Gahanna Council Set for Charter Amendments, Waste Contract Vote; Recent Meeting Outcomes Not Yet Public
Gahanna residents face a packed July 20 council agenda, including resolutions to place multiple charter amendments on the ballot and a vote on a residential waste collection contract with Rumpke of Ohio, Inc. Meanwhile, outcomes from the city's July 6 and July 8 meetings remain unavailable because minutes have not yet been published.
Recent Meetings: Agendas Only, No Published Minutes
Three meetings were held in the past two weeks — City Council and Committee of the Whole on July 6, and Planning Commission on July 8 — but all three are listed as agenda-only with minutes not yet published. That means no votes, dollar amounts, or decisions from those sessions can be confirmed from the available record.
The July 6 City Council agenda included contracts with Playcore/Gametime for a Friendship Park playground and with MidStates Recreation for an Ashburnham Park playground, supplemental appropriations for Academy Park and Friendship Park projects, a first reading of the Rumpke residential waste collection agreement, and a community reinvestment agreement with Deffenbaugh Flex, LLC for a new industrial building. A NatureWorks grant application for the Creekside Reimagined project was also listed.
The July 6 Committee of the Whole agenda covered proposed charter amendments affecting elections, ward boundaries, and department structures; special assessments for the 2025 sidewalk maintenance and lookback programs; a design contract with GPD Group for the Hamilton Road urban paving project; a proposed bicycle helmet ordinance; and updated fees for law enforcement video records.
The July 8 Planning Commission agenda included variance requests for an all-seasons room addition at 1105 Arcaro Drive, a garage addition at 718 Mistletoe Street, and a conditional use and variance for an accessory dwelling unit at 337 Imperial Drive, plus approval of June 10, 2026 meeting minutes.
July 20 City Council: Charter Amendments and Waste Contract
The regular City Council meeting on July 20 includes a consent agenda with resolutions RES-0026-2026 through RES-0035-2026, which would submit charter amendments to voters. The amendments cover mayoral primary elections, official qualifications, ward boundaries, council member abstentions, administrative department organization, the city attorney office, planning commission attendance, planning and zoning functions, the charter review commission cycle, and non-discrimination provisions.
Several ordinances are also scheduled for consideration:
- **ORD-0024-2026**: Levy special assessments for real estate within the 2025 sidewalk maintenance program.
- **ORD-0027-2026**: Amend copy-charge fees for production of law-enforcement video records under Ohio Revised Code §149.43.
- **ORD-0028-2026**: Add Section 373.11 requiring bicycle helmets.
- **ORD-0021-2026**: Authorize the mayor to award a residential waste collection contract to Rumpke of Ohio, Inc.
July 20 Committee of the Whole: Tax Incentive Review Council
The Committee of the Whole will consider ORD-0029-2026, which would repeal and replace ORD-0063-2000 to reaffirm the city's Tax Incentive Review Council, establish its membership under Ohio Revised Code §5709.85, and declare an emergency. The committee will also discuss Resolution 2026-0148 concerning policy research materials.
Coming Up
- **City Council Special — July 20, 2026, 6:00 PM, City Hall Committee Room**: Workshop on the Our Gahanna Strategic Plan, facilitated by planningNEXT.
- **City Council — July 20, 2026**: Charter amendment resolutions, sidewalk assessments, video record fees, bicycle helmet ordinance, and Rumpke waste collection contract.
- **Committee of the Whole — July 20, 2026**: Tax Incentive Review Council restructuring ordinance and policy research materials resolution.