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.
Legislation Scheduled for Discussion
Planning & Zoning:
A-20: An ordinance authorizing and approving the Final Development Plan for Conservation a Residential Overlay and Preliminary Subdivision Plat for Park Ridge Preserve on Parcel Number 3502964.The file was presented by Planning Director Rob Kurtz. The planning commission gave this plan their recommendation in their March 17 meeting with conditions. Kurtz said the 38-acre development would have 11 homes and because of the project’s proximity to the national park, the lots will vary in size from 2.4-4.7 acres. Some of the other conditions include addresses marked at the street due to how far from the road the houses sit, each and every property owner will be required to sign a conservation agreement, and the roadway and paths within the development would be clearly marked to discern the subdivision’s paths from those of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Helen Scott Custom Builders is the applicant, and they were present for the committee meeting. Scott Schrader spoke as the applicant, and said that if approved construction would start this fall, clearing the property and street construction would begin this fall. The homes would start by this time next year. After that he expects to construct three to four homes per year. The planning and zoning committee will bring this measure out for a vote before full council next Monday, April 13.
Finance & Appropriations:
A-22: An ordinance creating the position of Power System Manager, amending Exhibit A of Ordinance 84-2024, and establishing the compensation level for this non-bargaining position. Electric Service Supervisor Rod Troxell explained that the current lead engineer in his department has taken another position outside of the city and it gave the electric department the opportunity to look at the structure and workflow of the department and what would be best for the upcoming years. The job description for the new position would make this a supervisory role who would work alongside the two current Engineering Technicians, review any updates going into our system,and be proficient in AutoCAD and switching. The position would be posted internally before going outside the city. This is not a civil service position. The finance committee will bring this measure out for a vote before full council next Monday, April 13.
Finance Committee Chair Mary Nichols Rhodes also took the opportunity to publicly thank Troxell, and more importantly his team, for their hours and dedication during the March 13 windstorm and power outages and her comments were echoed by all of City Council.
Public & Industrial Improvements:
A-23: An ordinance amending Sections 929.07 and 929.09 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Title 9, Chapter 929, “Storm Drainage Utility,” in the City of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. City Engineer Tony Demasi said he recently worked with our stormwater department and the Ohio EPA and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to update our stormwater resources and our FEMA flood plane regulations. This ordinance will codify the requirement for developer or vendor into long term maintenance agreements for their stormwater runoff controls to ensure that the property owners will maintain that control in the future. Demasi added that these requirements have always been maintained by his office but by having them codified into the law will insure control into the future . The public and industrial improvements committee will bring this measure out for a vote before full council next Monday, April 13.
A-24: An ordinance amending Part Thirteen of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Building Code, by amending Chapter 1310, “Flood Plain Administration. This ordinance states our compliance with FEMA and makes sure all properties can qualify for FEMA insurance. This year Demasi’s office wants to do more than just a minimum update, such as increase certain standards for homes built in floodplain hazard areas. Currently the city has setback requirements for homes in a floodplain such as the river, however there are approximately 30 homes that were built before these regulations were implemented, and in a few cases, the buildings predate FEMA. The purpose of the program is to make sure that if these structures are heavily damaged due to a flood that they are to be elevated to protect them from future flooding. This legislation currently will have no effect on the 30 homes, however if they were damaged or have any extreme renovation then these changes would take effect. The public and industrial improvements committee will bring this measure out for a vote before full council next Monday.
A-25: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, with the Ohio Drilling Company, for the cleaning, inspection, and repair of city drinking wells #7, #16, and #21. The city has 14 wells all built between 1937 and 1989 and they currently supply the city with about 5.5 million gallons per day. This legislation is a normal maintenance and is performed on specific wells every year. The public and industrial improvements committee will bring this measure out for a vote before full council next Monday.
A-26: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the improvement of Wyoga Lake Road, from East Steels Corners Road to Seasons Road. In 2021 the city applied for and received federal funds from AMATS; because the city fast tracked the project design, AMATS gave the city an additional $100k for a total of 6.7 million in federal grants. This project will improve Wyoga Lake Road between East Steels Corners Road and Seasons Road with the addition of a turning lane, a walking path in the east side of the road, new signals for the intersection of Wyoga Lake Road and Wyoga Lake Boulevard and resurface the entire roadway. Work is anticipated to begin in June of this year and completed by year end of 2027. Traffic will be maintained during construction. Bids were opened March 10 and the best and lowest bidder Wegner Excavating from Dalton Ohio for $7.4 million. leaving the city’s share at approximately $700k for the project. The public and industrial improvements committee will bring this measure out for a vote before full council next Monday.
As a side note on this project Demasi informed Council that his office received the 2026 American Society of Highway Engineers Outstanding Project Award for this project.
