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2001 Upper Arlington Annual Report
The following links are pdf files from the original 2001 Annual Report:
City Manager Message | City Council | Master Plan | Unified Development Ordinance | Transportation Plan | Community Center | Financial Report |
Message From the City Manager
Is Upper Arlington truly on the Road to Success you might ask? Isn’t this already a successful community for which we can be very proud? Well, no matter how established or successful a community is, the world surrounding us is constantly changing, and we must adapt accordingly. I challenge you to think big as we embark on this journey. To think big, we need passion, knowledge and inspiration. We need to have a vested interest in the future of generations to come. We need community - to be united in striving for our vision.
Adoption of the City’s new Master Plan in March 2001, provided the big vision for Upper Arlington.
As we move toward our vision, we realize we are chasing a moving target. Circumstances will evolve, priorities and public sentiment could drift. Some opportunities may change and lose appeal, while new and exciting opportunities might emerge. Our Master Plan must remain a flexible, living, breathing document, reviewed and amended over time to keep it current, realistic and attainable.
The primary vision that drives our Master Plan is to increase revenues for the City, enabling us to maintain and enhance the quality of life our community enjoys today. We must support and facilitate the redevelopment of our commercial areas to a mix of uses that include office space, retail, residential and civic use. By intensifying our commercial districts, we can breathe new life into them, create natural gathering spaces and, bottom line, increase revenues for the City.
Following many months of work in 2001, we stand on the verge of adopting the City’s new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and a revised Transportation Plan, two major initiatives of the Master Plan.
Work also continued on the exploration of building a community center. The coming year will be a telling one for this initiative, with an anticipated ballot placement in November. A major but timely investment, a community center would add an impressive feature to the set of characteristics that continue to draw new residents to our City and keep current residents here. With a place for the City to gather, our sense of community would be further enhanced, as would the vitality of the surrounding areas.
Financially, the City enjoyed a good year, with a marked increase in income tax, estate tax revenues and investment earnings. That said, pending changes in legislation and an economic downturn among other factors, give us reason for caution in our revenue projections for the coming years. Now, more than ever, we must be fiscally responsible in our budgeting, and become more proactive in seeking out alternative funding sources, grants and cost-saving partnerships.
Attention to infrastructure improvements has increased, in part, as a result of the City’s seven-year Capital Improvement Program that dedicates an average of five million dollars annually toward much needed projects. The coming year will be a busy one for road improvements, with additional projects slated that take advantage of unanticipated revenues from 2001.
In the commercial arena, an office building at Kingsdale received welcome renovations courtesy of Long and Wilcox LLC and ground broke on an exciting orthopedic medical facility at Sawmill and Henderson.
The City continued to experience substantial investments in the community through residential and commercial developments. The Department of Development issued 2,081 construction permits in 2001, totaling more than $55 million in construction value, a 28 percent increase from the previous year.
Upper Arlington continued to enjoy the lowest crime rate of any comparable community in Central Ohio. When crime does occur, the Police Division’s rate of success in apprehending the perpetrators is extremely high.
Each and every one of us has ownership in this community. We are charged with ensuring the success of Upper Arlington for future generations. We must and we are thinking big as we embark on “the Road to Success.”
I hope you enjoy reading our snapshot report of 2001 and learning about the many exciting projects that have been undertaken in recent months.
An expanded version of our Annual Report, with department statistics and more, can be found on our Web site, at www.ua-ohio.net.
I have truly enjoyed my first full year as City Manager for this fine community, and look forward to an exciting 2002 as we move toward our community’s vision.
City Council
Upper Arlington’s City Council is comprised of seven citizens elected at-large to serve a maximum of two four-year terms. The Council selects a President and Vice President from among its ranks to serve two-year terms. The President of Council presides over Council meetings and serves as Mayor for ceremonial and judicial duties. The Vice President assumes the President’s duties in his/her absence.
Council’s responsibilities include reviewing, deliberating and taking action on legislation, as well as establishing City policies. The Council hires the City Manager, City Attorney and Clerk of Council.
At the close of 2001, Joe Ray ended a four-year-term on Council and Paula Brooks stepped back from her role as Vice President to a regular role on City Council. Leading our community forward in 2002, our new City Council is headed again by President David Varda, with Clark Pritchett taking on the role of Vice President. Jeffrey Kurz became Council’s newest member.
Notable legislation enacted by City Council in 2001 included:
• Adopted the City’s new Master Plan on March 26, 2001.
• Directed Staff to begin the update of the City’s Zoning Code into the Unified Development Ordinance.
• Directed Staff to begin the review of the City’s Transportation Plan.
• Directed Staff to move forward with additional street maintenance projects in 2002, beyond those identified in the City’s existing seven-year Capital Improvement Program, using unanticipated 2001 revenues.
• Directed Staff to move forward to bring the City’s existing sidewalk ramps into compliance with court-mandated requirements by the end of 2005.
• Approved legislation enabling the City to implement an employee merit-based compensation plan.
• Adopted a demolition permit process to ensure acceptable safety measures, including utility disconnection, when homes are demolished and requiring adequate site clean up within a given time period should new construction be delayed.
• Adopted the plan of operation and governance for the City’s electric aggregation program.
• Approved park improvements including new soccer goals, playground equipment, shelterhouse renovations and ballfield upgrades.
• Approved the purchase of mobile data computer systems for police vehicles.
• Approved purchase of an asphalt recycler, enabling Staff to make permanent pothole repairs year-round.
• Approved the purchase of reinforcement coating materials for the City’s sanitary sewers, to restore the structural integrity of the City’s manholes.
• Approved redevelopment of the City’s Web site.
• Approved software and hardware purchases for the City’s computerized financial and development systems.
• Authorized improvements to the Municipal Services Center, including roof repair and interior renovations.
• Authorized the contract for construction services on the Club Road Waterline.
Master Plan
Upper Arlington’s new Master Plan was adopted March 26, 2001, following three years of planning and participation from numerous community members.
Landlocked and fully developed, less than five percent of the City’s land use is dedicated to commercial activities and, of this, only 1.1 percent is in office use. Local income tax is a key revenue source and, as such, infrastructure maintenance and City service demands are outpacing the City’s funding capacity. Wishing to address these issues, Upper Arlington City Council initiated an update to the City’s 1962 Master Plan.
Eight goals helped direct development of the new Master Plan:
• Land Use - Recognize the City’s residential nature while enhancing redevelopment and revitalization.
• Economy - Place emphasis on creating a stronger, more diverse economy.
• Community Appearance - Preserve and enhance neighborhoods, natural surroundings and architectural amenities.
• Community Facilities - Maintain/expand community facilities for recreational, social and cultural opportunities.
• Community Services - Provide high-quality, cost-effective community services.
• Housing - Facilitate provision of a range of well-built housing to accommodate all ages.
• Transportation - Provide a comprehensive, safe and convenient network.
• Implementation - Emphasize accountability, fiscal soundness, monitoring and appropriate regulations, while fostering citizen and business involvement.
From these goals, 184 specific strategies for implementation were developed, falling within four key actions the City must undertake to realize the overall goals of the Plan:
• Undertake redevelopment using the Study Areas as the framework - Several key areas are identified for potential redevelopment to create a mix of office, retail, residential and civic use. These areas are: Kingsdale Shopping Center; Tremont Center; Henderson Road corridor; Lane Avenue corridor; Northwest Boulevard (south of Zollinger); the Mallway; and commercial areas along SR 33.
• Create land use tools - Develop tools to enhance and protect the City’s character while giving guidance and control for redevelopment. Update the City’s Planning and Zoning Code and create a series of development standards and guidelines to permit and encourage mixed-use development.
• Provide incentives to encourage desirable change - To stay competitive in the region and attract desirable development, consider a combination of economic and zoning incentives.
• Improve the City’s fiscal capacity - To ensure the community has adequate, stable funding, redevelopment strategies should encourage intensified land use in existing commercial areas and emphasize office development to generate new revenues.
Just as it took many decades for the City to grow and prosper since its inception at the turn of the last Century, the interpretation and implementation of the Master Plan will take many decades, dependent on changing market forces as redevelopment opportunities arise, and as the needs and desires of the citizenry evolves. The Master Plan must remain a flexible, living, breathing document that is reviewed over time to keep it current, realistic and attainable.
The entire Master Plan document is available on the City’s Web site, at www.ua-ohio.net.
Unified Development Ordinance
Triggered by the Master Plan, a major review of the City’s Planning and Zoning Code was undertaken in 2001, coordinated by the Department of Development. Once adopted, it is anticipated the City will be among the first communities in the Midwest to implement a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).
A UDO merges the zoning, subdivision and related development provisions into a single ordinance. The end result is a simplified development approval process, streamlined administrative procedures and practices, and a more user-friendly process for developers.
Upper Arlington’s UDO will address all development regulation strategies recommended in the Master Plan, including:
• Overlay zoning districts for the commercial study areas
• Residential conservation guidelines
• Street and walkway connectivity and pedestrian orientation
• Commercial design standards and guidelines
• Zoning incentives
• Multi-family design standards
• Increased landscaping and screening standards for commercial development
Following review and recommendation for adoption by the Board of Zoning and Planning, the proposed UDO document is currently under review by City Council, with anticipated adoption in the spring of 2002.
Transportation Plan
Addressing the City’s short and long term transportation and infrastructure needs is a major Master Plan priority, initiating an update to the Transportation Plan in 2001, coordinated by the Department of Public Services.
A three-day Community Charrette was held in the summer to generate ideas and showcase potential traffic solutions. Members of the Transportation Advisory Committee and approximately 200 charrette participants helped develop five key desires the Transportation Plan should address:
• Slow down traffic
• Divert through traffic
• Build safe crosswalks for pedestrians
• Build sidewalks and bike paths
• Mix land uses and plant more trees
The proposed Transportation Plan recommends the City adopt a Traditional Community Strategy which focuses on moving people efficiently through the community, via a variety of means that include automobiles, bicycles, walking and public transportation, while supporting a healthy community.
Proposed treatments for the City’s primary streets would incorporate various traffic calming elements such as roundabouts, separate bike and walking paths, raised middle lanes at turns/intersections and more. Combined, the proposed improvements have been proven in other communities in Europe and elsewhere to reduce speeds, maintain steady traffic, reduce noise and provide more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly thoroughfares.
The proposed Transportation Plan will serve as the guiding document for the City’s infrastructure needs in the coming decades. It is currently under review by City Council, with anticipated adoption in the spring of 2002.
Proposed Community Center
Following the work of the original 2000 Community Center Task Force (CCTF), which made the recommendation to City Council that the City should pursue the development of a community center, a CCTF successor group was formed March 2001 to continue its advisory role.
Community Survey
A random telephone survey of approximately 400 homes was undertaken in the summer. A majority of respondents believed a community center should cater to all ages, feature community space dedicated to youth/teens, seniors, meetings, and arts and crafts activities, as well as recreational space such as a jogging/walking track, fitness area, multipurpose gymnasium, aerobics studio, and indoor pools. Many respondents stated they would use such facilities once a week or more and considered the Kingsdale Shopping Center a good location for a community center. Sixty percent of respondents were “very” or “somewhat supportive” of using taxes to pay the operating costs for a community center not covered by user fees and 54 percent “very” or “somewhat supportive” of a property tax increase of $10-$12 per month to build a community center.
Capital Campaign Feasibility Study
It is hoped a portion of the funding necessary to develop a community center might come from private donations. To help determine what level of private funding the City can realistically hope to achieve, a private funding feasibility study is under way. A private donor and a non-profit organization have contracted with Hodge Cramer & Associates, Inc. to conduct the capital campaign feasibility study. Results of the study are anticipated spring 2002.
During its annual retreat in January 2002, City Council discussed the themes and goals they believe the City should focus on in the coming months. It was agreed the City should focus on bringing resolution to the community center issue with the possibility of a ballot placement in November 2002.
Financial Report
The City experienced a significant increase in revenues in 2001, especially in its income tax revenue, ending the year with a healthy excess of revenues over expenditures. However, with pending changes in legislation such as the estate tax law, and the anticipated trickle-down effect from an economic decline nationally, the City has reason to be cautious in its revenue projections for the coming years. To maintain a healthy financial picture, the City must remain fiscally responsible in budgeting, and become more proactive in seeking out alternative funding sources, grants and cost-saving partnerships.
Revenues:
Income Tax $13,392,555
Property Tax $7,142,720
Estate Tax $4,080,219
Local Government Fund $2,655,173
Gas Tax & Motor Vehicle License $1,300,246
Water & Sewer Surcharges $1,157,602
Solid Waste Stickers $1,580,036
Stormwater Management Fees $529,440
Investment Earnings $2,045,725
Other Revenue $2,885,583
Total Operating Revenues $36,769,299
Other Receipts: Sale of Bonds $6,778,099
TOTAL RECEIPTS $43,547,398
Operating Expenditures:
Public Safety $10,749,360
Parks and Recreation $2,324,640
Public Service $4,175,294
Development $595,918
Administrative Direction $1,777,811
Administrative Support $3,379,554
General Administration $1,445,423
Other Operating Expenses $402,632
Total Operating Expenditures $24,850,632
Capital Expenditures:
Capital Equipment $1,816,163
Capital Improvements $4,153,717
Total Capital Expenditures $5,969,880
Debt Service $2,817,590
TOTAL EXPENDITURES $33,638,102
Excess of Revenues over Expenditures $9,909,296
2001 Awards
Each year, the City presents a series of awards to recognize the organizations and members of our community who make significant contributions to our quality of life. Congratulations to our 2001 recipients:
Business of the Year - Schoedinger Funeral Service and Crematory
Living in the community has never been enough for the Schoedinger family who have always been involved both individually and with the family business.
Community Enrichment - Police Officer Don Stanko
As a DARE officer, self-defense trainer, Safety Town coordinator and high school fencing team coach, Don is a familiar face and presence for children, developing positive relationships that last.
Community Safety - Carol Allaire
Carol volunteered hundreds of hours and expertise to develop a safer, comprehensive approach to mosquito management in Upper Arlington.
Super Senior - Dr. Harold Edmondson
The “Doc” dedicates many hours teaching after-school students at Tremont Elementary the game of chess. In the summer, he can be found teaching shuffleboard to youth, having played a key role in getting shuffleboard courts built at Fancyburg Park.
Youth Award - Jay Carroll
Jay decided after September 11 he wanted to help, raising $467.96 to help rescue workers in New York at his lemonade and cookie stand. This was a time of personal stress for Jay - his father had recently suffered a heart attack and underwent surgery on September 11. At just eight years old, Jay was able to put aside his problems and reach out to help others in more pain.
2001 Distinguished Service Awards
Annually, City employees nominate fellow coworkers who have gone above and beyond to serve Upper Arlington to the best of their ability. In 2001, the following individuals received Distinguished Service Awards:
• Steve Breece, Fire Battalion Chief
• Steve Cothrel, Parks and Forestry Superintendent
• Sam Mierczejewski, Police Officer
• Mitch Ross, Fire Chief
• John Willis, Solid Waste Supervisor
Farewell to Ken Thompson
Ken Thompson is Upper Arlington Parks and Recreation. The parks our community enjoys today are the result of Ken’s hard work, and every program overseen by his department came into being under his guidance. Having already retired from the City in 1996, Ken kindly agreed to return as interim director until a new director had been selected. He re-retired at the beginning of 2002 as Joe Valentino assumed his new role with the City.
Boards and Commissions
Community volunteer service is exemplified by the many citizens who donate their expertise and time serving on City Council appointed boards and commissions. The City of Upper Arlington wishes to take this opportunity to thank those individuals who served the community in 2001.
City 2001 Awards/Achievements
Finance Department
• Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting - this marks the 13th consecutive year the City has received this award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its 2000 Comprehensive Financial Report.
• Distinguished Budget Presentation Award - Also presented by GFOA, the City has received this award each year since 1990.
Fire Division
• “Class 3” Insurance Services Office Rating - an insurance industry rating standard, the division’s ranking will help keep Upper Arlington insurance premiums lower than many other communities.
• EMS Star of Life Award - presented by the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians for participation in the rescue of a near-drowning high school student.
Police Division
• Reaccreditation by Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies - marking the third consecutive attainment of this highly prized mark of distinction.
Parks and Recreation
• Ohio Parks and Recreation Association Outstanding Award - The Senior Center received an Outstanding Award from the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association for its Ohio Bicentennial programming and new book, entitled “Stories of Ohio: Tales my Grandparents Told Me.”
• Tree City USA Award - recognizing the City’s excellent urban forestry program, the Division of Parks and Forestry has received this award for 12 consecutive years.
Updated 4/04
City Manager's Office
City of Upper Arlington
3600 Tremont Road
Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221
Phone: 614-583-5040
Fax: 614-457-6620
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