Pasted below is a link to a video of the North Canton City Council meeting held on Monday, February 22, 2016.
Description of Video:
February 22, 2016 – City Council meeting followed by a
Special Committee of the Whole meeting:
The video covers a City Council meeting lasting about forty
minutes followed immediately by a Special Committee of the Whole meeting which
lasted nearly thirty-three minutes (starting at the 0:40:20 point in the
recording.
During the City Council portion of the meeting, Council
voted on eight ordinances. One ordinance received its 3rd and final reading;
two were passed on their 2nd reading as an emergency. The appropriated
amounts for four pieces of legislation that were identified totaled $2,720,000.
2:10 minutes into the video, Council President Peters calls
for the approval of minutes from previous Council meetings despite the fact
that the items did not appear on the agenda for consideration. Without amending
the agenda, the following Council meeting minutes were approved: January 25,
2016 Council meeting minutes; February 1, 2016 Special Council meeting minutes;
and February 8, 2016 Council meeting minutes. This is a violation of procedure
and due process.
2:55 minutes into the video, City resident, Joseph Mulqueen,
spoke during the Public Speaks portion of the meeting asking that the City’s
skate park be afforded greater financial support from the City.
21:50 minutes into the meeting, City Engineer Jim Benekos
alerts Council that incorrect cost figures were used in the 1st
reading of Ordinance No. 13-2016 and that the dollar amount of the project
should be $100,000 instead of $300,000. The legislation was amended in its 2nd
reading with the corrected dollar amount.
26:00 minutes into the video a scan of the audience reveal a
total of five (including myself) in attendance at the meeting.
26:40 minutes into the video, Councilmember Stephanie Werren
speaks at the conclusion of the Council meeting in what is termed “Council
Reports” portion of the meeting. I attended the meeting and did not understand
a single word of Mrs. Werren’s report. I have listened to the video of the
meeting and I still have no idea what she is saying. I will have to wait for
the transcribed minutes to see what Mrs. Werren said.
30:05 minutes into the meeting, Council President Jeff
Peters notifies Council that he has made arrangements to meet with an individual
who will “take measurements” in anticipation that City Council will videotape and
possibly livestream their meetings. Mr. Peters has made public remarks in a previous
Council meeting that he (Peters) has consulted with his brother-in-law, Tom
Wilson at Hoover High School for advice on videotaping North Canton City
Council meetings. Mr. Wilson has relayed to Mr. Peters that Hoover High School’s
Media Department students do not have the time to videotape North Canton City
Council meetings.
Mr. Peters stated tonight that Mr. Wilson has referred a former
student to offer advice on the feasibility of videotaping and livestreaming
North Canton City Council meetings. Mr. Peters said the individual’s name is
John Branch and that Mr. Branch is the Director of Media at Glen Oak High
School.
40:20 minutes into the video, the Council meeting concluded
and the Special Council of the Whole commenced.
44:00 minutes into the video extended discussion began
regarding the Dogwood Pool and the renewal of management agreement with the
North Canton YMCA to manage the Dogwood Pool.
45:00 minutes into the video, Councilmember Doug Foltz
indicates that in spite of the management agreement with the North Canton YMCA,
the City still lost $41,560. Mr. Foltz states that”… the City needs to show a
profit considering we are spending in excess of $750,000.”
I might add that the City will never be able to amortize the
capital expense of renovating the pool if income fails to meet operating
expenses.
48:30 minutes into the video shows Law Director Tim Fox
injecting himself into this discussion. This issue is the role of City Administrator
Mike Grimes.
52.35 minutes into the video City Council concludes that the
City needs to negotiate a better management agreement with the YMCA than was
negotiated last year.
55:30 minutes into the video has Councilmembers Doug Foltz
and Mark Cerreta suggesting that grants and donations will be heaped on the
City after the pool is back in operation. Surprisingly, Law Director Tim Fox
seems to swallow the “Kool-Aid” in the discussion that “free money” will come
to the City to expand the Dogwood Pool facilities.
Some people are 'dreamers' and some people are realists. I choose to be the latter. I do not believe there will be grants or donations of money to expand the Dogwood Poll facilities.
Some people are 'dreamers' and some people are realists. I choose to be the latter. I do not believe there will be grants or donations of money to expand the Dogwood Poll facilities.
Thank you,
Chuck Osborne
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