Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 6-17-2024

JUNE 17, 2024, regular meeting

• Public comment
• Mayor’s report
• City administrator’s report
• Grandview parking lot
• Clerk of council’s report
• Council actions
• Council member comments
• Committee of the whole
  
  

Present were Mayor Kahlil Seren, Tony Cuda (council president), Craig Cobb, Gail Larson, Anthony Mattox, Jr., Jim Petras, and Jim Posch. Davida Russell was excused. Also present were Clerk of Council Addie Balester, Law Director William Hanna, and City Administrator Danny Williams.

Public comment

Regarding a proposal to build 20 town homes on Edgehill Road at the edge of the city on Turkey Ridge, a resident urged that the city make certain the plan is environmentally sound and that the Cleveland residents of Little Italy, below the ridge, be involved in planning.

Four people addressed the request for funding to help remodel the grocery store space at Cedar and Fairmount for Grocery Outlet, including Sal V. Russo, the building owner, and his lawyer, Lee Chilcote. One neighbor spoke in favor of the project. Two others spoke against it, opining that the store is not needed, does not fit the neighborhood, is too expensive and not beneficial, and that the city should not help a private company but use the money elsewhere.

Two residents spoke in favor of the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) at Cedar and Lee Roads.

A resident spoke about the failures of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board in responding to multiple sexual assault accusations in the schools.

A resident urged the city and the landlord to do something about a nuisance rental house at 3847 Woodbridge, which has had many housing and police-involved problems. U.S. marshalls have raided the property. 

A landlord thanked the city for the lead safety ordinance.

Dr. Amber C. Gibbs, superintendent and CEO of the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, spoke about her agency’s functions and how it helps Cleveland Heights residents. The board’s website is https://cuyahogabdd.org/

Mayor’s report

Mayor Seren accepted a $408,900 bid for the rehabilitation of the Surrey/Lennox garage from Jadco Construction. He thanked everyone for the Juneteenth celebration at Forest Hills Park.

The mayor spoke at length about the process of appointing his candidates for the Climate and Environmental Sustainability and Transportation and Mobility Committees, why it is taking so long to find and recruit qualified and diverse candidates, and his disappointment that council is proposing to remove his ability to make the appointments, when he had high hopes for collaboration between the legislative and executive branches. 

City administrator’s report

Mr. Williams gave his first semi-annual report. The full text is on the city website on the city administrator’s page under Government/Mayor Kahlil Seren/city administrator.

Grandview parking lot

Brian Anderson, assist. director economic development, explained the background of proposed legislation to make a loan to the Cedar-Grandview Company and to buy the parking lot at 2172 Grandview from them.

Clerk of council’s report

Ms. Balester reported a liquor license application for Cain Park concessions.

Council actions

On first reading council amended the 2024 appropriations and expenditures budget and proclaimed July 2024 as National Parks and Recreation Month.

On second reading, council approved the adoption of the 2025 Tax Budget.

Council heard several pieces of legislation on first reading only, i.e., no vote, including:

• An ordinance authorizing a purchase/sale agreement with Brickhaus Partners and Perotti Developers for the city-owned property commonly referred to as Turkey Ridge.
• Two related pieces of legislation authorizing a purchase agreement with Cedar-Grandview Development LLC to acquire the private parking lot at 2172 Grandview Avenue for $660,000; and an agreement for a loan to the Cedar-Grandview Company in the amount of $340,000.
• Amendments for two pieces of legislation regarding appointments to the Transportation and Mobility Committee and to the Climate and Environmental Sustainability Committee. For each, council would appoint seven citizen members and any replacements for vacancies. If passed, these amendments would remove the ability of the mayor to appoint members to these two citizen advisory committees and give all seven appointments to council. These proposals were controversial and referred to the Administrative Services Committee for further work.
• Two resolutions to appoint Assessment Equalization Boards, the first board would hear objections to estimated assessments for a portion of the expense of street lighting and the second would hear objections to estimated assessments for a portion of the expense of street and parkway improvements.
• Approval of providing $7,500 to FutureHeights for the city to be a sponsor of the 2024 Heights Music Hop. This is more than last year’s allocation because the Hop has been expanded to a second evening at Cedar-Fairmount.
• Authorization of a $113,636.67 bid from Protect-A-Cote, Inc., for the Compton Greenway Pocket Park Pathway Project, using ARPA funds.
• Authorization of agreements with various nonprofit entities for the purpose of awarding ARPA Funds.
• There was a fourth reading only of an ordinance to authorize a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) for Lee Road. No vote was taken pending a safety plan for Lee Road to be presented at the June 24 council meeting.
  
  

Council member comments

President Cuda said there was a lot more to the story of the committee appointments, including the frustration of previous Transportation Committee members, which led to mass resignations when they were unable to get information and support from the administration. He maintained that the new committee structure passed in January was collaborative but didn’t work out, so giving the seven appointments back to council would be the right thing to do. He further said that council would always be willing to take the mayor’s suggestions. He concluded that there will always be policy disagreements, but collaboration can happen even when officials do not agree.

Ms. Larson stated she relies on council leadership meeting with the mayor and that she wants to see the two new committees staffed.

Mr. Mattox welcomed the residents watching on YouTube and on the link that he dropped into Facebook. He said the public has been denied the introduction to the mayor’s committee appointments. 

Mr. Petras noted other citizen bodies to which the mayor has also not made appointments, including the Community Investment Corporation and the Arts Commission. Also, he is frustrated by the difficulty getting information from Guidehouse about ARPA and suggested that he would oppose extending the Guidehouse contract, if this does not improve. He spoke about safety on Lee Road, suggesting that a plan should include speed tables or bumps. 

Mr. Posch announced that the Safety Committee would meet June 25 and discuss the Lee Road safety plan.

Committee of the whole

The ARPA consulting firm Guidehouse Inc., which is contracted to provide consulting services related to the use of American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funding, gave an interim report and answered questions from council members. All but two contracts have been sent to applicants for funding. Guidehouse will provide weekly updates to council, although, legally, the city administration is the client.

LWV observer: Blanche Valancy

Meeting packets, legislation, and other information can be found on the city website at: https://www.clevelandheights.gov/1625/City-Council-Agendas-and-Minutes

Videos of council meetings can be viewed on the “City of Cleveland Heights, OH” YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ClevelandHeightsOH