Mayor to Give “State of City” Address at March 14 Council Meeting
Council Meeting, School Facilities Meeting, Stow Sunshine Project Offer Opportunities to Get Engaged
Making sure that our government – whether it’s at the local, state or federal level -- functions in the way we expect doesn’t end when we elect our leaders. It takes regular civic engagement through attendance at meetings, letters or phone calls to help ensure that our voice is considered when decisions are made.
To that end, Stow Sunshine Project is providing information on the important actions our city leaders have initiated so you can keep abreast of what’s going on and get involved when you want your input considered.
Mayor’s State of the City Address
A charter amendment passed by Stow voters last November requires the mayor to give a formal “State of the City Address” at a public meeting of City Council. That address will happen tomorrow, March 14. Expected start time for the meeting is 7 pm (sometimes longer-running prior committee meetings can cause the start time to be delayed).
This meeting is open to the public in City Council Chambers. A State of the City handout will be available at the meeting. Additionally, the meeting will be streamed live. Persons wishing to watch from home can log on at this page by clicking the Event Link next to the City Council meeting listing under Upcoming Events.
March 14 City Council Committee Meetings
Here are some of the agenda items for this week’s city council meetings that residents may be interested in hearing about or commenting on. This is not a complete list of all the business that will be discussed at council this week. We’ve included the committee in which the topic will be discussed and the expected start time of that committee meeting:
Updates to Adell Durbin Park: Legislation to solicit bids for new playground equipment – Finance Committee, 5:45 pm; See legislation here.
Updates to Senior & Community Center: Legislation to award a $49,640 contract to an architecture firm to create construction design drawings for updates to the new senior & community center on Fishcreek Road (former Cornerstone Baptist Church) – Finance Committee, 5:45 pm; See the description of this proposal here.
Rewriting of Stow’s Planning and Zoning Code: Legislation to award a $149,800 contract to a consulting firm to have the city’s codes rewritten within a 19-month time-frame – Finance Committee, 5:45 pm; See the consulting firm’s proposal here.
Purchase of camera system for city: Legislation to approve a $58,400 contract for a Flock Safety camera system consisting of 16 cameras that would be positioned at key intersections in the city to help Stow Police identify and locate stolen vehicles, stolen license plates, persons with outstanding warrants, protection orders, missing persons, etc. – Finance Committee, 5:45 pm; See description of proposal here.
Two commission appointments: In the last City Council term (2022-23), there were several instances of city council butting heads with the mayor on specific commission appointments. See prior story on this issue for background. The mayor has nominated Stefanie Farkas to the Committee on Inclusion and Daniel Bacik to the Planning Commission. The new makeup of council should help make approval of these appointments go more smoothly, but we shouldn’t count out the ability of certain council members to create unnecessary drama – Council of the Whole, 6:15 pm.
Why attend City Council’s committee meetings?
That’s when most of the discussion about any legislation or proposal occurs. If you want to hear the details about a proposal or comments from our council members or other city officials in attendance, you’ll want to attend the relevant committee meeting at which the topic you’re interested in will be discussed. Additionally, if you want to address council on any topic, you can do so during the public comment period of a committee meeting, when public comments are not limited to the current 2-minute time limit that is set for the main council meeting.
Issues to be discussed at main City Council meeting
After the Mayor’s State of the City Address, City Council will take up the following business items of interest:
Adoption of New City Council Rules: City Council President Cyle Feldman has proposed a number of changes, including increasing the time limit for public comment to 3 minutes from 2 minutes during council’s main meeting. See proposed changes here.
Changes to Spending Authorization for the Board of Control: This legislation would allow the administration to enter contracts for higher amounts than currently legislated without having to get prior approval from City Council. See proposed changes here.
Improvements to Silver Springs Campground: Legislation for $71,800 contract for campground improvements. See legislation here.
Pedestrian Walkways Layout for Stow Rd. and Fishcreek Rd.: Legislation for a $23,100 consulting firm contract for evaluation and layout of proposed walkways for Stow Rd. and Fishcreek Rd.
March 18 -- Join Us at Next Stow Sunshine Project Meeting
Stow Finance Director Kelly Toppin will give us a report on the city’s finances and City Council President Cyle Feldman will share his wishlist for this term during Stow Sunshine Project’s meeting on Monday, March 18, at 7 pm at the Stow ACME Community Room (4445 Kent Rd.).
From left: Kelly Toppin, Cyle Feldman, Kelly Coffey
Ward 2 Councilwoman Kelly Coffey also will be in attendance to meeting with and hear from residents and share insights from her first two months on council. The Stow Sunshine Project meetings are opportunities for residents to meet and interact with our city leaders in an informal environment. Reserve your seat here!
March 20 -- Stow-Munroe Falls Schools Facility Planning Event
You have questions, they have answers! Officials from the school district will answer all of your questions surrounding the Facilities Master Plan for Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools and share the results from their January Community Events. Meeting will be held Wednesday, March 20 at 5:30 pm at Lakeview Intermediate School.
March 19 – Don’t Forget to Vote!
Having a voice in our government starts with exercising your right to vote. There are a few contested races on the GOP and Democratic primary ballots that will impact Stow residents:
Ohio House 34th District – Three people are vying for the Democratic nomination for the State House seat currently held by Casey Weinstein, who will run for the State Senate 28th District in November. This seat has been redistricted in such a way that Stow is now the largest whole city in the district, making our votes more consequential to this race. See story about the candidates running in March for their party nomination. And, another story about the candidate event hosted by Stow Sunshine Project last month.
Summit County Council District 3 – Stow City Council At-Large Jeremy McIntire is challenging incumbent Gloria Rodgers for the GOP nomination for this County Council seat. The winner of this race on March 19 will face Democratic nominee and former Stow City Councilman and former Stow-Munroe Falls School Board member David Licate, who is running unopposed, in November. See story about this race.
From left: Gloria Rodgers, Jeremy McIntire, David Licate
