[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-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",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_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",6059928,"mediaKeyId","3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a","parentId",3293448,"title","Hilliard Council tightens public‑comment rules in package vote; settles on 3‑minute standard with discretionary extensions","audioSeconds",1797,"startMs",3495000,"endMs",5292000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a&start=3495&end=5292","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a/thumbnail_3495000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6059928/Hilliard/Franklin-County/Ohio/Hilliard-Council-tightens-publiccomment-rules-in-package-vote-settles-on-3minute-standard-with-discretionary-extensions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6059928-901b0b4e7ebbec61514d901eee6125e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775307411&Signature=X3ObgDzoMg~el-B22A4~n9qjlIU7mtUoRuveG52e9m2VZ5Pot4OUYzvqGDRtn-v9Vr0WmJbLcpb6tz3BumaEnHjt4eqk78Mpov8UvcQwQY~X0QJ3zjWs3qoI46Ejk2MWoHa72NuGQ0Fk-vsDJhwXPuoBfg4hRMdNtpJsorDbAvXuDZYdqO8X0g6W4hK58r7bbx~~mHw38AQjWaRjBToMdn44C4gfOFf7IIyJw9rXyO9f-ENQFIWyQAIgHphna2E-5sFsLhWUaYS2BlqSzna-ZXZw2EA3sSDnZc32AiMdnr3wpm~bbk-JZvC0D0aYgoNzq7EZNoWbNMBX2nfEFCPbUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Hilliard, OH ","date","2025-05-13T12:46:07Z","article","The Hilliard City Council concluded a multi‑meeting review of council rules on May 12 and voted to adopt the updated rules package, 6‑1.

The discussion centered on public participation limits. Staff had surveyed neighboring jurisdictions and recommended clearer written limits so members and the public know expected time allotments. Council settled on maintaining a 3‑minute default for public comment on items not on the agenda and retaining the current practice of allowing a short additional period when appropriate. For second‑reading public hearings (items tied to ordinances), council agreed to allow a longer maximum of eight minutes for speakers (3 minutes plus a discretionary extension up to 5 minutes), to account for more substantive presentations.

Councilmembers debated whether to publish a fixed maximum (3 plus 2 minutes) or leave extensions fully discretionary. Some members expressed concern that written caps create unfairness when developers are given more time than individual residents; others warned that too much flexibility could let public comment dominate lengthy meetings. The adopted language makes additional time available by approval of the council president or by majority vote, and retains an internal process for recusals and abstentions described in other rule sections.

The council president said staff will circulate a final, corrected 2025 rules document before the end of the week.

Ending

Council adopted the packaged rules and asked staff to finalize wording and distribute the final document to council members.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council - May 12 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After a months‑long review of council rules, members voted to adopt updated rules and clarified public‑comment limits: general public comment remains 3 minutes with a discretionary 2‑minute extension; second‑reading public hearings were set to a maximum of 8 minutes.","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},6059932,"Council authorizes land takings, ODOT agreements for Cemetery Road trail overpass; $100,000 authorized for acquisitions and professional services",205,2951000,3156000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a&start=2951&end=3156","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a/thumbnail_2951000.jpg","/articles/6059932/Hilliard/Franklin-County/Ohio/Council-authorizes-land-takings-ODOT-agreements-for-Cemetery-Road-trail-overpass-100000-authorized-for-acquisitions-and-professional-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6059932-9cada6ff1f67f926167db71d6c463cd9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775307411&Signature=LNf5fmeu7PqhxbDotxhyTWfo1qDRXH9yeQZwIpg2FZEAy58UfGsOcTZS9h90xfTIjsCvuPsFIAZdHL1dGwhdOxVmxg~nnj1Hgj~UZtktQS0RCRBTtNbFlhjexSjm~GOcEoeEw2--OFCXZX~9HMauCUTb~~A6u9NaVI-aXZxnjuTWkIa2fRXyo68~UHBMycah0yluKz52vW4OXwNqWsXP~oTV-L39njKK1H04dIh44J8XhNh00upXbHz-BM0PBsUdrvk24uvZiz0Aeaj4dbiD35pXmFbtGx1JAxFq6pS6nidtheis1ZVVr-7ApTdVGOTf8YYqtb5feOSLPivEgW6lGw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Hilliard City Council on May 12 authorized the city manager to acquire right of way and enter agreements with property owners and the Ohio Department of Transportation to advance the Cemetery Road Trail/overpass project (Resolution 25‑R‑36).

City staff explained the legislation covers small permanent and temporary easement takes from two properties on the south side of Cemetery Road: a Wendy's parcel and property owned by the Mill Run owners association. The packet included acreages for strip takes and staff said the needs are limited to minor, non‑displacing strips for construction and temporary access.

The resolution authorizes the manager to negotiate and close acquisitions and authorizes expenditure of up to $100,000 for professional services, title research, appraisals and land acquisition costs. Staff said the funds were budgeted in the capital improvement program for the project and noted the federal funding for the project uses apportionment and safety funds, which staff said are not currently at risk of rescission.

Council approved the resolution by roll call vote, 7‑0. Staff said work will proceed with design and right‑of‑way acquisition steps following the authorization.

Ending

Staff will proceed with title work, appraisals and negotiations; the resolution allows the city to close on the small easement takes and contract for associated professional services.","Council approved resolution authorizing the city manager to acquire small permanent and temporary easements for the Cemetery Road trail overpass project and to enter agreements with ODOT; the measure authorized up to $100,000 for professional services and acquisition costs and passed 7‑0.",{"_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},6059937,"Council reviews proposed exception to tobacco license transfer rules for gas stations; second reading set for May 27",324,2557000,2881000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a&start=2557&end=2881","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a/thumbnail_2557000.jpg","/articles/6059937/Hilliard/Franklin-County/Ohio/Council-reviews-proposed-exception-to-tobacco-license-transfer-rules-for-gas-stations-second-reading-set-for-May-27","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6059937-8c7a00b1ee8dd8ab9ac2b239a3fa45a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775307411&Signature=jbC3PXFIKrM1iO2LXjAc8oqTE2aeOTaS7LgUISI18yDa8RgrGjpftEAzBvY~jDXiTvt~gBR7MWh6nUmeliN8iEuKn8OuFo-3KqcOTlbXELXi80FImzeiuDPxZ8LCUy0JtJQloBVAF-sSG-nFQaZY5pkLfzTOLQ9ajzp75JdrzYhYGSg9DK6GrN9sA~Ki2DuPro~azkKYvHLFDOqBRkpKrjuAX-DwZDVUVwlgRPK3H-F5lu9KPbFPZ88N-oUuZbfR5IS9VfypKKN~vUP32c4Kd6wMrBE5bq9G~pXzj1miorZl-OPCrhJeqsH2fgngGjKCYY~8VUBxvsy8Zbxim4f2JA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff presented an ordinance (first reading) proposing an amendment to the code to allow exceptions for transfer of tobacco retail licenses for vehicle service stations (gas stations). The ordinance would modify the city’s transfer rules to permit transfers in some cases where current proximity restrictions to youth‑oriented properties would otherwise bar a transfer.

Kelly (city staff) told council the proposal responds to a problem: many of the city’s tobacco retail licenses are within 1,000 feet of youth‑oriented properties, which can prevent license transfers when a business changes ownership. The staff memo included alternate options explored in April, including an arms‑length transfer test or a broader transfer allowance; the presented text recommends an exception specifically for vehicle service stations.

Councilmember Cynthia Vermillion asked what percentage of gas‑station sales come from tobacco; Kelly said the city does not track site‑specific tobacco sales and any data would come from private businesses. Vermillion also asked whether underground storage tanks and potential contamination make gas‑station sites difficult to redevelop; staff responded that underground tank regulation is a state function and that environmental cleanup can make redevelopment less attractive to buyers.

Staff said the second reading public hearing on Ordinance 25‑14 will be held May 27. No vote on the ordinance occurred at the May 12 meeting.

Ending

Staff said they will research additional information requested by council (for example, prevalence of tobacco sales at gas stations and any known state records on underground‑tank issues) before the May 27 second reading; no transfer changes take effect until ordinance adoption.","Council reviewed an ordinance that would allow certain transfers of tobacco retail licenses for vehicle service stations; questions focused on environmental cleanup challenges and how much tobacco sales contribute to gas-station revenue. Second reading/public hearing was scheduled for May 27.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6059942,"Hilliard student urges council to remove parking minimums, citing housing affordability and walkability",346,1804000,2150000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a&start=1804&end=2150","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a/thumbnail_1804000.jpg","/articles/6059942/Hilliard/Franklin-County/Ohio/Hilliard-student-urges-council-to-remove-parking-minimums-citing-housing-affordability-and-walkability","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6059942-c6b15ef4051dede3e5f0b8d0b9dbfe0b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775307411&Signature=g7oY9bKWnRGt1kaAwlhwsASCpDQeOeuXN~PR4CwB78-izdPyxrNZVhf7HvBY54LjE-kKA1TyxyhJCVjG81Vhbriy2Yyz63roe7ZQVP4cJX0E2sm14zqy9jZ5bSp45Vb0D0bGxhBZW4bbKQY7lGE8p5rmGiwrvCEY58iJ7UO20OWZkiQWNSAnTadFqgoHOt-Gzfv-zEpg8SKqxKfJhkORN3B~oK268Wudk9eIdC0v-BBQBxeIV4gMY5Q7B-6HlAmiaEUWJIOgYASaH8ZaqB9rNF9rlb56VxME74ug9r-4r7ZhCdag5dyjVM6h2Z4F7eFcGohB7wbXc0rrhTBsDvpaVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Anthony Schoenfeldt, a Hilliard resident and student, asked the council during public comment to consider removing or reducing minimum parking requirements in the city code (chapter 1127).

Schoenfeldt said such requirements “make housing more expensive,” hurt small businesses and encourage car dependency. He cited other U.S. cities such as Dover, New Hampshire; Grants Pass, Oregon; and Burlington, Vermont as places that have removed parking minimums and seen more mixed‑use development.

City staff members present said Hilliard already grants variances in parts of the old Hilliard area and that the planning department has had informal conversations about areas that might be suitable for code adjustments. City planner Talentino encouraged Schoenfeldt to submit a formal code review request; staff offered to meet with him to discuss specifics.

“Let's make Hilliard a place that plans for people, not just their parked cars,” Schoenfeldt said.

Council members who spoke encouraged the student’s ongoing advocacy and asked staff to follow up; staff agreed to schedule a meeting with Schoenfeldt and a planner to discuss options and possible targeted areas for code change.

Ending

Staff said they will follow up with the speaker and explore potential next steps; no formal code change was proposed or voted on at the meeting.","A local resident and student asked the council to reduce or remove city parking minimums, pointing to examples from other small cities and linking the change to housing affordability and walkable development.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6059947,"Hilliard resident says private stormwater basin flooding basements; council staff weigh legal limits as city funds basin rehab",3051,330000,3381000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a&start=330&end=3381","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3293448-ed6e41011f443e96098e04ccf71bf51a/thumbnail_330000.jpg","/articles/6059947/Hilliard/Franklin-County/Ohio/Hilliard-resident-says-private-stormwater-basin-flooding-basements-council-staff-weigh-legal-limits-as-city-funds-basin-rehab","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6059947-527bcb9679381807b4a80e24e50b3a09/orig.mp4?Expires=1775307411&Signature=hv436dHEMvbe6MKnZzE8KpVdxcRDc3563gLDVbIkGYNyAtm5UoO0-G9u7R8qwavVemepZ3sIgDX5WNv~2coNCXaxQNRFrCnvLU-wfitMmM0aEd797o~JQGBHaikm2MEkdosq3rHt12PGg5OFANe-uLTc8KH9bjuLFeQ~3Vy9tQzIT57cTF1U46Mp-G6GHDftGw8BD9cXxh3CWdUn55OUIi7ftvVXYei4CwCHda9KMtZeltDIy800z8CMW9ISYUvgZ0qk3ulbeOQeYKlEQmGGY7hIBZvhuXuRI0fMDugX6GYiQMuEGo0pYeq5Y1uH3snXxvmYqEMSEJQHwRvuoVo3Pw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dominic DeSabato, a Hilliard resident, told the City Council on May 12 that a privately owned stormwater basin behind his home has flooded his basement three times since 2012 and currently leaves about 8 inches of water trapped in a pipe below his house.

DeSabato said city crews had “poked a hole” to relieve local street flooding after the most recent event but told him the basin is private so “there was no more nothing else they could do.” He asked the city to “bring a backhoe or mini excavator to have it cleaned up.”

Council members and staff described two limits on immediate action: unclear private ownership and the city’s lack of a legal easement to enter and perform maintenance on private property. Dan (staff) said property records show the legal owner may be an inactive incorporated trust with the sole member deceased, and that title and tax issues make the chain of ownership “complicated.” Kelly (staff) said the city has in the past cut grass at the location but that mowing alone does not establish authority for other maintenance.

City staff said they have been researching options, including coordination with Franklin County on tax foreclosure processes and potential nuisance enforcement, but stressed the city needs an identifiable owner or legal authority before performing more extensive work. “Without ownership or without an easement for a property like this, we really should not be doing work to maintain a private basin,” staff said. Staff also agreed to provide a formal analysis of legal risk if the city were to enter private property and perform the requested cleanup.

Council members pressed staff on whether the city is already incurring risk by mowing the parcel and whether the city could simply clean the basin to restore its original function. DeSabato said he had hired or rented equipment himself at times and that the sump pump in his basement continued to run for days after rain because the exit was clogged with sediment, roots and yard debris. He said, “we got my whole family… I pumped water out of my basement from the sump pump into the court,” and called the situation “not acceptable.”

Separately at the same meeting the council approved Resolution 25‑R‑37 to award contracts for the 2025 detention and retention basin rehabilitation program, a city-funded effort to repair and maintain basins that the city owns. The contract awarded the base bid for three city-owned basins to V3 Construction Group (with Prime AE Group providing contract administration), and the resolution passed by roll call vote, 7‑0. Staff said the program will fund sediment removal, outlet repair, bank stabilization and vegetation work on three prioritized city-owned basins and that the total financial impact for the project is $645,556.65, funded in the capital improvement budget.

City staff told council the work to the city-owned basins is separate from the private-basin problem raised by DeSabato and that the rehabilitation program follows a 2023 city study of publicly owned basins. Staff also said the contractor process and charter requirements limit adding private-property work to an existing city contract unless costs and procurement thresholds are met.

For now, staff committed to continuing title searches and legal review and to report back with a formal risk assessment and timeline for next steps. DeSabato said he had emailed council and offered to supply photographs.

The council did not take immediate legislative action specific to DeSabato’s parcel during the meeting; staff said they would provide follow-up and an assessment of legal options and potential costs.

Ending

Council members said they understood DeSabato’s frustration and asked staff to accelerate research on ownership and legal risk; staff requested additional time to develop a formal recommendation.","A Hilliard resident pleaded for immediate cleanup of a private stormwater basin after repeated basement floods; city staff said ownership is unclear and legal limits restrict work, while council approved a separate contract to rehabilitate city-owned basins.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Hilliard Council tightens public‑comment rules in package vote; settles on 3‑minute standard with discretionary extensions

Council authorizes land takings, ODOT agreements for Cemetery Road trail overpass; $100,000 authorized for acquisitions and professional services

Council reviews proposed exception to tobacco license transfer rules for gas stations; second reading set for May 27

Hilliard student urges council to remove parking minimums, citing housing affordability and walkability

Hilliard resident says private stormwater basin flooding basements; council staff weigh legal limits as city funds basin rehab