[0:10] Let's

[0:16] thank everybody for coming. >> Mr. King

[0:22] » here. >> Mr. Cooney

[0:23] » here. >> Here

[0:27] » here. >> Here.

[0:30] » Okay. Thank you. If everybody could please stand for the pledge of

[0:32] allegiance.

[0:52] Okay, we have um the swearing in of recent hire patrolman Donald Paxton and

[0:58] the recent promotion of Sergeant Martin. I sir.

[1:52] Perfect.

[2:04] In my capacity, my capacity

[2:18] Oops.

[3:23] Americans

[3:46] of the city of university together with congratulations

[3:51] of police public

[3:55] safety there in my capacity my capacity

[4:01] so long as I'm position

[5:04] Okay, on to the next agenda item. We do have um the minutes for the November 3rd

[5:09] meeting. Were there any edits or corrections?

[5:14] Is there a motion? >> So move.

[5:18] » Is there a second? >> I'll second.

[5:21] » Miss Ruben, will you call the RO? I

[5:25] » I >> I

[5:29] » I >> I

[5:31] » And are there any additions or removals from the agenda?

[5:36] » Hey, seeing as there are none, are there any comments from the audience?

[5:41] » Sure. If you could please state your name and address and you are um limited

[5:45] to five minutes. You want to come to the microphone?

[5:50] Thank you. >> Yeah. Hi there. Uh Bryce Dawson. Uh my

[5:54] address is 351 West 3rd Avenue, Columbus, Ohio. I'm here on behalf of

[5:59] the Workers Justice Committee and SEIU 1199.

[6:03] Uh first off, I want to thank you for your time today. Uh I know that this is

[6:08] vital uh municipal work that you guys are doing and I want to thank you for

[6:12] taking the time to hear my comment. Uh I represent SEIU 1199 which represents the

[6:17] employees of Belfare JCB. Now, recently on September 25th, they withdrew

[6:23] recognition of the bargaining unit representing over 300 employees. SEIU

[6:29] 1199 and Belfare JCB have recognized this solidarity uh for 25 years of

[6:35] bargaining together in full faith. We received notice 5 days before the end of

[6:41] our contract that they would be withdrawing recognition. And what this

[6:45] has led to is a culture of fear among their employees that they would receive

[6:50] retaliation for organizing as a union. I'm asking you as municipal leaders

[6:57] electeds of your community to stand up. Welfare JCB has employees that not only

[7:03] live in University Heights, but also has clients that live here. And we know that

[7:08] the service that they do is essential. It can be better service when we know

[7:14] that their employees feel comfortable and they feel comfortable with a union.

[7:20] Now, we already have two employees that have resigned because of pressures from

[7:26] Belfare Management asking them not to organize with the union. And I know it's

[7:32] small, but as electeds, you can use your voice to stand up and ask Belfare to

[7:38] recognize their union and to recognize the work that the workers have already

[7:43] done. Workers were not given a chance to descertify their union. Workers were not

[7:48] given a chance to voice their opinions. They were told, "This is what we are

[7:52] doing." I'm asking you to stand up for them, for

[7:57] those that might live here, as well as for those that receive their services

[8:01] here. If you have any questions, you can reach me at 614-2842393

[8:08] or at bawsonworkersfirst.org

[8:12] and that's the number one ST. Uh, I'll wait a moment here if you guys have any

[8:18] questions, but again, thank you for your time.

[8:21] » Thank you. >> Thank you. May I address Mr. Dawson?

[8:24] » Yes. >> Thank you, Mr. Dawson. I I have heard

[8:28] and I am aware of Belfare um no longer recognizing the union. I'm

[8:35] disappointed by this development. I don't believe it's legal.

[8:38] » Yeah. >> And I know that the NLRB

[8:41] uh no longer has a quorum to meet because the president of the United

[8:45] States required somebody and then refused to appoint somebody. So, this

[8:49] escapes review. >> Yes, that's correct. Uh now we've lodged

[8:53] a complaint but it's likely it will not be heard for a year and a half at which

[8:57] time these employees will not receive representation

[9:00] and will be considered at will. >> They may be fired without cause.

[9:07] This is the reality that over 300 members who two months ago were

[9:12] represented by a union who went into their positions believing it was a union

[9:17] position find themselves in. Well, I'm happy to speak with you

[9:23] further about it. I'm reachable at city hall 9327800

[9:27] extension 222. I have your information here. Happy to

[9:31] speak with you as well. I'm only in office for the rest of the year. If you

[9:34] organize a pickup before the end of the year, I'll join you out there.

[9:36] » Thank you. Uh we will be at Shaker Heights uh coming up soon. So,

[9:40] » let me know. >> I will let you know. Thank you.

[9:42] » Thank you. And anything else I can do. >> There are any other questions? I'll take

[9:47] them at this time. >> Okay. Thank you for coming.

[9:51] » Thank you. >> Are there any other comments from the

[9:53] audience? >> Okay, we are now up to reports and

[9:58] communications from the mayor. >> Thank you.

[10:01] » I want to take this time to publicly offer my personal thanks to the

[10:05] University Heights Fire Department and police department. Friday at dusk, I was

[10:09] in a motor vehicle incident on Silsby Road. I swerved to avoid a squirrel and

[10:14] I struck a parked van. The damage to my car was significant and the car was not

[10:19] drivable. I called 911. The police and fire departments arrived immediately. It

[10:25] is quite humbling to be taken care of by the safety forces one has been managing

[10:29] and taken care of for nearly 8 years. Wear your seat belts everyone. I was

[10:34] wearing mine. No one was injured. Not even the squirrel I swerve to miss,

[10:39] except for my sprained left wrist from which I am recovering once more. Chief

[10:44] Rogers, Chief Perkco, on behalf of my family and me, thank you. And thank you

[10:50] to everyone who heard and inquired about my well-being. Your care, kindness, and

[10:54] empathy are appreciated as always. Following the end of the longest federal

[11:01] government shutdown in US history, Hunger Network food pantries continued

[11:05] to face extraordinary demand as families recover from weeks without critical

[11:10] federal food benefits. The shutdown, which lasted 43 days, disrupted

[11:14] Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP payments for more than

[11:19] 190,000 residents in Kyhaga County, leaving many households dependent on

[11:24] emergency food support. Although the government reopened late Wednesday under

[11:28] a bipartisan funding agreement, relief will not be immediate. Restoration of

[11:33] SNAP benefits are underway, but delays could persist for families who received

[11:38] partial payments during the shutdown. This gap underscores the vital role of

[11:43] local communities in bridging the food security crisis. Last week, Deanna

[11:47] Bremer Fischer, Mike Cook, and Aaron Glowaki

[11:50] tooured the Hunger Network and discussed the city's previously announced

[11:54] contribution of $5,000 per Julie Johnson, Hunger Network CEO and

[11:59] University Heights resident. Quote, "This kind of communitydriven support is

[12:04] what keeps our mission alive. The reopening of the federal government is a

[12:09] relief, but the recovery will take time. Families still face immediate needs and

[12:14] our pantries remain in high demand. We're committed to bridging that gap

[12:18] until federal benefits fully resume. I observed when the federal government

[12:25] shut down pause SNAP benefits, the city of University Heights decided to forego

[12:28] our annual civic awards event and instead donate to local charities

[12:33] serving hungry residents. We were pleased to be able to support the Hunger

[12:36] Network. We're all in this together. Hunger Network is working with emergency

[12:41] response partners to mobilize volunteers and distribute thousands of extra pounds

[12:45] of food as demand remains high. The combination of financial and volunteer

[12:49] support is critical to keeping food flowing during this recovery period. I

[12:53] would note that this $5,000 check is in addition to the donations council

[12:57] approved at the last city council meeting which included to the Greater

[13:02] Cleveland Food Bank $10,000 to Cleveland Kosher food pantry $5,000 to the Heights

[13:08] School Foundation Family Resource Center $5,000. That brings a the total of

[13:13] donations made by the city of University Heights to $25,000.

[13:20] Well done. Once again, this year, the city of

[13:24] University Heights is teaming up with our friends at Minutemen Ohio Comp to

[13:28] mail Heinens's gift cards to residents. $20 gift cards will be mailed to the

[13:32] first 75 University Heights residents who call us at 2162452457,

[13:39] beginning at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, November 18th. Callers will be

[13:43] asked to leave their complete name and mailing address on the voicemail at the

[13:48] number. Here are the small print details. This offer is goodwill supplies

[13:52] last. One card per household, please. Employees of the city of University

[13:57] Heights are not eligible. The city cannot be held responsible for cards

[14:01] lost or damaged in the mail. Please do not call the main number at city hall.

[14:05] Only calls to 216-2452457 will be accepted and only calls at 10:00

[14:12] a.m. or after on 1118 2024 or excuse me 11:18 2025. Thank you once again to

[14:19] Minutemen Ohio Comm for the annual generous donation. One more thing these

[14:23] are going to you when you leave the address these are going to University

[14:26] Heights addresses. These are intended for University Heights residents. So,

[14:30] uh, so thank you and we will, uh, the number is set up and come 10:00 a.m.,

[14:36] leave your message or leave your text with all that information.

[14:40] Good news out of the sixth circuit court of appeals in Cincinnati. On Thursday,

[14:44] the court upheld the decision of the US District Court for the Northern District

[14:48] of Ohio, granting the city's motion for summary judgement and dismissing all

[14:51] claims brought by Daniel Grand against the city and its officials in connection

[14:55] with his application for a special use permit to open a house of worship at his

[15:00] residence at 2343 Myiramar Boulevard. Mr. Gran withdrew his request before the

[15:05] city planning commission could resolve his petition. he brought suit 18 months

[15:10] later. I will state once again that a regular prayer group, a minion, 10 or or

[15:16] a few more, meeting in the privacy of one's own home or friend's home is not

[15:21] in and of itself a concern of the city. That alone is not enough to trigger the

[15:27] requirement for needing a special use permit. That is not the same as opening

[15:31] a house of worship as Mr. Grand announced, advertised, and proposed in

[15:35] the onset of this matter in February and March of 2021.

[15:39] The court's decision is a victory for the city and the residents of University

[15:43] Heights and for the rule of law. Thank you. This concludes my report.

[15:49] » Thank you. Um at this time, I do not have a report from city council. Does do

[15:54] any other members have a report? >> Okay, thank you. We're now up to reports

[15:58] and communications from the directors um department of finance.

[16:03] » Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um just a brief uh report. Today we were able to open

[16:09] open enrollment for our employees. I wanted to again thank council for

[16:13] approving um our renewal uh on a on a sooner basis than I believe in the past.

[16:19] So, we have a plenty of time for our employees to review the information and

[16:23] um have somebody from our insurance, our broker is coming in um to answer

[16:29] questions. So, trying something a little different this year. Um and we will be

[16:35] um having a another budget committee meeting next Monday evening um focus on

[16:43] service and the police department. Um, and then I am working on our final

[16:48] adjustments for the 2025 budget. I will have those um at the first meeting in

[16:53] December to make adjustments for some of the additional purchases that have been

[16:58] um approved by council since the last Thank you.

[17:03] » Thank you. Are there any questions for the finance director?

[17:06] I don't have any questions, but there's one thing I left out of my report that I

[17:10] intended to have in, and if you would indulge me, I'd like to make an

[17:12] announcement about our audit from last year.

[17:16] » Yeah. Um, city administration learned last week that the city of University

[17:20] Heights has earned another clean audit for 2024. The independent audit for the

[17:25] city's financial statements for the fiscal year ending in 2024 concluded

[17:28] with no material findings, affirming the city's commitment to transparency,

[17:33] accuracy, and sound financial management. Uh, I thank finance director

[17:38] Katie Iconis together with former finance director Dennis Kennedy, the

[17:41] entire team at the finance department for their continued strong work on

[17:44] behalf of the city. I also thank all of our directors and chiefs and employees

[17:49] who faithfully follow the directions that are given by our finance office to

[17:53] ensure that we don't create audit issues and help us ensure that we have clean

[17:57] audits every year as we've had every year since 2019. Thank you.

[18:03] » Thank you. Okay, Department of Law. >> I have no report this evening, Vice

[18:07] Mayor. >> All right, thank you. Um, police chief.

[18:13] All right, thank you. and fire.

[18:18] Thank you. Are there any questions for the police chief or the fire chief?

[18:24] All right. Service department.

[18:29] » Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um, as uh I've been reporting at the various uh council

[18:35] meetings, we are continuing to uh collect leaves loose on the tree lawns

[18:39] of houses throughout the city. Uh we are currently working on the east side of

[18:43] the city with two to three crews per day uh and are nearing the completion of our

[18:48] fifth pass of leaves leaf collection throughout the city. Uh we will then

[18:54] begin our sixth pass on the west side of the city and as now with the recent

[18:59] weather uh a large number of these have come down the passes are going to be

[19:04] slower as we do things uh going forward. One of the questions I do get from

[19:09] residents uh is when are you going to be on X Street? And and that unfortunately

[19:14] is something that I'm not able to give an answer for because we we will service

[19:18] all households that have leaves out on a street before we move to the next

[19:23] street. So when residents say, "Well, why don't you have a schedule?" I don't

[19:27] want to give a schedule to anyone without being able to first complete the

[19:32] street that I'm on before we move on to the next street. So if you do get any

[19:36] feedback from residents, I just wanted to say that is why we do not provide a

[19:40] schedule. We are faithfully hitting every street once through the city

[19:44] before we return and then hit that street again. We will continue to do so

[19:49] until the uh weather uh prohibits us from doing so.

[19:54] » Thank you, Mr. Pennington. Are there any questions?

[19:58] Thank you. Um building department All

[20:05] right. Thank you. Are there any questions for the building commissioner?

[20:09] Right. Um, housing and community development.

[20:14] Okay. Thank you. Um, city engineer.

[20:22] » Good evening. Um, just wanted to report that all the streets have been

[20:25] resurfaced. So, the project, the street repair program is coming to a an end. Um

[20:32] I noticed on Bush now they do they do have it marked for pavement markings at

[20:37] the stop bars and crosswalks. So just a a little bit of um final items to finish

[20:45] and then grass to grow next spring. So >> thank you so much.

[20:51] » Oh um may I have one other thing? >> Sure. Um, my other thing is we're going

[20:56] to go out to bid on the North Cliff water main re uh replacement project

[21:01] starting this Friday. Um, the project will the bids will open on December 12th

[21:07] and then I'll probably bring it to council in January for awarding that

[21:13] contract. >> Thank you, Miss Wiser. Did you have a

[21:17] question? >> Uh, no. I have a comment

[21:20] » from a resident. Thank you for finishing the [laughter]

[21:24] Bushnell. They were quite pleased. Okay, good. Thank you.

[21:28] » Thank you. Okay. Um, is there a report from

[21:32] communications and civic engagement? >> There's no report.

[21:36] » Is there a report from economic development?

[21:38] » There is no report either. Thank you. >> Okay. We're now up to the agenda. Um,

[21:43] agenda letter A. Motion to approve planning comm planning commission

[21:47] recommendation for the de demolition of existing single family house and site

[21:52] plan approval of a new single family house build at 2648 Whitten Road by Dre

[21:58] Homes for Mr. and Mrs. Warren contingent upon the entry into a developer

[22:02] agreement and bond with the city. >> Good evening everyone. Um, as stated, we

[22:07] are seeking the approval from the uh council as we have received the planning

[22:11] commission approval, board of zoning appeals approval, all required variances

[22:16] and special use permits and we have conditional approval from the

[22:19] architectural review board pending a redraw of agreed upon items for your

[22:24] approval. >> Okay, thank you. Are there any

[22:26] questions? I know um Mr. Akira planning. Uh yes. So I was the uh council

[22:31] representative for the planning commission um when the applicant came

[22:36] not just last month but the month before. So the original uh presentation

[22:40] was in October. It was tabled. Uh we needed some additional information and

[22:46] um which centered around the site plan. Um the applicant uh property abuts uh

[22:55] the Shaker Heights property and there was a fence that was um not on the

[23:01] property line but was a few inches closer into the uh applicant's yard. Um

[23:08] but it varied because it was kind of a there's a jog to the property line that

[23:14] had come into question. Um the neighbor in Shaker Heights alongside with the

[23:21] applicant worked out anou which will get filed. Um that was part of the

[23:26] presentation that was in November. Um so the planning commission um

[23:34] felt comfortable with theou would move forward with the approval of the um

[23:39] demolition of the existing home to build the new home. Also knowing that board of

[23:44] zoning appeals had at that time already approved the variances um and the

[23:49] questions that had come up about the the fence um with regard to uh lot coverage.

[23:56] I felt comfortable since it was already approved by the planning commission when

[23:59] it came back to I'm sorry by the board of zoning appeals when it came back to

[24:03] the planning commission. Um so this was approved with the condition of the

[24:08] development agreement and posting a bond. Um other than that it

[24:15] pretty straightforward typical to the types of homes that were being built on

[24:20] Whitten by your company. So, nothing out of the usual as opposed to that fence.

[24:27] » Thank you, Mr. Rock. Do any council members have any questions?

[24:32] Okay. Is there a motion? >> I will make the motion. Oh, Mrs. Sax can

[24:37] make it. [laughter] >> So moved. I'll second. Is there any

[24:40] discussion? Miss Ruben, we call the RO. I

[24:45] » I

[24:48] » I >> I

[24:50] » I >> Okay, thank you so much.

[24:54] » Hey, agenda letter B. Motion authorizing council to post public notice accepting

[24:58] resumes for upcoming vacant council seat. Um I did speak to um the law

[25:04] director. Uh there will be obviously a vacant council seat um as of January 1st

[25:10] and I think um it will make the process easier to open um the option to send in

[25:18] resumeumés now. Um I did go ahead and speak to the clerks um and Mr. Brian um

[25:25] together and um the wording was approved by the law director. So um this will

[25:32] flow easier. It will make the process smoother and quicker. Um, starting

[25:38] January 1st >> and I believe the deadline is December

[25:42] 29th. >> Yeah.

[25:44] » 29th. >> December 29th.

[25:46] » Thank you. >> Is there any discussion on this motion?

[25:52] Um, is there a motion?

[25:57] » Second. >> All right. Any discussion?

[26:00] » Okay. Miss Ruben, will we call the RO? I

[26:04] » I >> Mrs. Wise,

[26:07] » I

[26:11] » Hey. Um, agenda letter C. Ordinance number 2025-45,

[26:15] an ordinance replacing ordinance number 2019-23

[26:21] that created a property maintenance grant program administered by the city

[26:24] housing and community development department and establishing and

[26:27] codifying that grant program as chapter 1489 of the housing

[26:32] uh I don't think that >> and this is on second read.

[26:37] » So this um was discussed in committee and at the last meeting. Um, are there

[26:42] any other comments on this? Miss Wiser, did you want to speak on?

[26:45] » Um, we actually approved it in a previous building and housing meeting.

[26:50] We'd like to thank the vice mayor for bringing it forward.

[26:54] What we found is with the current cut off um for eligibility.

[27:02] Four people applied. only two were actually able to get the grant and

[27:09] neither one of them followed through. But we think by raising the uh income

[27:16] level, we can actually have more residents be able to apply for this.

[27:21] This is something where it's a 250 $2,500

[27:26] grant for exterior property repairs if you're cited. And I think this is will

[27:34] be a positive thing es pardon me especially for those that may be uh

[27:40] retired and on limited incomes um and help them to actually address any

[27:48] violations that may exist and I would move for approval.

[27:53] » Thank you, Miss Wiser. Is there a second?

[27:56] » I'll second. Is there any discussion? >> If I may.

[28:00] » Yes, ma'am. >> Yes. Thank you. Um, I applaud the idea

[28:02] that we would move the uh poverty um standard higher. Um, I appreciate I

[28:10] think it's a step in the right direction. I don't know that 135% is

[28:13] enough, but I I'm happy to see that that the council has looked at this. It's a

[28:18] it's a good program, but we need to get have more people that qualify for it.

[28:22] and um I don't know that the threshold shouldn't be higher, but uh would not

[28:28] want to stop you from raising it at this point to this figure. I would encourage

[28:33] you to review the program again, see what kind of applicants to get and

[28:37] consider raising it even higher in the future if appropriate. Thank you.

[28:42] » Thank you. Um there is a motion and a second. Miss Ruben, will you call the

[28:47] role? Mr. Ir.

[28:52] I >> I

[28:57] » thank you. Um we are now at um reports of standing committees building and

[29:02] housing. >> Uh thank you vice mayor. Building and

[29:06] housing met tonight. We continued our discussion regarding um exterior or

[29:13] pardon me sidewalk replacements. What we are attempting to do is come up

[29:19] with a program that would provide some relief for sidewalks that are raised due

[29:26] to city tree roots or city work, sewer work that may have been done. Um, and in

[29:35] discussion, we discussed a number of different ways this program could be

[29:41] configured. Um, we'd like to thank Miss Davis and uh Mr. Bartley who will be

[29:47] doing a little bit more research on some of the other cities that have similar

[29:54] programs. Uh, we also like to thank Mr. Pennington for his um input as to the

[30:01] city of mentors program. And we are hopeful that at least perhaps by the

[30:07] beginning of 2026, we might actually have this hammered

[30:12] into a program that can provide either some relief or at least partial relief

[30:20] um for the replacement of sidewalk blocks on inspection.

[30:26] Thank you, Miss Visor. Um, community outreach, Mr. King.

[30:30] » No report, Vice Mayor. >> Thanks. Economic development.

[30:34] » Uh, yes. We had a meeting last Monday on the 10th. Um, it it's a standing meeting

[30:39] on the second Monday of each month, and what we discussed was the latest draft

[30:44] of the comprehensive zoning code. And we reviewed specifically title one, which

[30:50] is some of the the legal terms and provisions, and title two. We only got

[30:55] as far as the general residential section of title 2. Uh at the next

[31:00] meeting, we will discuss that'll be on December 8th, 6:00 in this room, we'll

[31:07] continue our discussion on title 2. Uh we we started the conversation on

[31:11] multifamily, but we ran out of time. So, we'll we'll continue that conversation

[31:15] of multifamily. um university uh the the university

[31:21] district I noticed that had the most amount of changes between the draft that

[31:26] we had originally saw the May 2024 draft and the latest draft. So we'll look at

[31:30] the red lines to see what had changed um to to get the feedback from the

[31:34] committee and then also at the beginning of the meeting uh we will be uh

[31:41] ascertaining information from the community uh anything that we hear um

[31:46] such as in the surveys or town halls that will be discussed in the beginning

[31:50] of each meeting to make sure those voices are heard. Um the survey had more

[31:56] questions than answers and Miss Jackson will come back at the next meeting with

[32:00] additional metrics um so we can evaluate um the survey by um demographic group um

[32:10] and that's about it. Next meeting will be on the 8th.

[32:13] » Thank you MRA. Um finance. So we did have a um finance meeting last week.

[32:19] We'll have another one on um November 24th. Then there is a doodle poll um

[32:24] going out for the second week of December. Um these are all to review the

[32:28] budget. Um I'm not sure if um the budget will be ready for approval by that

[32:34] December the 2nd December meeting, but um we do have the option to carry it

[32:41] over and make temporary um appropriations. So it could be approved

[32:46] in January. Um we're now up to rec excuse me,

[32:50] recreation. No report, Vice Mayor. >> Thank you. Um, safety.

[32:54] » No report, Vice Mayor. Okay. >> And service and utilities.

[32:58] » Thank you, uh, Vice Mayor. The next uh joint committee of service and utilities

[33:04] and building and housing will be on December 17th at 6 pm. Uh we will

[33:11] hopefully have our last meeting on uh uh the weeds ordinance uh prior to what we

[33:17] hope will be a public meeting hearing on trees, hedges, shrubbery, and weeds in

[33:23] the near future. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Saxs. Um and then

[33:28] committee of the whole there is no report. Are there any reports of special

[33:31] committees? Unfinished or miscellaneous business. Is

[33:37] there a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved.

[33:40] » That was very quick. Is there a second? >> Second. [laughter]

[33:43] » Second by Miss Marshall. Miss Ruben, we'll call the role.

[33:46] » Mr. King. >> I

[33:55] [laughter] >> Yes. Hey,

[33:57] » I want to thank everybody for coming. The meeting is adjourned.

11 17 2025 City Council

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