How Pataskala City Government Works

City Council

Council is the city's lawmaking body. The Charter gives it all legislative power, including the power to levy taxes and incur debt, set rates for city utilities and services, adopt local regulations, buy and sell city property, and create or change city departments, boards and commissions (Section 3.01).

Who sits on Council

Council has seven members. Four are elected from wards and three are elected at large, and all serve four-year terms. The at-large and ward terms overlap, so the whole Council is not elected at once (Section 3.02). The City describes at-large members as elected by all voters in the city and ward members as elected by the voters of their own ward.

A candidate must have been a qualified voter of the city for at least two years before filing and must remain one while in office. City elections are nonpartisan: candidates qualify by petition and there is no primary (Sections 3.02 and 9.01). After each federal census, a seven-member commission appointed by Council redraws the four wards so they have substantially equal populations (Section 3.03).

How Council is organized

Each January, Council elects two of its members to lead it when the Mayor is absent. The Charter calls them the president pro tempore and vice-president pro tempore; Council's rules and the City's website call them the President and Vice President of Council (Section 5.02).

Council also does part of its work in standing committees made up of Council members. Its current rules list eight: Agriculture, Building and Grounds, Streets and Transportation, Safety/Tech, Finance, Utilities, Development and Human Resources. Committees study matters and report back; only the full Council can pass legislation.

When Council meets

The Charter requires at least one regular meeting a month in at least eleven months of the year and leaves the schedule to Council (Section 3.05). Council's current rules set regular meetings for the first and third Mondays of each month at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers, moving to the following day when a meeting falls on a legal holiday. The Mayor or any three members can call a special meeting. All meetings of Council and of the city's boards and commissions must follow Ohio's open meetings law.

Mayor and City Administrator

Pataskala splits the top of its government between an elected Mayor and an appointed City Administrator. The two roles are different, and the Charter spells out each.

The Mayor

The Mayor is elected citywide to a four-year term (Section 5.01). Under Section 5.02 the Mayor:

• Presides at all Council meetings
• Does not vote, except to break a tie among Council members, and not on the appointment or removal of someone the Mayor appoints
• Has no power to veto ordinances, resolutions or motions passed by Council
• Carries out ceremonial duties for the City and may convene a Mayor’s Court

The Mayor also makes several key appointments that Council must confirm: the City Administrator, the Director of Law, the Director of Finance and the Police Chief (Sections 5.04, 6.01, 6.02 and 6.03).

The City Administrator

The City Administrator is the chief executive and administrative officer of the City, answerable to the Mayor and to the acts of Council (Section 5.05). The Administrator hires and supervises most city employees, directs the city's departments, sees that laws and ordinances are carried out, prepares the annual budget and capital program for Council, signs contracts for the City, and attends Council meetings, where the Administrator may take part in discussion but cannot vote.

The Mayor and Council are to deal with the Administrator's staff only through the Administrator, although they can require staff to appear and answer questions (Section 5.04). The Administrator serves at the pleasure of the Mayor and Council and can be removed by the Mayor with Council's consent, or by a two-thirds vote of Council on its own.

The Clerk of Council

Council appoints a Clerk of Council, who keeps the record of Council's proceedings and of every ordinance and resolution it adopts, and gives notice of meetings to members and the public (Section 3.04). The City's website describes the Clerk as the person who prepares and posts agendas, takes minutes and posts public notices. For a resident, the Clerk's office is where the official paper trail lives.

Boards and commissions

Boards and commissions are groups of residents appointed to advise on, and in some cases decide, particular kinds of city business. The Charter itself creates five, and Council cannot abolish or combine them (Article VII).

Source: Charter of Pataskala, Sections 7.01 to 7.05. The City's website refers to the Park and Recreation Board as the Parks Advisory Board.

Members must be qualified voters of the city and cannot hold another city office or job while they serve. Each body elects its own chair, keeps a record of its proceedings and files a copy with the Clerk of Council for public inspection (Section 7.06).

How zoning matters reach Council

The bodies PataskalaOH.com covers most often are the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals and Council's Development Committee. They do different jobs.

• The Development Committee is a standing committee of Council members, not a separate board. Like other committees, it can prepare and recommend legislation, but a Council member must introduce it.
• The Planning and Zoning Commission makes written recommendations to Council on zoning legislation. Its recommendation carries weight: passing a zoning ordinance that differs from it takes a two-thirds vote of Council's membership (Section 4.11). Council sets the detailed procedures, including public hearings and notices, by ordinance.
• The Board of Zoning Appeals hears and decides appeals and requests for variances from the zoning rules. Its decisions are not reviewed by Council; an appeal goes directly to court (Section 7.03).
• City Council has the final vote on zoning ordinances. The Charter does not allow zoning measures to be passed as emergencies (Section 4.06).

For a current example of that path, see our report on the proposed marijuana zoning amendment, which went to the Development Committee and the Planning and Zoning Commission before a Council public hearing. For how each kind of application is handled, see Planning and Zoning in Pataskala, Explained.

How a City Council ordinance moves

Council acts by ordinance, resolution or motion. An ordinance is required for anything of a general and permanent nature and for certain specific actions, such as levying a tax, appropriating money, issuing bonds or notes, buying or selling public property, or creating an offense (Section 4.01). These are the steps the Charter sets for an ordinance.

1. 1
   Introduction. Any Council member may introduce an ordinance at a regular or special meeting. It must be in writing, carry a concise title and deal with one subject (Sections 4.02 and 4.03). City staff, a committee or a board may draft it, but a member has to introduce it.
2. 2
   Three readings. Each ordinance is read by title on three separate days (Section 4.04). In practice that usually means it appears on the agenda of three meetings. Under Council’s rules, the roll-call vote is taken only at the final reading.
3. 3
   Possible amendment. A pending ordinance can be amended by a majority of members present. If it is amended during its final reading, it needs an additional reading, unless it is an emergency ordinance (Section 4.10).
4. 4
   The vote. Passing an ordinance takes the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of Council, recorded by roll call (Section 4.05).
5. 5
   Signature and record. The ordinance is signed by a presiding officer of Council and the Clerk of Council, and the Clerk records it. The Mayor cannot veto it (Sections 4.08, 4.09 and 5.02).
6. 6
   Effective date. Most ordinances take effect thirty days after Council passes them (Section 4.07).

When the three-reading rule does not apply

“Three readings” is the default, not an absolute. Council can dispense with the requirement by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of its members, which allows an ordinance to pass in fewer meetings (Section 4.04).

Emergency ordinances and other immediate measures

An emergency ordinance must state that it is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety or welfare, and explain why (Section 4.06). It takes effect on passage instead of after thirty days. So do a few other kinds of ordinance listed in Section 4.07, including appropriations of money, the annual tax levy for current expenses, and ordinances that submit a question to voters.

Resolutions

Matters that do not require an ordinance can be handled by resolution. The three-reading requirement applies to ordinances, and a resolution takes effect when it is adopted (Sections 4.01 and 4.07).

Where to find adopted legislation

The Clerk of Council records each ordinance and resolution Council adopts (Section 4.09). Adopted legislation and other official records can be found through the Clerk of Council.

For an example, see our report on the water treatment plant financing ordinance, which had its first reading on September 8 and was adopted on October 5.

How to follow a decision

A decision leaves a trail of public documents. This is the usual order.

1. 1
   Agenda. The agenda lists what Council will take up, including new ordinances and resolutions. Under Council's rules the Clerk makes every effort to post agenda packets on the City's website at least 48 hours before a regular meeting. Look on the City's Council agendas and minutes page.
2. 2
   Public notice. Public hearings, special meetings and committee meetings are announced by public notice. The Clerk of Council posts these on the Clerk of Council page.
3. 3
   Meeting. The item is read, discussed or voted on. Dates are on the City calendar and in our events listings.
4. 4
   Legislation. Once adopted and signed, the ordinance or resolution is the official record of what was decided. It shows the dates it was introduced, adopted and takes effect.
5. 5
   Minutes. Minutes are the Clerk’s record of what happened at the meeting, including motions and votes. Signed minutes are posted on the same City page as agendas, some time after the meeting.

When PataskalaOH.com reports on a Council action before the minutes are available, the story says which official record it relies on.

How to participate

Attend a meeting

Council and board meetings are open to the public. Council meets in Council Chambers at City Hall, 621 W. Broad Street. Some City meeting notices say a meeting will be livestreamed on the City's YouTube page; check the notice for the meeting you want to follow.

Speak during citizens' comments

Council's current Rules of Order provide two comment periods at regular meetings, one near the start and one near the end. Under those rules:

• Sign in on the sheet provided. Speakers are recognized in sign-in order.
• When recognized, go to the floor microphone and state your name and address for the record.
• Comments in the first period are limited to five minutes.
• Comments in the second period are limited to three minutes and must relate directly to business from that meeting.
• At special meetings, comments are limited to items on the agenda.

Ask for an item to be placed on the agenda

The rules allow any person to request that a matter be placed on a Council agenda by giving notice to the Mayor, the City Administrator or the Clerk of Council. Proposed items are due to the Clerk before 4:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before the meeting. The Mayor determines the final agenda.

Take part in a public hearing

Public hearings are held on specific proposals, such as zoning changes, and are announced by public notice. The procedures for zoning hearings are set by ordinance, so check the notice for the hearing and contact the Clerk of Council with questions about how to take part.

Contact Council

Current Council members are listed on the City's City Council page.

Serve on a board or commission

Board and commission members are appointed, not elected. To be eligible you must be a qualified voter of the city, and you cannot hold another city office or job while serving. The City has announced openings and how to apply on its News page. A recent City notice, for Planning and Zoning Commission seats, asked applicants to send a letter of interest and resume to the Clerk of Council.

Follow Pataskala local government

• Local Government in Pataskala: our coverage, upcoming public meetings and guides in one place.
• Upcoming events: Council, committee and board meetings alongside community events.
• What the four Pataskala charter amendments on the November 3 ballot proposed: proposed changes to the Charter this guide describes.
• Unofficial results show majority yes votes on all four Pataskala charter amendments: the unofficial November 3 vote on those changes.

Official sources

This guide is based on the Charter of Pataskala, Ohio, as posted by the City, and on the City of Pataskala Council Rules of Order as revised January 5, 2026. Statements about structure and legislative procedure come from the Charter. Meeting days and times, committees and speaking rules come from the Rules of Order and can be changed by Council. PataskalaOH.com is an independent local platform and is not affiliated with the City of Pataskala.

• Clerk of Council: the City Charter and public notices
• City Council
• Council agendas and minutes
• Mayor
• Administration
• Planning and Zoning Commission
• Board of Zoning Appeals
• City calendar

If you find something here that differs from the City's official records, follow the official source and let us know so we can correct it.