Cuyahoga Falls City Council holds regular meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Council committee meetings are held on the first and third Mondays in order to allow councilmembers to publicly discuss pending legislation that will be voted on at regular meetings. The public is free to comment on pending legislation during the allowed time set aside as part of committee meetings.
Finance & Appropriations:
A-61: An ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designee to enter into a contract or contracts with Atlantic Emergency Solutions for the purchase of Hurst Tool extrication equipment used by the fire department. Chief Martin explained to the committee that these are the jaws of life used on all of the front-line fire equipment and will continue to replace the older hydraulic versions to the smaller and easier-to-handle battery-operated units. Cost for these units is $114k. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote Monday, July 22.
Public & Industrial Improvements:
A-62: A resolution authorizing the mayor to apply for and accept financial assistance in the form of a grant or loan from the Ohio Public Works Commission for the improvement of Wyoga Lake Road, from East Steels Corners Road to Seasons Road. City Engineer Tony Demasi stated this is to allow his office to apply for another grant for the Wyoga Lake Road project. If successful, this OPW grant would offset the city’s portion of another matching $6 million grant. The timeframe of the project will be in the 2026-2027 construction season and will include traffic lights along Wyoga Lake Road in front of Walsh High School. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote Monday, July 22.
Public Affairs:
A-63: A resolution approving and adopting the Summit County Hazard Mitigation. Chief Martin explained that every six years the county safety forces get together and review the county’s plan and bring it up to date. The current plan is over 200 pages and is going through the approval process in all Summit County communities. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote next Monday.
A-64: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to exchange land with the Cuyahoga Falls City School District in connection with the new school campus at 13th Street and Portage Trail and accompanying right-of-way. City Engineer Tony Demasi stated the land swap will allow the city to add a turn lane on Portage Trail to make entering the driveway approach safer for pick-up and drop-off of students. School Board President Anthony Gomez and Superintendent Andrea Celico were also present to answer any questions. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote Monday, July 22.
A-65: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter into a License Agreement with the Preserves at Salt Creek Homeowners Association, Inc., for the purpose of permitting landscaping and constructing neighborhood recreational improvements on city-owned property. Law Director Janet Ciotola gave the history behind the legislation, stating that her office was approached a short time ago by the HOA of the development about using a city right-of-way within the neighborhood for a recreation/relaxation area. The agreement allows some landscaping, fencing and a few benches to be done on the city property at the HOA’s expense as long as it does not interfere with the utilities that run beneath the property. The term of the license will be for ten years, with two separate five-year renewals. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote next Monday.
Community Development:
A-66: An ordinance amending ordinance 95-2004 to revise the Cuyahoga River Community Reinvestment Area boundaries, implementing sections 3735.65 through 3735.70 of the Ohio Revised Code. Community Development Director Diana Colavecchio showed that the current plan did not include the industrial area of Orlen Avenue that has a current business undergoing a change of ownership and another looking to expand, she felt it would be prudent on the city’s part to offer incentives to help these businesses grow. The typical abatement offered in this CRA is a minimum $250k of improvements that will allow a 75% abatement of that investment over a ten-year period. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote Monday, July 22.
A-67: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute the revised Summit County Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding for Job Creation and Retention and Tax Revenue Sharing. Colavecchio started by explaining the history of the agreement that has been in effect for a number of years that basically gives a cushion should community A offer incentives to a business in community B to move there, thus taking jobs and tax revenue. The purpose of the agreement is to mitigate the damage to that tax base should a large employer move from one city to another. Colavecchio said the only real tweak to the agreement was updating it to exclude “working from home” jobs from the agreement. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote Monday, July 22.
A-68: A resolution accepting the recommendations of the Tax Incentive Review Council and the Community Reinvestment Area Housing Council concerning Enterprise Zone and Community Reinvestment Area Tax Exemption Agreements within the City of Cuyahoga Falls. Colavecchio told the committee that this is a yearly ordinance that allows the county to audit both the residential and commercial properties in the city that fall under Community Reinvestment Areas. On the residential side only one property was removed from the agreement because they were not up to date with their property taxes. On the commercial side all of the entities listed had continued to meet their promises for number of employees and investment in the businesses. This data was reviewed and approved by the county’s Tax Incentive Review Committee. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote next Monday.
