We had a rather lengthy discussion in our Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss regional dispatch and Issue 23 on the upcoming ballot. Chief Film provided Council with a report by a consultant and the other entities in discussion for a regional dispatch and after a through review I have personally submitted about 3 pages of questions for our internal group as well as to the consultant. The reality is, the issue on the ballot is for the voters to decide if Stow should continue discussions about a regional dispatch—if Issue 23 passes, Stow will continue discussions, it does not mean that we automatically are joining a regional dispatch—it would still have to make sense for our City, and would still need approval of our city leaders, including approval by City Council in the future. I have not made up my mind on regional dispatch yet, to me there are a lot of questions that need answered still. It was good to hear from Mr. Nick DiCicco this past week who is the manager of the Chagrin Valley Regional Dispatch who shared pros and cons of regional dispatch, issues they had in implementation, and things they have done to overcome any obstacles. Mr. DiCicco has offered to provide any members of Council a tour of his facility and I look forward to taking advantage of that offer in the near future.
The Public Improvements Committee again discussed the renaming of Silver Springs Lodge in honor of Mrs. Leona Farris. Councilman Hailer inquired last night about a City Policy regarding renaming of parks and Mayor Pribonic confirmed that the City Policy requires that any park re-naming has to go through the Stow Parks and Recreation Board for approval. This current request to rename the Silver Springs Lodge has not been approved by the Parks and Recreation Board. This issue remained on the table so the proper policy can be followed.
City Council last night heard from Knight Sound & Lighting who is looking to build a new building and move their company into Stow. Knight Sound & Lighting is a family owned business currently located outside of Stow. Their move into Stow will create 12 new full time jobs upon completion of their building and they are expected to have future growth and additional job growth over the next 3 years. Knight Sound & Lighting plans to build on the corner of Allen and McCauley Road. We look forward to seeing their facility built and having them move into Stow!
We made several updates to our local code last night, several were to come into line with Ohio Revised Code, such as updating our code related to Executive Sessions to match the Ohio Sunshine Laws, and updating our criminal penalties for zoning code violations to match the standard under Ohio Law. I am also happy to let you know that I revised a section of our Code that previously called for Gender Balance among our boards and commissions. This update was to put into action the words of our equality legislation passed earlier this year. The code now requires that instead of seeking equality just on the basis of gender, that the appointing authority will look at the makeup of the board or commission and review new applicants with the goal of creating more diversity on the board and/or commission. Council unanimously passed this piece of legislation and I will continue look at legislation through the lens of equality as I previously committed to as part of the Equality Legislation passed earlier this year.
Council also had several finance and hiring approvals:
- Approved the purchase of two new K-9 SUV’s for the police department
- Approved the purchase of a new vehicle lift for our service garage
- Approved the hiring of a new Communication Specialist/Dispatcher
- Approved the hiring of a replacement Water Specialist
Our next Council Meeting will be October 22, 2020, Committee times will be announced closer to the date and the Council Meeting will follow the committees.