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Clayton council approves two developer incentive districts, cybersecurity and personnel ordinances; several resolutions pass
Summary
The Clayton City Council approved two tax-increment financing incentive-district ordinances for Hunters Path and Northwoods Estates (each passed 5–1 with one member absent), adopted a city cybersecurity ordinance and a 2026 job-and-wage scale, and approved two budget-related resolutions. Council rejected proposed amendment motions for TIF caps for lack of a second.
The Clayton City Council approved multiple ordinances and resolutions during its December meeting, including two developer incentive-district measures that passed 5–1, a citywide cybersecurity ordinance, a new 2026 job-and-wage classification ordinance, and two finance-related resolutions.
Ordinances authorizing incentive districts: The council read and approved Ordinance O11 25 31, which would create three incentive districts for the Hunters Path development and establish a municipal public-improvement tax-increment-equivalent fund. An amendment motion proposing an infrastructure reimbursement cap of $970,000 and a clause to terminate the TIF when that cap was met failed for lack of a second. After a motion to approve the ordinance as written, the chair recorded a roll call with the following responses: Farmer — No; Gorman — Yes; Merkel — Yes; Kelly — Yes; Bachman — Yes; Stevens — Yes. The chair recorded the measure as passing 5 to 1 with 1 absent.
A second ordinance, O11 25 32, authorizes two incentive districts in connection with the Northwoods Estates development and includes comparable findings, infrastructure descriptions, tax-exemption language and creation of a tax-increment-equivalent fund under cited Ohio Revised Code provisions. A proposed amendment to cap infrastructure reimbursement at $1,140,000 and terminate the TIF when that cap was met likewise failed for lack of a second. The council approved the ordinance by roll call with the same pattern recorded: Farmer — No; Gorman — Yes; Merkel — Yes; Kelly — Yes; Bachman — Yes; Stevens — Yes; the chair recorded it as passing 5 to 1 with 1 absent.
Other ordinances and resolutions: Ordinance O11 25 33, adopting and implementing the city of Clayton cybersecurity ordinances, resolutions and policies, was approved unanimously. The council also read and approved Ordinance O12 25 34, adopting 2026 job categories and a wage scale for the city; that measure passed unanimously.
On budget matters, the council read Resolution R12 25 79 adopting annual appropriations for fiscal year 2026. Finance staff (identified as Kevin during the meeting) said the updated budget removes certain intergovernmental reimbursements, shifts some full-time positions to part-time, and increases contractual services; the resolution was approved unanimously. Resolution R12 25 80, authorizing the finance director to request advance property-tax payments from the county auditor so the city receives payments throughout the year instead of one or two lump sums, was read, explained and approved unanimously.
Procedural notes and next steps: Two separate amendment motions proposed limits on infrastructure reimbursements for the TIF agreements; both failed for lack of a second and therefore did not alter the ordinances as read. The ordinance readings invoked specific citations to the Ohio Revised Code during the clerk’s reading. The council recorded the first two incentive-district ordinances as passing 5–1 with 1 absent and recorded the remaining ordinances and resolutions as unanimous among attendees.
"Let the record show that that was 5 to 1 with 1 absent," a meeting official said after the first vote. The measures now proceed according to the city's standard implementation and administrative processes.
