Now that the weather has broken, the city is moving forward with both its sidewalk maintenance program (focusing on sidewalks located north of Highland Road this year) and its road reconstruction/maintenance program.
The only major road project in the budget this year is the reconstruction and resurfacing of Millridge Road. That work is scheduled to begin June 14th and to be completed by August 6th---several weeks before school begins in the fall.
One significant cost incurred by the city with regard to the sidewalk maintenance program: the cost of sending notices, by certified mail, to every impacted property owner. One envelope I saw showed that the city spent $ 5.54 on postage just to send out that one notice.
That postage adds up quickly---and contributes significantly to the overall cost of that program.
Do you suppose there is another way to notify residents in a more cost-effective manner?
It Must Be Spring---The Business Solicitations Begin
Councilwoman Cathy Murphy reported at the May 25th council meeting that an individual distributed orange flyers to residents in the Glen Eden subdivision (off Highland Road next to the Richmond Heights border). The flyers offered to paint house numbers on nearby curbs in exchange for payments of either $ 10 or $ 20, depending on whether or not a logo was added next to the house number.
Murphy had several concerns with the flyers:
- First, the individual (who Murphy thinks is from Cincinnati) did not apply for a permit before soliciting business in the city—in violation of our local ordinances. Police Chief Cook confirmed that he was unaware that the individual was soliciting business in the city.
- Second, the flyer instructs residents to put payment---in the form of cash or checks---in the flyers and to leave the flyers at residents’ front doors, for easy pickup. So it’s a payment prior to service deal---a “trust me, trust me” arrangement.
There is no reason not to trust strangers who solicit business door-to-door in the city---right? - Third, businesses that make money in Highland Heights are supposed to pay taxes to the city. This kind of solicitation is not likely to result in any financial benefit to the city, even though, by law, it should.
- Lastly, the city owns the road and the curb, and the city has not given anyone permission to paint anything on city curbs.
Chief Cook promised to investigate and follow up with the individual named in the flyer. Thanks, Chief Cook!
Finance Director Anthony Ianiro reported that although the city’s property and income tax collections are lower than last year, they are slightly ahead of the revenue projections contained in Mayor Scott Coleman’s 2010 city budget.
Mayor Scott Coleman announced several months ago that the city’s “Home Days” festival would be reduced this year to one day celebration.
Councilwoman Lisa Stickan, who is the council rep to the planning committee, confirmed that this year’s “Community Day” would be held on Saturday August 7th and that it would include both a parade and entertainment. A total of $ 10,000 has been appropriated in the budget for our “Community Day”.
The Park & Recreation Commission (P&R) apparently decided to remove the bleachers that stood between baseball diamonds 2 and 3 in the park.
Mayor Coleman reported at the council meeting that the P&R Head, Rocco Dolciato, told him that the bleachers were unnecessary because so many parents bring their own chairs to sit on and that removing the bleachers would help the flow of pedestrian traffic between those diamonds. Coleman told council that the removal was a “temporary thing, to see if it would help with pedestrian traffic.”
Meanwhile, parents—who have begun complaining to council members---apparently were given an entirely different excuse—one that indicates that the bleacher removal is permanent.
Once again, P&R does itself no good by making decisions by fiat---without communicating and discussing those decisions with residents and council members first.
Council’s Drainage Committee discussed a request by a Wilson Mills resident to connect his home up to the city’s sanitary sewer. Apparently there are 5 or 6 homes on Wilson Mills (near Miner Road) that still use septic systems---the way the sewer lines were installed 30 years ago prevented those properties from connecting to the city’s sewer system at the time the sewer lines were installed.
The Drainage Committee asked for cost estimates from the city engineer and will now contact the other involved property owners to see whether they are interested in pursuing the matter further.
The challenge for everyone involved is that the cost will have to be borne by the impacted property owners. Those residents--rather than city taxpayers as a whole--will have to foot the bill for the necessary sewer connection work.
