Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 4-6-2015

APRIL 6, 2015

• Public comments
• Zoning variance
• Bargaining agreement with firefighters
• Proclamations
• Bonds issued
• Solid waste district consortium
• Cooperative salt purchasing
  
  

All council members were present.

Public comments

Rachel Bernstein, executive director of Heights Arts, introduced the 2015 Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate, Meredith Holmes, and bid farewell to outgoing poet laureate Kathleen Cerveny. Holmes was the first CH Poet Laureate in 2005 and is now the seventh to occupy the position. Each poet read a poem; Holmes’ poem was composed for this occasion.

Zoning variance

Council granted a variance requested by Steve Presser of Big Fun, 1814 Coventry Road, to permit installation of a 68.68 square-foot sign in addition to the existing 13.06 square-foot awning sign.

Bargaining agreement with firefighters

Council ratified a bargaining agreement with the International Association of Firefighters covering the period of April 1, 2015 through March 31, 2018.

Proclamations

Council made four proclamations for city observance in the month of April:

• April 6–11, 2015, as National Community Development Week, recognizing the Community Development Block Grant and HOME programs, which help the city serve low- and moderate-income residents.
• April 2015 as Fair Housing Month, reaffirming Cleveland Heights’s commitment to open housing. The city joins the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other communities throughout the nation in this observation.
• April 12–18, 2015, as National Library Week.
• April 2015 as National Poetry Month.
  
  

Bonds issued

Council heard a first reading of 12 ordinances to issue bonds for the following maximum amounts and purposes:

• $75,000 for renovation and other improvements of the city hall complex. 
• $165,000 for renovation and other improvements of the city’s fire station facilities.
• $30,000 for the purchase of motor vehicles and related equipment for the fire department.
• $300,000 for the costs of resurfacing and other improvements to city surface parking areas.
• $205,000 for the purchase of motor vehicles and related equipment for the police department.
• $635,000 for the purchase of motor vehicles and equipment for the city’s department of public works.
• $185,000 for the renovation and other improvements to the city service garage.
• $315,000 for improvements to the Cedar Lee District including sidewalk, curbing, and pavement removal; construction of concrete sidewalks and medians; new curbing and pavement; stormwater improvements; landscaping; sidewalk lighting; signage and seating; trash receptacles; bike racks; and other streetscape amenities. This money will match $3.2 million in funds from other sources.
• $155,000 for the purchase of computer hardware, software, and related equipment for the city’s management and administrative functions.
• $205,000 for the installation of traffic signalization and security cameras.
• $110,000 for renovation and other improvements to the city’s solid waste transfer station.
• $4.65 million for refinancing, at a lower interest cost, certain of the city’s outstanding Parking Deck Improvement General Obligation Bonds dated Aug. 5, 2008.
  
  

Solid waste district consortium

Council authorized the city’s participation in a consortium set up by the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District to obtain recycling services.

Cooperative salt purchasing

Council also authorized participation in the Ohio Department of Transportation Cooperative Purchasing Program for rock salt for the 2015–16 winter season.

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.