Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 7-16-12

JULY 16, 2012

  • 2013 tax budget
  • Citizens’ concerns (Oakwood)
  • Vehicle purchases
  • Call center
  • Nuisance residential properties
  • Noble Road gas station a nuisance
  • Recreation rates for fall/winter
  • Coventry SID plan

All council members were present.

2013 tax budget

A public hearing on the 2013 tax budget preceded the regular council meeting. Projected revenue is $41,693,205 and projected expenses do not exceed $41,615,995. The budget must be filed with the Cuyahoga County Budget Division by July 20. The hearing was about five minutes long and there were no questions from either the public or members of council.

Later, during the regular council meeting, council voted to approve the budget. Council Member Dennis Wilcox commented on the increasing difficulty for budgeting in municipalities, although Cleveland Heights is doing things more efficiently, including collaborating and cooperating with other cities. He believes the state does not value cities as it used to, because it has cut the amount returned to cities from the county and state local government taxes and the inheritance tax. Cleveland Heights has lost more than $2 million.

Citizens’ concerns

Oakwood

Resident Garry Kanter, making his seventh visit to council, expressed concern for trees destroyed in South Euclid to make way for the Oakwood development. He conveyed his anxiety that this not happen to the Oakwood trees in Cleveland Heights, which he believes may number 500. Mayor Edward Kelley urged him to take his concerns up with South Euclid and the newspapers, and requested that he confine his remarks at future meetings to Cleveland Heights matters.

Vehicle purchases

Council approved the purchase of seven vehicles. The vehicles, vendors, prices, and the departments for which they are being purchased were as follows:

  • Two Dodge Avenger compact sedans, Charlie’s Dodge Inc., $15,382.10 each, Housing Inspections
  • Dodge Caravan van, Charlie’s Dodge Inc., $20,649.50, Parks and Recreation
  • Chevrolet Express 15-passenger van, Coughlin Auto, $23,394.07, Parks and Recreation
  • Ford F250 full-size pick-up truck, Germain Ford, $20,874.50, Refuse/Recycling Division of the Public Works Department
  • Elgin Pelican NP3 Wheel Street Sweeper, Jack Doheny Supplies Ohio Inc., $169,719.00, Streets Division of the Public Works Department
  • Ford Explorer SUV, Middletown Ford Inc., $25,521.50, Parks and Properties

Call center

Council amended a resolution authorizing an agreement with Medusa Holdings, LLC, for a loan under the Commercial Revolving Loan Fund. The loan would assist with acquisition of a commercial property at 3008 Monticello Blvd. to establish a call center, which is estimated to generate 120 jobs over five years. The amendment changes some definitions regarding job creation.

Nuisance residential properties

Council declared the following residential properties to be a nuisance and authorized abatement:

  • 945 Brunswick Road, Troy Henderson (trustee)
  • 1841 Lee Road, Ruth Miller (trustee)
  • 866 Nelaview Road, Federal National Mortgage Association (owner)
  • 2218 South Overlook Road, Mark Gridley (owner), partially built and abandoned
  • 3966 Rosemond Road, Bank of New York Mellon (owner). Not only was the property declared a nuisance due to severe disrepair, but also due to criminal and quasi-criminal activities of its tenants.

Noble Road gas station a nuisance

Council declared the operation of the gas station and convenience store at 2610 Noble Road to be a nuisance, authorized abatement, and enjoined the business from continuing to operate. This business has not been maintained and has been expanded in blatant disregard of a court order and judgment from January 2011. It is a magnet for criminal and quasi-criminal activities. The city has been working on this problem for quite a while, including a previously passed resolution.

Recreation rates for fall/winter

Council amended the use regulations and rates for the Cleveland Heights Community Center and parks for the 2012–13 fall/winter season. There are essentially no increases, except a few for non-residents.

Coventry SID plan

Council acknowledged receipt of a plan for public services and improvement from the Coventry Village Special Improvement District (SID). There were no comments or recommendations for changes.

LWV Observer: Blanche Valancy.

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 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 Cuyahoga Area. 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, Cuyahoga Area

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Volume 5, Issue 9, Posted 5:33 PM, 08.13.2012