Following is a summary of the Tuesday, July 12, 2022 City Council Workshop. To watch the full meeting, visit www.hudson.oh.us/WatchMeetings.
Correspondence and Council Comments
Discussion Items
- Local Media Strategy. Staff presented communication recommendations to address how to reach citizens who do not receive their local news from social media or the City website. Recommendations included encouraging people to sign up for Hudson E-News and increasing the frequency of the Focus on Hudson Newsletter, among others. Council agreed with the recommendations.
- Police Department Update. As requested by City Council, Chief Tabak discussed plans and procedures for school bus violations and associated traffic issues. For the 2021-2022 school year, there were 17 violation reports resulting in 6 citations and 11 warnings among the 53 school buses on the road. The Chief provided a timeline for addressing these issues which began back in 2018 with the installation of Stop Arm cameras and increased penalties for passing a school bus when the Stop Arm is out. Now that the State does not require front license plates, additional cameras have been added to the Stop Arms to catch both the front and the back license plates. HPD revised HPD forms and procedures and collaborated with the schools and the bus company to streamline the handling of complaints. Staff has been assigned from each entity to work on reports/complaints. The City puts out PSAs about school bus safety at the beginning of the school year, and Council suggested additional information be release during the end of the school year when some complaints are appearing.
- Comprehensive Plan Update Steering Committee and Consultant Selection Process. Staff and Council discussed the selection process for consultant firms and for the resident steering committee to update the Comprehensive Plan. We have received 4 responses from potential consultants. Staff is currently scheduling consultant interviews for July 27. The steering committee selection and interview process will be discussed at an upcoming Council Workshop.
- Hudson Noise Regulations - Lawn Care and Maintenance Equipment. Staff completed a review of current regulations applicable to lawn care and maintenance equipment, reviewed regulations of surrounding peer communities, and researched national trends related to regulating noise from applicable equipment. The City’s current regulations say that lawn care equipment can be operated from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. In a comparison with other cities, Hudson’s laws are as restrictive or more restrictive than other cities. Council decided not to move forward with any changes at this time.
- Birdsong Art Installation. Door Two Studios presented its idea for a one-year art installation that would feature approximately 100 artist-created plastic 12”x 6” birds that would be hung in trees on the downtown Greens for an art walk to help generate foot traffic downtown. Council agreed that City staff will assist with the installation. Formal approving legislation is scheduled for the next council meeting.
Future Agenda Items
- Correcting Charter and Ordinances so that they align for appointments for Boards and Commissions.
- Creation of a subcommittee to explore the requirements of an RFP to establish a private partner for the expansion of Velocity Broadband into residential neighborhoods.
Meeting Adjourned