The Weekly Informer (4/3/16)

On Monday, March 28th, 2016, at 5:30pm, the following transpired:

Committees (Descriptions sometimes as they appear on facebook page.):

1. Finance (Members present: Marmie, Cost, Fraizer, Floyd, and Bubb):

2. Ordinance No. 16-10: with an emergency clause, issuing “$2,000,000.00 of bond anticipation notes” to pay for the “Buckeye Corridor stormwater plan sewer improvements”.

3. City Auditor Steve Johnson said that this is a mere renewal of a note approved last year for the corridor. He insists that the renewal is needed because the work has yet to be completed. Furthermore, the Auditor said that we can anticipate an interest rate – to be paid for by storm water funds – between 1.25 and 1.5% to “attack the principal”. Result: Motion by Floyd, seconded by Bubb, no further discussion, passes 5-0.

4. Resolution No. 16-30: allowing Mayor Hall to secure a “Community Development Block Grant funded subrecipient agreement” with a number of organizations (to be named in the legislation) so as to perform the “activities” listed as part of the grant’s “one year action plan”.

5. The Grant Writer, Barbara Gilkes, noted that the sub-recipients of the grant will be: Behavioral Healthcare Partners, Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul, St. Vincent Haven, Coalition of Care, Newark Development Partners (receiving $60,000), Denison Garden of Hope (receiving $1,000), Licking County Coalition of Housing, Canal Market District, Together We Grow (receiving $2,000), and New Beginnings, with most receiving $5,000 and a total of $98,000 being distributed. Result: Motion by Bubb, seconded by Floyd, no further discussion, passes 4-1 with Marmie dissenting.

1. Resolution No. 16-31: permitting Mayor Hall to apply for a NatureWorks Grant from the state.

2. Mrs. Gilkes expressed that this is meant to get upgrades for Wells Park. Only question came from Fraizer looking to clarify the location of the park. Result: Motion by Floyd, seconded by Cost, no further discussion, passes 5-0.

3. Capital Improvements:

4. There was no business for this committee. Result: *

5. Service: (Members present: Rath, Cost, Fraizer, Floyd, and Bubb)

6. Resolution No. 16-29: allowing Service Director Rhodes “to enter into an amended agreement with the Newark Development Partners as its agency and instrumentality for commercial development in the City of Newark”.

7. Service Director Rhodes noted that this allows the City of Newark to transfer property over to the Newark C.I.C. so that said entity can dispose of such. He explained the part of the imperative for this is that the city has to pay property tax on all properties it owns which can’t be used for “municipal purposes”. He provided a past case example of why the administration would prefer to use the C.I.C. to sell property instead of selling it directly. In that prior case, the city ended up experiencing a net-loss in their attempt to sell. This legislation will allow the city to recognize a piece of property as potentially having an economic development purpose and will transfer it over to the C.I.C. – on which the Service Director acts as Treasurer - and it will have “less [advertising] hoops to jump through” which will enable it to sell the property – even with “deed restrictions”, if the city so desires, as the Director later suggested - for a profit (this last part was addressed in response to a question by Mr. Rath). Then, a lengthy – and almost heated, at times - discussion unfolds between Mr. Fraizer and the administration about the difference between the C.I.C. and the Land Bank (the latter of which is managed at the County level). Result: Motion by Floyd, seconded by Fraizer, Fraizer had an additional follow up for clarification as he wanted to know if the city would have to approve of any sales made by the C.I.C.; which the Service Director said “no”, since the city has given up ownership of that property. However, it was noted that a portion of the sale’s profit would have to come back to the city. Passes 5-0.

8. Safety:

9. No business.

10. Personnel:

11. No business. Result: *

12. Recreation:

13. No business. Result: *

14. Street:

15. No business.

16. Rules:

17. No business. Result: *

18. Economic Development:

19. No business.

20. Ways and Means:

21. No business. Result: *

Further thoughts:

I would have had this posted earlier than today, but I had to re-watch the meeting for additional notes since the Service Committee’s meeting minutes still have not been published as of this very moment. Hope everyone enjoyed their spring break. Now we get to prepare for some fireworks in the weeks ahead.

See you all next week. Thanks for reading.