University Heights City Council meeting highlights

MONDAY MAY 18, 2009

Peter R. Bernardo excused.

*League of Women Voters publication

League observer Maryann Barnes presented a publication prepared by the League of Women Voters Cuyahoga area as an update of a decade old county government brochure. The new publication, entitled Citizens Guide to Cuyahoga County, Past, Present, Future, summarizes the history of changes to and critiques of the current county government structure.

*Community of beautiful homes

Linda Jones, Ashurst Road resident, hoped the issues regarding the property at 2603 Ashurst had been resolved and stated the need for council to create programs and mechanisms for maintaining University Heights as the “community of beautiful homes.”

*Registered contractors

A Fenwick Road resident requested the city to list registered contractors on its website. The building commissioner stated that the city would mail such a list to any resident who requested the list.

Quitclaim deed for 1603 Ashurst Road

Council voted to accept a quitclaim deed from Catherine Harbourt for the property at 2603 Ashurst Road. Law Director Ken Fisher reported that $5,000 had been received from Harbourt to satisfy special assessments. He noted that the funds could go to reimburse maintenance done by the city. Fisher noted that there was still a tax delinquency of $1,400, but expressed confidence that it could be abated. However, he conceded that the city would have to pay the amount if the tax bill were not abated. He maintained that it would be in the city’s best interest to accept the deed. Once the city obtained the deed, a thorough evaluation of the property could occur. From preliminary walk-throughs, Building Commissioner David Menn and City Engineer Joe Ciuni concluded the house could be rehabbed, but not the garage.

Fee increases

Council approved fee increases for Board of Zoning Appeals applications, contractor registrations, re-inspections, point of sale inspections, and roomer inspections. [The amount of fee changes can be found in the May 4 council meeting report.]

Salt purchase

Service Superintendent Christopher Vild announced he had received a letter from the Ohio Department of Transportation that accepted salt purchase from Cargill at $43.53 per ton for the 2009-10 winter season.

*Curb appeal credited to building commissioner

Councilman Steven Sims commended the building commissioner and his staff for maintaining “curb appeal” in the community. The department had sent about 200 notices to property owners who were delinquent on grass cutting, allowing three days before the city would take action on abatement. For vacant homes, notices were sent to banks and realtors.

Charter Review Commission

Councilman Frank Consolo reported that the draft report of the Charter Review Commission was available and that City Watch had been started.

Open house at John Carroll University

Councilwoman Frankie Goldberg announced an open house on May 23 at John Carroll University (JCU) for University Heights residents to view the university’s recreational facilities. JCU will offer residents memberships to use these facilities during the summer. Goldberg also reported that pool and tennis passes were now on sale.

LWV observer: Maryann Barnes

MONDAY JUNE 1, 2009

Vice Mayor Adele Zucker, Kevin Murphy excused.

*Paying for new administrator

Anita Kazarian, University Heights resident and volunteer reporter for the Heights Observer, asked council how they would pay for the city administrator recommended by the University Heights Charter Review Commission (CRC). Councilman Frank Consolo responded that council would have a duty to find the funds if the CRC recommendations were passed by University Heights voters in November. Councilman Steven Bullock concurred saying that council should be able to find $75,000 in a $10-$12 million budget for a position considered to be critical. Councilman Steve Sims, who chairs the city’s finance committee, agreed that it was the duty of city council to identify the resources needed by setting priorities through the budget process.

*Resident suggestions

Resident Sheila Hubman had two suggestions for council:

1. Consider leasing the vacant TOPS space at University Square for City Hall offices. She pointed out that this would get police cars off Warrensville Center Road and provide plenty of parking for city business and meetings. The location would have no steps (University Heights Council chambers are up three flights of stairs). There would be space to build a new jail if that proved to make sense. Finally, the city could consider purchasing the final two houses on the block that it doesn’t currently own, opening up a large parcel for the fire department.

2. Set the mayor’s compensation early at a regularly scheduled council meeting and without passing it by an emergency vote. The current charter states that compensation for the mayor and council members must be established by November of the year when compensation may be voted upon. Mrs. Hubman felt that it was too late in an election season to determine compensation if council waited until November. She also felt that if passed on an emergency basis it could not be subject to a referendum if residents wished to challenge council’s decision.

*Request to delay charter

Resident Dr. Sarah Wilder made an appeal to delay putting the CRC amendment recommendations on the November 2009 ballot. Dr. Wilder suggested waiting until 2010 or later for more input and for council to answer the following:

· What is broken and must be fixed?

· What would the “city manager” cost?

· Would the mayor be part time or full time and what would the salary be?

· What services and departments would be affected by paying for two administrators?

*3897 Tyndall Road

Council authorized the demolition of 3897 Tyndall Road, the home in the recent fire where two residents lost their lives. The structure was damaged beyond repair and is a safety hazard. An ordinance requires a permit to be filed with council for razing a home. Family members appeared before council to make the request although the personal appearance was not required.

Computerized fingerprint system

The purchase for the Police Department of a computerized fingerprint system, required for compliance with state and federal systems, was placed on first reading after some discussion. The request to pass the ordinance on emergency in order to secure the system at a favorable, quoted price of $14,183 failed to pass with Councilman Frank Consolo voting no. Five votes are required for an emergency vote. Consolo explained that he preferred that council pay for this system by reducing the budget in another area rather than increasing the overall budget in order to make the purchase. Consolo further stated that he would like to cut $2 million from the budget. The mayor noted that tax receipts had increased by $11,000 and that the city ran smoothly and with a balanced budget. Councilman Steven Sims pointed out that the fingerprinting system had been included as a capital item in the original budget but was held off as budget priorities were being set.

Roadwork for University Parkway

Council authorized an application for funding University Parkway reconstruction through the Ohio Department of Transportation State Infrastructure Bank. There was discussion about a discrepancy in the amount of interest originally quoted by the finance director and the amount now shown on the ordinance. The mayor indicated that the bid had come in quite a lot lower, at $600,000 rather than $850,000, and interest would be charged at 3 percent over 10 years. Consolo questioned doing basic city service on credit. Sims responded that it was not improper or unusual to borrow for long-term capital projects such as reconstructing University Parkway, but that the city should look to the operating fund for repayment.

At the law director’s suggestion, a resolution to contract Mr. Excavator for the University Parkway reconstruction was put on first reading rather than subjected to an emergency vote.

Roadwork for Taylor Road

Council approved an agreement with Burton Scot Contractors for resurfacing the University Heights portion of South Taylor Road from Cedar Road to Silsby Road. Part of a shared project with Cleveland Heights, the cost was estimated at $55,548.

2603 Ashurst Rd.

The home at 2603 Ashurst Rd., now owned by the city through a quitclaim deed process, was in such a condition internally that it couldn’t be evaluated for soundness until it was cleaned out. The garage, however, was a safety hazard and must be razed. Also, a twenty-plus-year-old car, for which the city does not have the title, was in the garage. Council approved razing the garage. Law Director Ken Fisher suggested that the building commissioner use $1,500 to $1,800, which does not have to be approved by council, to clean out the inside of the home so the city engineer could determine its structural soundness.

Foreclosure statistics for UH

Building Commissioner David Menn stated that 32 to 35 homes were in foreclosure on the court docket; approximately 0.8 percent of the city’s homes.

LWV observer: Susan D. Pardee.

*These sections not published in the printed Heights Observer

These meeting summaries are abstracted from LWV observers’ written reports. The summaries have been edited and prepared by Charlene Morse, Marilyn McLaughlin 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.