PROPOSED NEW POLICY: PRIVATE PROPERTY DRAINAGE ISSUES NOT CITY’S PROBLEM TO FIX

I usually get more substantive information about what’s going on in the city by attending Committee of the Whole meetings rather than Council meetings.

Such was the case last Tuesday.

Ward 1 Councilwoman Cathy Murphy reported on a proposed new city policy, drafted by Council’s Drainage Committee (members: Murphy, Ann D’Amico, Leo Lombardo). The effort was prompted, according to Murphy, by a recognition that:

“….there seems to be a disconnect between what a resident is expecting or anticipating regarding drainage issues and what the city is able to do and the timing of that.”

The Drainage Committee’s goal was to:

“…develop a method of investigation so that all parties understand how a (drainage) issue will be investigated and researched by the city… Sometimes (what the city will provide is) just advice. Sometimes it’s not something we (the city) can actually do for residents.
We also wanted to establish a specific chain of procedure…..This should assist city staff too. They will understand what they are expected to do.”

To my ears Service Director Thom Evans provided a more telling spin. He acknowledged that initially:

“…there was some hesitation on the part of some to have a policy…(the concern being that a policy might be) a gateway towards the city doing more drainage work on private property.
If anything this (proposed policy) does less.
It says that drainage on private property is a private matter.”

Apparently the city will investigate and give advice to residents, but in most cases residents will have to finance and remediate drainage issues themselves. Exceptions include issues that directly impact the city in some way, and if a bunch of adjoining property owners are dealing with a drainage issue, the city might kick in some (but not all) of the money necessary to remediate the situation.

Law Director Tim Paluf commented:

“I like that (the proposed new policy) explains to residents about private property and their obligation to take care of it.”

The proposed policy has not yet been formally presented to Council for adoption. Murphy pushed for it to be put on the agenda for action in April.

WHAT'S UP WITH THE RED RECYCLING BAGS?
Last week residents received a small package in the mail containing red clothing recycling bags. The mailing contained the banner: Brought to you by the City of Highland Heights.

Residents are encouraged to recycle usable articles of clothing, shoes, housewares and accessories by placing them in the red bags and leaving the bags next to their green recycling bins on garbage day.

The start date: April 1, 2019

In case you are wondering, the company behind this effort, simplerecycling, is NOT a non-profit organization.It intends to make money using the items that residents provide.

At least they are honest about that. On the Q&A section of their website (https://simplerecycling.com) the company states:

“Simple Recycling is a for profit recycler that is committed to offering residents the most simple and easy way to keep usable materials from the landfill.
If you would prefer to donate items to charity, we recommend the free home pickup service of DonateStuff.com.”

So keep that in mind.

You can’t claim a charitable deduction for anything you put in the red bag (since it’s not a donation to a non-profit organization).

If that matters to you…philosophically or financially….consider dropping your donations off at one of the local non-profit/charitable sites around here: the Goodwill Store (Mayfield Road across from Walmart or Vine Street in Eastlake), Habitat for Humanity’s Restore (Vine Street, Eastlake) or the Salvation Army store (the old Loehman’s Plaza, Chardon Road in Willoughby Hills).

Open Checkbook
There seemed to be quite a bit of jockeying among council members as to who was most supportive of the city joining Ohio’s Open Checkbook program.
I have to admit I was amused watching that.
 

What is Open Checkbook?
Basically cities share their accounting data with the state, and the Ohio Treasurer’s Office makes it available online (at ohiocheckbook.com) for the public to view.

Residents can see a city’s budget and sort data to track spending over time.

Only one person expressed any concern about the city’s participation ….and it wasn’t about having to share the city’s financial information with the public.

On the contrary, Finance Director Joe Filippo’s concern was that the information on the website might be too general, prompting lots of follow-up questions directed at his office:

“(The general ledger line items) do not show the specifics of what money is spent on. (My concern is that) as finance people we will get a lot of questions. It is too vague.”

A representative from Ohio Treasurer’s Office responded to Filippo, stating:

“(The amount of detail) depends on how you keep your books. We pull data files. Some users do have that amount of detail. Sometimes we get asked to drop detail because it might include information that might not be public record information.”

So there you have it.

Will the city’s participation allow more for more readily-accessible transparency regarding the city’s budget and spending? Yes.

Will the website provide useful specific detail regarding what those expenditures are?

That remains to be seen.

AND THE WINNER IS……ANNOUNCED! THE FIRST IN LINE WINS...

On Wednesday council members adjourned behind closed doors with Acting Mayor Chuck Brunello to discuss, for a second time, which candidate should fill Brunello’s recently vacated Council-at-Large seat.

Fifty minutes later they slowly ambled back into the Council Chamber.
A decision had been reached. The choice?

Frank DiLalla of West Legend Court

DiLalla was the first to submit an application for the position and the first to present at last week’s special council meeting.

DiLalla should be a familiar name to some Highland Heights residents. He was appointed, and has been serving, as a member of the city’s Park & Recreation Commission since 2012.

It also appears DiLalla and Brunello might be pals….they served together as coach and assistant coach of the Bulls, a Mayfield Heights basketball team, in 2015.

When he appeared before Council on March 14^th, DiLalla said his four strengths as a candidate were: his personal integrity, his passion for the community, his strong business acumen (he works as the Steris Corporation’s North American Director of Marketing and Product Management) and the collaborative approach he takes to the first 3 things.

The city’s biggest challenge? DiLalla told Council:

“We are a destination city. Our biggest challenge is to sustain and improve our community plus maintain the city’s infrastructure… We need to uphold and not erode what we have.”

With those concerns in mind, DiLalla offered to help the city develop a five year masterplan.

Last week DiLalla assured council members that he was not looking to simply keep the Council-at-Large seat warm for a couple of months. He told them that he had pulled papers to run for Council in the fall:

“I view this (the Council-at-Large appointment) as a long term commitment, not just a short term hobby.”

So there you have it.

Welcome to Council, Frank DiLalla.

Council President Lisa Marie Sticken seemed relieved that Council had reached a decision, but didn’t regret the time (and 2 special meetings) it took to get there. She said:

“We had a lot of good candidates. It wasn’t an easy decision.”

So a choice from a plethora of riches…..

And a tip of my hat to the 15 other residents who cared enough about the city to throw their hats in the ring