After the approval of additional funds for a water educational center, an updated Main Street Delaware contract along with first readings related to the Coughlin’s Crossing development, the Delaware City Council briefly mentioned the failed income tax road levy at its meeting Monday night.
More than 60 percent of Delaware voters rejected raising the income tax to 2 percent from 1.85 percent to raise $2.2 million annually for road maintenance and improvement projects, according to unofficial results from the Delaware County Board of Elections.
“At some point, we’ll want to schedule some time with council and the community about what the next steps are,” said City Manager Tom Homan. “Because the needs will not go away and they have to be addressed. It was very unfortunate but it happened.”
Councilman Joe DiGenova, 3rd Ward, publicly thanked the two of the city’s 27 precincts, from his ward, that voted for the levy.
“I was kind of pleased with that,” he said.
But it was business as usual for council members, who approved a supplement from corporate sponsors for a water educational center at the city’s new water plant, 3080 U.S. Route 23. The city wanted to have a space dedicated to the background of the city’s water supply for residents, schools and local companies.
“We want to educate our citizens but also a lot our school-aged children,” Homan said.
The city budgeted $85,000 in 2015 for Clayton, Ohio-based Display Dynamics to design, construct and install the center’s exhibits and received $7,650 from sponsors such as the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Delaware Community Foundation.
Public Utilities Director Brad Stanton said they are looking at additional sponsors to enhance some exhibits and hope to have the center operational before the end of the year.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a resolution to indicate what services the city will provide for more than 20 acres of the Coughlin’s Crossing development site. The resolution is the first step of the annexation process for a portion of the 80-acre site, located between U.S. Route 23 and Stratford Road, north of Meeker Way. The council may accept or reject the final annexation at a later date. Planning Director Dave Efland gave a brief presentation of the development, while a public hearing was scheduled for the developer’s rezoning requests at 7:45 p.m. Nov. 28.
• Approved $12,618.13 in funds from the Ohio Development Services Agency to administer Community Housing Impact & Preservation program to supplement an existing grant award to the Delaware Metropolitan Housing Authority. The housing agency received $250,000 for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance program to assist about 30 low-income families. The additional income will provide rent assistance for two or three additional families.
• Approved an agreement with Heritage Ohio, the parent nonprofit of Main Street Delaware, that will take effect Jan. 1. The agreement includes new requirements for the trademark sub-license agreement with the National Main Street Center Inc.
