City Council meeting recap for Dec. 7, 2009
The December 7, 2009 Lakewood City Council meeting lasted about 50 minutes and was attended by around 15 people, including several cub scouts. See the docket (.PDF).
Ordinance to preserve historically significant interior spaces gets closer look
Council and the Planning Commission have been working on the wording of an ordinance that would protect and preserve historically significant interior spaces. It is expected that this law will be used to prevent the interior of St. James Church from being disassembled by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland after it is decommissioned.
Technically, the Bishop controls all of the property and can do with it what he pleases. It is not uncommon for stained glass windows, alters, statues, etc. from mothballed buildings to be sold outright or stripped and shipped to churches all over the world for reuse. Many St. James parishioners are eager to preserve the entirety of the structure and prevent it from popping up on ClevelandChurchInventory.org.
The proposed ordinance – which is an expansion of the existing zoning code – is very detailed. Similar ordinances exist in other states and have survived legal challenges. The Plain Dealer reported that the mayor has heard rumblings the diocese might take legal action. Council deferred a final vote so that it could further examine a legal report on the matter authored by the Law Dept.
City forks over $209,590 to Cuyahoga County Board of Health
Council unanimously approved a contract allowing the county to handle most of the city’s health department functions in 2010. It will be the third consecutive year the city has had this arrangement. According to Councilperson Nickie Antonio (At-Large), the contract will be amended to encourage more communication between the city and the county regarding lead abatement issues.
Handgun exchange nets city $40,000
The police department’s current handgun vendor, Glock, agreed to pay the city $40,000 in exchange for their old weapons. As part of the agreement, Glock will furnish the police with brand new replacement guns free of charge. The generous deal was made only after Smith & Wesson offered a similar deal in an effort to gain market share. Glock will refurbish the old weapons and sell them to licensed gun dealers. Police Chief Timothy Mally said the company usually permits officers an opportunity to purchase the trade-ins.
Police want to hook an additional $25 for towing paperwork
Council had the second reading of an ordinance to permit the police department to charge $25 for processing paperwork associated with towed vehicles. The police chief estimated the city expends about that much in personnel hours per tow and is seeking reimbursement. The issue was referred back to the Public Safety Committee for additional review while more information is gathered about how the process works in other cities.
2010 budget ordinances rolling through the process
Council had the second reading of a handful of 2010 budget-related ordinances. The city needs to find a way to trim roughly $1.3 million from the budget, according to Councilperson Michael Summers (Ward 3). The Finance Committee will have a significant budget hearing meeting on Monday, December 14th.
In all likelihood, Council will vote to raise water and sewer rates by about 10%. Rates have been projected to increase considerably over the next 10 years as the city tries to cope with the high cost of complying with federal clean water laws.
On an unrelated note, no matter how badly city services are slashed and how much the mayor cries poor, the money — $35,000 in the current proposal – to fund the annual Fourth of July fireworks event always seems to appear.
Council considers $50,000 economic development loan to T-shirt company
Continuing the self-destructive theme of attracting low-rent old economy businesses to Lakewood, Council had a second reading of an ordinance to permit the city to issue a five-year $50,000 loan to University Tees, Inc, a T-shirt business currently located in Westlake. The financing the city provides will allow University Tees to purchase a new T-shirt press machine. As part of the deal, the company would move to the Lake Erie Screw building and create a minimum of four full-time jobs.
City hopes to create financing tool for solar energy projects
Councilperson Thomas Bullock (Ward 2), along with the mayor, announced the city’s intent to create a tool that will allow commercial and residential property owners to finance solar projects at below market rates. The special assessment financing would appear on the owner’s property bill and could be extended over a period of as long as 25 years. Eligible projects would include solar panels or water heaters, and geothermal installations. More information regarding creation of the Lakewood Solar Special Improvement District will be available in the coming months. Mayor FitzGerald mentioned that people along the Gold Coast purchased 1,500 high-efficiency CFL light bulbs through Lakewood Hardware as part of the city’s efforts to encourage environmentally-friendly activities.
Mayor appoints qualified person to Architectural Board of Review
Carl Orban was appointed by Mayor FitzGerald to the Architectural Board of Review. Orban was a building inspector for the City of Avon, and is currently a consultant in the area of building evaluation and zoning compliance. The mayor also appointed Renee Mahoney to the Audit Committee. He made absolutely no mention of her qualifications.
Parking ticket collection process will get review
At the request of Mayor FitzGerald, Council will have the Public Safety Committee review the city’s method of parking ticket collection. He suggested the possibility of downgrading parking violations from criminal offenses to civil offenses in an effort to facilitate greater fine collections.
Family to Family System of Care program gets funding
The city accepted $320,385 from the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services for 2010 funding of the Family to Family System of Care program. The program provides a range of family stabilization services. The city has participated in the program for four years and helped 825 people between January 1st and June 30th of this year.
Downtown Lakewood will get $25,000 RTA bus stop
Running out of interesting landmarks with which to impress out-of-town visitors and relatives? Sometime next year you’ll be able to visit a federally-funded $25,000 RTA bus stop in front of the INA building in Downtown Lakewood. Council gave unanimous approval for the city to accept federal money channeled through RTA “for the identification and installation or design and building of an enhanced transit waiting environment.”
Richland Café liquor license transfer discussion deferred
Council deferred conversation on a liquor license transfer at Richland Café. This is usually done in order to review the police department’s report on the establishment.
Executive session called
Council called executive session at the end of the regular meeting to discuss a fact finding report involving the Lakewood Association of Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 382.
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