Plain City Council and administrators are working to ensure council goals align with the village’s budget.
Council recently called a special meeting to finalize their short-term and long-term plans for the year.
Village Administrator Nathan Cahall said he is thankful that council members chose to “dovetail (their) goals discussion with the budget development process.” He said that allows staff to ensure available resources align with council’s priorities.
“Goals are important but we need budget dollars to go off of,” added Fiscal Officer Renee Sonnett.
Goals council would like to achieve in 2021 include creating a phased plan for Uptown improvements; updating village branding; developing a five-year parks master plan and comprehensive plan; reconstructing Gay Street; rewriting the zoning code; upgrading the Wastewater Treatment Plant; filling village committees; and a smooth Charter transition.
Working closely with the administration will be especially important in the Uptown revitalization project, Cahall said.
While improvements to the Uptown area will span several years, council members agreed that they could reasonably create a phased plan this year.
Mayor Jody Carney said this year’s objectives include completing the planned parking lot in Lovejoy Plaza and sidewalk improvements on the south side of Main Street.
Council members will work on their “wish lists” for 2022 before solidifying goals, but several mentioned potentially connecting the Heritage Trail through Uptown Plain City.
Updating the village’s branding is also dependent on how much funding council would like to direct toward the project.
Cahall said the 2021 budget does not allocate any dollars specifically for a rebranding project, but “we could handle something modest.”
“I’ll be the first to admit our website needs an overhaul,” he said.
He noted that staff members have had “preliminary conversations” with several companies. Price ranges vary from $40,000 to “a high five-figure” for a website.
Council member Shannon Pine recommended the village wait until census results are released before taking action, but continue to pursue options and estimates.
Five-year parks and comprehensive plans will also likely require hiring a consultant.
“I don’t know that any one of us are the point people to do this,” Pine said.
She suggested using the village’s current comprehensive plan to create “spin-out” plans, including a capital improvements and economic development plan.
A number of other short-term goals are already being chipped away at by village staff and council.
Cahall said construction on Gay Street is underway. The contractor is “on the hook to be done by July 31” unless there are significant weather delays.
Carney said the zoning code rewrite is also already in process.
Cahall added that there will be a steering committee that helps guide the consultants, which Pine agreed to serve on.
If the contractual schedule is followed, Cahall said there will be a “95% document ready for planning (and zoning) commission review in November.” From there, he said a preliminary draft should be in council’s hands by Thanksgiving.
While the Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade is unlikely to be completed in 2021, Cahall said the village is aiming to make significant progress by the end of the year.
He said staff is working to ensure financing is in place by April, which would allow the village to advertise bids and begin work by Memorial Day.
With a 12-month construction window, Cahall said staff is “hoping for 50% (completed) by the end of the year.”
Council is also making progress on goals related to village committees.
Council has established a charter transition committee and extensively reviewed points of legislation that will need adjusting depending on the outcome of the election.
The group also planned to sign a resolution of appreciation for the charter committee, whose members penned the document. Council members said they would also like to hold some sort of outdoor celebration this summer, if permitted by pandemic restrictions.
Carney said she will also encourage citizens to join committees.
She noted that the only current vacancies are a contractor position for the Design Review Board and a position on planning and zoning commission.
Many of council’s long-term goals are continuations of objectives the group is beginning to work on this year.
Goals that will extend beyond 2021 include creating design guidelines for the Uptown Historic District; acquiring park land; documenting all village property and leasing information; writing staff employee positions and development plans; creating current and future organizational charts; and finalizing an economic development plan.
Cahall said the steering committee working on the zoning code rewrite this year will contribute to Uptown design guidelines.
He noted that he and Parks Director Linda Granger have reviewed a number of grant opportunities to acquire park land. Cahall said they are working to provide a “listing of options for land acquisition” so staff can align the budget with grant opportunities and allow council to prioritize.
Likewise, Council member Michael Terry asked that staff create a similar document with the village’s current lease holdings and potential future properties.
Cahall said he has met with department heads and will continue to work on creating a five-year staffing and organizational development plan that can be referenced as the village grows.
Ultimately, both council and staff said they felt the goals are attainable and set up the community for success.
“Nothing here stands out as anything that is insurmountable or anything there is a lot of question marks about, at least from my perspective,” Cahall said.