Description of Video: April 4, 2016 – North Canton Committee of the Whole meeting: The video covers a North Canton Committee of the Whole meeting lasting approximately fifty-three minutes. The video commences approximately two minutes before the meeting is called to order. The announced meeting agenda for the Committee of the Whole consisted of three items for discussion: 1) Continued discussion of tabled Ordinance No. 32-2016, establishing of a City-wide Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) and designating a housing officer to administer the program. 2) Discussion on the elimination of the Dogwood tag line from City property. 3) City Engineer Jim Benekos gives a presentation on the East Maple Street Improvements Project called Westgate at Walsh University. 2:15 minutes into the video until 21:20 minutes, Councilmember Marcia Kiesling leads the discussion as Chairman of Economic Development on the proposed ordinance to expand the City’s CRA to include virtually the entire City. At last week’s Council meeting, members of Council were stunned to learn that two CRAs created in 1999 and in 2001 allowed abatement of property taxes on new construction. Council learned from Director of Permits and Inspection Eric Bowles that approximately four years ago, a property owner sold off a lot on Harmon Street and the purchaser of the lot built a brand new home and qualified for a 100 percent abatement of property taxes on the new home for fifteen years under the previously designated CRA boundaries. I do not know why Director Bowles waited all these years to alert Council to this glaring loophole created in previous CRA legislation but it appears from the discussion that Council does not want to allow widespread misuse of the CRA program to mushroom and allow more new construction to qualify for abatement of property taxes. In an effort to thwart further abatement of property taxes on new construction, Council is omitting areas of the City where large numbers of new construction would obviously be underway such as in the Sanctuary, Monticello, and the seven new homes proposed for construction on Summit Avenue. Word was also last week leaked last week that Waterside Park will not be developed as commercial property but will be developed into apartments. Consequently, Council intends to also exclude Waterside Park from inclusion in the expanded CRA. Council is exploring if isolated scattered lots in the City could also be excluded from tax abatement on new construction. 21:20 minutes into the video until 27:15 minutes, Ordinance, Rules and Claims Committee member Mark Cerreta leads discussion on a proposal to eliminate the tag line, Dogwood City, from being used in the future on City property. 27:15 minutes into the video until 43:40 minutes, Finance and Property Chairman Dan Griffith introduces City Engineer Jim Benekos who gives a presentation on planned improvements on East Maple Street in the area of Walsh University that is called Westgate at Walsh University. I might add some background at this point: On February 8, 2016, City Council passed Ordinance No. 14-2016 appropriating $250,000 for the East Maple Street improvements (Westgate at Walsh University project). The cost of the project has now increased to $410,000 and City Council intends to amend the previous legislation for the higher cost at its next legislative meeting. The presentation by City Engineer Benekos was difficult to follow but piecing together remarks made by Mr. Benekos tonight and last week, it appears that traffic control is adding $150,000 to the cost of the project. Councilmember Mark Cerreta seemed astounded at the increased costs of the project and asked what the City was getting for the increased costs. Engineer Benekos said the grassy median was not part of this project nor were sidewalks. All I could understand was that the current curb-cut currently in use by Walsh University is going to be relocated. With traffic control such a large cost of the project, I am surprised no member of Council asked how long East Maple Street would be under construction. No Councilmember asked! 43:40 minutes into the video, Councilmember Kiesling brings the discussion back to the CRA discussion until 46:30 minutes. 46:30 minutes into the video, the agenda of the meeting is amended to include a discussion about upcoming collective bargaining agreements. This discussion ends at 52:00 minutes. 52:20 minutes into the video, the meeting is concluded. The video continues to run until 54:22 minutes as Council adjourns for an Executive Session. Executive Sessions of City Council are not open to the public, and the video ends. Thank you, Chuck Osborne

• published: 05 Apr 2016
• views: 15