Committee debates removing council voice vote on large contracts, agrees to revise language and send ordinance to council

A Committee of the Whole of the North Canton City Council on an ordinance to amend Chapter 163 (contracts and purchasing) discussed eliminating the separate council voice vote that currently follows Board of Control approval for contracts that exceed the bidding threshold. The committee voted to place the amended item on the council agenda for first reading, with revisions to its cover language to emphasize correction and charter alignment.

Presenter (administration) told the committee the amendment "removes the requirement that the city conduct a separate voice vote after the Board of Control has approved a contractor purchase," and said the change would allow the mayor to sign contracts that are already budgeted or appropriated, provided the director or designee has completed required public bidding and the Board of Control has approved the lowest and best bidder at a public meeting. The presenter described the change as aligning the ordinance with the charter-defined authorities and ensuring timelier approvals.

Administration officials warned the committee that the extra council step added in October 2024 has, in some cases, delayed projects that had engineering and design work already completed and relied upon external funding. One administration speaker described a hypothetical multimillion-dollar roundabout, saying delays could risk losing outside grant points and imperil future funding: "you can have a road project that's not till 2030... and now that project doesn't go forward," and that losing an awarded federal or regional project could leave the city "in the penalty box" when competing for future funds.

Several council members defended the extra vote as an important transparency safeguard. One member said the 2024 change had been intended to "force that information in front of you" so elected officials could see bid lists, the lowest bid and the rationale for selection. That member urged caution about removing a public-facing step that previously compelled fuller disclosure to council and the public.

The city's law director advised the committee the charter (section 4.05) vests the Board of Control with final authority to select competitively bid contracts, and called the additional council voice vote "problematic" because it is not authorized by the charter: "The additional voice vote after board control is... not authorized by your charter," the law director said, arguing the ordinance change would correct a procedural inconsistency.

Committee members discussed compromises that would preserve public transparency while removing a duplicative approval step. Suggestions included adding a regular report to the council packet or a brief report-out at the council meeting summarizing Board of Control approvals, making bid tabulation sheets and related documents available on Granicus and in Board of Control meeting materials, and clarifying the ordinance language so it reads as a correction to align with the charter rather than a generic effort to "streamline" the process.

After discussing timing and the potential legal ambiguity created when Board of Control approvals and council actions conflict, a member moved to place the ordinance (as amended to correct charter inconsistencies) on the full council agenda. The mayor moved the motion; another member seconded. The committee adopted the motion by voice vote and then adjourned. The presenter said he will bring the amended ordinance and proposed cover-language changes for the council's first reading at the next council meeting.

What happens next: the ordinance will appear on the north Canton council agenda for consideration with amendments drafted by administration and counsel; council will have a first reading and may amend before the ordinance's first reading is adopted as amended.