[4:49] Where is this?

[5:13] Quick test. There we go. Folks, we're going to go ahead and get started here in just a moment.

[5:36] You can. You can sit out here. This will be very brief.

[5:42] You're fine.

[5:48] Well, in the interest of time, I will go ahead and get started. Good evening, everyone.

[5:53] I'm Trent and Weaver and it is my distinct honor to welcome you here this evening as your president of City Council.

[6:00] I'd like to thank you all for being here and joining us.

[6:03] I also want to thank all of my council colleagues, our city attorney and our mayor for joining us as well.

[6:09] Including several former elected officials and of course our wonderful and incredible city staff as well.

[6:17] Today is a ceremonial end of one chapter and one in a series of new beginnings for

[6:23] our city as we commemorate the final council meeting in this facility.

[6:28] For years we've known that our municipal buildings were not meeting the moment.

[6:33] It was shortly after I was sworn in for my first term on council in early 22 that we sat

[6:39] down as a whole over at the senior center and started having conversations about what are

[6:44] we going to do.

[6:44] We knew the needs, we knew that our facilities needed to grow, and fast forward, and after

[6:51] much hard work by many hands, it is exciting that that moment has finally arrived.

[6:56] There will be much more to say in the coming weeks about our new facilities at 825 Tech

[7:01] Center Drive, but today is a special opportunity to celebrate the history in this building.

[7:07] This facility has served the needs of our city employees, and more importantly, the needs

[7:11] of our community for over 60 years. As cities grow, as technologies evolve, and as the

[7:17] demands of public service change to meet the expectations and wishes of the community,

[7:22] so too must its facilities. When the new chambers, in this building

[7:27] were dedicated, I had just started kindergarten at high point,

[7:33] not to date myself. And since

[7:36] then, our community has continued to grow and evolve. While operations and staff have transitioned

[7:42] to the new Gehanna Civic Center, it's important that we recognize the history of this building

[7:47] and the chapters before it that led us to today. If you haven't already, I do encourage you to

[7:52] take a look at the exhibits. A special thank you to our Morpsey intern this summer, Ms. Keras Lance

[7:57] as well as our council office staff for putting together the history of Gehanna City Hall,

[8:02] from meeting and family living rooms at the founding to this facility today to tech center drive

[8:09] for tomorrow and beyond.

[8:11] Do hope that you will stick around

[8:13] for the beginning of our meeting at seven

[8:14] and we hope to see you at a meeting soon

[8:17] in the community's new facilities on Tech Center Drive.

[8:20] But with that, I encourage you to grab some refreshments

[8:23] and I'd like to introduce Mayor Laurie Judman.

[8:33] Thank you all for being here this evening

[8:34] for what really is an important moment in our community

[8:37] as we gather for the final council meeting here

[8:40] in these chambers at 200 South Hamilton Road.

[8:42] You know, for more than three decades, this building has been a place of service to our

[8:48] Gahanna community.

[8:49] Countless residents have walked through that door, whether to vote, to attend a meeting,

[8:54] to pay a bill, run a park shelter, celebrate a special milestone, receive special recognition,

[9:00] or perhaps just simply want to be part of their community.

[9:04] And for those same three decades plus, hundreds of city employees have come to work here every

[9:10] single day for the purpose of serving the residents of

[9:13] Gehanna and generations of leaders have sat in these walls

[9:18] in these halls and amongst these walls making important

[9:21] decisions that have shaped the future of our community.

[9:25] A lot of history has happened here. There have been difficult

[9:29] conversations, many in these rooms, there's been celebrations,

[9:33] there's been challenges and so many people who have given their

[9:37] time and their energy to make a Hannah a better place.

[9:41] And that is what makes this building special.

[9:44] It's not in the brick in the mortar.

[9:46] It's in the people and the memories of what has happened here.

[9:51] As we prepare to begin a new chapter at 825 Tech Center Drive, our new civic center, we

[9:56] We are not leaving that history behind that work.

[10:00] The work that happened in this building helped to create the Gihanna that we know today, and that is coming with us, along with that same dedication and commitment to serving our residents with pride and purpose and excellence every day in everything that we do. It is fitting that we are here together. We have elected leaders, current and former, we have our city staff, we have members of the community, because that's what this building is about. This building has been a place where people

[10:29] will come together to serve Gehanna, and it's fitting that we say goodbye to her tonight,

[10:35] at least for our civic purposes, with everybody still in this room together.

[10:41] To everyone who has served our community, elected leaders, city staff, current former.

[10:47] Thank you.

[10:48] Thank you for being part of the story of Gehanna, whether big or small in some way, you

[10:53] have helped to shape who we are today.

[10:55] We can be proud of where we've been.

[10:58] We can be grateful for the people who have helped to make us who we are today.

[11:02] And we can be excited about where we are headed in the next chapter of Gehanna going forward.

[11:08] And with that all, invite you all as we celebrate tonight and say goodbye to 200 South Hamilton

[11:12] Road to mark your calendars for next Tuesday, as we officially dedicate our new Civic Center

[11:17] to the community at 825 Tech Center Drive on 825.

[11:23] And we should have scheduled it at 825, but that was too early or too late for people.

[11:27] So that's from starting in five o'clock next Tuesday, but we do hope that everybody will join us there, but for tonight, let's focus on this city hall, this property, what it is meant to our community and give her a proper salute and goodbye.

[11:42] Thank you for joining us tonight. And as our council president said, please enjoy some refreshments before I think we have about 10 minutes, maybe before we begin our meeting. So grab those cupcakes now. Thanks for being here.

[15:55] We need a big budget to create a dorm you'll love. From smart storage to decor that makes your space feel like home, you can spend less and love it more.

[22:17] Good

[22:54] evening, everyone. Today is Monday, August 17, 2026. I've got 704 p.m., so I'd like to go ahead and call to order this regular meeting of Gahanna City Council on what is a very special evening as the final city council meeting in this facility. If you would please join me in standing if you're able for the invocation led by Vice President Jones.

[23:21] The

[23:25] business of this city has happened in this room.

[23:29] Budgets and rezoning, streets and sidewalks, parks and permits,

[23:33] arguments settled and unsettled.

[23:36] Residents who came because something mattered enough to them.

[23:40] None of that was ever in the walls.

[23:42] It was in the willingness of the people to show up and take a seat in this chamber.

[23:46] Councils met in Gehanna long before this room existed and will meet long after we've closed it.

[23:51] Tonight is the last time we do it here.

[23:54] Let's do it as carefully as if it were the first, and may we, as always, for the last

[23:59] time in this space proceed with purpose and care.

[24:05] Thank you.

[24:06] I'd like to invite our honor guard forward.

[24:37] There's a special cemetery to this evening's proceedings.

[24:41] On September 20th, 1994, Johannes City Council held its first meeting in what were then

[24:45] the new council chambers here at 200 South Hamilton.

[24:49] The minutes from that night tell us that former city officials were invited back to take part

[24:53] in the opening of the meeting, including former council members who delivered the pledge of allegiance.

[25:00] As we gather for our final meeting in these chambers, we want to honor that tradition. We are

[25:04] joined by two such leaders this evening. Former Mayor Jim McGregor served

[25:09] Gihanna for 18 years, including five terms as mayor, helping guide the city through

[25:13] a period of tremendous growth and investment, and former council member Karen Angelou, who

[25:19] was seated at the stage for that very first meeting in these chambers in September 1994,

[25:24] and went on to give an extraordinary 34 years of elected service to the people of Gihanna.

[25:28] But I could have Mayor McGregor and Councilmember Angela come forward and lead us in the

[25:33] pledge of allegiance of

[25:47] the United States of America and to the public for which it stands

[25:52] one nation on a God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

[25:59] Thank you.

[26:33] Thank you all you may be seated.

[26:41] Now before we call the final role here at 200 South Hamilton, it is also fitting that we

[26:46] We recognize Isabel Sherwood, who is 30 years of service to

[26:49] Gahanna, included nearly three decades in the council office and service as clerk of

[26:54] council from 2000 until her retirement.

[26:57] Her extraordinary knowledge of our city, its code, its streets, and most importantly its

[27:02] people, help shape the professional and orderly work of council for generations, and is an

[27:09] honor to welcome her back today to call the final role in this chamber.

[27:13] With that, Madame Clerk, please call the roll.

[27:17] Bowers.

[27:18] Here.

[27:19] Jones.

[27:20] Here.

[27:20] MacGregor.

[27:21] Here.

[27:21] Codoba.

[27:22] Here.

[27:23] Renner.

[27:24] Here.

[27:24] Schnesser.

[27:25] Here.

[27:25] Weaver.

[27:26] Here.

[27:27] Thank you, Madame Clerk.

[27:30] All right.

[27:31] Moving right along.

[27:33] Again, thank you everyone for joining us.

[27:36] Section B, are there any additions or corrections to the agenda this evening?

[27:39] Seeing none, Mr. Clerk, do we have any speaker slits this evening?

[27:46] None this evening.

[27:47] All right.

[27:49] Next up, Section D, our consent agenda, is there a motion to adopt the consent agenda as

[27:55] published?

[27:56] Second.

[27:58] Motion by Mr. Schnetzer, a second by Mr. Renner.

[28:01] Any discussion?

[28:03] Seeing none, Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.

[28:06] Yes.

[28:07] Renner?

[28:07] Yes, Jones?

[28:08] Yes.

[28:09] McGregor?

[28:09] Yes.

[28:10] Padova?

[28:11] Yes.

[28:11] Weaver?

[28:12] Yes.

[28:12] Bowers.

[28:13] Yes.

[28:14] All right.

[28:14] The consent agenda is published or adopted as published.

[28:19] Next up, correspondence and actions.

[28:22] Mr. Clerk?

[28:23] I think this is me.

[28:24] All right.

[28:25] Anything from my council colleagues?

[28:29] Moving right along, representatives.

[28:31] Community Improvement Corporation.

[28:33] Mr. Renner and Ms. Padova.

[28:36] Our next meeting will be this Wednesday, the 19th at 8am.

[28:41] it will be here.

[28:45] Correct? Yes, correct. It will be here in the committee room at 8 a.m.

[28:54] Thank you. Mid-O-High Regional Planning Commission, the commission met on August 13th,

[29:01] 2026. Our next meeting will be on September 10th. At our meeting, the author of state,

[29:07] Regional Representative, presented Morpsey with the auditor, a state award with distinction for its 2025 Daniel Comprehensive Financial Report.

[29:18] We were also provided with the Central Ohio Cycling Guide, Morpsey completed the Columbus Metro Bike Map in the region's first 15 county trail map, featuring regional trails,

[29:30] else, rides, scenic destinations and cultural attractions.

[29:34] I've got a few hard copies, but the guide is available through Marbsey Free of Charge.

[29:40] We also received some population estimates for the region moving forward.

[29:46] Growth is certainly continuing, but the theme does seem to be that growth is a little slower

[29:51] than had been predicted several years ago.

[29:53] The last thing that I wanted to mention here,

[30:00] In the included in the row, in the full report this evening is a list of disaster resources for anybody who may be in need after the storms that the region has experienced. And lastly, I'd like to congratulate Mr. Schnetzer on his appointment to and I apologize if I butcher this. This was the investment, advisory, and reserve committee. Reserve policy.

[30:24] Reserved policy.

[30:25] That was pretty close.

[30:26] Classical, congratulations.

[30:27] We look forward to your service with more capacity.

[30:32] All right, Convention of Visitors Bureau, Ms. Bedouin.

[30:35] Nothing for me, Ms. Lee.

[30:36] Thank you.

[30:37] All right, school board, Ms. Jones.

[30:38] Yeah, just a reminder of upcoming meetings.

[30:41] This week, the first is a finance and facilities meeting,

[30:44] which is tomorrow, the 18th.

[30:47] Regular board meeting is this Thursday, August 20th.

[30:50] Both meetings are at 6.30 at Clark Hall.

[30:52] And school is back in session.

[30:55] sad for the kids, but parents are maybe a little happy about that, but just a reminder to

[31:00] the community with that return to school of just being mindful of more buses on the

[31:05] road, more bikers and walkers on our sidewalks heading to school, and just wishing everyone

[31:10] a very safe, fun, and successful school year.

[31:14] Thank you, Ms. Jones, Section G, Official Reports, Madam Mayor.

[31:20] Thank you very much.

[31:21] First of all, I'd like to extend thank you to Mayor McGregor, Councilwoman Angelou.

[31:27] Our former clerk is Abel Sherwood and Ms. Lentonshire Trustee Dick Angelou for joining us this evening on a special moment here for our community as we hold our final council meeting here at 200 South Hamilton Road.

[31:39] It's been a special evening already, appreciate the comments from Councilman Weaver earlier and having all of you here to celebrate this moment for us.

[31:47] But it feels as we prepare to say goodbye to this building, at least for these chambers,

[31:52] does feel appropriate to take a moment to reflect on what has been a few very busy weeks here in Gahanna.

[31:58] Over the past three weeks, we have moved three full operations into the new Civic Center in their entirety.

[32:05] All City Hall operations, including all of our departments, our City Council offices,

[32:09] our City Attorney's offices, Mayor's Court, the Gahanna Division of Police Headquarters, and the Senior Center.

[32:16] With that transition, just wrapping up this morning, one of our field officers that were the final subdivision to move into that building took their first shift at 825 Tech Center this morning.

[32:26] So everyone is now fully insconced at a 25 Tech Center drive if residents need services. Please see us there.

[32:33] We certainly have had a few just a few bumps along the way, including, you know, tournatic storms last week that were unexpected.

[32:41] But overall, the move has gone very smoothly, and I'd like to thank directors,

[32:46] Schultz, and Volmer, and the teams here at the city as well for all of their work

[32:51] and making sure that our employees transitioned into that new space as smoothly as they have.

[32:55] I'm grateful to them.

[32:57] All of our staff for their flexibility, their hard work, and their patience throughout the process,

[33:01] as well as to our residents for their patience as we have transitioned our staff into the new space.

[33:06] Even though we've been focused on that move, our staff is nonetheless been very busy with

[33:11] events and activities throughout the community.

[33:13] The Gahanadivision Police hosted another wonderful national night out, engaging our families

[33:19] and residents with fun activities and free food, Kona Ice is always popular in a hot evening.

[33:25] Lots of smiles around from kids to our officers.

[33:28] Last week our division came together again as we said goodbye to Detective John Power who

[33:34] retired after 25 years of dedicated service to Gehanna and certainly serving our

[33:39] community with distinction. We also welcome hundreds of Corvette's hot rods and

[33:44] classic cars with the annual Capitol City Corvette Capitol City Corvette Club

[33:50] car show. That's a lot of season there. This year's show was held at a new

[33:54] location which was really will allow that event to grow into the future. In this

[34:00] This past weekend, the Gahana Rotary and Kiwanis Club's joint forces bringing together the Education Foundation,

[34:06] neighborhood bridges, and make Gahana yours to distribute hundreds of backpacks to students who are about to begin activities and school year here in Gahana, ensuring that they are equipped and ready to start the year off successfully.

[34:21] And just a few hours later, we had the pleasure of enjoying the beautiful music that was presented by the Pro Music Chamber Orchestra.

[34:29] for a concert at Headley Park, we were able to avoid the rain and it was a beautiful evening and it was wonderful to welcome them back for the first time since they presented a socially distanced drive up concert back during the pandemic really bringing us together as a community at a time when it really mattered the most so as I shared with Janet Chen, I hope it's not another five or six years before they come back to Guyana but we certainly thank our Guyana Area Arts Council for continuing to bring those

[35:00] This is our opportunities here to our community. I've had the opportunity to be part of each of those events over the past few weeks and what stands out to me most as always is the incredible energy and commitment that exists throughout Gehanna. Whether it's our employees doing the work of moving our operations forward, or forward despite just a few hurdles along the way. Whether it's our residents coming together to present community events or volunteering or organizations giving their time to support others.

[35:28] Those are the moments that really highlight what make Gahanna a special community.

[35:33] And now as we close the chapter on our operations here and prepare to begin a new chapter day

[35:38] 25.

[35:39] I hope that our residents will join us again, repeat next Tuesday on 825 at 825 at 5 o'clock

[35:46] as we officially dedicate that new civic center to our community.

[35:49] It really be an opportunity to make this important milestone, celebrate that together and what

[35:54] the investment means for Gahanna and for our future.

[35:57] For more details on that, they're available at www.gahana.gov as always and we look forward

[36:02] to seeing everyone there next week.

[36:04] Thank you.

[36:05] Thank you, Mayor.

[36:07] City Attorney Tamilarison.

[36:10] Because the talk back to follow.

[36:12] Nothing for me to see.

[36:13] Thank you.

[36:15] Council comment.

[36:16] Mr. Renner.

[36:18] Good evening.

[36:19] I have the distinct pleasure of actually sitting in the Karen Angelo chair.

[36:26] So I have a couple of speeches and Madam Mayor, you expressed a lot of the

[36:39] sentiment so it may sound a little bit of a repeat but I think it's important

[36:45] that a member of council actually also voices these. Tonight marks our final

[36:52] city council meeting in this historic city hall building that has stood the seat

[36:57] of Gahanis civic life since 1994.

[37:02] My own connection to this place began before I joined Council.

[37:07] It first, I first became involved with the city in 2008 as a member of its Civil Service

[37:14] Commission, and I also came here to present ideas to the development department.

[37:20] Long before I took this seat on the Dias, I sat in the audience of Council and Planning

[37:27] commission meetings, listening, asking questions, supporting proposals, and participating as

[37:33] a resident who cared deeply about our beautiful city. Since 2012, I've had the honor of serving

[37:42] the people of Gehanna as a member of City Council, and over the years, this building has become

[37:49] woven into many of my most meaningful public service memories. But tonight is simply

[37:57] a reflection of my own experience.

[37:59] The true story of this place is not about any elected official, it's not about me.

[38:07] It's about the people of Gehanna and the employees who have given life to this building

[38:13] in every day.

[38:15] Countless residents, staff members, elected officials, volunteers, business owners, and community

[38:21] advocates have passed through these doors carrying hopes, concerns, disagreements, and

[38:28] ideas for the future of our city. Within these walls we have witnessed difficult

[38:34] deliberations, consequential decisions, moments of celebration, and moments of disappointment,

[38:43] and certainly countless instances where people came together in their shared pursuit

[38:48] of something better in our city.

[38:52] Over the years, I have watched our staff meet the challenges of limited space, evolving

[38:58] needs with creative creativity and dedication, offices were rearranged, rooms were repurposed,

[39:06] and people continually adapted so that the work of serving the public could also continue

[39:13] without interruption.

[39:15] They have not only been the workforce of the city, they have been the living presence

[39:23] of city hall itself.

[39:25] When residents call the city, they are rarely calling an elected official.

[39:30] They are reaching civil servants who carry out the daily work of local government, maintaining

[39:38] streets, cleaning and creating parks, supporting our economic development, providing water

[39:45] water, and sewer, and storm water services like last week, reviewing plans and permits

[39:51] and responding to the everyday needs of our community.

[39:56] Can I build a fence?

[39:58] How do I obtain a plumbing?

[40:00] Or electrical permit. Who can help me with a pothole on my street? These and many more seem like simple questions, but the answers to them are where government becomes real in people's everyday lives. The public servants who look and worked within these walls have turned those questions into solutions. And community needs meaningful service.

[40:29] service. Soon, this building will grow dark and quiet. We don't know yet what is the

[40:36] next chapter for it at all. But in the spirit of service that has filled these rooms, it

[40:45] will not remain behind. It will move forward with our employees, our elected officials, and

[40:52] our community into the new city hall. So tonight, we don't simply say goodbye to a building

[40:59] We honor what is meant to this community.

[41:03] We carry within us the memories made here,

[41:06] the lessons learned and the significance

[41:08] this place holds for so, so many.

[41:12] And we close this chapter.

[41:15] We also open another, a new city hall, a new era,

[41:20] and a new opportunity to serve our cannon.

[41:23] The lights make road dark in this building, but the work

[41:27] work, and the enduring light of public service will also continue.

[41:34] Thank you.

[41:35] I have another matter in a point of personal privilege.

[41:46] I would like to thank Miranda and all the city staff involved in the interviewing and

[41:52] hiring and supervising our seasonal employees.

[41:56] My son, Caleb, has been, had been offered an opportunity to return to work at the city

[42:04] polls, but he wanted something different.

[42:08] And Caleb, he's a restless child.

[42:12] He interviewed for a second seasonal position with the service department and was fortunate

[42:18] to be offered the job.

[42:20] Calum knew that he would be the newest and least experienced member of the crew.

[42:27] But from the beginning, he was treated with a kindness and respect.

[42:32] The staff welcomed him, taught him, trusted him with real responsibilities, and made him

[42:37] feel that his work mattered.

[42:41] During his time with the department, he painted fire hydrants, cleaned out many storm drains,

[42:47] learned how street signs are made, helped up, set up the road closures, and even

[42:53] learned how to program the electronic messaging sign that we see on the street.

[43:01] That moment, during last week's severe derecho, Caleb text me from a park city

[43:10] truck and shared pictures of flooding that was occurring in our city.

[43:14] He had just finished cleaning a storm drain and the drain that he was doing exactly what

[43:22] it was supposed to do, but the sheer volume of water pouring into it was extraordinary.

[43:30] That moment gave him and through him me, firsthand view of the conditions of our city, employees

[43:39] sometimes face while serving this community. Suffice at the say, Calum had a

[43:46] wonderful experience. He saw the breadth of work performed by a city, employees,

[43:52] and for a short time experienced what it means to be part of public service

[43:58] team. It is every parent's hope that their child will learn the value of hard work.

[44:06] But we also hope that they will learn what it means to be part of something larger than themselves,

[44:15] to contribute to their greater good, to help a better build a better community,

[44:21] and to care for the place that we all call home.

[44:25] Caleb is now happy and preparing for his fall classes

[44:28] and he came away with this experience with a new skills and good memories and a deeper

[44:34] appreciation for people around the service department.

[44:39] I am a very grateful and proud father to everyone who worked with Calum this summer.

[44:48] Thank you for giving him this opportunity and for making him field a valued member of

[44:54] the team.

[44:55] It meant a great deal to him and it means a great deal.

[45:00] Council to me. Thank you. No further comments. Thank you, Mr. Runner. Mrs. McGregor. This is a couple of things I was thinking about. I've been to a lot of meetings in this building. But before I was here when Jim was mayor, he oversaw juvenile court. And, you know, that was, I know they do it differently now, but at that time it was kind of a way for kids to screwed up and to stay local.

[45:30] And he usually had them read a book, and they had to do some community service.

[45:34] And every once in a while, we ran into somebody, we ran a Halloween event down Old

[45:39] Gahanna, and the girl came up to him, and she was just like kind of tear you eyes.

[45:43] She said, you don't remember me, but I was in your court.

[45:46] And she said, that book you made me read changed my life.

[45:48] And she said, I really appreciate that.

[45:50] And she was a law student at the time.

[45:53] And then we got an email just last week, a guy texted the young man, texted me through

[45:58] Facebook or messaged me and he said, are you married to Jim McGregor and I said yes

[46:04] so I gave him his contact name and he emailed Jim and said, you know, I was, I had, I forget

[46:09] what he did, he'd stolen something, do you remember what it was?

[46:14] I don't remember what it was, he'd done something but he made him read the book and he had to

[46:20] a community service with the police department, the service department, and he said, you

[46:24] know, it wasn't a big thing, but I was kind of on a bad path. He said, that set me, he's

[46:28] I never did anything wrong again. He said, that really gave me the impetus to stay on

[46:33] the straight and narrow. And then we found out later after my son was married a few years

[46:39] that our daughter-in-law was in his court. She had been toilet papering, and they caught

[46:43] her, and he said, we said, what did he do? She said, he made me read a book. But he didn't

[46:48] remember that she'd been in this court.

[46:52] And then there were marriages. We had

[46:54] Jim did like 350 marriages and many of them in this room. And you think about

[46:58] this room, there's sort of many many functions. The court was the side of many

[47:03] marriages, not all of them were here, but quite a few of them. So this building has

[47:08] served many many purposes and has been really a beacon for like some of those

[47:13] young kids were on the bad path.

[47:16] There was one scavenger hunt.

[47:18] It was a great scavenger hunt.

[47:20] They were seniors at the high school, and they did things

[47:22] like, had steel runway lights off the runway.

[47:27] And they did a lot of damage, and ended up having to pay for it.

[47:30] But that was one of the biggest things that the kids got into.

[47:34] It was a scavenger hunt on steroids, so that wasn't repeated.

[47:39] But anyway, this building has served a lot of purposes.

[47:42] I mean, the typical things you think of and some of the eight typical things you wouldn't necessarily think of.

[47:48] Thank you.

[47:49] Thank you, Mrs. McGregor.

[47:50] Mr. Schnetzer.

[47:52] Thank you, Mr. President.

[47:53] It's going to be awfully hard to top all of that, so I think I will reserve my comments for when we are in the new building.

[47:58] So nothing for me to thank you, sir.

[48:01] Mr. Dova.

[48:04] Yeah, I'm very excited to move to 825, but it is certainly a bittersweet to say goodbye to this building.

[48:10] in all the memories that I've experienced here as well as everyone in our community.

[48:18] And I have, in the past, shown appreciation to my spouses as well as the other council

[48:26] colleagues' spouses.

[48:27] And I did not know that in our history, they used to have these meetings in their homes.

[48:35] So I think that those former council colleagues, spouses, really deserve a cutos for that.

[48:45] I know that my spouse will be happy to hear that our meetings will continue at 825 and

[48:50] not in our living room, so I'm sure that you're as well as well.

[48:53] That's all for me this evening.

[48:56] Ms. Bowers.

[48:57] Yes, thank you.

[48:58] I'll try to be brief, too.

[49:00] But thank you so much for everyone's thoughtful comments this evening from President Weaver

[49:06] and Mayor Jadwin's opening remarks, Mrs. Jones, your invocation, and of course, the other

[49:11] thoughtful comments from my colleagues this evening, I share a lot of the spirit that's

[49:17] been articulated well tonight. Thank you for your attendance this evening, former Mayor

[49:22] McGregor, former Councilman Angelou, former clerk Sherwood, and Township Trustee Angelou.

[49:29] I just, before I forget, I do want to express that my thoughts are with community members

[49:33] in Columbus, Upper Arlington, Reynoldsburg, Patasca, and around the region who have been impacted

[49:38] by severe weather this month. I have a Facebook friend who lost her housing when building

[49:46] on South Champion collapsed due to the tornado this week. So there are a lot of folks that,

[49:51] while we are commemorating some special things going on here, and we're grateful that Gehanna

[49:59] That was...

[50:00] For mostly spared with this weather that we certainly have some some colleagues and friends here in the region that that have need our thoughts and prayers. Just to kind of pivot to this closing moment, I just wanted to share some thoughts. Since 2013, I've had the privilege of being involved with many of you and striving towards a better community. With Mrs. Angelo, I think my very first board was the citizens economic development review board in 2013.

[50:29] and then on from there, the Area 3 Commission under Mayor Nieland, a citizens panel for the Police Chief's Search,

[50:35] and then the Land Use Plan Steering Committee, all as an involved citizen.

[50:39] And so I echo Mr. Renner's comments that it certainly takes many more than just elected officials to really advance the thought and leadership of this community.

[50:51] And that is certainly driven by the backbone and the range of work that goes on here.

[50:55] I continue to be deeply impressed by City staff and the breadth of expertise and the depth

[51:03] of work that occurs by our people regardless of whether we are in this building or the future

[51:11] building.

[51:12] I also just wanted to reflect that this evening it's been very lovely to hear everyone

[51:16] singing from the same page tonight.

[51:18] We all recognize the same big picture even when we disagree on how to get there at times.

[51:23] and I am feeling that this moment is serving as a bomb, perhaps on sore hearts and minds

[51:31] that grow weary and abraded, and that I hope that we are all uplifted as we turn this

[51:35] page together, and that we use this moment of alignment to innovate, problem-solve, compromise

[51:41] and collaborate in the months ahead. Thank you.

[51:47] Vice President Jones.

[51:49] Yes, first just a big thank you to Council Clerk and staff for putting together the reception

[51:55] this evening and for everyone, all the city staff who had a part in moving into our new

[52:04] building with council coming soon after. And just briefly we'll say as you know one

[52:10] of the newest members to sit up here and probably one of the newest residents in the room.

[52:16] It is such an honor to just be a small blip in the history of this community. And just thank

[52:22] Thank you for, you know, entrusting those of us to move on into the next chapter of the future of our city, so thank you all for being here and looking forward for what's next.

[52:33] Thank you, Ms. John.

[52:39] A couple of just housekeeping matters here. First of all, thank you to everyone who has joined us this evening and thinks if you were able to make it to our open house, if you haven't had a chance, please take a look at some of the exhibits.

[52:52] It's a huge thank you to Council Office Senator Morpsey

[52:56] in turn from this summer, Karris Lance.

[53:01] Our next regular meeting of City Council

[53:04] will be on September 8th at 7 p.m.

[53:06] in the new Kihanna Civic Center at 825 Tech Center Drive.

[53:11] I will echo the mayor's comments.

[53:14] It was an honor to join National Night Out

[53:17] and quite a privilege to attend

[53:21] the ProMusica concert as put on by the Gujana Area Arts Council for a wonderful performance

[53:26] that evening and that skated by the rain just in the nick of time. It looked a little

[53:33] dicey there, but it was a wonderful evening.

[53:38] The Franklin County Auditor's office will

[53:40] be holding what they're calling property value review sessions. Folks have probably received

[53:45] their tentative values in the mail, in the mail, excuse me.

[53:51] And the auditor's office is going throughout the county holding opportunities for

[53:56] residents to come meet with an appraiser to discuss their property value before those become finalized.

[54:03] They will be at the Hannah Sanctuary, this Thursday and Friday from 11 to 7.

[54:08] Encourage folks to take advantage of the opportunity.

[54:11] If you miss the property value reviews, you still have an opportunity to contest your value using the Board of Revision process.

[54:24] Again, thanks to everybody who joined earlier in this evening.

[54:27] I don't want to repeat my remarks from earlier, but I would be remiss if I did not think our incredible honor guard are former and current elected officials who have joined us this evening.

[54:39] Mayor McGregor, Council Member Angelo, trustee Angelo, engineer Robertson, of course

[54:45] clerk sure would thank you. I appreciate the mention of other employment and other connections

[54:53] to the city. It was during your comments, Mrs. McGregor, that I remember that my older

[54:58] sister happened to work for your husband.

[55:00] The mayor's office for a brief time.

[55:03] And I was speaking with Clerk Sherwood that I remembered

[55:07] her from my time in government class when I would have to come to the meeting and sit in the

[55:12] back. And I think Mrs. Angelo you were on the day at that time too.

[55:19] I will just wrap by

[55:20] I was saying it is an honor to serve this community and it's a tremendous honor to share this

[55:25] day as with every single person up here and express my heartfelt gratitude to all of

[55:31] our city staff, many of whom we don't get the opportunity to interact with as council

[55:37] members on a day to day base but just know the work is so deeply appreciated. I got

[55:45] to play resident and constituent last week and I had to call public service. I got a letter

[55:51] in the mail, I needed my irrigation system test at backflow valve, yep, thank you.

[55:59] I know I have to do this every year but I can't remember who am I supposed to call to

[56:03] do this, and so I called and a wonderful staff member gave me all the help I needed but

[56:11] I got to say, hey, so are you moved into that new building, she said yes, I said well what

[56:17] What do you think?

[56:17] And she said, this is going to be awesome for the community.

[56:23] So I will just close this evening by saying thank you to our incredible city staff and thank

[56:27] you to our community for all of your continued support as we make this transition.

[56:33] With that, I will ask, is there anything further for regular counsel?

[56:38] Seeing none, we will adjourn counsel and I will turn things over to Vice President Jones

[56:42] for Committee of the Whole.

City Council on 2026-08-17 7:00 PM

Agenda

Transcript