Plain City Council’s meeting agendas may look a little longer in the future, though the meeting length may not be affected.
During Monday’s meeting, Council President Michael Terry noted that the “discussion items” portion of the agenda will carryover unfinished business, even if it is not a major point of discussion for that meeting.
He said it is an effort to hold council accountable and ensure items are being addressed – and not forgotten – before they are removed from the agenda.
Beyond that, Mayor Jody Carney asked that council liaisons to boards and committees send written reports to her prior to regular council meetings.
She said she would like to compile reports so important updates can be addressed while streamlining the meeting.
For instance, several committees meet only once a month but an update is listed on the bi-weekly council agenda.
Carney said she hopes the written reports will ensure the work of committees and boards are not overlooked, without meetings becoming redundant.
A number of discussion items were briefly addressed Monday.
Property Maintenance Code and Zoning Code update
Village Planner Taylor Brill told council that she and the village’s consultant for the zoning code rewrite decided to separate the property maintenance code from the zoning text itself.
She noted that they researched other municipalities and found that most have a separate property maintenance code.
Brill said this is beneficial for residents and council.
First, she said a separate code is more accessible to property owners because they will not have to sift through the entire zoning code to find regulations.
Beyond that, Brill explained that changes to the zoning code are required to have two public hearings. Separating the property maintenance code will make it easier for council to make minor adjustments in the future, she said.
Two public hearings will be held on Nov. 14 – one for the zoning code rewrite and another to enact a separate property maintenance code.
2023 village budget
Terry confirmed with Finance Director Renee Sonnett that council’s November work session will include discussion surrounding the 2023 budget.
Sonnett said the personnel and finance committee will likely need to hold two meetings before then to finalize details for council.
BZA vacancy
Carney said there is now a vacancy on the Board of Zoning Appeals, as one member recently moved outside of the village limits.
However, she said all other boards and committees are full.
Land use map update
Brill encouraged council to consider updating the village’s land use map shortly after adopting a new zoning code.
Since Brill will leave Plain City for another position in early November, Terry said work on the land use map could be done by Economic Development Coordinator Jason Stanford.
While who will complete the work is yet to be determined, Terry agreed with Brill that he would like to update the map “as quick as possible.”
Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade and permit
In an effort to clarify comments made by a council member during a previous meeting, Terry noted that the wastewater treatment plant upgrade will expand the capacity of the plant to 1 million gallons per day, while the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) permit allows for up to 1.5 million gallons per day.
“I am very confident that we are well within compliance (with EPA regulations)… and will be for the foreseeable future,” Terry said.
However, he emphasized that “of course we know this isn’t a long-term solution,” which drove council to file a petition to regionalize water and sewer services with Madison County.