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.
Finance Committee
A-1: Allowing the Mayor to enter into a contract to purchase property at 222 Cochran Rd. This legislation was on the agenda to be discussed, but there were not enough members of the finance committee present to form a quorum. This legislation will be discussed at a later date.
Public Affairs Committee
The first three pieces of legislation all concerned union contracts effective July 1, 2021, and for that reason were discussed in executive session during a special meeting held after committee meetings.
A-3: Authorizing the Mayor to enter into an agreement with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 2662.
A-4: An ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into an agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Labor Council, Inc.
A-5: An ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into an agreement with the International Association of Firefighters, Local 494.
A-6: Establishes compensation levels for non-bargaining employees of the City of Cuyahoga Falls for the period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024. This was not taken into executive session, as it is not a collective bargaining agreement, but the law department will defer discussion on it at this time.
A-7: A resolution recognizing the City of Cuyahoga Falls as a gateway community to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Summit Metro Parks Systems.
Opening the discussion, Community Development Director Diana Colavecchio explained that the timing of this resolution was intentional, as they wanted it to come before City Council at the same time as the Merriman Valley Schumacher Master Plan Draft was posted to the city’s website. While it is over 170 pages, she urges everyone to check it out and answer the survey to give feedback before the two cities move forward. Colavecchio went on to explain that this resolution represents a culmination of what much of the master plan is all about, and that is the impact that our parks have on our city and our city’s residents, as shown on page 30 of the draft, titled “Community Benefits of a World Class Park System.”
She also wanted to thank both Lisa King, Executive Director Summit County Metro Parks, and Lisa Petit, Superintendent of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, who both co-wrote this page to show our relationship and partnership with the park systems.
As public comments commenced, Dr. William Shaheen spoke, representing Preserve the Valley. Shaheen thanked council for looking at this resolution as it will become another step in the larger sense towards changing the philosophical outlook both communities have in the form of gems and resources in Summit County. The adoption of this resolution identifying the city as a gateway community is an opportunity for city leaders and council members to endorse a tremendous commitment emphasizing the city as an introduction and waypoint to our unique natural heritage. He then gave a brief history of the Preserve the Valley, which now has over 10,000 online members. It is their wish that the resolution before council serve as an example to other communities that border our park systems to do the same, and they are hopeful the city goes beyond this resolution by enacting zoning changes that encourage re-development, the preservation of green space, and stewardship of our natural resources.
Also representing Preserve the Valley, Andrew Holland echoed Dr. Shaheen, adding that this cannot just be words on paper, but that the city needs to encourage discussion and show they mean what they say by enacting protections to the areas surrounding the parks. He suggested an example of this would be to change the 45 mph speed limit through the park in Cuyahoga Falls to match the standard 35 mph limit in all the other communities the park runs through. Holland said there are 17 cities and townships that surround the valley, and the two big cities (Akron and Cuyahoga Falls) can make all of them work together by setting a good example, starting with doing no harm to the river and recreational economy fostering local business.
Other members of Preserve the Valley also spoke and, while the tone of the comments were positive, all agreed that this is only the beginning. Many other problems caused by over-development, including erosion and the costs to repair the damage caused by it, need to be addressed.
Upon conclusion of the discussion, the committee voted to bring the resolution out for a vote of full council next Monday.
A-8: A resolution confirming the reappointment of Dr. Kristine Gill as the City of Cuyahoga Falls representative to serve on the Summit County Combined General Health District Board of Health for a four-year term January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2025. The committee voted to bring the resolution out for a vote of full council next Monday.
Community Development
B-138: Approving and authorizing the mayor to submit the annual action plan to The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the program year 2022. Peggy Szalay, the City’s Entitlement Administrator for CDBG funds, stated this is our yearly request and these funds are used all over the city for quality of life and housing assistance, infrastructure improvements, historic preservation, and economic development. This will be the fourth year of a five-year consolidated plan. There will be another public meeting to discuss this plan—which can be found on the city’s website—on Thursday, January 27th.
A-9: Authoring the mayor to submit a grant application to the Ohio Department of Development under the 2022 Brownfield Remediation Program for the cleanup/remediation of the former Mud Run Gun Club property located at 333 Pleasant Meadow Boulevard. Planning Director Rob Kurtz made the presentation on this legislation. The city will be asking for a matching fund grant of $1.1 million to finish the cleanup of the property that had served as a shooting range and gun club for many years, with our match being approximately $373,000. When finished, the remediated area will become a trailhead along the Mud Brook trail currently under construction in Ward 5. This resolution was voted on and passed 7-0.
