The View From City Council

Council Meeting Highlights

Terry Allen, Dr. Greg Hall, and Roger Sikes of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health presented a resolution expressing support for our response to the gun violence that occurred in Madison Park last Summer. The Board of Health lauded our decision to invest in Madison Park by supporting a basketball mentoring program and using environmental design to mitigate crime by connecting a walking path around the basketball court, adding lighting, additional seating, and a drinking fountain. I am glad that we did not take the easy way out and instead doubled down on full court basketball. Thank you to all the volunteers and organizers for your hard work Because of your efforts, Lakewood’s youth have a place to play.

The Administration presented Council with proposed amendments to Chapter 13 of Lakewood’s Building Code. These proposals are in response to the garage collapse that occurred at the Marine Towers West Apartment and learning that the contractors who were working on the garage were working without a permit. One amendment would create a penalty for failing to secure a permit that would start at a misdemeanor of the fourth degree for a first offense and escalate one degree for each subsequent offense up to a misdemeanor of the first degree (the most serious misdemeanor). The other amendment would add mandatory structural inspections and reports for aging buildings and parking structures. These proposals will be discussed at a future Housing, Planning, and Development Committee meeting.

Councilmember Sarah Kepple and I introduced a communication to address snow removal from Lakewood’s sidewalks. Maintaining a walkable city during the winter involves the cooperation and coordination of residents, commercial property owners, landlords, the Building Department, the Department of Public Works, and the Lakewood Police Department. At a future Public Safety Committee Meeting, we will discuss if any policy or ordinance changes are necessary to ensure that sidewalks are timely cleared. Thank you for doing your part to keep our sidewalks safe.

The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council awarded Lakewood $147,516 through two NOPEC programs: $144,016 in NOPEC Energized Community Grant Funds and $3,500 though the Community Event Sponsorship Program. The Community Event Sponsorship funds will be provided to LakewoodAlive to support the Front Porch Concert Series. The NEC Grant Funds will be escrowed until the Climate Action Plan and Winterhurst Building Evaluation is complete to ensure that we use the funds in the best way possible.

Finance Committee Meeting

At the most recent Finance Committee Meeting, we discussed Lakewood’s current debt, credit rating, and proposed bond ordinances. Lakewood is unique in how we finance our debt. Typically, cities finance their debt by diverting funds from the general fund. This causes the funds available for operating expenses and city services to fluctuate and could potentially result in budget shortages and corresponding reduction in city services. We finance our debt thorough a dedicated property tax millage and user fees. Because of our strong housing market and our responsible stewardship of the City’s budge, we have maintained a Aa2 rating from Moody’s (the third-highest long-term credit rating that Moody’s assigns) since 2010. This allows us to borrow money at lower interest rates for our capital improvement projects, saving you money.

Jeff Rink of KeyBank walked the Committee through the debt issuance process and our current debt profile. We are in a good financial position as evidenced by our high credit rating. We will close on our 2022 Notes Series, of an amount not to exceed $23,285,00, on March 17, 2022. The Notes are being issued to provide new money for roof repairs, watermain constructions, sewer improvements, park improvements, street improvements, and sidewalk improvements. The Notes will also retire the City’s $9,275,00 Varies Purpose Income Tax Revenue Notes that were issued last year.

Surveillance Camera Purchase

A $100,000 contract was awarded by the City to U.S. Protective Services for the purchase of 11 surveillance cameras, 3 network video recorders, hard disk drives, and associated mounting hardware. The 11 surveillance cameras will replace the current 2016 models in use, that are no longer supported by the manufacturer.  These cameras have become essential tools for the Lakewood Police Department as officers are utilizing them in nearly all their investigations.

Survey & Design Services at former Lakewood Hospital Site  

A $10,000 contract was awarded to Stephen Hovancsek & Associates, Inc. to provide professional surveying and design services to prepare plans, specifications, and an estimate package for the former Lakewood Hospital site. The work will also entail design work necessary for relocating the buried conduit and abandoning utilities that will no longer be needed, along with a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. These services will be funded by the Lakewood Hospital Fund. This firm performed the original site ALTA survey and is one of the higher ranked consultants to perform these services.

Purchase of Recycling/Refuse Carts & Parts 

A $17,000 contract was awarded by the City to Toter LLC c/o Wastequip LLC for the purchase of 96-gallon capacity recycle and garbage carts. The Division of Refuse & Recycling will be receiving 100 blue recycle cans, 100 greenstone garbage carts, and 50 black lid cans. There is a 10 year-warranty on carts, and the current carts are about 12 years old. Refuse & Recycling purchases these yearly to rotate into service. The pandemic caused a mild price increase in cart cost over the last 3 years ($67/cart in 2022 vs. $52/cart in 2019).