Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 5-4-2015

MAY 4, 2015

  • Public comments
  • Police department annual report
  • Safety forces compensation
  • National Preservation Month
  • Demolition funds

All council members were present.

Public comments

Bike Month: Resident Robert Heinen, a co-founder of the Heights Bicycle Coalition, thanked council for declaring May Bicycle Month. He also thanked Mary Dunbar and city staff for their support of coalition efforts to make the city a more bicycle-friendly community. Later in the meeting, council proclaimed May 2015 as Bike Month, May 6 as Bike to School Day, and May 15 as Bike to Work Day in Cleveland Heights.

TPP opposition: Three residents asked council to pass a resolution in opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the “fast track” provision being considered in the U. S. Congress. Sally Hanley said that the trade agreement would establish a separate justice system for foreign investors that would allow unelected arbitrators to overturn local laws if they were a threat to corporate goals. Dean Sieck spoke against the fast track provision as a violation of the constitution that ignores citizen and congressional review and threatens democracy. Carla Rautenberg noted that 17 other cities and three counties had passed resolutions registering their opposition to fast track and TPP, and urged council to work with Council Member Jeff Coryell to do the same.

Police department annual report

Chief Jeffrey Robertson presented police department accomplishments for 2014. He identified departmental goals and initiatives to achieve them, including the K-9 unit, bicycle unit, community outreach meetings, the new juvenile diversion program, citizen policy academy, alarms in vacant houses, and body cameras. Data for the last five years have shown a steady decline in crime in every category.

Safety forces compensation

Council approved wages and salaries for safety forces as established in the recent labor agreement with the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

National Preservation Month

Council proclaimed May to be National Preservation Month. It will be celebrated with five different events to celebrate community history: talks, and bike and hiking tours focused on Severance Town Center, Nela Park, historic landscaping, houses and waterways.

Demolition funds

Council authorized an agreement with Cuyahoga County to accept $556,000 for demolition of abandoned and deteriorated homes to eliminate blight.

LWV Observer: Susie Kaeser.

Please note: YouTube videos of Cleveland Heights City Council meetings may be accessed at youtube.com/clevelandheightsoh.

Look for earlier, and often expanded, postings of meeting summaries online at www.heightsobserver.org.

These meeting summaries are abstracted from LWV observers’ written reports. The summaries have been edited and prepared by Anne McFarland, Charlene Mors, and Maryann Barnes. To receive e-mail postings of full reports, send an e-mail 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 of Greater Cleveland. This disclaimer must accompany any redistribution of these reports.

Read More on Cleveland Heights
Volume 8, Issue 6, Posted 7:17 PM, 05.19.2015