Dec 01, 2025 City Council

[00:00:02]

THINK SO. GROVE CITY COUNCIL IS NOW IN SESSION. PLEASE STAND AND JOIN ME FOR A MOMENT OF

[Call to Order]

[Approval of Minutes]

YES. ANDERSON. YES. WILSON. YES. HOUCK. YES. YES. YES. YES. ALL RIGHT. WELCOME, EVERYONE. WE WE

[Oath of Office]

AUTUMN, YOUNG AND AUTUMN. IF YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CAN MEET ME DOWN HERE. DO WE HAVE ANYBODY TAKE A PICTURE? THAT'S RIGHT HERE. OKAY. IS SHE. OH, TAMMY'S GOT A PHONE. ALRIGHT. NO. THERE YOU GO. YEP. IT WAS. LET'S TRY IT AGAIN. ARE WE GOOD? OKAY, SO THIS IS SUPER EXCITING FOR US BECAUSE THIS IS A NEW POSITION FOR CITY COUNCIL AND OUR DEPUTY CLERK OF COUNCIL, WHO WILL BE TAKING THE OATH THIS EVENING, WILL BEGIN WORKING WITH MISS KELLY, OUR CLERK OF COUNCIL.

AND SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A WHOLE OFFICE TEAM WITH THE TWO OF YOU. AND I WANT TO ASK YOU, BEFORE WE GET STARTED, IF YOU WOULD INTRODUCE YOUR FAMILY. SO THIS IS MY DAUGHTER BELLA, AND THIS IS MY SON RAYMOND. VERY GOOD TO MEET YOU. WHICH ONE OF YOU IS GOING TO DO THE HONORS, OR WOULD YOU BOTH LIKE TO HOLD THE BIBLE? ALRIGHT, GIVE THAT TO YOU. KEEP THIS PAPERWORK.

ALL RIGHT. LEFT HAND ON THE BIBLE. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. I'LL COME THIS WAY. ALRIGHT.

REPEAT AFTER ME. I, CHEYENNE. AUTUMN, YOUNG CHEYENNE AUTUMN. YOUNG SOLEMNLY SWEAR. SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION. I WILL SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF OHIO, THE STATE OF OHIO, AND WILL OBEY THE LAWS THEREOF, WILL OBEY THE LAWS THEREOF. AND THAT I WILL NOT. I WILL IN ALL RESPECTS, IN ALL RESPECTS. OBSERVE THE PROVISIONS, OBSERVE THE PROVISIONS OF THE CHARTER AND ORDINANCES OF THE CITY, OF THE CHARTER AND ORDINANCES OF THE CITY, AND WILL FAITHFULLY DISCHARGE AND WILL FAITHFULLY DISCHARGE THE DUTIES OF DEPUTY CLERK OF COUNCIL, THE DUTIES OF DEPUTY CLERK OF COUNCIL, UPON WHICH I AM ABOUT TO ENTER, UPON WHICH I'M ABOUT TO ENTER. VERY GOOD. WELCOME.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. HI. WELCOME. WELCOME, AUTUMN. AND SO EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THERE WILL BE A NEW FACE IN COUNCIL OFFICE. SO THERE'LL BE TWO PEOPLE THERE

[00:05:01]

[Welcome & Reading of Agenda]

UNDER FINANCE WE HAVE ORDINANCE C 4725, C 5125, C 5225 AND C 5325. AND UNDER ADMINISTRATION WE HAVE RESOLUTION C 5225. IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS, THIS AGENDA IS APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS

[Ordinance C-46-25 Accept the Plat of Courtyards at Harris Farms, Phase 1. Second reading and public hearing.]

THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT. THE SUBDIVISION PLAT CREATES 75 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES ON PRIVATE STREETS AND SIX RESERVES, INCLUDING A RESERVE FOR THE PRIVATE STREETS. IS THERE ANYBODY SIGNED UP ON THIS THIS EVENING? THERE IS TO JUST RESPOND TO ANY QUESTIONS. KELLY FANKHAUSER. YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD PLEASE. GOOD EVENING. KELLY FANKHAUSER, 500 STONEHENGE PARKWAY, DUBLIN 43017. JUST HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE FOR THE APPROVAL OF THIS PLOT. THANK YOU. I SAW YOU SITTING THERE SO I, I DIDN'T HAVE THE LIST. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU. IF YOU HAD ANYTHING TO SAY. ALL RIGHT, IS IF YOU JUST WANT TO STAY THERE IN CASE THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS. IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL ON THIS PARTICULAR ORDINANCE? NO. OKAY. IT'S EASY NIGHT THEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THIS ORDINANCE HAS HAD ITS SECOND READING AND PUBLIC HEARING. I MOVE IT BE APPROVED SECOND.

ANDERSON. YES. WILSON. YES, YES YES YES YES. DO. YES. BURROWS. YES. THANK YOU. WE'RE HAVING

[Ordinance C-48-25 Accept the Annexation of 26.904 acres located at 4910 Hoover Road in Jackson Township to the City of Grove City. First reading.]

[Ordinance C-49-25 Adopt Chapter 550 of the Codified Ordinances titled Unlawful Discrimination Prohibited. First reading.]

[Ordinance C-50-25 Amend Section 376.02 of the Codified Ordinances titled Restrictions. First reading.]

EXCUSE ME. 376 .02 OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES TITLED RESTRICTIONS. THIS IS ALSO A FIRST READING. THIS IS IN REGARDS TO LOW SPEED OR SPEED VEHICLES ON SHARED USE PATHWAYS.

THIS ORDINANCE HAS HAD ITS FIRST READING. SECOND READING AND PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE 1215, 25. THAT IS ALL I HAVE TONIGHT FOR SAFETY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. AND THAT BRINGS US TO MR.

[Ordinance C-47-25 Appropriate $25,000.00 from the Senior Nutrition Fund for Current Expenses. Second reading and public hearing.]

[00:10:05]

WILSON. YES. HOUCK. YES. HOLT. YES. BARRY. YES. DO. YES. BURROWS. YES. ANDERSON. YES.

[Ordinance C-51-25 Amend and Extend the Pinnacle No. 1 Incentive District, the Pinnacle No. 2 Incentive District and the Pinnacle No. 3 Incentive District. First reading.]

[Ordinance C-52-25 Appropriate $150,000.00 from the Scioto Township Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) Fund for the Current Expense of making payments in accordance with the JEDD Contract. First reading.]

[Ordinance C-53-25 Appropriate $1,500,000.00 from the Deposit Trust Fund and Reduce Appropriation Amounts for Various Funds. First reading.]

[Resolution CR-52-25 Accept and Approve the Cybersecurity Program and designate the Director of Information Systems responsible for said Program.]

THIS RESOLUTION HAS HAD ITS READING AND PUBLIC HEARING AND I MOVE IT BE APPROVED. SECOND.

TALC. YES. HOLT. YES. BARRY. YES. YES. BURROUGHS. YES. ANDERSON. YES. WILSON. YES. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. WILSON. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THAT'S OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT BRINGS US TO

[Call for New Business]

AND THEN THAT WILL BE THE BUDGET THAT WILL GET APPROVED ON DECEMBER 15TH. SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO START WITH A COUPLE QUESTIONS I'VE HAD SUBMITTED IN ADVANCE. AND THEY MAY ADDRESS OTHER PEOPLE'S QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAVE THAT THEY MAY WANT TO ASK. SO WE'LL GET THAT OUT OF THE WAY. WE'LL KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE. MR. HOLT. MR. STAGE, I'M SORRY,

[00:15:01]

MR. BERRY, YOU HAD A COMMENT? YEAH. MR. CHAIRMAN, WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH CARE, JUST JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS IT HAS IT HAS THE HAS ANY OF THE HAS ANYTHING CHANGED THERE AT ALL FOR US, FOR OUR EMPLOYEES OR AS FAR AS, AS FAR AS COVERAGE? NO. THE EMPLOYEE PAYS 15% OF THE TOTAL PREMIUM. AND THAT'S BEEN THAT WAY FOR MAYBE TEN YEARS OR SO. SO IT HASN'T CHANGED. WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE THE LAST 4 OR 5 YEARS, HEALTH CARE, OUR COSTS HAVE BEEN FAIRLY LEVEL. BUT THIS YEAR WE WE GOT HURT PRETTY BAD. BUT WE ARE MAINTAINING THE SAME LEVEL. THEN THE THE BENEFIT PLAN HAS NOT CHANGED. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT I WAS HOPING YOU'D SAY. MIKE, YOU MIGHT MENTION OUR CONSORTIUM WHO WE'RE WITH WITH OUR HEALTH CARE. YEAH. WE GET HEALTH CARE THROUGH A CONSORTIUM, A GROUP OF OTHER CITIES. AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT GIVES US A MORE CREDIBILITY AS A GROUP AND INSURANCE THAT'S IMPORTANT. AND SUPPOSEDLY MORE NUMBERS, THE BETTER INSURANCE RATES WE CAN OBTAIN. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU STILL PAY FOR YOUR CLAIMS. CLAIMS COSTS ARE UP JUST JUST BY SOME OF THE CLAIMS THAT WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALLY IN GROVE CITY ARE HIGH AND JUST IN GENERAL, INFLATION HAS CAUSED A LOT OF THIS ALSO. BUT THE CONSORTIUM IS RUN VERY WELL AND THE MEMBERS MEET QUARTERLY, I BELIEVE, TO TO FIGURE OUT MUCH THE GROUP HAS IN RESERVES AND HOW MUCH HOW WHAT THE PREMIUM LEVEL SHOULD BE SET AT IN FUTURE YEARS, ETC. GREAT. THANKS, MIKE. YEAH, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO COME BACK UP, BUT WE'LL GO FROM THERE. AS THE MAYOR SAID, THE COUNCIL HAS HAD THE

[00:20:07]

AND I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF ANYBODY HERE HAS ANY OPINION, AN EXPLANATION OF WHY WE ARE GOING UP. ONE FTE IN BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS. MR. MIKE TURNER. SO BACK IN FEBRUARY OF 24, AN ORDINANCE WAS BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION TO AMEND CHAPTER 161, WHICH GIVES US THE AUTHORIZED STRENGTH FOR ALL THE DEPARTMENTS AND POSITIONS. AND IN THAT LEGISLATION, THE BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS SPECIALIST POSITION WAS INCREASED FROM TWO A MAXIMUM OF TWO EMPLOYEES TO THREE. SO THAT NEED WAS RECOGNIZED IN 2024. ANTICIPATING THAT THAT DEPARTMENTS INCREASED WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONTRACTS NOT CONTRACTS, BUT CONTENT. SO THE CITY CONTENT WAS INCREASING. AS WELL AS THIS DEPARTMENT SUPPORTING THE POLICE WEBSITE, THE THE DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE AND PARKS AND RECREATION. SO WE DID A LOT OF CHANGES THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. THEY ALSO ROLLED OUT A NEW WEBSITE. SO THAT TOOK A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT AND A NEW BRANDING INITIATIVE. SO THOSE WERE THE ITEMS THAT INITIATED THIS. IT WAS NOT IN THE 2025 BUDGET, BUT THE THERE WAS A NEW ASSOCIATE HIRED IN SEPTEMBER OF 25. SO WE DIDN'T REALLY NEED THE ENTIRE BUDGET MONEY IN 2025 TO HIRE THIS PERSON. IT WAS AUTHORIZED IN CHAPTER 161. WE HIRED THEM TOWARD THE END OF THE YEAR, AND NOW WE NEED THE BUDGET MONEY TO SUPPORT THAT STAFF. OKAY.

ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, MR. BERRY? SO WHEN WHEN THEY ROLLED OUT THE WEBSITE AND EVERYTHING, THE COST OF ROLLING OUT THAT WEBSITE IS THAT UNDER BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS, OR IS THAT IN ANOTHER SECTION OF THE BUDGET? I THINK TODD IS BETTER TO ANSWER THAT. AND IF I MAY, MR. CHAIR, MR. BOZO, JUST ANOTHER NOTE ON THAT, THAT ADDED POSITION. IT'S REALLY A HALF A POSITION BECAUSE WE HAD PART TIME PERSON IN THERE. SO WE HAD TWO AND A HALF PEOPLE.

SO THIS JUST BRINGS US UP TO THAT THREE LEVEL. SO IT'S NOT TOTALLY A NEW HIRE FOR A FULL TIME PERSON, JUST IT EQUATES TO HALF A PERSON. SO ON PAGE 69 THERE'S NO PART TIME ANYMORE. I DON'T SEE ONE. I JUST LOOKED AT THAT. OKAY, OKAY TODD GO AHEAD. THE THE QUESTION WAS WHERE THAT IS. SO THE WEBSITE. SO WE HAVE SEVERAL COMPONENTS TO THE WEBSITE. WE USE A COMPANY THAT WE HAVE THE WEBSITE PRESENCE. WE HAVE CIVIC CLERK WHICH IS MANAGING THE MINUTES AND AGENDAS FOR ALL THE, THE THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. WE ALSO HAVE OUR PARKS AND REC IS IN THAT. SO ALL OF THAT IS FUNDED OUT OF MY BUDGET SINCE I CAN TRACK THAT AS ONE PIECE. SO SO YES, MR. CHAIRMAN, MAYOR, DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? SO THAT DOES ANSWER MY QUESTION THAT I KNOW THAT WE ROLLED OUT ALL THIS NEW STUFF LAST YEAR, SINCE WE'RE SINCE WE'VE ROLLED IT OUT, DID THE, DID THE BUDGET, DID THAT BUDGET DECREASE THEN. NO. SO WE'RE STILL ROLLING THE ROLLOUT? WELL THERE WERE ONE TIME COST IN IMPLEMENTATION. SO YES, THOSE NUMBERS ARE NO LONGER REFLECTED IN THE BUDGET. THE COST THE SYSTEM COSTS ARE STILL THERE. AND YOU KNOW, THE ANNUAL INCREASE TO THOSE REALLY ACROSS THE BOARD HAS BEEN YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY WE WOULD BUDGET

[00:25:06]

MR. HOLT. YES, BERRY? YES. DO. MISS BURROWS? YES. ANDERSON. YES. WILSON. YES, YES. OKAY, I'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT TOPIC, WHICH IS UNDER LANDS AND BUILDINGS. PARKS AND RECREATION.

THERE WAS A WHAT PAGE ARE YOU ON? THIS IS ON PAGE 47. SOME OF IT THE ISSUE IS I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE FTE TRANSFER AND THE RATIONALE BETWEEN THOSE TWO DEPARTMENTS. I DON'T KNOW WHO WANTS TO SPEAK TO THAT. SHANNON. OKAY. AND JACK, WHAT I'M HANDING OUT IS A COMBINATION OF

[00:30:06]

THIS IS DONE BECAUSE WE FEEL LIKE THIS IS BETTER ALIGNMENT FROM A PRIORITY STANDPOINT.

WE'RE TAKING THE INDIVIDUALS WHO CARE FOR THE PARKS AND PUT THEM UNDER THE SAME UMBRELLA OF THOSE THAT PLAN AND PROGRAM THE PARKS, AND SO THIS WILL ALLOW US BETTER EFFICIENCY, BETTER ALIGNMENT OF PRIORITIES, AS WELL AS BETTER ACCOUNTABILITY AND SERVICE TO THE TO OUR PUBLIC. THIS WAS NOT DONE IN A VACUUM. DIRECTOR HAMMONDS AND I SAT DOWN AND DISCUSSED THIS AT LENGTH, AND WE BOTH AGREED THAT THIS WOULD BE THE BEST WAY MOVING FORWARD TO SERVE OUR TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT THIS IS SOMETHING I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORTED, NOT BECAUSE I WANTED TO GET RID OF EMPLOYEES NECESSARILY, BUT WHEN WE HAD THE STAFF TRYING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PROGRAMS AND EVENTS, THEY HAD TO WORK WITH JACK VERY CLOSELY. IT WAS KIND OF REDUNDANT FOR THEM TO COME TO ME AND HIM BOTH TIMES TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS THAT NEEDED TO GET DONE. AND QUITE FRANKLY, I THINK MOST COMMUNITIES THAT YOU WOULD LOOK AROUND CENTRAL OHIO OPERATE IN THIS FASHION. SO IT'S NOT OUT OF THE ORDINARY. SO THIS GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONCENTRATE ON STREETS AND UTILITIES AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE, AND HAVE THOSE FOLKS REPORT TO JACK AND GET, GET, BE, GET TO BE MUCH MORE PROFICIENT AND EFFICIENT. SO IT APPEARS IT'S JUST A TRANSFER, RIGHT? IT'S A NET ZERO OF EMPLOYEES. THAT'S CORRECT.

NOTHING. IT'S BASICALLY THE HEADCOUNT IS GOING TO BE THE SAME THAT TEN WILL JUST BE REPORTING TO JACK. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY STILL. OUR FOLKS AND THEIRS WOULD CONTINUE TO WORK VERY, VERY CLOSELY ON EVENTS AND SO FORTH. BUT THE LARGE EVENTS, THERE'S NO POINT IN GOING THROUGH US AND JACK WHEN JACK'S PROGRAMING AND DIRECTION IS, IS REALLY WHAT THEY NEED ANYWAY. DO THEY HAVE ANY PERSONAL EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEED TO MOVE DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT VEHICLES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? THEY THEY DO HAVE SOME AND SOME OF THE YOU'LL SEE IN THE BUDGET, SOME OF THE NEW PURCHASES WILL ACTUALLY BE DONE THROUGH PARKS AND RECREATION AS OPPOSED TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. SO THEY WILL MAINTAIN, YOU KNOW, ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THEIR MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT AND VEHICLES. OKAY. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. COUNCIL. OTHER QUESTIONS? YEAH. ONE MR. WHEN IT COMES TO URBAN FORESTRY, WHERE IS IT FALLING? THEY'RE STILL IN SERVICE. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ONLY COMMENT I WOULD MAKE. I APPRECIATE YOUR TAKING THE TIME TO WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY AND STREAMLINING IT AND EXPLAINING THAT. SO THAT WAS VERY, VERY HELPFUL. AND JACK AND I HAVE GOTTEN TO WORK VERY CLOSELY TOGETHER AND WE HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP. AS A MATTER OF FACT, HE AND THE TEN PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE CONSIDERING WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO VISIT TO ATTEND OUR SAFETY MEETINGS MONTHLY. SO WE HAVE A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT QUESTION, WHICH IS ON PAGE 49, LANDS AND BUILDINGS SECTION.

JUST SOMETHING THAT CAUGHT MY EYE, WHICH IS THAT WE BUDGET FOR CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS.

SO WE'RE PAYING THE 3% THAT WE GET CHARGED FROM THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY FOR THE LANDS AND BUILDINGS TRANSACTIONS. AND MY QUESTION, I GUESS, IS WHY DON'T WE PASS THAT ALONG TO THE CONSUMER? LIKE ALL THE OTHER BUSINESSES I BUY FOR CHARGES ME 3% MORE WHEN I USE A CREDIT CARD. SO WE HAVE CREDIT CARD MACHINES IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT FOR PERMITS, AND PARKS AND REC HAS CREDIT CARD. PEOPLE CAN COME IN AND PAY WITH CREDIT CARD FOR PROGRAMS, OR THEY CAN DO IT ONLINE. AND OUR COURTS OR MAYOR'S COURT TAKES CREDIT CARDS. WHEN WE STARTED GETTING MORE INTO THE CREDIT CARD BUSINESS, WE HAD AN OPTION OF ONE. THE WAY YOU DO, WE CAN PASS THE FEE, THE 3% FEE ONTO THE CONSUMER. THAT MEANS THAT IF YOU PAID FOR A CREDIT CARD, YOUR COST WOULD BE HIGHER BY 3% THAN IF YOU PAID FOR A CHECK. TWO WE CAN PAY FOR THE FEE OURSELF, EVALUATE AND THEN LOOK AT THE FEES THAT WE'RE CHARGING FOR THE SERVICE AND ADJUST

[00:35:03]

YOU KNOW, IF WHY ARE YOU RAISING PROGRAM PRICES. WELL, BECAUSE AND WE HAVEN'T HAD A RAISE SINCE SUCH AND SUCH. AND NOW YOU HAVE TO RAISE THE BECAUSE OF THE CREDIT CARD FEES.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT FEELS BETTER THAN SOMETHING ELSE. WELL, TO TO THE MAYOR'S POINT, WE DO HAVE A COST RECOVERY POLICY THAT WE IMPLEMENTED IN 24 LATE IN 2024, AND IN THAT IT ACCOUNTS FOR DIRECT COSTS. THIS WOULD FALL UNDER A DIRECT COST OF THE USER USING A CREDIT CARD TO PURCHASE OR REGISTER A, YOU KNOW, FOR A PARTICIPANT PARTICIPATION. SO THOSE FEES SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN OUR DIRECT COST, WHICH WILL RAISE OUR OVERALL FEES. SO. SO THEN WE WON'T NEED THE LINE ITEM FOR 55,000. I CAN'T SPEAK TO HOW THAT IS DONE FROM A BUDGET PERSPECTIVE WITH MIKE, BUT PROBABLY NEED TO SIT DOWN WITH WITH MIKE AND FINANCE AND FIGURE THAT OUT FROM OUR STANDPOINT, BUT FROM OUR COST RECOVERY POLICY, WE WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT WITH OUR PUBLIC AND HOW WE ARRIVE AT OUR FEES. AND SO THAT WOULD BE A PART OF OUR DIRECT COST. ANTHONY. SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT RAISING FEES, IS THAT JUST FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE PAYING WITH CREDIT CARD. BECAUSE YEAH, WE ALWAYS WANT TO PROVIDE A, YOU KNOW, A NON FEE OPTION OF USING EITHER CASH OR CHECK TO PAY FOR SOMETHING. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I WASN'T PENALIZING PEOPLE THAT WERE PAYING BY CHECK. CORRECT. YOU SAY RAISING FEES. CORRECT. IT WOULD BE THE CREDIT CARD FEES THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE. YEAH, YEAH, THIS IS A REALLY GOOD DISCUSSION. GLAD YOU BROUGHT IT UP. BUT IT IS CERTAINLY AND FROM FROM MY DISCUSSIONS WITH BUSINESSES, IT IS ABOUT KNOWING YOUR CUSTOMER. AND SO I APPRECIATE MR. TURNER MENTIONING THAT THE ISSUE OF OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LESS OF AN URGENCY FOR INTERNAL CONTROL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AROUND CASH HANDLING, CHECK HANDLING, IF YOU CAN GET PEOPLE TO USE DEBIT AND CREDIT CARDS TO MAKE THEIR PAYMENTS. SO AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT HOW TO ATTRACT PEOPLE TO DO THAT WHILE ALSO OFFERING THE ALTERNATIVE. SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT CONVERSATION, BECAUSE THAT'S THE SAME DECISION THAT EVERY BUSINESS IS MAKING, IS DOES IT MAKE MORE SENSE FOR US TO SAY IT'S PART OF THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS? THAT'S THAT DIRECT COST THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND WE'RE GOING TO PASS THAT ON ACROSS THE BOARD.

EVERYONE'S GOING TO PAY A LITTLE BIT OF THAT COST, OR IS IT GOING TO BE BETTER FOR FOR OUR INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS TO SAY, IF YOU PAY WITH A CREDIT CARD, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY THIS ADDITIONAL CHARGE. AND AND IT'S NOT A SILVER BULLET ANSWER. IT'S DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON WHAT BUSINESS YOU'RE IN. AND SO I THINK IT'S A GOOD DISCUSSION. I CAN SEE THE THOUGHT PROCESS HERE AGAIN, BECAUSE YOU WANT TO LIMIT CASH HANDLING IN ANY WAY THAT YOU CAN. YEAH. CHAIR MAY I AS WELL. AND JUST TO ADD TO THAT, I THINK NOT ONLY ELIMINATING THE CASH HANDLING,

[00:40:05]

I THINK IT HAS PROBABLY HELPED WITH THAT EFFICIENCY VERSUS ESPECIALLY IF IT IS A PARENT WHO IS IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING OR AT WORK, WANTS TO SIGN UP, DOESN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY OR THE ABILITY TO GET TO THE PARK OFFICE IN THAT MOMENT. BUT SO JUST TO KIND OF PUT THAT OUT THERE FOR EASE FOR THE AUDIENCE AS WELL. BUT I ALSO JUST WANT TO SAY, I MEAN, WE KIND OF SAID, THIS IS MAYOR'S COURT FEES, THIS IS PERMITS BEING PAID. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT FULLY FOCUSING THAT THIS 55,000 IS ALL PARKS AND REC PROGRAMING.

IT WOULD BE INTERESTING. NOT THAT I'M ASKING FOR THIS HOMEWORK AT ALL, BUT IT JUST WOULD BE INTERESTING THAT, YOU KNOW, REALLY WHAT IS PARKS AND REC FEES VERSUS WHAT IS THE BUILDING PERMITS AND THINGS OVER THAT ENTIRE YEAR VERSUS WHAT ARE THE MAYOR'S COURT FEES THAT ARE ADDING CONTRIBUTING TO THAT? AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT JUST FULLY FOCUSING ON PARKS AND REC. AND MR. HOLT TO SAY WE'RE GOING TO ELIMINATE THAT LINE IF WE INCREASE PRICES. THE ANSWER IS NO. FOR ACCOUNTING PURPOSES, YOU STILL NEED TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY CREDIT CARD EXPENSES. YEAH. OKAY. WELL, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD DISCUSSION. I THINK THAT'S IT FOR NOW ON THAT UNLESS MAJORITY FEELS OTHERWISE, I THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD THING FOR YOU GUYS TO FIGURE OUT NEXT YEAR THOUGH. AND I'LL STILL BE HERE NEXT YEAR. TO ME, BUILDING PERMITS AND MAYOR'S COURT AND STUFF LIKE THAT SEEMS LIKE THAT WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE PLACE TO CHARGE THAT FEE ONTO THE CUSTOMER. AND PERHAPS NOT IN PARKS AND REC.

SO LET'S LET'S LOOK AT THAT FOR NEXT YEAR. THE NEXT QUESTION I HAD IS UNDER ESTIMATED FUND BALANCES. AND MIKE PROBABLY HAS THE ANSWER TO THIS. I JUST NOTICED THAT THERE'S A LINE ITEM FOR OPIOID OHIO SETTLEMENT, AND THERE'S STILL 163 OR $6000 IN THAT. I THOUGHT WE ZEROED THAT OUT EARLIER IN THE YEAR FOR SOME REASON, BUT MAYBE WE DON'T. WE STILL GET MORE MONEY OR. YEAH, WELL, WE WILL CONTINUE TO GET MORE OPIOID MONEY. AND THE APPROACH WE'VE TAKEN IS TO SPEND IT WHEN COUNCIL APPROPRIATES IT. SO I KNOW WE DID AN APPROPRIATION FOR AN ORGANIZATION EARLIER IN THE YEAR FOR 10 OR $15,000, AND INSTEAD OF APPROPRIATING IT NOW WE'RE WE'RE KIND OF LEAVING IT TO COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, WITH THE MARIJUANA COMES IN, THERE MIGHT BE SOME OPTIONS FOR US TO USE IT IN THAT DIRECTION. IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT OF AN UNKNOWN NOW, AND IT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET. AND THE MAYOR MAY BE ABLE TO EXPAND ON THAT. NO, IT'S WAIT AND SEE BECAUSE THAT SETTLEMENT, I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT YEAR WE'RE IN. I'D SAY MAYBE THE FOURTH OR FIFTH MAYBE. AND WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW MUCH IT WAS GOING TO BE. SO WE'VE GOT IT. WE'VE JUST LET IT SIT THERE, EXCEPT AS WE SAID, WE'D USE IT IN THAT ONE CASE, BUT IT'S WE'RE SAVING. SO IT'S TO BE APPROPRIATE. IT'S APPROPRIATED. SO IT'S TO BE. DISTRIBUTED AT A FUTURE DATE BY COUNCIL. RIGHT. THAT'S THE SIMPLEST WAY OF SAYING IT FOR A SPECIFIC USE. FOR A SPECIFIC USE. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THAT ONE THEN I THINK THE BIG ONE HERE WILL DO THAT ONE. AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHAT'S LEFT. IS THE CONVENTION VCB MONEY. THE TAX MONEY FROM THE HOTEL MOTEL TAX. AND IF SOMEBODY COULD TELL ME WHAT PAGE THAT'S ON, DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT'S IN THE ORDINANCE? IT'S IN THE FRONT. PAGE TWO. I'LL READ IT FOR THE PUBLIC. AS WRITTEN OR AS PROPOSED IN THE BUDGET. THE GROVE CITY AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU RECEIVES 481,004 $81. GROVE CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, $77,000. LITTLE THEATER OFF BROADWAY, $9,000. AND TO BE DETERMINED THROUGH FUTURE LEGISLATION, $81,000. YEAH. SO THE THREE THAT ARE ALLOCATED THERE ARE THE GROVE CITY VISITORS BUREAU, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND LITTLE THEATER OFF BROADWAY, AND THEN THE 81,000. MIKE IS IS THERE NOW OR IT WILL

[00:45:02]

AND THAT 13% NOW SAYS TO BE DETERMINED. RIGHT. OKAY, GOOD. THANKS FOR THAT EXPLANATION. SO NOW WE'LL HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS OKAY. ALL RIGHT I WANT TO JUST ADDRESS FIRST OF ALL THE OVERVIEW OF THESE PERCENTAGES. IF EVERYONE WILL RECALL IN THE INITIAL DRAFT LAST YEAR, WE WERE PROPOSING THAT 80% OF THE FUNDS THAT AND THAT AGAIN, THAT WAS THE INITIAL DOLLAR AMOUNT WAS GOING TO GO TO THE CVB. AND THE BALANCE, THE 20% WOULD BE SPREAD OVER THESE ALLOCATIONS TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. INSTEAD OF USING THE NUMBER THAT WAS ORIGINALLY PROVIDED FOR IN THE DRAFT DOCUMENT, WE TWEAKED THAT NUMBER AGAIN, ADDRESSING THE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS THAT THE MAYOR REFERENCED FROM THE GENERAL FUND. AND THAT'S HOW WE GOT THESE SORT OF JABBERWOCKY PERCENTAGES ALLOCATED TO THE CHAMBER LITTLE THEATER. AND THIS TO BE DETERMINED IN FUTURE LEGISLATION AMOUNT. I'M GOING TO YOU KNOW, I TRIED THIS LAST YEAR. I WANT TO JUST PUT THIS OUT THERE ONE MORE TIME. WE HAD A WRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH VISIT GROVE CITY THIS YEAR. I THINK THAT WAS USEFUL. I THINK THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE WRITTEN AGREEMENT, MAKING SURE THAT THE VISION OF CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU DOLLARS AND THE ACTIONS OF VISIT GROVE CITY ARE IN ALIGNMENT BY COMMUNICATING VIA THAT WRITTEN AGREEMENT. SO I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT CONTINUE. THOUGH I WILL NOT BE HERE, I WILL BE ENTRUSTING THAT TO MY COLLEAGUES HERE. BUT I WANTED TO ONCE AGAIN ASK AND AGAIN, JUST LOOKING AT THE FACES IN THIS ROOM WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW WE ARE CARVING UP THESE DOLLARS. IT SHOULD BE A RED FLAG TO ALL OF US. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US RETURN TO THE 25% OF HOTEL TAX COLLECTED GOES TO THE CONVENTION BUREAU, THAT IS, VISIT GROVE CITY, THE GROVE CITY AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU. AND AND I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO SAY AGAIN, JUST ONE MORE TIME FOR THE RECORD, THAT THESE OTHER DOLLAR AMOUNTS SHOULD BE VIA A GRANT PROGRAM, AND THE GRANT PROGRAM SHOULD HAVE CRITERIA AND EVERY APPLICATION SHOULD BE COMPARED TO THAT CRITERIA. WE SHOULD HAVE A BODY EVALUATING THOSE APPLICATIONS AND ALLOCATING THOSE FUNDS. THAT BODY SHOULD NOT BE POLITICIANS. AND AND THOSE DOLLARS SHOULD BE GIVEN ON A REIMBURSEMENT BASIS, MEANING THAT THE ORGANIZATION THAT RECEIVES THEM SHOULD BE SUBMITTING A INVOICE AND PROOF OF THEIR PAYMENT BEFORE THEY RECEIVE THOSE DOLLARS. AND I THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNCIL TO GET THIS RIGHT, TO GET THE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU MONEY, THE 25% OF THE BED TAX ALLOCATED TO VISIT GROVE CITY. THE REST OF

[00:50:05]

THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE TO DO SO. THANK YOU. IF I COULD OH I'M SORRY. IF I COULD, MR. HOLT, THE GRANT THING WAS THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT OF WHEN WE PUT IN THE 25 BASIS POINTS TAX, ALL THE MONEY WENT TO THE VB, AND AT THAT TIME, THEN WAS REALLOCATED DOWN TO OTHER GRANTS TO DIFFERENT AREAS. WHO COMPLIMENTED THE THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT VISITORS TO GROW CITY.

THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL INTENT. THEY PAID FOR HALF. WELL, THEY PAID FOR A PORTION OF THE GARDENS AT GANZ. THEY PAID FOR A PORTION OF THE LANDSCAPING ON I-71. AND ONE OF THE REASON THEY DID IT WAS TO ATTRACT VISITORS AND HAVE A NICE ESTHETIC GATEWAY IN CITY THAT WENT AWAY. THAT WAS NOT A CITY ACTION THAT WENT AWAY BY THE BOARD OF THE ECB. WE THOUGHT IT WAS THE MOST APPROPRIATE WAY OF DOING IT. AND SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED THE FUNDS GOING BACK TO $401,000 LAST YEAR, RENT HAS GONE DOWN, PERSONNEL IS GOING UP, ADVERTISING IS GOING DOWN. SO IT'S IT'S DIFFERENT. IT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY THAT WE SPLIT THE GROUPS BECAUSE THEY WERE BEING SOMEWHAT SPLINTERED BEFORE AND NOT HAVING A COMMON GOAL IN GENERAL WHEN THEY MEET. AND WE AND THEY WOULD MEET ONCE A QUARTER TO TALK ABOUT GENERAL GOALS. SO THERE IS A HISTORY OF GRANTS. IT WAS WELL ESTABLISHED AND IT WENT AWAY. AND THERE WERE OTHER NEEDS IN THE CITY TO ATTRACT VISITORS, NOT NECESSARILY OVERNIGHT VISITORS AND TO DO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. MISSING. THANK YOU. I WOULD SAY THAT I AM IN AGREEANCE WITH PRESIDENT. THANK YOU. CHAIR. I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS PRESIDENT HOUCK'S COMMENTS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND WHERE WE COULD GET TO THAT TONIGHT AS WELL. YOU KNOW, AS FOR THE GRANT PROGRAM AND, AND AND DOING THIS AND MAKING THESE CHANGES, I WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT WE MAKE ALL EFFORTS TO MAKE THAT GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED AND SUSTAINABLE. AND I SAY THAT SPECIFICALLY FOR THE LITTLE THEATER. THE LITTLE THEATER IS GENERALLY GETTING AROUND 9 TO $10,000 FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS FROM THIS HOTEL BED TAX.

AND THEY ARE A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION. AND I WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RULES, THE CRITERIA, WHATEVER IT IS THAT IS DISCUSSED FOR THESE ENTITIES TO COME FORTH TO RECEIVE THESE GRANT FUNDS, THAT THEY WOULD HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY AND THAT NOT BE SOMETHING THAT IS PUT ON THE BACK BURNER IN MAKING THIS CHANGE. YOU KNOW, WITH THE CHAMBER, THEY DO HAVE MEMBERSHIP DOLLARS. THEY DO HAVE PAID STAFF. AND AND WHILE THAT IS A LARGE CHUNK AS WELL, THEY HAVE OTHER MEANS AND THINGS ARE STILL HAPPENING FOR THEM AND INCLUDING SUPPORT OF THE CITY FOR LARGE EVENTS THAT THEY HOLD. SO ASIDE FROM THOSE TWO POINTS AND WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT BECAUSE I THINK WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A GRANT PROGRAM FOR A WHILE, BUT REALLY HAVEN'T PUT THE ENTIRE BONES AROUND IT. BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, I, I AGREE, AND I THINK THAT THE HOTEL BED TAX DOLLARS SHOULD GO TO THAT ONE ENTITY VERSUS BEING SPLINTERED IN THE WAY THAT IT HAS BEEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. JODY. YES. THANK YOU. CHAIR. I ALSO WANTED TO CLARIFY WHAT BED TAX IS. SO OUR HOTELS GENERALLY COLLECT 6% BED TAX, 25% OF THAT 1.5% GOES TO CVB, 1.5% OR 25%, OR 1.5% OF THAT 6% GOES TO THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND. THAT'S ALSO USED FOR FIREWORKS AND LOTS OF OTHER THINGS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND. AND

[00:55:02]

AND I CERTAINLY THINK THE GROVE CITY TOWN CENTER GROUP DOES THAT. SO WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THOSE OTHER GROUPS WILL NOT HAVE ANY FUNDING TO PLAN FOR AT LEAST NEXT YEAR. IF EVERYTHING GOES, THE 650 GOES TO THE CONVENTION BUREAU, AND WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL ALLOCATION FROM THE GENERAL FUND. AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT AMOUNT WILL BE IN TERMS OF THE AMENDMENT TO DO THAT. WHAT'S YOUR COMMENT THERE? YEAH. SO IT FOR ME, WE HAVE UNRESOLVED ISSUES AND AND I KNOW THAT A YEAR AGO WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE ALLOCATIONS THAT HAD BEEN MADE TO THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, THE ORGANIZATIONS HAD BROUGHT IN REPORTS TO COUNCIL. AND THIS WAS IN THE YEAR 2024, AND WE HEARD FROM THEM AS TO WHAT THEY HAD DONE WITH THE DOLLARS. AND IN IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, COUNSEL WAS PERPLEXED TO HEAR HOW THE DOLLARS HAD BEEN SPENT BY THOSE ORGANIZATIONS NOT IN ALIGNMENT WITH DRIVING. AGAIN, WE ALL WE WE WERE NOT SAYING THAT THE ORGANIZATIONS DON'T PLAY A ROLE IN DRIVING VISITORS TO OUR COMMUNITY, BUT THAT THE DOLLARS THAT WE'RE GIVING THEM ARE NOT BEING SPENT ACCORDING TO THOSE USES THAT ARE THAT WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THIS DEFINITION THAT WE HAVE DESCRIBED BY ORDINANCE THAT YOU'RE THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO. MR. BOZO, I THINK WE'RE IN A VERY GOOD SPOT THIS YEAR. WE HAVE WE'RE IN WE HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT THAT IS TBD ALREADY. WE HAVE THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AMOUNT THAT, AGAIN, I BELIEVE WE SHOULD REVISIT AND IT SHOULD BE STRUCTURED AS A GRANT AND THERE SHOULD BE A DOCUMENTATION PROCESS AND A SELECTION PROCESS.

[01:00:04]

AND THE MAYOR HAS SHARED THAT THEY HAVE A LARGE PROJECT THAT THEY'RE PLANNING TO UNDERTAKE.

AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CRAFT AN AGREEMENT WITH LITTLE THEATER AND MAKE A FUTURE APPROPRIATION THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THEIR GOALS FOR THIS YEAR. THIS DOLLAR AMOUNT WASN'T PART OF A PRESENTATION THAT THEY MADE TO US TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT THEY NEED DURING THE YEAR. THEY HAVE ANOTHER PACKAGE THAT YOU HAVE AND ARE CURRENTLY REVIEWING. SO I THINK THAT, AGAIN, WE ALREADY HAVE, YOU KNOW, JUST ABOUT HALF THE MONEY IS ALREADY TBD. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TONIGHT TO SAY WE ARE GOING TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS. AND AND OBVIOUSLY WE FEEL AN URGENCY OUT OF RESPECT TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS. BUT AS OF TODAY, I THINK WHAT WE'RE DOING IS BROKEN FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM. AND AGAIN, MY COMMENT, IF I MAY, IS ONLY SAYING THAT IF THE TOTAL 650,000 GOES TO THE CONVENTION BUREAU, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER FUNDING MECHANISM. AND WHAT WHAT WILL THAT AMOUNT BE FOR US TO TO STRUCTURE A GRANT PROGRAM? WHAT KIND OF DOLLARS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT TO COME OUT OF, SAY, THE GENERAL FUND, AN ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION WE WOULD NEED. CAN I ASK A QUESTION ON THAT, THOUGH? WOULD IT BE COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, OR WOULD IT BE COMING OUT OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND? THAT WOULD BE THE ONE AND A HALF IF YOU IF YOU WOULD AMEND THAT TO TAKE SOMETHING OUT AND MAKE, SAY, FIREWORKS OR INSTEAD OF 65,000, YOU MAKE IT 25,000, THEN YOU HAVE IT'S HOW YOU ALLOCATE FOR THAT PARTICULAR FUND. THERE'S NO EXCESS FUNDS.

FROM WHAT WE HAVE PROPOSED IN THIS BUDGET FOR WITHIN THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PIECE.

THANK YOU. CHAIR. RANDY. EXCUSE ME. I BELIEVE A COUPLE OF MEETINGS AGO, MR. TURNER, YOU ALSO SAID THERE WAS EXCESS FUNDS FROM 2025 43,000. SO THAT WAS A COMMENT WAS MADE TO MAYBE POTENTIALLY ROLL THAT OVER INTO 2026 BUDGET. AND THAT COULD BE ALSO BE USED THAT COULD BE USED AT 43,000. IN TERMS OF THAT UNAPPROPRIATED BALANCE. THAT'S CORRECT. THANK YOU. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IN FUTURE MAY I MAY I MAKE JUST A SUGGESTION HERE. SO LET'S IN ORDER TO GET MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION, PERHAPS NOT ALL THE 650, MAYBE WE JUST ROUND IT TO 600 GIVES VCB A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT, AND IT STILL LEAVES US WITH THE 40,000, THE 80,000 UNALLOCATED, AND THE 50,000 FROM THE 600 TO 650. I MEAN, WE THEN WE'D HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR THE GRANT PROGRAM THERE, MR. CHAIRMAN. YES. THE 81 WHEN THEY WHEN YOU SAY 60, 650,000, THEY'RE INCLUDING THE 81,000. SO BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS WHAT'S ALREADY ON THE TABLE NOW.

NO. WELL, I MEAN, NOW WHAT HE'S SAYING IS 650, YOU WIPE OFF THE OTHERS. IT'S IT'S IT AGGREGATES THOSE NUMBERS YOU SEE BELOW THEM. THEY GO AWAY. SO I'M JUST WONDERING HOW YOU'RE GOING TO FUND THESE PROJECTS OUT, YOU KNOW, PAST NEXT YEAR. I THINK I'D ALSO JUST WANT TO ADD TO THE CONVERSATION AND ASK. I MEAN, IT'S ONLY BEEN THREE YEARS NOW. IS THAT HELP ME UNDERSTAND. AND 2021 IS WHEN THEY GOT PAST THE NEW ONE. OKAY. SO 22. SO THREE YEARS THAT WE HAVE BEEN USING HOTEL BED TAX TO FUND THE CHAMBER AND THE LITTLE THEATER. SO THERE HAVE BEEN YEARS BEFORE WHERE THOSE ENTITIES DIDN'T HAVE THOSE FUNDS COMING FROM BED TAX. SO I JUST REALLY WANT TO CLARIFY THAT WE THAT WE'RE KIND OF SOUNDING LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE A BIG PROBLEM, BUT IT'S REALLY A PROBLEM WE CREATED. CORRECT? THE MAYOR CREATED IT.

WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WOULD BE STILL AND I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM WITH RANDY OF MAYBE TRYING TO HOLD BACK SOME FUNDS, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE WE ALREADY HAVE THIS 43 SITTING THERE. I THINK WE WOULD AGAIN WITH THROUGH THIS GRANT PROGRAM NEED TO UNDERSTAND. I MEAN, THE LITTLE THEATER CAN BE MADE WHOLE WITH 10,000. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CHAMBER AND NEEDING TO UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS. BUT I THINK WE'RE GOING BACK TO HOW THIS VISIT GROVE CITY AND A AND A CVB WAS SET UP, AND WHAT THE INTENTIONS ARE UTILIZING THE BED TAX DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE COMING IN FROM OUR WONDERFUL PROPERTIES THAT WE DO HAVE HERE. MR. HOLT, CAN I HAVE ONE MORE COMMENT? THE 650. WITH EACH OF THESE GROUPS HAVE KNOWN THAT WE DO AN APPROPRIATION

[01:05:01]

TWO, THE BCB WAS NOT ONE OF THEM. SO WHAT WE'RE SAYING, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNICATION CORRECTLY, AS A MATTER OF FACT, I THINK IT WOULD BE A MISTAKE TO VOTE ON THAT TONIGHT UNTIL WE GET SOME OTHER TESTIMONY ON THIS. BUT IS WE'LL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU WHATEVER THE AGGREGATE IS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO ASK FOR ANYTHING. NOW THEY GIVE US THE REPORTS DURING THE YEAR, BUT IN ASKING FOR AND SHOWING US WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO USE THE MONEY FOR, THERE'S ONLY BEEN TWO ENTITIES TO DO THAT. AND THAT WAS A CHAMBER AND LITTLE THEATER OFF-BROADWAY MAYOR STAGE. DID YOU ASK FOR THAT INFORMATION? I DID NOT OKAY. SO I JUST AGAIN, I THINK THAT WHAT WE HAVE CREATED IS A AN EXPECTATION. AND I THINK THAT THAT IS NEVER HEALTHY. I THINK THAT WE NEED TO PUT SOME GUARDRAILS AROUND THIS, AND THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO. I THINK WE HAVE ALL SEEN THIS PLAY OUT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS IN A WAY THAT IS A NEGATIVE. AND AND SO I AGAIN, YOU KNOW, MISS ANDERSON REFERS TO MAKING THE LITTLE THEATER WHOLE. BUT THE LITTLE THEATER HAS NOT REQUESTED THIS AMOUNT. THE LITTLE THEATER IS IN COMMUNICATION ABOUT THEIR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT.

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAS REQUESTED THIS AMOUNT OR AN AMOUNT CONSISTENT WITH WHAT THEIR WHAT HAS BECOME THEIR EXPECTATION. AND SO AGAIN, WHAT I AM PUSHING US FOR IS WE DON'T NEED TO APPROPRIATE ANY DOLLARS FOR THOSE ORGANIZATIONS THIS EVENING, AND IF WE ARE GOING TO APPROPRIATE THEM, WE SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT COUNCIL'S VISION FOR THOSE DOLLARS AND THE WAY THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE USED, ARE IN ALIGNMENT. SO, ANTHONY, JUST JUST ONE THING. I, I'M IN FAVOR OF THE GRANT PROGRAM SIMPLY BECAUSE IT CREATES GREATER TRANSPARENCY. AND WHEN WE'RE, YOU KNOW, SPENDING THE PUBLIC'S MONEY, LET'S HAVE SOME TRANSPARENCY AROUND HOW WE'RE ALLOCATING AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS. IF, MR. HOLT, IF I MAY, FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE, I JUST WANT US TO FOLLOW THE CODE. SO I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO AS PART OF THE BUDGET. SO WHEN WE REWROTE THIS ORDINANCE IN 2021, AND I THINK YOU SUMMARIZED IT CORRECTLY, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY IT'S 25% OF THE 6% OR HALF OF THE 3% HAS TO GO INTO A FUND TO GO TO THE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BY CODE. WE HAVE TO NAME EACH CONVENTION AND VISITOR'S BUREAU AND AMOUNT IN THE BUDGET, GET ALL THEIR STUFF. SO I THAT'S ALL I ASK THAT YOU DO. I DON'T CARE WHO YOU NAME, BUT AT LEAST BY LAW, EACH CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU WILL BE IDENTIFIED BY NAME AND DISTRIBUTION AMOUNT. SO I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT'S WHAT THE CODE REQUIRES. SO SO IF I MAY OKAY. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND SECTION FIVE TO READ THE CONVENTION BUREAU. APPROPRIATION OF 650,000 SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED AS AS SHOWN. COLON GROVE CITY AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU 650,000. SECOND. MR. BARRY. NO. MR. DO. YES. BURROWS. YES. ANDERSON. YES. WILSON. YES.

HOUCK. YES. HOLT. YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT CLOSES THAT ISSUE FOR NOW. AND WHAT IT DOES DO IS REQUIRE US TO CREATE THE GRANT PROGRAM FOR THOSE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. AND WE NEED TO GET ON THAT. WHATEVER MONEY WE WANT, MONEY THAT WE SAVED, WE SAVED 55,000 IN A COUPLE OTHER ACTIONS AND WE JUST SAVED. AND THERE'S STILL 40,000 UNALLOCATED IN THIS DOCUMENT HERE FROM THE CARRYOVER. SO WE GOT 100,000 RIGHT NOW FOR THE GRANT PROGRAM.

AND MAY I PIGGYBACK ON THAT ONE OTHER ADDITIONAL ITEM, MR. HOLT. PUTTING OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS UNDER CITY COUNCIL, WE HAVE A PART TIME SALARIES, 24,000. AND I WOULD LIKE US TO DISCUSS THE NEED FOR THAT, AS WE HAVE NOW TWO FULL TIME SALARIES. AND AGAIN, IF THERE WOULD BE A NEED, I THINK THAT WE WOULD DISCUSS IT AND AND TALK ABOUT WHY THERE'S A NEED

[01:10:05]

I DON'T CARE IF YOU TAKE IT OUT, IT IS OKAY. IT WAS LEFT IN CASE, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE MID-TERM INCREASES FOR THE NEW DEPUTY. THERE WOULD BE MONEY AVAILABLE TO DO THAT WITH. IF YOU REMOVE IT, YOU'D HAVE TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATION FOR THAT AMOUNT LATER. AND I DON'T CARE WHICH WAY YOU WANT TO DO THAT. OKAY, THAT THAT'S GOOD. THAT GIVES US 125,000 IN THE GRANT PROGRAM ALREADY THEN. SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND MAKE YOUR THING IN THE TERMS OF AN AMENDMENT. YES. MAY I MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND PAGE 14? YES. PAGE 14 2026 BUDGET LINE ITEM UNDER PART TIME SALARIES FOR CITY COUNCIL. TO BE ZERO FOR THE YEAR 2026. SECOND. DO. YES. BURROWS. YES.

ANDERSON. YES. WILSON. YES. YES. YES. YES. THANK YOU. OKAY. MOVING ON TO THE NEXT QUESTION, WHICH I WILL DEFER NOW TO JODY. AND BECAUSE I KNOW WE'VE ANSWERED SOME OF YOUR PREPARED QUESTIONS. SO IF YOU COULD THROUGH THAT AND PICK OUT THE ONES THAT WE HAVEN'T SO WE CAN ADDRESS THOSE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ONE OF MY QUESTIONS WAS ON PAGE 55 UNDER MISCELLANEOUS UTILITIES, AND I WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT IF THAT WAS FOR THE BROOK PARK PRORATED UTILITIES FOR 2026. THAT WOULD BE JACK OR MIKE OR SOMEBODY. SO UNDER THE PARKS AND RECREATION BUDGET, THERE IS NO MONEY FOR BROOK PARK UTILITIES. IF YOU LOOK BACK IN THE LANDS AND BUILDINGS BUDGET, WE DID WE BUDGETED FOR ON PAGE 51, $25,000 FOR THE BROOK PARK UTILITIES. AND I BELIEVE THAT'S CONTRACTUAL. OKAY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. SO WHAT IS MISCELLANEOUS UTILITIES IN THIS CATEGORY THEN. SO YEAH ON 55 THEN UNDER UTILITIES WOULD YOU PARK AND REC. IT SAYS MISCELLANEOUS UTILITIES 25,000 FOR PARK. THAT'S NOT BROOK PARK.

PAGE 50 NOT BROOK BURKE. YEAH THAT'S ON 51. AND A QUICK REFERENCE WOULD BE THERE WAS 25,000 BUDGETED FOR IT LAST YEAR. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF THAT WAS SPENT? I DON'T KNOW WHAT I CAN WHAT I CAN SAY IS WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF UTILITY ACCOUNTS. SO I'D HAVE TO GO BACK. AND CINDY MIGHT KNOW THIS, BUT I. I'M SURE THERE ARE OTHER UTILITIES. TAP YOUR OUT OR NOT.

I JUST, I, I JUST MADE AN ASSUMPTION THAT WAS BROOK PARK BUT OBVIOUSLY IT WASN'T. SO WE ARE MANY OF OUR PARKS HAVE A WATER SERVICE AS AN EXAMPLE. MEADOWS HAS A WATER DRINKING FOUNTAIN, SO WE GET A WATER UTILITY BILL. IF THERE'S LIGHTING THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ELECTRICAL BILLS. AND SO INSTEAD OF LISTING EACH INDIVIDUAL PARK THAT MIGHT JUST HAVE A SMALL UTILITY FEE, I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE MISCELLANEOUS IS FOR. AND THEN OUR LARGER UTILITY EXPENSES THAT OUR LARGER FACILITIES ARE LINED OUT INDIVIDUALLY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. LET'S GIVE HIM A HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT HERE. I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW MUCH WAS SPENT IN THAT ACCOUNT LAST YEAR. AND WE'LL SEE IF THAT'S AN APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OR NOT.

HOMEWORK IS DUE. MIKE'S GOING TO TELL US. SO IF YOU LOOK ON PAGE 54. YOU CAN SEE THE ACTUAL AMOUNTS FOR 23 AND 24 AND THE ESTIMATE FOR 25. THE ESTIMATE FOR 25 IS $171,679. NOW THAT IS AN ESTIMATE, BUT I. I THAT'S FOR UTILITIES IN GENERAL ALTOGETHER. 170 RIGHT. YEAH.

YEP. YEAH. SO ON THE AGGREGATE THEY ADD UP. IT'S PRETTY CLOSE. YEAH. YEAH OKAY OKAY GOOD.

[01:15:06]

YEAH, THAT'S WHAT IT IS. OKAY. LET'S SEE. AND THEN MY FINAL QUESTION WAS FOR THE SOUTH-WESTERN CAREER ACADEMY. WE DISCUSSED THIS MANY COUNCIL MEETINGS AGO AND WE DID APPROPRIATE $75,000 TO THE CAREER ACADEMY EARLIER THIS YEAR. I SEE THAT IT'S GONE UP TO $150,000 FOR 2026. WE DID GET AN EMAIL A MONTH OR SO AGO STATING THAT THEY HAD SECURED ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND OTHER RESOURCES FOR THE 2026 BUDGET, AND I WAS WONDERING IF IT MIGHT BE MORE APPROPRIATE SINCE THEY WERE GOING TO BE RECEIVING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, THAT WE MIGHT REDUCE THIS. WHAT PAGE IS THAT? PAGE SIX, PAGE 6464. MR. CHAIR. YES. SO I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND REDUCING THAT. AS A MATTER OF FACT, WITH THE HIGH LEGISLATURE AND WHAT GOES ON UP THERE, I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO PUT ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM THAT CAREER CENTER IN ANY RISK OF LOSING SOME FUNDING ANYPLACE ELSE BECAUSE IT'S FORTUNATELY, THE COUNTY HAS STEPPED UP AND GIVEN SOME MONEY AS WELL. BUT NO, IT'S PROBABLY THE SOME OF THE BEST MONEY WE SPEND IN THE FUTURE OF THE COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY ON THE CAREER SIDE AND THE ADULT SIDE. SO I WOULD I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND REDUCING THAT. WHERE IS IT AT ON HERE? I CAN'T OKAY. THERE'S ALSO I MIGHT SAY THERE'S $10,000 THAT WE ADDED TO THE BUDGET FOR THE HUMANE SOCIETY. AND, AND THE REASON FOR THAT, WE MET WITH THEM PROBABLY NINE MONTHS AGO, AND THEY WENT OVER WHAT THEY DO FOR THE CITY IN A WAY OF ANIMAL CONTROL. THEY WANTED A LOT MORE MONEY. AND WE SAID, YOU KNOW, WE'LL TRY TO PUT SOMETHING IN. SO WE PUT $10,000 IN TO HELP WITH THE HUMANE SOCIETY. SO WE GAVE THEM 100,000. HOW MUCH DID WE GIVE THEM IN 2025, 75, 75? THE BUDGET SAYS 100, THOUGH. I JUST YEAH, WE'LL LOOK THAT UP. MY PERSPECTIVE. I'M JUST THINKING WE DON'T NEED TO OVERACHIEVE IN 2026. I THINK IT WOULD BE FAIR IF WE JUST MET OUR 2025 MATCH IN 2026 AND DO ANOTHER 100,000. I DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO GO UP UNTIL THEY MAYBE COME AND PRESENT TO US, AND THEN WE CAN ALWAYS APPROPRIATE THAT MONEY OR WHATEVER, BUT THIS KEEPS THEM WITH THE SAME AMOUNT THAT WE GAVE THEM IN 2025. I TOO, AM A BIG SUPPORTER OF THE CAREER ACADEMY AND THE ADULT EDUCATION. YOU KNOW, I CHAIR THE ADULT EDUCATION INVESTMENT. COMMITTEE AND THAT LINE ITEM CHAIR ACTUALLY WENT DOWN FROM 140,000 TO 95,000 IN THIS BUDGET. AND

[01:20:01]

I'M AN ADVOCATE FOR IT AS WELL TOO. I THINK IT'S AN INCREDIBLE RESOURCE WE DO HAVE HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. I KNOW MANY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE THEIR BUSINESSES NOW HERE IN GROVE CITY THAT HAVE GOTTEN THEIR START THROUGH THE CAREER ACADEMY. SO I'M A HUGE ADVOCATE OF OF IT AS WELL. AND I LOVE TO HEAR THAT AS BUSINESSES THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO, KYLE, YOU KNOW, LOVE THAT THAT SYNERGY IS DOWN HERE. I DO WANT TO ASK. SO I AGAIN, I THINK WE NEED THE CLARITY BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS 75,000 THAT WE HAD THE LEGISLATION FOR THIS YEAR, BUT WE'RE SEEING 100,000 IN THERE.

SO I REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS. BUT WHAT WAS IT LAST YEAR? IS THIS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE HAVE DONE THIS KIND OF AN ALLOCATION ORDINANCE FOR THE NEXT 75? OKAY. YEAH.

MR. CHAIRMAN, FOR ME, I KNEW THAT THE BUDGET LAST YEAR DID REFLECT $100,000, BUT IN THE INTERIM, COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION OR AN ORDINANCE FOR AN ADDITIONAL $75,000. OKAY. SO ALL IN 125,000 FROM LAST YEAR WENT TO THE CAREER ACADEMY IN TWO DIFFERENT PHASES. OKAY. SO WE HAD 100,000 AND WE AND WE UPPED THE ANTE WITH ANOTHER 75,000. SO WHAT ARE WE SAYING

[01:25:01]

THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND. IT'S THIS IS FOR 2026, $150,000 APPROPRIATION FOR 2026. SO THAT'S WHAT WE HAD, 100,000, WHICH IS THE THE COLUMN AHEAD OF THAT. AND WE APPROPRIATED ANOTHER 75,000. THIS TWO INSTALLMENTS COMPARATIVELY. YES, IS SAME AMOUNT IS ONE INSTALLMENT, $25,000 LESS. COUNCIL IS MAKING THE POINT THAT WE WOULD GIVE THE 120 $100,000 AND THAT WE WOULD WANT TO KNOW MORE, AND I WILL THROW OUT THERE AGAIN, THIS IS NOT I THINK WE'VE ALL SPOKEN ABOUT OUR BELIEF IN THE PROGRAM AND THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM, BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT THEY ARE ALSO WORKING TO OVERTURN ANY STONE THAT THEY CAN FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT. AND SO WHEN YOU LIST THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE BENEFITING, THOSE ARE GREAT BUSINESSES THAT COULD BE CONTRIBUTING TO THESE PROGRAMS. AND SO I JUST TO ADDRESS THIS APPREHENSION ABOUT JUST APPROPRIATING TODAY 150,000, WE'RE SAYING WHY NOT GO WITH THE 100,000. AND AND THEN LET'S HEAR FROM THEM AGAIN AND SEE WHERE THEY ARE AND SEE WHAT SHE HAS BEEN ABLE TO GET ACCOMPLISHED, BECAUSE SHE'S ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED A GREAT DEAL SINCE SHE WAS HERE. YEAH, YEAH. JUST TO ADD ON TO THAT, THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARITY. I AGREE, I THINK KNOWING THAT THEY ARE TURNING ADDITIONAL STONES, IT WOULD BE I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THEM TO COME BACK AND GIVE THAT PRESENTATION. AND WE STICK WITH THE 100,000 RIGHT NOW BEFORE WE ALLOCATE ANY FURTHER. AND, AND UNTIL WE UNDERSTAND THEIR BIGGER PICTURE.

OKAY. SO LET'S PUT THAT IN. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A POINT. KNOWING THE CAREER CENTER AND EVERYTHING THEY DO HAVE COLLABORATIONS WITH THE WITH THE COMPANIES THAT ARE PARTNERING WITH THEM. SO IT CAN BE ANYTHING FROM EQUIPMENT DONATIONS. IT CAN BE A DIRECT DONATION, IT CAN BE A WHOLE VARIETY OF THINGS. SO I DON'T WANT ANYBODY LEAVING HERE THINKING THAT BUSINESSES ARE NOT CONTRIBUTING TO THE CAREER CENTER. THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, IMPLYING THAT THEY WEREN'T. I THINK THOSE ARE PERFECT PARTNERSHIPS. AND SO IT'S NOT JUST A RELIANCE ON GOVERNMENT. RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY. AND THE OTHER I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THOUGH, IS, YOU KNOW, ANTHONY, YOU YOU MENTIONED A GOOD POINT THAT HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ARE WE HELPING OUT. AND OF COURSE, I LOOK AT EVERYTHING AS A REGIONAL ECONOMY. WE THERE CAN BE PEOPLE LIVING IN COLUMBUS THAT HAVE BEEN TRAINED THAT WORK IN GROVE CITY AND IN JACKSON TOWNSHIP, AND VICE VERSA. SO THAT HOW DO YOU FIGURE THAT OUT? WELL, YOU CREATE THE JOBS AND THEY COME TO YOUR JOBS. AND THAT'S WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT. IF WE IF WE WANT TO ATTRACT JOBS TO THE AREA, WE, WE WE NEED PROGRAMS LIKE THIS. BUT THAT'S ALL I THINK IT'S NOBODY'S NEGATIVE ON THE CAREER CENTER HERE.

EVERYBODY'S VERY POSITIVE. I THINK THE ISSUE IS LET'S MAINTAIN THE $100,000 FUNDING THAT'S THERE, AND WE'LL HEAR FROM CHRISTINE IF SHE NEEDS MORE, AND SHE CAN GIVE US THE TRANSPARENCY THAT WE NEED OF WHY THAT IS AND WHAT OUR PROCESS HAS BEEN. AND JUST LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR, WE CAN APPROPRIATE THE ADDITIONAL 75,000, 50,000 OR WHATEVER. YOU KNOW, SHE CAN MAKE HER CASE. BUT JUST TO PUT IT IN THERE NOW AND LET THEM BANK ON IT AND GO THROUGH THE YEAR WITH THAT MONEY WITHOUT MAKING SURE THAT THEY DO THE REST OF THE JOB, I THINK, IS AN APPROPRIATE THING TO DO. SO LET'S PUT THAT IN THE FORM OF AN AMENDMENT. EXCUSE ME.

SO IF I UNDERSTAND IT CORRECTLY, MR. HOLT, WE'RE CUTTING THE ALLOCATION TO THE CAREER CENTER BY $25,000. WE'D BE CUTTING IT 5050. YES, TO $100,000. WE'RE CUTTING IT BY $75,000. WELL, YOU APPROPRIATED MONEY OUTSIDE OF THE BUDGET PROCESS LAST YEAR. WE DID. BUT IN THE BUDGET LAST YEAR WAS ONLY 100,000. SO JUST BECAUSE WE SPENT 175 LAST YEAR DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO SPEND 175 THIS YEAR. IT'S A NEEDS BASED ALLOCATION. SO I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND WE'LL MAINTAIN SOME LEVEL OF ALLOCATION THAT WE HAVE HERE. BUT THEN WE WANT TO WE WANT TO HEAR MORE FROM CHRISTINE IF WE NEED MORE THAN THAT. AND WE CAN DO THAT DURING THE YEAR, IT'S EASY. SO WITH THAT I'M GOING TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE AMEND. CAREER ACADEMY ADULT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, PAGE 64 TO $100,000, PAGE 64. I'LL SECOND. SECOND. YES, ME. MISS BURROWS. YES.

[01:30:12]

OH OKAY. YES. THE OUR STATE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT GRANT THAT WE GOT FROM THE STATE, IT'S APPROPRIATING THAT FUNDING $400,000 TOWARDS THE THE PLAYGROUND PIECE AT THE TOWN CENTER PARK. OKAY. JUST APPROPRIATING THE GRANT FUNDING THAT WE GOT. IF YOU LOOK IN THE PINNACLE TIFF, YOU SEE THE DESIGN DOLLARS FOR THE TOWN CENTER PARK. OKAY. SO WHAT IS I MEAN, HOW OFTEN HOW LONG DO WE HAVE A CHUCK TO USE THAT? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, IF WE'RE GOING TO GET THIS LARGER PLAN BACK FOR THE TOWN CENTER PARK, IT'S GOING TO TAKE A MINUTE FOR US TO TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT. CAN WE ROLL THAT TO A CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THEM, ASKING FOR AN EXTENSION? OKAY. GOOD GOOD GOOD. I WONDERED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I, I IT KEEPS ROLLING OVER AND EVERYTHING SOUTHWEST MEDICAL INNOVATION GATEWAY LAND ACQUISITION WE'VE GOT 4 MILLION.

IS THAT ALL WE NEED. THAT'S THE FOR THE FEDERAL HUD GRANT. SO IT'S AGAIN APPROPRIATING THE FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING THAT WE HAVE SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SPEND IT. GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD BEULAH PARK PARKING EXPANSION. THAT'S THE HOUSE THAT WE BOUGHT THE THE HOUSE THAT WE BOUGHT THERE. THAT'S CORRECT. AND HOW MANY MORE PARKING SPACES AND IS THAT ALL WE NEED? YOU RECALL 28 I WANT TO SAY MAYBE I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO SAY A NUMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. IT'S SOMEWHERE IN THAT 28 TO 36 IN THAT RANGE. YEAH. IT'S WHAT WE CAN FIT ON THE SPACE. YEAH. AND THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT I WOULD ADD TO THAT IS MAKE IT IF WE CAN CONSTRUCT IT SO IT CAN BE BUILT SO IT CAN BE ENLARGED IN THE EVENT THAT OTHER PROPERTIES BECOME AVAILABLE.

I'M PRETTY SURE YOU'VE ALREADY THOUGHT OF THAT, BUT THAT'S BRECK PARK BASIN STABILIZATION.

THE WHAT WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. SO, YOU KNOW, HOW IS IT UNIQUE. YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THAT PARK.

SO THERE'S A VERY UNIQUE OUTLET STRUCTURE WHERE IT GOES TOWARDS DEMEREST ROAD AND UNDER THE CREEK. AND THAT IS ERODING. AND SO IT'S TO FIX THE THE DRAINAGE, THE OUTLET STRUCTURE. SO MY QUESTION WITH THAT IS, IS KNOWING THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SAY. I WANTED TO KNOW THAT'S IS THAT ENOUGH MONEY FOR THAT. YEAH. WE HAVE AN ENGINEERING ESTIMATE IN THAT AMOUNT. I MEAN WE'LL HAVE TO BID IT. BUT YEAH WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT'S ENOUGH. OKAY.

WELL I JUST WONDERED BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BUILD A WALL IN THERE TO, TO KEEP THE, TO KEEP THE BANK FROM ERODING. WE GOT IT. ALL RIGHT. YOU GUYS ARE THE BROADWAY LIVE RIGHT NOW. THERE'S A PLACEHOLDER. I GUESS IT'S A PLACEHOLDER. THERE'S 1.3 MILLION IN HERE. IF YOU RECALL, DURING OUR DISCUSSIONS PREVIOUSLY, THAT WAS FOR THE ACQUISITION. THE OF PROPERTY, THE APPRAISED AMOUNT. OKAY. BUT WE'RE SUBSEQUENT TO THAT, COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION. I WON'T SAY PLEDGING INDICATING A NUMBER OF $6.5 MILLION THAT IS NOT CONTAINED IN THIS BUDGET. OKAY. SO I GUESS MY POINT IS, IS WHY DO WE WHY ARE WE KEEPING

[01:35:03]

IF YOU WANT TO. AND AGAIN, I HOPE WE ALL AGREE THAT PUBLIC PARKING IN THE TOWN CENTER IS A GOOD THING. THAT'S WHY WE ADDED IT. SO WE SECURE THAT PROPERTY AND THEN CONSTRUCTION WOULD COME OKAY NEXT YEAR AFTER THEY'RE BUILDING. BUT AGAIN, THERE WAS DELIBERATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE DEVELOPER SAYING THAT OUR APPRAISAL WAS LOW. WELL, AGAIN, WE DO NOT HAVE A DEAL, BUT WE COULD DO THE PARKING WITHOUT A DEAL FOR THE BIG BROADWAY LIVE KNOW WE HAVE WITH THE ACQUISITION. BUT AGAIN, WE WOULDN'T DO THAT UNTIL AFTER THEIR CONSTRUCTION IS PRETTY MUCH UNDERWAY AND YOU HAD THE NEED FOR IT. ALL RIGHT. I DON'T I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS. LEAVE IT, OKAY? AND LEAVE IT IN THERE. STRINGTOWN AND MARLENE IMPROVEMENTS. I'M GOING TO ASK THE SAME QUESTION AGAIN. THAT'S YOU CURRENTLY HAVE 350 IN THERE.

THAT SOUNDS AWFUL LOW FOR FOR THAT. IS THAT THE ONLY AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S GOING TO BE NEEDED FOR IT? NO, SIR. THAT WOULD COVER THE DESIGN, WHICH IS WHAT WE WOULD COMPLETE IN 2026, AND THAT WOULD BE A 2027 CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. AGAIN, WE JUST GOT DRAFT SCORES FROM THE OPWC, AND IT DOES LOOK LIKE OUR PROJECT IS GOING TO BE FUNDED, BUT THAT 350 WOULD GET US DESIGN AND THEN WE WOULD APPROPRIATE THE OPWC DOLLARS IN OUR 2027 BUDGET FOR CONSTRUCTION. OKAY, WHILE YOU'RE UP THERE, I'M GOING TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT MY

[01:40:04]

SO IT'S WE DID AN ANALYSIS THAT SAID AND THERE WAS 100 PONDS, PUBLIC WATERS THAT THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND I SHOULDN'T SAY PUBLIC PRIVATE WATERS. AND OUR DETERMINATION WAS AT THIS TIME WE'RE WE'RE NOT WILLING TO GO OUT AND TRY TO DO ONE AT A TIME. OKAY. KEVIN, IS IS HE HERE? GOT A QUESTION ON POLICE. SO IN THE BUDGET, HOW MANY POSITIONS DO YOU HAVE? WE'VE CURRENTLY HAVE 71. MR. MAYOR, WE ARE BUDGETED FOR 59 POLICE OFFICERS, 71 TOTAL UNIFORM OFFICERS. AND THAT REFLECTS THE SAME AS IS ALLOCATED UNDER 161. OKAY. HOW MANY HOW MANY SLOTS WILL YOU HAVE FILLED THIS YEAR I MEAN IN WELL YOU HOPE TO HAVE FILLED THIS YEAR. YEAH. IF IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'D LIKE TO PASS OUT THE PROJECTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. MR. BERRY, THIS 2025 ARE ACTUALLY ACTUAL NUMBERS BY MONTH. AND THEN THE 2026 PROJECTION. THE BOTTOM LINE, THE RED LINE IS THE 34. THAT IS WHAT WE CONSIDER BASED ON OUR DATA ANALYSIS CALLS FOR SERVICE AND THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS WE NEED TO HANDLE CALLS FOR SERVICE. IS THAT 34? THAT'S THE WHAT WE WOULD CONSIDER THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL FOR FOR US, THE LOW WATER MARK. AND AS YOU CAN TELL IN SEVERAL MONTHS WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN BELOW THAT. YEAH.

SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOP NUMBER OF 47, THAT'S WOULD BE THE CEILING THAT WE WOULD NEED OF THE OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO THE FIELD SERVICES BUREAU. WE FEEL THAT THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS ALLOCATED TO SPECIALTY POSITIONS IS ADEQUATE AT THIS POINT. SO WE'RE ONLY LOOKING AT FILLING SPOTS IN THE IN THE FOLKS THAT ARE HANDLING CALLS. AND THEN SO THAT'S AT 47.

THAT'S OUR WINDOW. AS I MENTIONED TO YOU BEFORE, WE JUST AS YOU KNOW, GRADUATED SEVEN. AND YOU SWORE IN LAST LAST COUNCIL MEETING WE'VE ADDED FOUR MORE POSITIONS AS OF TODAY. WE HIRED FOUR MORE POLICE OFFICERS. AND WE'VE GOT SOME FOLKS IN TRAINING. SO THAT NUMBER IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO GO UP. WE ARE CURRENTLY SHORT TWO POSITIONS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN FILLED, AND WE'RE IN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS, THE CYCLE TO FILL THOSE TWO POSITIONS. SO HOW DO YOU HANDLE YOU KNOW SO WE DON'T GET IN THE SITUATION WE WERE. DOES 161 CURRENTLY GIVE YOU THE FLEXIBILITY TO TO GO ABOVE THE THE 50. WELL YOU'RE NOT EVEN AT 59. YES. 747 IS JUST AS OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO THE FIELD SERVICES BUREAU, 59 IS THE DOES 161 GIVE YOU THE CAPABILITY OF GOING THREE ABOVE, KNOWING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE ROLL OFFS AND RETIREMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. IT DOES. IT ALLOWS US TO GO UP AND TRANSITIONAL EMPLOYEES UP TO SIX MONTHS. AND SO MR. BOZO COULD IN FACT APPROVE ANY. AND HE HAS. AND IF WE KNOW

[01:45:02]

THERE'S A THERE'S PROBABLY A HALF A DOZEN RECOGNIZED PROCESSES BY THE INTERNATIONAL CHIEFS ASSOCIATION. WE HAVE USED ONE OF THEIR METHODS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF SERVICE CALLS THAT WE'RE GOING TO NEED, AND THE NUMBER OF THE PERCENTAGE OF TIME THAT WE WANT OUR OFFICERS RESPONDING TO SERVICE CALLS. SO IF WE WANT OUR OFFICERS, 50% OF THEIR TIME IS GOING TO BE HANDLING SERVICE CALLS OR TRAINING THE OTHER 50% HANDLING, DOING PROACTIVE POLICING, THEN THAT NUMBER MAY CHANGE. AND SO THOSE THOSE VARIABLES ARE ARE DICTATED BY CHIEF SCOTT, MYSELF AND WITH MR. VEDRAS HELP, WE BELIEVE THAT PROCESS IS VERY, VERY GOOD. WE'VE USED THAT FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS. AND SO BUT BUT IT'S BASED ON THE NUMBER OF SERVICE CALLS. IN FACT, THE NUMBER OF SERVICE CALLS LAST YEAR WAS DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IT'S HARD TO PROJECT JUST BECAUSEBE THE POPULATION INCREASING DOES INCREASE. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT SERVICE CALLS INCREASE. IT WOULD THINK THAT IT WOULD AND IT LIKELY WILL. BUT BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT THAT IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE FROM SERVICE CALLS. AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT SERVICE CALLS A YEAR BEHIND. BUT I YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THE SERVICE CALL THEORY AND EVERYTHING. BUT I, I KIND OF LOOK AT IT THIS WAY.

YOU'VE GOT TO BE PROACTIVE TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF SERVICE CALLS. YEAH. SO YOU KNOW SO HOW DO YOU HOW DO YOU GET TO THE NUMBER THAT YOU NEED TO BE SO YOU DON'T HAVE MORE SERVICE CALLS? I MEAN IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE. YEAH, IT SURE DOES. AND WE ALSO HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO YOU NOT SAY, YOU KNOW, WE NEED UNDERESTIMATE OR INFLATE THOSE NUMBERS TO SAY, OKAY, WE MAY NEED THIS MANY IN THE FUTURE. I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE THERE HAS TO BE SOME DATA DRIVEN ANALYSIS. AND WE'VE TRIED TO DO THAT BASED ON THE SERVICE CALLS. AND THAT'S THAT'S JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT WE UTILIZE. THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE, THE OHIO CHIEFS OF POLICE ASSOCIATION USES THAT SAME METHOD TO DETERMINE WHAT THOSE LOOK LIKE. AND THEN IT'S A YEAR BY YEAR BASIS. WE COULD PROJECT SERVICE CALLS. BUT AGAIN, UNFORTUNATELY SERVICE CALLS WERE DOWN SLIGHTLY THIS YEAR. MY LAST QUESTION AND I ASK YOU THIS ABOUT EVERY YEAR IS THIS BUDGET WHAT YOU NEED FOR GROVE CITY OR IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU NEED THAT YOU DIDN'T ASK FOR? YEAH, I AM PLEASED TO SAY THAT THAT MAYOR STAGE AND MR. BOZO, THEY APPROVED ALL OF OUR TRAINING NEEDS, JUST LIKE THEY DO EVERY YEAR. ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT NEEDS THAT WE NEED. I AM HUMBLY THANKFUL TO ALL OF YOU FOR CONSISTENTLY APPROVING THOSE IN YOUR SUPPORT FOR FOR THE SERVICES, FOR THE SAFETY SERVICES. SO YES, WE ARE WHAT WE NEED. WE ARE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOME OTHER POSITIONS, CIVILIAN POSITIONS THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR FOR CHIEF SCOTT. BUT WE'RE STILL IN THE DISCUSSION PHASE. OKAY. SURE. OKAY. WE NEED TO KEEP OUR QUESTIONS DIRECTED TOWARDS BUDGET THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT NOT A POLICE EDUCATION. BUT GO AHEAD. I GOT A POLICE EDUCATION QUESTION. WHAT WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD A STAFFING STUDY DONE? WE ACTUALLY DO A STAFFING STUDY EVERY YEAR. IS THAT THAT'S PART OF COMING IN OR IS THAT IN-HOUSE? THAT'S IN-HOUSE. HAVE WE EVER HAD ANYBODY COME IN FROM THE OUTSIDE TO DO A STAFFING STUDY? NO, BUT I CAN I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S ANYONE MORE QUALIFIED THAN HUMBLY THAN SAY THAT STAFFING STUDY I'VE DONE STAFFING STUDY ON BEHALF OF THE OHIO ASSOCIATION CHIEF OF POLICE, AND MY OWN STAFFING STUDY WITH THE HIGHWAY PATROL. AND SO WE HAVE USED WHAT WE THINK IS THE BEST METHOD BASED ON WHAT THE INTERNATIONAL CHIEFS ASSOCIATION HAS USED, AND MODIFY THAT SLIGHTLY FROM A METHOD THAT DOCTOR DON COOPER HAS USED AND WHO LOOKED AT IT.

SO WE BELIEVE THAT THAT'S THAT METHOD IS IS IS GOOD AS IT GETS. AGAIN I, I'VE DONE STAFFING STUDIES FOR THE OCP AND WE THEY USE THE SAME PROCESS. ARE YOU LOOKING AT RESPONSE TIMES TO HAVE YOU SEEN AN INCREASED DECREASE IN RESPONSE TIMES? WE SAW ALL THE TRAFFIC THAT WE'RE STUCK IN PERIODICALLY. IN FACT, WE SAW WE WE YOU KNOW, WHENEVER YOU DO STAFFING STUDY, YOU KIND OF LOOK AT PRIORITY ONE CALLS, AS YOU KNOW, MR. WILSON. AND WE ACTUALLY WERE DOWN JUST A WE OUR RESPONSE TIME WAS DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT. SO WE'RE THANKFUL THAT THAT'S NOT INCREASED. WE DON'T SEE THAT AS INCREASING OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. AND ONE LAST QUESTION. DO YOU HAVE THE FACILITIES TO ACCOMMODATE THE OFFICERS THAT YOU HAVE, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT MOVING FORWARD? YEP. NO, WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO. UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE ABOUT OUR

[01:50:05]

OKAY. THIS IS A PILOT PROGRAM THAT YOU ALL APPROVED. SO IF WE'RE GOING TO PILOT IT, IT DOES NEED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY TO GET STARTED AND TO SEE WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE FOR THE COMMUNITY. IF WE'RE GOING TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO FUND IT. IT WAS NOT UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED, THOUGH, SO I DO WANT TO BRING FORTH THE CONVERSATION. MAY I? YES. YEAH.

SO JUST WANT TO TOUCH ON THIS. THANK YOU FOR RAISING THIS QUESTION. I HAD THIS MARKED IN MY BUDGET AS WELL. I WILL SAY THAT IN ROUND ONE AND TWO, I PROBABLY SOFT PEDALED MY COMMENTS ON THIS, BUT I WILL SAY THAT, NUMBER ONE, PHILOSOPHICALLY, I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN ENTERING INTO AN AREA WHERE THEY HAVE LIMITED EXPERTISE.

EVEN IF WE HAVE GATHERED CITIZENS TO HELP US TO CRAFT A PROGRAM, WE'RE ASKING

[01:55:05]

AND THEN THANK YOU TO MR. DONNELLY FOR THE NARRATIVE. IT WAS A LENGTHY NARRATIVE, WENT INTO GREAT DETAIL TO TALK ABOUT HOW THE PROGRAM WOULD BE ADMINISTERED. AND AND SO, ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT BELONGS IN THE HEALTH CARE REIMBURSEMENT BUSINESS, I WOULD SAY THAT THERE I WENT AT THAT DRAFT WITH WHAT IS WRONG THAT WOULD NEED TO BE FIXED IN ORDER FOR THIS PROGRAM TO BE READY TO BE A PILOT. AND AND I THINK THAT IT IT REALLY DESERVES A LOT MORE TIME AND ATTENTION. IF WE THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO DO. YOU KNOW, I SAID THE NIGHT THAT WE HAD THE FORMS, WE DID NOT HAVE THE PROGRAM. WE HAD FORMS FOR THE PROGRAM. THAT COUNCIL DID APPROVE, THAT IT WASN'T READY, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE A NARRATIVE IN OUR HANDS. AND THAT NARRATIVE, IN MY MIND NEEDS A LOT OF WORK. AND AND SO I HATE TO SEE US APPROPRIATE THE MONEY FOR A PROGRAM THAT IS TRULY NOT READY. AND, YOU KNOW, IN ON ONE ADDITIONAL LEVEL, I, WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS THAT WE WANT TO GET ACCOMPLISHED. WE HAVE SUCH AMBITION FOR OUR POTENTIAL. AND SOMETHING LIKE THIS REALLY IS A DISTRACTION FROM WHERE OUR WORK SHOULD BE AND WHERE OUR FOCUS SHOULD BE AND WHERE OUR TEAM SHOULD BE. NO ONE ON OUR TEAM RIGHT NOW HAS, IN THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION, ADMINISTER HEALTH CARE REIMBURSEMENT GRANTS. I JUST THINK THAT THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES WHERE IF WE WERE GOING TO APPROPRIATE MONEY, WE SHOULD HAVE 100% FAITH IN THE PROGRAM ITSELF. AND I THINK WE WOULD ALL BE HARD PRESSED TO TO FEEL THAT WAY. OTHER COMMENTS. TED. I'LL JUST ADD TO THAT, I THINK AS WE ARE SO STRONGLY LOOKING AT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT BUDGET AMOUNTS IN HERE AND KNOWING THE LARGE CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD ABOUT THE SOUTH-WESTERN CAREER ACADEMY SPECIFICALLY THAT IS SUPPORTING POTENTIALLY PEOPLE IN OUR OWN SCHOOL SYSTEM, LET ALONE OUR DISTRICT AND OUR COUNTY. BUT YET WE PULLED BACK ON THAT. I THINK WE REALLY HAVE TO LOOK AT IF IF IT IS THE RIGHT TIME FOR THIS MONEY OR IF WE SHOULD MAKE AN AMENDMENT TO PULL THAT BACK.

I'LL MAKE. OKAY. SO I WILL MAKE AN AMENDMENT TO REMOVE THE CARES PROGRAM, $75,000 FUNDING.

THAT IS ON PAGE 64 OF THE BUDGET. SECOND. SORRY, THAT WAS ME. OKAY. WHERE AM I? SORRY? ANDERSON. YES. WILSON. YES. HOUCK. YES. HOLT. YES. BERRY. NO. DU. YES. BURROWS. YES. OKAY.

MISTER. DO ANY ISSUES YOU WANT TO BRING UP OR QUESTIONS? NO. AND, CHRISTINE, ANYTHING LEFT? I HAVE JUST ONE THING, AND IT MAY NOT BE ALREADY IN HERE. AND I'LL KIND OF POSE THIS QUESTION TO MR. BOSSO. WE COUNSEL. WE HAD CHATTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, TWO YEARS AGO AND HAD A RETREAT WITH A FACILITATOR AND BUDGETARILY. THAT WAS A DISCUSSION WHERE WE WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A PLAN FOR THAT GOING INTO THE YEAR, AND I JUST WANTED TO RAISE THAT ISSUE THIS EVENING, BECAUSE I THINK IT WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT TO REVISIT THAT WITH THREE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND AND DO WE HAVE THE BUDGETARY CAPACITY AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT IN TIME TO COVER A FACILITATOR FOR SUCH AN EXERCISE? YES, WE CAN HANDLE THAT. AND THE PROPOSED BUDGET.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT IS ALL. OKAY. I GUESS AT THIS POINT WE WOULD ASK IF THERE'S ANYBODY WANTS TO STEP FORWARD FOR ANY KIND OF BUDGET QUESTION FROM THE PUBLIC. SEEING NONE.

OH, NO, I GOT SOMEBODY NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE. AND THIS IS STRICTLY A BUDGET QUESTION. IT IS. THANK YOU. BRANT MILLER 3293 PARK STREET. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GROVE CITY TOWN CENTER INCORPORATED. I WANT TO SAY ON A MACRO LEVEL, WHAT WHAT YOU

[02:00:02]

WHEN I WALKED IN HERE, I KNEW THAT OUR LINE ITEM WAS TO BE DETERMINED, BUT I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN TO TO GET IT. SO I JUST ASK. PLEASE BE SPEEDY ABOUT THIS GRANT PROGRAM.

WE HAVE A LONG RELATIONSHIP WITH GROVE CITY TOWN CENTER AND THE CITY ADMINISTRATION COUNCIL.

AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, I'M SITTING BACK THERE TRYING TO DO MATH IN MY HEAD AND LIKE I'M THINKING MARCH OR APRIL. WE'RE, YOU KNOW, GROVE CITY TOWN CENTER IS GONE. SO THAT MEANS NO FOOD TRUCK FRIDAYS, NO WINE AND ARTS FESTIVAL, NO BOURBON FEST, NO MISTLETOE MARKET, NO CHRISTMAS PARADE. SO WE'LL FIGURE. WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. THANK YOU. YEP. YOU GOT IT.

ANYTHING ELSE? OKAY, MADAM CHAIR, THE FINANCE SECTION IS NOW COMPLETED. THANK YOU, MR. HOLT. ALL RIGHT, I HAVE THE FOLLOWING OTHER INDIVIDUALS SIGNED UP UNDER NEW BUSINESS THIS EVENING. AND I WILL START WITH TERRY JONES AND REMIND YOU THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NEW BUSINESS. ARE YOU READY? I'LL HOLD OFF FOR NOW. YOU WAIT. YOU'RE OKAY. PASS THIS EVENING.

THANK YOU, MR. JONES. AND NEXT WE HAVE RANDY LITTLE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD. YEAH. THAT'S FINE. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME, MADAM PRESIDENT. MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL FIRST, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU IN PERSON FOR YOUR SUPPORT, UNWAVERING SUPPORT FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOUR PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF OUR FIRE RENEWAL. LEVY HELPED US CROSS THE FINISH LINE WITH 81% APPROVAL RATING. THAT'S UNHEARD OF IN OUR BUSINESS. WE WERE HOPING FOR 51% ALWAYS, AND 81% IS JUST A TESTAMENT TO THE SUPPORT WE GET NOT JUST FROM CITY COUNCIL, BUT ALSO FROM THE COMMUNITY. SO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. WE CAN'T OPERATE WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT. SO I THANK, I REALLY DO. THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT. ONE THING I DID, I JUST HAD A SMALL STATEMENT TO MAKE HERE AND HOPEFULLY THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME. BUT WITH THE COUNCIL CONSIDERING THE EXTENDING THE PINNACLE TIF, I WOULD JUST, AS THE FIRE CHIEF RESPECTFULLY, RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU RECOGNIZE THIS IMPACT ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND OUR FUTURE FUNDING. THIS TIF DIVERTS VOTED LEVY DOLLARS AWAY FROM FIRE AND EMS SERVICES THAT OUR RESIDENTS HAVE VOTED ON AND EXPECT. I'M REQUESTING THAT ANY DECISION ON THE PINNACLE TIF PROTECTS THE FUNDING NEEDED TO MAINTAIN SAFE, RELIABLE EMERGENCY RESPONSE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I THINK WITH OUR COOPERATION AND COLLABORATION, WE DEFINITELY CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN. I APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT SO FAR AND WE JUST ASK FOR IT GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT I HAVE VIREN PATEL AND I THINK HE MAY HAVE HAD IT OUT. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT BRINGS US TO THOSE WHO HAVE SIGNED IN ANY OTHER NEW BUSINESS. SOMEBODY HERE? YES. MR. BUSKIRK, YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE.

JEFF BUSKIRK, FOUR FIVE, FIVE SEVEN CLAIBORNE DRIVE, GROVE CITY, OHIO. AND I'M THE INCOMING CHAIR OF THE CHAMBER, NOT GETTING WHAT WE ANTICIPATED WILL REALLY PUT THE CHAMBER IN A VERY TOUGH SPOT. AND THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT TO SAY ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

[Call for Dept. Reports & Closing Comments]

YES. AND MY OTHER COMMENTS, QUITE FRANKLY, ARE. PRETTY WELL PUBLICIZED IN THE EMAIL WEBSITE THAT WAS PUT OUT YESTERDAY, SUNDAY, EXPLAINING ALL THE ACTIVITIES WE GOT GOING ON THIS WEEKEND. AND I'M NOT GOING TO BELABOR THE THOSE THOSE DIFFERENT EVENTS. THEY ARE MADE OUT TO THE PUBLIC, BUT IT'S LIKE A PAGE AND A HALF OF DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON. AND

[02:05:05]

KEENELAND PLACE IS HAVING AN OPEN HOUSE OR GRAND OPENING FOR THEIR APARTMENT APARTMENT PROJECT ON HOOVER. ADDITIONALLY, I THINK WE'RE READY TO GET READY TO DO A SECOND PRESENTATION AT COUNCIL ON THE 2050 UPDATE. SO THE NEXT MEETING, WE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A KIND OF WHERE WHERE WE'RE AT AND WHERE WE'RE GOING AT THIS POINT IN THE PROCESS SO THAT HOPEFULLY WILL OCCUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING. SO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. GREAT.

THANK YOU. ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT HEADS. ALL RIGHT. THAT BRINGS US TO CLOSING COMMENTS BY COUNCIL. MR. DO THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. I JUST HOPE THAT THIS WEEKEND, WITH ALL THE ACTIVITIES GOING ON DOWN HERE, THAT WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF WARM WEATHER AND NO RAIN OR SNOW, THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU, MR. DU. MR. BARRY, I HAVE NOTHING. THANK YOU, MR. HOLT.

IS IT REALLY GOING TO SNOW TONIGHT? I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T HAVE ANY COMMENTS. THANK YOU.

YOU JUST HAVE TO. WHAT IS IT? FLESH ICE CUBES. AND WEAR YOUR PAJAMAS INSIDE OUT. ALL RIGHT, MISS BURROWS. NOTHING ELSE TONIGHT. THANK YOU, MISS ANDERSON. I JUST WANT TO DO A QUICK SHOUT OUT. THE THANKSGIVING WADDLE HAPPENED ON THANKSGIVING MORNING. IT BROUGHT OUT MORE THAN 1600 PEOPLE FROM OUR COMMUNITY WHO WANTED TO WALK, RUN, RIDE A BICYCLE, INCLUDING LITTLE KIDS WHO WANTED TO RUN AS WELL. AN INCREDIBLE EVENT. IT RAISED OVER $31,000 FOR THE GROVE CITY FOOD PANTRY, WHICH IS DEFINITELY AN ENTITY IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT SERVES MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND CONTINUES TO BE IN NEED. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK THE COMMUNITY FOR COMING OUT FOR THAT AND THE CITY AS WELL. ALL OF THE OFFICERS THAT WERE THERE AND ALL OF THE SUPPORT THAT THIS COMMUNITY EVENT GETS. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU AGAIN, MR. WILSON. MADAM PRESIDENT, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TONIGHT. ALL RIGHT.

THAT'S UNUSUAL, I KNOW. ALRIGHT. SO YOU CAN SEE ON YOUR SCREEN THAT OUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING WILL BE ON DECEMBER 15TH. I WILL ECHO THE MAYOR'S OVERVIEW COMMENTS ABOUT HOW ACTION PACKED THE CALENDAR IS THIS WEEKEND FOR SURE. BUT AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, MAKE SURE YOU'RE CONNECTED TO THE CITY ON THE WEBSITE, YOU'RE RECEIVING THE NEWSLETTERS, YOU'RE WATCHING THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY, MANY THINGS ON THE CALENDAR. AND I WOULD NOT BE A LOYAL COMMUNITY CLUB MEMBER IF I DID NOT MENTION TO YOU THAT THERE IS A CHICKEN AND NOODLE DINNER ON THE EVENING OF THE TREE LIGHTING FROM 4 TO 7 THERE. FAMOUS CHICKEN AND NOODLES. IT'S WARM INSIDE. THERE'LL BE CHRISTMAS CAROLS. IT'LL BE FUN. SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS. OTHERWISE WE WILL SEE YOU AT THE LAST MEETING OF 2025. HERE'S HOPING DECEMBER 15TH CAUCUSES AT 630. MEETING AT 7 P.M. IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.