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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Powell City Council Meeting - March 3, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, March 3, 2026

BodyPowell, Ohio

SessionCity Council & Boards

DateTuesday, March 3, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 28:39

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

All right, I will call the Pell City Council meeting for March 3rd to order.

0:06

Elaine, will you please call the roll?

0:08

Yes, thank you.

0:09

Reef Carlson.

0:10

Tom Counts.

0:11

Carlos Crawford.

0:13

Present.

0:13

Taylor Herman.

0:14

Heather Carr.

0:15

Here.

0:15

David Lester.

0:17

Kurt Ramsey.

0:18

Here.

0:19

We could please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:23

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:27

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:30

One nation under God indivisible for liberty and justice for all.

0:39

The first item on our agenda is a presentation.

0:43

We have a proclamation recognizing the Charter Review Commission.

0:48

I think I'll go ahead and do it up front if all the members would meet me up front, which we are missing Philip.

0:55

So Tyler, Andy, and Dan.

1:12

There you go.

1:15

All right.

1:17

So this is a proclamation thanking the Charter Review Commission for their service to the City of PAL.

1:23

Whereas the Powell City Charter serves as the foundational governing document of the city, establishing the structure, powers, and responsibilities of local government.

1:33

And whereas periodic review of the charter is essential to ensure that it remains clear, effective, and responsive to the needs of the community.

1:42

And whereas the Charter Review Commission consisting of members Andy Moore, Philip Whittaker, Councilmember Tyler Herman, and Chairman Dan Swartout was duly appointed in May of 2024 to conduct a thorough and thoughtful examination of the Charter's provisions.

2:02

And whereas, excuse me, the members of the Charter Review Commission devoted significant time, effort, and expertise to studying the charter, engaging in careful deliberation, and considering best practices in municipal government.

2:17

And whereas the resulting charter amendments were approved by the citizens of PAL at the November 4th, 2025 municipal election.

2:25

Now, therefore, I, Heather Carr, by virtue of the authority vested in me as mayor of the City of PAL, Ohio, on behalf of City Council, does hereby express sincere appreciation and gratitude to the members of the Charter Review Commission for their valuable contributions, civic commitment, and their willingness to serve the community.

2:45

The results of their work serve the citizens of PAL for years to come.

2:50

Thank you so much.

3:12

Thank you so very much.

3:31

The next item on our agenda is citizen participation.

3:36

Anyone who wants to present an item that is not on the agenda, please come forward and state your name.

3:45

The Delaware Health District did provide flyers, which are in the packets and available with the agenda.

3:55

Seeing no citizen participation, I will move on to the next item on the agenda, which is approval of the minutes.

4:02

Has everyone had a chance to review the minutes that were in your packet?

4:07

Are there any additions or corrections?

4:11

Seeing none.

4:14

Is there a motion to approve the minutes?

4:16

So moved.

4:17

Second.

4:18

All those in favor say aye.

4:20

Aye.

4:21

Aye.

4:21

Those opposed, same sign.

4:23

The minutes are approved.

4:26

Okay.

4:27

The next item on our agenda is the consent agenda.

4:32

Is there anyone that wants to remove something from the consent agenda?

4:40

Seeing none.

4:41

I'm so sorry.

4:45

Seeing none, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented?

4:51

Adopt.

4:51

Second.

4:52

All those in favor say aye.

4:55

Aye.

4:55

Those opposed, same sign.

4:58

The consent agenda is approved.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████49%

Committee Reports██████████11%

Transportation Safety██████████11%

Economic Development███████8%

Real Estate Development██████7%

Personnel Matters██████6%

Public Engagement█████5%

Capital Improvements Planning███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Powell City Council Meeting - March 3, 2026

The Powell City Council met on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 7:30 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included a proclamation recognizing the Charter Review Commission, approval of routine items, adoption of a resolution extending the police chief's agreement, first readings of three ordinances, committee reports, and a city manager's report on economic development, parking, and infrastructure. Council then entered executive session.

Consent Calendar

Approved minutes from the February 17, 2026 council meeting.
Approved consent agenda including a liquor license transfer for Mavi E&E Restaurant LLC at 230 West Olentangy Street and Resolution 2026-18 appointing board, committee, and commission members.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public spoke. The Delaware Health District provided informational flyers available in meeting packets.

Discussion Items

Proclamation: Mayor Heather Carr presented a proclamation recognizing the Charter Review Commission (members Andy Moore, Philip Whittaker, Councilmember Tyler Herman, Chairman Dan Swartout) for their service leading to charter amendments approved by voters in November 2025.
Resolution 2026-19: City Manager Ron (last name not provided) presented a resolution authorizing an addendum to the retirement and reappointment agreement with Chief of Police R. Sallows. The addendum extends the term through 2030 and adds a termination and severance provision. It was stated that the budget is not affected. Council adopted the resolution unanimously.
Ordinance 2026-02 (First Reading, Emergency): This ordinance granted final acceptance of public improvements for the CoHatch commercial development, including a public parking lot and on-street public spaces. Staff confirmed that conditions of the 2023 agreement were met. Council suspended rules and adopted the ordinance unanimously.
Ordinance 2026-03 (First Reading): Amendments to numerous traffic code sections to align with state law changes, enabling consistent enforcement. Council suspended rules and adopted unanimously.
Ordinance 2026-04 (First Reading): Amendments to general offenses code sections (Part Five) to align with state law. Council suspended rules and adopted unanimously. In discussion, Police Chief Mike (first name only) clarified that minor misdemeanors are cited under city code while higher offenses are cited under state code to avoid taxpayer burden for imprisonment costs.
Committee Reports:
- Development Committee: Held a joint meeting with Operations on the Bennett Master Plan; next meeting April 7.
- Finance Committee: First meeting of the year scheduled March 10.
- Operations Committee: Next meeting March 17.
- Planning & Zoning Commission: Joint meeting with council March 11 at 6:30 PM.
- Powell Development Corporation: Met last week, passed new bylaws and code of regulations, changing board makeup and adding positions; next meeting March 24.
City Manager's Report:
- Attended an Over-the-Rhine mobile workshop with Cincinnati Center City Development (3CDC), which has overseen $2 billion reinvestment since 2006. Tools discussed (TIF, abatements, parking) are relevant to downtown Powell redevelopment.
- Joined Stronger Towns organization; shared article on parking minimums/maximums.
- Parking analysis using Placer AI: Currently net short approximately 300 public spaces out of 900 downtown. With CoHatch parking, shortfall reduces to about 100 spaces on peak days (e.g., Black Friday). The issue is more about connectivity, wayfinding, and access than overall supply.
- Property tax reform: Expressed concern that a ballot issue to eliminate property taxes may be on the fall ballot; noted need for counter-messaging.
- CSX private railroad crossing on Liberty: Due to CSX corporate restructuring, financial incentives for the project are postponed. The crossing is dangerous (a delivery driver was struck previously). The city will recalibrate efforts, possibly working with the township and property owners.
- Chamber of Commerce dinner: City received Business Partner of the Year award.
- Upcoming: State of the Region on March 20 at 11 AM; city manager will coordinate transportation for council members.
- Pedestrian crossing in front of the library is proceeding as planned (funded, scheduled first half of 2026).

Key Outcomes

Minutes from February 17, 2026 approved unanimously.
Consent agenda approved unanimously.
Resolution 2026-19 adopted unanimously (extending police chief's agreement).
Ordinance 2026-02 adopted as an emergency (final acceptance of CoHatch public improvements) unanimously.
Ordinance 2026-03 adopted unanimously (traffic code updates).
Ordinance 2026-04 adopted unanimously (general offenses updates).
Council voted unanimously to enter executive session under Ohio Revised Code 121.22(G)(1) (personnel), (G)(2) (property purchase), (G)(3) (attorney conference on imminent court action), and (G)(8) (economic development confidential information).

Meeting Transcript

All right, I will call the Pell City Council meeting for March 3rd to order. Elaine, will you please call the roll? Yes, thank you. Reef Carlson. Tom Counts. Carlos Crawford. Present. Taylor Herman. Heather Carr. Here. David Lester. Kurt Ramsey. Here. We could please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God indivisible for liberty and justice for all. The first item on our agenda is a presentation. We have a proclamation recognizing the Charter Review Commission. I think I'll go ahead and do it up front if all the members would meet me up front, which we are missing Philip. So Tyler, Andy, and Dan. There you go. All right. So this is a proclamation thanking the Charter Review Commission for their service to the City of PAL. Whereas the Powell City Charter serves as the foundational governing document of the city, establishing the structure, powers, and responsibilities of local government. And whereas periodic review of the charter is essential to ensure that it remains clear, effective, and responsive to the needs of the community. And whereas the Charter Review Commission consisting of members Andy Moore, Philip Whittaker, Councilmember Tyler Herman, and Chairman Dan Swartout was duly appointed in May of 2024 to conduct a thorough and thoughtful examination of the Charter's provisions. And whereas, excuse me, the members of the Charter Review Commission devoted significant time, effort, and expertise to studying the charter, engaging in careful deliberation, and considering best practices in municipal government. And whereas the resulting charter amendments were approved by the citizens of PAL at the November 4th, 2025 municipal election. Now, therefore, I, Heather Carr, by virtue of the authority vested in me as mayor of the City of PAL, Ohio, on behalf of City Council, does hereby express sincere appreciation and gratitude to the members of the Charter Review Commission for their valuable contributions, civic commitment, and their willingness to serve the community. The results of their work serve the citizens of PAL for years to come. Thank you so much. Thank you so very much. The next item on our agenda is citizen participation. Anyone who wants to present an item that is not on the agenda, please come forward and state your name. The Delaware Health District did provide flyers, which are in the packets and available with the agenda. Seeing no citizen participation, I will move on to the next item on the agenda, which is approval of the minutes. Has everyone had a chance to review the minutes that were in your packet? Are there any additions or corrections? Seeing none. Is there a motion to approve the minutes? So moved. Second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Those opposed, same sign. The minutes are approved. Okay. The next item on our agenda is the consent agenda.

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