Hudson City Council Workshop: Fire/EMS Funding, Downtown Development, STR Update – May 27, 2025

The Hudson City Council held a duly noticed workshop on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 7:30 PM at Town Hall, 27 East Main Street. Mayor Anzevino called the meeting to order under Ohio Sunshine Laws and City Charter Section 3.02, then turned the floor over to Council President Foster. The agenda included the Fire & EMS Subcommittee funding recommendations (25-0070), a downtown development discussion (25-0053), the short-term rental program 2025 update (25-0071), and review of the proposed consent agenda for the June 3, 2025 Council meeting. The workshop was adjourned at 8:41 PM.

Correspondence and Council Comments

• Council Member Heater updated Council on the Park Board meeting of May 19, 2025, noting that a young woman who spoke conveyed the deep impact of loss on families. He also provided an update on the May 22, 2025 Tree Commission meeting.
• Council Member Goetz expressed appreciation to City staff for organizing the Memorial Day parade. Council Member Bird suggested formally recognizing staff for their parade work.
• Council Member Kowalski read an email from a resident expressing deep disappointment and concern regarding a recent Memorial Day message directed at Senator Casey Weinstein by Council President Chris Foster. The resident stated that if Foster cannot or will not correct the matter, it is fitting that he step down from his position as Council President to preserve the dignity of the office and the trust of the Hudson community.
• Council President Foster noted that a Proclamation for Hudson Days will appear on the June 3, 2025 Council agenda.

Fire & EMS Subcommittee Funding and Recommendations (25-0070)

• Council Member Heater summarized the Fire/EMS Subcommittee's May 12, 2025 meeting with City Administration and Chief's senior staff, which reviewed financial options for funding the move to a part-time/hybrid model (not a full-time model, as Heater clarified).
• The recommendation would postpone approximately $600,000 per year in capital items (not eliminate them) to buy the city several years of funding runway. In an earlier draft, the Fire & EMS fund started around $8 million and dropped unsustainably low; the revised approach is a better position.
• Council Member Sutton commented that while the fund is better than the last time it was reviewed, the city is 'still effectively bankrupt in eight years' without a permanent solution.
• The funding history was discussed: Fire and EMS were historically funded by property tax levies, which were eliminated when the city increased its income tax from 1% to 2%. The idea of placing a portion of the city's excess carryover into the Fire & EMS fund annually was discussed, since fire and EMS service affects the general public.
• Sutton asked the Chief about apparatus replacement schedules. The Chief confirmed: large engine apparatus on a 20-year replacement cycle, the large ladder on a 30-year cycle, and smaller apparatus on an 8-year cycle.
• Asked how volunteers and full-time members feel about the process, the Chief stated he has not heard negative comments from personnel other than that the process is taking longer than anyone wants; everyone agrees it has taken too long and they are looking forward to moving ahead.
• Council discussed the need for a permanent transfer (rather than one-time transfers) to fund the Fire Department sufficiently for the long term. Council Member Sutton asked whether Council was comfortable discussing the long-term permanent transfer during budget discussions starting in September 2025, since the city is okay for 2025; the discussion indicated Council support for that timing.
• Sutton raised the possibility of a campaign to capture additional income tax revenue from residents working from home on hybrid schedules, citing the example of people working from home two days per week. He noted that other communities that changed their income tax credit without a vote of the people, because they had the ability, found it 'was not well received at all.' The history of eliminating the property tax levies when the income tax increased from 1% to 2% was cited as context for Council's caution.

Downtown Development Discussion (25-0053)

• City Manager Sheridan and staff returned with financial details Council had requested about a month earlier. Two additions were highlighted: (1) additional detail regarding county sanitary sewer infrastructure, and (2) additional information regarding the proposed community facility.
• Sheridan met directly with the county and confirmed the county is not anticipating any cost to the city for the county sanitary sewer value. A timeline in the memo shows that roughly two years of design and construction would align with the city's timeline for creating a preliminary plan and getting through final plan approval.
• The financial approach works backward from a break-even point to determine what the development should look like; a design firm would refine that over the next year or two. Staff noted no credit was included for the land sale.
• A Council Member asked whether 'public space' meant all public or only property owners living there; staff confirmed it means all public.
• Footprint styles, unit counts, and other housing details would be determined through engagement with a design firm toward a preliminary plan. The next step is a draft RFP for Council's review to hire a design firm.
• For price comparison, staff cited the First Main Townhomes: 12 units on one acre.
• Council Member Bird commented that to address affordability, the project would likely need more units, flats, or connected townhomes rather than detached housing, noting the proposal erred on the side of compatibility with detached housing.
• One Council Member stated, 'I think everybody wants some type of housing north of Owen Brown, but south of it, again, I think we're all in a flux here,' reflecting Council's mixed comfort level with housing density and types south of Owen Brown.

Short-Term Rental Program Update (25-0071)

• Staff presented the short-term rental program 2025 update. To date, there have been no appreciable enforcement activities.

Proposed Consent Agenda for June 3, 2025

• Council reviewed the proposed consent agenda for the June 3, 2025 Council meeting, which includes multiple pieces of legislation, a service agreement with the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, and items forwarded from previous Council workshops.
• Stormwater/sanitary sewer billing corrections were discussed in the context of the consent items. The city has three major watersheds: Tinkers Creek to the east, Brandywine through the middle/downtown core, and Mudbrook to the west. Several properties along Hayden that go to Portage County Sanitary Sewer were never billed due to a mapping glitch. One of the three pieces of legislation includes a table listing all affected road segments.
• Council discussed the zoning definitions for 'landscape vehicle' and 'landscape trailer' across three pieces of legislation. A Council Member expressed concern about what happens if the third piece defining the concept of a landscape vehicle does not pass, while the other two codify the term 'landscape trailer.'
• Council Member Sutton suggested that districts 6 and 8 may be more appropriate than district 2 (which is primarily residential) for kennel and boarding facilities, noting district 2 is more tightly packed than most of the ward. He noted that a prior kennel application before the Planning Commission was fully withdrawn and would not be affected, and raised traffic concerns on Hudson-Aurora Road after football games.

Key Outcomes

• Fire & EMS: Council is supportive of discussing a long-term permanent transfer from the general fund to the Fire & EMS fund during budget discussions beginning in September 2025. The Chief and administration will continue monitoring the fund balance, and staff will bring a detailed financial table with the next update.
• Downtown Development: Council directed staff to prepare a draft RFP for a design firm. Staff will incorporate Council's feedback on housing mix (more units, flats, or connected townhomes rather than detached) and refined affordability and density considerations north and south of Owen Brown.
• Consent Agenda: The items reviewed will be placed on the June 3, 2025 Council consent agenda, along with a Proclamation for Hudson Days.
• The workshop was adjourned at 8:41 PM. Future workshops and legislative meetings will continue as scheduled.