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Record of Proceedings

Powell City Council Meeting – April 7, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, April 7, 2026
BodyPowell, Ohio
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, April 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 26:07

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:01

Okay, I will call to order the uh city council meeting for Tuesday, April 7th.

0:07

Elaine, please call the roll.

0:09

Lee Carlson?

0:10

Here.

0:12

Here.

0:12

Carlos Crawford?

0:14

Here.

0:14

Taylor Herman is absent.

0:16

Heather Carr?

0:17

Here.

0:18

David Lester is absent.

0:19

And Kurt Ramsey.

0:21

Here.

0:22

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:27

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and choose a republic for which it stands.

0:33

One nation under individual with liberty and justice for all.

0:51

Okay, the next item on our agenda is citizen participation.

0:55

It's an opportunity for anybody here to speak on an item which is not on our agenda tonight.

1:00

If you'd like to speak, uh please come to the podium, state your name and address, and you have three minutes.

1:07

Okay, seeing none, we'll close the citizen participation portion of it.

1:11

The next item on our agenda is the approval of the minutes.

1:14

Those were included in your materials.

1:17

Are there any additions or corrections to be made to the minutes?

1:21

Is there a motion to adopt?

1:23

Motion to adopt.

1:24

Second.

1:25

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

1:27

Aye.

1:28

Aye.

1:28

Those opposed, same sign.

1:30

The minutes from our last meeting are approved.

1:33

The next item is our consent agenda.

1:36

Our consent agenda is a group of items that are grouped together and which we take a vote on.

1:45

Council has an opportunity to remove any item.

1:48

There's only one here.

1:50

Anybody would wish to remove this from the consent agenda.

1:54

Okay.

1:55

I would note that the item is a uh liquor transfer, and our applicants are here tonight.

2:04

Um so just want to make mention of that, Andy.

2:06

Did you have anything else that you'd like to say?

2:08

Just that we're excited.

2:09

Uh this is uh relative to 50 old tangies, so or the old church property.

2:14

Um vacant for the last several years.

2:16

So we're excited to partner with the owner and the operator.

2:20

Um and Sean's been working closely with them to get to this point.

2:22

So I know it's just a consent agenda item, but it's pretty valuable in this process, and uh we'd like to get moving as soon as possible.

2:29

So thank you for retaining it on the consent agenda.

2:32

And love to see activity across the street.

2:34

That would be great.

2:36

Um so we have the consent agenda.

2:38

Is there any uh one that wishes to move to um adopt the consent agenda?

2:43

I'll move.

2:44

Second.

2:45

Second.

2:46

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

2:48

Aye.

2:49

Aye.

2:49

Those opposed, same sign.

2:51

The consent agenda is adopted.

2:54

The next item on our agenda is resolution 2026-22.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████37%
Tree Management███████████████████████████27%
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Public Engagement████████8%
Public Safety██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Powell City Council Meeting – April 7, 2026

The Powell City Council met on April 7, 2026 at 7:30 PM at 47 Hall Street. The meeting included unanimous approval of a consent agenda liquor permit transfer, two fleet vehicle resolutions, and three tree-related ordinances adopted on first reading after suspension of rules. Council also received committee reports and moved into executive session for property, legal, and economic development discussions.

Consent Calendar

  • Liquor Permit Transfer (TREX Application): The Division of Liquor Control application for Hawk's Board Room LLC (50 W. Olentangy Street, former church property) for D-1, D-2, and D-3 permits was approved unanimously. City Manager Andy and Sean expressed excitement about the project, noting the property had been vacant for several years.

Resolutions

  • Resolution 2026-22 (Mower Purchase): Authorized purchase of a 2025 Lazer Z X-Series 38 HP mower from Voss Brothers Power Equipment for $57,000 (budgeted). Public Service Director Charles stated the mower has a wider span than current equipment and will be used at Biddett Farms, increasing efficiency with additional staff. Adopted unanimously without public comment.
  • Resolution 2026-23 (Truck Purchase): Authorized purchase of a 2026 Ford F-250 Super Cab 4x4 pickup from Byers Automotive Fleet Services for $57,000 (budgeted). The truck will be used for various tasks, can tow trailers, and will be outfitted with accessory lighting but no plow at this time. Adopted unanimously without public comment.

Ordinances (All Adopted on First Reading with Suspension of Rules)

  • Ordinance 2026-06 (Abolish Parks and Recreation Advisory Board): Abolished Chapter 153 to remove antiquated language, a step toward retaining Tree City USA status after being notified of best practice changes needed by 2026. Council voted unanimously to suspend rules and adopt.
  • Ordinance 2026-07 (Establish Tree Board): Enacted new Chapter 153 creating a Tree Board with up to six members (chair and five additional). Staff noted two city employees are pursuing arborist certification and would likely serve to maintain quorum. Adopted unanimously after suspension of rules.
  • Ordinance 2026-08 (Tree Care Ordinance): Enacted Chapter 154 establishing regulations for public tree care, planting, maintenance, and protection. City Manager stated Powell's per capita tree spending is roughly 15 times the Tree City USA requirement. The ordinance includes a preferred tree list for public right-of-way plantings. Adopted unanimously after suspension of rules.

Committee Reports

  • Development Committee: Met April 7; discussed Bennett Farm Path update and downtown parking strategy. Next meeting: May 6, 2026 at 6:30 PM (date change due to Primary Election).
  • Finance Committee: Next meeting: May 12, 2026 at 7:00 PM.
  • Operations Committee: Next meeting: April 21, 2026 at 6:30 PM.
  • Planning & Zoning Commission: Next meeting: April 8, 2026 at 6:30 PM. No items reported.
  • Powell Development Corporation: Seeded 8 of 9 new board directors; interviewing for a ninth. Next meeting moved to lunch format at COhatch (Hall's Corner conference room) on April 28, 2026 at noon.

City Manager's Report

  • State of the City: Scheduled for April 14, 2026 at the Zoo. Doors open at 5:30 PM with light refreshments and an animal encounter; presentation at 7:30 PM. Open to the public.
  • Downtown Parking Strategy: Staff recommended formalizing a shared-use parking policy to leverage private parking spaces, potentially saving millions compared to building a deck (estimated $15–16 million for 300 spots). Council to consider a formal legislative policy.
  • Thanks to Joe Bachelor: For serving as acting law director.

Executive Session

  • Council voted unanimously to enter executive session under Ohio Revised Code Sections 121.22(G)(2) (property purchase), (G)(3) (conference with attorney re imminent court action), and (G)(8) (economic development assistance). No public action was expected afterward.

Public Participation

  • No members of the public spoke during citizen participation or on any agenda items.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, I will call to order the uh city council meeting for Tuesday, April 7th. Elaine, please call the roll. Lee Carlson? Here. Here. Carlos Crawford? Here. Taylor Herman is absent. Heather Carr? Here. David Lester is absent. And Kurt Ramsey. Here. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and choose a republic for which it stands. One nation under individual with liberty and justice for all. Okay, the next item on our agenda is citizen participation. It's an opportunity for anybody here to speak on an item which is not on our agenda tonight. If you'd like to speak, uh please come to the podium, state your name and address, and you have three minutes. Okay, seeing none, we'll close the citizen participation portion of it. The next item on our agenda is the approval of the minutes. Those were included in your materials. Are there any additions or corrections to be made to the minutes? Is there a motion to adopt? Motion to adopt. Second. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Those opposed, same sign. The minutes from our last meeting are approved. The next item is our consent agenda. Our consent agenda is a group of items that are grouped together and which we take a vote on. Council has an opportunity to remove any item. There's only one here. Anybody would wish to remove this from the consent agenda. Okay. I would note that the item is a uh liquor transfer, and our applicants are here tonight. Um so just want to make mention of that, Andy. Did you have anything else that you'd like to say? Just that we're excited. Uh this is uh relative to 50 old tangies, so or the old church property. Um vacant for the last several years. So we're excited to partner with the owner and the operator. Um and Sean's been working closely with them to get to this point. So I know it's just a consent agenda item, but it's pretty valuable in this process, and uh we'd like to get moving as soon as possible. So thank you for retaining it on the consent agenda. And love to see activity across the street. That would be great. Um so we have the consent agenda.

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