MANSFIELD — Pack a lunch, er, dinner on Tuesday if you’re planning to attend the Mansfield City Council meeting.
It’s likely to be a long session for local lawmakers.
Council is scheduled to discuss and/or vote on more than two dozen pieces of legislation on Tuesday, including two economic development issues.
Council is expected to vote on a community reinvestment area agreement with 1027 Trimble, LLC, to provide property tax incentives for a new $7 million, 12,300-square foot office building at 1027 S. Trimble Road.
The new corporation, formed 11 months ago, is led by Randy Payne, president of Adena Corp. of Mansfield, who recently finished a $9 million, 160,000 square-foot spec building on 15 acres at the corner of Cairns Road and Bowman Street.
Payne said in September he believes companies looking to locate into north central Ohio want to move quickly.
“There we are currently building 12,000 square-feet of new Class A office space that will be available to companies seeking that and wanting to move to the area quickly,” he told Richland Source.
He said time is of the essence for companies seeking new space in a rapidly-moving economy.
“In the past, companies would be willing to wait to have space built, where now they are more apt to move if it’s already available,” he said.
“This is our attempt to try and get ahead of the inventory of space available, so when there are businesses looking they don’t have to wait 12 to 24 months to get something built,” Payne said.
City Council is also expected to vote on the sale of 10 acres for $50,000 near Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport to Mark Meltzer, who plans to build a manufacturing and distribution facility for custom cabinetry. The land is located along Airport West Road, south of the Old Dominion Freight Lines facility.
In other activity on Tuesday, City Council is scheduled to:
— vote on legislation that would create a fourth assistant chief position in the Mansfield Fire Department that would focus solely on the department’s growing emergency medical services and requirements related to those services. On Nov. 1, council voted 4-2 to delay a vote on the request until Nov. 15. No council member spoke against the proposal. But some expressed a desire to allow time for public feedback after MFD Chief Steve Strickling provided details during public session regarding the need for the position.
— give a second read to a proposed increase to the city’s water rates. The administration said the increase is needed to maintain its water distribution system. A vote on the proposed increases is planned Dec. 6.
— give first read to the city’s 2023 temporary appropriations budget, which must be approved by the end of the year. A vote on the proposed spending plan is scheduled Dec. 20.
— vote on a resolution opposing the the Financial Data Transparency Act of 2022, which is included in the National Defense Authorization Act. According to the resolution, the act would require local governments to adjust financial reporting standards without providing financial assistance for the change.
— vote on a resolution honoring K-9 Officer Denise on her retirement from the Mansfield Police Department after six and a half years of service. Denise is a dual-purpose narcotics K-9 from the Czech Republic who joined the MPD in July 2016. The canine will retire and will live out her life with the family of her handler, Officer Korey Kaufman.
— vote on the reappointment of Patricia Kennedy to the city’s Board of Utility Appeals.
–vote on the reappointment of Mike Henry and Josh Maurer to the city’s Shade Tree Commission.
— vote on the demolitions of buildings at 58 E. Raleigh Ave., 70 Bushnell St., 115 N. Adams St. and 1129 Wyandotte Ave.
— vote to renew an annual software maintenance agreement with Superion, LLC, at a cost not to exceed $91,159.40.
— vote on the appropriation of $5,000 from the Downtown Improvements Fund to purchase Christmas lights and decorations for the downtown.
— discuss during caucus the appropriation of $142,500 from the unappropriated Safety Services Fund for the purpose of transferring funds to the Fire Capital Equipment Fund, based on actual and anticipated EMS revenue through Dec. 31.
— vote on the acceptance of a $2,400 grant from the Richland County Foundation to use in the hiring of an intern in the Community Development Department.
— vote on the acceptance of a $36,186.44 grant from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services to defray the costs of forensic science overtime, contracts, training and equipment.
— discuss during caucus entering into a subgrant agreement with Richland County. The agreement would allow the county to use $200,000 from its American Rescue Plan Act funds for the West End Neighborhood Improvement plan.
— vote on a cooperative agreement with Richland County commissioners and the county engineer’s office to resurface Ernsberger Road within city boundary limits.
— discuss during caucus an agreement to enter into an agreement for electric services for street lights.
— discuss during caucus to enter into an agreement for electric services aggregation.
— vote on an agreement with Richland County commissioners that will allow the county to contribute in $500,000 in ARPA funds for a connector between the B&O Bike Trail and Trimble Road.
— discuss during caucus legislation aimed at creating the combined “economic development division” and the “permitting and development division” by eliminating the the “certified building division (codes and permits)” and the “community development division.” That new department would be led by current Community Development Director Adrian Ackerman, who has been in her current position for more than two years.
Council will start its evening with three committee meetings — finance at 6:10, employee relations at 6:35 and economic development at 6:50. Caucus is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. with the legislative session following immediately thereafter.
