School Board

Bill Selong and Bob Piccirilli will not seek re-election on the school board.  Piccirilli believes it is time for “new blood to be on board”.  Steve Lee is not seeking re-election on his at-large council position but may seek a seat with the school board.

Few residents involve themselves with the city finances and how tax payer money is spent. Fewer attend school board meetings yet our schools receive 60% of our tax dollars. There seems to be interest only when a levy is in play. The board says the district is in excellent shape and I believe them, I’d just like to hear from residents that attend their meetings.

August 3, 2015 Special Meeting

Committee and Special Meeting will be held this Monday August 3. Included on the agenda:

*"Motion to convene to Executive Session –Personnel (Service Department Reorganization)

*Resolution authorizing the acceptance of a Safety Intervention Grant in the amount of $40,000 from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Division of Safety and Hygiene, for the purpose of purchasing and installing two (2) Power LOAD Systems in Medic Units, and declaring an emergency.

*Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into an agreement with Licursi Company for the construction of the City Hall Green City Hall Parking Lot Improvements, and declaring an emergency.

*Ordinance authoring the Mayor to execute Change Order #1F for TRAX Construction Company for the Walmar Road Concrete Repair Contract of the 2015 Pavement Maintenance and Resurfacing Program, and declaring an emergency.

*Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to execute Change Order #1F for Chagrin Valley Paving, Inc. for the Asphalt Resurfacing Contract of the 2015 Pavement Maintenance and Resurfacing Program, and declaring an emergency.

*Ordinance to amend appropriations for the current and other expenditures of the City of Bay Village for the fiscal year 2015, as previously appropriated in Annual Appropriation 14-107, and amended by Ordinance No. 15-15, and 15-52"

No Answers on Blockage

July 4, 2015:  In response to a question about why the city will not clear a known blocked pipe. There is still no answer to that question.

Referencing the July 2 post below about a known blockage in a pipe– There is much documentation to prove that these pipes belong to the city. What the city cannot produce is the easement giving them permission to place the pipes on private property. They received an easement from one landowner but not another. This took place in the 70’s.

Fast forward to today - You do not have to be an engineer to know that a pipe with such a significant blockage cannot drain "adequately". The city knows these pipes belong to them, the question remains - why won’t the city maintain their pipes and clear that blockage?

Blocked City Pipes

July 2, 2015:  I’ve discovered this comment from the mayor on Monday night is not true. “All I can tell you is that we did not have blockages in the system. We found some quirks but we have not found blockages.” The fact that the city has at least one blockage with video evidence was not addressed. This known blockage is being denied, are there others?

Take countless stories all over town and add to it that I learned yesterday I can go to a web page – plug in a keyword using the ‘find’ button and narrow the way I search for information. The find button highlights and takes me to sections using my keyword. I began playing with meeting minutes and searching for the words “sewer” “Greytak” or “drains” etc.

A report dated May 28, 2014 was submitted to the mayor by Mr. Greytak. A video was done on two pipes at one of the private beaches on the west side of Bay. CT Consultants findings state: “The west pipe composed of corrugated metal and vitrified clay pipe had a blockage at 120 feet from the outfall of the pipe and televising could not progress beyond that point.”

Residents say the water is coming out of the hillside more and more instead of the pipe. There is a constant flow of water coming from the pipe even though Greytak says it is only draining ground water. This “blockage” is acknowledged many times in many pages of council and sewer committee notes.

I am giving you the short version even though the discussions referenced issues dating back to 1972 surrounding this pipe; a few being the size of the pipe, erosion and the deterioration of the property, loss of property values, loss of enjoyment and no record of easements. The public states the pipe belongs to the city and the city should maintain it. Some of the questions posed to the city and the consultant went unanswered. The city refuses to clear the blockage.

Flood Talk Dominates June 29, 2015 Council Meeting

July 1, 2015:  In all fairness, the recent water problems are not entirely the fault of the current administration. The responses to it and going forward will be and will absolutely be under a microscope. There are ways to do right by the people that feel they have been failed. Going forward I hope administration can be humble enough to take the advice of the constituents and be honest, become creative, search for grant money, step up their methods of communication and do whatever it takes to keep our taxpayers happy and to protect our property values.

Here are some resident stories and comments from Monday’s meeting in addition to what I posted yesterday. Get comfy and your beverage of choice. Stay dry my friends!

Resident stories: A polite soft-spoken Wolf Rd. resident approached council with topography photos of his property. Since 2008 he has had 5 devastating floods, 2 last week. He lost his swimming pool this time. He pays 5 figures in taxes and nothing has been done. He has approached the city before and he’s not seen any help. Leaving his number “Could I hear back from someone shortly?”

An E. Oakland resident has been flooding for 30 years. No one contacts him or returns his phone calls though he has called the sewer department, his council and the mayor. There are people on his street that are senior citizens and have heart issues. “If the sewers can’t handle what we already have why are we building more houses and adding stress to the present drain system? No one has the courtesy to return calls.” His neighbors won’t come to meetings; they are disgusted and have come to terms with living with water in their basements. He suggested maybe we should get a discount on our taxes. The mayor assured him they are definitely looking at it and he shot back “Yeah you’ve been looking at it for 30 years.”

A Wolf Rd. resident has been calling the city for over 4 weeks – prior to the recent rains. He wanted them to come out because the sewer in front of his house is clogged. It is a city sewer and every time it rains, it floods. No one from the city will call back. Now they have water back up in the basement and have to foot the bill.

A Nantucket resident stated some neighbors dump mulch using an inch or more for landscaping. It ends up clogging drains. The law director said the city can address the landscaping.

A Carlton Rd. resident said that everyone on Carlton flooded. He was happy with the way the city helped him 2 years ago. They did an excellent job finding a blockage in his sewer system. He dug everything up and fixed it and still had water.

A Carlton Rd. resident believes it cannot be a coincidence that they were under water while the state of the art pumping station was being worked on. He has talked to 3 people that have lived there for 25 and 35 years. No one has had water and all of a sudden under the new technology, the pumping station, crews arguing, crews coming back, the neighbors are aware that something is fishy. Is there a problem there or not because if there is not then you should not have crews there all day Saturday and again on Saturday night. Bob Greytak said the sanitary sewer pumping station has got nothing to do with the storm water. Not a drop of storm water goes into that station. The flooding on the street had nothing to do with that station.

A Lincoln Rd. resident noted that there are problems throughout the city with storm water getting into sanitary sewers.

A resident wanted to know if all the sewers before the rains were completely cleaned out and efficient so they could handle the water coming through. The mayor responded they undertake regular maintenance but do not have the equipment or manpower to make a pass through the entire city prior to a storm.

A resident wanted to know if the layoffs prior to the election were service people that could have helped with the situation. The mayor responded that the layoffs were internal janitorial. The city went from 140 to 92 employees but no one from the sewer crew was involved.

A Lane Drive resident on the western border found the Avon Lake Hunt Club Development retention basin draining into our Bay Village sewer system. His councilman and sewer crews as well as the Avon Lake service director came to his area to investigate. He says the pipe is not supposed to be there. He says this requires a quick resolution. The mayor said this is part of that whole Walker Rd. system that feeds into that basin. It is designed to go north at a low rate so it does not swamp the system but they will look at it.

A Kenilworth resident suggested the mayor didn’t need to take calls to get an idea where flooding occurred but to drive around instead. She assured him she has but a call to register your address will help to figure out if it’s a neighborhood issue or a private property issue.

A resident asked in light of the $7.4 million invested why aren’t we building bigger storm drains. The mayor responded that we live in a mature community where the infrastructure was put in 40, 50, 60 years ago. We’ve got 2 separate systems: the sanitary system and the storm system.

A resident asked if the sanitary and storm sewers are separated and the storm sewers are already backing up, won’t the separation make it worse. The mayor said it is not a one size fits all solution. It may not be the best idea to put clean water from the sanitary to the storm sewer.

A Lincoln Rd. resident asked if someone was looking at the situation in a comprehensive manner. Since everyone’s problem is unique – some in how they drain into the sewer and some with combined sewers. You can’t just solve one problem here and create another in another location. Is it being addressed and who is studying this issue, is it the engineer or do we have specialized firms? Bob Greytak from CT Consultants gave the company background and what they have been working on with Bay. They have the specific target area of Bruce, Douglas and Russell with about 140 homes and are doing a comprehensive model in that area. How much storm water can we get out of the sanitary sewer and conversely, how does it affect the storm sewer. The study should be completed by years end. The resident is hoping for a comprehensive strategy if we all pitch in some small way to help save our property and our property values. The mayor has information from Rocky River that will be on the website. It will discuss what the homeowner’s responsibility is, what the city’s responsibility is and what you can do to help.

One resident expressed stress about the city’s lack of creativity to solve these problems. When rain barrels were mentioned the mayor said they might have to tweak an ordinance first.

One suggested a citizen committee to help get the word out and for various insights on how to best manage their own personal property.

A resident asked if the pump stations are sufficient, would 4 be better instead of 2. Greytak said he is not hearing that the pump station is causing problems. There are no storm pump stations and to try and pump surface flow is not advantageous.

Mayor Sutherland said at one point: All I can tell you is that we did not have blockages in the system. We found some quirks but we have not found blockages.

The good news: If there is feces in your basement it’s probably from your own house.

Someone said there were 8 sewer department employees, someone else said 6 – in any event it is not a lot.

The place to begin is with residents doing what they can for their individual property. Once the reason for back up is identified, there are options for what a resident can do. There were no solutions for those that have done all they could and still had water or sewage back up. These people in particular are the ones that feel the city bears responsibility. Many residents did take time to agree that “none of these sewers are designed to handle any of these storms” - which comes back to the city rebuilding with money we do not have. All proper reporting will be done with the EPA.

Understand these are my notes. I was there writing as fast as I could and listening to a mediocre recording of this night. If some thoughts seem incomplete to you, please listen to the entire recording for more information. 

https://www.copy.com/s/t%3AEqoTwpZx3XbBMVeH%3Bp%3A%252F150629-000.mp3%3Boid%3A20

So this was an emergency after all....

June 30, 2015:  I was just contacted by an EMT and a volunteer firefighter and they beg to differ with the mayor’s statement that widespread basement flooding “was not a potentially life threatening event”. They brought to my attention the hazards posed by flooded basements. Recently 2 people were electrocuted in a flooded basement. High water can extinguish pilot lights and result in toxic/explosive gas levels in basements. Seniors can be at high risk in such situations. The long term effects from exposure to toxic sewage water are real. Maybe a less likely danger – but, given one doesn’t need much water to drown in, what if a child had taken to the basement to play before parents realized the basement was flooded. Just a few things for our safety director and mayor to consider when wondering what constitutes an emergency situation.

Here is just one resident's story: We have never flooded in the 15 years we have been on Huntington Woods Pkwy, and had no reason to check our basement last week. I returned home from running errands at 2PM to find a parade of flood cleanup vehicles in neighboring driveways. Our finished basement had flooded with 8-10" of storm water, and we had 12" of smoke on the basement ceiling due to a waterlogged surge protector. Our AC was still running through flood soaked air filters and the pilot to our water heater was out. An emergency message or phone call from the city was definitely called for in this situation. I had one item in my car that needed refrigeration, otherwise I had planned to stop for an oil change next and could have easily come home to a full blown electrical fire instead of a melted power supply.

Opening the Flood Gates

June 30, 2015:  The answers to the basement, yard and street flooding are none that you want to hear. The city will continue to maintain that the sheer volumes of these rains are the cause. While there is some truth to that, we have widespread infiltration issues with the storm/sanitary sewer connections. Residents remain skeptical that the pump station fail was a “rumor”.

To fix the problems of our old sewer systems would cost more money than the city can come up with. Since 2003 the city has invested $7.4 million in our sewer system. The mayor and consulting engineer Bob Greytak wouldn’t venture a guess at the cost of repairing/replacing the entire system except to say it can be done and would be tremendously expensive and would disrupt every road and every resident of the city. With 66 miles of roadways in Bay and a storm sewer system and sanitary sewers running the same length, Greytak estimated “at the low end we may be talking about $500 a foot”. It isn’t just the system but it would also require all new streets. And to what end? “As the saying goes there is always going to be a bigger storm. If we design for a 100 year storm, there is going to be a 200 year storm.”

At the beginning of the meeting the mayor updated the situation. 8 to 10 inches of rain over 2 weeks on a totally saturated ground was identified as the problem. Creeks were running high, the city pool was on the verge of overflow and there were issues with the retention basins, one in Avon Lake and one on a school property. The treatment plant ran fine. Normal volume is 14 million gallons a day. Saturday it was 160 million gallons. Over capacity to the point it necessitated opening the flood gates and dumping into Lake Erie. Greytak confirmed there was never a problem with the Rocky River treatment plant.

Urging residents to continue to call, the mayor believed some of the calls coming in to report flooding were repeat events given some residents flooded 2 or 3 different times during that period. A Carlton Road resident commented that he keeps hearing the city is “reaching out” to people trying to get information. “I have not heard or seen anything and my street was underwater.” The mayor said right now they have 3 things going: Information on the city website and email blasts. With over 400 calls on Tuesday and Wednesday, “our guys are going down the list.” They will get back to you, she said, you just may be further down the list. She is also getting ready to send out her quarterly newsletter with a very specific list of do's and don’ts for private property. She stated that Rocky River and Avon Lake were hammered also and she doesn’t think they reached out to their residents to get their addresses.

The mayor stated a few times she wanted to dispel the rumor “and that was just a rumor” that the pump stations were not working properly. The red light is meant to come on and it means high water. A Carlton Rd. resident said he heard it was a lift station problem. The mayor says “It was not”; he continues, “A qualified plumber told me this.” “Well he’s wrong.” A Plymouth Rd. resident pressed on “In your email you said there was an issue. What was the issue?” “There was an issue. There are 2 pumps – 1 was running hot so our guys changed it out but at no time did it ever stop.” A resident questioned if there was diminished capacity when the pump was being switched. She was told of the 2 pumps, one is a backup. Another Carlton Rd. resident said his wife was walking Saturday when crews were out and she witnessed a rather animated discussion regarding the pump station settings that shouldn’t have been that way etc., so “that doesn’t jive with your comments that everything was fine. I would ask that you look at that and report back to us.” Residents wondered - if everything was fine why were there crews at the station. Another resident wanted to know if there would be an official investigation into the pump station so we know for sure it did not contribute to the problems. The mayor said they will take a look because of some of these comments, but “just like with anything mechanical I can’t guarantee it will never happen. But I’m pretty confident even though there might have been some testosterone going off in arguments the pump station never shut down.”

There is more information, and I will share it but I do not want to overwhelm you and I need a break! Please check back.

Communication Communication Communication

June 30, 2015:  I am still preparing notes from last night about basement, sewer, and sanitary line issues. The audience question and answer session took at least 90 minutes. Until I get those notes up, here’s something to think about. At last night’s meeting I addressed the mayor. In 2012 when (Hurricane) Superstorm Sandy threw Bay upside down I heard the same concerns I have been hearing this week: lack of communication or acknowledgement from the city. In the case of Sandy, people did not know who to contact or what to do or where to go. During last week’s storm people needed help and wanted answers. Because of Hurricane Sandy residents prompted the mayor to work on an Emergency Communications Plan with a Task Force. Today we are almost 3 years past that superstorm and I wanted to know what happened to the plan. Short answer - she told me and the nearly 50 other residents in attendance that she “is still working on it”. And for the first time, at a meeting, I was rendered speechless…I think I literally said I don’t even know what to say to that and sat down.

Another resident spoke to the need for a plan as did Councilman Henderson, who also expressed surprise that the plan was never finished. Never adopted, never tested, never implemented.

The mayor did address the issue via email with a similar response she gave at the meeting. After the meeting a citizen wrote and felt we needed a plan to reach everyone especially our most vulnerable residents. The mayor wrote that she agreed “for life threatening or potentially life threatening events only. Flooded basements do not rise to that level of emergency.” She fears people will become immune with too many emergency messages. (This week could have been the first message since Superstorm Sandy. Is one message in a 3 year period “too many”?) She believes her current methods of communication are effective and sufficient in light of the fact “that less than 10% of our households were affected.” Our infrastructure is a city wide problem; in the long run it affects 100% of the households. Her methods of communication are clearly not reaching the people that need it the most, when they need it the most. We need an emergency plan. Add to it a communications plan for those pesky little non-emergencies – like your basement flooding – 2 or 3 times a week.

Through the years I and others have tried to explain the need for better communication and interaction with the public; ironically, good communication starts with good listening. The feedback I receive is that no one is listening.

Misc. Meeting Notes

June 29, 2015:  Miscellaneous from tonight’s meeting: “Compensation for officers and employees of general administration department” (those not covered by a labor contract) was on third reading. Councilwoman Karen Lieske asked for the job descriptions. Law Director Ebert said he would not hold up compensation waiting for job descriptions. This has been an ongoing issue with council members asking for job descriptions and never receiving them. In December 2014, Councilman Henderson expressed disappointment regarding job descriptions - in particular for the new Human Resource position. He was told they were being worked on.

No one, including the mayor has any idea when the new Panorama Deli will open. The owners did file for a liquor license on June 19. I go by almost every day trying to catch someone there. Tables and chairs are there so it must be close.

The League of Women Voters did present a check this evening for $10,000 toward better microphone, etc. equipment. The mayor asked Council President Koomar to do the honors in accepting the check. The mayor did accept the check presented from Eric Eakin, Bay Fireworks Committee for the Fourth of July Fireworks.

Fireworks and Rain Dates

June 27, 2015:  Close enough to the 4th of July so let’s talk fireworks. You may be seeing an end to fireworks rain dates - one of the things that made Bay unique. But, first I want to say thank you to everyone that works on the Bay Days Fireworks Fund.

Bay always opts to use the same vendor. There was some question at a recent meeting about the mayor’s loyalty with American Fireworks considering we may be able to get bigger and better, but the mayor is loyal to American Fireworks. Fire Chief Lyons believes they are the safest.

Meeting minutes June 1: “Mrs. Lieske asked how the rain date for the fireworks can be scheduled for Sunday, July 5, 2015. Mr. Ebert stated that there is no prohibition in the Cahoon Will about having fireworks on a Sunday in Cahoon Memorial Park.”

Meeting minutes June 15: “Mrs. Lieske stated that she raised the question about the rain date for the fireworks this year being listed on the contract as Sunday, July 5, 2015. The Kiwanis has it posted for Monday, July 6, 2015, which Mr. Ebert noted is the day approved by the trustees for the rain date.”

Mayor Sutherland stated that they are trying to work around that and it was just a glitch with the contract. However, the Mayor wants Council to be thinking about the fact that the administration does not want to continue the practice of having a rain date. They have never had to cancel the fireworks; nobody else does rain dates. It will cost $3,000 just for the Service Department. The biggest problem is scheduling people to work. The date for the fireworks requires a heavy police presence and it is planned out months in advance. When you go to a rain date you cannot get the same people to come back the next night or two nights later. When we had 140 people working for the City maybe it wasn’t as big of an issue, but now that we have 92 or 93 it is really problematic, especially being so shorthanded right now in the Police Department.

Mr. Henderson stated that in Bay Village some of the funding for the fireworks is from private donations. Mr. Ebert stated that the Kiwanis and organizations that sponsor Bay Day always get the most carnival traffic on fireworks day. This year there is nothing going on for Bay Days on Monday, July 6. Mayor Sutherland stated that if the fireworks are cancelled because of weather, the funds will be flipped into the following year. Mr. Vincent asked how the contract addresses the issue. The Mayor stated that there is a 50% fee but you put that against overtime and the fact that we don’t have the personnel. Mr. Ebert noted that there is no prohibition in the Cahoon Will about fireworks on Sundays. Mayor Sutherland stated that they will get back to Council. The contract says that the rain date is Sunday, and she doesn’t even know if they are available on Monday.”

Residents Want to Know

June 24, 2015:  The message residents want the mayor to receive: If you can't knock on my door now - don't knock during campaign time either.

While many in the city are beginning to rise above yesterday’s flooding issues, I have been hearing the outcry – where is the mayor?

In times like this, people want to see the face of the city. Answering phones, walking the neighborhoods or at the very least taking the home page of the city website and making a statement acknowledging the resident’s concerns - would be the right thing to do. Instead, it is neighbors and families coming together to continue to make Bay Village what it is - it is not the city administration.

Supporters are saying the flooding is not the fault of anyone or anything that the city has or has not done. That does not change the fact that people need to hear from their mayor. Those whose basements flood when there is a small storm or have experienced problems for years, this is the straw that broke their back. Regardless of fault or blame, it is an emotional time and people feel they have been abandoned by the city.

While the mayor is busy with her own flooding and not personally answering the phones at city hall, she did advise that you call (440) 871-1221. The service department will add you to the list for the sewer crew to come out to your property. You can also contact your council representative to learn if there are other things you can do, or to voice your concerns.

Mayor Responds to Flooding

June 24 at 3:55pm:  Bay Village Mayor Sutherland Responds to Flood Concerns

Bay Village Mayor Debbie Sutherland has released the following statement in response to wide-spread flooding in the city.

http://www.thevillagernewspaper.com/2015/06/24/bay-village-mayor-sutherland-responds-to-flood-concerns/

(facebook comments)

… It took her 36 hrs......but yes, she finally responded.

…Seemed like a good response albeit a late one.

…Seems like a generic response to rain flooding not sanitary sewers. Interesting we called again yesterday and told a city official social media was frustrated with a few rumors...

More Microphone Stall

June 22, 2015:  The microphone/recording issue and the constant iteration that we need more than one bid: “For $20,000 we need more than one” Renee Mahoney can be heard saying at last Monday’s meeting and in previous meetings. Yet the city was not paying a full $20,000 – remember? $10,000 was to be a gift from the LWV and the bid came in around $18,000.

When a fiber optic system was investigated for the city in the fall of 2014, only one bid was submitted; until council insisted we get another. The original bid was approximately $48,000. The project was worked on by Ruth Popovich, Asst. Finance Director. I remember the meeting when this was discussed and Renee Mahoney, Finance Director did not want to obtain a second bid because Ruth had worked long and hard on this project to get the first bid together. When questioned, she stated that bids under $50,000 did not need to go out to more than one vendor. Suddenly, a second bid becomes the utmost important point of stalling the microphone project?

Additionally, the Mayor and Mrs. Mahoney are looking to add a better system to the Dwyer Center even though this is not in agreement with the League’s donation. At last Monday’s meeting the Mayor wasn’t too positive that this would be in place by September, since they are waiting for that second proposal. She also stated “It doesn’t sound like video would be a viable option for us” because a person is needed to run the equipment. Understandably she does not want to hire someone for that, but maybe she could ask for civic organization help, community volunteers or high school students or school groups before nixing videotaping of the meetings.

(facebook notes) Someone asked me if I was criticizing Renee for doing due diligence. My response:  Renee Mahoney has turned the finance department around for the better. She is honest and does her due diligence – which is why the extreme becomes distinct.

The recording issue has been over a year in the works. Meetings with the League and discussions with council and a vendor, Renee had been apprised of. Finally the announcement, May 4, 2015 – Councilman Vincent announces the League donation. The Mayor is not at this meeting but Renee says the mayor does not want microphones in the conference room. She does not mention due diligence. When council states they appropriate the funds Renee states “but I sign the purchase order and I answer to the mayor.” Renee still does not mention getting more than one estimate. Renee continues “the mayor’s thought is to have all the meetings in council chambers.” There is no mention of getting additional vendor quotes.

May 18 – I question the mayor regarding the delay. Renee is seated next to her. The mayor says her problem is the hard wiring of the conference room. I question more “To be clear then, if you have any other concerns you should let everyone know now”. The mayor does not mention a problem with only one quote. Renee does not mention a problem with only one quote. No one mentions a second vendor or a desire for due diligence.

May 19 – Cleveland.com article – the mayor never mentions a problem with only one quote. Her only concerns are hard wiring the conference room and a desire to add video.

In this particular case due diligence was an afterthought in an attempt to postpone the inevitable.

Deer Culling

June 22, 2015:  Deer culling was discussed during last Monday’s meeting. There is a July 31st deadline to apply for a culling permit for Walker Road Park. Avon Lake and Bay will partner in the culling. No one knew definite costs and the cost will be shared between Avon Lake and Bay. During the April 21st Walker Road Ad Hoc Committee Meeting, Avon Lake President of Council Marty O’Donnell stated the cost for deer culling at Walker Road Park would be a little less than $6,000. A resident asked what that expense would cover. Avon Lake Chief of Police Duane Streator responded that the $6,000 is the fee paid to the Department of Agriculture for the permit. There were additional costs for safety forces and other expenses.

The Mayor stated last Monday that she thought the cost of culling ran about $1,000 to $1,500 per deer. However, the reality was Avon Lake “signed an initial service agreement with the USDA to spend up to $15,960 for sharpshooting services, but the actual cost came in at $8,557 for the 19 deer that were killed between Feb. 27 and April 11. That total amounts to an average of slightly more than $450 per deer, which at-large Councilman John Shondel, who has been preparing a 10-year deer management program to present to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in July, said was worthwhile. USDA sharpshooters killed 16 deer at Weiss Field and volunteer archers killed three deer at the city landfill.”

Council Raises

June 9, 2015:  Council voted on council raises last night. Karen Lieske and Tom Henderson held fast to their beliefs. Lieske cited people in our city struggling and she remains opposed to the increases as she did 2 years ago. Henderson was opposed to the way the entire issue was handled. Dave Tadych was visibly upset by the opposition.

The ordinance on first read June 1, had to be decided on emergency reading June 8 because of the filing deadline for council candidates, which is tomorrow, Wednesday June 10.

2 council members were absent. Henderson called for discussion. There had to be 4 in favor for the ordinance to pass. Once we had the clarification Henderson said “In that case I move to amend by reading…” He put together a secondary motion on top of the primary motion proposing a 1.5% increase instead of 2%. The vote on this motion to amend failed.

The Mayor stated that Law Director Ebert recommended the 2% be approved. After approval, individual council members would be allowed to decide to reduce the amount on their own or council could collectively decide to reduce the amounts. This was advised being sensitive to Mrs. Lieske and Mr. Henderson’s point of view, yet, not to penalize the other council members.

Ordinance 15-44 – Fixing the Salary of the President and Members of Council was voted down. Clark, Lee and Tadych vote yes. Lieske and Henderson vote no.

The Mayor places a call to Ebert. Tadych can be heard asking “Can I introduce one for 1.75?” The amendment could not be reconsidered at this meeting and by the next meeting it would be too late – past the June 10 deadline. Once the Mayor’s call with Ebert ends, Tadych announces he is going to introduce an amendment to that. Mr. Henderson tells him he cannot, but he wants to and Mr. Henderson calls “point of order”*. There can be no further motion because it has already been voted on and there is nothing else on the agenda. Mr. Tadych is heard saying “This is ridiculous.”

Karen Lieske and Tom Henderson were a joy to watch and listen to. If you were among those that did not want council to receive increases, thank them when you see them.

(*point of order - A point of order can be raised at any time when any member notices a violation of the rules. – Robert’s Rules of Order)

June 22, 2015: To elaborate on Mr. Henderson and Mrs. Lieske’s points regarding the 2% pay increase for council (which did not pass): “The people on Social Security are getting 1.7%; I just can’t vote for a 2% raise for the next four years in this environment under those conditions. I would welcome a 1.5% series of numbers.” “Mr. Henderson stated that it is his opinion that we have market rates, just like these $100 rates that nobody is willing to bid less than to do these jobs of mowing. That is a market set rate.”

Mrs. Lieske: “In terms of looking at residents and some of the issues our residents are facing that could be costing them some money in terms of fees and what happens in the Bruce/Douglas area. We have the other area where the homes are in need of help and rehabilitation. Those aren’t even in my ward but I look at what our residents are facing. It is part time, even though it is a lot of time, I just can’t accept additional revenue when I am looking at what they are having to face.”

(Taken from Committee Session Minutes 6/8/15)