Village of Mogadore Council Meeting
Feb. 19, 2025
5:30 p.m.
Municipal Building
135 S. Cleveland Ave., Mogadore
Audio from the meeting:
Present at the meeting: Council members Michael Raddish (president), Barbara Van Dike (Finance/Audit), Chris Yoho (Safety), John Tonsic (Streets), Kathy Miller (Planning & Zoning), Robert McDowall III (Parks & Recreation)
Also, Mayor Mike Rick, Council Clerk Rachel Osborne, Clerk-Treasurer Scott Varney, Law Director Jason Dodson and Village Engineer Matt Glass, along with five community members, were present.
Agenda approved; Feb. 5, 2025 meeting minutes adopted and approved.
No comments from the audience on the only piece of legislation.
The only committee report was from Miller, planning and zoning chair, regarding one ordinance and the announcement from Raddish of the Council Work Session, all committees reporting, on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers.
In old business, Miller presented the third and final reading of the ordinance changing zoning in an existing development within the village from R-3 to R-1. In the discussion period, McDowall expressed his intent to vote against the change. He said he had researched housing issues and felt that the change in zoning would lead to increased housing issues by creating more regulatory barriers to affordable housing. He cited in his statement the fact that the developer of the golf course project had decided it wouldn’t be profitable to build houses in the $300k range in Mogadore and many Mogadore families were being priced out of their homes because of increased taxes, while millions of future tax dollars were reimbursing the new builder of the golf course project. He stated the zoning changes hinder the construction of new multi-family units. Mayor Rick commented that he didn’t see how this change on this particular property could affect the type of issues presented by McDowall, as the property being rezoned was already 95% single family and there were no buildable lots remaining. McDowall was the only dissenting vote, and the zoning change was approved.
Public comment by a resident asked for the possibility of property tax relief for over 65-year-old residents who have been paying taxes for so long. Effectively the village was saying that development could be operated at 10%; the village will only be getting 10% of the collected tax, with the rest going to the builder. The resident said the TIF given to reimburse the builder of the golf course project didn’t create a warm and fuzzy feeling for those taxed at the regular rate.
Dodson addressed a couple of factual issues in the resident’s previous statements regarding taxes going to the village. The village and the schools’ percentage of collected property taxes will not change because of the TIF, but the county’s percentage will. The structure of the TIF allows the village and the school to remain whole.
Council President Raddish commended the street department for a job well done.
Meeting adjourned at 5:40 p.m.
