e-mail those directly to Washington Township. o Planning and Zoning Commission: Ms. Amorose Groomes stated that the pond was moved in the Riviera Development. o MORPC: Ms. Amorose Groomes shared that they met last week and had a good productive meeting. There are grant cycles opening and they discussed grade separations for rail crossings. Hopefully they will be applying for federal dollars that would permit us to do some grade separations at our rail crossing on the western border. Vice Mayor De Rosa congratulated Ms. Amorose Groomes for being voted Chair of the Executive Committee for MORPC. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Mr. Keeler thanked everyone who attended the Bounty at Bridge Park fundraising event. He appreciated the City Manager’s comments regarding the trip to Japan. This last week, Council had the opportunity to interact with visitors from Japan and they are very warm. They are here to do business. He stated that one of the questions was about manufacturing and whether or not Dublin has ground for manufacturing. He stated there might be opportunities to the west for manufacturing. Mr. Reiner stated that he has always had an appreciation for the culture in Japan. The culture of respect, prosperity and precision is very evident in everything they have. Art is in the food, their dress and in their buildings. While on their trip, they held many business visits in which we were proud to share our rich Japanese ties with them. They shared that Dublin has 22 Japanese owned businesses and more Japanese residents than any other city in Ohio. They shared that Dublin is the home of the Obon Festival, which seemed to impress everyone with whom they spoke. He congratulated JASCO for having the Obon Festival here. These types of cultural celebrations go a long way toward building important relationships. Mr. Reiner shared that they visited Mashiko, Japan, the City of Dublin’s first Friendship City. They met Mayor Marito Harita and several other members of the Town Administration. The City of Dublin gave a beautiful decanter and geocaching coins from the Dublin Arts Council. It was a wonderful cultural exchange. They were also guests at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel who gave a great speech. Mr. Reiner shared that Japan invested $721 billion in the U.S. in the last year and that is the highest of any foreign country. The strong and enduring relationship between Japan and U.S. exemplifies the importance of diplomacy, partnership and shared values. He stated that he was very honored to be part of the trip. Mr. Reiner shared a few other stories of interactions while in Japan. Vice Mayor De Rosa thanked Mr. Reiner for sharing. Ms. Alutto thanked Chief Paez for attending the meet and greet in Muirfield. It was a good experience. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Minutes of Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 September 25, 2023 Page 17 of 11 Held 20 Ms. Amorose Groomes shared that she met with third graders from Deer Run Elementary and that she promised them she would give them her best at the meeting. She stated that she thoroughly enjoyed her time with them today. Vice Mayor De Rosa thanked JASCO for the Japan America Grassroots Summit. She expressed a special “thank you” to all the families who hosted because that is what Dublin is really all about. Thank you to the residents for continuing to contribute time to give their input at our public input meetings. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8 33 p.m. Crvne Vice Mayor — ~ Presiding 0, (ale (Mud Cloth of Covhcil