Oxford City Council approves ordinances, discusses Area One Court updates
Ordinances were approved and Area One Court relocation updates were shared with the city council.
The Oxford City Council met on Aug. 5 to discuss multiple ordinances, Oxford’s Area One Court updates and recent Ohio legislation.
Ordinances
An ordinance authorizing the purchase of 4.9 acres from EVR Investments LLC for the Oxford Area Trails Multimodal Transportation Project Phase Five was adopted by the council.
Another ordinance was presented to the council. This ordinance accepts the Oxford Planning Commission’s recommendation to amend 2.71 acres of the official zoning map at 1699 Fairfield Road from a two-family residential district to a multifamily residential district. This ordinance was adopted by the council.
Zachary Moore, city planner and GIS coordinator for the City of Oxford, spoke to the council about the adaptive reuse project at 1699 Fairfield Road that aims to switch to senior housing. Moore shared updates to the ordinance.
“There’s been a change to the ordinance to include an additional stipulation,” Moore said. “The change emphasizes that rental permits shall be obtained by the owner prior to occupancy.”
Council member David Prytherch expressed support for the ordinance and explained that the first piece of the ordinance is simply a rezoning of the parcel.
“The fact that this rezoning is tied to a particular development proposal,” Prytherch said, “is just a safeguard against any kind of bait and switch.”
Council member Prytherch added that his confidence in the project was boosted due to the strength of the proposal.
The next ordinance was read to the council. The ordinance accepts the Oxford Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve a preliminary and final planned development for senior housing at 1699 Fairfield Road. This ordinance was adopted by the council.
The City Council then moved to announcements and communications.
Area One Court Relocation
Oxford City Manager Doug Elliot spoke to the council about an email he received from the Butler County administrator regarding the possible relocation of the Area One Court in Oxford to a new location.
Elliott added that the county administrator released a Request for Proposal titled “Area One and Area Two Leased Space Consolidation.” The proposals for the relocation are due on Aug. 22.
“In that proposal, the county is seeking approximately 12,000 square feet in central Butler County,” Elliott said.
The document also requested proposals for the lease of turnkey office space.
Oxford’s Area One Court has had its lease since 1995, and the building is nearly 4,000 square feet.
Approval of this proposal requires the Butler County commissioners’ approval.
“If it does happen, and I don’t know for sure that it will, but if it does,” Elliott said, “we will probably acquiesce and go to Hamilton.”
Elliott added that if the proposal was approved, there is the possibility of having an Ohio Mayor’s Court in Oxford.
Piggybank Provision
Elliott discussed the Ohio Legislature’s overturn of a veto that would eliminate the replacement tax levy.
This includes a piggyback provision, which allows for a public agency to use the contract of another public agency’s goods and services.
This provision would give the Butler County administrator authority to double the state-funded homestead exemptions and the 2.5% owner occupancy credits for eligible property owners using local dollars.
Elliott noted that “this exception shields the first $28,000 of a property’s value from taxation.”
The homeowner must be 65 years of age or older and permanently disabled, and the income threshold is $40,000.
The next steps rest in the Butler County commissioners’ hands.
“They have three choices,” Elliott said. “They could fund this piggybank provision out of county funds, or they could basically state that it’s going to come out of the local jurisdictions’ pocketbooks.”
If local jurisdiction’s pocketbooks are used, the impact would be felt in school districts the most, then the county, townships and the city.
The final option is to do nothing.
The Oxford City Council will meet on Aug. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at The Oxford Courthouse.
