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-139: A resolution requesting the Summit County Fiscal Officer to make advance distribution of tax receipts payable to the City of Cuyahoga Falls. Presented by Finance Director Bryan Hoffman, this resolution allows the city to accept funds collected by the county in the form of property taxes. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote at the next regular council meeting.
The following six ordinances follow the recently passed 2023 city budget. With the budget approved by council, now the operating expenses budgeted to each department will be transferred to the respective department via these ordinances. Each of the department heads gave highlights of some of the items they will be purchasing over the coming year, including such items as police cars, road salt, waste bins, and other day-to-day purchases that were budgeted during the year.
The committee voted to bring all six of these ordinances out for a vote at the next regular council meeting:
A-140: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the purchase of annual requirements for certain services, materials, supplies, and equipment for use by the electrical division during 2023.
A-141: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the purchase of annual requirements of certain services, materials, and supplies for use by the garage division during 2023.
A-142: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the purchase of annual requirements of certain materials and supplies for use by the sanitation division during 2023.
A-143: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the purchase of annual requirements of certain materials and supplies for use by the street division during 2023.
A-144: An ordinance authorizing the mayor, as director of public safety, or the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the purchase or lease of various vehicles and related equipment for use by the city.
A-145: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the purchase of the city’s requirements of certain services, materials and supplies for use by the water and Sewer divisions during 2023.
A-146: 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. Bryan Hoffman presented council with three spreadsheets showing how this legislation transfers funds from various accounts to clean up and make sure everything is funded for the end of the year 2022. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote at the next regular council meeting.
A-147: An ordinance authorizing the Parks and Recreation Board to enter into a contract or contracts, without competitive bidding, with CRS Metalworx, Inc., for the installation of HVAC equipment at the Natatorium.
A-148: An ordinance authorizing the Parks and Recreation Board to enter into a contract or contracts with Carrier Corporation for the purchase of a 250-ton chiller unit to be installed at the Natatorium.
Both A-147 and A-148 are companion ordinances according to Park Director Sara Kline. The chiller is to be purchased off the state bid, giving considerable savings and will be installed by CRS Metalwork. Kline said the cost for installation will be $54,780 and the chiller itself would be $130,000. There was some discussion within the committee as to where this particular chiller would fit in with the long term plans to upgrade the entire system. Kline described this as a stop gap measure and it will serve as a linchpin; from there future HVAC decisions within the building can go either direction. The possibility of this chiller being used at another site was also considered as an option, according to Kline. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote at the next regular council meeting.
A-149: An ordinance authorizing the Parks and Recreation Board to enter into a contract or contracts with Miracle Recreation- Playpower, Inc. dba Playground Equipment Services Inc., for the purchase of playground equipment at Water Works Family Aquatic Center. This measure was also presented by Park Director Sara Kline, who explained that the initial plan was to install a splash pad; however, when estimates came in, her office realized the cost was prohibitive and it was then decided that a playground set would be appropriate. The model chosen at $57k was more in line with what would replace the current sand pit so this is the route Parks and Rec have decided to take. She also made it clear the playground equipment would be for pool patrons only and would require admission to the pool in order to play on it. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote at the next regular council meeting.
The following three ordinances all pertain to the city’s driveway approach and sidewalk program. City engineer Tony Demasi made this presentation and offered explanations for each of the three ordinances. All three ordinances were voted by the committee to be brought out for a vote at the next council meeting:
A-150: An ordinance levying special assessments for the repair or replacement of sidewalks and drive approaches in the Sidewalk and Drive Approach Repair and Replacement District, for the year 2022. Demasi started off by saying that this is our yearly ordinance for sidewalks and driveway approaches, host to homeowner $18 per foot for sidewalks and $8 per foot for driveways. This is the price for the 2022 program and this legislation allows the city to bill the participants in the 2022 program via their property taxes.
A-151: A resolution creating for the year 2023 Sidewalk and Drive Approach Repair or Replacement District containing such streets, alleys, or public roadways within the corporate limits of the City of Cuyahoga Falls, declaring the necessity of repairing or replacing the sidewalks and drive approaches abutting on such streets, alleys or public roadways within said corporate limits and providing the method for levying special assessments. Demasi explained this one to be the ordinance that defines the area of the program for 2023 and his office is always taking recommendations for sidewalk repair if any residents wish to submit locations that need work.
A-152: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, after publicly advertising for bids, for the replacement or adjustment of concrete sidewalks, drive approaches and curbs at various locations in the City of Cuyahoga Falls. This is the final part of the three that allows the city to go out for bid and choose a contractor to perform the work for this program. Demasi said typical construction begins as soon as school lets out and continues throughout summer.
Public Affairs:
A-153: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement to provide dispatch and related safety services to the City of Munroe Falls. Presented by Law Director Janet Ciotola, this renews our yearly contract to provide dispatch services to Munroe Falls and can be renewed up to 5 years; however, she said when the new dispatch center opens this contract will be null and void and Munroe Falls will then join the newly formed Council of Governments for their dispatch services. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote at the next regular council meeting.
A-154: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement to provide dispatch, fire and emergency medical services, and related safety services to the Village of Silver Lake. This legislation was also presented by Law Director Ciotola and just like A-153, when the regional dispatch center opens that part of the agreement would be null and void, though the fire and emergency services portion of the agreement would remain intact. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote at the next regular council meeting.
A-156: An ordinance amending Ordinance 93-2018 providing for health care insurance coverage for benefits-eligible employees. Finance Director Bryan Hoffman presented this legislation that will establish healthcare benefits for the non-bargaining employees within the city. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote at the next regular council meeting.
A-157: An ordinance creating the non-bargaining position of Payroll Specialist and amending Exhibit A of Ordinance 132-2021. Finance Director Bryan Hoffman went over this ordinance that was also discussed during budget a few weeks ago, which creates a backup person to administer the city’s payroll. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote at the next regular council meeting.
A-158: An ordinance amending Ordinance 82-1987 establishing policies and procedures within the Municipal Corporation of the City of Cuyahoga Falls. Hoffmann stated this measure will allow the city to be more competitive when hiring and opens up the opportunity to offer better vacation benefits to new hires. All of these decisions would have to first be vetted by the ERAC committee (established by council in 1987). The Evaluation, Review & Appeal Committee shall hear appeals by any employee concerning compensation range allocation. If the committee determines that such employee’s compensation range classification is incorrect, a recommendation shall be made to council for appropriate action within 30 days of a decision by ERAC. This legislation will also approve vacation time for new hires as well. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote at the next regular council meeting.
