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Urbana is asking voters to approve several changes to its city charter, which among other things could help it streamline the disposal of devalued or unwanted city-owned properties.
The proposed changes are planned for the November ballot. They are the result of a charter review. One is required at least once per decade, but Urbana’s 10-year review wasn’t due yet. Still officials felt there were several things that needed to be addressed.
“There were some things that needed to be buckled down, ” said Kerry Brugger, Director of Administration for Urbana. “A lot of these are housekeeping kinds of items, to help us streamline some things.”
One of the proposed amendments would help streamline city ordinances. Currently, a city action gets three readings before being voted upon and then must sit dormant for another 30 days if it is passed.
Under the new amendment, routine business resolutions with no funding attached would get only one reading. Funded resolutions and ordinances would require at least two readings, while permanent resolutions would still require three readings. Emergencies and first-reading items would go into effect immediately, while the effective date on everything else would only be 14 days.
“That’s the one we run into the most, ” said Brugger. “For example the ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) road salt contracts. The deadline was May 27, but we didn’t get any notification (of costs) until mid-May. We had meetings May 3 and 17, but there would be no time to have three readings before getting this passed to make the deadline.
“We still (get needed measures passed) by tying it into public safety most of the time (making it an emergency measure that just needs one reading), but this makes it easier all around, ” he added.
Another amendment would give the city the authority to pass ordinances to dispose of city-owned properties that have received no interest from the public during the sales process.
“Sometimes all we had to do to sell (unwanted properties) ended up costing more than the market value of the property, ” he said. “This saves time, and in some cases money.”
The publication of city council measures would be changed if another new amendment is passed. Currently, a separate advertisement for every adopted city resolution or ordinance is required to be published in the newspaper.
The new ordinance would require only quarterly publication in the newspaper, along with posting them on the city’s website and in the municipal court building.
“We realize we need to use digital more than we do, ” said Brugger.
Also among the new amendments is one that deals with residency requirements for Urbana’s three elected directors. The city currently requires these three officials to live within city limits, despite state law. The Ohio Supreme Court said in 2008 that residency requirements like this were unconstitutional.
The last of the amendments deals with competitive bidding.
In 2012, the competitive bidding threshold for Ohio municipalities doubled from $25,000 to $50,000. The city proposes its threshold be increased to $50,000 as well, which means it wouldn’t have to hold a formal bid for construction and repair projects under $50,000.
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