Rusty Smart

The regular council meeting began with opening proceedings, invocation, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The agenda was modified to swap item 8 and 9. The council approved the minutes from the January 7th meeting. A significant portion of the meeting involved special presentations recognizing two officers for valor. Officer Pishi was recognized as the 2022 Officer of the Year (having also won in 2022) for being reliable, professional, and calm under pressure. Officer Gary Hargraves was awarded the Law Enforcement Medal of Valor for an act of valor on August 30th where he intervened in a domestic situation involving a male threatening a female relative, which resulted in the elimination of the armed suspect and the saving of the female relative's life. Following the presentations, citizen comments were opened, though few speakers approached the podium. A representative from Monroe Township presented a building lease proposal to the City of Johnstown for the shared use of the Monroe Township complex located at South Oregon Street. Key lease terms discussed included a one-year term commencing March 1, 2025, with a renewal option, $3,000 monthly payment fully returned to the city after one year, and the city covering all utilities, improvements, and maintenance. The township emphasized this lease was intended as a short-term option (maximum two years) to facilitate the city's transition plans. Discussion ensued regarding the short lease term and the reimbursement of improvement costs.

The meeting commenced with the swearing-in of new and returning members, followed by the election of the Chair and Vice Chair, where Steve Dyer was re-elected Chair and Mark Zolinski was nominated and elected as Vice Chair. The commission addressed the tabled application (9225) regarding a conditional use for a wall mural at 65 South Main Street, deciding to have staff contact the applicant regarding withdrawal due to lack of new information. The main discussion focused on Application 12725, a conditional use permit request for constructing a soccer field at 80 West Maple Street under UR1 zoning. Staff presented the review based on Chapter 1131.03 criteria, finding no inconsistencies with the comprehensive plan and determining the use to be allowable with conditions. Members discussed the traffic implications of the new parking area access onto Maple Street, potentially increasing traffic flow onto Williams Street, which is scheduled for potential traffic light improvements. It was noted that pedestrian facilities, such as crosswalk signals, are expected to be included with intersection upgrades. The applicant's representatives, the architects, were invited to present the layout, including the landscape plan showing parking and field placement, and confirmed they would comply with city standards regarding tree selection.

The regular council meeting commenced with an invocation and a call to order. The council proceeded with the approval of the April 4, 2024, minutes and the approval of the agenda. Several residents addressed the council, including representatives from the ZK Foundation discussing their inaugural zero-kilometer (0K) event focused on suicide prevention, fundraising goals, and coordination with local entities like the American Legion and veteran resource booths. Committee reports were provided: the Planning Zoning Committee reported on new chair and vice-chair appointments and ruling against a potential laundromat; the Design Review Board meeting was canceled; and the Finance Committee spent significant time discussing a tax update.

The primary discussion focused on reviewing and proposing changes to the AR1 zoning district regulations, which covers multi-family dwellings. Key proposed changes included decreasing the maximum density of multi-family units from 12 to 8 dwelling units per acre, mandating a minimum of two forms of ingress and egress for fire safety in all developments, increasing minimum bedroom sizes (e.g., one-bedroom from 700 to 1100 square feet), reducing maximum building height from 30 to 20 feet, increasing side setbacks, and decreasing the maximum lot coverage percentage from 35% to 28%. Furthermore, new requirements regarding open space were proposed, stipulating that for every 15,000 square feet of bedroom area, 8,000 square feet of open space must be provided, with 50% of that designated as usable open space. Discussions also touched upon ordinance adoption timelines, public comment regarding variances for new regulations, and the definition of structural square footage (confirming it generally means above grade).

Discussions included updates on the regular meeting, which was primarily a work session focusing on Planning and Zoning Commissioner training presented by the village attorney and review of design guidelines and standards. Finance reported on a special meeting held on March 3rd regarding water plant employee contingency projects and mentioned upcoming items like dog park funding, hiring a new water plant employee, and street paving projects (Ordinances 09 and 11-2021). The council received concurrence to move forward with engineering for specific street paving projects costing approximately $500,000. Further discussions covered funding options for the East Jersey Street project, which will be discussed in a special finance meeting on March 23rd, and approval for the bid received for the water tower project. Finance report details indicated that income tax revenue was on track, though potential repayment for Coughlin Ford adjustments was noted. Budget reviews showed high expenditure rates for zoning and legislative activities due to legal fees, prompting an expected appropriation increase. The 2020 financial statements were submitted to the auditor, and finance committee approved switching to the Public Entities Pool of Ohio for property and casualty insurance. Updates were also provided on the new police cruiser financing plan and the upcoming water and sewer rate analysis.