Grove City measure would increase city council seats

A proposed city-charter amendment would overhaul Grove City’s government, adding two city council members and a fifth ward if voters give it the go-ahead.

It would be the city’s first charter change since 1985.

Since then, Grove City’s population has more than doubled. The burgeoning suburb of about 40,000 people has the smallest city council in Franklin County and needs more elected representatives, proponents say.

The recommendation is one of five charter amendments on the Nov. 7 ballot, following a months-long review from officials and a commission of 13 volunteers.

The proposal would expand the city council from five people to seven. One of the new members would represent a ward, while another would be at-large, representing the entire city. The amendment also would extend at-large council members’ terms to four years. They currently serve two-year terms, while council members representing wards serve four-year terms.

The changes would be phased in over 10 years.

They would require redistricting the city’s wards and, as a result, make them smaller.

“Some people say it’s good governance and are all for it, while others are against it and say it’s just a solution looking for a problem,” said Timothy Keck, chairman of the charter-review commission.

“Ultimately, it’s up to the voters to decide.”

The suggestions split council, which voted 3-2 to propose them to voters. Council President Roby Schottke and Councilman Jeffrey Davis were the dissenting votes. In public meetings, Schottke had said there hasn’t been a public outcry for the change, according to meeting minutes.

Adding two council members also would result in added expenses for the city. Both members would be paid $11,000 annually and offered an insurance plan.

Some who oppose the plan say more people doesn’t necessarily result in a moreefficient government.

Columbus, a city of more than 860,000 people, has seven council members. The federal government hasn’t expanded the House of Representatives in more than a century, despite the U.S. population more than tripling since then.

But proponents note that all other Franklin County suburbs have seven council members, except for Reynoldsburg and Whitehall, which have eight.

Kent Scarrett, executive director of the Ohio Municipal League, said electing seven people to city council is the norm for most cities across Ohio today.

The idea is to disperse the workload and provide access to constituents, he said.

“There’s a general thought that involving more people will give a wider perspective of the issues, which hopefully leads to better policies,” Scarrett said.

In addition to restructuring its government, another charter amendment to be voted on in November by Grove City residents would allow city council members to conduct private meetings, or “executive sessions,” for purposes permitted by Ohio law. Those include employee matters, pending litigation, contract negotiations and real estate purchases.

The policy is already a staple of most other Ohio cities’ charters, Scarrett said.

One amendment would no longer require publishing public meeting announcements in a local newspaper. Instead, they could be posted in other public locations or online.

Another would remove the mayor’s spot on the planning commission and replace him with a city resident, while also clarifying that the mayor cannot veto resolutions adopted by city council, only ordinances.

The remaining charter changes are lumped into a single ballot issue and are mostly procedural updates. One mandates a charter review every 10 years. Another strikes several paragraphs that refer to outdated policies dating back to when Grove City was still a village of less than 5,000 people, before 1958.

The four amendments not addressing restructuring city council would be effective after election results are certified, if approved.

The deadline to register for the November election is Oct. 10.

In addition to Keck, the charter-review commission’s 12 other members were Rocky Black, Dave Bright, Alex Dover, Ron Fomby, Andy Furr, Christine Houk, Jeff Killian, Michael Linder, Chuck Milan, the Rev. Peter Ray, Steve Robinette and Bob Whittier.