ASHLAND — Ashland City Council approved an ordinance to allow Mayor Matt Miller to enter into a contract for professional environmental, design and construction support services to extend city water and sewer utilities across I-71 on U.S. 250 East.
The contract is not to exceed $142,500 and may be entered into without advertising or taking competitive bids, according to the ordinance. Miller said the city will have to receive many approvals to complete the project, in part because the utilities will be run through Ashland County Park District’s Audubon Wetlands Preserve.
Council members also approved a $27,880 contract with Simonson Construction to relocate existing water services along South Street from Center Street to Claremont Avenue. City engineer Shane Kremser said this will cause some disruption for the businesses and church located on South Street, but the timeline for the project has not yet been set.
Both ordinances were passed on the first reading, with council members declaring an emergency and suspending the rule to read ordinances at three separate meetings on three separate days.
The council passes a majority of its ordinances in the manner, and community member Paul Stevenson expressed frustration with the procedure.
“I had hoped with the new council we would see less examples of the waiving of the rules of three separate readings on three separate days,” Stevenson said. “So far this year, every resolution and every ordinance, that rule has been waived.”
Stevenson urged council members to consider how that makes community members feel.
“We are not allowed by the agenda to comment on anything on tonight’s agenda … By the time anybody hears about, by the time it’s reported in the paper, it’s a done deal and it’s law and the community has no opportunity to give you the feedback you claim to desire.”
Council President Steve Workman responded by saying council suspends the rules to move along city business with a sense of urgency.
“We’re here to conduct the business of the city, and we’re also here to represent,” Workman said. “I guess I would ask the citizens of Ashland to trust that this council will represent you to the best of our ability.”
Workman called the three reading rule “an archaic way of doing business” and cited the recent public work session as an example of the council’s efforts to be more transparent.
Community member Tom McNaull suggested the council consider adopting a process similar to the one Ashland City Schools board of education follows. The school board generally holds a work session once a month to discuss items that will be voted on at their regular monthly meetings.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the council voted to waive a hearing for a liquor permit request for Ashland Schine’s Theatre.
Council members also heard an update from Kremser on the city’s 2018 paving street plan. The city intends to continue with a streets rehabilitation program that began last year following the voters’ approval of a 0.25 percent income tax increase.
The streets planned for rehabilitation this year are Beechwood Drive, Claremont Avenue (Baney to Smith), Creekview Court, Deer Trail Lane, East 4th Street (Miller to Virginia), East 9th Steet (Union to Railroad Tracks), East Walnut Steet (Center to East Main), East Washington Street (Center to Union), Elm Street, Glenwood Drive, Maple Street, Mifflin Avenue (Smith to Broad), North Countryside Drive (Woodhill to Upland), Oakcrest Lane, Ridgewood Court, Samaritan Avenue, Sharon Avenue, Smith Road (Thomas to Claremont), Sugarbush Drive, Twin Leaf Court, Upland Drive, West Circle Drive, West Liberty Steet (Broad to Chestnut), West Washington (Claremont to Center), Woodhill Drive, Woodview Court, and Woodview Drive.
The proposed repaving on Claremont will only involve spot paving the worst areas as the city is applying for an Ohio Department of Transportation Small City Grant to completely rehabilitate Claremont from Baney to Smith in 2021 at an estimated cost of $3 million.
