MINUTES

JEROME TOWNSHIP & CITY OF MARYSVILLE

RT. 33 CORRIDOR JOINT DISCUSSION

AUGUST 16, 2006

The meeting was called to order by President Gore at 7:00 p.m.

CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS: Mr. Gore, Mr. Burke, Mr. Pleasant, Mr. Fogt, Mr. Reams, Ms. Sellers Excused: Mr. Marshall

CITY OF MARYSVILLE ADMINISTRATION: Mayor Kruse

JEROME TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES: Mr. Thomas, Mr. Merkle, Mr. Rhodes

JEROME TOWNSHIP PLANNING & ZONING COORDINATOR: Ms. Kathleen Crowley

OTHERS PRESENT: Clerk Patterson, Richard _________, EMH&T, Mary Sampsel, Union County Engineer’s Office, Bill Schrader, Dick Noland

Ms. Kathleen Crowley welcomed everyone to the meeting and informed everyone of the format for the meeting.

Everyone introduced themselves.

Three questions were asked of all officials having to do with the relationship between Marysville and Jerome Township and how we are to proceed in the future. Each official had two minutes each to answer each question. The questions were as follows:

1. How do you envision the future relationship between Marysville and Jerome Township?

2. What would the general ideal land uses be from the Marysville city limits to St. Rt. 161 (along the 33/Industrial corridor)?

3. How do you see Jerome Township and Marysville utilizing police/fire/roads/utilities, etc.?

Ms. Crowley encouraged open discussion and stated Jerome Township would like to have a good relationship with Marysville.

Mr. Gore stated it is Marysville’s goal to develop working relationships and partnerships throughout the county. It’s the County we live in that is growing, and it impacts all of us. This is the first of a number of meetings with different trustees and townships. We need smart development. This is a great opportunity. He thanked Ms. Crowley and Mr. Burke for arranging this first meeting. By the end of this meeting, he hopes to have a better understanding of where we all stand.

Question #1. How do you envision the future relationship between Marysville and Jerome Township?

David Burke: He flipped the question, how do you envision the future without a solid relationship? Jerome Township has a lot of development and interests on every side of the township and Marysville has a lot of infrastructure to offer. It’s important that we work together on things that are beneficial to both of us, particularly the southern border of Marysville. Development and growth doesn’t have to occur without an understanding between the two of us. He feels once we get to the point where we have open dialogue and are able to meet and understand how people feel as a group without having to have a group meeting, you can facilitate a lot of things to bring back to each body without having to go through a long cumbrous process of “he said-she said,” which he thinks has happened in the past. We need to build a more solid term of “we” rather than “us and them.”

Andy Thomas: Relationships are very important. It has to be a win-win situation for both Marysville and Jerome Township. Jerome Township sits in the southeast corner of the county which is a very crucial spot. They have crucial infrastructure with Rt. 42, 161, Industrial Parkway and Rt. 33. Feels Jerome is at the beginning of a very important phase of Rt. 33. The relationship needs to be a very solid relationship in order to work together to make this community, as well as Marysville down through Jerome Township, a viably good community with good resources. Need to work very hard together to make sure everything is above board. Agrees with Mr. Burke, would like to have “he said-she said” out of it.

Bob Merkle: Agrees with Andy. Needs a spirit of cooperation and collaboration and no surprises. That will only happen if there is communication. Need to be open and honest with each other. He suggested a liaison between City of Marysville and Jerome Township to keep everyone informed. There’s a lot happening in the Township, and the City is an integral part of it. To go forward without knowing where the City is and to not know the thinking of the water and sewer agreement, is not fair to the developers and landowners. We need to work together. Must agree to disagree and remain friends. Need to look at everyone’s best interest. Need to keep in mind what’s best for the County and the community.

Ron Rhodes: He was surprised when Union County transferred water and sewer over to Marysville. They knew nothing about until it was a done deal. He backed it under the circumstances; he didn’t have any choice. With the history of the referendums in Jerome Township, he understood why they did it. He sees the future and the development of the Corridor coming from east to west. He hopes to see a lot of good things out of this whole issue. He does not see anything yet that is not unsurmountable. He sees the future walking in tandem with Marysville and vice versa. He has made a commitment to himself that it’s going to work. Ms. Crowley has been a great liaison for Jerome Township Trustees.

Mayor Kruse: He has been looking for a way to development a relationship between Marysville and Jerome Township. This is a historic moment for everyone to come in and talk of common interests. We all live in the same County. His job and Council’s job is to represent Marysville and the Trustees represent the Township. We need to development relationships for the good of the County. He’s looking to build a relationship and develop a trust where we can work together for each other’s benefit. Growth and development in Union County is a big issue and there is a lot of opportunity. For any one of us to say we have ownership of all of it is wrong. We need to share the fruits of development so that it benefits all the people. We need to sit around the table and talk about what the benefits can be, talk about what we can each bring to the table to make some type of an organized effort as far as growth and development. All of the constituencies can benefit from that. He’s been participating in the Rt. 33 group. Some positive things have come out of that group. He’s looking for continued growth of the relationship.

Ms. Sellers. Her vision for Rt. 33 from Marysville extending to Dublin is a diversified portfolio of businesses. Focus should be on residents and quality of life of the residents. City is service provider. Need to look at what we do best and what Jerome Township does best, and lets work on Jerome Township providing the service they do best and Marysville will provide what they do best, and maybe through the benefits of the statute which allows you to have some income taxes, you can have some revenue stream as well. She noted she had talked to someone in Powell and they are working on a JEDD. They want to take the money from the JEDD and turn it into a bike paths and nice areas for the citizens and the township. Need to focus on current residents to make sure we’re doing things in their best interest, as well as keeping a vision for jobs and creation of business opportunities along Rt. 33.

Mr. Pleasant: Relationships are established by continued trust, communication and honesty. The only way to do that is to meet and make sure we are honest and to deal with issues. It is a very critical time for the County and he’s excited to be involved and part of it. Feels we can affect some change and make sure it’s done in a logical base. Need to make sure we have good information so we can make good decisions.

Mr. Fogt: Glad this meeting is happening and looking to further dialogue in the future. He can sit there and say his visions of what’s good for the 33 Corridor, but Jerome Township Trustees are government officials in that area. It’s important to have dialogue but it’s ultimately the trustee’s decision of what goes on in Jerome Township. If we can help that along with our services, that would be great. He looks forward to working together instead of butting heads like in the past.

Mr. Gore: Trust is very important. This is the first step in establishing that trust. “He-said/she-said,” different stories from many different sources has created problems throughout the entire county. He hopes this starts the trust building which is needed. Regarding the idea of a liaison, he noted the City is in the process of hiring a City Planner and that person would be a good liaison with Ms. Crowley.

Mr. Reams: He’s glad to be meeting with Jerome Township. Hopefully it’s the first of many meetings. He does not recall meeting with Paris Township in a joint meeting in the last 9 or 10 years since he’s been on Council. Mr. Rhodes stated in his 30 years in government, there has never been a meeting with the City of Marysville. Mr. Reams hopes the two entities can come to an understanding of a shared vision. We both have a stake in this. He doesn’t like the alternatives if we keep butting heads. There may be times that we will disagree. It’s nice to put faces with names. When the groups meet, just don’t think of the City and the City think of the Township. We’re all people. Disagreements will be between us in this room. He hopes we can work thru that and all work together.

Mr. Pleasant added that things have changed since about 10 months ago when Mr. Rhodes began attending some of the City Council Meetings. He feels this was a step to say lets break down some of the barriers. It was helpful just having his presence there.

Question #2. What would the general ideal land uses be from the Marysville city limits to St. Rt. 161 (along the 33/Industrial corridor)?

Ms. Crowley distributed a land-use map for Jerome Township showing things that are currently zoned. Jerome Township is experiencing a tremendous amount of growth. Jerome Township wants people to develop in Jerome Township/Union County. They want to know what everyone wants to see as far as development along the Rt. 33 Corridor. Jerome Township would like to have a base point of where they can start looking at land uses, etc.

Mr. Reams: In general, we need to continue to be guided by the Comprehensive Plan that was adopted in the County and City and he assumed Jerome Township adopted it about 8 years ago. It should be reviewed, but until it is reviewed and revisions are made with careful thought and public input, we should stick to the existing Comprehensive Plan, unless there is an overwhelming reason why we should vary from it. In terms of general land use in the area, it makes sense as a corridor for industrial growth and some office use. He can see along the corridor a limited amount of commercial. Some areas make more sense than others. Residential directly along the corridor should be limited. City was criticized at the County 8-10 years ago for putting all residential growth along the sites that were prime sites for industrial and office. You don’t ever get that back. Sites along a major highway or along railroad are prime for office and industrial. There is some potential for some agricultural use. It needs to be planned use. The difficulty that we’ll be faced with is with the landowners and what their plans are for the land. If they are not willing to maintain it as an agricultural use, it will end up developing some other way and a plan will be needed for that.

Mr. Gore: Circumstances dictate depending on the economy, depending on the demand. We all recognize a need for partnership along the way. He’s more interested in a good land use plan for well-planned growth. We don’t want to grow too fast. A lot of planning must take place before any decisions are made. Each entity brings something to the table and the joint effort has to become a formal joint effort. It’s important what the growth is and what impact it will have on the entire area.

Mr. Fogt: He has served on the Land Use Committee with the Rt. 33 Corridor Group. Most of the work done was keeping the industrial and office space right along the major roads and making residential outside of that area. Don’t want heavy trucks to drive through residential areas to get to industrial area. He suggested Ms. Crowley contact LUC and MORPC for a coordinated map down the 33 Corridor.

Mr. Pleasant: Dialogue is most important when going through this development. Any of these plans can be modified and should be modified and reviewed on a periodic basis. We need to do this with open dialogue.

Ms. Sellers: The Comprehensive Plan is outdated. She asked if Jerome Township had a Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Merkle said it’s not complete at this point. They have a tentative land use plan but things have changed since then. With the 33 Accord, they are questioning whether to go forward with the Comp Plan or hold off to see where the Accord goes. Ms. Sellers suggested putting both updates for the land-use portion of the Comp Plan on an expedited basis. As development is driven, then we can deal with it on an ad-hoc basis. She hopes the first order of business for the new city planner will be updating the land-use plan.

Mayor Kruse agreed with Mr. Reams regarding use of the Comprehensive Plan. While it needs some discussion and updating, it’s not irrelevant. It was designed to be a 20-year plan and we’re seven years into it at this point. The Comprehensive Plan is everyone’s Plan. It’s a County Comprehensive Plan. It was adopted by all the participants, whether a township or city. It’s always been the City’s thought that Industrial Parkway is industrial parkway. It’s the area where industry would grow, as well as some office and retail and some commercial. By and large, that’s the type of growth he wants to see down the corridor. There may be some room for residential in the mix but he doesn’t see it to be much. At the interchange and any new interchanges you’ve got to take into account that it’s prime retail land. This area has been looked at over the years as the area to enlarge the City’s tax base. He does not feel the City of Marysville should attempt to take ownership below Rt. 42. When talking about ownership, he’s talking about involvement, not annexation. City should be concerned that we have resources that would help Jerome Township develop the area south of 42 in a manner that is acceptable to Jerome Twp, not the City of Marysville. From 42 north, we have a very definite concern in how that develops. Being the service provider, the City feels we need something in return for that. There is room for joint economic districts in making this happen where we can share the benefits of it. We can get what we want and we can share with what Jerome Twp. Wants, and it can be done in a manner that is orderly and in good taste that satisfies both the Township and the City. He is not in favor of residential in the corridor north of 42. South of 42, it’s irrelevant to the City. It’s Jerome Township’s decision on how to do that.

Ron Rhodes: He said all the information he’s ever gotten has been second hand. From Industrial Parkway to Rt. 33 and from 42 to Marysville, he would like to (inaudible).

He talked about the Sugar Run area. Rumor has it that Jerome Township was going to make it all residential in that area. That is not their intent. Between Industrial Parkway and Rt. 33 should be commercial, office and industrial in designated area. JEDD’s can be a very valuable resource for both entities. As this thing starts to develop, he’s looking at a $100M nut to crack and that’s the City’s sewage plant. Regarding the Comprehensive Plan, he’s not sure where they are going with that with the 33 Accord. He’s really disappointed with the Accord. He’s tried to address this situation in the Accord, “what about our Comp Plan.” It’s going to cost $20,000+ for the consultant to finish the Comp Plan. Jerome Township asked the Accord group to see if they should spend $25,000 or do we let the Accord and X amount of entities let them say what we’re going to do. He’s been holding off on the Comp Plan, and the more he thinks about this whole situation, and in light of this meeting tonight, the fact that the Accord won’t make the decision for you, he feels they should look at their own Comp Plan and get this moving in conjunction with Marysville. Within months of completing the Comp Plan, the water and sewer agreement was announced. As far as the Comp Plan goes, a lot of the work that went into it went out the window. It’s a whole new ballgame.

Mr. Merkle: He agreed with Mr. Rhodes. He envisions 42 to Marysville to be basically commercial, particularly between 33 and Industrial Parkway. There is some residential in there, Sugar Run. The only other residential he sees is the strip between Sugar Run and the golf course. Let the golf course be a buffer. What he hopes to see down the line are PUD’s with better planning for commercial development. They are going in as subdivisions because they are a safe bet. It doesn’t take a zoning change so it can be planned. They don’t necessarily have the flexiblity of design that you’d have if you were doing PUD’s. One major change since the Comp Plan was done was ODOT’s release indicating that there might be an interchange at Mitchell-Dewitt and 33 down the line in the next 10-15 years. That changes the whole planned used of that area. That should probably be set aside for PUD office or PUD retail. Jerome sees this area that is going to provide the funding for Jerome Township to take care of their needs. This is probably one area they are most in control of.

Mr. Thomas: He sees this area down 33 and in between Industrial Parkway and approx. a mile to the east as being industrial, but also light commercial. Retail needs to be more down towards New California where there is more residential on the north side of 42. He noted Sugar Run, a development on the west side and some houses down Taylor and another 75 acre field south of that, which will butt right up to the back of California Woods, will probably be residential. We need some buffering there on the left side into that area. Services will be needed whether it be medical or professional in that area. On the other side, we need to look at 33 and 42 at being a very viable interchange which would be a good jumpstart for some major offices, which would bring in some income taxes. A joint economic development plan in coordination with Marysville would be a viable source. Would like to take it a little bit further south of 42 to Brock Road and some other properties in the area south of 42 and east of 33. Services are a big benefit. Jerome Township is taking care of police and fire and feels that is a workable situation.

Mr. Burke: Mr. Burke sees jobs when he drives down Rt. 33/Industrial Parkway. He feels local government, township and city has more impact on jobs. We owe it to our residents in the City, Townships and County to do anything we can to provide them with jobs. We’d be remiss in our duty not to work together no matter where you put this land use within this Marysville 33 area and not seek out high employment. Does not feel a Goodyear is out of the question. With the water and sewer capacity we’ll have and at the time when the City of Columbus is under EPA restrictions, how much can they bring on. If we have the right togetherness here, whether it be in the City or Township, we can make it happen. When this begins it can be a small piece of property somewhere at some intersection and that’s where it starts. It sends a clear message, and if other townships want to join on, other municipalities, the county, WE become the leaders in that area because we got together and decided what we were going to do for our constituents. And when he looks at land use, that’s what he sees. Doing what’s best for the people he represents in the area.

Mr. Rhodes stated from 161 to Marysville City Limits, you think of the potential of that whole area from 161 all the way up, under cooperative arrangements with Marysville; the amount of things we can do for this county and the community because people from Richwood and Milford Center will be working here. The growth is going to come east to west. The heart of the county, even though it’s in the south end. The financial heart of the county is going to be from here to here (pointing to map.)

Mr. Merkle commented the area between 161 and Rt. 42 is in the hands of three investors, and it won’t be divided up readily; it will be well planned. Same goes for the other side.

Question #3. how do you see Jerome Township and Marysville utilizing police / fire / roads / utilities, etc.

Bob Merkle: Sees us doing JEDD’s wherever possible. It will be advantageous to both entities. Jerome is set up to provide the police and fire services. When Jerome Village and Glacier West go in, a second station will be needed. Working through the County Sheriff, they have the public safety officers. He sees JEDD’s as how they will support Marysville if and when annexation takes place in their direction.

Ms. Crowley asked if it could be expanded further than the green area on the map. Mr. Gore replied no, not today, not sure about the future. Mayor Kruse said others have a little different thought on it, but he’s had five different attorneys review the agreement and they agree with Mayor Kruse’s understanding of the agreement. The County wanted to get out of the water and sewer business because it was a financial disaster. The City’s was able to lock in the ability to have influence over the growth in that green area. In the green areas, we have the right to require annexation in exchange for water and sewer. We don’t have to, we have the right to. In the dotted line areas, City has right to serve the area but don’t have the right to require annexation in return for servicing that area. Everything else outside of those two areas is whether we want to serve that area and whether the County wants someone else to service that area. Mr. Gore added that without any agreements with any other entity, we’re pretty much locked, because along with annexation goes all the services that require infrastructure, fire, etc. We’re not prepared to provide all the services that go along with annexation.

Mr. Rhodes: Within the black dotted service areas, they’ve heard rumors that the County is going to sell that to Dubllin, that Marysville is not going to service the area. Where do we go with what we have on the table. What bothers Jerome Township as far as the water/sewer agreement, they were never told what was going on. They are trying to do what’s best for Jerome Township, but what is really the truth with the water and sewer agreement. When a developer like Duke or Glacier comes in, Jerome Township cannot tell them anything. He’d like to keep the service with the County. From 161 to Marysville, what do we have to do between the two of us, give and take both sides to make it work with the services out of Union County. If it takes a little effort and financial creativeness to figure out a way to do it with working with JEDD’s, I think we ought to explore that possibility. We want to preserve as much of Jerome Township as possible. He sees the possibility of at least one more fire station or a substation. The police and fire services arrangement they have with the County is a win-win for everybody.

Mayor Kruse clarified some things with the water and sewer agreement for Jerome Township. Within that dotted area from 161 up, Marysville will serve it. Same way over here (pointing to map). City is working with Jerome Village to put that together. If Marysville doesn’t have the capacity left in their system, we can’t serve something that we don’t have capacity for. In the area outside of that down along 161, particularly from 33 to the county line, 161 to Brock Road, that was not taken into consideration at all in the Wastewater Master Study, and it’s not addressed in the Wastewater Master Plan. Frankly, City has some serious technical difficulties in being able to service anything east of the 33 bypass and Brock Road. Marysville does not want to serve it at this point.

Mr. Rhodes said when this agreement was put together, he asked why didn’t the black dotted line go down Hyland Croy Road. He said Jerome Township was in no way told that this was going on until it was announced. It bothers him, why wasn’t it considered. Mayor Kruse assured Mr. Rhodes that he had no conversation with Dublin through this whole process.

Mayor Kruse stated he agreed with Mr. Merkle. He’s in favor of taking a look at the whole issue of JEDD’S. There is no question at this point that the City is in a position to annex down in these areas because we don’t have the ability to provide fire, police, road repairs and snow plowing. We can provide sewer and water. We’re not in a position to provide those other services and without those services, we cannot annex. He does not feel this means that area can’t develop until the City can provide those services. Jerome Township has the ability to provide those services. A JEDD could be put together where the City provides sewer and water and Jerome Township provide fire and police. Enacting an income tax and sharing the fruits of that income tax is a sensible approach. A couple of issues with regard to that is if we do a JEDD, do we give up our right to annex in this area forever. He’s not sure if the City of Marysville wants to do that at this point, or do we do a JEDD that lasts for 10-15 years, then review it at that time? These are just possibilities. With regard to the residential and Sugar Run specifically, Marysville has a concern with that developing. The developer was told right up front not to take it to the Zoning Board at Jerome Township because we don’t want it to happen, and City does not want to serve a residential development there. One, because it’s somewhat prime commercial/industrial land. City could probably get over that hurdle. A second hurdle is 240 houses are proposed for the development. If those 240 houses go in there now when we collectively propose an industrial or commercial development in that area, we already have 240 parties in opposition to it. We’re creating our own opposition, our own referendums unless we find a way to deal with that issue. One way to deal with it is to have the deed covenants as those houses are sold that they will sign an annexation agreement at the City’s request. These are all discussion items. The City would be a fool to let that develop without some control on their ability to impede future industrial and commercial development.

Ms. Sellers: This is an economic question. Who is best able to provide those services. Whoever is best able to provide them in a cost effective manner should do it. The township was set up statutorily to maintain roads, so that should be within township jurisdiction. Need further information on fire and police services. The township has the ability to levy property tax on fire. People using the services should pay for the services. In terms of the tax levy for fire, that’s something that we want to consider so that the existing residents will pay for the use of fire service. As far as annexation and the JEDD agreement, she sees annexation as being owner-driven and doesn’t feel it has any part of a JEDD agreement.

Mr. Pleasant: The City has looked at sites for a second fire station. There are manpower concerns with a second station. A fire district has been discussed. He is willing to discuss and explore any options out there and make decisions accordingly.

Mr. Fogt: He agreed with Mr. Merkle. The JEDD’s are the way to go. Let the Township take care of the police, fire and roads. They have a handle on it already, so continue with it. Marysville can provide sewer and water.

Mr. Gore: We first have to decide if we want to be partners. Once we agree that we want to be partners and determine what that route is to become partners and who all is involved in that partnership, that partnership will determine who will provide the services to the infrastructure. If it’s a JEDD or any form of community authority that is formed, once you decide you want to work together to make this thing happen, they have to determine who will provide services. Not any one entity can provide all the services needed. We all have to sit down at the table and follow the process.

Mr. Reams: He’s open to discussing a fire district. A possible need for additional stations was mentioned. There is a projected growth area between the entities and it tends to make some sense to plan this jointly. It doesn’t mean closing the Marysville or Jerome Township station. Need to come to a consensus how to plan for that, as well as how to fund it. The areas outside the shaded area and dotted line areas are open for discussion at some point. Should be discussed as a group.

Mr. Burke: Any new roads, fire, etc. should not come at the expense of the current resident. It should all be funded by the growth itself. A lot of work will be involved with splitting the area. A JEDD is a good example of a very defined area where that can take place. Marysville can not only provide utilities, but it can also forego annexation in exchange for that. It would be awkward tobuild up a certain area then take it over. Would need some reassurance somewhere. That could be up for discussion. Utilities can add to Jerome Township even in areas that aren’t within discussion. Businesses, residences, etc, Marysville can help support Jerome Township through its utilities. If it’s good for the township and municipality, then Marysville should try to help out.

Mr. Thomas: A lot of this is economics. Who can provide what. A lot of infrastructure is already in place. Utilize it to the best of our ability. It’s a natural resource.

Mr. Rhodes said the Jerome Township Fire Department started with five people. It was started with an initial $54M net evaluation thirteen years ago. Net evaluation now is right at $170M. They’ve never had to go back for another levy. They are well funded. Looking at the fire/ police substation, they’ve had it in mind for thirteen years. They saw development coming, but did not see Marysville entering into the picture.

Mr. Gore said that if anyone wants further discussion on issues discussed tonight, it could be done at a joint meeting.

Mayor Kruse agreed with Mr. Gore. We have to decide if we want to be partners. With the 33 Accord process, if Jerome Township and Marysville come to an agreement on their own, what’s the need for an Accord on the 33 Corridor issue. The only other issue in the 33 Corridor is Millcreek and their relationship to Jerome Township and Marysville. If we come to an agreement, it would be in their best interest to come to the table at some point and get together. We all need to think about that as we go into this. Mr. Merkle stated Jerome Township has a good relationship with Millcreek Township. Jerome Township provides fire protection and has a joint agreement with the public safety officers, so they are communicating. Mayor Kruse is not against exploring all the options out there as far as fire service for the City of Marysville. He can see value for a substantially large fire district.

Ms. Crowley asked the Mayor if he would be interested in taking the money that would have been put into Rt. 33 Corridor Group and put it into getting a comprehensive plan jointly with Jerome township? He stated the idea of an Accord was to put some order and common vision in how the 33 Corridor could develop. If you start out with the two prominent players in the 33 Corridor, Jerome Township and Marysville, and they agree they are going to work together on issues, it’s just a small step for Millcreek to move in. The Comprehensive Plan is one thing and what we might all agree on is perhaps something different. As far as the Comprehensive Plan, we should take what we have and update it.

Mr. Gore said once that partnership is formed, people have to put up some cash and we have to have money to operate with. Whatever the partnership becomes determines there’s a need for a separate plan or something like that. Those decisions will be made through the agreement. We have to make the decision whether we’re going to become partners. If we decide we want to be partners, we need to figure out the process in pursing that. That process needs to include the next meeting. Millcreek should be invited to the table.

Mr. Merkle said that regarding the Accord, there is one party not mentioned that is in the Accord discussions, their neighbor to the South. Jerome Township is going to be forced into a deal with them on Hyland-Croy. It’s either Marysville or Jerome working with them some way. Mayor Kruse said there is no reason why you can’t work with two parties. The City is not in a position to serve that area at this point at all. In fact, when we look at our water capability in that area, we’d have to build an elevated storage tank somewhere to be able to even do that. That’s not in the plans at the moment. Mayor Kruse’s staff is more adamant about not servicing that area than he is because of the technical aspects of it; the maintenance and cost.

Mr. Gore asked if Ms. Crowley, Ms. House (in the absence of a City Planner) and Mr. Burke would work together to prepare an agenda and next steps for the next meeting and invite Millcreek Township. Mr. Thomas volunteered to represent Jerome Township.

CLOSING STATEMENTS:

Ms. Sellers said this was an excellent meeting. It was a pleasure hearing everyone’s thoughts. Trustees have the best interest of their Township at heart. Ultimately, we are all public servants and just want to do a good job for the residents. We have that unifying future so that we can have a unified front and make sure if there is a plan so we can do all the right things. She thanked Kathleen, John and Dave for bringing everyone together.

Mr. Pleasant: Appreciate the opportunity to sit down together and talk and look forward to the next meeting.

Mr. Fogt: Echoed Mr. Pleasant’s comments.

Mr. Reams. There is a lot of common ground from what’s been said tonight. Hope to move forward in a timely manner. Hope this doesn’t drag out for two years. Would like to agree on topics to be discussed and move forward.

Ms. Sellers added that the agreed next step is the appointment of a committee to set an agenda for the next meeting and to get Millcreek on board.

Mr. Burke feels this was a good meeting. It is a rare occurrence, a historic moment. We have a chance to have this area develop in a positive way, and it’s probably a one-shot deal. He looks forward to working with Jerome Township.

Mr. Thomas thanked everyone for meeting tonight. He looks forward to working with everyone for the best of the City and the Township.

Mr. Merkle thanked everyone for attending. As a member of the zoning board for many years, he saw commissioners running the water line out, no choice on that, but it was a good measure and it stopped Dublin in its tracks and we kept end of the Corridor in Jerome Township, then had it changed. It’s nice to be in a position where maybe we’ll have some control and influence. Appreciates everyone’s time and opportunity to meet.

Mr. Rhodes: He’s excited about the good things happening and where it’s going. Sees a lot of common ground. If the Accord group has done one thing, it’s brought us together.

Ms. Crowley: From Jerome Township’s perspective and a planning coordinator, feels this is a really good opportunity to plan a very good region that will experience a tremendous amount of growth. She appreciates everyone showing up and thanked Mr. Burke for his assistance in planning the meeting.

The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 30, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. Participants at next meeting are City of Marysville, Jerome Township and Millcreek Township. Clerk will try to reserve County Services Building for the next meeting.

Mayor Kruse said this is a historic time. He thanked Kathleen for putting this meeting together. It’s important that we move along quickly. What we have to be concerned about and deal with at the next meeting is there are a lot of development pressures now and how are we going to deal with those pressures as we go through the various steps that we need to go through to get to some kind of more permanent agreement. We need to talk about those things at the next meeting. It’s worthwhile inviting Millcreek to be involved, but ought to be careful that over and above that that we don’t enlarge this to the point that we have an unwieldy group. The area that we’re looking at directly involves Jerome Township, Millcreek Township and City of Marysville and those are the parties that ought to be working in trying to put some order into the development pressures that we’re experiencing. He thanked everyone and looked forward to the next meeting.

It was decided to have open discussion on the agenda items at the next meeting.

Mayor Kruse feels it’s important that all three Millcreek Township Trustees attend. From his perspective, it’s not an option. We need to know how each one of the trustees feels about this kind of thing.

Along with the invitation to Millcreek Township Trustees, included should be the three questions from tonight’s meeting so they can comment on them at the next meeting. The minutes from tonight’s meeting will be sent as soon as completed.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.