Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 12-1-2014
DECEMBER 1, 2014
- Public comments
- Nuisance property
- Overnight parking permits
- December 13 festivals
- Free parking during holiday shopping
- Other upcoming events announced
- City budget
All council members were present.
Public comments
Police, green space: A Cummings Road resident complained about the rudeness of a police dispatcher when she called the non-emergency police number. A second call resulted in better treatment from a different dispatcher. She also asked whether a lot across from her home, where a house has been demolished, could be made into a green space. Mayor Dennis Wilcox explained that it depends on the ownership of the lot.
Sidewalk shoveling: A Revere Road resident inquired about sidewalk shoveling regulations especially regarding what constitutes a violation. The mayor said council had discussed this and asked staff to draft a more easily understood ordinance. Council will address this early in 2015, with two readings to allow for public commentary.
Post office noise: Calvin Lampkin, who lives behind the U.S. Post Office at Severance, complained about post office noise and said he felt that his concerns have been disregarded. The mayor noted that the city manager and the planning director visited Lampkin several months ago to assess the noise situation.
Nuisance property
Council declared the property at 3382 Spangler Road, which is owned by the Bank of America, to be a nuisance and authorized abatement.
Overnight parking permits
In order to provide on-street overnight permit parking, council suspended enforcement of the overnight parking ban for specified portions of Kensington, Hillcrest, Belmar, Glenmont, and Eddington roads for the period ending Dec. 31, 2015. This legislation makes no changes from the previous year, as this continues to be requested because of insufficient parking at apartment buildings with few garages.
Dec. 13 festivals
On Dec. 13, festivals will take place in three city business districts. Lolly the Trolley will circulate among the Cedar Lee, Cedar Fairmount, and Coventry Village districts on that date [6–9 p.m].
Free parking during holiday shopping
There will be free parking every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through December [at meters] in all city lots.
Other upcoming events announced
- Heights Youth Theatre, in cooperation with Mercury Summer Stock, will perform “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at Wiley Middle School Dec. 5–21. http://www.heightsyouththeatre.com/
- Ensemble Theatre is performing “The Great Gatsby” through Dec. 14 at the former Coventry school building. http://www.ensembletheatrecle.org/2014-season/
- There is much live music scheduled at Nighttown and the Grog Shop.
- The Avant-Garde Arts and Crafts Show will take place at Park Synagogue on Dec. 14. There is a $3 admission charge. http://www.avantgardeshows.com/#!events/cwvn
- On Dec. 14, local author and photographer, Laura and Barney Taxel, will sign their new book about Lake View Cemetery at The Wine Spot. http://thewinespotonline.com/, http://www.lakeviewcemeterybook.com
- Residents should remember to patronize the Heights Arts store and bid on items in the Future Heights auction.
City budget
Council heard on first reading two pieces of legislation pertinent to the city budget. The first ordinance would amend appropriations and other expenditures for the 2014 fiscal year. The year ending Dec. 12 has slightly higher expenditures than revenue. The second ordinance would make appropriations for expenses and expenditures for the Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2015 fiscal year.
Mayor Wilcox noted that the budget entailed countless hours of work, especially to deal with revenue decreases resulting from state and county cuts as well as the elimination of the estate tax. The city work force has been cut by 16 percent while maintaining safety and quality services. He pledged that council is working to present both a balanced budget and excellent services.
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 of Greater Cleveland. This disclaimer must accompany any redistribution of these reports.