Meeting Observed: Kent City Council Regular Meeting
Date of Meeting: 7/5/2023
Format: In-person
Meeting Summary:
Committee of the Whole:
City Hall Updates: Melanie Baker offered updates and showed photos. Steel framing going up, roof membrane up, floating stairwell, and brick going up. Still supply chain difficulties with some items. On July 19 (before the council meeting), she arranged a tour of the city hall for city council members – architects and builder to be there.
Certified Ordinance Book Replacement Pages – unanimously approved by the council
Community Development Committee:
Bridget Susel updated the council on the criticisms of the Proposed Design Guidelines including not addressing history and historic preservation and adaptive reuse, among many others. She said not every comment may be addressed. Sidoti asked for a clarification on guidelines vs. regulations. Turner, Wallach, and Ferraro had other comments.
Then it was opened to the audience. Bridget Tipton of the Architectural Review Board and Main Street Kent emphasized certain key issues – guidelines difficult to apply and follow; no adaptive reuse, lack of history (or concern for history). She said the report addressed broader trends/concepts without really dealing with individual buildings. The report seems to have more interest in economic viability than broader architectural elements e.g. emphasizing what good design is and what it can mean.
No votes on this.
Health and Public Safety:
Business District Noise: this is a continuation of the issues discussed at the last meeting. Lots of discussion of the concept of “reasonableness” in noise from music. Police Chief Shearer said often police need to determine loudness.
This summer it is especially important since a number of bars have bands playing outside.
Lots of discussion from City Council members on what would be appropriate times for bands to be outdoors – and possibly linking it to the Dora regulations.
City Council decided on a pilot tryout on music in downtown Kent, mirroring Dora.
They approved a 120-day pilot/trial for the Dora District. Weekdays (Sunday to Thursday) thru 11 p.m. Weekends thru midnight. Staff to develop ordinance with those noise guidelines – approved unanimously
Finance committee
Ohio Public Works Commission Grant Requests – allow to submit for grants and low-interest loans for water tower repairs, etc, approved unanimously
ARPA first response grant ($34,000) ($30,000 to help recruit police and fire and $4000 for job fairs for recruitment) – if it comes through, unanimously approved
Tax budget -- approval of 2024 estimated tax budget, unanimously approved
Budget Appropriation Request Unanimously approved.
Which members of the board/council were present: Garret Ferrara, Ward 1; Jack Amrhein, Ward 2; Tracy Wallach, Ward 6; Gwen Rosenberg, At Large; Michael DeLeone, At Large; Roger Sidoti, At Large; Robin Turner, Ward 3. Absent was John Kuhar, Ward 4; Heidi Shaffer Bish, Ward 5;
Was there a public notice of the meeting that included the time and place of meeting: Yes
Was an agenda of the meeting or handouts available to visitors: Yes
Are minutes from previous meetings posted/available: Yes
https://kentoh.portal.civicclerk.com/
Observer: Kathleen Endres