Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights

by League of Women Voters

JANUARY 3, 2017

Road resurfacing bids
Liquor permits
Nuisance abatement update
Amendment to wage and salary ordinance
Amendment to public hearing ordinance

Council members Cheryl L. Stephens (mayor), Jason Stein (vice mayor), Mary Dunbar, Carol Roe, Kahlil Seren and Melissa Yasinow were present. Council Member Michael N. Ungar was absent.

The meeting was held from 7:37 to 8:21 p.m.

Road resurfacing bids

The city received bids for the Cedar Road resurfacing and the Cedar-Fairmount streetscape. The lowest responsive bidder was Perk Company Inc., in the amount of $3,991,539.91, for which council authorized a contract.

Liquor permits

James C. Barle Inc. (Upper Level, 3099 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118) has applied to transfer permits from Inglewood Group LLC, doing business as Rockefellers (same address). In addition, Noble Roman Inc., doing business as Noble Gas (2610 Noble Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44121), has applied for new permits. Mayor Stephens referred the latter request to the law director and city manager for further review.

Nuisance abatement update

Kahlil Seren reported on the results of an appeal hearing held Dec. 27 and 28, by the Nuisance Abatement Board of Review, regarding council’s designation of the following properties as nuisances to be abated:

1610 South Taylor Road: The owner was given until March 1 to address code violations.
950 Nelaview Road: Demolition was deemed inappropriate. The owner will have debris removed, and the property will be inspected.
3560 Mayfield Road (the bar/restaurant Rise Bar): Some changes seem to have been made since June; if there is another incident within six months, however, the certificate of occupancy may be revoked.
13093 Cedar Road: The appeal was withdrawn by the city.

Amendment to wage and salary ordinance

Council approved an amendment to the Wage and Salary Ordinance (7-2016), incorporating new terms agreed to by the city and the Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Labor Council Inc., representing police dispatchers. The agreement covers the period Dec. 27, 2016 through Sept. 30, 2019.

Amendment to public hearing ordinance

Since 2014, council has held a public hearing each year, during the third week of January, to examine the impact on the city, state, and nation of political influence by corporate entities and big money, in connection with the most recent election. Corporate entities include business corporations, Political Action Committees (PACs), Super PACs, 501(c)4 groups and unions. The third week of January typically coincides with the observance of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., which it has made it difficult to schedule the public hearing. Therefore, council approved an amendment to Section 183.01, Public Hearing, of Chapter 183, Political Influence by Corporate Entities, of the city ordinances to establish more flexibility in the scheduling of the hearing date. With this amendment, the hearing will now be held during an evening or weekend time. The 2017 hearing will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m., in the council chambers. The city will publicize the hearing on its website and in area media at least two weeks in advance. The city will also record the minutes of the hearing and make them available to the public no later than March 1 of each year by posting them on the city’s website.

LWV Observer: Katherine Solender.

[Cleveland Heights City Council did not have a second meeting in December.]

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 e-mail 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 of Greater Cleveland. This disclaimer must accompany any redistribution of these reports.