OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Powell, Ohio/City Council & Boards
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Powell Development Corporation Meeting - November 25, 2025

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, November 25, 2025
BodyPowell, Ohio
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, November 25, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:38:24

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

Good evening.

0:01

I'd like to call the uh Powell Development Corporation meeting to order.

0:05

It's Tuesday, November 25th.

0:09

First order business is uh called a role if you would please.

0:14

Tom counts here.

0:15

John Hughes.

0:16

Here.

0:16

Jim Karevnik.

0:17

Here.

0:17

Nicole Scott.

0:18

Here.

0:18

Andrew White.

0:19

Here.

0:20

Thank you.

0:22

Item two on this evening's agenda approval of the minutes from the Powell Development Corporation meeting held on October 28th.

0:34

None I'll ask for motion.

0:35

Move to adopt.

0:36

I'll second.

0:38

We have a motion and a second to adopt the minutes was written.

0:41

All those in favor say aye.

0:43

Aye.

0:44

Oh, frame signed.

0:46

Minutes are approved.

0:48

Item three on the agenda is the report from the president.

0:51

No special report this evening.

0:53

Let's move to the treasurer's report, which is item four.

0:58

Nicole.

0:59

From a treasure perspective, um, no super significant transactions to cover report in.

1:07

Um I'll ask Samantha if there's anything noteworthy to call out for the benefit of the group.

1:11

Um I'll call out under the real estate line.

1:14

There's about $13,281 for the month.

1:18

Um about 12,000 of that was an additional um real uh property tax payment that we issued to the county.

1:26

Um there were some legal proceedings, uh, discussions regarding the 4630 West Powell Road property and its valuation with the county auditor.

1:40

Um so they kind of finally settled those discussions.

1:44

Um, so we received they increased the property value as part of that settlement.

1:50

So with that, we got confirmation from our law director that it was um they're now assessing the parcel at the value that it was agreed upon.

2:00

Um so with that we have an additional about 12,000 dollars.

2:06

We we did negotiate that value down from what they had originally wanted to value it at.

2:11

So interesting that we tore the structure down and it's worth more now.

2:15

Yeah, yeah.

2:16

And I believe moving forward, um, we're working on getting a tax exemption for that site.

2:23

Um, we weren't able to have that before because there was a structure on it, somebody was living in it.

2:28

Um, so moving forward, it should be exempt.

2:32

Okay, good.

2:35

Uh anything else?

2:37

Samantha, thank you.

2:39

Uh questions for Nicole and staff.

2:45

Thank you, Nicole.

2:47

Uh let's move to item five report from the economic developer.

2:54

Thanks, Jim.

2:55

Um you have the October 2025 Economic Development report in front of you in your packet there, rather.

3:02

Um, I'm not gonna completely read through the whole thing.

3:04

I will say that there's a new category in there based on previous conversations that we've had that's called investment in the community, and it really kind of takes our the grant programs that we have and and the grants that we have uh allocated or done in a given year and how those have turned out um and become an investments back into the community.

3:27

Um so yeah, for 628,000, say 629,000 of grants, and this year um we've had over 12 million dollars of reinvestment in the community, so that's about 20 dollars on any dollar that you know return on investment if you look at that way.

3:46

Um we are up to 364 projects uh as at the end of that month.

3:51

We will easily hit well over 400 projects this year, which is a huge increase over last year.

3:56

We're up to 24 new businesses this year.

3:59

Um, this was done before the new Kruger opened, so you saw that happened a couple weeks ago.

4:03

Yay.

4:05

Um retained or expanded, 10.48 million dollars in new payroll, um, which is about um 209,000, 600 in new income taxes for the city, and um we're up to 146 business retention and expansion visits.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Tourism Development████████████████████████24%
Budget Review████████████████████████24%
Economic Development██████████████████18%
Procedural███████████████15%
Real Estate Development████████8%
Public Engagement████4%
Marketing And Advertising███3%
Transportation Safety██2%
Personnel Matters██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Powell Development Corporation Meeting - November 25, 2025

The Powell Development Corporation (PDC) met on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting covered routine approvals, reports from officers and staff, new business including marketing updates and the 2026 proposed budget, and an update to the Corporation's Code of Regulations. Key actions included approval of the 2026 budget, direction to draft a transition plan for the Code of Regulations, and cancellation of the December meeting.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the October 28, 2025, PDC meeting were approved unanimously.

Reports

President's Report

  • No special report was given.

Treasurer's Report (Nicole Scott)

  • Samantha reported an additional $12,000 in real estate expenses for the month, primarily due to a settlement on the 4630 West Powell Road property valuation. The property value was negotiated down from the county's original assessment, and a tax exemption is expected moving forward.

Economic Developer's Report (Sean Hughes)

  • Sean presented the October 2025 Economic Development report, adding a new "Investment in the Community" category. Highlights:
    • $629,000 in grants led to over $12 million of reinvestment (20:1 ROI).
    • 364 projects completed; projected to exceed 400 projects for the year.
    • 24 new businesses (before Kroger opening).
    • $10.48 million in retained/expanded payroll, equating to ~$209,600 in new income tax for the city.
    • 146 business retention and expansion visits.
  • Common themes from businesses:
    • Lack of downtown parking (consistent with community surveys).
    • Lack of downtown foot traffic; 80% of local spending occurs outside the city.
    • Need for more visitors.
    • High rental rates ($32/sq ft average, $35-$45 for new space).
    • Workforce mostly from outside Powell.
    • Access to capital for small businesses is a national challenge.
  • Discussion: Members noted that increasing inventory and using CRAs with market-rate-or-below requirements could address rental rates. Microtransit hubs and marketing efforts may improve foot traffic. Short-term challenges for businesses were acknowledged.

City Council / Commission / Committee Reports

  • Council Report (Tom Counts):
    • Election results bring stability; city budget has been approved.
    • Highlighted the early retirement of the Liberty CIFA bond indebtedness (10 years early), resulting in significant savings and opening future incentive opportunities. The bond originally funded expansion of Seldom Scene Road and related infrastructure.
  • Committee Reports (Andrew White): No new items from Planning and Zoning.

New Business

a. Destination Delaware Marketing Campaign Update

  • Tim (Destination Delaware) reported on the campaign for Powell, launched in late August/early September 2025.
    • 4 million ad views, 45,000 click-throughs to the Powell landing page, and 968,000 engagements (likes/shares).
    • Targeting outside Powell: North Columbus, Hilliard, Dublin; also Indianapolis, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland.
    • Upcoming push for Wild Lights at the zoo (geofencing, influencer from Indianapolis).
    • Emphasized need for more “activity” downtown (entertainment beyond dining) to extend visitor stays.
  • Discussion: Members and Tim agreed that adding family-friendly entertainment (e.g., games, recreational activities) is critical. Tim noted that some businesses are hesitant to participate but see value when peers benefit.

b. Visit Powell Annual Report (Andy)

  • Andy presented the 2025 annual report, highlighting:
    • Successful events: Onesie Brunch Hop, concert/movie series at Village Green Park (most popular), Pink Friday, Door Explorer shuttle (55 rides in two months, 50-50 resident vs. visitor split, helped move people between venues).
    • Partnered with Zen Paddle, Ohio Judges Association, PAL Civic Theater, etc.
    • The Door Explorer (low-speed vehicle) was used primarily to move people already downtown, not as a park-and-ride solution.
    • Positive business feedback: new businesses appreciate free support; negativity among some long-standing businesses is fading as new energy arrives.
    • Challenges: weather cancellations (e.g., Powell Olympics); cost of concerts/movies.
  • Discussion: Members praised the partnership with Powell Parks and Recreation and the shift toward more productive small business meetings.

c. 2026 Proposed Budget

  • Nicole presented the budget:
    • Beginning balance: $55,448 (conservative, based on full spending of 2025 budget; actual surplus expected).
    • Revenue: $600,000 transfer from city (increase of $100k from 2025); interest and EV charging revenue; total $690,348.
    • Expenses:
      • Administrative: reduced slightly.
      • Rent for Cohatch: $1,000/month (PDC share for 5-year lease).
      • Marketing/advertising: reduced significantly (from ~$72k to $7.2k) because funds reallocated to Visit Powell ($38,500) and Destination Delaware ($25,000).
      • Real estate: $20,000 (maintenance, taxes).
      • Strategic land acquisition: final payment of $296,250 (freeing up $300k/year thereafter).
      • Ohio Wesleyan contract: $25,000.
      • Incentive programs: Business Retention & Expansion grants $52,000 (for previously committed grants); Facade Grant Improvement Program $122,500 (two rollover grants plus three new $25k grants).
      • No new funding for performance-based business attraction grants or small business construction mitigation grants because no payouts are due in 2026.
    • Discussion: Tom Counts expressed concern that the marketing/advertising category appears to contract, but members noted that funds are now flowing through partner organizations. Jim Karevnik suggested recategorizing expenses to align with new committees under the upcoming Code of Regulations. A long-range planning framework was requested to avoid overcommitting future funds. The budget was approved unanimously.

Old Business

Update to Powell Development Corporation's Code of Regulations

  • John Hughes presented the final draft. City Council has reviewed and is supportive. One grammatical error was fixed. The draft creates new committee structures.
  • Members agreed that a transition plan is needed before adoption to ensure the board can continue operating until the new nine-member board is fully appointed (three council appointees, plus four from the nominating committee).
  • Decision: Attorneys were directed to draft a transition plan article for the Code of Regulations; the draft will be brought back for a vote at the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Code of Regulations: Approved in concept; attorneys to draft a transition plan; final adoption deferred.
  • 2026 Budget: Approved unanimously on roll call (Tim Revnik, Nicole Scott, Andrew White, Tom Counts, John Hughes all voting yes).
  • Marketing & Visit Powell Reports: Received as information; positive feedback on ongoing efforts.
  • December Meeting: Canceled (next meeting expected in January 2026).
  • Meeting Adjourned: With thanks to the board and staff for their work in 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I'd like to call the uh Powell Development Corporation meeting to order. It's Tuesday, November 25th. First order business is uh called a role if you would please. Tom counts here. John Hughes. Here. Jim Karevnik. Here. Nicole Scott. Here. Andrew White. Here. Thank you. Item two on this evening's agenda approval of the minutes from the Powell Development Corporation meeting held on October 28th. None I'll ask for motion. Move to adopt. I'll second. We have a motion and a second to adopt the minutes was written. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Oh, frame signed. Minutes are approved. Item three on the agenda is the report from the president. No special report this evening. Let's move to the treasurer's report, which is item four. Nicole. From a treasure perspective, um, no super significant transactions to cover report in. Um I'll ask Samantha if there's anything noteworthy to call out for the benefit of the group. Um I'll call out under the real estate line. There's about $13,281 for the month. Um about 12,000 of that was an additional um real uh property tax payment that we issued to the county. Um there were some legal proceedings, uh, discussions regarding the 4630 West Powell Road property and its valuation with the county auditor. Um so they kind of finally settled those discussions. Um, so we received they increased the property value as part of that settlement. So with that, we got confirmation from our law director that it was um they're now assessing the parcel at the value that it was agreed upon. Um so with that we have an additional about 12,000 dollars. We we did negotiate that value down from what they had originally wanted to value it at. So interesting that we tore the structure down and it's worth more now. Yeah, yeah. And I believe moving forward, um, we're working on getting a tax exemption for that site. Um, we weren't able to have that before because there was a structure on it, somebody was living in it. Um, so moving forward, it should be exempt. Okay, good. Uh anything else? Samantha, thank you. Uh questions for Nicole and staff. Thank you, Nicole. Uh let's move to item five report from the economic developer. Thanks, Jim.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com