Cuyahoga Falls City council meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month and council committee meetings are held on the first and third Monday to publicly discuss pending legislation that will be voted on by council as a whole during its regular scheduled meetings. The public is free to comment on pending legislation during the allowed time on the night of committee meetings.
Mr. Tim Gorbach (Chair) opened the Finance and Appropriations meeting, discussing legislation B-62 and B-63 .
B-62: The legislation enables the Finance Director to issue notes in the maximum amount of $2,225,000 to pay for the improvements done in the area of Sourek Trail and Sand Hill Drive, including waterlines, paving, etc. All of this work was done post construction.
B-63: This is a similar ordinance and it covers the improvements needed to begin construction.
Finance Director Bryan Hoffman stated these measures, although similar were intentionally left separate to provide better interest rates and terms for the city. He also stated the notes would be repaid as the property taxes are collected from the county.
Both ordinances were voted out of committee and will be voted on by council as a whole next Monday
Committee Chair Tim Gorbach also set aside a few minutes to hear the concerns of Ward 3 resident Mark Ludwig. Mr. Ludwig read from a prepared statement, citing the number of vacant buildings in the area of State Rd south of Broad Blvd. He shared his feelings concerning crime and economic impact. Ludwig also stated that an online petition had received over 500 signatures, although it is unknown how many of those signatures came from within the city. Ludwig also remarked on cities such as Sandusky and Akron using legislation that actually penalize property owners for vacancies. He stated that Washington D.C. charges $3-8 per $100 of value as a penalty. He also claimed that the city’s negligence in this matter has hurt his neighborhood.
The city responded first with comments from Law Director Janet Ciotola, who stated that private property is protected under the constitution and that laws such as the ones Ludwig is proposing could violate the due process of the property owners, and that the property in question must first be considered a public nuisance and blighted. From there, they must be notified and the owner given an opportunity to remedy the issue. Community Development Director Diana Colavecchio said she has been in touch with the owner of the former Ponderosa restaurant and several other properties in the area and he is sincere about finding occupants. He has had offers that range from a tool rental company to a day labor agency and even a car dealership but has turned them all down because he felt they were not in the best interest of the surrounding area. Colavecchio also stated that the owner has his properties listed on two rental websites, including on a pay service. She went on to say that two of the four units of the building immediately to the south have been leased. The philosophy of her office is to work with businesses– not against them; the goal is to make them stay in our city, not move to Stow or Akron. Currently there are $200k worth of facade grants available to business in that area and 2 businesses applied so far.
Mayor Walters also wanted to make clear that there is a huge difference between vacant and abandoned. “Property owners’ rights are sacred, and property ownership is the American dream,” Walters said. He went on to say that there are events in the works such as a three-week Halloween scavenger hunt to bring traffic to the area.
Mr. Gorbach closed the finance committee
Meika Penta (Chair) opened the Community Development committee meeting and only had one piece of legislation to discuss: B-64.
Peggy Szalay, the city’s CBDG Grant Entitlement Administrator, discussed the city’s action plan to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the program year 2021. She also gave a brief rundown of how the funds were used last year, ranging from $5k grants to help with rent and non-city utilities to keep several area small businesses afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, to family grants that helped facilitate home learning.
