LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS / Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights

JANUARY 6, 2025, regular meeting

• Public comment
• Mayor’s report
• Clerk of council’s report
• Council actions
• Council member comments
• Committee of the whole
• Special meeting on Dec. 30
  
  

Present were Mayor Kahlil Seren and Council Members Tony Cuda (council president), Davida Russell (vice president), Craig Cobb, Gail Larson, Anthony Mattox, Jr., Jim Petras, and Jim Posch. Also present were Clerk of Council Addie Balester and Law Director William Hanna. The meeting ran 55 minutes.

Public comment

A resident urged council to discuss with the mayor a list of information needed by council to approve a 12-month 2025 budget and urged collaboration.

A resident praised the city for its Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) initiative and requested a copy of the most recent Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR). Ms. Larson explained that 2022 is the most recent ACFR and it can be found on the finance department’s section of the city’s website.

A resident expressed appreciation for Cuyahoga Community College.

Mayor’s report

Mayor Seren expressed his condolences to the family of recently killed resident, Edith Moore, and explained that Cleveland Heights Police are investigating. He deplored the ease to access guns, urged residents to securely store their guns, and said we have a collective responsibility to change gun policies. 

The mayor urged council to approve the appointment of Daniel Horrigan as city administrator. He also spoke about Rodney G. Hairston’s qualifications for finance director.

Clerk of council’s report

Ms. Balester reported that the Ohio Division of Liquor Control had received an application for a C1C2 permit from Nobil Amir LLC, doing business as Noble Gas USA.

Council actions

Council authorized an agreement with Cuyahoga County to help maintain the city’s sanitary and storm services. The agreement will expire Dec. 31, 2025 and the amount shall not exceed $600,000.

Council appointed Graig Kluge as an alternate to the Board of Zoning Appeals; reappointed David Benson, Laura Black, Susan Efroymson, Jonathan Goldman, Patti Substelny, Elizabeth Vanderleest, Leslie Jones, Darlene White, Cindie Carroll-Pankhurst, Anthony Porembski, Allosious Snodgrass, Lisa Gilbert, Justin Alcorn, Sue Dean Dyke, and Angela Bennett to the Citizens Advisory Committee; reappointed Doreen Kelleher, Joquine Martin, David Krauss, Kathleen Benghiat, Bonnie Paul, and Alphredia Lacey to the Commission on Aging; reappointed Lenora Cruz Price, Michael Payne, Peggy Spaeth, Peter Titas, Deby Auerbach Brown, Alex Pesta, Thomas Hodkiss, Adam Dew, and John Talley to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board; and reappointed Margaret Lann to the Landmark Commission.

Council confirmed the mayor’s appointment of Daniel Horrigan as city administrator. 

Council repealed the three-month (Jan. 1 to Mar. 31 2025) appropriation previously adopted and replaced it with a revised appropriation reducing city council’s expenditures from $298,572 to $89,572.

Council approved all these items on first reading as emergency measures:

Several legislative items were presented on first reading only (no vote) including:

• A resolution approving the mayor’s appointment of Rodney G. Hairston as finance director, as an emergency measure.
• An ordinance amending sections of the zoning code, part eleven, to update regulations regarding enclosed private parking garages, driveway widths, accessory parking, fences, frontages and yards, sidewalks/shared-use paths, landscaping, non-conformities, yards in residential districts, PRD (Planned Residential Development) District, zoning complaints, role of the Zoning Administrator, inclusive language, and consistency within the zoning code. 
• An ordinance appropriating $95,892,576 for city expenses from Jan, 1 through Dec. 31, 2025, and repealing and replacing the previously adopted appropriation for city expenses from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2025.
  
  

Council member comments

Mr. Cuda expressed hope that the positive tone of today’s meeting would continue and quoted Roberts Rules of Order’s description of language that should not be used in debate.

Ms. Larson announced that the next Finance Committee meeting would discuss lending institutions offering mortgage and home improvement loans in predominantly African-American neighborhoods and the status of information requested by council members related to the 2025 budget. An update from the outside accounting firm hired by council to review the 2024 finances is also on the agenda.

Mr. Mattox described the process for the Community Relations and Recreation Committee’s work sessions. Topics to be covered will include financial literacy and banking, small and minority-owned business support, youth impact and engagement, enhancing youth services and programs at the Community Center, Noble neighborhood transformation project in partnership with East Cleveland, youth park ambassadors, and a Noble business task force. He offered condolences to the family of Edith Moore and praised residents of the Noble neighborhood for supporting the family.

Mr. Petras announced that the next Housing and Building Committee meetings would discuss housing-related recommendations of the Racial Justice Task Force, point-of-sale inspections, short-term rental legislation, and plans for a public hearing regarding commercial vehicles parked in residential areas.

Mr. Posch announced that the Public Safety and Health Committee will discuss a Noble Road police substation and will hold public hearings to address traffic safety and deer management.

Ms. Russell announced that the next meetings of the Planning and Development Committee will be a roundtable discussion of a business association with Noble Road businesses and a discussion of zoning with developers. She offered condolences to the family of Edith Moore and praised the bipartisan effort and decades-long advocacy that led to passage of the Social Security Fairness Act.

Under new business, Mr. Cuda said he would like to institute regular opportunities for residents to meet with multiple members of council outside of council meetings.

Committee of the whole

Mr. Cuda and Mr. Posch asked the mayor several questions about his candidates for city administrator and finance director including job descriptions and reporting relationships.

Mr. Petras explained that the new three-month budget would change council’s portion of the January-March 2025 budget from 100 percent to 30 percent of its allocation, in line with department budgets.

Mr. Petras explained that concerns about distribution of information required by the Landlord-Tenants Rights and Responsibilities legislation have been resolved. He also asked for council’s thoughts on the penalties, explaining that concern had been raised about the severity of a first degree misdemeanor.

It was agreed that council would continue the practice of taking the month of July off in 2025.

In response to the council president’s request for their 2025 goals, Mr. Mattox recommended risk management training for council, a legislative schedule, council needs assessment and process improvement, and council communications and staffing goals. Ms. Larson explained that several topics for legislation would result from the Climate Resiliency Plan and the work of the Transportation and Mobility Committee. Ms. Russell stated her interest in legislation regarding pool lifeguards, living wage for city employees, a dog park, and updates on the Denison Park splash pad. Mr. Cuda suggested an earlier deadline for the mayor’s presentation of the budget to council, Charter Review Commission recommendations, Administrative Services Committee review of city ordinances and charter provisions regarding council meetings, and loan forgiveness for the Cedar Fairmount Special Improvement District.

It was generally agreed to combine and prioritize council members’ individual lists of information needed to approve a 12-month 2025 budget. That list will be sent to the mayor with a request to provide a status update at the Jan. 14 Finance Committee meeting. As this process was not completed by the normal adjournment time, the meeting was recessed, then reconvened for another hour after the regular meeting adjourned.

Special meeting on Dec. 30

Mayor Seren called a special meeting on Dec. 30, but only three council members were present: Cuda, Cobb, Mattox. The only item on the agenda was the mayor’s revised 12-month 2025 budget, presented for first reading with no vote requested. Without a quorum, the meeting was adjourned within the first two minutes.

During the following one and one-half hours, the mayor’s presented an overview of municipal budgeting, an explanation of the reduced expenditures in this revised proposal, and fairly detailed responses to some of council’s questions and objections to his first proposed budget.

LWV observer: Jill Tatem

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