Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 6-1-2015

JUNE 1, 2015

• Public comments
• Restructured loan
• CDBG funds
• Road resurfacing
• Equipment purchase
• Zoning variances
• LGBT Pride Month
  
  

All council members were present.

Public comment

Water services agreement: Acknowledging that the large audience might be there to speak to the proposed privatization of the city’s water services, Mayor Dennis Wilcox announced that council had permanently withdrawn a pending letter of agreement with Aqua Ohio, [and that] council would be looking for other ways to make the water department self-sustaining.

Six residents, Jeffrey Seidel, Jim Miller, Linda Butler, Diane Hallum, Susan Miller and Alan Romanoff, commented on the water issue and council’s decision to abandon that approach. They expressed a range of views including gratitude to the council for listening and addressing the issue, concern for city employees, the need for a regional solution, the significance of the community’s vigilance, the potential to turn the community’s interest into support for a fair solution, greater use of the skills of the community to help design a solution, problems with the City of Cleveland water department, and the need for citizen engagement when there are serious problems to solve.

Restructured loan

Council authorized the sale of the outstanding loan to Gloree Group, which was made in 2009 for the renovation of 2140 South Taylor Road, to Natebee Partners for $120,000. The Gloree Group defaulted on the city’s Revolving Loan Program and the new owners will assume the restructured loan. Mayor Wilcox explained the program and noted that repayment failure was rare.

CDBG funds

Council approved dispersal of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to the following seven nonprofit organizations, to address various needs in the community:

• Cedar Taylor Development Association for $10,000 for streetscaping,
• Center for Families and Children (the Centers) for $17,000 for the Pinpoint Program for middle school youth who have been suspended from school,
• Cleveland Tenants Union for $7,000 for telephone assistance for landlord-tenant issues,
• Family Connections of Northeast Ohio for $20,000 to provide in-home literacy support to 300 preschool and elementary children and families,
• FutureHeights for $26,865 for mini grants and staff support for neighborhood leadership development and community building activities,
• Heights Emergency Food Center for $9,855 for their food pantry,
• Home Repair Resource Center for $137,500 for a variety of home repair training, counseling, grants and incentives.
  
  

Road resurfacing

Council approved an agreement with Specialized Construction Inc., for not more than $331,415, for surface treatment and crack sealing, and awarded $1,526,910 to Ronyak Paving Company to execute the city’s street resurfacing program for 2015.

Equipment purchase

Council also approved the purchase of heavy equipment needed by the public works department, including a wheel loader and auto grease system from Southeaster Equipment for $164,450, and a front-loader refuse truck and auto grease system for $275,800 from Bell Equipment Company.

Zoning variances

Council approved two variances recommended by the Board of Zoning Appeals to:

• The owners of 3647 Randolph Road for an exemption from building a garage because of a nonconforming lot size and unique geography,
• The owners of 3664 Blanche Road to replace their garage in the same location as the existing.
  
  

LGBT Pride Month

Council proclaimed June 2015 as LGBT Pride Month. Council Member Jeff Coryell noted with pride that Cleveland Heights is an oasis for the protection of citizens from prejudice and persecution for their sexual orientation and gender identity.

LWV Observer: Susie Kaeser.

Please note: YouTube videos of Cleveland Heights City Council meetings may be accessed at youtube.com/clevelandheightsoh.

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.