Cleveland Heights

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 10-15-2018

OCTOBER 15, 2018

 

  • Public comments
  • Project cost increases
  • Minimum age for tobacco product purchases
  • Traffic code clarification
  • SERB’s fact-finding recommendations
  • Council members’ comments

 

Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Saren, Jason Stein, Cheryl Stephens and Michael Ungar were present. The meeting began at 7:37 p.m. and adjourned at 8:07 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 12, Posted 10:32 AM, 11.13.2018

CH receives state approval for city-wide CRA to support new development

On Oct. 1, the city of Cleveland Heights announced that it had "achieved a major strategic development goal" with the state's approval of its Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) application. In the news release, printed in its entirety below, Mary Trupo, director of communications and public engagement for the city, described the CRA's benefits:

Cleveland Heights has achieved a major strategic development goal with the announcement last week by the Ohio Development Services Agency that the City's petition to create a City-wide Community Reinvestment Area, or CRA, has been approved.

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Volume 11, Issue 11, Posted 11:58 AM, 10.02.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 10-3-2018

OCTOBER 3, 2018

 

  • Public comments
  • Foreclosure bonds for commercial and residential property
  • Purchase 60 Severance Circle
  • Cancer awareness
  • Domestic violence awareness
  • Age 21 for smoking material purchases
  • Mayor’s report

 

Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein, Cheryl Stephens and Michael Ungar attended the meeting.

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Volume 11, Issue 11, Posted 11:04 AM, 10.22.2018

City of CH to refund parking ticket overpayments

The city of Cleveland Heights is taking action to refund an overcharge of $5 for various parking violations issued between 2013 and the present. The refunds are for tickets issued for specific, non-metered parking violations and include these infractions: prohibited zone, no permit, overnight parking, fire hydrant and fire lane parking, abandoned vehicle, traffic hazard, parking on sidewalk and parking on curb or streetlawn. The city recently learned of a clerical error resulting in the issuance of paper tickets for some parking infractions with the additional fee.

“All efforts will be made to refund the extra $5, with interest, charged for applicable parking violations,” said City Manager Tanisha Briley.

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Volume 11, Issue 11, Posted 11:15 AM, 09.25.2018

David Gregory will speak at CH's Park Synagogue

As part of Park Synagogue’s 150-year anniversary, the popular Park Forum Series makes a return on Thursday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m., with journalist and author David Gregory. The current CNN political analyst and former moderator of NBC's "Meet The Press" will share with audiences his insights on the latest Washington headlines and the current events facing our country.

Gregory’s talk, "Promoting Dialogue in a Polarized World," will take place just two weeks before the November midterm elections, under the historic dome at Park Synagogue’s complex at 3300 Mayfield Road in Cleveland Heights. The legendary Park Forum has featured various well-known figures, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, Abba Eban, and President Jimmy Carter.

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Volume 11, Issue 10, Posted 12:25 PM, 09.27.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 9-4-2018

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

 

  • Public comments
  • Bond counsel
  • Branding initiative
  • PassportParking app
  • Cedar-Lee SID public services plan
  • 2018 Taxes
  • Forestry and street expense assessments
  • September observances
  • Taylor Road-Superior Park Drive historic district
  • Community Improvement Awards
  • Heights Community Congress tour
  • Mayfield multimodal plan
  • University Circle shuttle
  • Community Center fitness equipment
  • Top of the Hill project design meeting
  • Immigration task force
  • Charter review commission
  • Mayor’s report

 

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein, Cheryl L. Stephens and Michael N. Ungar. The meeting lasted from 7:35 to 8:17 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 10, Posted 11:56 AM, 09.17.2018

Peace Lutheran hosts free monthly meals

Peace Lutheran Church will begin serving once-a-month hot meals for the community starting on Thursday, Sept. 20. The meals will take place on the third Thursday of each month, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and are free and open to everyone.

The organizers hope that whole families will join them, as they believe that family dinners build relationships, and help kids do better in school.

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Volume 11, Issue 9, Posted 1:51 PM, 09.03.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council special meeting highlights 7-30-2018

JULY 30, 2018

 

  • Objections to liquor license renewals
  • Community reinvestment area
  • Cedar Lee SID services plan
  • Cedar Lee SID assessment equalization board
  • Meadowbrook and Lee
  • Stadium Square
  • FutureHeights agreement
  • State Bicycle Route 80
  • Meadowbrook and Lee counsel

 

All council members were present: Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein, Cheryl L. Stephens and Michael N. Ungar. The meeting lasted from 7:38 to 8:10 p.m. 

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Volume 11, Issue 9, Posted 10:57 AM, 09.11.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 7-16-2018

JULY 16, 2018

 

  • Public comments
  • Second quarter Master Plan update
  • Community Center fitness equipment
  • Immigration Task Force
  • Barbara H. Boyd Park
  • Small cell wireless facilities
  • Community reinvestment area
  • 2019 Tax Budget
  • Cedar Fairmount SID
  • Assessment equalization boards
  • FutureHeights placemaking event
  • Taylor-Superior “Stadium Square” historic district
  • Mayor’s report

 

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein, Cheryl L. Stephens and Michael N. Ungar. Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow was absent. The meeting lasted from 7:38 to 8:56 p.m. It was preceded by a public budget hearing at which City Manager Tanisha Briley presented final details of the proposed 2019 budget.

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Volume 11, Issue 9, Posted 10:43 AM, 09.11.2018

CH City Council vote authorizes MOU for the Meadowbrook and Lee site

At its July 30 meeting, Cleveland Heights City Council voted unanimously in favor of Resolution No. 79-2018, which allows City Manager Tanisha Briley to negotiate a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Cedar Lee Connection, LLC, for the proposed development of the Meadowbrook and Lee site in the Cedar Lee Business District. The city recently selected the team’s RFP/RFQ response from two finalists, and council’s vote both formally names Cedar Lee Connection as the developer and initiates processes that will lead to a more detailed development plan.

Melissa Yasinow introduced the legislation and moved to vote on it. Mary Dunbar and Jason Stein seconded it, and all six eligible council members voted yes. Michael Ungar abstained from the vote because the law firm in which he is a partner does business with one of the principals involved in the project.

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Volume 11, Issue 9, Posted 2:53 PM, 07.31.2018

CH City Council creates citywide Community Reinvestment Area

The City of Cleveland Heights passed an ordinance creating a citywide Community Reinvestment Area (CRA), an economic development opportunity to encourage building and remodeling in the city. The CRA program, created by the state of Ohio, is a tool designed to stimulate economic growth in cities. A citywide CRA designation will provide owners of Cleveland Heights properties—whether residential, commercial, industrial or mixed-use—tax exemptions to renovate existing buildings or construct new buildings.

All property owners in Cleveland Heights who are remodeling their properties or constructing new buildings are eligible to apply for this tax exemption. There is an initial negotiation process between the property owners and the city for commercial, industrial and mixed-use properties. Residential property owners must fill out an application before beginning their renovations.

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Volume 11, Issue 8, Posted 1:55 PM, 07.31.2018

CH judge provides court update

What is the status of that abandoned house around the corner? We here at the Cleveland Heights Municipal Court have recently updated our website, www.clevelandheightscourt.com, to make it more user-friendly and to give it more functionality. One update that may be of interest to Cleveland Heights residents is under the Record Search tab. You can now search by house number and street name to determine if the city has filed a criminal case with the court for that property. If it does turn up in the search result, you will be able to see the court docket and find out the status of that case.

I hear all housing code violation cases, generally on Tuesday mornings starting at 9 a.m. If a case you are interested in is set for an upcoming hearing, I encourage you to come to court to watch and, if you would like, make a statement on the record concerning the property.

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Volume 11, Issue 8, Posted 11:48 AM, 07.24.2018

CH City Council undertakes branding study

Cleveland Heights City Council approved a promotional branding initiative at its July 2 meeting. The branding study is intended to define and refine the Cleveland Heights story, and to help tell prospective homeowners and business owners why Cleveland Heights is a great place to work and live. The study is expected to begin by early August.

The city hired Align2Market, an Ohio-based branding and consulting firm, to conduct the study, collect and review the data, and create a strategic marketing plan. Data collection is expected to take about two to three months, with the analysis, message development, creative design and rollout expected to take another four to five months. The cost of the study is not to exceed $85,000.

Align2Market will also study five other cities, not yet chosen, that compete with Cleveland Heights to attract residents and businesses.

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Volume 11, Issue 8, Posted 10:03 AM, 07.17.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council discusses Community Reinvestment Area

The city of Cleveland Heights is considering an economic development opportunity to encourage building and remodeling in the city. The Community Reinvestment Area program (CRA), originally created by the state of Ohio, is a tool designed to stimulate economic growth in cities. A citywide CRA designation would provide owners of Cleveland Heights properties—whether commercial, industrial or mixed-use—tax exemptions to renovate existing buildings or construct new buildings.

All property owners in Cleveland Heights who are remodeling their property or constructing new buildings are eligible to apply for this tax exemption. There is an initial negotiation process between the property owners and the city for commercial, industrial and mixed use properties. Residential property owners must fill out an application before beginning their renovations.

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Volume 11, Issue 8, Posted 12:43 PM, 07.10.2018

CH Council to consider Meadowbrook and Lee development legislation on July 16

Two development teams, Newland Developments, LLC and Cedar Lee Connection, pitched their proposals for the one-acre Meadowbrook and Lee site to Cleveland Heights City Council on June 11. Selected from among four applicants who had responded to the city’s RFQ, both had similar plans for the site. Both suggested multiuse commercial and residential structures that are four or five stories tall. Each proposal also required capital investments of $20 million, sustainable design and tax abatements.

The pitch from Newland Developments, LLC targeted millennials in the age range of 25 to 35. Architect Eric Newland said he planned to capitalize on the younger demographic and older parents whose children have moved out. Newland proposed to build restaurant, retail and fitness space on the ground level, and leave 20,000 feet for offices or apartments.

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Volume 11, Issue 8, Posted 11:04 AM, 07.14.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 7-2-2018

JULY 2, 2018

 

  • Public comments
  • Liquor permit request
  • Meadowbrook and Lee site
  • City branding
  • National Parks and Recreation Month
  • Small cell antennas and wireless support structures
  • Objection to liquor permit
  • Immigration task force term extension
  • 2019 tax budget
  • Community reinvestment area
  • Statement by Council Member Stephens
  • Event announcements
  • Mayor’s report

 

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein, Cheryl L. Stephens and Michael N. Ungar. Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow was absent. The meeting lasted 52 minutes.

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Volume 11, Issue 8, Posted 11:42 AM, 07.17.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 6-18-2018

JUNE 18, 2018

 

  • Public comments Fiscal officer’s certificate
  • Liquor license requests
  • Year 44 CDBG awards
  • Dugway East Culvert Emergency Rehabilitation project.
  • Change order for skating rink
  • Special Improvement District five-year plans
  • Community reinvestment area
  • Street resurfacing bonds
  • Mayor Roe’s report

 

Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Cheryl L. Stephens, Jason Stein and Kahlil Seren were present. Mary Dunbar’s was absent. The meeting was called to order at 7:45 p.m. and adjourned at 8:47 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 8, Posted 4:23 PM, 07.07.2018

Cleveland Heights CRC votes to retain current form of government

At its June 21 meeting, a majority of members of the Cleveland Heights Charter Review Commission (CRC) voted to recommend retaining the city’s current council-manager form of government, comprising seven part-time council members elected at large (citywide) and an appointed city manager.

Proposals to change the form of government in Cleveland Heights, to one led by a popularly elected mayor and with some council members elected by ward or district, were rejected by the CRC.

CRC members took these votes after six months of deliberations and community input. At the April 19 community forum sponsored by the CRC, 53 attendees indicated they favored changing to a popularly elected mayor, while 31 favored staying with the current council-manager government. In the CRC’s online survey, 95 respondents favored a popularly elected mayor, while 16 favored the council-manager government.

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Volume 11, Issue 7, Posted 10:40 AM, 06.26.2018

CH neighborhood development funding opportunities available

The city of Cleveland Heights is accepting applications for the Program Year 45 (2019) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and for a new grant: the 2018 Strategic Impact Opportunity (SIO). Nonprofit organizations that serve low- and moderate-income residents, or those nonprofits involved in the elimination of “slum and blight conditions” within the city, are encouraged to apply.

The SIO is a special funding opportunity that targets neighborhoods along the Noble Road Corridor, bordered by Mayfield Road, Ivydale Road, and Euclid Heights Boulevard to the north; South Taylor Road to the east; Cedar Road to the south; and Lee Road to the west. All CDBG-eligible activities that take place in those target areas can be considered eligible for funding.

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Volume 11, Issue 7, Posted 12:22 PM, 06.05.2018

McClendon is new—and youngest—CH poet laureate

On April 1, the beginning of National Poetry Month, Christine Howey, 2016–18 Cleveland Heights poet laureate, stepped down, and Damien McClendon, the youngest poet so far to hold the post, stepped up. 

“Several highly accomplished and public-spirited poets applied,” said Meredith Holmes, former poet laureate and member of Heights Writes, the Heights Arts committee that chooses the poet laureate. “Damien stood out for his extraordinary commitment to poetry and for his experience of community-building through poetry performance. He brings acute powers of observation to both personal and politically informed poems.”

A Youngstown native, McClendon, 26, moved to the Cleveland area when he was 13. He is a recent graduate of Kent State University, where he majored in Pan-African studies.

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Volume 11, Issue 7, Posted 5:17 PM, 06.28.2018

Cleveland Heights ty Council meeting highlights 6-4-2018

JUNE 4, 2018

 

  • Public comments
  • Cain Park 80th anniversary
  • Aggregated Solar Project
  • Liquor license
  • Community Development Block Grant Funds
  • Mayfield Corridor
  • Doan Brook Watershed
  • Stormwater management
  • Boss Dog Brewing Company patio
  • LGBT Pride Month
  • Nature Works application
  • Mayor’s Report

 

Council members present were Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Cheryl L. Stephens, and Michael N. Ungar. Members absent were Mayor Carol Roe and Jason Stein. The meeting lasted from 7:38 to 8:52 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 7, Posted 2:06 PM, 06.25.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 5-22-2018

MAY 22, 2018

 

  • Public comments
  • Wage and salary agreement
  • Storefront loan
  • Police vehicles
  • National Gun Violence Awareness Day
  • Charter Review Commission
  • Council member Stephens’ primary victory
  • Foreclosure bonds
  • Bicycle events
  • Top of the Hill
  • Jason West Scholarship
  • We Are Noble
  • Mayor’s report

 

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein, Cheryl L. Stephens and Michael N. Ungar. The meeting lasted from 7:34 to 8:15 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 7, Posted 1:48 PM, 06.25.2018

Charter Review Commission enters second phase

On June 7, the Cleveland Heights Charter Review Commission (CRC) began the second, and possibly final, phase of its work. That work will focus on preparing specific recommendations for amending the city’s charter.

In its first phase of work, carried out in 13 meetings beginning in November 2017, the CRC devoted its time to hearing from local elected officials, experts and citizens on two key issues of local governance.

One issue compared the city’s current council-manager government with local governments led by a popularly elected mayor. The second compared the city’s current at-large election of council members to councils that include some members elected by ward or district.

At its June 7 meeting, CRC members acknowledged the need to determine their preferences on these two principal issues before beginning the process of drafting charter amendments.

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Volume 11, Issue 7, Posted 11:10 AM, 06.12.2018

Council members dispute Seren’s comments on potential charter amendment votes

At the May 22 meeting of Cleveland Heights City Council, four council members, Mary Dunbar, Carol Roe, Michael Ungar and Melissa Yasinow, presented a letter in which they rebutted comments that Council Member Kahlil Seren had made at the May 17 meeting of the Cleveland Heights Charter Review Commission (CRC).

Speaking at that meeting, Seren stated that he believes it is unlikely that “a four-member majority of council” will choose to place on the ballot any charter amendment that proposes to replace the city’s’ current council-manager government with one that includes a popularly elected mayor, and any charter amendment that would propose to replace the current at-large council with one that would include some members elected by ward or district.

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Volume 11, Issue 7, Posted 12:45 PM, 06.04.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 5-7-2018

MAY 7, 2018

  • Public comments
  • Rock salt
  • Sanitary Sewer Overflow Control
  • Street resurfacing
  • Gun laws
  • Police radios
  • Service assessments
  • Cedar Fairmount SID
  • Complete and Green Street Policy
  • Bike Month and National Preservation Month
  • Outdoor dining lease
  • Caledonia Park playground
  • Sale of city property
  • Robert Klein
  • CHHS Alumni Hall of Fame
  • Municipal broadband
  • Police bike auction
  • Announcements
  • Immigration task force
  • Mayor attends meetings

 

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein, Cheryl L. Stephens and Michael N. Ungar. The meeting lasted from 7:33 to 8:25 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 6, Posted 1:32 PM, 05.18.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 4-16-2018

APRIL 16, 2018

 

  • Public comments
  • Street improvement bids
  • Marketing and branding
  • City’s strategic plan
  • Zamboni purchase
  • School rankings
  • Bond sale
  • Mayor Roe’s report

 

Council members present were Cheryl L. Stephens, Carol Roe, Mary Dunbar, Jason Stein, Melissa Yasinow and Kahlil Seren. Michael N. Ungar was absent. The meeting was called to order at 7:32 p.m. and adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 6, Posted 2:13 PM, 05.17.2018

City manager and council member address CRC

How effective is the council-manager form of government in Cleveland Heights compared to governments led by a popularly elected mayor?

That was the principal question addressed by CH City Manager Tanisha Briley and CH Council Member Kahlil Seren at the Charter Review Commission (CRC) meeting on May 17.

Seren said that he favors changing the form of city government in Cleveland Heights from the current council-manager government to a mayor-council government that is led by a popularly elected mayor, and supported by a professional administrator appointed by the mayor and approved by council.

He said that the current form of government tends to be too timid and too cautious, resulting in relatively few bold ideas and innovation. “Caution can be debilitating,” he said.

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Volume 11, Issue 6, Posted 4:49 PM, 05.19.2018

Developers speak at CH Charter Review Commission meeting

How does Cleveland Heights compare to other local communities in attracting development?

Developer Peter Rubin and architect Paul Volpe addressed that question, and others, at the May 3 Cleveland Heights Charter Review Commission (CRC) meeting, where the two shared their opinions with commission members and others in attendance. Tom Malone, former Cleveland Heights finance director, also spoke at the meeting.

Rubin said that he considers Cleveland Heights to be a “post-maturity” city that now faces two choices. “One would be to manage decline,” he said, “and the other would be to create and execute a new vision, one that puts the community on a positive trajectory.”

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Volume 11, Issue 6, Posted 12:22 PM, 05.08.2018

CH residents share views on charter review at public forum

On April 19, approximately 80 Cleveland Heights residents participated in the first community forum held by the city’s 15-member Charter Review Commission.

The meeting began with a presentation that described the current council-manager form of government in Cleveland Heights, in which seven part-time city council members are elected on an at-large basis and are assisted by a full-time city manager, whom they appoint.

The presentation also described other forms of municipal governance, including the one most common in Cuyahoga County, in which there is a popularly elected mayor, and a city council to which some or all members are elected by ward.

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Volume 11, Issue 5, Posted 9:40 AM, 04.24.2018

Business owners Zagara and Presser speak to CH Charter Review Commission

Bud Hilf, a member of the city of Euclid’s Charter Review Commission, John Zagara, owner of Zagara’s Marketplace on Lee Road, and Steve Presser, owner of Big Fun on Coventry Road, spoke to the Cleveland Heights Charter Review Commission (CRC) at its March 29 meeting.

Hilf told the CRC that Euclid’s commission voted 6-3 in favor of changing that city’s current form of government, led by a popularly elected mayor, to one led by a city manager. He explained that Euclid’s city council subsequently chose not to place that charter amendment proposal on the ballot.

Regarding Euclid’s charter review process, Hilf noted that there was virtually no public input and, in his opinion, some of the council-appointed commission members seemed to be pursuing their own personal agendas.

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Volume 11, Issue 5, Posted 8:56 AM, 04.03.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 4-2-2018

APRIL 2, 2018

 

  • Public comments
  • Liquor permit request
  • CDC Partnership
  • Event announcements
  • April proclamations
  • Mayfield Road signalization
  • System for ranking schools
  • Rejection of House Bill 512
  • Immigration task force
  • Cedar Fairmount plan
  • Mayor’s report

 

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Cheryl L. Stephens and Michael N. Ungar. Jason Stein was absent. The meeting lasted from 7:36 to 8:26 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 5, Posted 10:10 AM, 04.17.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council regular meeting highlights 3-19-2018

MARCH 19, 2018

 

  • Swearing in of safety forces
  • Public comments
  • Community Center fitness equipment
  • Bike path striping project
  • Liquor license
  • Top of the Hill property tax agreement
  • Event announcements
  • Vacant properties and foreclosures
  • Homestead discount rates
  • Staff compensation
  • Open meetings and public records laws
  • New standing committee names
  • Beyond essential operations of city government
  • Executive sessions
  • Mayor’s report 

 

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein and Cheryl L. Stephens. Michael N. Ungar was absent. The meeting lasted from 7:50-8:25 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 5, Posted 9:30 AM, 04.17.2018

Charter Review Commission plans April 19 community meeting

The 15-member Cleveland Heights Charter Review Commission (CRC) plans to pose the following three questions to participants at its upcoming community meeting:

  • What type of government do you prefer for Cleveland Heights and why?
  • What other elements should be added or changed to improve local government?
  • What are the three most important qualities you want to see in local government?

The meeting is scheduled for April 19, 7–9:30 p.m., at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, 1 Monticello Blvd. (at Mayfield Road).

The purpose of the meeting, as stated by the commission, is to provide information about the current Cleveland Heights charter, review common models of local government, and provide an opportunity for collaborative reflection on the current form of local government in Cleveland Heights and whether changing it would improve the quality of life in the city.

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Volume 11, Issue 4, Posted 10:17 AM, 03.20.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 3-5-2018

MARCH 5, 2018

  • Public comments
  • Committee assignments
  • Cedar Lee plan
  • NOPEC electricity aggregation plan
  • NE Ohio Sewer District easement
  • City employee salaries

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein, Cheryl Stephens and Michael Ungar. The meeting started at 7:39 p.m. and ended at 8:06 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 4, Posted 2:03 PM, 03.26.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 2-20-2018

FEBRUARY 20, 2018

  • Public comments
  • Meadowbrook and Lee site
  • Public safety report
  • Ohio Fairness Act
  • Replacement of traffic signals
  • Top of the Hill
  • Mr. Brisket loan
  • New council committee structure
  • Mayor Roe report

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Cheryl L. Stephens, Jason Stein and Michael N. Ungar. The meeting lasted from 7:32 to 9:10 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 4, Posted 2:12 PM, 03.26.2018

CH Charter Review Commission plans community forum

On April 19, the Cleveland Heights Charter Review Commission (CRC) will hold a community forum to invite broader citizen participation in the process of considering changes to the city’s charter.

The CRC made this decision at its March 1 meeting, its sixth, and plans to determine the time and place of the forum at its regular meeting on March 15.

Also at the March 1 meeting, Les Jones, Forest Hill Home Owners president, and Tom Wagner, Lakewood Charter Review Commission member, spoke.

Jones, a 40-year Cleveland Heights resident, told the CRC that the Forest Hill Home Owners association has worked well over the years with the city government. He said, though, that he favors changing the charter to allow citizens to elect the mayor directly, and would support changing the current at-large council to include some members elected by ward.

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Volume 11, Issue 4, Posted 10:21 AM, 03.06.2018

Cleveland Heights makes progress on economic development objectives

The city of Cleveland Heights is moving forward with its plans to redevelop two large vacant parcels within the city: the Top of the Hill site and the Lee/Meadowbrook site.

Tim Boland, the city's economic development director, presented a draft RFQ/RFP for the 1.07-acre Lee/Meadowbrook site to CH City Council at its Feb. 12 Committee of the Whole meeting, and requested council’s authorization to move forward.

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Volume 11, Issue 3, Posted 1:31 PM, 03.01.2018

Mayors and citizens share views with Charter Review Commission

During a nearly three-hour meeting of the Cleveland Heights Charter Review Commission on Feb. 15, 12 citizens spoke of their interest in changes to the way Cleveland Heights elects its leaders.

Among those who spoke were John Zagara, owner of Zagara’s Marketplace; Bill Mitchell, former owner of Mitchell’s Fine Chocolates; Kermit Lind, an attorney and professor; Bruce Hennes, a communications consultant; and Paul Volpe, an architect.

Lind told the commission that the challenges facing inner-ring suburbs like Cleveland Heights have changed dramatically in the past 40 years. “Local governments now need to be more nimble, creative, collaborative and wary of external factors that cause instability and deterioration of the physical environment,” Lind said. He also stated that Cleveland Heights government is not as effective as it once was.

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Volume 11, Issue 3, Posted 12:00 PM, 02.20.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 2-5-2018

FEBRUARY 5, 2018

  • Public comments
  • Zoning requests
  • Zoning fees
  • Top of the Hill
  • Citizen appointments
  • February recognitions
  • Council Member comments
     

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein, Cheryl L. Stephens and Michael N. Ungar.

 

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Volume 11, Issue 3, Posted 9:26 PM, 02.20.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 1-16-2018

JANUARY 16, 2018

  • Public comments
  • Project bids
  • Zoning code amendments
  • 2017 wage and salary ordinance amendment
  • Income tax amendment
  • Water agreement amendment
  • Charter Review Commission
  • Martin Luther King Jr. celebration
  • Mayor’s comments

Council members present were Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren and Jason Stein. Cheryl L. Stephens and Michael N. Ungar were absent. The meeting lasted from 7:32 to 8:13 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 3, Posted 9:05 PM, 02.20.2018

CH Council members see no need to change form of government

Four members of Cleveland Heights City Council, who spoke at Jan. 18 and Feb. 1 meetings of the city’s Charter Review Commission (CRC), all share the opinion that the city’s current council-manager form of government is working well, and there is no need to change the city charter to allow for a popularly elected mayor.

At each of the two meetings, CRC members interviewed two of the four council members—Mary Dunbar, Carol Roe, Mike Ungar and Melissa Yasinow—for 45 minutes. The Feb. 1 meeting was, in effect, a continuation of the Jan. 18 meeting. Council members Roe and Ungar were interviewed at the first meeting, and Dunbar and Yasinow were interviewed at the second. Prior to the meetings, each of those council members responded in writing to a questionnaire distributed by the commission. As of the Feb. 1 meeting, council members Cheryl Stephens, Kahlil Seren and Jason Stein had not returned the questionnaire.

CRC members asked the CH council members if they believe that a popularly elected mayor would be able to lead Cleveland Heights more boldly, more decisively, or with greater vision than the current system of a seven-member council and its appointed city manager.

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Volume 11, Issue 3, Posted 10:53 AM, 02.06.2018

CH City Council identifies priorities for 2018

At its Jan. 22 meeting, Cleveland Heights City Council discussed priorities for the 2018 year. Although the members of council did not change as a result of the 2017 election, council did elect a new mayor and vice mayor at its first meeting of the year on Jan. 2, perhaps signaling a change in direction.

Cleveland Heights has a council-manager form of government, which means that the mayor and vice mayor are the president and vice president of city council, and are elected every two years by their peers on council, rather than by the public. A professional manager, who serves at the will of city council and is not elected by the public, operates the city.

Carol Roe, the city’s new mayor, is a registered nurse and licensed attorney who lives in the Noble neighborhood. She was elected to council in 2015, and is chair of council’s Administrative Services Committee.

 

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Volume 11, Issue 2, Posted 10:14 AM, 01.30.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 1-2-2018

JANUARY 2, 2018

  • New council terms
  • New mayor and vice mayor
  • New municipal judge
  • Council member comments
  • Public comment—bottled water
  • Gas aggregation
  • Civil immigration law panel discussion
  • Development projects 

 

Council members present were Mary Dunbar, Carol Roe, Kahlil Seren, Jason Stein, Cheryl L. Stephens, Michael N. Ungar, and Melissa Yasinow. The meeting lasted from 7:34-8:53 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 2, Posted 3:06 PM, 02.06.2018

Charter Review Commission surveys city council and staff

Following its second meeting, held on Jan. 4, the Cleveland Heights Charter Review Commission sent a list of four questions to city council members, the city manager, city department directors and chairpersons of its boards and commissions.

The 15-member citizen commission prepared the questions as a way to learn about needed changes to the city charter from the perspective of the city’s elected officials and top administrators.

The questions were:

  1. What parts of the Charter should be considered by the Commission, without necessarily implying that you believe a change should or should not be made? 
  2. For each part identified in Question 1, explain briefly, (a) why the item should be considered and if you think a change may be warranted, then (b) what the change should be and why.
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Volume 11, Issue 2, Posted 10:13 AM, 01.16.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 12-4-2017

DECEMBER 4, 2017

  • Public comments
  • 2018 operating and capital budget and appropriation
  • Zoning variances
  • Zoning code amendments
  • Overnight on-street parking
  • Protected liability self-insurance
  • Charter review commission
  • Cain Park entertainment programs
  • Recreation and park use regulations and rates
  • 2017 appropriations and expenditures amendments
  • City account signatories
  • NOPEC Gas Aggregation Program
  • Sanitary and storm sewer maintenance
  • Property purchase for Mayfield Road Signalization project
  • Mayor’s report and holiday wishes

Council members present were Mayor Cheryl L. Stephens, Mary Dunbar, Carol Roe, Kahlil Seren, Michael N. Ungar and Melissa Yasinow. Vice Mayor Jason Stein  was absent. The meeting lasted from 7:51 to 8:54 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 1, Posted 10:47 AM, 01.30.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 11-20-2017

NOVEMBER 20, 2017

  • New and promoted police officers
  • Public comments
  • Bid authorization
  • Nuisance property
  • Charter review commission
  • Recreation rates and regulations for 2018
  • Small Business Saturday
  • Budget ordinances
  • Cain Park Village security cameras

Council members present were Mayor Cheryl L. Stephens, Vice Mayor Jason Stein, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Carol Roe and Michael N. Ungar. Melissa Yasinow was absent. The meeting lasted from 7:39 to 8:35 p.m.

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Volume 11, Issue 1, Posted 10:45 AM, 01.30.2018

CH Charter Review Commission to make recommendations in time for November 2018 ballot

The Cleveland Heights Charter Review Commission held its first official meeting on Dec. 7. Cleveland Heights City Council appointed the 15-member commission to review all aspects of the city’s charter and make recommendations for changes. City council will then decide which items to place on the ballot for residents to vote on.

The commission expects to submit its recommendations to council by May 2018, in time for council to place the revisions on the November 2018 ballot.

The first item the commission will address is the city’s form of government. Cleveland Heights is currently governed by a seven-member city council, with all members elected at large (citywide), and by a city manager, who is appointed by council.

Of Cuyahoga County’s 57 municipalities, only Cleveland Heights and Bedford Heights are governed without a popularly elected mayor.

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Volume 11, Issue 1, Posted 10:35 AM, 12.12.2017

Cleveland Heights City Council tax budget hearing and regular meeting highlights 11-6-2017

NOVEMBER 6, 2017

  • Public comments
  • Budget reserve
  • Refuse transfer trailer
  • Professional engineering services RFQ
  • CDBG application
  • Zoning code hearing
  • Public health services
  • Sale of K-9 officer
  • Civil immigration enforcement
  • Charter review commission
  • Correction of clerical error
  • In memoriam, Robert Dunbar
  • Election Day is November 7

Council members present were Mayor Cheryl L. Stephens, Vice Mayor Jason Stein, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Carol Roe and Michael N. Ungar. Melissa Yasinow was absent. The meeting lasted from 8:02 to 8:34 pm.

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Volume 10, Issue 12, Posted 4:53 PM, 01.01.2018

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 10-16-2017

OCTOBER 16, 2017

  • Public comments
  • Playground equipment
  • ODOT
  • Washington Boulevard
  • CDBG (First Reading)
  • Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative
  • Zoning variance
  • Ambulance purchase
  • County hazards mitigation plan
  • Charter review commission
  • Liquor permits
  • Mayor’s comments

All council members were present: Mayor Cheryl Stephens, Vice Mayor Jason Stein, Mary Dunbar, Carol Roe, Kahil Seren, Michael Ungar and Melissa Yasinow. The meeting lasted from 7:41 to 8:23 p.m.

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Volume 10, Issue 12, Posted 4:47 PM, 01.01.2018

CH Senior Center News

A recent article in The New York Times spoke to the benefits of dance for exercise, especially as one ages. The demands of learning new steps, the benefits of the movement, and the social engagement that occurs while dancing all contribute to increased health.

The Cleveland Heights Senior Activity Center (SAC) offers a variety of opportunities to dance. Among them is a class on Argentine tango, a social dance based on natural walk that can be enjoyed and danced by adults well into their 90s. Ann Dobyns and Charles Scillia teach the basics of the tango, and a bit about its history and the culture in which it developed.

Wes Senseman teaches English Country Dance—traditional dance and music from the British Isles.

Line Dance, taught by Gladys McGlothin, promotes physical fitness through dance exercise and contemporary music.

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Volume 10, Issue 12, Posted 10:50 AM, 12.04.2017

Cleveland Heights crime statistics for the first half of 2017

The following charts present a year-to-year comparison of serious crimes reported in Cleveland Heights during the first six months of each year, 2011 through 2017. Full-year data will be reported here when it becomes available through the Cleveland Heights Police Department’s data-management process—typically around April. 

These crime reports are not subjective. Since 2011, the CHPD has emphasized consistency with the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) guidelines—a regimented, clearly defined set of rules for classifying and reporting crime that has been updated continually since being introduced in 1930.

 

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Volume 10, Issue 12, Posted 9:52 AM, 11.21.2017

CH appoints 15 to charter review commission

At its Oct. 16 meeting, members of Cleveland Heights City Council named 15 appointees to the city's Charter Review Commision. They are: Patrycia Ajdukiewicz, Jessica Cohen, Craig Cobb, Michael Gaynier, C. Randolph Keller, Howard Maier, John Newman Jr., David Perelman, Carla Rautenberg, Vince Reddy, Maia Rucker, Allosious Snodgrass, Katherine Solender, James Vail and Sarah West.

Cleveland Heights voters originally adopted the city's charter in 1921. The document defines the organization, powers, functions and essential procedures of the city's government.

In 1972, an amendment to the charter set forth that "Council shall, at least once during each ten-year period, by ordinance or resolution, determine whether to appoint a Charter Review Commission to review the entire Charter. The first ten-year period shall end December 31, 1982. Thereafter each successive ten-year period shall commence on the date of Council's ordinance or resolution making such determination." The last time the city convened a charter review was in 1982.

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Volume 10, Issue 11, Posted 10:16 AM, 10.24.2017

CH council candidates address Noble neighborhood concerns

Noble Neighbors sponsored a Cleveland Heights City Council candidates forum on Oct. 3, at Noble Road Presbyterian Church. Incumbent candidates Cheryl Stephens, Melissa Yasinow and Michael Ungar participated, as did T. Nadas, who is running for a first term. Council Member Jason Stein, who is seeking re-election, was unable to attend and was represented by Council Member Carol Roe.

Noble Neighbors leader Brenda May opened the forum. She explained that questions had been sought from residents, winnowed down to three, and sent to the candidates in advance of the event. May noted that the area served by Noble Neighbors covers two of the city’s eight square miles and is home to more than a quarter of its approximately 44,000 residents. “The health of this part of the city is critical to the health of the city and school district,” she said.

Candidates were given time to make opening and closing remarks, and respond to the three questions: what they saw as assets and opportunities in Noble, how they would promote owner-occupancy, and how they would support the work already being done in the community.

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Volume 10, Issue 11, Posted 11:08 AM, 10.10.2017

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 10-2-2017

OCTOBER 2, 2017

  • Public comments
  • Zoning code updates
  • Civil immigration enforcement
  • Small business grant program
  • Mayor Stephens' report

Present were Mayor Cheryl Stephens, Vice Mayor Jason Stein, and council members Mary Dunbar, Carol Roe, Kahil Seren, Michael Ungar and Melissa Yasinow. The meeting lasted from 7:55 to 8:25 p.m.

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Volume 10, Issue 11, Posted 12:59 PM, 11.16.2017

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 9-18-2017

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

  • New firefighters and police officers
  • Objection to liquor permits
  • National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
  • Domestic Violence Awareness Month
  • Welcoming City guidelines

Present were Mayor Cheryl Stephens, Vice Mayor Jason Stein, and council members Mary Dunbar, Carol Roe, Kahil Seren, Michael Ungar and Melissa Yasinow. The meeting lasted from 7:55 to 8:15 p.m.

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Volume 10, Issue 11, Posted 12:54 PM, 11.16.2017

Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 9-5-2017

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

  • Public comments
  • New refuse transfer trailer
  • Banking services
  • Public service plan for Coventry Village
  • Tax proceeds

All council members were in attendance: Mayor Cheryl L. Stephens, Vice Mayor Jason Stein, Mary Dunbar, Kahlil Seren, Carol Roe, Michael N. Ungar and Melissa Yasinow.

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Volume 10, Issue 10, Posted 11:29 AM, 09.20.2017

Forest Hill is a 'sanctuary' church

Cleveland Heights was in the national spotlight on Sept. 12 when Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian held a press conference announcing that it was granting sanctuary to Leonor Garcia, a single mother of four from Akron. The church is among a dozen religious institutions across the United States that are providing sanctuary to undocumented immigrants, and is the first in Northeast Ohio.

“My hope is to encourage more churches to declare themselves sanctuary and open their doors in hospitality to people who are in need,” said Forest Hill Church Pastor John Lentz.

Garcia came to this country as a teenager. “She was a homeowner, had a job, had absolutely no criminal record and had been checking in with immigration officials for years,” said Lentz. Then, when she checked in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in August, for a routine meeting, she was given an ankle monitor and told she would be deported on Sept. 14.

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Volume 10, Issue 10, Posted 2:25 PM, 09.29.2017

CH City Council considers partnering with FutureHeights as city's CDC

Editor’s note: This story as originally published contained some incorrect information. That information, and the story’s headline, have been corrected and updated.

At its July 31 special Council Committee of the Whole meeting, Cleveland Heights City Council discussed legislation to vote on that evening that would declare its intent to partner with FutureHeights as a community development corporation (CDC) and enable the city manager to form a working group to flush out the details.

Council members discussed in detail the various facets of CDCs and working groups on July 31, including what the working group would do and how many members it would have. Council also opined that it would not want FutureHeights to be completely controlled by the city, if it does partner with the nonprofit.

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Volume 10, Issue 9, Posted 11:41 AM, 08.01.2017

CH to hold community meeting on Top of the Hill development site

The city of Cleveland Heights has announced the date of a public meeting to update the community on the Top of the Hill development project. The meeting, planned for Sept. 19, 7 p.m., will take place at the Cleveland Heights Community Center.

According to a statment on the city's website, the purpose of the meeting is to answer questions and receive input from residents on the project.

The city executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with developer Flaherty & Collins Properties on July 18, and next steps are the negotiation of a formal development agreement, which will establish the specific elements of the project as well as the process the development will follow as it moves toward final approval.

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Volume 10, Issue 9, Posted 12:54 PM, 08.28.2017

Cleveland Heights City Council special meeting highlights 7-31-2017

JULY 31, 2017

  • Public comments
  • Objection to liquor permits
  • Public services plan for Coventry Village
  • Commercial loan
  • Lease change for Boss Dog Brewery Co.
  • Community development corporation working group
  • Zoning variances
  • Planning commission meeting

Present were Mayor Cheryl Stephens, Mary Dunbar, Carol Roe, Kahil Seren and Melissa Yasinow. Vice Mayor Jason Stein and Michael N. Ungar were absent. The meeting lasted from 7:36 to 8:14 p.m.

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Volume 10, Issue 9, Posted 5:47 PM, 09.03.2017