Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 1-16-2018

JANUARY 16, 2018

  • Public comments
  • Project bids
  • Zoning code amendments
  • 2017 wage and salary ordinance amendment
  • Income tax amendment
  • Water agreement amendment
  • Charter Review Commission
  • Martin Luther King Jr. celebration
  • Mayor’s comments

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren and Jason Stein. Cheryl L. Stephens and Michael N. Ungar were absent. The meeting lasted from 7:32 to 8:13 p.m.

Public comments

Foreclosure bonds: Representing Greater Cleveland Congregations, Melody Hart and Gary Benjamin urged council to consider passing a foreclosure bond ordinance. Such legislation generally requires a residential building owner with vacant property or property in foreclosure to register with the city, meet certain maintenance requirements, and post a bond (perhaps $10,000) against non-compliance. Later in the meeting, Seren voiced his support for the idea, but noted that a $10,000 bond may not be sufficient and suggested that $12,000 to $15,000 be considered if council decides to pursue the policy.

New Kiwanis chapter: Mark Harris announced that a Kiwanis chapter has now been established to serve Cleveland Heights and University Heights. He outlined programs the organization is planning with the Heights schools.

Water and sewer bills: Jim Cathcart expressed concern that his water and sewer bills are now much higher, which is a problem since he is on a fixed income. In response, City Manager Tanisha Briley noted that, with the city’s change to Cleveland Water, the transition rate did not initially reflect the homestead discount for which he is eligible. The city has been working on this, and residents who have this concern and qualify for the discount should soon see a decrease in their bills and receive a credit as well. The same is true for sewer rates, for which discounts are also available. Cathcart also stated concern about litter in city streets.

Project bids

Council authorized the city manager to solicit bids for the following projects:

  • North Park Boulevard bike path buffer striping
  • 2018 refuse disposal
  • 2018 street resurfacing program
  • surface treating program

Before the vote, Seren noted that while Noble Road is also in need of bike path buffer striping, funding is not currently available (the North Park striping is grant-funded). Yasinow stated that funding for Noble Road is being sought.

Amendments to zoning code

On third reading, council approved a measure amending sections of the city’s zoning code, including the legal definition of “family.” Council Member Dunbar observed that these modifications are part of an ongoing effort called for in the Cleveland Heights Master Plan to continuously update and improve the zoning code to reflect technological advances that support sustainability.

2017 wage and salary ordinance amendment

Council approved an amendment to Section 13, outlining health care insurance and ancillary benefits, of Ordinance 20-2017, “Wage and Salary Ordinance,” to delete a reference to “ease@work.” The city’s employee assistance program agreement with ease@work has expired, and the city intends to engage a different vendor. The ordinance was passed on first reading to ensure employee benefits are not interrupted.

Income tax amendment

Council approved a measure amending Chapter 158, “Income Tax,” of the city ordinances. Effective January 1, 2018, this meets the Ohio General Assembly’s requirements for municipal tax codes contained in Substitute House Bill 49, which comprehensively amended Chapter 718 of the Ohio Revised Code regarding the imposition of municipal income taxes.

Water agreement amendment

Council authorized the first amendment to the transition water agreement with the City of Cleveland. The agreement requires that certain projects be completed by December 31, 2017, including the installation of its automatic meter reading system, but the transition is not yet complete. The amendment extends the deadline for these projects to December 31, 2018.

Charter Review Commission

The next meeting of the city’s Charter Review Commission will be Thursday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. Public input is welcome. The agenda and archived videos are on the city website.

Martin Luther King Jr celebration

The city’s annual Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. at the Community Center.

Mayor’s comments

Mayor Roe noted that:

  • The work of the Charter Review Commission, is very important for the future of the city.
  • A review of progress on some of council’s 2017 priorities shows that the city is moving toward fiscal sustainability, with successful efforts to build reserves across most of the city’s seven major operating funds. The Top of the Hill project, now moving forward, will help diversify and strengthen the tax base. The Noble Road corridor has been improved through road resurfacing and streetscaping. Marketing of the city’s strengths and opportunities has improved and communication with citizens has been enhanced through a revamped bi-weekly newsletter, social media outreach, a new economic development e-newsletter and business channel. Next week, council will be looking at priorities for 2018.
  • She was pleased to represent the city at the Cleveland Clinic's 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration on January 12. The keynote speaker was Geoffrey Canada, president of the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York. She said it was a truly inspirational event.

The mayor closed the meeting with a quotation from Dr. King: “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”

LWV Observer: Katherine Solender.

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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.

League of Women Voters

Observer Corps editor for the Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland

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