Council President Kevin Butler called the July 19, 2010 council meeting to order at 7:38 P.M. He then turned it over to Mayor Ed FitzGerald who read a communication thanking Virginia Marti Veith, of Virginia Marti College of Art and Design, for being grand marshal of Fourth of July parade as well as congratulating the award winners from the parade. The winners were as follows, Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 249 for Best Color Guard, Brennan’s Floral Gift Shop for Best Float, Beck Center for the Arts for Most Original Entry, Emerson Unicycle Club for Best Bicycle and the Lakewood High School Ranger Marching Band for Most Spirit. Council passed a resolution congratulating and thanking Virginia Marti Veith and then passed out plaques to the award winning participants of the parade.

Councilman Butler (Ward I) then read a communication asking Council to pass a resolution recognizing St. Edward High School for its accomplishments over the last school year. Butler said that Lakewood has had a lot to celebrate among its educational institutions and that it would be remiss if it did not recognize those of St. Ed’s as well. Some of the accomplishments Councilman Butler points out include the Edsman Newspaper being featured in an article discussing its student staff’s efforts, helping students in Baghdad get a paper of their own established in their school; the marching band receiving a superior rating at a state competition; one of the teachers, Stergios Lazos, being named teacher of the year by the American Philological Association; the baseball team won the state championship this year; and students and staff participating in a service day on May 8th to help some of the City’s elderly clean up after the horrible wind storm. Council approved a resolution acknowledging St. Ed’s.

Next Councilwoman Nickie Antonio (At-Large) asked Council to pass a resolution supporting the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) which is currently being debated in the House of Representatives. The law would add language to the current immigration laws allowing not just a spouse but also a permanent partner to sponsor someone for immigration. This would allow those in same gender relationships to sponsor their partner for immigration the same way a straight person might do for a spouse or fiancé. A Mr. Tim Kempt, a Lakewood business owner and Cleveland resident gave a testimonial about how the current policy has affected both his partner's and his life. Mr. Kempt has been in a long term relationship with is partner but has had to spend 65% of their time apart due to immigration laws. All of their time spent together has been done through travel visas and high travel costs as well as time away from work. Mr. Kempt said that if UAFA does not pass he will be forced to leave the US, closing his business and leaving it and the community he has been involved with behind so he can be with his partner.

After a few questions and words of support from Council the members past the resolution, which will be used to show the House the support there is for the passage of the Act.

Council then revisited a proposed ordinance that was brought to Council several meetings before regarding the excessive idling of vehicles. A form of the ordinance has been in and out of Council for over two years and had finally reached its third reading with council, meaning it could be voted on. The ordinance is geared toward preventing commercial vehicles from continually idling while they are loading or unloading or when they are on break, although it also covers personal vehicles as well. The City does not want people sitting in their cars idling for 10 minutes while someone goes shopping. In fact in the windows of some businesses around town signs asking people not to idle have already began to pop up.

Members of Council asked a few questions about the ordinance and how it would be enforced. Chief Malley said that the ordinance would be enforced the same way as any other traffic laws and that some discretion as to when it is appropriate would be given to the officers. Council then voted and passed the ordinance.

Councilman Tom Bullock (Ward II) then read a communication from the Public Works Committee regarding the ordinance to create a special improvement district (SID) in Lakewood. With the interest of other municipalities a multi-jurisdictional SID was outlined so all the cities can work together to levy support for the SID and hopefully receive more favorable agreements as well as govern and manage the several aspects of the SID. Though the legislation introducing the SID was originally an ordinance, due to the change from just being a Lakewood SID to one that covers several cities it no longer had to be a ordinance, but a resolution. The resolution does the same thing in creating the SID but also helps charter, and makes Lakewood a member of, the Cleveland First Suburbs Development Council, Advance Energy, Special Improvement District.

Bullock asked Council to consider passing the resolution on first reading, because only the founding members of the SID will get votes and six other communities have already approved the legislation. As the ordinance had already passed in a different format, Council agreed, substituted the resolution for the ordinance and passed it.

With the recent passage of an ordinance making parking tickets a civil as opposed to a criminal matter, Mayor FitzGerald asked Council to consider a follow up ordinance that would allow the city to pursue all parking tickets issued up to three years ago as civil instead of criminal. There were a few questions asked by members of council as to whether it is possible to remove the tickets from criminal jurisdiction, but they were assured that the tickets can be dismissed from court and then handled civilly. Due to the fact that the preceding ordinance had already passed and is due to take effect August 1st, Council decided to suspend the rules and vote on the ordinance on its first reading. Upon the vote Council passed the measure.

Fire Chief Lawrence Mroz then asked Council to allow him to accept, on behalf of the City, two mobile data computers (MDC) from St. John Medical Center, for the purpose of enhancing medical recordkeeping. Chief Mroz said that the addition of these MDC’s will help the City’s emergency forces transition to electronic patient care and reporting by this fall. Council agreed to vote on the resolution on first reading and passed it.

After a slightly longer meeting, that covered a lot of business, Council President Butler adjourned the meeting at 9:35 P.M. to start Council’s summer break. Council will reconvene on September 8, 2010 at 7:30 P.M. in the City Hall Auditorium.

Council meetings are held every first and third Monday of the month at 7:30 P.M. in the City Hall Auditorium. The next regularly scheduled council meeting will be held on September 8, 2010. For a copy of the agenda or for any other information regarding the Lakewood City Council you can find it at onelakewood.com/citygovern_council.html.