Council Tables Interchange Deal With Jacobs

The scheduled vote by Avon city council on the financing agreement with Richard E. Jacobs Group for the Nagel Road was taken off the agenda of Monday night's meeting.

Law director John Gasior said that, based on some comments , he wanted to do some "minor" redrafting of the ordinance before submitting it to a vote. It will be on the agenda for next week's work session.

That didn't stop two people from speaking up during public comments.

Mark Haehn of Wellington said the city should give the public time to review the agreement before putting it to a vote in council.

"What you folks are doing ... is putting us in a corner where we have no recourse but to seek a referendum," he said.

Gasior said the final cost of the interchange project isn't known beyond an estimate because the project has not gone out to bid yet.

Brian McKeown, owner of the on Nagel Road, accused the city of "borrowing our equity as collateral" through assessments to build the interchange. He urged the city to find an alternative to higher assessments for landowners near the interchange..

"Jacobs, the Cleveland Clinic, they've got the money, we don't," he said.

In other news:

• Council voted to extend a moratorium on Internet gaming/sweepstakes businesses for another six months. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has called for state regulation of the establishments.
• Council unanimously approved authorizing NOACA to do an engineering study on sanitary sewer district boundaries in Avon.