Green Council Approves Budget Changes Tied to Bond Refinancing and Sets Oct. 13 Hearings on Apartments and Vape Shops

Green City Council adjusted the budget, backed a state road project and scheduled three hearings on Sept. 22. All seven members voted yes on every roll call reported here. The public hearings are set for Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers. Budget Changes Tied to Bond Refinancing Council adopted Resolution 2026 R46 on third reading. Finance Committee Chair Chris Humphrey said the budget memo posted online was the wrong one. Council amended the resolution to attach a corrected Exhibit A. The amended exhibit totals $307,084 across all funds. The largest single line is $131,400 for debt retirement. Humphrey said it covers escrow agent services tied to the recent bond issue. Other lines include $35,000 for legal services and $34,000 for Central Administration Building telephones and mobile service. Electricity gets $29,000 for street lighting and smaller amounts for city buildings and parks. Humphrey said electric rates were lower when the budget was set. The planning fund moves $20,000 from a consultant and city engineer line to contracted services. Humphrey said officials refunded older bonds by issuing new ones, saving about $237,000. He said the new bonds carry a 5% coupon and a net rate of 3.75% for the city. He said waiting even two weeks could have meant a higher rate. Council also approved the Sept. 8 minutes and the August financial report, which remains subject to audit. Two Business Tax Agreements Continue Council adopted Resolution 2026 R51 on second reading after skipping the third reading. The resolution accepts recommendations of the Tax Incentive Review Council on the Community Reinvestment Area. The review council met Aug. 28 and recommended continuing agreements with Seco Machine and Castle Aviation. Both businesses met all requirements of their agreements, according to the resolution. Humphrey said such agreements require businesses to maintain certain employment or business levels in the city. Hazmat Training Grant Accepted Council adopted Resolution 2026 R48 on second reading. It authorizes the mayor to accept a $9,750 hazardous materials training grant from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. The grant reimburses the city for annual training for all fire personnel. Council first approved applying for it under Resolution 2026 R13. The resolution says firefighters need to review the proper techniques for initial hazmat response each year. Topics include victim rescues, emergency decontamination and safety in structural gear and self contained breathing apparatus. The resolution also declares an emergency so a deadline can be met. Public Safety Chair Clark DeVitis said all firefighters must hold awareness and operations level hazmat certification and train every year. He said this year's class focuses on lithium ion batteries and electric vehicles. DeVitis said the committee and Fire Chief Jeff Funai chose second reading to schedule the class sooner. Three Ordinances Head to Oct. 13 Hearings Planning Committee Chair Jeff Noble outlined three ordinances headed to public hearings. The hearings are set for Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers. Smoke Shop and Vape Rules Ordinance 2026 22A would set rules for smoke shops and vape establishments under Chapter 157 of city code. Noble said the city placed a moratorium on smoke shops and has worked for a year on rules. Mayor Rocco Yeargin and Council members Speight and Meager sponsored it. The ordinance was amended Sept. 22. Both uses would need conditional use approval. A smoke shop is a store that devotes 20% or more of its customer floor area to regulated products. Regulated products include tobacco, nicotine and vaping products and hemp derived products meant for smoking or vaping. Spacing rules would keep these businesses 1,500 feet from each other. They would stay 1,000 feet from schools and licensed child care centers. They would stay 500 feet from public parks, libraries and places of worship. A 150 foot buffer would also apply to residential zoning districts. Smoke shops could not allow on site smoking, vaping or sampling. Their public hours would run from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Vape and smoke establishments could allow consumption only in a fully enclosed area. Drive through, curbside and vending machine sales would be prohibited. Businesses already operating that miss the new rules would be treated as nonconforming uses. Driveway Widths Ordinance 2026 23 would clarify residential driveway width rules. The limit is 24 feet within 10 feet of the right of way, and that would stay. That applies to single family and two family homes. A home with a garage of three or more bays could have a driveway up to 30 feet wide. Garage size would be counted by side by side doors or bays on existing or approved plans. The number of vehicles owned would not matter. Anything wider than 30 feet would need a variance. The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5 to 0 on Aug. 19 to recommend the change. Massillon Road Rezoning Ordinance 2026 24 would rezone