Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 4-16-2018

APRIL 16, 2018

 

  • Public comments
  • Street improvement bids
  • Marketing and branding
  • City’s strategic plan
  • Zamboni purchase
  • School rankings
  • Bond sale
  • Mayor Roe’s report

 

Council members present were Cheryl L. Stephens, Carol Roe, Mary Dunbar, Jason Stein, Melissa Yasinow and Kahlil Seren. Michael N. Ungar was absent. The meeting was called to order at 7:32 p.m. and adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Public comments

Poet Laureate: Rachel Bernstein, Executive Director of Heights Arts, and Christine Howey, who just completed her two-year term as Poet Laureate of Cleveland Heights, introduced the new Poet Laureate, Damien McClendon. McClendon read a poem.

Complete and Green Street Policy: Howard Maier, Mark Lefkowitz and Sam Bell, all members of the Transportation Advisory Committee, spoke in favor of the city’s proposed Complete and Green Street Policy, citing its benefits to the environment, business, and creating a safer and equitable approach for all modes of transportation. They thanked city staff and Mary Dunbar for their involvement and assistance in drafting the policy. The policy will elevate Cleveland Heights as a model of green infrastructure. Later in the meeting, council had the first reading of the city’s Complete and Green Street Policy and will take action at the next meeting.

Pesticide use: James Williams expressed concern about endangered species and asked the city to prohibit the use of pesticides. The city already prohibits them on publicly owned land.

Street improvement bids

City Manager Tanisha Briley reported, as a matter of record, two bids for street improvements that the city will accept. The first is a $976,900 bid by Burton Scot Contractors for the Street Resurfacing Program. The second is a $212,199 bid by Specialized Construction, Inc. for the Surface Treating Program.

Marketing and branding

Council approved a request by the city manager for permission to disseminate an RFP for marketing and branding.

City’s strategic plan

Briley updated council on progress on the city’s strategic plan. The city is using Envisio software to track the vast number of action steps tied to the plan’s 10 visions and their subgoals. A dashboard that summarizes progress in a visual format will be available by the next reporting period. She focused on accomplishments related to a few goals within each of the 10 vision areas.

Zamboni purchase

Council approved purchase of a Zamboni through the National Joint Powers Alliance Program.

School rankings

Council approved a resolution urging the state and the Ohio Department of Education to revise the existing system for ranking schools. The position was crafted in cooperation with the CH-UH Board of Education.

Bond sale

Council approved selling bonds in the amount of $640,000 to pay costs of acquiring equipment needed for the city’s sewer division.

Mayor Roe’s report

Mayor Roe expressed distress about the shooting on Noble Road and invited anyone who wanted more information to attend the weekly community meeting with the chief of police that is held on Thursdays at 6 p.m.

She also invited citizens to participate in the charter review commission meetings that are held every other Thursday at 7 p.m.

LWV Observer: Susie Kaeser.

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Volume 11, Issue 6, Posted 2:13 PM, 05.17.2018