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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-05-2025 Council MinutesMinutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 644-224-3358 FORM NO, 10148 Held May 5, 2025 CALL TO ORDER Mayor Amorose Groomes called the Monday, May 5, 2025 Regular Council Meeting of Dublin City Council to order at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Members present were Vice Mayor Alutto, Mayor Amorose Groomes, Ms. De Rosa, Ms. Fox, Mr. Keeler, Ms. Kramb and Mr. Reiner. Staff members present were Ms. O'Callaghan, Mr. Hartmann, Chief Paez, Deputy Chiefs Tabernik and Lattanzi, Ms. Weisenauer, Ms. Rauch, Ms. LeRoy, Ms. Wawszkiewicz, Ms. Miglietti, Ms. Willis, Ms. Hoffman, Ms. Mullinax, Mr. Barker, Mr. Earman, Mr. Hammersmith, Mr. Ament, Ms. Hunter, Ms. Blake and Ms. Goliver. Others present were Chief Donahue and Assistant Chief Adam Smith, Washington Township Fire Department; Sarah Karpinski, North Market; and Rex Pryor, Community Services Advisory Committee. ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION Mayor Amorose Groomes moved to adjourn to executive session for the purposes of: . Personnel Matters: Considering the Appointment of a Public Official. Vice Mayor Alutto seconded. Vote on the motion: Ms. De Rosa, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes; Vice Mayor Alutto, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. Fox, yes; Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes. RECONVENED: 7:00 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Amorose Groomes invited Ms. De Rosa to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. SPECIAL PRESENTATION/RECOGNITION e Washington Township Fire/EMS Levy Presentation Chief Donahue came forward and introduced the recently appointed Assistant Chief Adam Smith. Mr. Smith comes from the Washington Township Fire Department. Assistant Chief Smith expressed that he looks forward to continuing to serve the community and working with the City. Chief Donahue provided information regarding the Fire/EMS Levy that will be on the ballot for the primary election on May 6. He shared that this is a replacement levy and will not cost more to the community members. He also shared that Washington Township is among the lowest fire levy cost per $100,000 of home value in Central Ohio which shows their commitments to responsible management of tax dollars. Additionally, he stated that they have worked to be proactive in financial planning and continue to offset rising costs through grants. Finally, he shared that the Washington Township Fire Department is proudly an ISO (Insurance Services Office) Class 1 rated agency which signifies the highest level of fire protection in a community. They have also achieved and maintained the accreditation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence as a CFAI (Commission on Fire Accreditation International) agency since 2007. He thanked Council for their support and partnership. CITIZEN COMMENTS Akshay Dhariwal, 5385 Drumcally Lane, came forward to express condolences for the lives lost in recent acts of violence in India. He called the acts an assault on humanity. He encouraged a stance against terrorism. He stated the voices of hate must not drown out the voices of compassion and peace. Minutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO, 1014S Held May 5,2025 Page 2 of 13 20 CONSENT AGENDA e Minutes of the April 14, 2025 Council Work Session e Minutes of the April 21, 2025 Regular Council Meeting e Minutes of the April 28, 2025 Special Council Meeting There was no request to remove an item from the Consent Agenda. Mayor Amorose Groomes moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Vice Mayor Alutto seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: Mr. Keeler, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Vice Mayor Alutto, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes; Ms. De Rosa, yes; Ms. Fox, yes. SECOND READING/ PUBLIC HEARING - ORDINANCES Ordinance 10-25 Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Necessary Conveyance Documentation to Accept the Dedication of a 0.197 Acre, more or less, Easement; and a 0.145 Acre, more or less, Temporary Easement, from the Dublin City School District for the Muirfield Drive at Sells Mill Drive Pedestrian Crossing Improvements (22-021-CIP) Ms. Wawszkiewicz stated that there have been no changes to this Ordinance since the first reading. Staff recommended approval. There were no public comments. Vote on the Ordinance: Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. Fox, yes; Ms. De Rosa, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes; Vice Mayor Alutto, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes. Ordinance 11-25 Adopting and Enacting a Supplement (S-56) to the code of Ordinances for the City of Dublin, Ohio Mr. Hartmann stated that this supplement includes the new local legislation through December 31, 2024 and any state legislation through June 6, 2024. American Legal provided a color-coded copy for the second reading. Staff recommended approval. There were no public comments. Ms. Kramb thanked staff for the color-coded copy that was added to the materials. Vote on the Ordinance: Ms. Fox, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes; Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes; Ms. De Rosa, yes; Vice Mayor Alutto, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes. INTRODUCTION/PUBLIC HEARING/VOTE — RESOLUTIONS Resolution 31-25 Waiving Competitive Bidding Requirements Pursuant to Section 8.04 (“Contracting Procedures”), Paragraph (C) (“Waiver of Competitive Bidding”), of the Revised Charter for the Purchase of Beer for the 2025 Dublin Irish Festival Vice Mayor Alutto introduced the Resolution. Ms. LeRoy stated that staff reviewed the purchases made for events and decided to seek formal bids for some of those purchases. This resolution involves the unique purchase of alcohol. It is unique because state law allows only one distributor in a geographical area to Minutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORM: UPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO, TOTae Held May-5-2025 Page 3-0f 13 20 J 7 “oY sell the product. Staff is not able to do a competitive bid due to the state law governing these purchases. Guiness and Coors Light are the main sponsors of the Dublin Irish Festival. Guiness donates $25,000 in cash and $10,000 in in-kind products and services. Coors donates $20,000 in cash and $10,000 in-kind. She added that media is included in this as well. There were no public comments. Ms. De Rosa asked how the sponsorships have changed over the years in terms of dollars and how much of that goes directly back to the City. Ms. LeRoy stated that the $10,000 is mostly media and/or advertising placements in stores. She added that the amount has not changed since 2018 but the amount of beer that the City has been buying the last few years has decreased because people are buying more of the other products offered. Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that she requested that the legal team review a way to engage in the competitive bidding process with the state law. The legal department committed to providing a memo that will not affect this year’s contract because of the time sensitivity, but may inform next year’s process. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that this was discussed as part of the Events Roadmap process because there are a lot of procurement rules and that factor was taken into account by the consultant as they made their recommendations for future Irish Festivals. Vote on the Resolution: Ms. Kramb, yes; Vice Mayor Alutto, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. Fox, yes; Ms. De Rosa, yes; Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes. OTHER BUSINESS e Human Resources Briefing Ms. Miglietti provided an update on the following Human Resources Department focus areas: Recruitment & Selection; Talent & Culture Development and Succession Planning. o Recruitment & Selection She provided some metrics regarding workforce compositions and recruitment and stated that the City of Dublin takes 25 days less than peer organizations on average to hire a candidate. She stated that the City currently has a 6.8% vacancy rate. June, July and August are the highest employee counts due to the seasonal hiring. The turnover rates for Dublin staff are right around the goals set by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) of 10% for a healthy workforce. o Talent & Culture Development In December 2023, City Manager O'Callaghan introduced the Culture Playbook. The Culture Playbook was created to identify the City’s beliefs, behaviors and outcomes to celebrate all staff and recognize their dedication to service. The City hosts three distinct employee appreciation events each year and the focus remains on re-skilling and up-skilling staff through Cornerstone and other professional development opportunities. The Strongest Link Award was recently added as a new element of staff recognition. This is an award given by the City Manager and selected by peer recommendations. It is the highest honor for individual staff or teams who demonstrate exceptional efforts. Staff are recognized for their years of service in five-year increments at citywide meetings. Celebration stations are used to celebrate exceptional teamwork. Minutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Meeting SOVERNIENT FORM SUPPLIES 844-222-3338 FORM NO, 10TaE Held May 5,2025 Page 4 of 13_ 20 o Succession Planning Ms. Miglietti shared that the City currently practices a variety of strategies to ensure leadership, resilience, talent development and succession planning go hand-in-hand to maintain an ongoing dynamic succession plan that adapts to changing circumstances. Human Resources regularly checks in with leadership across the City to understand needs and determine staff readiness for other opportunities. Senior leaders consistently work to develop staff to ensure they can compete for promotional opportunities. Supervisors and Managers in the City conduct annual evaluations and mid-year check-ins to assess talent and learning needs of staff and to provide growth opportunities. The City has used exit interviews to gather information from departing employees, understanding their experiences and identifying areas for improvement. In late 2024, the City started our engagement check-ins. These voluntary interviews proactively assess staff satisfaction and engagement from our newest to our most tenured staff. Succession planning is a key focus area for 2025. The next citywide workplace survey will be launched in early summer. Ms. Miglietti also shared that Human Resources is currently evaluating our compensation plan for non-union staff for a historical review. The last major compensation evaluation was conducted in 2006. The goals included remaining an employer of choice in the Central Ohio region and enhancing our competitive position in the labor market. As part of that process, Human Resources conducts a biennial review of the market to ensure the salary bands are properly aligned. The non-union salary bands are made up of market and target segments. The program was designed to move employees who were in the market part of their salary band into the target segment of their salary band within a reasonable period of time. Employees receive annual increases in the spring and eligible employees in their market segment may receive an increase in the fall as well. As Human Resources analyzes current salary bands in relation to the market, if they need to be adjusted, they will be brought forward to Council during the budget process. As part of the compensation evaluation, Human Resources is internally examining some of the other benefits in the compensation plan. In the recruitment experience over the last several months, staff has learned of fringe benefits other agencies are using to attract and retain talent. They are currently evaluating those and will be bringing proposed changes forward later this year. Lastly, she shared the total compensation statement that is provided to employees that outlines the full value of the compensation package, not just salary. Mayor Amorose Groomes thanked Ms. Miglietti for the information. Renewable Energy, Solar Update Ms. Noble stated that the planning staff worked with Council over a two-year period to adopt code language that allows renewable energy specific to solar regulations. These code updates were adopted in 2023. This code section dealt with building-mounted regulations as well as ground-mounted regulations. Staff committed to Council that they would monitor the permit activity and provide updates about success rates. Initially, the first code adoption brought a disapproval rate of approximately 64% which was higher than anticipated. The second code amendment that was brought forward fortunately resolved some of the issues and resulted in a 4% disapproval rating. Of those 4%, many of the applications just contained incorrect information and were easily corrected. In 2025, the activity Minutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 644-224-3308 FORM NO, 10148 Held May-5,2025 Page 5.of 13-20 slowed down a bit. Currently there are six residential permits that have been reviewed, and they all look to be successful as well as three commercial permits. Discussions with other City departments about solar regulations resulted in two opportunities that should be considered for solar regulations. These two programs, one with Engineering and the second with Transportation and Mobility, do not currently meet regulations for ground-mounted equipment. The engineering opportunity involves the pond irrigation and variation system called Pond Hawk. There are 27 examples of this at the Golf Club of Dublin and they are narrow black panels, two inches in width. They are very sleek, low-standing panels that allow air and light trespass so they blend in well with the environment. This program has been very successful not only for cost savings, but also for a reduction in chemical costs. The Transportation and Mobility Department has several programs that use solar energy: traffic management, speed management and our emergency siren systems. The panels used in these programs are usually minuscule at 42 inches by 48 inches. They are usually attached to existing towers. Staff has reviewed the ground mounted equipment regulations and has identified revisions that could be made to allow these programs to continue and be in compliance. The ground- mounted equipment would still be considered accessory structures; however, staff would be proposing a modification to the size of the equipment, the location and the height allowance. Typically, code modifications would be reviewed through the Planning and Zoning Commission, but this code modification is minor and could be reviewed directly with Council. Ms. Fox shared that she is familiar with the Pond Hawk program and stated that it has helped to keep the ponds healthier. She is supportive of the code modifications necessary to keep these successful programs in compliance. She also shared her support for expediting the code changes through Council directly. She encouraged staff to continue to watch for technological advancements in solar products. Ms. De Rosa stated that this proposed modification would not change for residential. She stated that the term maintenance could mean someone could use a solar device to run their pool for example. She added that she was concerned about unintended consequences due to the broad meaning of maintenance. Ms. Noble stated that staff did explore whether this would be applicable to only public projects or allowing this throughout the community. She talked with other communities to see what applications they have experienced. She has not found examples of dense residential communities having these programs for residents. She offered to continue research as the code amendment moves forward. Ms. De Rosa suggested considering exactly what is meant by the term maintenance. She supported having more clarity. She is supportive of keeping the review process with Council. Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that her thoughts were largely around public health and safety. She stated that would help to mitigate some of the issues and she used Ballantrae as an example of a public health related application. She suggested making these uses relative to public health and safety. Ms. Kramb stated that the wording should be chosen carefully because if an HOA (homeowners’ association) wants to use a Pond Hawk for their storm water maintenance then we would see them in residential areas as well. It would be difficult to say public ponds, but not private ponds. She likes the public health and safety aspect. She suggested using wording that specifies what specifically these accessory structures are related to. She stated her support for these modifications. Mr. Reiner stated that he was impressed that these Pond Hawk systems have been installed for seven years and they are still working great. He would like this to be Minutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORM SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO, TOTS Held May. 52025 Page-6 of 13 20 e shared with the HOAs and neighborhoods who may be looking for help with their retention basins. Mr. Keeler stated that he agrees with many of the comments. He agrees that the wording needs to be carefully chosen. He stated that these programs are specific situations. He is concerned about being broad enough to include certain utilities but exclude utilities and residential. Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that this would be under the solar guidelines and not under a general City guideline for any public health and safety. This would be specific to solar applications. Ms. Noble responded affirmatively. Ms. Fox asked what the criteria means when an accessory is determined to be judged on size, location and height. Ms. Noble stated that staff's initial thought was that it would be applicable only to maintenance and utilities. If it is in one of those categories, then there would be requirements regarding size, location and height. She stated staff is trying to narrow the focus and then provide parameters. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that this is the policy discussion that staff was hoping to have that would guide staff to draft language and then bring back to Council. The first question is regarding whether these regulations should be limited to the public realm or allowable to residents. There are many ways to go about these code modifications and she offered to do additional research as well. Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that starting out with the public installations and managing those is a logical starting point. She added that no applications have been brought forward relative to residential requests. She suggested when we see an interest from the public to utilize this type of technology on their property then it is time to talk about allowing residential applications. Ms. Kramb stated that she believes this can be written specifically enough for stormwater or ponds, but she does not believe the HOA-owned ponds could be precluded because the public safety standard would apply. Mayor Amorose Groomes clarified that it is her belief that public health and safety does not apply only to public property. She added that when it is in the context of the code it will be easier to wordsmith. Council consensus was to bring this back to Council directly versus going to Planning and Zoning Commission first. Spring 2025 Beautify Your Neighborhood Grant Applications Ms. Mullinax stated that there is a total budget of $32,000 in the Beautify Your Neighborhood Grant (BYNG) fund for both spring and fall requests. The total requests made during the spring application round was $21,666.46 leaving $10,333.54 in the fund for the fall. At the April 15 Community Development Committee meeting, the Committee recommended approval to City Council for the six applications. Staff recommended approval. Mayor Amorose Groomes moved to approve the Beautify Your Neighborhood Grant funding recommendations from the Community Development Committee. Mr. Reiner seconded. Vote on the motion: Mr. Keeler, yes; Ms. De Rosa, yes; Vice Mayor Alutto, yes; Ms. Fox, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes. Community Services Advisory Committee (CSAC) Report — Deer Management Ms. Goliver came forward and introduced Rex Pryor from the Community Services Advisory Committee (CSAC). Mr. Pryor stated that CSAC has been discussing the topic of deer management since 2022. In 2023, CSAC recommended prohibiting the outdoor feeding of wild animals and Council adopted Ordinance 47-23 and Minutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORM: UPPLIES 824-222-3338 FORM NO, 101s Held May-5,2025 Page-7 of 13 20 later revised it through Ordinance 05-24. The topic was again referred to CSAC in October 2024. CSAC had the opportunity to hear a presentation from representatives of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) at the November 2024 meeting. Since hearing about statewide deer management programs, CSAC has reviewed the regional deer management landscape, Dublin- specific data and asked City staff to address some follow-up questions. Staff shared the efforts that have been taken to communicate the outdoor feed ordinance with the public. When a report of a violation is received, staff reaches out to educate the resident and in most cases, this educational effort is enough to deter the behavior. Unfortunately, there have been three cases referred to Code Enforcement for further action. Ms. Goliver shared the education ODNR provided regarding biological carrying capacity versus sociological carrying capacity. Sociological carrying capacity is significantly lower than biological carrying capacity. While ODNR does not track disease at a hyper-local level, they did share with CSAC that Dublin does not have a problem with the most prevalent diseases in the deer population. Mr. Pryor stated that from ODNR’s perspective, the deer in Dublin are actually too healthy. When the community was surveyed in 2023, the responses as to whether the deer population needed to be managed was 50/50. There is no clear indicator from Dublin residents that the deer population is a significant problem. Dublin Police provided CSAC with data on the last few years of incidents involving deer and dead deer pickups: there were 74 in 2022; 84 in 2023 and 93 in 2024. These numbers indicate that Dublin is not at its biological carrying capacity. Regarding Worthington’s status of deer management, Mr. Pryor reported that their City Council voted to move forward with a lethal program that includes targeted removal for the first three years and then to leverage archery to maintain the levels. After that, their advisory committee will be working to establish metrics and draft policies for their City Council’s consideration. Mr. Pryor stated that the community sentiment has been generally mixed across all social media platforms. CSAC discussed continuing to monitor the regional landscape surrounding deer management programs. Staff will provide updates when there is new information to keep the Committee apprised and this topic will be included in the annual updates to City Council from CSAC. Ms. Fox expressed her appreciation for the data and noted that this is a sensitive subject for those who enjoy wildlife and it is also an important subject relative to public safety. She stated that she appreciated the update and the realization that while Dublin is not at a certain point yet, some communities are. Mr. Reiner stated he was glad to hear that the diseases have not reached our population yet. Ms. De Rosa stated that she hears about this topic from residents looking for a solution but have mixed feelings regarding what the solution should look like. She stated it will be very useful to watch this unfold in Worthington and see those results. She also stated that it will be interesting to watch the migratory patterns of the deer. She stated that effective management of this requires the cooperation and participation of our neighbors. She stated that it is important to stay on this and be aware of what our neighboring communities are doing. In response to Mr. Reiner’s question regarding deer strikes and how they are reported, Chief Paez stated that the police do not always get notified when a deer is struck. He stated that his preference is for people to report these incidents. Vice Mayor Alutto stated that she was appreciative of the data and would like to continue to monitor the regional situation. She also asked to be updated annually on the statistics of people who are not in compliance with the no feed ordinance Minutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Meeting OVERNMENT FORM! SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10146 SC ———— is ae?) 2y) ee oo 8: Wie key) requiring code enforcement involvement. She stated that continuing to push the education would be helpful. Ms. Kramb stated that part of the educational piece should be the urging to report deer incidents and let the community know that we are tracking that information. Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that she was surprised by the findings of the health of the herd. She shared that her observation coming out of the drought last fall was really thin deer in terms of weight. She suspected that might cause lower birth rates because of the drought and lack of food supply. She looks forward to receiving updates as the regional programs are monitored. Alcohol Sales at North Market Wine Fest Approval Ms. LeRoy stated that the City of Dublin and Crawford Hoying staff have been working with the North Market in their planning and development stages. Sarah Karpinski, from the North Market was present to answer any questions. Ms. LeRoy stated that the North Market has filed for the necessary permits. The City did support this event with a $10,000 hotel/motel tax grant last fall. This is the fourth year for this event. Staff recommended approval. Mayor Amorose Groomes moved to approve the request for alcohol sales for the North Market Wine Festival. Vice Mayor Alutto seconded. Vote on the motion: Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes; Vice Mayor Alutto, yes; Ms. Fox, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Ms. De Rosa, yes. Alcohol Sales at the 2025 Dublin Irish Festival and 5K Approval Ms. LeRoy stated that this is a request for a waiver to be able to sell alcohol on public property. She stated there are no changes regarding the Dublin Irish Festival. The 5K after party has been held in the parking lot behind Starbucks for the last two years. It may be moved to 55 S. High Street or possibly the roadway to have more of a street party feel. Approvals are still being acquired from the property owners and tenants of 55 S. High Street. Even if the alley is utilized to sell the alcohol, it would be on public property and require a waiver. Mayor Amorose Groomes moved to approve the request for alcohol sales at the 2025 Dublin Irish Festival and 5K. Vice Mayor Alutto seconded. Vote on the motion: Vice Mayor Alutto, yes; Ms. Fox, yes; Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes; Mr. Reiner, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes; Ms. De Rosa, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes. DORA Extension for Summer Fun Series Ms. LeRoy stated that the summer series of events has been expanded to include music on Wednesday nights. One of the things the community asked for was additional music. When the DORA was first expanded to encompass both sides of the river, there were still some inactivated areas which included the park as well as some of the northeast side of Bridge Park. Currently the DORA is only active on the concrete patio. This request is for the DORA boundary to be extended to include areas beyond the patio. People will not be permitted to bring their own alcohol into these designated areas, but they are encouraged to go to the businesses, buy a drink, maybe dinner and bring it over to the park with them. Ms. LeRoy shared a boundary map illustrating where the expansion area would be located. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Minutes of Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 844-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 Held May 5, 2025 Page 9 of 13 20 — _ — DORA BOUNDARY MAP (coz WALKING STAY WITHIN THES AREA WHEN CONSUNAG A OA FE ERR COPLOm LELE STAGE & SCRIEN LOCATIONS, Wher ran c east Mayor Amorose Groomes moved to approve the request to extend the DORA Boundaries to include the grass lawn areas north of the patio for the Midwest Music and Cinema Saturday events as part of the Summer Fun Series. Vice Mayor Alutto seconded. Vote on the motion: Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. De Rosa, yes; Ms. Kramb, yes; Vice Mayor Alutto, yes; Ms. Fox, yes; Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes; Mr. Keeler, yes. e Quarterly PD Safety Update Chief Paez stated the department's four goals for 2025 which are: o Critical incident and major crime preparedness and response; o Theft offense reduction throughout the City; o Overall traffic safety improvement; and o Effectively addressing issues of significant community concern. He provided progress for the goals from the first quarter of 2025. He stated that progress on goals is available in the City Manager’s monthly report. Chief Paez stated that regarding critical incident preparedness, the annual exercise for the emergency operation center was recently completed. He thanked Washington Township for joining in that exercise as well. In terms of crime and traffic trends, Chief Paez reported a decrease in overall traffic crash reports, theft offenses, theft from vehicles, burglary offenses and breaking and entering offenses. He did report an increase in motor vehicle or attempted motor vehicle thefts. In the first quarter of 2025, 19 reports were filed with the police department of either attempted or stolen vehicles. One third of those reports filed so far in 2025 involved vehicles that were stolen with the keys left inside the vehicle. He stated that they continue to encourage the community that as you leave the vehicle to make sure you have the keys and key fobs with you. He stated that there have been far too many firearms being stolen from RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Minutes of Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORM: SUPPLIES 844-224-3556 FORM NO. 10746 Held May-5,2025 Page 10 of 13 20 vehicles. He stated that firearms should not be left unattended and unsecure in a vehicle. Chief Paez referenced issues of community concern and highlighted progress being made regarding the Business District Unit (BDU) and their activities. The BDU areas of focus include crime prevention, traffic safety, incident response, event safety, criminal investigations, proactive engagement and relationship building with businesses and residents. These focus areas are mainly in Bridge Park, but recently the library parking garage and areas by the pedestrian bridge have been added as areas of focus due to the dense populations and travel of those areas in the community. He stated as the weather warms, there are likely to be vehicles that are louder in certain areas. He reiterated that they will be prepared to address these issues. Chief Paez highlighted public safety technology such as the Flock Safety Cameras, of which there are 25 at 22 intersections or strategically placed around the City. He also provided an update on the status of the two robots. The goal is to have at least the library parking robot up and running. The drone as first responder program agreements are being finalized and will move forward. Approval was received for Paladin for the beyond the line of sight visual observation which was critical from the FAA. Paladin will be in Dublin in June to provide training for staff. Deputy Chief Tabernik shared a few of the outreach and engagement programs and some partnerships with the Police Department. He shared that they have interviewed eight candidates for the Community Safety Ambassadors and selected six. Five of them were former Community Service Officers, which is a great testament to the partnership between the police and the public. These six Community Safety Ambassadors will serve as a positive role model, partner as safety advocates at special events and assist with vacation house watches, etc. The second program is the Public Safety Services Liaison which focuses on addressing issues of significant community concern, including mental health awareness and enhanced services to the community. Since 2020, the Police department has responded to over a thousand calls involving individuals in crisis. He recognized Washington Township and thanked them for their partnership in this initiative. The Public Safety Services Liaison is Shannon Black-Dotson who is a Licensed Professional Counselor with Syntero. This has been a powerful addition to the services to the community. Shannon has engaged with 195 referrals since November of 2023. Mr. Keeler asked about community education about thefts and whether it stated to remove firearms from vehicles. Chief Paez stated that that was a worthwhile update for the educational piece. Ms. Fox stated that she is hopeful that the public recognizes what a fabulous program it is to have a liaison for mental health that works with public safety. Not many communities offer these services. She is happy to hear that this has gone so well. Ms. De Rosa echoed Ms. Fox’s comments. In response to Ms. De Rosa’s question about Ms. Black-Dotson being full-time here but working for Syntero, Deputy Chief Tabernik responded affirmatively. She asked if other communities are doing programs like this. Chief Paez stated that there are other programs in other communities certainly in the aftermath of the pandemic. Connecting those in need of services with resources that they may not be aware of is our model of the program. STAFF COMMENTS Ms. O'Callaghan shared the following: o The Spring 2025 Neighborhood Association meeting was held last Monday, April 28, in the Council Chamber. It was a great turnout with approximately 50 representatives from 35 HOAs. She thanked all the staff for their work preparing Minutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORM UPPLIES 844-222-3338 FORM NO, 10125 Held May 5, 2025 Page 11 of 13. 20 COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Ms. Kramb expressed gratitude to Legislative Services for the assistance in managing the Board and Commissions process. She also stated that she and Vice Mayor Alutto attended the Asian American and Pacific Islander kickoff to Heritage Month on May 1. She thanked the materials as well as Council for their participation and support with the meeting. The presentations and a survey are posted on the City’s website and have been shared via email with HOA leaders. The City has contracted with EMH&T to conduct a field survey at the Bristol Commons stormwater management basin south of Bristol Parkway. The field survey is expected to occur this week. The Dublin Link will undergo maintenance this week, weather permitting. Crews will replace lighting elements in and around the keyhole, tower and hand railing, which will require lifts and other large equipment. The shared use path on the east plaza of Riverside Crossing Park beneath the bridge will close for the week. Daytime closures will take place on the bridge beginning tomorrow for two to three days opening for public access no later than 5 p.m. on May 9. This information was also included in the City Manager Report and is being communicated via social media. The City is hosting a meeting this Thursday, May 8 from 6:00-7:30 pm in Council Chambers for residents to learn more about Envision Dublin and development proposals and infrastructure plans in and around the West Innovation District, including the West Innovation District rezoning ordinance that was introduced at City Council in April. The meeting date and time was coordinated with Ballantrae Community Association leadership. Staff will again have a presence at the Market at Bridge Park this year starting with Engineering this Saturday. Staff will be on site for eight Saturdays total; and will rotate departments including Human Resources, Recreation Services, Transportation & Mobility, Solid Waste and Sustainability, our Volunteer Heritage Interpreters (along with the Dublin Historical Society) and the Dublin Irish Festival. Jerome Township is in the final stages of updating their Comprehensive Plan. Staff has been engaged throughout the process and provided feedback on the various versions of the draft Plan. There is no specific date listed on the Township’s website by which comments must be submitted, it is our understanding the draft plan will be presented at the trustee’s meeting this Wednesday, May 7. Dublin’s planning team has reviewed the latest draft and has a draft letter that will be shared with Council shortly. She stated that she shared this information with Dr. Marschhausen to ensure the schools are aware of the draft and our communications team has also shared the information about the status of the Township’s draft plan via social media and other channels so our residents are aware of the opportunity to review and provide feedback to the Trustees about growth and development plans to the west of our City boundaries. Lastly, the Ohio Senate is reviewing House Bill 96, the House-passed version of the state budget, and plans to vote on its version by mid-June. We have been tracking the budget closely and identified a few key budget priorities working with our legal team and several regional and state organizations and those include a slight increase in the Local Government Fund share from 1.7% to 1.75%, and a provision limiting our eminent domain authorities for recreational trails, and a provision that would prohibit state and local regulation of broadband in our rights- of-way both of which would be problematic for municipalities. Administrative Committee: Ms. De Rosa stated that the Administrative Committee met on April 22 to hold interviews for board and commission vacancies. She expressed appreciation for the talented community and their willingness to serve. Appointments to boards and commissions will be coming forward at the May 19 meeting. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Minutes of Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 644-223-3338 FORM NO, 10146 Held May 5, 2025 Page 12 of 13. 20 Mt. Carmel for hosting the event. She thanked altafiber staff and City staff for restoration efforts of some of the yards from the fall installations. Altafiber has been very patient, supportive and quick to fix things. Finally, she reminded everyone of the Police Memorial Service at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and the Dublin City Schools Dodgeball Tournament where the City will have a team competing. Mr. Reiner gave a “shout out” to the homeowners and neighborhood members who came for the Beautify Your Neighborhood Grant item and stayed for the whole meeting. He also shared that the Dublin Arts Council Executive Director search has narrowed the field to three candidates. Ms. De Rosa extended her thanks to the HOA Leadership for attending the meeting last evening and for being present this evening. She appreciated their hard work to beautify their neighborhood. She encouraged everyone to get out and vote tomorrow. Vice Mayor Alutto echoed Ms. De Rosa’s appreciation for the HOA Leadership. She also encouraged everyone to vote. She asked Chief Paez if he will be naming the robots. Chief Paez responded affirmatively and stated that more on the naming will come. Mayor Amorose Groomes shared the following: e She congratulated the Leadership Academy graduates who she celebrated with on April 22. e April 23-25, she traveled with MORPC to Texas to further our study of large transportation initiatives. Dallas is a great case study as they are currently doing a lot in both commuter and passenger rail. There are great example out there to explore and learn from. They met with the Trinity Metro representatives and the Council of Governments and were able to learn from how they garnered state and federal funds to accomplish their transportation goals. They were able to see the infrastructure that was needed to service these rails. They traveled to Grapevine and toured their rail station. It is a great example that we can explore when designing a rail station. The Trinity maintenance facility was of great value because they knit all three forms of transportation together to serve three cities. As they toured the Fort Worth Central Station, she shared that it was great to see the transit-oriented development. The final day was spent in Dallas where they met with the Executive Director of DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority). It was a very informative trip, and she offered to share any additional information with members of Council. e April 26, she attended the Tech Camp for Girls at Cardinal Health. There were 58 young ladies there that presented tech projects they were working on. e Also on April 26, she attended the Kung Fu Federation event where they were completing the assessment and received the designation of a formal Kung Fu Federation. e April 28 was the Spring HOA Leadership meeting and she thanked the leadership for their engagement. e April 29 was the Ohio Mayor's Alliance Meeting and Legislator’s Lunch and Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel was in attendance. She stated that he shared wise words about the challenges before us as a state and how everyone needs to work together. There were also conversations from some legislators particularly from the budget office regarding the Cleveland stadium and some of the contentious things that are going on across the state and how that might affect other communities. She co-chairs the Legislative Policy Committee with the Mayor from Euclid and they reported on the legislative agenda at the meeting. April 30, she visited the 132 third graders at Glacier Ridge Elementary. May 1, she attended the SAIL (Safe Alliance of Interfaith Leaders) Interfaith Breakfast. She expressed her appreciation for the invitation and opportunity to attend. Minutes of RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Dublin City Council Meeting GOVERNMENT FORMS & SUPPLIES 644-224-3338 FORM NO. 10148 Held May 5, 2025 Page 13 of 13 20 e May 1, she had a meeting with Senate President Rob McCauley to talk about rail funding and the critical nature of seeing rail funding in the state budget. It was removed from the budget in the House of Representatives, and she is working to get it added back into the budget at the Senate. It was an informative meeting and she thanked Senator McCauley for the time. e May 1, she also attended the MORPC Executive Lunch. e May 2, she attended the COMMA meeting which was hosted by the City of Columbus at their urban farm on the Hilltop. It was an impressive facility. Jeff Young of the Franklin County Emergency Management Association presented at the meeting. e She thanked the community for Community Service Day on Saturday May 3. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m. fl A_ S—~ Mayor — Presiding Officer rue (yd lof of Cofincil U