Health & Fitness
What Happened at the Feb. 23 Council Meeting
At-large councilman Mike Rasor shares his notes from the Feb. 23 meeting of Stow City Council.
My notes from are below…
Council approved the creation of the Stow Commission on Disabilities. There are five members, all at-large. Three must be disabled or be related to a person who is. Council also approved two new members for the Income Tax Board of Review.
On Tuesday, the administration gave us a hint of how they plan to attack the Emerald Ash Borer. The proposal is a 10-year plan of removing some ash trees and treating others. There are about 612 ash trees on tree lawns in the city. It will cost about $29,700 in year one.
Find out what's happening in Stowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
On Tuesday, we also discussed a new policy for use of storm water funds. With storm water, my main concern is Wyoga Lake. These residents are already positioned in the eye of the hurricane of flooding problems. And now the hospital and related development threatens to create a lot more impervious surface, which will lead a lot more water to those homes. A provision in the proposed policy was very troubling — and even suggested that funds would be unavailable for properties affected by new structures. To the contrary, I feel Stow should have a policy that new projects would be determined, in part, by nearby new development (and loss of greenspace).
Mayor Drew announced she is working on an equipment sharing agreement with Kent and possibly Franklin Township.
Find out what's happening in Stowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Council approved a grant request for the new Local Government Innovation Fund. We are asking for $100,000 with a 10% match in order to conduct a a feasibility study related to shared broadband infrastructure.
Generally, city council must give three readings to legislation, unless this rule is “suspended” by a super-majority of council. We gave a first reading tonight to the biggest piece of legislation we have all year — the annual budget. Tomorrow, council will get to see the budget, created by Mayor Drew with the help of the finance department. I will post the budget on my Web site for you to review. I welcome your comments.
We will discuss the budget, as well as other topics, on our next committee meetings — on March 5.