Hudson City Council Meeting and Workshop - June 18, 2024

The Hudson City Council held its regular meeting and post-meeting workshop on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at Town Hall, 27 East Main Street. The evening opened with an executive session at 6:45 p.m. to interview applicants for the Planning Commission and Tree Commission, followed by the regular session at approximately 7:30 p.m. and a workshop at 9:30 p.m. All seven Council members were present—President Foster (Ward 2), Banweg (At-Large), Bird (Ward 4), Goetz (Ward 1), Heater (At-Large), Kowalski (At-Large), and Sutton (Ward 3)—along with Mayor Anzevino, City Manager Sheridan, City Solicitor Pitchford, and Clerk of Council Wheeler.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the June 4, 2024 Council meeting and June 11, 2024 Council workshop (item 24-0061).
• Approved the consent agenda by roll call vote. The agenda materials referenced Resolution 24-70 with June 11 and June 18, 2024 revisions concerning resolution of a dispute with a former employee; per the meeting minutes, the settlement was not voted on at the June 18 regular meeting but was discussed at the post-meeting workshop for action at a future meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A resident praised the annual Hudson baseball tournaments, describing them as the best and as representative of the community, emphasizing the value of local, ground-level involvement.
• A resident spoke in support of park court lights, citing that only one group waited more than eight minutes across three days of observation (and that group received snow cones from a food truck), and suggested the City Manager allow more than one tournament per year with the ability to use the lights.
• A resident objected to the city settling a dispute with a former employee, asserting that City Council never voted to authorize the underlying lawsuit or the funds to pay for it, and argued that taxpayers should not bear the costs of actions taken by individual Council members.
• A resident expressed concern that HCTV is becoming a communications arm of government rather than a public access channel, noted that citizens have not been surveyed about their HCTV usage or preferences, and recommended the city conduct such a survey.

Discussion Items

• Proclamation – David Hudson Days: Mayor Anzevino proclaimed June 17 through June 26, 2024, as David Hudson Days in recognition of the city’s 225th anniversary.
• Appointments to the Tree Commission: Council approved Jason Bromba for a full term ending July 20, 2028, and Phil Trendell for a partial term ending July 5, 2025, by roll call vote.
• Ordinance 24-64 (City Flag): Council adopted an amendment incorporating Exhibit A dated May 21, 2024, and the June 18, 2024 version of the legislation, with clarification to section one. Council Member Sutton expressed support for residents acquiring the flag but stated he does not want the City to become a store for flags. The ordinance passed as amended by roll call.
• Ordinance 24-65: Passed by roll call vote.
• Ordinance 24-76: Council suspended the rules to refer this ordinance to the Planning Commission and postpone action to a date certain of September 17, 2024. Discussion addressed whether suspending the rules was required for such a referral; Solicitor Pitchford noted that past practice has been to suspend the rules whenever discussing items that are not yet ripe, and that any substantive change by the Planning Commission would require substitute legislation and a new vote. The motion to refer and postpone passed by roll call.
• Walk and Bike Plan Public Engagement Update (24-0064): Staff presented what was heard during public engagement and requested confirmation on next steps for developing the draft plan. Council discussed the proposed project ranking system, with one member requesting clarification on major versus minor collector street classifications and another stating that residents should not have to navigate residential streets to reach city connections before easier neighborhood access is provided. No vote was taken; the discussion will inform the draft plan.
• Proposed Consent Agenda for July 9, 2024: Council reviewed proposed consent agenda items for the next regular meeting.
• Council Comments: Council Member Heater provided a Park Board update. Council also discussed a prior workshop involving the Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) and Hudson Public Power (HPP), with one member stating that time could have been saved if the EAC had coordinated with HPP before presenting to Council. A brief exchange addressed whether false information had been provided, with one member disputing that characterization.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent agenda and prior meeting minutes.
• Issued the David Hudson Days proclamation for June 17–26, 2024.
• Appointed Jason Bromba and Phil Trendell to the Tree Commission.
• Passed Ordinance 24-64 (City Flag) as amended and Ordinance 24-65.
• Referred Ordinance 24-76 to the Planning Commission and postponed action to September 17, 2024.
• Authorized executive session regarding pending litigation.

Executive Session (Litigation)

• Council voted 7–0 to enter executive session pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 121.22(G)(3) and (5) and Hudson Codified Ordinances 220.05(B)(3) and (5) to confer with legal counsel concerning a dispute involving the city that is the subject of pending court action and to discuss matters required to be kept confidential by law. The regular meeting recessed at 8:45 p.m. and adjourned at 9:21 p.m.

Post-Meeting Workshop

• The workshop convened at 9:30 p.m. with Council President Foster presiding. Discussion included the proposed settlement with the former employee, with the understanding that no vote would be taken at the workshop and that action would follow at a subsequent meeting. The workshop adjourned at 9:51 p.m.

Note on Source Discrepancy

• The agenda materials list Resolution 24-70 (with June 11 and June 18 revisions) as an agenda item for the June 18, 2024 meeting, while the meeting minutes state the settlement would not be voted on that evening but discussed at the workshop. This summary reflects that the consent agenda was approved and that the settlement was discussed at the workshop, consistent with the minutes.