Wooster City Council backs B & B Theatres liquor request

Wooster City Council adopted two ordinances and six resolutions, waived a hearing for a liquor control request, and supported everything on its agenda during its June 1 meeting.

Waiving the hearing on the request for a permit for liquor sales by B & B Theatres Operating Co. essentially means council supports it by allowing the state to approve it.

The D-5 license will allow sales of spirituous liquor for on-premises consumption only — beer, wine and mixed beverages — or off-premises in original sealed containers until 2:30 a.m. for B & B Theatres when it opens at 4108 Burbank Road, the former Cinemark location.

Among the eight ordinances and resolutions passed, the one referenced as “South Market Street TIF” had the most discussion, lasting about half an hour of the 1 1/2 hour-long meeting, continuing a significant discussion that took place at the previous meeting.

The ordinance dealing with the improvement to certain parcels within the city, which was on second reading, was approved by a 6-1 vote after the rules were suspended, also by a 6-1 vote, avoiding a third reading and allowing for immediate enactment.

Council member Tyler Owens cast the dissenting vote both times, citing concerns about lost revenue for the Wooster City School District through the TIF (tax increment financing), a public financing method cities and municipalities use to fund redevelopment, infrastructure and community-improvement projects.

Council member Drew Paul also brought up the concern of money lost by the school district during the 10-year TIF for $506,000, which will allow the city the chance to use reallocated tax money for a decade toward infrastructure projects — in this case a small part, 29%, of a $1.75 million city streetscape project.

Paul touted its benefit too.

“There is a perception by people who live on the south side of town that the city has been reluctant to invest in that part of town,” Paul said. “This is an opportunity for council to show that we are serious about redevelopment of properties down there.”

The discussion among council members and city officials included Apple Creek Bank planning to build a new corporate office in that area, which would generate new revenue for both the city and school district and possibly more if other businesses decide to develop in that area.

“Legally,” the city will go ahead with the TIF without the consent of Apple Creek Bank, but the bank has written a letter of support for it to the city, Wooster Development Coordinator Jonathan Millea clarified before the council vote in response to questions about whether the TIF was dependent on Apple Creek Bank building its headquarters there and what would happen if it changed those plans.

The annual tax budget resolution also was on second reading, but council unanimously approved suspending the rules, skipping a third reading.

Because it had a required public hearing earlier in the meeting, the tax budget resolution was allowed to be adopted.

The other ordinance approved at the meeting, vacating a 500-foot public portion of Progress Drive, was enacted with suspension of the rules after its first reading and a public hearing, where Justin Starlin, co-owner of the business Compak, which brought the petition to council, spoke. With council member Steven Huszai recusing himself from the vote because he is the director of operations for Compak, the ordinance was adopted by a 6-0 vote. Compak owns the land on both sides of the road to be vacated.

The remaining five resolutions on the agenda were all approved by 7-0 votes. They were as follows:

—Replacement of the Finn Restroom at Christmas Run Park.

—Authorizing additional funds for RETTEW, a construction engineering consultant business, to continue being involved in city projects with biosolids, nutrient-rich organic materials resulting from the treatment of domestic sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants.

—Contracting for professional design services for the Silver Road Improvements Project on the recently annexed Graham property.

—Waterline replacement project on Eddy Way, between Reed Road and Carter Drive.

—Applying for a Small Cities Community Development Block Grant for about $500,000 toward the estimated cost of a little more than $1 million for the replacement of a cast-iron waterline along West Vine and South Grant streets, which has a high break history.