The City of Gahanna Partners with the U.S. Census Bureau to Ensure Accurate Representation
The City of Gahanna is excited to announce that we’ve partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to support the 2020 Census! As a partner, the City will be working to ensure that our community is accurately represented. The census is much more than just a headcount. It provides a picture of our nation that helps determine where to build new schools, hospitals, and businesses; how federal funding is distributed; and how congressional seats are apportioned. It also helps us see how our communities have changed over time. That’s why an accurate count is so important. To learn about the upcoming census, visit 2020census.gov.
Sign Up for ALERT Franklin County
Sign up for ALERT Franklin County so that you can receive important notifications and warnings to keep you and your family safe and prepared. Already signed up for ALERT Franklin County? You can visit their website to customize what notifications you want to receive. To sign up or for more information, visit alertfranklincounty.org/
City of Gahanna Receives GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for 6th Consecutive Year
Award presented to entities that meet the highest principles of governmental budget
For the sixth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has presented the City of Gahanna with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its 2019 budget. The award is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting and represents a significant achievement by the organization.
“This award affirms our continued commitment to being transparent and fiscally accountable to our taxpayers,” said Gahanna Mayor Tom Kneeland. “The fact that our city has received this award for six consecutive years is a testament to the tremendous effort made by our Finance Director, Joann Bury and her team. I commend them for the great work they are doing to help us achieve these standards.”
In order to receive the budget award, the City of Gahanna had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as:
- a policy document
- a financial plan
- an operations guide
- a communications device
Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.
When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual(s) or department designated as being primarily responsible for having achieved the award. This has been presented to the City of Gahanna Finance Department.
“I am very pleased that we have been able to produce a budget document that extends beyond the basic requirements for budget preparation,” said Finance Director Joann Bury. “It reflects our continued commitment to provide Council and other decision makers of the City with a document that conforms to best practices and guidelines established by the GFOA and National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting.”
There are more than 1,600 participants in the Budget Awards Program. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA’s website. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.
The Government Finance Officers Association is a major professional association servicing the needs of more than 19,000 appointed and elected local, state and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners. To learn more about the GFOA, click here.
New Online Rental Property Registration Forms
The City has adopted Ord 0053-2018 which requires all owners of residential rental properties located in the City to register each rental property annually. You can find the new registration forms on Gahanna’s website: https://www.gahanna.gov/zoning-and-code-enforcement/. Please contact the Zoning Clerk at 614-342-4025 or via email for assistance in the application process.
New Carts Create Opportunity to Get Recycling Right
Now that you have your new, larger recycling cart, you can put your best environmental foot forward by putting only accepted items in your recycling bin. When you recycle right, you protect the environment, preserve landfill space and help to create and support employment opportunities in Gahanna and across Franklin County.
The amount of waste being generated by Franklin County residents and businesses is staggering. In fact, last year, 2.1 million tons of waste were generated by residents and businesses – enough to fill Ohio Stadium four times. And even though nearly half of that material is being recycled or composted, over one million tons of waste still finds its way to Franklin County’s landfill every year. Recycling has never been more important.
When it comes to using your new blue bin – don’t just recycle. Recycle Right!
There are a number of items, like yogurt cups, plastic and foam food containers, plastic bags and wire hangers that many people think are recyclable in their curbside bin but really aren’t. And improper items can cause serious delays and added expense to the recycling process.
In Franklin County, only five items are accepted for recycling:
- Paper and Cardboard
- Plastic Bottles and Jugs
- Glass Bottles and Jars
- Metal Cans
- Cartons
Everything else should be reused, donated, composted or disposed of safely.
It’s also important that recyclable items are prepared correctly. Cardboard boxes should be broken down and recyclables should be kept loose in the bin – not bagged.
Why does all of this matter?
Proper recycling helps a lot more than the environment. Fewer resources earmarked for landfills means more resources available for well-paying community jobs. Reusing and recycling materials also creates opportunities for new product innovations and technologies.
Make a Difference.
Gahanna and SWACO want to make recycling right as easy as possible for you so you’ll be receiving helpful recycling reminders and information in the mail.
If you want more details on our campaign to Recycle Right, you can also visit https://www.gahanna.gov/refuse-recycling-and-yard-waste/
Together, we can improve both the environment and the economy for Gahanna in ways that will pay off for years to come.
Tax Update
Update:
Effective July 1st, the city’s income tax rate will increase from 1.5% to 2.5%. The credit will increase from 83 1/3% to 100%.
For more information:
See the Rita Tax & Credit Increase Notification or call RITA Customer Service at the phone numbers below:
Individuals: 1.800.860.7482, ext. 5002
Businesses: 1.800.860.7482, ext. 5003
As a reminder, the passage of the income tax increase, Issue 12 in May, also changed the credit from 83.33% to 100% effective July 1, 2019. Upon receiving your 3rd and 4th quarter statement to pay your estimated income tax, you may want to contact your tax preparer or RITA customer service to determine if your estimate needs to be adjusted based on the credit change. You can reach RITA customer service by calling 1-800-860-7482.
Lighting of the Sanctuary Bell Tower
Thanks to The Gahanna Foundation Inc. and more than 50 gracious donors; the Gahanna Sanctuary Bell Tower is glowing!
“The historic 1895 Gothic-style bell tower atop the Gahanna Sanctuary instantly became Gahanna’s newest and brightest landmark after successfully lighting it this past weekend in time for this year’s Creekside Blues and Jazz Festival,” said John Michael Spinelli, President of The Gahanna Foundation Inc. He added, “The architectural feature that helped earn the building being listed on The National Register of Historic Places in 1987 will now help growing Gahanna outshine the competition every night for years to come.”
Speaking on behalf of the trustees of The Gahanna Foundation and the more than 50 pioneer donors that included individuals and businesses who helped turn dreams promised into dreams delivered, Spinelli said, “I am pleased to say that our flagship project demonstrates how ‘civic minds can fashion the future’ for growing communities like Gahanna that want to distinguish themselves from the pack in fun and fruitful ways.”
To read more about the Lighting of the Bell Tower in 2019 and the vision for 2020, click here.
The Gahanna Foundation Inc. was formed as a 501c3 charity late last July, raising nearly $8,500 since then to pay for the lighting project undertaken by Chris Apfelstadt, President of Light Up Columbus, central Ohio’s premier lighting company. You can learn more by visiting https://thegahannafoundation.org/.
View more photos of the shining Bell Tower in the gallery below:
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- Hannah Project
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Text-to-911 Now Available in Franklin County
After more than two years of work and cooperation between Franklin County and its jurisdictions, Franklin County residents can now send text messages to 911 dispatchers.
“Having been involved in this initiative since the 1980s I am very excited to see Text-to-911 come to fruition. Thanks to the efforts of the Gahanna Division of Police Chief Spence, the MECC, Franklin County and all those involved in this initiative, I am pleased to report that Gahanna is now officially a wireless call center and will be handling wireline and wireless calls and also the new Text-to-911 messages. Having this new service offers another great option for those seeking assistance in emergency situations to get help when they need it the most. Although the Text-to-911 is now available, it is still important to emphasize to call if you can, but text if you can’t.”
This new service will greatly assist the deaf community, as well as those who may be in a domestic violence situation who are hiding or simply can’t make a phone call. Safety agencies throughout Franklin County collaborated to share 911 systems and develop partnerships to improve emergency service delivery for all Franklin County residents while simultaneously reducing implementation costs for the agencies. These agencies will be able to receive Text-to-911 texts either directly or via transfer – Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; the cities of Bexley, Columbus, Gahanna, Grove City, New Albany, Reynoldsburg, Westerville, Whitehall and Worthington; the Dublin Northwest Regional Emergency Communications Center (which also serves Upper Arlington and Hilliard); The Ohio State University and the John Glenn Columbus International Airport Police.
The 911 dispatchers in the agencies noted above will see Text-to-911 messages in a similar fashion to what shows up on a smart-phone text chain and have the ability to text back specific questions to the sender. With this in mind, agencies jointly developed pre-programmed responses aimed to address the text emergencies they receive and quickly ask for key information.
Text-to-911 works on cell phones, tablets and other devices with the capability of sending texts. Though the initial Text-to-911 rollout will not include the ability for texters to send pictures and videos, partners throughout Franklin County will keep working with individual agencies and expect this to happen at some point in the future. Text-to-911 service is subject to cell signal availability and not every text sent will be received – another reason why those attempting to contact 911 should call when they can and text when they can’t. In the event a text does not go through, the person attempting to use Text-to-911 will receive an automated bounce-back message indicating the text’s failure to be delivered.
“The ability for Franklin County’s public safety dispatching centers to accept and respond to text messages to 9-1-1 is the culmination of years of hard work by representatives from several communities’ public safety agencies and other stakeholders within the county. It was truly a team effort to bring this emerging technology to our residents in order to provide another method in reaching 9-1-1 dispatchers when a voice call is not possible and seconds count. The initiative behind ‘Text-to-911’ created a number of lasting partnerships and collaborative efforts that help reduce costs for the member communities as well as improve overall service delivery to the public. We understand that there will be challenges now that text messaging to 9-1-1 is a reality in Franklin County and as its use occurs. When seconds count, we encourage everyone to call if you can, text if you can’t.”
To view a fact sheet about Text-to-911 click here.
For more information about the new Text-to-911 service, click here.
Columbus Neighborhoods: Big Walnut Country Club
Did you know that Gahanna was once home to the Big Walnut Country Club, one of the first African American country clubs in the nation? Established in the 1920s, this county club was a place African Americans could enjoy recreational activities such as golf, dinners, pageants, and conferences. Thanks to research provided by the Gahanna Historical Society, interviews and information we have collected throughout the years, the city has been able to gain more insight into the Big Walnut Country Club. Thanks to WOSU’s Columbus Neighborhoods, we’ve been able to share a bit of Gahanna history with their viewers.
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