University Heights City Council meeting highlights
FEBRUARY 20, 2024 - regular meeting
- Mayor’s report
- Council actions
- Staff reports
Present were Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan, Vice Mayor Michele Weiss, and Council Members Christopher Cooney, John P. Rach, Sheri Sax, and Win Weizer. Brian King and Threse Marshall were excused. Also present were Kelly Thomas, clerk of council; Luke McConville, law director; and Dennis Kennedy, finance director. The meeting ran for one hour and 10 minutes.
Mayor’s report
The mayor reported that University Heights will host an eclipse party at Walter Stinson Park on April 8 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. There will be activities, music, and food trucks. Eclipse safe glasses will be provided.
The new edition of Mosaic Magazine is out.
Mayor Brennan met with a consortium of east side communities regarding the pricing of recycling and solid waste. He recommends that the city continue as a member of the consortium, which includes Beachwood, Lyndhurst, Shaker Heights, Solon, and Independence.
The bankruptcy court has extended the time for the University Square sale to KL Holdings until March 12. The sale may occur on that date, at which time development may proceed.
Council actions
Council approved, on emergency, the retention of the Wallace Pancher Group as city engineer. After another company made an offer based upon a reduced scope of work, Wallace Pancher modified their RFQ (request for quote) proposal accordingly to facilitate comparison of the two firms. Vice Mayor Weiss commented this issue could have been resolved six weeks ago if the Mayor had consulted with the other firms in the first place.
There was a first reading, with no vote, of an engagement letter with the law firm of Nicola Gudbranson & Cooper for ongoing legal services, which council discussed further in executive session.
Council accepted the bid proposal from Ease@Work for the Fire Department Wellness Education Curriculum and other health services, to be funded by the remaining ARPA grant.
Council approved a motion to address a typographical error in the ordinance for commercial building permits, discovered at a recent Building and Housing Committee meeting. The error was not substantive, but the motion will allow the law director to draft a new ordinance to make the correction. At the next meeting the ordinance will be presented on emergency.
After discussion at an executive session, council authorized the purchase of the YADI property for $1,050,000, with the understanding that the parties will continue to negotiate to finalize details for the purchase agreement and the termination of pending litigation.
Staff reports
Finance Director Kennedy reported that expenses have exceeded revenues in part due to delay from the Cuyahoga County Treasurer’s Office in the collection of property taxes. Revenue is expected to increase upon collection and distribution of property taxes.
Law Director McConville requested an executive session to discuss ongoing litigation involving University Square, the YADI property, Aleksander Shul, and the search for a new law director.
LWV Observer: Marilyn Singer.
Meeting packets, legislation, and other information can be found on the city website at: https://www.universityheights.com/council/.
Videos of council meetings can be viewed on the “City of University Heights” YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA82j5L_CkQxK9cXP_qrXvw/videos.