Frequently Asked Questions

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  • City Council
    • What is the Council’s role in City government?
      • The City of Gahanna operates under a mayor-council form of government. The mayor-council form of government separates executive and legislative branches as equal branches of municipal government. The City Council is the legislative branch and sets the overall policy direction for Gahanna. This is accomplished by adopting ordinances that become City laws, adopting the annual budget which determines what services are to be provided and providing oversight of the executive branch. Council Members exercise their legislative powers when acting as a member of the City Council in Council meetings. The executive (or administrative) branch is comprised of the Mayor and the following departments: Development, Emergency Management, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Parks and Recreation, Police, and Public Service and Engineering.
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    • Who is elected in Gahanna’s government?
      • The Mayor, seven Council Members, and the City Attorney are elected. The Mayor is a full-time position, the City Attorney and Council Members are part-time elected officials. All elected officials in Gahanna serve nonpartisan posts.
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    • How Long is the Term of Office for Elected Officials?
      • The four Ward Council members are elected to two-year terms from individual geographic districts. These districts are reviewed approximately every 10 years and changes are made so that each district has approximately the same number of residents. The three At-Large Council members are elected to four-year terms from the entire City.

        The Mayor and City Attorney also serve four year terms, and that election also runs citywide. All municipal elections in Ohio are held during odd-numbered years. In 2009, the four ward Council seats were up for election. In 2011 all elected positions in the City are up.
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    • How can I get a message to my Council Member?
      • You can send an e-mail message from the link provided above, or write your Council members at Council Office, 200 S. Hamilton Road, Gahanna, OH 43230. You may call the Council Office at 342-4090, or fax comments to 342-4190.
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    • Who are the Council President and Vice President?
      • The Council President for 2013 is Stephen Renner. The Vice President is Ryan Jolley . Members serve as President and Vice President for a one year term based on the calendar year. The Council Members elect a new President and Vice President on January 2 each year.
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    • When does Council meet?
      • The Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month in a regular meeting. If a Monday is an observed holiday for the City, Council meetings are then held on Tuesday. Council usually holds a caucus beginning at 7:00 p.m. before the regular meeting which starts at 7:00 p.m. Council meetings are conducted by the President.

        The Council meets in informal Committee meetings at 7:00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month (Tuesday if there is a holiday). These meetings allow Council Members to receive information and discuss pending issues. No formal action can be taken at a committee meeting.

        For actual meeting dates, please click here to see the Council’s agendas or call the Council office at 342-4090.

        All meetings are open to the public, except for any executive sessions, which are governed by specific rules of Council and Ohio Revised Code. Executive Sessions may only be held for specific reasons including personnel issues, land acquisition, to confer with the City Attorney on pending litigation, conduct or review bargaining sessions or negotiations with public employees, matters required to be kept confidential by federal law, and specialized details of security arrangements.
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    • What is the difference between a Council meeting and a Committee meeting?
      • Council Members exercise their legislative powers in Council meetings by voting on ordinances, resolutions or motions and conducting public hearings. Committee meetings are designed to provide information to the Council Members on issues that may be presented at a future Council meeting; these meetings can be considered as “briefing” sessions. Council members may not enact legislation during Committee meetings.
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    • How can I find out what items are on the Council agenda?
      • In accordance with Ohio’s Open Meetings Law, all Regular Council and Committee Meetings are posted in advance of the meeting. Agendas are usually posted to the web site on the Friday prior to a Monday or Tuesday meeting. Agendas are also available in the Council Office on the Friday afternoon prior to a meeting. Click here to view Council agendas or call the Council office at 342-4090 for more information.
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    • What about meeting minutes?
      • All Regular Council and Committee meeting minutes are posted on the web site. The minutes of a regular meeting take about 2 weeks to be completed and posted. Committee meeting minutes usually are posted the Friday following the meeting. Please use the Legislative Calendar to view Council minutes or call the Council office at 342-4090 for more information.
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    • What is my Council district?
      • Your Council district is determined by where you reside in Gahanna. General neighborhood boundaries are outlined on the Ward Map or more details can be obtained by calling the Council Office at 342-4090. You may also obtain information as to your ward district through the Franklin County Board of Elections.
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    • Can I address the Council Members during a Council meeting?
      • Yes. Audience members may make comments to the Council and Mayor during the Hearing of Visitors portion of the agenda or during Public Hearings by filling out a speaker slip provided by Council staff. Audience members will be called by name to the lectern when it is their turn to speak. Comments are limited to three minutes. There is no comment period at Committee meetings, although the public is welcome to attend.
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  • City Wide
    • When is Trick-or-Treat in Gahanna?
      • Trick-or-Treat in central Ohio is determined by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). In 2009, MORPC passed Resolution 11-09 which recommends that when October 31 falls on the weekend nights of Friday, Saturday or Sunday, Trick-or-Treat will be held on the Thursday prior to October 31. If October 31 falls on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, it will be held on October 31. The time for the event is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

        Following is the Trick-or-Treat schedule through 2014:

        2011 - Monday, October 31
        2012 - Wednesday, October 31
        2013 - Thursday, October 31
        2014 - Thursday, October 30
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    • What is the number to the Gahanna Post Office?
      • The phone number for the Post Office, located at 246 Lincoln Circle, is 614-471-9174.
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    • What is the number to the Gahanna Library?
      • The phone number for the Gahanna branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, located at 310 Granville Street, is 614-645-2275.
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    • What is the number to the Gahanna BMV?
      • The phone number for the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles /License Agency, located at 415 Agler Road, is 614-476-0398.
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    • What is the number to the Ohio Herb Education Center?
      • The phone number for the Ohio Herb Education Center is 614-342-4380.
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    • My power went out. How can I find out when it will come back on?
      • All power outages should be reported directly to AEP at 1-800-277-2177. The AEP operator should be able to tell you when to expect power restoration. You may also report outages on the AEP Ohio website at www.aepohio.com/outages as well as click on the outage map to view the numbers and locations of any power outages in central Ohio.
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    • How do I apply for unemployment?
      • Contact the Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services for benefit information and filing applications at 1-877-644-6562 or apply online at www.unemployment.ohio.gov.
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    • Where is the Social Security office?
      • The closest Social Security office is located at 220 S. Hamilton Road in Whitehall (not Gahanna). The building is just south of Broad Street on the east side of the street.
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  • Courts
  • Health
  • Income Tax
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Police
  • Public Records
    • How do I know who has the records I need? Who do I ask?
      • Call the City Council office at 342-4090. The City Records Administrator will take your request and facilitate preparing the records with the custodial office.

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    • Do I have to give you my name, address, or phone number?
      • No. However, you can choose to give us that information if you want us to call and let you know the records are ready, or want them delivered to you.
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    • Do I have to fill out a form?
      • No. To be sure we understand your request, we might ask questions and make notes, or you can choose to put your request in writing.
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    • Am I allowed to have everything in your files?
      • No. The law exempts some information. If we can’t give you something, we will tell you the part of the law that exempts it.
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    • How far back can I see records?
      • We have retention periods for records based on their content. We can tell you how far back we have the records you want, and you can see our approved retention schedules.

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    • How soon will the records be ready for me to look at or have copies of?
      • Our goal is good customer service and we comply with the law that requires us to prepare records promptly. The time you wait will depend on how many records you want and where they are stored.
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    • Is there a limit to how often I can request records?
      • No.
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    • Is there a limit to how many records I can ask for?
      • No. However, if you need a large number of records
        1) We will probably ask some questions to help narrow your request to what is actually related to your subject matter.
        2) We will estimate or calculate the cost and let you know in advance in case you want to ask for fewer records. If the cost is expected to be more than $25, we might ask you to pay a $10 deposit in advance.
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    • How much do records copies cost?
      • Letter-sized, black and white photocopies are 5¢ a page. Color copies, larger copies, and non-paper copies have different costs. We have an approved fee schedule based on what it actually costs in materials to make a copy. We can tell you the cost of the kind of copy you want, and you can see the entire fee schedule.
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    • What kinds of non-paper copies can I ask for?
      • You can have the copies in any format we store them in and can copy them in based on our normal business procedures.
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    • Can I take records to a commercial copying store or my home computer to make my own copies?
      •  No. Original records stay in the public office to be available to all citizens and the public employees. You may bring a camera to photograph paper documents in our office. Otherwise, we need to make the copies for you.
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    • What if I only need some of the information in a document or file?
      • The City of Gahanna strives to assist citizens in every possible way. However, requests for information are not considered “public records requests” so we are not under the same legal obligations as we are for preparing records for you to look at or get copies of. We are not required to create customized records, tailored to your request. It is your responsibility to do your own research or summarizing.
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    • Are e-mails public records?
      • E-mail messages are judged by the same criteria as records on paper or in any other format. If the content meets the law’s definition of a public record, meaning that it documents the business activity of a public office, the message is a public record. Because an e-mail inbox is not a storage system, public record messages are printed and filed with paper records of that subject.
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    • Can I ask for a list of e-mail messages you printed then deleted?
      • Our computer system does not generate such a list and we don’t create one manually.
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  • Refuse, Recycling & Yard Waste
    • What day is trash picked up?
      • Refuse, recycling & bulk item collection is Tuesday.
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    • What day is recycling picked up?
      • Refuse, recycling & bulk item collection is Tuesday.
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    • What day is yard waste picked up?
      • Yard waste is collected on Monday.
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    • Who do I contact about garbage collection/recycling?
      • Inquiries regarding refuse, recycling or yard waste should be directed to the Gahanna Water Department at 614-342-4440.
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    • When is garbage collection/yard waste pick-up in Gahanna?
      • Refuse, recycling & bulk item collection is Tuesday. Yard waste is collected on Monday.
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    • Where do I get new recycling bins?
      • New bins can be obtained from the Gahanna Water Department located inside of City Hall at 200 South Hamilton Road. Business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. It is not necessary to bring in your old bins.
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    • Do I have to bring in my old, beat-up recycling bins in order to get new ones?
      • You do not need to bring in your old bins. To dispose of them, clearly mark them as trash and place at the curb on refuse & recycling collection day.
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    • Is there anywhere in Gahanna where I can take yard waste?
      • Residents may drop yard waste off at the Gahanna Service Complex located at 152 Oklahoma Drive in the dumpster marked “YARD WASTE”. Drop offs can be made Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 4:00pm.
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    • How do I dispose of hazardous household waste?
      • Hazardous, corrosive, toxic or ignitable wastes, including medical and hospital wastes, liquids, and sludge, cannot be accepted by landfills due to Federal and EPA regulations and are excluded from collection. For more information on how to properly dispose of vehicle fluids and other forms of household hazardous waste, as well as, for the collection sites, dates and times please visit the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio's website at: http://www.swaco.org/.
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    • Do I have to separate my recycling?
      • Items to be recycled can be mixed together in the same bin(s) but should not be placed in plastic bags as they may be mistaken for trash.
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    • Where can I take my recycling if I live in an apartment?
      • To find the recycling drop location closest to you please visit the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio’s webpage at www.swaco.org.
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    • Does the City still pick up leaves? If not, how can I dispose of them?
      • The City does not offer curbside pick-up of leaves any longer. However, Rumpke will continue to pick-up yard waste on Mondays, including leaves, as scheduled as long as they are placed in the proper yard waste bags and set at the curb prior to 6a.m. on collection day. Residents can also drop off leaves at the Gahanna Service Complex located at 152 Oklahoma Drive in the dumpster marked “YARD WASTE”. Drop offs can be made Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 4:00pm.
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  • Service Department
  • Streets, Street Lights, Traffic Signals, Sidewalks
  • Water & Sewer
    • What do I do if I smell sewer odor or suspect a sewer backup?
      • If you think you smell sewer gas, do not hesitate to contact the City. Call 614-342-4440, Monday thru Friday, 8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m. After 5:00 p.m. and on weekends and holidays, call 342-4240.
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    • Can payments be automatically deducted from my checking or savings account?
      • The City of Gahanna now offers Automatic Deduction from a bank account for payment of Water, Sewer and Refuse bills. If you are interested in signing up for Automatic Deduction, please contact the water department at 614-342-4440 for more information.
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    • Are the readings on my bill actual or estimated?
      • All readings are actual.
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    • What is a sewer adjusting meter?
      • A sewer adjusting meter (SAM) or deduct meter keeps track of the amount of water used by a property owner that is not taken away via the sanitary sewer (i.e., water used to water lawns). Deduct meters can be purchased through the water department. The property owner has the meter installed by a vendor of their choice and has it inspected by the City. For more information, call 614-342-4440, Monday thru Friday, 8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.
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