November 2021 Council Meeting and Workshop Notes
Hello Hudson! Happy Thanksgiving. This year, I am giving thanks for so many things. The #1 thing I am thankful for is being able to see my daughter experience the holidays. She is 18 months young now, and seeing how a toddler experiences the magic of the holidays is truly amazing.
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021
Regular Meeting (postponed from 11/2/2021 due to Election Day) followed by Regular Workshop
Regular Meeting
Some noteworthy items we passed are:
A resolution authorizing the City Manager to advertise for bids and enter into contracts for the 2022 capital maintenance programs (Line Striping, Crack Sealing, Concrete Replacement/Catch Basin Repairs, Asphalt Resurfacing and Patching Program). Award of these projects will be based upon the approved 2022 capital budget.
A resolution authorizing the city to submit an application to the Ohio EPA for a recycling and litter prevention program grant on behalf of the Environmental Awareness Committee. The City could receive $50,000 in grant and the City’s match would not exceed $12,500.
An ordinance amending the Rate Schedules of the Streets, Utilities and Public Services Code to adopt adjustments to the electric power supply cost adjustment factor. The recommendation is a 5.1% adjustment to the Power Supply Cost Adjustment Factor formula, and the recommendation is that the adjustments are made in conjunction with the January 2022 billing cycle.
Passage of the amendments we have been working through to the Short-Term Rental regulations of the City of Hudson.
A resolution authorizing the city manager to enter into a purchase and sale agreement with Fairmount Properties, LLC for the sale of property located in the downtown Phase 2 area adjacent to the First & Main development. I wrote a separate blog about this, which you can read here.
Regular Workshop
We went over the proposed consent and legislative agenda for the upcoming November 16 Council meeting. This was relatively short, and I will address most of the agenda in my recap of the Nov. 16 meeting.
Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021 Council Meeting
During this meeting, Mayor Shubert allowed me the privilege of reading a resolution honoring and thanking Barbara Breedon VanBlarcum for her service to the Hudson community. Barbara has been an integral part of making HCTV what it is today, and while we wish her well in her retirement, we will miss her VERY much!
Special recognition was also given to the two outgoing at-large Council members, William D. Wooldredge and Hamilton DeSaussure, Jr., as well as former at-large Council member J. Dan Williams. Their impact on the city over the years is immense, and they will also be greatly missed. Personally, I am very grateful to all three of these leaders for their mentorship of me over the years.
Some noteworthy items we passed are:
A resolution authorizing the city manager to advertise for competitive bids for the adaptive traffic signal system - phase 1 project. The Adaptive Traffic Signal System Project will replace the existing traffic control system within the downtown areas of Hudson to make the intersections safer and reduce traffic congestion.
A resolution adopting in concept the city of Hudson Five-Year Plan 2022-2026.
An Ordinance establishing/approving the City’s budget for 2022.
Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021 Council Workshop
We went over the proposed consent and legislative agenda for the upcoming December 7 Council meeting.
The workshop was relatively uneventful. I think it was about 15 minutes long.
The noteworthy items that were mentioned are:
I gave an update on the HCTV Advisory Committee meeting that took place last week. A mobile app that Kent State students have developed for HCTV will be ready very soon, and HCTV Advisory Committee members will likely present about it to Council sometime in January.
I expressed concern about the recent Hub article in which the Mayor appears to double down on his stance regarding the School Board and various books in school libraries.
Councilman Foster expressed displeasure that I felt it necessary to do a public records request following an email exchange between him and I in which I became concerned about his communications on the Phase 2 issue.
During the section of the agenda in which Council members or the Mayor can bring up items to be added to future agendas, I informed Council that I will be bringing legislation forward in the coming months which would revise Ordinance 226.01 related to campaign finance, specifically the $100/person cap on donations.
Reminder: At the December 7 Council meeting, the new at-large Council members will take their oath of office. All are welcome to attend. As a reminder, our Council meetings take place at Town Hall (27 E. Main St., Hudson OH, 44236) and begin at 7:30 pm. This will be one of the first things on the agenda. If you want to watch from home, you can stream the meeting online. Information on how to do so can be found here.
Follow my Facebook and Twitter for frequent updates!
Have questions? Want to share your thoughts with me on any of the agenda items or issues listed above? As always, I would love to have a conversation! Email me directly at nkowalski@hudson.oh.us.
