Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights

AUGUST 2, 2010

• Parent concerns with RTA cuts affecting students
• Canterbury road condition
• Street assessments
• Emergency clause votes
• Firefighter staffing
• Bid advertisements
• Board of Zoning appeals
• Flood zones
• First suburbs advanced energy SID
• Euclid Heights Blvd. property.
• Landlord training
• City commissions have openings
• Recreation fees
• Community Improvement and Tender Loving Care awards
• Water division purchases
• Storm water management at Denison Park

All council members were present.

Parent concerns with RTA cuts affecting students

Myra Cook, of Fenley Road, spoke for a group of parents of Cleveland Heights High School students concerned about RTA discontinuing its school supplemental service bus route. Mayor Edward Kelley offered to arrange a meeting with either RTA Chief Executive Officer Joseph Calabrese or Deputy General Manager Michael York.

Canterbury road condition

Ann Dolan and Robert Brooks, both of Canterbury Road, presented a petition signed by 68 Canterbury Road residents requesting that the city remedy the poor condition of Canterbury road as quickly as possible. In response to Mr. Brooks’ questioning, City Manager Robert Downey explained that all city streets are inspected and evaluated annually and the resulting seasonal work schedule is prioritized based on need. The cost of repairing Canterbury is estimated at more than $200,000 and the work is currently scheduled for 2012. The Mayor and Mr. Downey promised to review the situation with an eye toward possibly moving the work to 2011.

Street assessments

Several residents had complaints about the recent street assessment increase and the notifications. [This assessment helps pay for street lighting; planting, maintaining, and removing shade trees; road repairs and maintenance; and leaf pick-up]. Resident Joseph Miller, Canterbury Road, characterized it as a property tax increase that simply helps the general fund and is of no direct benefit to residents. Law Director John Gibbon explained that state law governs assessments and city law simply follows the state laws on public notifications including letters to property owners. He noted that citizens can object to their assessment and even take their objections to court. [Questions regarding the amount of the assessment for a particular piece of property or any general comments regarding the assessment process should be directed to the finance department at 216-291-3900.]Thomas Kimball, a resident of Lamberton Road, urged council to complain to the state about the requirement that assessment letters be sent to residents by certified mail.  In his report later in the meeting, Mayor Edward Kelley promised that a letter would be sent to the state legislature regarding the $45,000 mailing cost incurred by the city in notifying property owners of the special assessment increase.

Emergency clause votes

Mr. Kimball also chided council members for their frequent use of the emergency clause when passing legislation claiming that the clause is used to avoid multiple readings before voting on passage. Council Member Tumeo explained that the emergency clause is not related to the number of readings, but simply enables legislation to take effect immediately.

Firefighter staffing

Gerald Miluk, Yorkshire Road, inquired about the recent layoff of three firefighters and the city’s decision to cancel a SAFER grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that would have provided $458,286 to hire three additional firefighters for a two-year period. He further asked about minimum staffing level and overtime expenses going forward. Fire Department Chief Kevin Mohr noted that the SAFER grant prohibits layoffs during the grant period. He also explained that overtime expenses were unpredictable due to a number of variables, such as illness, injuries, retirements, etc.

Bid advertisements

Council authorized the city manager to advertise for bids for phase two of the Community Center Lighting Energy Improvements and for the crack-filling and surface treatment program.

Board of Zoning appeals

Council approved four zoning variances:

• Aaron and Leah Mann, 3673 Berkeley Avenue, were permitted to build a four-foot-tall corner side yard wood picket fence four feet from the east property line. The zoning code requires a maximum height of three feet.
• Miriam Ferguson, 3767 Bendemeer Road, was permitted a four-foot-tall corner side yard wood picket fence four feet from the east property line. The zoning code requires a maximum height of three feet.
• Mark Gridley, 2208 South Overlook Road, was permitted construction of a one-story home with a four-foot side-yard setback from the north property line and a one-foot driveway setback from the south property line. The zoning code requires a five-foot minimum side-yard setback for the house and a three-foot minimum setback for the driveway.
• St. Paul’s Church, 2747 Fairmount Boulevard, was granted a variance from the zoning code’s setback regulations to permit the joining of an existing adjacent house and garage at 2334 Coventry Road to the church property for use as church offices. Some additional parking will result, as well as a new, handicapped accessible entrance.

A vote on a variance in sign regulations for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 3200 Mayfield Road, was postponed until council’s August 16 meeting.

Flood zones

Council Member Montlack introduced an ordinance on first reading to adopt and enact a new city code chapter to outline floodplain regulations for properties in the city that are located in flood zones. In 1976 the city was advised that no portions of the community were deemed to be in flood zones. However, floodplain regulations are now under the jurisdiction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has updated its maps to indicate that a few areas of the city, mostly near Doan Brook and the Shaker Lakes, are in flood zones. This requires city floodplain regulations or the city will be suspended from the National Flood Insurance Program.

First suburbs advanced energy SID

Mr. Montlack also introduced, on first reading, a resolution to establish a framework for the creation of the City of Cleveland-First Suburbs Development Council Advanced Energy Special Improvement District. In June 2010 the Fund for Our Economic Future awarded this project $100,000. Each city in this consortium will engage in one solar energy demonstration project.

Euclid Heights Boulevard property

Council declared the residential property at 3436 Euclid Heights Boulevard to be a nuisance and authorized abatement. This property, owned by Hatorah Modos Ohr, has not been maintained for a number of years, and although the owner is supposed to be demolishing the property, that effort is proceeding too slowly.

Landlord training

Mr. Montlack noted the correlation between the professionalism of rental property owners and the condition of the property. The police department is offering a landlord training seminar focused on keeping illegal activity out of rental properties. The first session took place on July 29 with about 40 people attending. When landlords complete the training and commit to its principles, their properties will be listed on the city’s Web site.

City commissions have openings

Residents are encouraged to apply for openings on the city’s Landmarks Commission and the Commission on Aging. Applications can be obtained by calling 291-3925, visiting City Hall, or downloading from the city’s Web site, www.clevelandheights.com.

Recreation fees

Council enacted small rate increases for admission and other services at the Cleveland Heights Community Center and parks for the 2010-2011 fall/winter season.

Community Improvement and Tender Loving Care awards

Vice Mayor Phyllis Evans encouraged residents to submit nominations for the annual Community Improvement and Tender Loving Care awards. For a property to qualify, the improvements must be visible from a public right-of-way and must make the area more attractive. A property may be nominated for restoration, renovation, an addition, outdoor furniture or sitting areas, lighting, new construction, signage, painting, and excellent maintenance. Nomination forms are available from Community Relations at 291-2323. The award winners will be honored and historic preservation awards will be presented at a ceremony in the city hall atrium on October 7, 2010.

Water division purchases

Council authorized the purchase of a water jet and cab and chassis for the public works department’s water division. The water jet, which is used to clean out water and sanitary sewer lines, will be purchased from Jack Doheny Supplies Ohio Inc. through the Ohio Department of Administrative Services Cooperative Purchasing Program, at a total cost of $46,187.94, which includes the trade-in of an older jet. The issuance of $47,000 in tax-exempt notes or bonds will cover the cost. The cab and chassis for mounting the water jet will be bought from Miami Valley International Trucks and purchased through the Ohio Department of Transportation Cooperative Purchasing Program at a total cost of $60,763. The issuance of $61,000 in tax-exempt notes or bonds will pay for the cab and chassis.

Storm water management at Denison Park

Council authorized Behnke Associates Inc. to prepare a storm water management plan, necessitated by the Denison Park Soccer Field Improvement project, which involves replacing the existing natural turf soccer field with a synthetic turf surface. The total cost of Behnke’s services for this portion of the project is not to exceed $6,000.

LWV observer: Katherine Solender

These meeting summaries are abstracted from LWV observers’ written reports. The summaries have been edited and prepared by Anne McFarland, Charlene Morse, and Maryann Barnes. To receive email postings of full reports, send an email to mbarnes9515@gmail.com or join through Google groups using “lwv-chuh observer reports” as a search phrase.

These reports contain member observation and selected highlights of public meetings and are not official statements of the Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters Cuyahoga Area. This disclaimer must accompany any redistribution of these reports.