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GREEN — Green City Council Oct. 28 joined several other Summit County communities by adopting the latest update to the Summit County Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Job Creation and Retention and Tax Revenue Sharing — an agreement between participating Summit County communities to discourage “job poaching” by compensating communities for a period of time when a business relocates to another Summit County community. Green Economic Development Administrator Heather Russell said the primary change to the agreement this year is an increase in the annual taxable payroll amount — from $3.5 million to $4.5 million — that a company must reach before it is required to share revenue with the Summit County community from which it relocates. Russell also updated Council on the number of communities that have opted out of the agreement so far this year. She said 28 communities have adopted the agreement, or are expected to, and five communities — Hudson, Stow, Copley Township, Richfield Township and Twinsburg Township — have decided not to participate. Russell added that Green has been a part of the agreement since its inception, and has benefitted from it on two occasions — when Diebold moved to Hudson for two years before relocating again to North Canton, and when FedEx Custom Critical relocated to Richfield Village in 2024. Finance Director Shelley Goodrich said there are currently 39 companies in Green that meet the new $4.5 million payroll threshold and would be required to compensate Green if they moved to another Summit County community participating in the agreement. Councilwoman Barbara Babbitt (Ward 1) asked if there is any advantage to Green not participating in the agreement, and if the city is disincentivizing businesses moving to Green by being a part of the MOU. Russell said she has not fully explored the opt-out option, as Green has benefitted more from being a part of the MOU. She added that communities like Hudson, with “large tracts of land” for commercial and industrial development, may see a benefit to opting out of the agreement. Councilman Gerard Neugebauer (at large) pointed out that several businesses have moved to Green from other counties in recent years, which illustrates the original goal of the MOU to discourage business relocation within Summit County. Planning and Development Director Wayne Wiethe concurred. “What we didn’t want [was] everyone competing with each other just so that Akron or Hudson or Green could get [an increase in] income tax,” Wiethe said. “That was not in the best interest of the whole county.” He added some Summit County communities have also opted in and out of the agreement in alternating years in an effort to obtain certain county development grants. Also at the meeting, Council discussed a proposed $55,100 agreement with GDP Group for concept and site improvement plans at Rayl Family Park, 6423 S. Main St. Wiethe said the city received three responses to its request for proposals for the design work, and has selected GDP Group. He said the property was donated by the Rayl family, which also is funding the development of the park, including an $85,000 donation to “get the process going” with the removal of two structures on the property as well as the proposed GDP contract. Wiethe said preliminary plans call for the property to be a “passive park,” with amenities like walking trails, a boardwalk and possible bird watching areas and a butterfly garden. Councilman Christopher Meager asked if there was a timeline for the work. Service Director Valerie Wax Carr said the concept plan is expected to be completed within the next six months, with some development possibly started by the end of the year, depending on recommendations in the plan. Babbitt asked how this project impacts current development plans at Kreighbaum Park, 3143 Kreighbaum Road, where the city has engaged with a designer to develop conceptual plans to add restrooms, walking trails and play features, but has yet to move forward with any construction. “I hope as we expend funds, you will move Kreighbaum up the list,” Babbitt said. The GPD contract legislation was moved to its third reading. Council also held a public hearing on a proposed street lighting district for all five phases of the Jacobs Ridge Planned Development, at 3833 Jacobs Lane. Wiethe said the development includes 166 parcels, with the city to pay FirstEnergy $644 per month for the lighting district, and property owners eventually assessed $3.87 per parcel, per month to reimburse the city. Council took no action on the resolution to establish the street lighting district. Mayor Rocco Yeargin announced a ribbon-cutting celebration at the new CORE Center of Recreation and Education, 1717 Steese Road, Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Yeargin also gave an update on how the city is responding locally to the federal government’s temporary halt on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the governmental shutdown. He said with more than 960 households in Green receiving SNAP benefits, the city has created a list of food pantries in the community, and Blessings in a Backpack has expanded its services providing food items for children to include any family or individual in need. Yeargin said the city will continue posting updates at www.cityofgreen.org and on its social media pages. Green City Council next meets Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at Green Central Administration Building, 1755 Town Park Blvd. The meeting also is livestreamed at cityofgreen.org/videos.
