[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6072718,"mediaKeyId","3007603-630820f672de6c322492bddbd2c1f812","parentId",3007603,"title","Council debates street‑name change policy; staff to draft disclosure and cost estimates ahead of vote","audioSeconds",1668,"startMs",1869000,"endMs",3537000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3007603-630820f672de6c322492bddbd2c1f812&start=1869&end=3537","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3007603-630820f672de6c322492bddbd2c1f812/thumbnail_1869000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6072718/Upper-Arlington/Franklin-County/Ohio/Council-debates-streetname-change-policy-staff-to-draft-disclosure-and-cost-estimates-ahead-of-vote","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6072718-f58433a528439bb8781ca583f812c054/orig.mp4?Expires=1771190293&Signature=CK9qUdOE16F85ZxlFTniN4iq~mha5i2oowWJnkqngFf0XEdqE6tfNjtwB9GjJbRsSQ0M1~KUkGShhg55a5-O4PCdnRLIO1IEOaaF6Ce6ywZSzTYS9b0EvPi3Qdw0rbIl41rl01GrbFjAFT8vkSM7ZZgPJBxczBLv4rd2~WAcoiHT990nhZ8p0e6mCMf5~~HCUCnc91x-wkxdl8zcyb3XqZfXZxAAGXvGs1OwiN6iBI5Svg3FrZ0RLecXrGU5KTiRIo2NaaClgKfKOD9Vw9CEZtfGGrMRf5JvKZo9R2Kf45qpeTxZO4qjpvqxQOVXsvbCf77zw6SB03VV9IXXB6kD7w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Upper Arlington OH","date","2025-04-14T00:00:00Z","article","The City Attorney presented a draft resolution on April 14 to create a policy and procedure for requesting street‑name changes in Upper Arlington, and councilmembers spent the bulk of the legislative portion of the meeting debating petition thresholds, fees and resident notification.

City Attorney Shulman said the draft policy is a follow-up to a citizen request and a previous October 7, 2024 review; the goal is to create a consistent process for evaluating name‑change requests. Shulman explained the draft drew on best practices from other cities and that three elements—petition signature threshold, application fee, and whether a portion of the fee is refundable if the request is denied—were likely to draw council amendments.

The draft that staff circulated used a high threshold (about 90% of property owners on the affected street) and a suggested $500 application fee with a $100 nonrefundable component if the request is denied. Shulman said staff recommended a policy (a resolution) rather than an ordinance to retain flexibility as the city gains experience with the process.

Councilmembers raised several recurring concerns and clarifying points: whether the policy would prevent council from initiating a street name change (members asked staff to add explicit language preserving council’s authority to act on its own initiative), how to ensure residents signing a petition understand potential personal costs, and how to handle signature validity if residents move before certification.

Councilmember Wakulwitz asked whether the policy would bar council-initiated renamings; Shulman and staff said it would not and agreed to add explicit language preserving council’s prerogative. Councilmember Lynch and others urged a stronger disclosure requirement for petition signers, so that signers know they may need to update deeds, driver’s licenses, passports, insurance policies and subscriptions. Shulman said the deed-recording cost could be the largest expense for many residents because recorded documents often incur per‑page fees.

Several councilmembers suggested lowering the petition threshold from the draft 90% to 80%; staff said 80% falls within the range used by other local governments and that staff would be “largely agnostic” but preferred a higher threshold to avoid burdening property owners who did not support the change. Councilmembers asked staff to provide: (1) a clearer disclosure or notice requirement to accompany petition forms, and (2) a better estimate of staff time and the likely city cost to prepare the report and to replace street signs. Shulman and staff agreed to prepare proposed amendment language and to include those items in the packet for the next meeting.

Council directed staff to organize potential amendments (thresholds, application fee/refund rules, disclosure language) so members and the public can review them before a vote. If council members want to propose additional amendments, they were asked to email them to the city attorney in advance so staff can package the options for a future vote. The resolution will return for consideration at the next meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Upper Arlington OH, City Council Meeting - April 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City Attorney presented a draft policy establishing procedures and fees for citizen‑initiated street‑name changes; councilmembers debated signature thresholds (proposed 90% vs. suggested 80%), a $500 application fee, and whether council can still initiate renamings. Staff will prepare amendments and a cost estimate for council packet.","taxTitle","Upper Arlington, Franklin County, Ohio","taxId",65958,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6072722,"Council advances multiple infrastructure contracts to second reading, including street reconstruction and sewer projects",520,1323000,1843000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3007603-630820f672de6c322492bddbd2c1f812&start=1323&end=1843","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3007603-630820f672de6c322492bddbd2c1f812/thumbnail_1323000.jpg","/articles/6072722/Upper-Arlington/Franklin-County/Ohio/Council-advances-multiple-infrastructure-contracts-to-second-reading-including-street-reconstruction-and-sewer-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6072722-0e6d95ef791751508949ab61f18a892f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771190293&Signature=JzGGPwSb44Fh8kQXHa32HFmk1UvLZwaYdFI1JJAbMtYJ9QupagXYUNOBKyg6T1QrY5erZyTb86bUOSvTqjzW8nOMIGC2F5KrGF3tyTImYpQrp7GVNduKWRMHMMb5rO-uv0SFSC4b6DiidsM-l~U9Q63wWDZSeO-po3II5vGxkqpShvuWyb-GTR2DX0b1~hfTfQwF2ZnsZiOxqH4zwGXcX1wmvbQNMql57YZe1Yo8i1yqC737S9Lx2qS5FOwY-ifpn3s~nW3ureDKIdThuUVCHduTqTw-0T9wLi5H43n~i8p1pW0t0oQF0f6w41eGCpmYABRM75DZ3V8WMmZQdNupiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Upper Arlington City Council on April 14 took first readings on several infrastructure items and said each will return for a second reading and formal action at a later meeting.

Ordinance 12-2025 would authorize the city manager to enter a contract with Strauser Paving Company for construction services for the 2025 street reconstruction project. Councilmembers asked whether changes to the city's street-scoring methodology altered which streets would be included; staff said no streets for this year were shifted because staff wanted to avoid disrupting schedules and utility coordination. Councilmember Adams asked why several projects came in under budget; staff attributed lower prices largely to market conditions and increased competition among bidders, particularly lower asphalt prices.

Ordinance 13-2025 would authorize a contract with Performance Pipelining Inc. for the 2025 sustainable sewer solution project. Staff said this contract is a stand-alone project to comply with an Ohio EPA‑approved program that began in 2017 and must be completed by 2028. Councilmember Kulowitz asked whether the city is on schedule under that timetable; staff responded that the city is on schedule and that the work will include cast‑in‑place polymer lining.

Ordinance 14-2025 would authorize a contract with Performance Piping for 2025 sanitary sewer repair projects. Staff explained the repair projects are separate from the sustainable sewer project and are used each year to respond to locations identified during routine inspections.

Resolution 4-2025 would authorize the city's participation in the Ohio Department of Transportation cooperative contract program for rock salt. Staff discussed multi‑year usage trends and confirmed the city is not close to storage capacity; councilmembers asked whether pre‑treatments such as beet‑juice mixes could affect salt demand, and staff said beet‑juice is generally a pre‑treatment and that the city pursues sensible salting practices.

All four items were taken to a second reading for formal council action at a later meeting.","Council heard first readings for three construction contracts and a resolution to join ODOT's rock-salt purchasing program; staff said the sewer work will comply with Ohio EPA schedules and street bids have been lower than anticipated.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6072726,"Upper Arlington finance director reports healthy income-tax receipts; community center opens with strong membership",0,1080000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3007603-630820f672de6c322492bddbd2c1f812&start=1080&end=1080","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3007603-630820f672de6c322492bddbd2c1f812/thumbnail_1080000.jpg","/articles/6072726/Upper-Arlington/Franklin-County/Ohio/Upper-Arlington-finance-director-reports-healthy-income-tax-receipts-community-center-opens-with-strong-membership","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6072726-6b76f46c85eb5c7ae53da0d62c5b4705/orig.mp4?Expires=1771190293&Signature=YEA36t9rcFy-Gib7QiMIFK9igAA53omaEEBmvjGOJmt77Mf-SMVL0xfDU1bF44hjC7B0t4qzZdI5urjDMwBJ5qU9NWFxogNIQLzLuEdk7JiWhr1MCeKJRbfw2UuYbVn~SDe~VUlFUcrpOCxGSxM4SVk5uJAj6MH3HKcxiaCrpasE0vt4iko~tSPIxvBXYBVD3KgwoZ6RSYaEx2UomE~CELQbk3PCYGLPurMCUhlsl5C4Xp6ZYoAnNLooGve8Wb4EhDcAp3NWRFT-DW7V~WA9-EV2LUziWdr7dG1gh7kvY70h97d6XAFmVPAlyKjhqlpyqS8NmHTOxxm9u93NHN5EzQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Upper Arlington finance director told the City Council on April 14 that income-tax receipts are running above expectations while two restricted funds showed temporary negative balances.

Finance Director Lewis said the city’s income tax is about 4% above the adopted budget for the first two months of the year and about 6% higher than at the same point last year. “Income tax is looking good,” Lewis said during the finance report for February 2025.

Lewis highlighted two items of note in the February report: a negative fund balance in the capital equipment fund and a negative revenue number in the solid-waste fund. She said the capital equipment shortfall reflects ordered equipment and that real-estate tax receipts arriving in March and an internal transfer from the general fund will correct that balance when the March report is prepared.

On the solid-waste fund, Lewis said the negative balance stems from two factors: (1) staff have not yet processed a transfer to cover an earlier fee waiver for first-half utility charges, and (2) the waiver caused an accounting allocation issue because utility payments are split across solid waste, stormwater and neighborhood lighting components. Lewis said the city expects the allocation issue to correct itself when the second-half bills are issued and delinquent special-assessment payments posted in March.

Councilmember Kulowitz asked how the city will track the community center’s financial performance; Lewis said the city will include a financial statement for the community center in the monthly packet, likely beginning with the April report. Councilmember Kulowitz also asked whether recent market movements require any investment changes; Lewis said the city remains conservative and is in touch with its investment adviser.

Assistant City Manager Theo reported that the community center opened officially on April 6 and entered full operations a week before the meeting. “Membership numbers are over 5,500 now,” Theo told the council, a figure staff said exceeds initial projections of roughly 2,500 and sits within the planning range of 3,000–6,000 as operations normalize. Theo said operations have been “going well” and cited about 1,600 visitors at the ribbon-cutting event.

The council approved the consent agenda at the start of the meeting; the finance report and legislative items referenced at first reading will return for council action at later meetings.","Finance director says income-tax receipts are above budget while staff explain temporary negative balances in capital equipment and solid-waste funds; the city reports the new community center has more than 5,500 members after one week of operations.","actionData","errors"]

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Council debates street‑name change policy; staff to draft disclosure and cost estimates ahead of vote

Council advances multiple infrastructure contracts to second reading, including street reconstruction and sewer projects

Upper Arlington finance director reports healthy income-tax receipts; community center opens with strong membership