City Council continued with it’s “summer schedule” only meeting once in July. Historically there is less City business that requires Council formal action during the summer months – that does not mean there isn’t a lot going on though!
For anyone looking for more frequent updates and if you are on Facebook I encourage you to join the Springdale Community Group. At last count had ~840 members and is very active sharing goings on in Springdale and some of our neighboring communities. The group is well moderated and generally has a very positive vibe to it. Feel free to tag me in any questions over there too, I try to keep up with it as much as possible.
As far meet for July, there are two items I wanted to highlight:
- An Ordinance Revoking Local Licensing and Governance of Firearm Sales
- An Update on the City’s Energy Aggregation Program
Revoking Local Licensing and Governance of Firearm Sales
Since (if I recall correctly) the mid 80’s Springdale has had an annual review and licensing requirement for any business selling firearms in the City. It was limited in scope and very out of date with superseding current State and Federal law. In the June Council meeting Administration shared that the firearm licensing was an ordinance that was on the books and not being enforced – it only came to light when a business considering opening in Springdale came across it as part of its due diligence and asked the City to review it before signing a lease.
The summary from the City Administrator:
I agree with the comment Council Member Hawkins shared in the meeting – an ordinance that is not being enforced and does not plan to be enforced really should not be on the book. I had questions about the original ordinance in the June meeting – largely around the portion of the law that spoke about safe storage of the firearms and ammunition which is different that the portions of the local / state / federal law that focuses on firearm sales and transfers.
I wrote about my position on firearms at some length in my May 2022 post when Ohio removed concealed carry training and licensing requirements and implemented so called ‘stand your ground’ laws. I believe responsible firearm ownership is a ingrained part of our society but so is the right to life and liberty which includes some agreed limits and rules for ownership, transportation, sales, and use of firearms. Nonetheless this outdated ordinances was removed from our books and the City will rely on State and Federal legislature for firearm regulations.
Update on the City’s Energy Aggregation Program
In the April meeting City Council authorized City Administration to execute an agreement with approved Energy Aggregation providers. In that meeting the City Administrator agreed to consider consider not just price but also how the energy is produced (‘green’ energy not just ‘brown’ energy) as well as corporate behavior. Likewise, City Administration agreed they would investigate gas suppliers as well as electric. After several months City Administration announced an agreement with Energy Harbor for Electric aggregation for the City.
You can learn more at the City web page on Energy Aggregation. The default rate (locked in for 3 years for ‘brown’ energy is $0.0699 kWh with an option to select a ‘green’ renewable sourced energy at $0.0739 kWh) from Energy Harbor.
Administration provided no update on how they considered the commitments given in the Council meeting nor an update on how gas aggregation options were considered.
There is no early termination fees or signup fees for any resident to enter or leave the program. Anyone interested in finding and managing their own provider can compare options at the Ohio Public Utilities site at: https://www.energychoice.ohio.gov/ApplestoApples.aspx .
I was in the previous electric aggregation program but have opted out at this renewal and found my own provider. Using the site above I was able to easily locate an electric provider that was not previously implicated with the Ohio Statehouse bribery scandal, offered a 100% renewable sourced energy generation, and a $0.047 kWh fixed rate (the same as our previous aggregation rate) for a 2 years with no fees or early termination charges. I will need to shop my rate again a year earlier than the City program (and could rejoin the City program then if it is the best fit) but I feel good about the choice for now. I mention this not to throw shade at the City program, it is a valuable service for many, but I am highlighting that it might not be the best fit for everyone.
If I can answer any questions about this program or any other questions about the City just drop me a line!
What do you think? Let your elected officials know!
email and phone numbers of all your City Council members are online – https://www.springdale.org/city-council/page/meet-your-city-council
and
City Administration as well –
https://www.springdale.org/mayor-clerk-council
or
Connect with your Neighbors –
https://www.facebook.com/groups/333111242219243
Related Links
Note – on July 31, 2023 Springdale released a new website and previous links were not maintained as well as many minutes and agendas offline.
Past Minutes and Agendas: https://www.springdale.org/meetings/recent
Upcoming meetings: https://www.springdale.org/meetings
Request Public Records: https://www.springdale.org/living-springdale/page/public-records-access
Previous Links:
ICRC Meeting Recording Link (6/7), Link (6/21), Link (7/19)
Written Minutes Link (6/7), Link (6/21), Link (7/19)
Agenda Link (6/7), Link (6/21), Link (7/19)