The 2007 budget has been put to bed but the budgeting process is just taking a nap.

This year’s budget which was passed in a special meeting of council calls for expenditures in the amount of $38,534,502.

Several times during the year the production schedule of the Observer and the meetings of the City Council don’t match up for a timely article. In those instances I will use the opportunity to expand our awareness of other areas of Lakewood government. Meanwhile, as always, you can keep up on council actions by visiting the City Council thread on the Observation Deck.

Vice President Michael Dever took over the gavel from President Robert Seelie who was absent and called the February 5, 2007 council meeting to order.

The first order of business was a resolution offered by Mayor Thomas George and all council members commending the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) for their assistance to the safety forces during a crisis on Fry Avenue two weekends ago.

Have you had ever thought about riding a train out to the western suburbs or downtown? Or how about a neighborhood car rental? Council put the “wheels” in motion on those two ideas at its meeting of January 16, 2007.

Just as the moon presents many faces to earth, city council can have different appearances meeting to meeting. Such was the case with the meetings at the end and the beginning of the year.

City Council December 4th, 2006

The November 20 council meeting started with well deserved resolutions recognizing Lakewood’s athletes as they pursue their personal best and team wins.

City Council - 11.06.2006

The October 17, 2006 issue of the Lakewood Observer erroneously reported that Kevin Butler submitted a proposal that included a pay raise for council members. His proposal dealt only with the position of mayor. We regret this inaccuracy.

Council and Mayor Thomas George joined in a resolution honoring Scott Dueness, Executive Director of Cornucopia, Inc. (Nature’s Bin), on receiving the Cliff Adler Heart in Business Award. The Bin has become a Lakewood institution. It began over thirty years ago at the east end of Madison Avenue. It moved to its current location on Sloane Avenue where the natural foods store has just completed updates due to its popularity. It has served as a training center for special needs individuals as well offering a unique selection of foods. The Adler award is quite prestigious in the natural retail food industry.

Council Vice President Michael Dever, substituting for Council President Robert Seelie, called the October 2 meeting to order.

City Council was back to work after its August recess, although council committees maintained their work schedules. Members heard a mid-year finance report and the public works committee continued its education on how to make Lakewood bike friendly.

City Council - 06.19.06

The June 5, 2006 Council Meeting was called to order at 7:49 by president Robert Seelie.
Quite a few rows of seats were occupied by friends and coworkers of Eugenia Gorski to recognize her retirement. Council passed a resolution introduced by Mayor Thomas George praising Gorski’s long and valued service in the city’s health department. George said, “she has always been a special person to us at city hall. She has always been ahead of the curve and taken the initiative.
In response, Gorski said “I choose to live in the community that I love, Lakewood.”

Council president Robert Seelie called the May 15, 2006 meeting to order at 7:38 PM. The meeting began with a resolution presented by Mayor Thomas George and passed by council commending Captain James G. Petz of the Lakewood Fire Department for his many years of service.

Council President Robert Seelie called the May 1, 2006 meeting to order at 8:00 after an extended committee of the whole meeting.

Council 04.03.06

Council 03.20.06

Lakewood City Council met on March 6, 2006. The body first met at 6:15 P.M. as the committee of the whole and then transferred into a regular council meeting at 7:41. This article will report on both, since the first meeting is integral to the proceedings of the second.

The Ohio Revised Code 5705.38 mandates that a municipality shall have a budget no later than March 31 of each year.

Council 02.21.06

At the February 6, 2006 Lakewood City Council meeting, council took a time out on the important issue of a tax increase and outlined a plan for “extra innings.”

The third session of budget hearings was held on Saturday morning. Strategies of survival and currying favor are becoming blatant. In previous sessions a selection of cookies was passed around in an almost surreptitious manner.

Last night Lakewood City Council began the 2006 budget hearings. Technically, council is meeting as the committee of the whole. In previous years just the finance committee held the hearings but council president Robert Seelie determined that since the full council will ultimately have to review the budget it might as well be in on the deliberations from the beginning.