Cuyahoga Falls City Council meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month and council committee meetings are held on the first and third Monday to publicly discuss pending legislation that will be voted on by council as a whole during its regular scheduled meetings. The public is free to comment on pending legislation during the allowed time on the night of committee meetings.
Monday December 6th, Cuyahoga Falls City Council held a special meeting to read for the first time and distribute copies of B-116, a decennial ordinance that establishes the ward boundaries within our city based upon the 2020 census. That legislation was assigned to the committee as a whole and will be discussed amongst council on December 13th and in committee on December 20th, per Council President Brillhart’s proposed map.
After council adjourned from the special meeting, committee meetings began with Planning and Zoning.
The first item for discussion was B-102, accepting the recommendation from the planning commission for a conditional zoning certificate to construct a 5,550 sq. ft. Sgt. Clean Car Wash on Hudson Drive near Front Street. Planning Director Rob Kurtz gave a summary of the project and then turned it over to Brian Krusz, the owner. When asked about the proximity of another car wash already approved 2 blocks away, Krusz felt it wouldn’t be a problem, stating that one is a touchless car wash and his company operates a full-contact type operation. He stated that this site would employ 10-12 full-time employees with medical, dental, and 401k as part of the benefit package. The committee voted to bring this out to a vote by all of council next Monday.
The next item for Planning and Zoning to consider was B-105. This ordinance will allow a license agreement between Iacomini’s and the city for constructing and maintaining their sign in the city’s right of way at their location at 1561 Akron Peninsula Rd. Ward 8 Councilman Frank Stams said he couldn’t consider the ordinance without first seeing what was being proposed. Mr. Kurtz was more than happy to provide everyone with a handout showing what was proposed and was in favor of it. The matter will be brought out for a vote next Monday.
For the finance committee, the first item open for discussion was B-91, the city’s 2022 budget. Committee Chair Tim Gorbach asked if there were additional comments or questions concerning what had been discussed in the last few weeks. Hearing none, he asked Finance Director Bryan Hoffman to give a short summery and the committee voted to bring B-91 out to a vote before council as a whole at next week’s meeting.
The next five items before the finance committee were all related to a project to redevelop an area on the southern part of Front St. between Sackett Ave. and Chestnut Blvd.: B-106, B-107, B-108, B-109, and B-110. Mayor Walters explained how long the administration has been working on this project and how the pieces came together to put us where we are today. Walters said this has been in the works for the last couple of years and the sense of urgency came about when the former Pro-Mold facility became vacant and for sale and it was looked at as an opportunity, knowing should it be sold, it could be years before it became available again. On the flip side, the mayor suggested, we also know that high-end maintenance free living is very hot right now and when you couple that with the downtown area that is very walkable, it’s really just a gold mine down on that corner. The project is so multi-faceted it took many people to put this whole thing together, including the city, the Summit County Land Bank, Testa Companies, and countless meetings to put this all together.
The next remarks on the project were made by Patrick Bravo, Executive Director of the Summit County Land Bank. He gave an overview of land bank’s continued mission to help strengthen communities and neighborhoods in Summit County and he couldn’t see a better effort for his office than to help Cuyahoga Falls continue the transformative work that has been done so far along the Front St. corridor. Bravo said that they’re excited to strengthen the work that this council has already done, and after working with this project for over two years he is happy to see it moving forward. Director of Community Development Diana Colavecchio moved the discussion forward with more information for council. During the process of reopening Front Street, the city hired, with council’s approval, consultant Robert Gibbs. Some of the information Mr. Gibbs turned over to the city was that if we reopened the north side of Front St. we would be able to support approximately 143 new townhomes in the area for the average price range of $265 thousand per unit. Colavecchio said that our downtown is thriving, and people are moving in, showing that they want choices and have been very clear they would rather have new housing choices in our downtown area rather than near our national park. Each member of council received a notebook containing approximately 159 pages detailing all of the ordinances in the project.
She started with B-106, the actual TIF (Tax Increment Financing) ordinance. Its boundaries will be for development along Front and Second streets and be bordered between Chestnut and Sackett. Like other TIF agreements within the city, the property owners will make service payments rather than tax payments and that money will be used for infrastructure within the area. This one is set to run for 30 years, however what sets this one apart from others that city council has approved is this one is a non-school TIF. Our schools will not be affected and will continue to tax dollars from property owners in the project. Finance Committee Chair Tim Gorbach had mentioned to community development that it would be great if the local library tax could also be treated the same way school taxes have been. Colavecchio announced Monday that the administration discussed making that change and the library (in a separate piece of legislation\agreement) will be treated the same as the school system. Councilman Gorbach was pleased at this decision. She continued explaining how the service payments would break down with $4.3 million total being collected and $2.8 million slated for the schools over the lifetime of the agreement, leaving $1.5 million to be used for the actual infrastructure.
Next was explained B-107 and B-110 and how they outline the agreement with the city and PJT Pointe West LLC for the purchase and demolition of three parcels on Second St using Community Block Development funds at a cost not to exceed $300,000. Colavecchio then broke down how the property will transfer through the land bank and eventually the new homeowner. Using the $1.5 million from the TIF, the city will build the infrastructure, roads, sidewalks, etc. The city will do that on behalf of the landowner (Summit County Land Bank). The Land Bank will turn around and hire a contractor, in this case Testa, to build these 50 units, and as they are built and receive titles, sell them to the future owners. The units are slated to sell for approximately $285,000. Colavecchio also gave the chronology of the process concerning construction with the units facing Front St first. That decision was made after collecting input from business owners in the area and this will help with their concerns about the noise and dust caused during the construction process and how it may impact their businesses. The initial units on Front St could serve as a barrier.
B-108: This ordinance will allow the city to sell the property it owns at Front and Chestnut (formerly Elm Radiator). The city purchased this property in 2019 and has received a grant to remediate the property in anticipation of this project. It will be sold to the Land Bank for $1. The land bank is also buying the former Pro-Mold property as part of this project as well, with both buildings being demolished to make way for the townhomes.
B-109: This allows the city to purchase property at 1704 Front St. to be used for parking for an amount not to exceed $300,000. Finance Committee Chair Gorbach asked for questions, the first one coming from Ward 3 Councilperson Meika Penta, who asked what you get for $285,000. Joel Testa, President of Testa Companies, stated that they’re currently working on two models, each with 3 bedrooms. 2 ½ bath, and 2-car garage with flexible home office space and great room and a formal dining room. Ward 8 Councilman Stams asked what the price per foot is currently in today’s real estate market, for which Testa answered it is more driven by the features and location of the property. The committee voted to bring all 5 of these for a vote Monday December 13th.
Other items discussed by the finance committee were:
B-111: This ordinance would allow the city to enter into a contract with EyeMed to provide vision care for city employees for a period not to exceed three years. The finance committee voted to bring this out for a vote next Monday.
B-112: Allows the city to enter into a contract with Medical Mutual for medical services and stop gap insurance for a period of one year. The finance committee voted to bring this out for a vote next Monday.
B-113: This allows for the city to enter into an agreement with Pro-Flex Administrators to administrate the employees’ HSA accounts, 125K accounts Retiree medical plans and COBRA services for a period not to exceed 3 years. HR director Vicki Steiner said this is a change from the current plan with Basics who had recently been purchased and is moving more to a self-serve type plan and since the merger it has been a headache for retirees and current employees. She feels Pro-Flex will serve city employees better and is looking forward to this relationship with them. The finance committee voted to bring this out for a vote next Monday.
B-114: Allows the city to enter into a contract for a human resources and payroll management software for a period not to exceed three years. HR director Vicki Steiner said both HR and civil service are very excited about this legislation and not only will it serve the city’s payroll needs it will also aid in recruiting and give a better selection of applicants to choose from by allowing the city to advertise and receive applications online through a government jobs website, thus also reducing advertising costs. Many communities in the area, including Akron, are using this software and are very happy with it. The finance committee voted to bring this out for a vote next Monday.
Public affairs had 2 items to discuss
B-115: Establishes the maximum hiring age for original appointments to police officer at 40 years old at the time of their exam. Chief Davis addressed council on this ordinance, explaining that the age is currently set at 35 and applicants are getting hard to find. With his instructional duties at the police academy he does see some older candidates and feels some would be a good fit for our department and would expand the hiring pool at a time when the market is tight. The Public Affairs Committee voted to bring this out for a vote next Monday.
B-116: Authorizes the city to enter onto an agreement to join a Council of Governments and establish a joint dispatch center. Temp Chair Councilperson Rachel Loza explained that Councilman Balthis was out with COVID-19 and they would be holding this legislation until December 20th for discussion. She went on to say that Russ was part of the fact-finding committee and his input is important. She has spoken with the administration, and it is their intent to vote on this ordinance before the end of the year. If anyone needs any more information, she stated, they should speak to the Mayor or someone from the administration or the police or fire chief over the next couple of weeks.
