Post-Election & New Year Challenges: What Hilliard Residents Want from Local Officials

After the close passage of Issue 39 for the School Bond and Levy, here’s a look at upcoming priorities and questions for our city.

With a lot of important local issues just through the ballot and a H U G E year coming up for our community in 2025 we thought it would be wise to craft a series of “Open Questions” for our elected representatives and public servants.

As you will read in this larger than average post, these topics will give officials the opportunity to engage a significant number of our residents and readers via this platform where smaller scale outreach like “office hours” might only convey a message to one or two individuals at a time.

Some of our most effective pieces, since starting the Hilliard Beacon over a year ago, have been when we’ve given the elected leaders and administrators of this city and surrounding area a chance to come in and discuss what matters most to their constituents or areas of responsibility.

In the past, we’ve asked you about priorities and your answers have remained very consistent. You, as readers, are interested in City Development, Schools and anything community related.

To that end, we’ve spent the last few work sessions pulling together various locally focused questions that have come up again and again in our coverage. We’re asking the questions here directly hoping that it will encourage those we’re soliciting to join us in a widening process of public awareness and participation in our local government.

The list of topics that follows will be included in an open invitation to the various public bodies, officials and individuals to arrange interviews or written pieces with the Beacon on any number of questions related to specific expertise and areas of oversight.

City Government, School Board, developers, related professionals and professions will be solicited

School Levy, Cash Reserves, Voucher Expansion and Release Time for Religious Instruction:

• There has been resident concern regarding appropriate usage of the school district's cash reserves and their management. With narrow passage of the latest levy and bond package - What local, regional, and national insight guides the school board on financial planning decisions to avoid future levy overload on residents?

Unofficial results from Franklin County BOE website

• Vouchers and Charters have been expanding budgets and promising choice for years now in Ohio. With more and more states questioning whether public education can accommodate two, three and even religious forms of public funding - where do you stand? Where should Hilliard draw the line? The state? The country?

• Lifewise Academy is headquartered in Hilliard and is the functional vanguard for RTRI (Release Time for Religious Instruction) education in Ohio and perhaps the country. Given the questions surrounding the constitutionality, standards and rights of various petitioning groups - and that Hilliard has families on each side of this issue - Should Hilliard City Schools take further steps to include or exclude the program?

Link to full story in the image.

• Many sweeping initiatives within Public Education and outside of it have made for a very challenging mission these past decades. What is the game plan for Hilliard going forward to course correct or emphasize an existing “right path” to best serve and course correct our kids’ education future coming out of Covid closures, for college / career planning, etc?

Hilliard Development Corporation (HDC):

• What accountability measures are in place to ensure HDC choices align with city priorities? How is innovation balanced with responsibility, particularly in real estate (Wolpert Property) and the structure of underlying business investments?

• Can you speak to the Revised Code legality of using hotel / bed tax funds for these purposes and the reversal of voted on city policy regarding TIF use?

• How is our Economic Development program “Opportunity Hilliard” being received? How has it functioned and what are the benchmarks and measurables residents should look for (i.e. The numbers that matter most) to evaluate its success?

Tech Investment / CityLab / AI

• Considering the city's recent focus on innovation, including AI and tech sectors, are you comfortable with the level of investment? Given recent volatility in trendy assets like NFTs and cryptocurrency - with a winner takes all market environment - what does success look like in six months or ten years?

• What safeguards are in place to ensure public funds aren’t exposed to speculative technology markets? The most publicized and forward facing project from the local sector (the police force drone project with Converge) is entering its fourth year. What are the measurables and deliverables when other tech builders are currently treading similar ground?

• We spoke to representatives from the city of Westerville about their growing use of AI products at the recent AI convention held in Hilliard. Are there plans or discussions for AI use in Hilliard’s government? If so, what aspects?

• The recent “Pitch Night” event put on by the city of Hilliard (via the Hilliard Development Corporation) awarded a substantial grant to Sartori AI for their developing workload balance / scheduling application in the field of mental health. Columbus Founders Live ALSO awarded grant funding to Sartori AI. How is this type of strategy and deployment of resources setting Hilliard apart or making us more desirable than Columbus in this case?

Township/City Interaction:

• Hilliard and Norwich Township have overlapping responsibilities, particularly in services like fire and EMS. What steps are being taken to improve coordination, and are there any future joint projects planned to streamline efforts?

• How is the city addressing increasing housing demand / building / annexation with township involvement? Very low number of new build permits have been issued in recent years. Big Darby projects, zoning, and major land acquisitions have all become significant factors.

• The city has recently introduced and subsequently tabled (10-14-24 City Council) a Sewer Tap Policy that would establish procedures to assign and distribute tap capacity - specifically in the Big Darby - and going forward. This has been a thorny issue for decades. What steps is the city taking first and what do you anticipate in the way of outstanding challenges?

“The policy aims to establish a framework and process for distributing additional sanitary sewer connections, known as Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs), within the Big Darby region. The policy framework supports the City’s long-term financial sustainability and land-use planning goals outlined in the 2023 Hilliard Community Plan Update. The Resolution would also establish that ERUs should formally be assigned by City Council.” - from the supporting documentation for Resolution 24-R-81

Public Safety / Public Health:

• There have been recent scandals in the abuse of newly incorporated surveillance technologies that, while having obvious benefits to crime fighting and prevention, cast doubt on their use and require public accountability. What steps have been taken to evaluate the use of these new technologies now in place in over 4000 American cities and Hilliard?

Link to the full article in the Image - Click Above

MORPC & Infill Development:

• More and more, Hilliard is taking on a larger regional role when it comes to transit planning (MORPC and associated bodies) for the future. When it comes to project participation and solicitation how do you ensure balanced investment across different areas of Hilliard?

• Do you think the model of land trust ownership supported by the new project at 3474 Bryant Street holds promise for unlocking new growth in older neighborhoods?

Link to full project description and model homes in image

• Do you support the goals and various initiatives to create rail connectivity, improved bus services and to expand the trail network downtown? Why or why not?

Ward Representation:

• Hilliard currently does not have a ward-based representation system. Given the city's growth and accompanying stresses, would you consider or support a shift to ward-based representation, along with regular, recurring meetings to ensure more localized decision-making and ongoing citizen engagement?

From documentation supporting the new Operations budget - link in image

City Manager / Council Relationship:

The position has been maturing over time, recently entering a new contract term with City Manager Crandall.

• How has this relationship evolved? Further, how do you see the position shaping future city governance given specific modifications made to council rules, new positions in government and the growing influence of the city administration as a body unto itself?

From the available Council Rules documentation - That the .pdf is labeled “Types of Comedy” should probably be ignored.

• Conflicts may have roots in or outside our city. Have we developed “next steps” to help us aid our community when inevitable conflict arises? How do we plan to go about making sure all residents are heard and treated equally in city deliberations that prove divisive such as the ongoing dispute over the former BMW Financial Property?
  

Non-Partisan Elections:

• What are your thoughts on transitioning to non-partisan elections? This has appeared as a ballot issue before - being defeated several years ago. How might this change or influence the way city council functions and engages with residents?

City Comprehensive Plan:

• The city’s comprehensive plan outlines a vision for future growth. In your view, is Hilliard currently exceeding, meeting, or falling short of these goals?

• Which areas of the plan do you feel have been adequately addressed or may have moved in an unanticipated - even negative - direction?

• The city is set to enter the readings and public evaluation process of both the Capital Improvement Budget, Operating Budget. Give us a few examples of where you think the city is making spending fit the plan (or missing the mark) in concrete ways.

We aim to reach nearly every public-facing figure in Hilliard, offering them the opportunity to speak on these topics, collaborate with Kevin on written pieces, and provide you – the Residents and Citizens of Hilliard – with the information and insight you deserve and expect.