Members of the Bellefontaine City Council were made aware during a Tuesday, May 14, regular meeting of administration’s intention to begin the strategic planning of the next phase of growth for the city.
Service-Safety Director Wes Dodds told members of council that the city plans in the coming weeks to begin hosting strategy sessions and planning meetings intended to lay out a needs assessment and wish list for growth and expansion in the next five to 10 years.
Multiple new housing developments in the works within the city could potentially bring hundreds of new residents and families into town and the time is now to begin planning for first responder needs and potential impact to water infrastructure, Dodds said.
Dodds and Mayor Dave Crissman said that members of council, as well as city employees will be engaged throughout the planning process and strategy meetings. A preliminary strategy session is set for June and will be hosted at Myeerah Nature Preserve, Dodds said.
Included in that meeting will be representatives from Ohio Plan, a non-profit initiative that provides operational and management insight to municipalities in Ohio. The city has already joined the member-driven organization and those preliminary meetings will help to inform any additional private consulting services that city officials may look for down the road, according to discussion during the meeting.
This growth is inevitable, Dodds said. As previously reported in the Examiner, multiple housing projects are in the works within the city limits. The “Ludlow Ridge” house development is in the works in the area of Ludlow Road and Township Road 181. Additionally, scores of condominiums are being planned to be constructed in the area of the eastern end of Wren Avenue within Lake Township.
The influx of residents and families into the city is coming in the next five to 10 years and it is up to council and administration to begin preparing now, Dodds said.
A back-and-forth is currently ongoing before council that could have some impact on those strategic plans going forward. Council members during the meeting heard from multiple residents, including Logan County Family Court Judge Kim Kellog-Martin, encouraging them to oppose permitting marijuana dispensaries within the city limits.
Voters statewide approved last November a ballot measure that legalized the drug for recreational purposes. Some lobbying efforts have begun before the council to permit local dispensaries, citing the new law and the potential for tax revenue.
Opponents of the dispensaries, including Judge Kellog-Martin told council that permitting recreational marijuana shops would reflect negatively on the city and could also be a negative influence on youth.
In action taken by council, a Spark Good grant was accepted from Wal-Mart on behalf of the Bellefontaine Police Department to purchase disaster relief and response portable lighting.
The next regular meeting is 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 28.