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Votes at a glance: council moves land swap, HBAC emergency change orders and water/sewer rate reading
Summary
At the June committee meeting council approved several procedural and emergency measures including second‑reading approval of water/sewer rates, adoption of a land‑exchange ordinance with the school district, and emergency change orders for HBAC/city‑hall renovations; the natural‑gas aggregation ordinances were moved to council with governance documentation.
The committee and subsequent council session took a number of formal actions on June 22. Key outcomes:
- Ordinance 24‑2026 (water and sewer rates): Council approved second reading of a meter‑aligned consumption rate structure with a recommended 5% schedule of annual increases; minimum-bill effects were noted for low‑use accounts and typical-user bills will rise under the proposal. The ordinance advances through council procedure for final adoption.
- Ordinance 25‑2026 (land exchange with North Canton City School District): Council adopted the land‑exchange ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute a swap of city and district parcels that will transfer approximately 20 acres to the city. Administration provided a rough market bound of $2–3 million in potential value if parcels were sold for residential uses; council emphasized that any future use will require public hearings, zoning review and additional council votes for funding.
- Ordinances 29‑2026 and 30‑2026 (HBAC/city‑hall HBAC renovation change orders): Council suspended rules and adopted emergency amendments authorizing professional‑services change orders for the HBAC/city‑hall renovation project: $31,430.73 for a first conference-room/interview room change order (29‑2026) and $225,326.28 for restroom and reconfiguration work (30‑2026). Both passed under emergency suspension of three‑reading rules.
- Ordinances 33‑2026 and 34‑2026 (NOPEC gas-aggregation program and governance): Committee approved first readings and governance documents to join NOPEC’s natural‑gas aggregation program; staff said supplier rate solicitations and public notices will follow and the program intends an October billing start if approved.
Vote notes: Where recorded, most committee motions passed with a 5–1 committee tally (one member often recorded as opposing across several motions). Administration and staff stressed these actions set procedural and planning direction; final capital or funding decisions (for parks, pool replacement or major construction) will require further council votes.
