Elyria 4th Ward Information Web Site

Ford Road Bridge Funding Approved by ODOT--up for consideration by Utilities

2010-07-18T14:53:00.002-04:00

On July 21, the Utilities Committee will review the approval of 80% of the bridge replacement project for the Ford Road Bridge to determine if the City should accept the funding. Elyria will be responsible to pay 20% of the project cost. Additional information is in the Available Documents section of the web page. The meeting is listed in the Upcoming Events.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T07:20:00.003-04:00

I hope that everyone is safe over this holiday weekend, as we celebrate the birth of our great nation with family and friends. Over the course of history, we have shown time and time again why we are the greatest nation on Earth through our hard work and our dedication to liberty and opportunity. We must never forget the roots of our democracy and the freedom so many have died to preserve.

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

No Police Audit At This Time

2010-06-30T07:55:00.002-04:00

Monday evening, the Finance Committee decided to table the matter of an audit of the EPD. The discussion included statements from the Chief of Police that any money that would be used for an audit would be better spent by the EPD for personnel, overtime or equipment. The members of the committee generally agreed that an audit would be a good idea, but tabled the matter until City finances improve.

I continue to believe that an audit of the EPD at this time has the potential of saving money, giving the department some new direction with its new chief and providing some greater detail and insight into the department prior to the income tax ballot issue that will be decided by the residents in November. There has not been an audit of the EPD since 1979. Since that time, the geography, businesses and other demographics of the City have changed substantially and new technologies are available that warrant consideration for use by our department. An audit would help to develop operational and financial efficiencies and identify methods for improvement.

No Public Funds To Support Income Tax Campaign

2010-06-09T13:01:00.002-04:00

Mayor Grace, at the last Council meeting, directed the President of Council to remove the ordinance from the agenda that would have provided money from the JEDD in the amount of $30,000 to support the income tax campaign. President Bullocks complied immediately and the item was removed from the agenda without comment.

Income Tax and Public Funding Proposal

2010-06-03T06:22:00.002-04:00

The income tax and use of public funds to campaign for it will both be on the agenda for Monday's Council meeting.

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-29T15:22:00.004-04:00

Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope that everyone takes time out to remember those who have laid down their lives for our country.

TAPS - Major General Daniel Butterfield

Day is done...Gone the sun
From the lake...From the hills...From the sky.
All is well...Safely rest
God is nigh.

Fading light....Dims the sight
And a star....Gems the sky....Gleaming bright
From afar....Drawing nigh
Falls the night.

Thanks and praise...For our days.
Neath the sun...Neath the stars...Neath the sky
As we go....This we know.
God is nigh
Falls the night.

New Income Tax for the Ballot

2010-05-25T08:52:00.002-04:00

The proposal offered by Mayor Grace to eliminate the temporary .5% and replace it with a permanent .75% income tax dedicated solely to the Elyria Police Department passed Strategic Planning and will, most likely, be the plan that goes to the ballot in the fall.

A majority of Council also supported a proposal to use public funds to pay for the income tax campaign, using $30,000 of money from the JEDD fund. This is the first time that Elyria has ever used or tried to use public money to pay for a political campaign, which is a concept prohibited by the Ohio Revised Code for other public bodies.

There is a specific exception for charter municipalities in R.C. Section 9.03(A) that allows them to avoid the prohibition set forth in R.C. Section 9.03(C)(1)(e) that "no governing body of a political subdivision shall use public funds to do any of the following: * * * (e) Supports or opposes the nomination or election of a candidate for public office, the investigation, prosecution, or recall of a public official, or the passage of a levy or bond issue."

Income Tax Discussion Continues

2010-05-16T08:54:00.002-04:00

City Council will have a second Strategic Planning meeting on Monday, May 24, 2010 to discuss Mayor Grace's income tax proposal that will increase the income tax to 2%, eliminate the city’s existing 0.5 percent general fund temporary income tax, replace it with a .75% permanent and give the Police Department 1.125 percent of the city’s proposed 2 percent income tax.

These meetings are open to the public and the public is welcome to speak at these meetings. Council has also asked that all affected Department Heads for General Fund departments speak at this meeting to give their personal opinion and concerns about how their department will be impacted or alternatives to consider.

The Law Director's office has been asked to provide additional information about using public money to pay for a tax levy campaign, when such activity is illegal for all public bodies other than charter municipalities, including the legislative history and rationale from the Ohio General Assembly in making such activity illegal for other public bodies. Also under consideration will be whether or not to send this idea to the Charter Review Committee for consideration in creating a change to the City Charter such that the City of Elyria is similarly prohibited from using public funds to pay for elections and campaigns to pass a levy.

I also submitted a referral to consider an independent audit of the Elyria Police Department, which should be referred at the next Council meeting (tomorrow night). The department had a management audit completed in 1979 and Chief Whitely believes that such an audit would be a waste of time now because he feels the department is already operating within the guidelines of the last review. I believe this would be a better use of JEDD funds than supporting a tax levy campaign.

Draft Rubbish Removal Regulations

2010-05-11T09:13:00.002-04:00

In response to the numerous questions I have received regarding the implementation of the new trash pickup system, I have attached the draft rubbish removal regulations in the Available Documents section of the web page. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding these draft regulations, please contact Don Brackenhoff at dbrackenhoff@cityofelyria.org or contact me with your comments and I will direct them to him.

PRESENTATION EXPLAINING OPERATION OF SIGNALS

2010-05-10T13:41:00.001-04:00

NEWS RELEASE

On Monday May 17th, 2010 during the Elyria City Council meeting, the Traffic Engineer from TMS Engineers will make a presentation explaining the operation of signals and new traffic pattern at the intersections along State Route 57. The representative from ODOT District-3 will also be available for questions related to SR-57. The Council meeting will be held at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers, second floor of Elyria City Hall at 131 Court Street, Elyria, OH 44035. The meeting will be open to public.

Please contact the City Engineer’s Office at (440) 326-1444 for any further questions regarding this presentation.

Elyria Police Proposed Funding Plan

2010-05-06T15:51:00.003-04:00

Today Mayor Grace announced the administration's plan to increase manning levels for the Police Department. This plan will be discussed by Council at the special Strategic Planning Committee meeting to be scheduled for Thursday, May 13 in Council Chambers at 6:00 p.m. Once the meeting date and time is known for certain, I will update the Upcoming Events.

This proposal involves repealing the temporary, 5-year 1/2% Safety Forces income tax and replacing it with a permanent 3/4% income tax. Documents regarding this proposal are in the Documents Section of this web page for your review and consideration.

Please consider attending this special meeting and offering your reaction to this new income tax proposal for the Elyria Police Department.

Streets for 2010

2010-04-20T08:48:00.002-04:00

Last night, Council approved the 2010 street repair list. As a result of this meeting, the only side street in the 4th ward that will be paved this year through the regular street repair program is Eschtruth.

However, as you can see from the document associated with the streets, there are several streets that will be repaired using Issue 2 monies, including portions of Washington Avenue, Ohio Street, Columbus Street, Harrison and St. Clair.

Beverly Ct will also be repaired as part of a water main replacement.

April 14 Utilities Meeting--Streets and New Sanitation Trucks

2010-04-14T11:29:00.002-04:00

Tonight, one of the items on the agenda will be a preliminary discussion of which streets in the City will be repaired this year. Engineering's proposed list and the Auditor's proposed funding for 2010 street repairs are in the Documents section of the web page. If you have any questions, please come to the meeting where you can voice your concerns and comments.

Also, the new sanitation trucks will be further discussed at tonight's meeting, due to several questions that were raised at the last Council meeting and as a result of discussion from the Town Hall meeting. Those questions and responses are also available in the Documents section.

2010 Budget Passed

2010-04-11T12:41:00.001-04:00

The 2010 budget was passed by Council with only one modification, which shifted funds from the JEDD Professional Services to the Police Department for capital expenditures, which will allow the EPD money to upgrade the computer systems.

Proposed Changes to 2010 Budget

2010-03-29T08:45:00.003-04:00

Below I have outlined my proposed revisions to the 2010 Budget in order to provide additional funds to the EPD for new computers and cars, to operate all 4 pools so that they do not fall into irreparable disrepair and to open North and East Rec pools, both of which have heaters.

In the Available Documents section is the revised spreadsheet with proposed changes for the 2010 budget. These additional revisions were made after I had reviewed the budget expenditures in these areas from last year (sheets also attached). We clearly have additional monies in those funds that can be allocated to these other areas in need. I propose that the "credit balance unapplied" you see at the bottom of the sheet in the amount of $47,183.00 be distributed to the Swimming Pools so that the pool at North Rec can be open to the public, along with East Rec pool, and that the other two pools be operated as they were last year to avoid damage.

Although the budget is "a fluid document," we need to make these changes effective immediately and pass them with the budget or else it will be too late to man and operate the pools. It also makes sense to make the changes to the EPD capital expenditure items, particularly in light of the fact that we will have additional monies coming in to pay for 2009 federal prisoners, which monies have not yet been allocated.

The rationale for each of the reductions is expressed below:

1. Legislative Activity contingency: There is no need to have $10,000 in this line item "just in case." There is already a buffer included by increasing Operating Supplies and Repair and Maintenance by $16,400 over last year's expenditures.

2. JEDD Professional Services--we only used ~$68K in this fund last year and this year the request is for $142,500. Part of the 2009 expense includes an expense of $13,500 for the 2015 plan that will not be an expense in 2010, which funds can be used for other purposes. Therefore, an increase to $82,500 should be sufficient, freeing up $60,000.

3. Misc Gov't Judgments and Damages: The $25,000 used last year was for the insurance deductible to pay the judgment inteh Hetzel See case. I don't believe we have any judgments or threat of judgments that will be paid this year, so those funds are not needed in the 2010 budget. However, I left $15,000 just in case, freeing up the $10,000.

4. Public Refunds: There was $4123.67 spent in this category in 2008. 2009 had some expenditures that are non-repeating. Rather than include $30,000, this should be revised to $10,000, freeing up an additional $20,000.

5. Misc. Gov't Professional Services: The request is for $277K, $76,000 more than we spent last year. In 2009, we spent $201K in this category, which included $22K for Hetzel See legal fees, a non-recurring expense. We could certainly get by with $200K for 2010, freeing up $77K.

6. Auditor and Treasurer's Fees: We spent $56,638.44 in 2009, yet the request is for $80,000. This should be lowered to $60,000, freeing up $20,000.

These reductions will allow $45,000 to be allocated to the EPD for new computers. The existing ones are over 9 years old. It will also allow $75,000 to be used for new cars. The newest cars in the department are four years old.

4th Ward Town Hall Meeting Video now available

2010-03-27T17:08:00.002-04:00

At the bottom of this web page you can watch the video from the last Town Hall Meeting, March 25, 2010. A summary of information presented is also available on the Available Documents section of this web page.

Town Hall Meeting a Success!

2010-03-26T07:08:00.004-04:00

Despite the unexpected snow, the Town Hall meeting was a success! 85 residents were in attendance for a comprehensive overview of many city departments and the impacts of the 2010 budget spending reductions. Don Brackenhoff presented an overview of the new automated trash pickup system and brought a container for everyone to see. Also making presentations and answering resident questions were Fire Chief Rich Benton, City Engineer Mukund Moghe, Streets Superintendent Gary Dickerson, Parks and Recreation Department Head Frank Gustaff (and his assistant, Lisa Bowman), Building Department Head Phil LaHetta and Police Chief Duane Whitely.

This was probably the most informative town hall meeting to date. A summary of information from this meeting is being compiled and will be made available on this web site once it is completed.

I look forward to your feedback as we plan the content and format for the next meeting. Thanks to everyone in attendance, participants and speakers!

4TH WARD TOWN HALL MEETING--March 25 6-9 p.m.

2010-03-15T15:18:00.004-04:00

The next semi-annual town hall meeting will be held at the American Legion at the corner of Ohio Street and Gulf Road on March 25 from 6-9 p.m. This meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss this year's budgets and cuts, police and fire protection, the new trash collection program, street projects, impacts on Parks and Recreation including the swimming pools for the summer, and other current topics.

In order to get a good head count, please RSVP by email kristen@markfcraig.com or by telephone at 366-0608 with the number attending.

2010 Street Repairs

2010-03-14T18:01:00.003-04:00

If you saw a black minivan driving slowly through your neighborhood this weekend, stopping periodically to take notes, that was your councilman doing the annual evaluation of your streets. The 4th Ward street repair rankings have been submitted to the Engineering Department for consideration. This list is now available in the Documents section of the web page.

I will let you know when street repairs will be discussed in committee so that you can attend if possible. If you have a specific concern regarding your street's condition, please contact me.

Questions about the 2010 Budget?

2010-03-05T15:01:00.003-05:00

Monday night, come to the Finance Committee meeting if you have questions about the proposed 2010 budget. Modifications are being made to it and any input is welcomed. The Finance Committee meeting begins at 6:15 p.m. in Council chambers, second floor of city hall.

Design Review Moratorium Extended

2010-02-17T13:30:00.001-05:00

The Design Review moratorium has been extended for another month, until the end of March, to allow time for the City to meet with business owners and design professionals regarding proposed changes to the DR process. If you are interested in participating, contact City Hall to find out meeting times or to submit your comments.

2010 Draft Budget

2010-02-05T15:12:00.002-05:00

The first draft of the 2010 budget is available in the Documents section of the page. It will be discussed Monday night at the Finance Committee meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.

Ford Road Bridge Repairs

2010-02-04T08:14:00.002-05:00

Last night at the Utilities Meeting, we approved submitting an application for ODOT's Municipal Bridge Program. The applications are due by March 1 and we do not know when the results will be announced. However, at this point we have not been approved for state Issue II loan funds for these repairs and, if approved, the Municipal Bridge Program provides a means for repair of the Ford Road Bridge sooner rather than later, plus it will provide 80% of the financing. A drawback is that the repair costs will be significantly higher due to the requirement of this program to expand the bridge to two lanes as a result of an ODOT safety study.

Details are set forth in the Municipal Bridge Program document in the Documents section of the web page.

City Finances--2010 Budget Discussions

2010-02-02T10:16:00.002-05:00

For those of you interested in the City's finances and the budget process, there are several upcoming meetings that may be of interest to you. All of these meetings are listed under the Upcoming Events section of this web page.

1. Finance Committee (Feb. 8), at which the first draft of the 2010 budget will be presented and reviewed by the Safety Service Director.

2. Financial Review Board (Feb. 16), which is the citizen committee selected to review the City's finances and make recommendations. The duties of the Financial Review Board are to review the budget, year end reports and other financial matters of the City; to meet with Council’s Finance Committee, the administration, the Auditor, Finance Director and such other persons as the Board deems advisable; and to make recommendations to Council concerning the City's financial matters.

3. Finance Committee (Feb. 22), at which the department heads will present their needs and budget requests for 2010.

Paperwork Reduction Ordinance Referral

2010-01-29T12:33:00.002-05:00

It is time for Elyria to take additional steps to become greener, as set forth by our green initiatives adopted last year. In furtherance of this goal, and in an effort to save money and improve communications, I have proposed a paperwork reduction ordinance, based on the concepts set forth in the federal Paperwork Reduction Act. This will save paper, copying expenses, time and energy. A copy of this referral is in the Referrals section of this web site.