1346 Webb Rd.

It’s easy to cheer the decision to demolish the city-owned house at 1346 Webb Rd (see pictures). As is described in this letter to City Council, it is fire-damaged beyond repair and has become a neighborhood eyesore.

1667 - 1669 Waterbury Rd.

The situation at 1667-1669 Waterbury (see pictures), the property the city acquired from HUD for $1, is not nearly as straightforward. The duplex is structurally sound, according to an inspection performed by the Division of Housing and Building in December 2008 (read here). The most significant issues identified were missing copper plumbing and light fixtures. With a reasonable amount of investment, it could return to a productive state.

A review of the complete housing inspection folder (read here) shows the property entered foreclosure during the late 1980’s and was then acquired by an inattentive owner who lost the house to foreclosure in 2007.

Even though it may have small units and a less than ideal location, it’s completely unsavory to knock it down purely for the purpose of expanding a parking lot, as the city is intent on doing.

The May 18, 2009 Lakewood City Council Meeting lasted about two hours and fifteen minutes. There were approximately 40 people in attendance at the start of the event. The majority of them were present for the 2009 Historic Preservation Awards presented by the Lakewood Heritage Advisory Board.

The room cleared out shortly after the awards were given, leaving about 15 spectators, whose number later dwindled to about seven by the conclusion of the meeting.

It’s funny to think those citizens cared enough about their property to make fantastic improvements worth thousands of dollars, but showed no desire to stick around and watch the people largely responsible for managing the quality of their city.

View the full docket for this meeting.

Council surrenders power in housing demolition process

City Council unanimously approved an ordinance put forth by the Mayor Edward O. FitzGerald administration to speed along the process of dealing with unsafe properties.

One notable change under the new system is that City Council will have absolutely no say-so in determining the outcome of decisions rendered by Board of Building Standards (BBSA} Review Board. View the new process versus the old process.

Lakewood’s medically uninsured to get small prescription drug discount

The city will be participating in a discount prescription drug program created by CVS Caremark and the National League of Cities (NLC), of which Lakewood is a member.

The program, described by Mayor FitzGerald as “innovative,” allows any uninsured Lakewood resident to receive an average discount of 20% off of the retail price of common prescription drugs. The program is at no cost to the city. They just promote it and distribute membership cards, which can also be printed out online.

To help promote the mayor’s announcement, two representatives from North Coast Health Ministry, a faith-based free clinic located at 16110 Detroit Ave., were present. 42% of their patients are Lakewood residents and the number continues to rise. The bulk of their funding comes from foundations. The City of Lakewood has given them some Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, one of the few municipalities to do so.

It’s not entirely clear how much research Mayor FitzGerald performed before deciding to put the city’s modest promotion muscle behind the NLC plan, but the State of Ohio offers a similar plan that averages a 34% discount. There are income restrictions, but it appears to have better benefits.

Non-union city employees lose longevity pay, gain merit pay

Council unanimously approved Mayor FitzGerald’s request to end longevity pay for non-union city workers. The move affects 36 workers who have each worked at least five years or more with the city. $66,000 had been budgeted for longevity pay and was due to be paid in June.

At a May 12, 2009 Committee of the Whole meeting, Mayor FitzGerald acknowledged, “This is not going to be popular among employees. It’s a real hassle for managers. All of a sudden they have to make value judgments.” At that same meeting Councilperson Michael Summers (Ward 3) said, “I’m in favor of the merit bonus, but I’m not sure we can afford it.”

Councilperson Kevin Butler (Ward 1) said he didn’t believe longevity pay was good policy, and wanted to make sure that a sentence was inserted into the merit pay ordinance to enable council to review the program on an annual basis. He was also concerned that the base salary of city workers might stagnate if too much emphasis is placed on merit bonuses. Retirement pensions are calculated using base salaries, not bonuses.

The merit bonus program will be administered by Human Resources Director Jean Yousefi, who was not present at the council meeting to answer questions. She has created a performance review form. Mayor FitzGerald said all employees, both union and non-union, will be reviewed, but, “we don’t know when we’re giving them.” The mayor also intimated that bonuses were given by the prior administration without a clear reason, and it was another reason he wanted to have the entire process codified.

Mayor FitzGerald said there needs more equity in pay between union employees and non-union employees. The city’s seven collective bargaining agreements expire at the end of the year. Negotiations on new contracts cannot begin soon than 90 days prior to that point.

View page 25 of the docket to see the size of longevity payments. They range from a yearly payment of $250 to an employee with 5 years of service to $1,000 for a worker with 20 years of experience.

Gas station at corner of Madison and Ferndale gets liquor license OK

Council voted to drop their objection to the liquor license application for the gas station located at 14235 Madison. Law Director Nora Hurley said there was no statutory reason to continue with an objection. Council had been cranky because they believed the owners of the gas station were not always cooperative with police.

Storefront renovation and senior citizens home loan programs to continue

Council approved the city’s continued participation in two loan programs that use federal money via the county.

The Mixed Use Rental Assistance Program (MURAL) provides property owners with loans up to $15,000 to renovate apartment units located over storefronts. The units must house low to moderate income tenants.

At the Housing Committee meeting which took place prior to the council meeting, Director of Planning and Development Nathan Kelly said no one in Lakewood had tapped the MURAL fund yet. He described the city’s difficulty in finding people to take advantage of the program.

First, in order to take part in MURAL, property owners must have participated in the Storefront Renovation Program. Then, the improvements being made must be historically consistent and approved by the Ohio Historic Society in Columbus. Kelly said his department learned last summer how to best work with them.

According to Kelly, the owner of the 24-unit building on Madison that houses Mars Bar and Delta Computer will be the first person to try and participate in MURAL. “He’s a good fit,” Kelly said. There are approximately 70 buildings in the city that have an apartment unit directly above a storefront.

The Deferred Payment Interest Loans for Seniors program allows residents age 62 or older to get a loan for a maximum of $25,000 to bring their one, two, or three unit home up to code. Kelly said in 2008 11 people either received a loan, or filled out an application to try and get a loan. He wasn’t certain what the exact participation number was. Kelly said it was a bit of a challenge to market the program to senior citizens in need. “It’s about outreach,” he said.

No objections to liquor permit application for bar formerly known as Niko’s at Bar 2

Kelly said the new bar owners are using the same carpenters used at Brother’s Lounge. He said ownership has “invested a lot of money inside” and a “lot of good materials are being used.” Councilperson Thomas Bullock (Ward 2) said the old owners, who attracted bad clientele, were involved in a bankruptcy.

City wants to demolish a house and put up a parking lot

Nathan Kelly, director of planning and development, announced he expects to have two houses demolished and asked council for permission to sell the parcels of land.

One house scheduled for demolition, located at 1346 Webb, was heavily damaged (see pictures) in a fire last year. The owner didn’t have any insurance and agreed to a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. He essentially surrendered the property in order to avoid problems with city.

Kelly wants to try and sell the parcel to a neighboring property. He won’t let them merge parcels, however, because it is buildable lot. When the economy improves, Kelly hopes a house can be rebuilt and the area can return to its original housing density.

The other house scheduled for demolition, 1667-1669 Waterbury, is a duplex acquired through the HUD $1 Initiative that allows cities to purchase HUD homes that have gone unsold for 180 days.

This particular duplex has been largely vacant over the last three years and was stripped of its copper plumbing and light fixtures – typical of many vacant homes in Lakewood.

According to the Lakewood Division of Housing and Building, the house is structurally sound otherwise (see pictures). The roof, floor and foundation are all intact. However, Kelly prefers to level it rather than rehabilitate it and sell it. He wants to sell the parcel to a nearby building, likely so they can expand their parking lot.

Councilperson Michael Summers (Ward 3) said the house is “not bad” looking on the outside, but the nearby apartment building is “parking starved” and the parcel would be a nice enhancement. Councilperson Bullock said the idea “sounds great.” Councilperson Dever (At-Large) thought the move would fit nicely with the parking study the city issued a few years ago. The matter is headed to the Housing Committee for more discussion.

New city Web site

Kelly touted some features on the newly redesigned City of Lakewood Web site. Future enhancements will include the ability to tax and water bills online.

Miscellaneous

Mayor FitzGerald said the city is repaving eight miles of road. That is about twice as many miles as usual. He rattled off a bunch of street names, several of which are sorely in need of repair. Councilperson Dever noted the repaving will be a deep grind and overlay which should last 15 to 20 years.

I noticed a couple of veritable goat buffets on Bunts Rd. recently, and found it mildly disturbing that such a situation could exist on a heavily traveled and very visible street.

Last Friday, after seeing another goat buffet at 1623 Clarence Ave. (which looked the same way last summer), I decided to test out the new Report a Problem form located on the city’s Web site.

Lawns permitted to become overgrown are an invitation for trouble, especially if a house is vacant or abandoned. The robustness of a city’s response to this problem is one indicator of its quality of living standard.

On Tuesday, I received a message from Litter Control and High Grass Officer Mary Simon (e-mail: Mary.Simon@lakewoodoh.net phone: 216-529-7697) indicating the property owner had been cited. She re-inspected the yard and found that the grass had been cut. She was familiar with the house from her days as a code compliance specialist.

Simon’s activity is complaint driven. She receives complaints and follows-up on them. If she notices litter or tall grass while out on an inspection, she generates her own complaint.

Her first step is to identify the property owner and send a violation letter with a compliance date. She follows-up after one week and has the city cut any non-compliant lawn at the expense of the owner, who is billed a minimum of $100 via property tax bill.

It is good to know the situation at 1623 Clarence was resolved quickly. A better test of the city’s tall grass remediation process will be to see how efficiently it can deal with the 26 addresses I reported on Sunday following my trip up and down each street in Councilperson Mary Louise Madigan’s Fighting 4th Ward.

Houses displaying Steelers parafernalia should be fined extra

See images:

2101 Halstead
[Update: 5/27/2009, lawn mowed, no cause]

2121 Dowd
[Update: 5/27/2009, lawn mowed, no cause]

2110 Quail
2078 Robin

2034 Lark (Front lawn)
[Update: 5/27/2009, lawn mowed, no cause]

1528 West 117
1468 West 117

1569 Newman
[Update: 5/29/2009, lawn mowed, no cause]

1332 Fry
1348 Fry

1487 Hopkins (Front and back)
[Update: 5/27/2009, lawn mowed, no cause]

One south of 1351 Beach
[Update: Cited, reinspected 5/26/2009, ordered to be cut 5/27/2009]

1319/21 Beach
[Update: Cited, reinspected, ordered to be cut 5/28/2009]

1446 Ridgewood (Dead animal smell, too)
[Update: Cited 5/26/2009, reinspect 6/2/2009]

1483 Lakewood
[Update: 5/27/2009, lawn mowed, no cause]

1420 Lakewood
1347 Lakewood

1641 Cohassett
[Update: 5/28/2009, lawn mowed, no cause]

1531 Cohassett

1348 Thoreau
[Update: cited, reinspected 6/1/2009, complied]

1243 Donald

1304 Donald
[Update: 5/27/2009, lawn mowed, no cause]

13214 Merl
2085 Waterbury
12583/85 Clifton

One west of 12536 Clifton
[Update: Cited, reinspected 6/1/2009, complied]

Many of these houses are vacant, but it is pretty obvious from the sizable number of properties on this list that there needs to become a more hardcore enforcement of the law.

1. More communicatoin

Anytime a property owner receives a letter, the ward councilperson and each of the three at-large councilpeople should visit all of the houses in the immediate vicinity. They can talk with the neighbors, distribute a brochure containing the ordinance and contact phone number, and say, “Hey listen, that house was cited for excessively tall grass. We can not tolerate that kind of behavior in this neighborhood. Next time you see that grass go past six inches, please call us immediately.”

2. More fines and incentives

A minimum $100 fine is not enough to get the attention of absentee landlords. Create a tiered system of fines: $150 for the first infraction, $250 for the second infraction, $500 for the third infraction, etc.

Offer $50 to the first citizen who makes a complaint that results in a fine.

3. Faster action

Currently, the city gives property owners at least five days to trim their grass; although the ordinance says the city can act in as little as 48 hours after giving notice. If someone’s grass is eight inches high, it looks bad and is not acceptable. It needs to be gone as soon as possible. Five days is too long. 48 hours means business.

Here is the current ordinance:

1775.01 WEED OR TALL GRASS REMOVAL.

(a) The owner, occupant or person having the charge or management of any lot or parcel of land situated within the City, whether the same be improved or unimproved, vacant or occupied, within forty-eight hours written notice to do so, shall cut or destroy, or cause to be cut or destroyed, any noxious or poisonous weeds, including but not limited to Russian, Canadian or common thistle, all wild lettuce, wild mustard, wild parsley, ragweed, milkweed, chickweed, wild garlic, quack grass, dodders, wild carrot, common cockle, docks, chicory or tall grasses growing upon such lot or parcel of land, and prevent the same from blooming or going to seed, or exceeding a height of six inches, or spreading pollen which may be harmful to human health.

(b) If the owner, occupant or person having the charge or management of any lot or parcel of land does not cut or destroy, or cause to be cut or destroyed, noxious weeds or grasses as provided herein, the Director of Human Services or designee is authorized to cause to be cut or destroyed such noxious weeds or grasses.

(c) When any such noxious weeds or grasses are cut or destroyed by the City, as provided herein, then after such work is performed, the City shall give five days’ notice by regular mail to the owner, occupant or person having the charge or management of such lot or parcel of land, at his known address, to pay the cost of such cutting or destroying of noxious weeds or grasses, which notice shall be accompanied by a statement of the amount of cost incurred. If the same is not paid within thirty days after the mailing of the notice, such amount may be certified to the County Auditor for collection as other taxes and assessments are collected in accordance with Ohio R.C. 731.54, or the City may seek recovery of such costs by civil action against the property owner involved.

(d) When it is deemed necessary to cut and destroy weeds or grasses on private property, in accordance with the provisions of this section, the owner shall be charged at the rate of one hundred dollars ($100.00) per hour or portion thereof, or the actual cost of such work, whichever is the larger. The minimum charge therefore shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00).

Lakewood Mayor Edward O. FitzGerald, whose 2009 base salary is $71,506, commented on LakewoodBuzz.com regarding his financial disclosure filing. Here’s an excerpt:

First, Lakewood public officials can accept gifts, and many local officials do. I’ve been offered numerous things, from golf outings to tickets to sporting events from people with interest in getting business from the city. I’ve just chosen to decline them. I had the same policy during nine years as a councilman.

Second, I don’t have a fiduciary role in any law firm. My status with my legal practice is that I am “of counsel.” That means I have an office there, but I don’t receive a salary, I don’t get any percentage of the profits, and I’m not an officer of the firm. I performed less than 40 hours of legal work on a contract basis for all of 2008, and none so far in 2009. Like all previous mayors that I know of, I still have some outside employment, which I maintain basically to keep my law license up for when my political career ends and I still have a family to help support.

I didn’t list any investments because I don’t have any. I don’t own any stock, I don’t have a mutual fund, I don’t own rental property, I don’t have a 401k…and with four kids and an old house, frankly, I just don’t have much disposable income. Mr. Summers, who is a great councilman, happens to be the CEO of a family business, and is in a much different position than me. I could earn more if I practiced law full time, but we’re doing okay on my salary plus what my wife makes as a nutrition director for a school system, so I have no complaints. There are alot of people with alot less.

I do have a public employee pension, from my years as a prosecutor, and now as a city employee. That’s basically it for my retirement plan. My oldest son will start college in a couple years, and like alot of parents, I don’t even want to think about what happens if he doesn’t get a good scholarship.

The 2008 financial disclosure statements for Lakewood’s mayor and city council contain a few curiosities. Edward FitzGerald, who earned $68,715 in salary as Lakewood’s mayor and also worked double-duty at the law firm Collins and Scanlon, claimed not to have received any gifts valued at over $75, meals over $100, or any type of payment for travel expenses.

FitzGerald also indicated he has no investments or fiduciary interests in any corporation doing business in the state of Ohio. Perhaps he’s stuffing his cash in a mattress? Ward 3 Councilperson Michael Summers, on the other hand, disclosed an interest in 17 mutual funds, two IRAs, and two CDs.

See the disclosure documents:

Mayor Edward FitzGerald

Mary Louise Madigan (Ward 4)

Michael Summers (Ward 3)

Thomas Bullock (Ward 2)

Kevin Butler (Ward 1)

Michael Dever (At-Large)

Nickie Antonio (At-Large)

Brian Powers (At-Large)