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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
