Meeting Observed: Kent City Council Committee Meetings

Date of Meeting: 10/4/2023

Format: Virtual

Meeting Summary:

Kent City Council Committee Meetings

Committee of the Whole:
Update New City Hall Construction (Melanie Baker)
Lots of work going on inside – e.g. water main in, bricklaying, curtain in fabrication, gas main scheduled for next week.

Health and Public Safety Committee:

• 2024 Solar Eclipse (Joan Seidel) – April 8, 2024. Kent, within the arc of the eclipse – will be 98 to 100 percent total, to go from 3:13 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Kent. Last Total Eclipse: 1806, and next will be 2099. She said this would be a wider path and longer duration. Main Street Kent, Kent Chamber, and businesses planning activities Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – and eclipse day Monday. Safety glasses are needed and should be ordered; they should be NASA-approved.
• Idling Car Ordinance. This was delayed until next month so Tracy Wallach could be present.
• KCO 351.13 – 24-hour parking limit (Jim Bowling) deals with a city-wide parking/storage time limit. Staff looked at the issue and recommended against changing the city ordinance but dealing with it on a neighborhood-by neighborhood area. Bowling said this whole issue was best handled by the individual neighborhood, NOT the city.
• Lots of discussion followed. The owners of rentals have to provide parking, e.g. 1-2 spaces per rental. Bowling said this has been an issue on certain Streets, including Columbus and Willow.
• Shaffer Bish talked about the effect of “Rental Creep.” Bowling said this is the procedure if the resident wanted to control parking on specific streets. The Property Owner would contact Patti Long, assistant to the Kent City manager, and the request would go to engineering, which would draw a map of residences where signatures would be needed to stop the 24-hour parking on that street (how many signatures needed? Not clear, he mentioned 51, 60 and 70 percent), then the resident would have to circulate a petition to the homeowners in that particular area., once they get the number of signatures needed, traffic and safety would make a recommendation to Kent City Council, which would vote on it.
• Kuhar moved that the staff consider what was discussed and look for a simple program. Turner seconded it. That it would be without legislation. Approved by the majority, Heidi Shaffer Bish opposed.

Streets, Sidewalks and Utilities Committee

• Authorization of a permanent access and utility easement (Walnut and Maple). Staff recommended it and moved to approve with emergency. Approved unanimously
• 24 in. Water Line Relocation – MOU with Kent State (Jim Bowling) Runs parallel to Summit St but also goes onto the KSU campus. Cost to be split 50/50 w emergency. Approved unanimously

Finance Committee

• Public Entities Pool Grant, Request approval to accept (Joan Seidel). Passed unanimously
• Healthy Eating and Active Living Grant, asks to accept a $25000 grant, Approved unanimously.

Executive session

• Preparing for negotiations or bargaining with public employees on compensation or other terms and conditions
• Talks with attorney on pending or imminent court action
• Consider the purchase of property for public purposes, sale at auction, or sale of other unneeded property.

Which members of the board/council were present: Jack Amrhein, Ward 2;  John Kuhar, Ward 4; Heidi Shaffer Bish, Ward 5; Gwen Rosenberg, At Large; Michael DeLeone, At Large; Roger Sidoti, At Large;. Robin Turner, Ward 3. Absent was  Garret Ferrara, Ward 1; Ms. Tracy Wallach, Ward 6.

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