Council Discusses Fireworks, Sustainability and Economic Development
City to Hire an Economic Development Coordinator, Promotes Engineer
At City Council’s April 25 meeting, City Councilman At-Large Kyle Herman proposed two measures regarding fireworks and sustainability that he hopes will have a positive impact on the quality of life for Stow residents.
Ordinance No. 2024-092 would restrict the use of fireworks in the city to a weeklong period around July 4th and eliminate fireworks use on other days of the year, including cultural holidays like Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth and Diwali. The city’s current law allows use of fireworks on 21 days throughout the year.
During the Council of the Whole meeting, Herman said the issue had been discussed and tabled by City Council in 2022, but he and other council members had recently received requests to revisit the issue. He said people who suffer with PTSD and anxiety as well as many pets have issues during fireworks and that residents had requested that the number of days be limited so that they could better anticipate when fireworks would be used.
Stow Police Chief Jeff Film said his department receives 37-38 complaints per year that the department follows up on, plus many other complaints from people alleging that his department is not enforcing current law. Last year the police department gave out 10 citations.
Film said the police do not write a lot of citations; they usually talk with the residents and ask them to put the fireworks away or may issue a warning. On days that fireworks are allowed, the department tries to educate people who call in rather than send out patrol cars to investigate. One complication of the current law is that when residents complain that fireworks bigger than allowed are being shot off, by the time police arrive there is no proof of what was fired, he said.
Film said he would support limiting fireworks but would not be in favor of restricting them on certain holidays.
City Council President Cyle Feldman agreed that he had a concern about outlawing fireworks on certain holidays like Chinese New Year and June 19 (Juneteenth).
Council voted to move the measure to its City Council agenda that evening, where it received its first reading. Herman said he wanted the public to have time to weigh in on the measure before it goes to final vote.
Council Reviews Free Sustainability Consulting Presentation
Herman also introduced a resolution for the city to become a “Power A Clean Future Ohio community,” which would entail working with the nonprofit organization to identify programs and initiatives the city could undertake to save money, improve the quality of life for residents and create a healthier environment.
Power A Clean Future Ohio Deputy Director Cassandra Clevenger gave a presentation that described the organization’s work with more than 50 other Ohio communities, including Akron, Munroe Falls, Cuyahoga Falls and Summit County.
She said that Ohio is the fourth largest greenhouse gas emitter in the United States and that cities can make a significant impact in improving the effects of greenhouse gases in myriad ways. As an example, she said a greenhouse gas assessment for the City of Dayton showed that 14% of greenhouse gases were emanating from municipal operations, primarily from the wastewater treatment plant.
Additionally, the organization performed a tree canopy assessment for the City of Canton, to help the city better plan its urban forestry investments.
The organization provides free consulting as well as assistance in finding grants that can help cities pay for sustainability programs that fit their needs.
Feldman said he appreciated that the arrangement would allow the city to adopt any measures at its own pace.
Ward 3 City Councilman John Baranek said that it would be important to be able to quantify deliverables and results.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Kelly Coffey asked if adopting the proposal would result in any residents’ rights being taken away, to which Clevenger responded that the organization’s role would be only to provide resources and information.
Public Service Director Nick Wren said the city is currently reviewing a quote for installing charging stations at SKiP park.
Council voted to move the measure to its City Council agenda that evening, where it received its first reading.
Like the fireworks ordinance, Herman said he wanted the public to have time to weigh in on the measure before it goes to final vote.
Council Approves New Economic Development Position
On a 4-2 vote, City Council approved an ordinance submitted by Feldman that re-establishes a full-time Economic Development Coordinator position.
Planning Director Zack Cowan said the position would report to him and would enable the city to add economic development expertise it is lacking now to better address the recruitment of new businesses to Stow through the use of various tax grants.
Wren said the position had been eliminated as part of the updated compensation plan as any positions not held at that time had been removed from the city’s organizational chart.
Ward 1 Councilman Matt Riehl questioned the necessity of the position given that Stow has been successful in bringing in new businesses.
Wren countered that adding this expertise would enable the city to attract businesses that generate more payroll taxes for the city by using grants and other incentives.
Coffey questioned the cost of the position and whether the city could make it a part-time position instead.
Feldman said the frequent requests by residents to bring in higher-end restaurants could better be addressed with this position and that, if successful, would pay for itself.
Finance Director Kelly Toppin was asked whether the city had the money to create the position. He responded that while it was not currently in the budget, the city did have the money to add the position.
Coffey said that she had talked to other municipalities that had this type of position and that she would support the legislation.
Feldman, Herman, Baranek and Coffey voted to approve the position; Riehl and Ward 4 Councilman Mario Fiocca voted against. Councilman At-Large Jeremy McIntire was absent.
Council Approves Two Personnel Moves; Tables Two Contracts
In executive session City Council discussed several personnel appointments and voted to approve two of them:
City Council approved 6-0 the creation of another full-time engineer position, to replace a contracted employee, and then approved 6-0 the promotion of Michael Jones from assistant engineer to city engineer.
Council voted 6-0 approving the hiring of Angela Beck as Human Resources Generalist.
Council did not advance for vote the extension of contracts for two employees – Project Engineer Gerald Dolson, P.E., and Transportation Engineer James McCleary, P.E. Both ordinances were given a first reading when none of the other council members would second Feldman’s motion to suspend the rules.
Baranek clarified that while he supported extending the contracts, he felt that there was no hurry to do so as neither contract had yet expired and that it would be better to vote on these when every member of council was present. Riehl and Coffey concurred.
Other Council Actions:
Approved 6-0 a measure to update Civil Service requirements to expand the available pool of candidates for the police and fire departments.
Approved 6-0 updated requirements for contractor registration fees to simplify the process for contractors and bring them more in line with other cities’ building departments’ requirements.
Heard a presentation from Stow’s representative to the Summit County Health Department, Dr. Roberta DePompei about Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided with Naloxone), which makes available free Narcan nasal spray kits to cities, organizations and residents to help reduce the instances of opioid deaths.
Set a special meeting for Tuesday, June 4 at 7 pm for the City Council and Planning Commission to hear a presentation from the consulting firm that is advising the city on updating the planning and zoning codes. The presentation will discuss the process, goals and initiatives and focus on topics like sustainability and economic development.
Next Stow Sunshine Project Meeting
Creative Place Making, Public Art and Economic Development: How They All Fit Together is the topic of the next Stow Sunshine Project meeting on Monday, May 20 at 7 pm in the Stow Safety Center community room.
This panel discussion will include Law Director Drew Reilly, Planning Director Zack Cowan, Parks & Recreation Director Linda Nahrstedt and Arts Commission Chair Leila Griffiths. We'll also get an update from Linda Nahrstedt on the Community Center and other upcoming parks and recreation initiatives.
Please join us! Stow Sunshine Project meetings are open to all Stow residents. See details and RSVP here to save your seat.
