City Manager Addresses Concerns Related to EDL Plant
City Manager Jon Clark addressed concerns that were raised at the previous City Council meeting Oct. 7 about sound and odor caused by the EDL natural gas processing facility. Clark said he and other City officials have met with EDL officials to discuss these concerns. He said that significant progress had been made on mitigating the sound, though the sound barrier was not yet complete. He said EDL hired an expert to investigate the cause of the odor, who determined it was not caused by their facility, but likely came from wells that were being dug at the landfill to extract natural gas. This project has been completed and EDL has received reports that the odor has diminished.
Council Approves City Budget Amendments, Tax Rates
Council voted unanimously to approve amendments to the 2024 City budget and establish tax rates for 2025. Council waived the requirement of three readings and voted for both measures to go into immediate effect. The tax rate must be submitted to the County by Oct. 31 and the amendments must be completed by the end of the year. Finance Director Beth Krosse presented the amendments to the budget including additional funding for the Police Department for professional training, a reimbursement to the Fire Department through the Ohio Emergency Assistance Fund for eclipse-related expenses, funding for a part-time planning intern, and additional funds to the courts to accommodate a rise in the price of postage stamps. The amendment also appropriates $24,000 for a medical debt relief program. Clark said more information on the program would be brought to the next meeting.
Council Creates Subcommittee to Appropriate Home Funds, ARPA Funds Amid Requests from Wheatley Boot Center, CATSS.
During the public concerns section, Jenney Baumann and Tracey Haines spoke on behalf of the Wheatley Boot Center asking Council for funds to paint and repair the exterior of the Center’s building on Pleasant and Vine Street. Baumann said the restoration was urgent given the closeness of winter. The Center, which Haines said has hosted art shows, pop-up events, and cultural celebrations in the past, has submitted a request for $5,000 of funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. Councilmember Ray English expressed concern with how the City would allocate $8,800 of not-yet-designated American Rescue Plan Act funds, amid competing requests for funding from the Wheatley Boot Center, Community Action to Save Strays, and investment in affordable housing as recommended by the Social Equity Planning Committee. English recommended that Council create a committee to investigate how funds should be best allocated. Council voted unanimously to create a committee consisting of Councilmembers English, Libni López, and Jessa New, which will also consider the allocation of $61,000 in home funds intending to be used in the creation of affordable housing. English said he hopes that the committee will be able to meet in time to have a recommendation by the next Council meeting.
City Moves to Annex Land from Pittsfield Township
Council voted unanimously to approve the annexation of 39 acres of land in Pittsfield Township that the City purchased in 2023 to develop an industrial park. The annexation will have to be approved by the Lorain County Commission before it goes into effect. This is the last of three annexations of land in Pittsfield Township by the City that are currently pending.
Council Amends Human Relations Commission Code
Council unanimously approved amendments to the Human Relations Commission code. The Commission suggested the amendments to clarify its role, particularly the duty “to receive from any resident or organization with the City any requests and enter into any alleged disputes, disagreements, misunderstandings or acts which involve the unlawful or unfair infringement upon basic human rights or freedoms guaranteed by law, and to investigate them.” The new language gives more specific ways to accomplish this mission, including facilitating “education in the community about civil rights and human rights,” hosting events to “raise awareness about civil rights concerns and foster dialogue,” and helping to “implement education components of the City’s social equity plan.”
Council Votes to Rezone Former OCS Building
Council voted unanimously to rezone two properties at 240 and 285 S. Main St. into the Institutional District. The properties, which include the Oberlin Depot and the former home of Oberlin Community Services, are owned by the Nord Center Foundation.
Council Amends Rules to Allow Commission, Department Leaders to Speak at Meetings
Council voted unanimously to approve an amendment to their procedural rules that will allow a representative from one board or commission and one municipal department to speak at regular City Council meetings. The amendment was suggested by Councilmember Jessa New and officially proposed at the last regular meeting Oct. 7.
