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.
Committee-of-the-Whole:
B-140: An ordinance amending sections 111.01 and 111.04 of the Codified Ordinances, relating to the rules of City Council. This measure was presented by Council President Russ Balthis and the proposed rule changes were as follows: Currently there is a rule that states all committees have at least one member from the minority party as a member. Due to the outcome of the 2023 election, there will not be a minority party so a line needs to be added that calls this situation out and when there is a minority party on council the old rule will go back into effect. The second rule change comes about due to COVID-19, and other past experiences and increases the members of each committee from 3 to 5. This allows for more discussion between committee members and ensures a quorum at biweekly committee meetings. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote in a special city council meeting Monday night and it passed 10-0.
Standing Committee Reports
Finance & Appropriations:
B-134: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter into a contract or contracts with Medical Mutual of Ohio for stop-loss insurance coverage for the city’s self-insured medical and prescription drug plans, for a period not to exceed one year. Finance Director Bryan Hoffman said that the city goes out each year looking for the best rate and this year, even with a 19% increase, Medical Mutual came in the lowest and best rate. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote in a special city council and it passed 10-0.
B-135: An ordinance providing for supplemental and/or amended appropriations of money for current operating expenses and capital expenditures of the City of Cuyahoga Falls, and authorizing the transfer of appropriations within and for the various funds hereinafter set forth. Hoffman explained this is a housekeeping measure to balance out the accounts for the end of the year and council members were presented with a handout showing the balances projected to be in each account on January 31. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote in a special city council meeting Monday night and it passed 10-0.
B-136: A resolution requesting the Summit County fiscal officer to make advance distribution of tax receipts payable to the City of Cuyahoga Falls. This is another housekeeping measure that is done every year requesting that the county advance the city’s share of tax revenue collected by the county in May and September rather than once a year. Hoffman said receiving the revenue in this manner makes payroll and other expenses run smoother during the course of the year. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote in a special city council meeting and it passed 10-0.
B-137: An ordinance amending ordinance 58-2022 to hire an additional Secretary I and assign the position to the appropriate pay grade in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement between American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2662 and the City of Cuyahoga Falls. As discussed during budget this would allow the police department to hire an additional secretary/clerk to assist with records requests. During budget talks one of the driving factors for this additional member to the police department staff was the extra labor needed to process records requests from police body cams. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote in a special city council meeting and it passed 10-0.
B-138: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the city’s requirement of maintaining the heating, air conditioning, and automatic control systems in the municipal building. City Engineer Tony Demasi explained this is currently out to bid and it will be to provide two types of services—, First will be a preventive maintenance program and the second part will be for emergency repairs when they arise. This would be for calendar year 2024-2025. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote in a special city council meeting Monday night and it passed 10-0.
Temp. Ord. B-139: An ordinance creating the position of Assistant Planning Director, updating pay grades for Aquatics Supervisor and Deputy Director of Community Development, correcting classifications for various non-bargaining positions, amending Exhibit “A” of Ordinance No. 7-202. Finance Director Bryan Hoffman said this adds pay grades for the new position of Assistant Planning Director that was discussed during budget and it also clearly defines some other roles within the city for some of its non-classified employees. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote in a special city council meeting and it passed 10-0.
Miscellaneous Business:
Council voted to approve the absence of Jerry James and also thanked outgoing Councilman Adam Miller for his service to the city.
Pending an agenda, council will next meet January 2, 2024.
