MANSFIELD — Don’t come to council chambers Tuesday if you want to attend the Mansfield City Council meeting.
Because it won’t be on Tuesday, since City Council doesn’t meet on Election Day, opting instead to meet on Wednesdays that week.
And it also won’t be in council chambers.
A long-anticipated remodeling of council chambers by Adena Corp. has begun as part of a larger $3.5 million, year-long project to improve the Mansfield Municipal Building.
That work is expected to take six-plus months, which means local lawmakers needed a new temporary home. Council will meet now in Mansfield Municipal Courtroom 1, the primary home for presiding Judge Michael Kemerer.
Residents seeking to attend should park in the upper Municipal Building lot off Park Avenue and enter through the doors on the second floor of the nine-story building, according to council Clerk Delaine Weiner. The elevator from the first floor will be locked, she said.
The clerk said council meetings will not be livestreamed during the construction period.
“We apologize for that inconvenience. Everyone is welcome to come watch them in person if you’re able to,” Weiner said.
The meeting on Wednesday will begin with a finance committee meeting at 6:35 p.m. and an economic development committee session at 6:50. Council caucus is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. with the legislative session immediately thereafter.
Public participation is normally conducted at the start of the legislative sessions. Residents are limited to three minutes.
Lawmakers are expected to discuss and/or vote on 12 pieces of legislation during the meeting, including:
— acceptance of a $250 donation from the Buckeye Garden Club to be used for landscape renovation as part of the Sterkel Park for All project.
— acceptance of a $28,178 grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety for the Mansfield Police Department’s impaired driver enforcement program and the selective traffic enforcement program. There is no local match required.
— the establishment of standing committees for council now that At-large Councilwoman Shari Robertson has replaced Stephanie Zader on council. Under the plan, Robertson will chair the public affairs committee and also serve on the claims, finance/audit, airport and economic development committees.
— acceptance of a $250,000 grant from the Richland County Foundation for the city’s downtown development incentive program, which encourages the redevelopment of existing downtown structures. There is no match required for the grant.
— authorize the expenditure of up to $250,000 from those grant funds to KNVW Unlimited Enterprises for the redevelopment of 175 N. Mulberry St. for phase one renovations to the building to create upper resident living areas.
— acceptance of a $21,000 grant from the Richland County Foundation Rotary Club of Mansfield — Tom Doty Community Fund to be used for a Prospect Park pavilion construction project.
— acceptance of a $13,450 grant from the Rotary Club of Mansfield to be used to be used for a Prospect Park pavilion construction project.
— acceptance of a $1,500 grant from Global Energy Partners LLC for be used for supplies in the city parks.
— acceptance of a $1,680 grant from Edge Plastics to used for youth jerseys used in the city parks and recreation flag football program.
— authorization of a community reinvestment area agreement with B.P. Industrial LLC and W. William Schmidt & Associates for the construction of a new 6,000-square foot building at their 241 Mansfield Industrial Parkway property.
— authorization of a community reinvestment area agreement with Airport West II, LLC, for a planned new $13 million, 150,000-square foot industrial building on its Airport West road property. The building, which will expandable to 300,000 square feet, will be available for lease and/or purchase by warehouse industrial clients.
— appropriating $375,000 from the unappropriated safety services fund into the fire capital equipment fund, based on actual and expected EMS revenue through Dec. 31, 2024.
(Below is a PDF with the legislation scheduled for consideration by Mansfield City Council on Wednesday evening.)
