ThisWeek CW 05/10/2012
Canal Winchester City Council is considering several changes in how it handles its business, which could affect the speed at which action could be taken.
In discussions at council’s April 30 Committee of the Whole meeting, city Development Director Lucas Haire said he wants a committee to hear planning and zoning issues on a monthly basis instead of during the quarterly Committee of the Whole sessions.
“My goal is to give certain projects that need it the ability to move at the speed of the project,” he said. “Waiting three months for this committee to hear something can be unreasonable, like with annexations.”
Several council members said they believe the Old Town Committee should hear any planning or zoning issues that Haire and Zoning Officer Andrew Dutton need to be brought before council.
“If (Haire) thinks he needs time, then let’s give him that time somewhere,” Councilman Steve Donahue said. “A lot of times, Old Town doesn’t have meetings, so those people have the time to be involved in this.”
Councilwoman Bobbie Mershon said the rule requiring a piece of legislation amended on a third reading to have a fourth reading before a vote would be changed to allow for a final vote to occur immediately.
She also suggested controversial topics should go through a committee first before being placed on council’s agenda.
“I don’t want staff to have more meetings at night then they have to, so if there are topics that are going to send up a red flag, we shouldn’t put them on a council agenda until after it’s been approved by committee,” Mershon said.
She was referring to a recent request to remove a review of a demolition request from the Landmarks and Planning and Zoning commissions and send it directly to council without those commissions hearing the request first.
Currently, committees are established by City Council to review, investigate and then recommend action to council. Committees are composed of members of council and city staff. Commissions are established under city code and are a combination of appointed residents and staff members.
“A member of a committee should approve all the resolutions that have been placed on the agenda before they’re heard by council,” Mershon said. “We should put that in as a matter of course, unless there’s an emergency.”
Public Works Director Matt Peoples said it is important to have language that allows council to skip a committee hearing if it would be detrimental to the city to wait.
“I think that’s when mandatory sponsorship (of proposed legislation) takes place,” he said. “If we find out about something Friday morning that we have to act on, we’ll call a member of the appropriate committee to sponsor the legislation before it gets to council. That rarely happens.
“Before we put in a mandatory requirement that (proposed legislation) go through committee, we should write something that shows that intent but still allows us to be flexible.”
Finance Director Nanisa Osborn pointed out council already has the right to suspend the rules calling for three readings of an ordinance before it is voted on.
“Remember that that is what you’re doing when you declare an emergency,” she said. “These are the rules you’re suspending.”
Peoples said other suggested changes focus on Canal Winchester’s move from village to city status, and update responsibilities split among council, staff and committees.
Council’s Rules Committee will finalize the changes based on suggestions from the Committee of the Whole prior to bringing those changes to council for a vote.