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.
Planning & Zoning:
B-9: An ordinance accepting the planning commission’s recommendation for the approval of a conditional zoning certificate for an outdoor sales lot at 41 Steels Corners Road for Falls Investment Properties LLC (Valley Motors). Rob Kurtz stated the project passed the planning commission with stipulations for lighting and landscaping. This project will be a completion of what was started on that parcel earlier and the property will be used to store approximately 200 commercial vans on the new lot while the property owner said they will be creating 10-15 new jobs. The planning and zoning committee voted to bring this legislation out for a vote before all of council February 10.
Finance & Appropriations:
B-11: An ordinance appropriating Community Development Block Grant Carryover Funds for calendar year 2025. Presented by Peggy Szalay, this year’s budget for CBDG finds will be $631k before adding any carryover funding. Szalay said last year’s funds went for such items as $10k to Cuyahoga Falls Good Neighbors to help needy families, and partnering with our Parks and Recreation department for playground equipment and to make our parks accessible. The finance committee voted to bring this legislation out for a vote before all of council February 10.
Public & Industrial Improvements:
B-12: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the annual resurfacing and/or repair of various streets as described in Exhibit ‘A’, in the City of Cuyahoga Falls and authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts for pavement preservation on various streets within the city. Tony Demasi started by explaining the process his department uses to evaluate the streets within the city. He described the 20-point rating system and the pavement condition index done every two years by Pavement Management Group that is used to determine what streets and what order end up on the list to be paved for the year. Streets this year will be rated again for the 2026-27 paving seasons. Also of note is that according to the Ohio Department of Transportation pricing index asphalt prices are down 10% from last year. A new tool in the street preservation process this summer, Demasi said, the city will be using an asphalt rejuvenator on streets paved during last year’s cycle that bonds with the road surface to give extra life and durability. This process helps to restore the flexibility and durability of the asphalt, extending its lifespan and improving overall performance. The current list before council is 24 lane miles. Demasi also mentioned Silver Lake Avenue and said it will be paved when the school is completed. The public & industrial improvements committee voted to bring this legislation out for a vote before all of council February 10.
Public Affairs:
Temp. Ord. B-13: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter into a NOPEC Energized Community Grant Agreement with Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, Inc. for energy efficiency or energy infrastructure projects. This legislation was presented by Bryce Pulley from Neighborhood Excellence Communications and Community Outreach Department (NECCO). It is a yearly grant that the city receives which can be spent on energy savings entities around the city. Uses have been solar panels on the roof of our new Electric Services building, Solar Shades installed in municipal buildings around the city, and the extremely popular solar umbrella tables in the downtown area. The public affairs committee voted to bring this legislation out for a vote before all of council February 10.
Community Development:
B-8: An ordinance approving the application of Dale and Shelley Llewellyn, as owners of certain real property located at 1949 Theiss Road, to place said property into an agricultural district pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Chapter 929. Law Director Janet Ciotola explained it provides the property owners protections provided the land has to be devoted to agricultural production, they are on more than ten acres of land and they must make at least $2,500 from it. Ciotola stated that the district does not exempt the property owners from having to adhere to the general development code. The property owners did get their time at the podium, and they explained how they have watched their family grow in this property and the garlic and onions they grow on their property belonged to Mr. Llewellyn’s grandfather. Their plan is to continue his legacy with their son and grandson. The Community Development Committee voted to bring this legislation out for a vote before all of council February 10.
Council Committees also got to see a presentation made by Jennifer Grieser, Director of Natural Resources for Cleveland MetroParks. The purpose of her visit was to present and thank The City of Cuyahoga Falls for being “2024 Champion of The River” by working with park districts in the area to slowly work down the areas of concern along the Cuyahoga River. Collectively the 10 areas of concern have gone down to 4, and the Gorge Dam is one of the remaining 4.
