Huber Heights adopts ordinance creating New Community Authority; residents press for elected trustees

The Huber Heights City Council voted 8-0 on Oct. 13 to adopt an ordinance declaring the Huber Heights New Community Authority (NCA) to be organized as a body politic and corporate and to define the NCA boundaries and trustee selection method.

The NCA ordinance, presented at the council's first reading, was the subject of extended public comment and council questions before the vote. The ordinance was first presented under agenda item 11D; council members voted to waive the second reading and then adopted the ordinance the same evening by an 8-0 roll call.

The NCA is structured to allow trustees to impose a range of community development charges across the designated district, including the entertainment district; staff listed possible charge types such as food-and-beverage fees, parking charges and ticket revenue surcharges. Aaron, a city staff member answering council questions, said the authority "is being set up though primarily to finance the new music center." He also said the petition set rate caps but not required floors for potential charges, and that the trustees would decide whether to impose charges on particular properties within the…