THIS AND THAT

There was no Council meeting last week.

FEEDBACK

I really appreciate hearing from Council members, especially when their comments contribute to the public discussion.

I heard from Councilman Bob Mastrangelo this week.

With regard to the requirement that Council pass legislation authorizing purchase of items included in the previously approved city budget, Mastrangelo commented:

"I think you may have misunderstood what I said.  My position is to vet the capital projects thoroughly during the budget review process.  If we do this it should be a slam dunk to get it through Council.  
Unfortunately, when you only spend less than 30 minutes discussing a $3.0M+, 2019 program, with no intention of making any necessary adjustments, we fail this test.  
I would never vote to bypass normal legislative process and let the supervisors go ahead and purchase budgeted items.  My resistance to waiving readings supports my position."

Mastrangelo also confirmed his support for recent legislation that gave the Cleveland Water Department ownership of a taxpayer-financed City asset---city waterlines---in exchange for the Water Department's promise to take full responsibility and somehow, someday, replace them.

"I support the decision to turn over the waterlines to the City of Cleveland as I did when we discussed it many years ago.  I believe they allocate $10M for waterline repairs through 2 programs they run each year.  I don't remember whether that is $10M/year or per program.  ...  As to additional fees added to your water bill, all these cost are put into the rate that all residents pay.  If Highland Heights won a $3M waterline repair project, that cost would be rolled into the waterline costs for all customers. The previous $3M example would not be added to the water bill of Highland Heights residents alone.  Whether we are part of the program or not, we all pay. "

I respectfully disagree with Mastrangelo's rose color view that at some time in the future the cost of the replacement program won't fall exclusively on water customers in cities that participate in the program----in other words, on Highland Heights taxpayers.

I know if I lived in a city that chose not to participate in the program and maintained its own water lines I sure as heck would object to paying to replace the water lines in other cities elsewhere in Cuyahoga County.

It seems to me that a two-tiered structure of water fees is inevitable....unless the Water Department succeeds (as it is clearly trying to do) in getting every city under its thumb to sign onto the program.

SHREDDING SUCCESS

Service Director Thom Evans reported at the April 23rd Council meeting that the City's free, twice-a-year paper shredding event has grown in popularity since it was first launched 10 years ago and that the amount of paper shredded at the most recent event "broke a record".

That was music to the ears of former Council President Scott Mills who, during the Public Speaking portion of the Council meeting, stepped forward to say:

"I want to thank the city for continuing the legacy of what I started almost 10 years ago, the Shred Day."

Serving on Council can be a thankless job at times, but what Council members do can make a difference to improve life and services in our community.

Thank you, Scott Mills, for getting the program started and thank you, city officials, for keeping it going!