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.
New Ordinances & Resolutions
B-64: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts without competitive bidding, with KJ Excavation, for the maintenance and repair of the city’s storm water system. Assigned to the finance committee for discussion in a special finance committee meeting held Monday night. This legislation, presented by Water Department Supervisor Russ Kring, will provide his department with assistance from a reliable contractor familiar with working for the city. Kring said they would be used to repair many of the sinkholes around the city and free up his personnel to continue with the meter program and other projects that peak this time of year. A cap was set at $210k in the legislation and with most of the projects being one-day jobs it is unlikely that KJ Excavation will spend the entire amount. The committee voted to bring this out of committee and later voted 11-0 during the regular council meeting to pass this legislation.
Reports of Council’s Standing Committees
Finance & Appropriations:
Temp. Ord. B-52: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to apply for, accept, and enter into agreement a cooperative with the Ohio Development Water Authority for the replacement of the 4” water mains in Brookpark Drive, from Northampton Road to Eleanorora Drive, Eleanorora Drive, from Brookpark Drive East to Brookpark Drive West, Hoffman Drive, from Eleanorora Drive to Woodbrook Road and Woodbrook Road, from Northampton Road to Hoffman Drive, with an 8” water main. Passed 11-0.
B-53: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to apply for, accept, and enter into a cooperative agreement with the Ohio Water Development Authority for the replacement of the 6” and 8” water mains on Oakwood Drive, from Monroe Avenue to Graham Road, with an 8” water main. Passed 11-0.
B-54: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to apply for, accept, and enter into a cooperative agreement with the Ohio Water Development Authority for the improvements to the Bailey Road and State Road booster pump stations. Passed 11-0.
B-55: An ordinance authorizing the Parks and Recreation Board to enter into a contract or contracts, without competitive bidding, with IM Company, LLC., for emergency repairs needed to the first- floor restroom of the downtown pavilion. Passed 11-0.
Temp. Ord. B-56: An ordinance providing for the issuance and sale of notes in the maximum principal amount of $1,310,000, in anticipation of the issuance of bonds, for the purpose of paying the costs of acquiring, reconstructing, constructing, improving, equipping and installing 3,400 lineal feet of sanitary sewer lines, 3,550 feet of water main lines and 8,000 lineal feet of electrical conduit wiring, related storm sewer lines and retention, erosion control and landscaping along Princeton Place Boulevard, Nottingham Trail, Bainbridge Trail and Kensington Court, together with all related and necessary appurtenances thereto. Passed 10-0 with Russ Balthis abstaining for work related reasons.
Temp. Ord. B-57: An ordinance providing for the issuance and sale of notes in the maximum principal amount of $730,000, in anticipation of the issuance of bonds, for the purpose of paying the costs of the construction, reconstruction, widening, improving, grading, draining and resurfacing of Wyoga Lake Road between Steels Corners Road and Seasons Road, together with all related and necessary appurtenances thereto. Passed 10-0 with Russ Balthis abstaining for work related reasons.
Temp. Ord. B-58: An ordinance providing for the issuance and sale of notes in the maximum principal amount of $4,615,000, in anticipation of the issuance of bonds, for the purpose of paying the costs of the design and engineering, construction, reconstruction, widening, improving, grading, draining and resurfacing of, and installation of traffic controls along, and the intersections of State Road, Seasons Road and Wyoga Lake Road, and a traffic study of those roads and related areas, including but not limited to the extension, opening, improving, curbing or changing of the lines and traffic patterns of roads, highways, intersections, streets, bridges (both roadway and pedestrian), sidewalks, bikeways, medians and viaducts, providing signage, lighting systems, signalization, and installation of stormwater and flood remediation facilities, together with all related and necessary appurtenances thereto. Passed 10-0 with Russ Balthis abstaining for work related reasons.
Public & Industrial Improvements:
B-59: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the demolition of the Oak Park water tank, located within Oak Park near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Thirteenth Street. Passed 11-0.
B-60: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for replacement of the 6” water main in Cedar Hill Road, West Portage Trail to Cedar Hill Circle, and Cedar Hill Circle, with an 8” water main. Passed 11-0.
B-62: An ordinance authorizing the appropriation of certain interests in real property necessary for the improvement of Wyoga Lake Road between Seasons Road and E. Steels Corners Road. Passed 11-0.
Community Development:
B-32: An ordinance creating the Reserve at Boulder Estate Tax Increment Financing Incentive District; declaring improvements to the parcels within the incentive district to be a public purpose and exempt from real property taxation; requiring the owners of those parcels to make service payments in lieu of taxes; establishing a municipal public improvement tax increment equivalent fund for the deposit of those services specifying the payments; public infrastructure improvements that benefit or serve parcels in the incentive district. Passed 11-0.
B-63: An ordinance approving and authorizing the Mayor to execute and submit the annual action plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for program year 2025. Passed 11-0.
Miscellaneous Business:
Finance Director Bryan Hoffman gave his department’s Report 21 (a snapshot of city finances that is regularly reported to City Council). Overall income tax receipts are up 2.2% over this time in 2024. Other highlights from the report show that Natatorium charges for services are up compared to this time last year and the city’s Self Insurance is doing better than this time last year.
Community Development Director Diana Colavecchio gave her department’s quarterly report. Highlights in that report include the DMV moving to Bath Road in early August to make way for the new Sheetz convenience store at Oakwood Drive and Graham Road. Blue Bird Event Venue will be moving into 2128 Front Street, Dollar Tree will be taking over the former Rite-Aid on Bailey Road and Ohio Kids Dental is in the process of renovating the Family Video at Bailey Road and Northmoreland Avenue. Colavecchio also reported that the downtown parking analysis is complete and shows the city is in pretty good shape so far. Legacy 2020 on Front Street has submitted plans to add 11 new apartments to the current complex. All units in the building are currently leased out and the owners felt it was necessary to add more units at this time. The renovation continues on the former Ponderosa on State Road, which has had some plumbing issues pertaining to the grease trap since it was not part of the original construction plan and will be added as a custom design. Once that’s done, construction will resume.
Council will be in recess for the month of August; however, there will be a design review for the phase II Old Mill Trail on August 26 at 6:00pm at the Natatorium. Council will resume meeting in September, pending legislation.
