University Heights City Council meeting highlights 3-4-13

MARCH 4, 2013

  • Fire services
  • Property taxes
  • Beaumont Volleyball Team
  • Issuance and sale of bonds
  • Catch basin and sewer
  • Trees
  • Police vehicles
  • Dominion East Ohio Gas
  • Electronic device use while driving
  • Violence Against Women Act
  • Overnight parking
  • Trees by power lines
  • Ambulance
  • Property exteriors

Vice Mayor Frankie Goldberg was absent.

Fire services

Mayor Infeld wrote a letter [posted on the city website] detailing the proposal to combine the fire services with Shaker Heights, to clear up any misinformation.

Property taxes

The county saved money on property taxes and the city was refunded $7,900.

Beaumont Volleyball Team

The mayor presented the Beaumont Volleyball Team certificates recognizing their recent State Championship on Nov. 10, 2012.

Issuance and sale of bonds

Council approved the issuance and sale of bonds. The finance director locked rates on bonds to pay off short-term notes. The closing costs were $32,000 instead of $12,000 per year for ten years, which is what has been paid in the past. The entire debt will be paid off in ten years. Councilwoman Sue Pardee asked for clarification and the finance director detailed the debt, which is mainly depreciable assets such as vehicles.

Catch basin and sewer

Council approved Triple A Flexible Pipe Company for catch basin cleaning and sewer TV program for $179,285. The city engineer received two bids, which were lower than his estimate of $205,000.

Trees

Council approved soliciting bids for stump grinding and tree planting. There will be 38–40 stumps ground this season costing about $2,500–3,000. There will also be about 120 trees replanted in the spring. Council Member Steven Sims wanted the service director to explain the vision of the tree program. The director responded that it is not just the stump grinding and replanting, but also the care of the existing trees by an arborist each year. Currently, they are rotating by zones to work on the pruning and replanting.

Police vehicles

Council approved the purchase of two new police vehicles. The police chief stated that one vehicle needing replacement is a marked car and has 155,000 miles. The other vehicle is a 13-year-old detective car [needing] expensive repairs [costing] more than the car [is worth]. Both replacements are in the current budget and will be bought using the state program. The used cars will be put [up for] auction.

Dominion East Ohio Gas

The law director stated that Dominion East Ohio Gas will be installing automated mechanisms on each house. This will cost residents 38 to 42 cents per month on their gas bills.

Electronic device use while driving

The police chief noted that the grace period from the state regarding ticketing drivers who are using an electronic device has expired. Only hands-free devices can be used. This is a secondary offense for adults and a primary offense for juveniles. The city will be deciding its stance during the year.

Violence Against Women Act

The police chief also noted that the Violence Against Women Act is in effect. It will now be easier to get information about sexual assaults on college campuses.

Overnight parking

The police department is discussing the overnight parking law. Currently, a car can be parked for one hour with no ticket unless there is a special circumstance. The department is considering a parking ban. It is difficult to enforce the one-hour law.

Trees by power lines

The public service director reported that the electric company will be sending out a tree service company to prune trees by the power lines.

Ambulance

The fire chief reported they are looking to replace one ambulance. They are currently researching vehicles and getting bids.

Property exteriors

The building commissioner discussed that this year the exterior of homes and commercial properties on certain street will be evaluated.

LWV Observer: Michele Weiss.

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.


Read More on University Heights
Volume 6, Issue 4, Posted 11:32 AM, 03.12.2013