[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",6259509,"mediaKeyId","3141049-38ed6fea2d7bcad565c87acb3383ce01","parentId",3141049,"title","Hilliard council approves TIF-style service-payment agreement, accepts sewer work and OKs school weight-room addition","audioSeconds",659,"startMs",1152000,"endMs",1811000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3141049-38ed6fea2d7bcad565c87acb3383ce01&start=1152&end=1811","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3141049-38ed6fea2d7bcad565c87acb3383ce01/thumbnail_1152000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6259509/Hilliard/Franklin-County/Ohio/Hilliard-council-approves-TIF-style-service-payment-agreement-accepts-sewer-work-and-OKs-school-weight-room-addition","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6259509-e215568a032644ac34e6aafde8577692/orig.mp4?Expires=1771226725&Signature=W4PBnizzLJ35T3-kX6wgWdXMP53cMydL7tdxkHSCkMutW5z5W~d-ooXOVNwHF1odppmvPCfvysGELehNnNEUZiw8TaaYlcKKPwQqJlFKTYYmBAPrnHPibhEpRflRt2M6h2bt6-vefRmJd6NHHZjfZLkKHCqWurJzc-b~DC60x~Hx5QEXLNjNRhxQYaH7-hohirPv9qrGMoyrO6JJALM~dMz3NaL2-pxfhleKghUanvG9prUA007VQtAYaYu7Id2tzNsfOUMzEZAOvj9S8-lGzAiRFTHMYBhUe4cBNxxpMIJNTTGJoILNhgvvhZdwGwP3SYvgczzKmgbMplrWKxgfSw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Hilliard, OH ","date","2025-04-29T00:34:10.747Z","article","Hilliard City Council on April 28 approved an ordinance to authorize service payments in lieu of taxes for improvements at a development and established a public improvement tax increment equivalent fund; it also accepted sanitary sewer public improvements for the Edwards Farms Innovation Center and granted conditional-use approval for a 4,400-square-foot accessory weight room at Hilliard Darby High School.

The council voted 4-0 on Ordinance 25-08, which declares certain real-property improvements to be a public purpose, exempts those improvements from real property taxation and authorizes execution of a service-payment agreement with the developer and a compensation agreement with Brown Township. The council approved the consent agenda item 25R30, accepting sanitary sewer public improvements from EFIC Partners, LLC for Edwards Farms Innovation Center. Resolution 25R31, authorizing the conditional use for the Hilliard Darby High School accessory weight room at 4200 Leopard Road in the S-1 Supportive Services District, also passed by roll call vote.

Nut graf: The measures affect planned development financing and school campus facilities. The ordinance creates an account for service payments tied to the developer’s public improvements and signals the council’s assent to the specific development and school-campus work presented at the meeting.

Ordinance 25-08
The ordinance’s title describes several elements: declaring improvements a public purpose, exempting them from real property taxation, requiring service payments in lieu of taxes, identifying public infrastructure improvements that will benefit the property, authorizing a service payment agreement with the developer, authorizing a compensation agreement with Brown Township, and establishing a public improvement tax increment equivalent fund for deposit of service payments. A staff member said projected amounts that will go to the school district and the township were provided to council in advance and that staff could answer further questions.

Council members recorded as voting yes were Ms. Hale, Mr. Carrier, Ms. Vermillion and President Tina Catone (roll call recorded in the transcript). The ordinance “has passed and will be in effect at the earliest date allowable by law,” the clerk said.

Consent agenda: sanitary sewer acceptance
The consent agenda included item 25R30, accepting sanitary sewer public improvements from EFIC Partners, LLC for Edwards Farms Innovation Center. The council approved the consent agenda by voice vote.

Resolution 25R31 — Hilliard Darby High School
Staff described the proposed 4,400-square-foot weight-room building as sited behind the main building and with minimal impact under traditional conditional-use standards. The council approved the conditional use by roll call and the resolution is “in effect at the earliest date allowable by law,” the clerk said.

Other business and next steps
Several code amendments and fee updates were taken up as readings and were scheduled for additional hearings or readings: Ordinance 25-09 (amendments to the comprehensive fee schedule; first reading with second reading/public hearing set for May 12, 2025), Ordinance 25-10 (amending flood-damage prevention chapters to allow the city engineer to appoint a flood-plain administrator; second reading/public hearing set for May 12, 2025), Ordinance 25-11 (amending the city operating budget to add personnel in the finance department; second reading/public hearing May 12, 2025), and Ordinance 25-12 (amending local code to align with House Bill 37 and sections of the Ohio Revised Code related to OVI; second reading/public hearing May 12, 2025).

Votes at a glance
- Consent item 25R30 — Acceptance of sanitary sewer public improvements (EFIC Partners, LLC): approved (voice vote).
- Ordinance 25-08 — Service payments in lieu of taxes / public improvement tax increment equivalent fund: approved by roll call (yes: Ms. Hale; Mr. Carrier; Ms. Vermillion; President Tina Catone). Outcome: approved.
- Resolution 25R31 — Conditional use for 4,400-square-foot accessory weight-room building at Hilliard Darby High School (4200 Leopard Road): approved by roll call (yes: Ms. Hale; Mr. Carrier; Ms. Vermillion; President Tina Catone). Outcome: approved.

Ending: Council scheduled second readings/public hearings for several ordinances on May 12, 2025; no formal actions on those items were taken at this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council - Apr 28 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Hilliard City Council on April 28 approved an ordinance to authorize service payments in lieu of taxes for a development and established a public improvement tax increment equivalent fund, accepted sanitary sewer improvements for the Edwards Farms Innovation Center and granted conditional-use approval for a 4,400-square-foot weight room at Hilliard Darby High School.","taxTitle","Hilliard, Franklin County, Ohio","taxId",52752,"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},6259499,"Hilliard honors City Engineer Clark Rausch on 35 years of public service",513,258000,771000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3141049-38ed6fea2d7bcad565c87acb3383ce01&start=258&end=771","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3141049-38ed6fea2d7bcad565c87acb3383ce01/thumbnail_258000.jpg","/articles/6259499/Hilliard/Franklin-County/Ohio/Hilliard-honors-City-Engineer-Clark-Rausch-on-35-years-of-public-service","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6259499-a92b4ad89a5d5e11e730fa7a7799c607/orig.mp4?Expires=1771226725&Signature=U7fg~yIZ0v4Mi8gHQl-a-PitwiFNVjBJr0SvoiJ7x60aN0RS8V5TNL2jm65E0oJxGypQc8mQlJ94vdnyRSqsTERXh5ySOf1J8R8-dYfTs7ytU48RPzqFEpjSzUNOqtDmDqtoMhGxDINMrY20cu60XBId6BmXJ6T2rPMLgU6PYlWHnOFU74kXDUavu8bMfK37zzHgt1ntmhifwVBfh0TbOPWu7k1S3L8PPx1bQ2I0hCd8Aq2BjaSSwUw1vsAlOFDyrDp1lnUcdSwA9KOABDn-VkfHZ~eGiLdQZxuX6DkkxB01lm7EDIfDXAIVHorMIgA0RHeAuN6LQyng11BzHf4r9Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Hilliard City Council on April 28 presented a proclamation honoring City Engineer Clark Rausch, who the proclamation and Rausch’s remarks said will retire at the end of the month after 35 years of public service.

City Manager Michelle Crandall read the proclamation, which noted that Rausch graduated as valedictorian from Hilliard High School, graduated from The Ohio State University, worked for the Delaware County Engineer's Office and the city of Delaware, and returned to Hilliard in October 1994 to serve as an engineer, deputy city engineer and city engineer. Crandall said Rausch combined “technical expertise, innovative thinking, and collaborative spirit” and praised his institutional knowledge.

“Clark knows where a lot of stuff is buried,” Crandall said, listing water lines and sewer lines as examples and noting Rausch’s institutional knowledge. The proclamation presented by Crandall declared recognition of Rausch’s dedication and service on April 28, 2025.

Rausch accepted the proclamation and thanked former mayors and City Manager Crandall for giving him the opportunity to work for the city he grew up in. He thanked his family — his wife Corey and daughter Bailey were present, and his son Drew could not attend — and said he had lived or worked in Hilliard for all but about nine years of his life.

Nut graf: The council used the meeting’s recognition segment to formally thank a long-serving city engineer whose work, staff members said, included oversight of public works projects and institutional knowledge the city will need to transfer during an upcoming retirement.

Ending: The proclamation ceremony concluded before the council moved on to agenda business. The transcript records no follow-up action attached to the proclamation.","At the April 28 meeting the council presented a proclamation to City Engineer Clark Rausch recognizing 35 years of public service and his retirement at the end of the month.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6259504,"Residents urge changes to parking rules and sidewalks; family urges restraint over memorial controversy",354,611000,965000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3141049-38ed6fea2d7bcad565c87acb3383ce01&start=611&end=965","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3141049-38ed6fea2d7bcad565c87acb3383ce01/thumbnail_611000.jpg","/articles/6259504/Hilliard/Franklin-County/Ohio/Residents-urge-changes-to-parking-rules-and-sidewalks-family-urges-restraint-over-memorial-controversy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6259504-58c72dab3657ebe7b636707357f7fb57/orig.mp4?Expires=1771226725&Signature=nXuJJHdRM5dARYtxw~5p9XCj05xBmJrAfAL3-TnX~Kw2NNJ6UZ3-DMQhLTI5bnFoguVsDLIPeqvvKdBCYylMe3Fli00YaN49VYEv0KKVW9-DfbYIJEmryVYB4Hjzh12vmYlS8Ye95Et7VBnjIDXKWLwEosZcNpg0lreO38AU5DYLjEyq~50cmKld49OVEcVLy9~mnUUK~vwVfwcoDRZAbfmU3pG1DAhzA2~ps9Et-zdzEEiliPQX4WGoTgFY1fuktM7lUyRE84BWeiRGSUs-xKUne826mKaT~jtRfdNt0quHFOWVgViBLFQ2cvZL5aRWl4G0TSlpSK9dZdW25H3E6w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During public comment at the Hilliard City Council meeting on April 28, three residents addressed council: Ellie Ward asked the council to stop “dragging [her] dad’s name through the mud” in a dispute she described over a proposed memorial; Anthony Schonfeldt urged the council to consider removing or reducing the city’s minimum parking requirements in Chapter 1127 of the codified ordinances; and Laith Habow asked council to prioritize walkability and improved sidewalks.

Ellie Ward, who identified herself as a West Jefferson resident, said she had come prepared for an “angry” speech and described the emotional impact of what she characterized as council members’ public scrutiny of her deceased father. “I was once again shown how cruel people can be,” she said, and asked council members not to “continue dragging my dad’s name through the mud.” Ward said she wanted a park honoring her father and argued the council’s handling of records and due diligence had been unfair to her family.

Anthony Schonfeldt, 3065 Golden Oak Drive, told the council that minimum parking requirements in Chapter 1127 of the city code make housing more expensive, hurt small businesses and force residents to subsidize car infrastructure. “Removing these mandates doesn't mean banning parking. It simply means giving businesses, builders, and residents the freedom to choose what they need,” Schonfeldt said, and urged council members to work with staff and the planning and zoning commission to begin conversations about changing the code.

Laith Habow, 1775 Ridgebury Drive, spoke on walkability and sidewalk conditions in Hilliard. Habow said the city's “walk score” is low and described cracked sidewalks, sections that end abruptly and cars parked on sidewalks. “Walking allows us to be healthier and it allows us to have more economic freedom,” Habow said, and asked the council for more funding and attention to pedestrian infrastructure.

Nut graf: Public commenters highlighted both a local family dispute over a proposed memorial and policy issues — parking minimums and sidewalk maintenance — that callers said affect housing affordability, local business access and day-to-day mobility.

Council response and next steps
Council did not take formal action on the matters raised during public comment at this meeting. The issues Schonfeldt and Habow raised were framed as requests for staff study and future discussion; councilmembers and staff did not announce specific follow-up deadlines during the meeting.

Ending: The council moved on to its legislative agenda after the public-comment period; no votes or formal directives tied to the public comments were recorded in the transcript.","Three residents used the public-comment period to press council on three topics: a family member asked council to stop public scrutiny of her late father in a naming controversy, a resident urged reducing minimum parking requirements in city code, and another asked for more funding and attention to walkability and sidewalks.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Hilliard council approves TIF-style service-payment agreement, accepts sewer work and OKs school weight-room addition

Hilliard honors City Engineer Clark Rausch on 35 years of public service

Residents urge changes to parking rules and sidewalks; family urges restraint over memorial controversy