Plain City landlord urges clearer event planning, compensation after Rock the Clock disruptions

Eric Key, a Plain City landlord and business owner, told the Plain City Council during public comment that the village’s event planning for Rock the Clock blocked his property access, produced an on-site confrontation with security staff and left affected tenants without compensation. “If a business must close, then who's gonna reimburse the tenants, for that percentage of their monthly rent and lost income,” Key said.

Key said he was not contacted in advance by event staff about fence locations or other arrangements and that a security van parked behind his building on private property prevented him from leaving for about an hour. “It took me an hour to get my truck out to go to loans,” he said, describing a verbal confrontation with security that he said included profanity.

Why it matters: business owners said the clock-tower events generate heavy foot traffic but also require clearer logistics so that tenants and landlords are not harmed by forced closures or restricted access.

During his remarks, Key raised several operational concerns the council will likely need to address: whether the clock-tower area can sell food and alcohol under the village’s event rules, how parking and security access will be managed, and whether businesses should be compensated when mandated closures interrupt regular Saturday-night service. He said Rock the Clock is “the worst day of the year Every year” for his property because of repeated security and access issues.

The comments included specific requests for the village to provide earlier and clearer communication to impacted businesses, to involve affected tenants in event planning, and to identify who would reimburse rent or lost income if a business must close for a village-sanctioned event. Key also asked whether event staff would permit his business to remain open and serve on event nights, citing servers’ reliance on Saturday-night revenue.

Council response and next steps: Council members acknowledged hearing the concerns during the public comment period; the transcript records no formal motion or direction during the meeting to require reimbursements or to change event permit procedures. Key requested more outreach from event planners and said he had provided his cell number but had not been contacted. No formal action or staff assignment to pursue a compensation policy was recorded in the meeting minutes.

The council’s later discussion items included routine event follow-ups and after-action meetings led by police, fire and public works; the village administrator said after events the village schedules debriefs with public safety and operations staff. The meeting moved to other agenda items following public comment.

Ending: Key’s comments formalized a business-community complaint that the village will likely address in upcoming event debriefs; the transcript does not show any immediate policy change or vote on compensation or permit conditions.