CITY OF ROCKY RIVER

APRIL 20, 2009

The Committee-of-the-Whole was called to order by Mr. Hunt, President Pro Tem of Council, at 8:02 p.m.

Council Members Present: Mr. Hunt, Mr. Shepherd, Mr. Mylen, Mr. Furry,

Mrs. Arabian Whitman, Mr. Long

Absent: Mr. Moran

Administration: Mayor Bobst

Law Director: Mr. Bemer

The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

MAYOR'S REPORT:

An Arbor Day tree planting ceremony will be held this Friday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m. just inside the fence by the outdoor pool on Hilliard Blvd. This linden tree will replace one which came down last fall. All are welcome to attend.

A community forum, "Love, Limits and the Law: Working Together to Prevent Teen Substance Use in our Community" will be sponsored by the high school. Certified DARE Officer Greg King of the Police Division will participate in the program to be held on Monday, April 27 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. All residents are invited and there is no charge.

The Seniors Council, a very active part of the Senior Center, has made several donations:

• •New pots and pans for the kitchen. Since almost 15,000 deli lunch meals are provided each year, this donation takes on great importance, particularly since the set being replaced is the original purchased for the kitchen twenty years ago.
• •Funding for a new sound system for the auditorium which includes new microphones and a wireless multi-pattern condenser mike.
• •A generous $1500 contribution to the Senior Transportation program.

The Mayor extended her thanks and noted that without the generous support of many community organizations like this one, the equipment and materials to enhance Senior Center programming would not be available.

The working group for the Development Code Update will convene on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the Civic Center. Many materials have been drafted and forwarded to members of the group.

Letters have been sent to Center Ridge Road businesses inviting them to a networking forum, and the Mayor said she was pleased that responses are already being received.

• •The schedule of events includes introductory comments by the Mayor with a summary of the corridor survey conducted by high school students, and information about the storefront renovation rebate program. The Mayor was pleased to announce that at this time, the County program is open-ended with sufficient funding.
• •Liz Manning with the Chamber of Commerce will provide an update on Chamber programs.
• •A representative of CCC will speak on workforce training and the resources available to train or retrain employees.
• •There will then be an opportunity for networking and highlighting corridor businesses.
• •The program will end with a question/answer period.

The Mayor invited all Council members, and said she will follow up with a report following the event.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Ordinance No. 19-09: Mr. Shepherd indicated that this ordinance will authorize participation in the 2009 Marine Patrol assistance agreement with the State. The cost of maintaining the Marine Patrol boat is estimated to be $84,543. By entering into the agreement, the State agrees to pay $25,263 toward that cost. The City certifies that it has budgeted the remaining cost of $59,279 and is obligated to notify the State of variations of more than 15% in the budget.

• •Mr. Hunt noted that the ordinance had a first reading last week and that an ordinance under which the City receives funds is welcome.

Mr. Shepherd said that he will seek passage next week. Responding to Mr. Mylen's question, the Mayor confirmed that the necessary amount has been budgeted for this year.

MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS: NONE

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Safety Committee: Mr. Shepherd reported that the Safety Committee convened on April 8, but in the absence of a quorum, no official actions were taken. However, he and Mr. Moran met with members of the Administration including the Mayor, Law Director and the Fire and Police chiefs.

He summarized the topics discussed:

• •The intersection of Wagar and Westway, where traffic can be a problem in the morning as students are dropped off at the high school. Complaints have decreased since the timing of the traffic signal has been adjusted with the green light lengthened on Westway for the left turn. He will confer with Mr. Hunt since it affects Ward 1.



• •Snow parking ban when snowfall exceeds 2". This would probably be for the side of the street without hydrants, and may be considered in the future. The Mayor added that the issue was raised by the Service Department because when snowfall is heavy, snow plow drivers report that sometimes cars block streets, making their job more difficult. Currently, when vehicles block streets, plow drivers call the police who identify owners and ask that the vehicles be moved so that the plow can do its job. This has been very effective. The Mayor noted that some resident complaints of lack of immediate plowing may be due to the necessity of waiting for car owners to be identified and move their cars. Mr. Hunt asked about the 2" determination; Mr. Shepherd said that every community which has instituted the ban has settled on that figure.



• •Overnight parking ban. The unanimous feedback from the safety departments was that no parking should be allowed for many reasons. Mr. Shepherd also mentioned that the Police Division will allow parking, upon request, in extenuating circumstances.



• •Police issues: restructuring of fines for impounded cars and other fees which are below neighboring cities; modifying the City Code to be consistent with a change in the State Code which now requires proper restraint for youngsters up to age 15 when being transported, and, the issue of CDL (commercial driver's license) drivers and the requirement to carry a current medical card. This will require further discussion with the Law Director to be certain of the correct interpretation of the law.



• •Fire issues: adoption of a ticket approach for violations of the Fire Code, an abbreviated procedure; the National Fire Protection Association's recommendation that new construction, both commercial and residential, be required to install fire suppression sprinklers. Further discussion will be scheduled when state regulations are passed. Grant applications have been submitted under various programs.



• •Council President Moran expressed some concern about cell use, particularly text messages, while driving. Questions were raised about consistency of application when neighboring cities have no laws against this. At present, only North Olmsted addresses this issue. In Rocky River, the law against driver inattention is used to cite unsafe drivers, and education through the schools was also discussed.

Asked if a future meeting of the committee has been scheduled, Mr. Shepherd responded that immediate issues such as changes in legislation will be prepared to be discussed at the Committee-of-the-Whole, but other issues will be discussed at a meeting which has not yet been scheduled.

Parks and Recreation Committee: Mrs. Arabian Whitman attended the meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission last Wednesday and reported that Fitness Center revenues have increased as well as membership revenues when compared with last March. The Mayor added

that expenses are down. The new spring/summer catalog has been distributed and there was a very good response earlier in the month at the first sign-up. Registration for day camp for young

children and for 5^th and 6^th graders will be at the end of the month, and a good response is also expected for those programs.

Environmental Committee: Mr. Furry announced a meeting of the Rocky River Watershed Council on Thursday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the Rocky River Nature Center, 24000 Valley Parkway, North Olmsted, in the Rocky River Reservation. There will be a film on clean boating with a discussion to follow about the importance of stopping invasive species from entering waterways and destroying the native fish habitat.

Mr. Furry will also attend a meeting of S.A.F.E., (Safe Air For the Environment) tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. in Brook Park.

NEW BUSINESS:

Ordinance No. 20-09: Mr. Hunt noted that this ordinance will be discussed next week under the leadership of Mr. Moran. This ordinance is a second contract with Ciuni & Panichi for audit services. Finance Director Thomas will also be present next week.

• •Mayor Bobst explained that there are two separate functions, preparation of the financials for the CAFR, and the audit. In past years, the State Auditor's office has conducted the audit, a service for which the City pays; in other years, another firm, such as Ciuni & Panichi, which has done the work for Rocky River for the past few years is called in. There is still a statutory responsibility by the Auditor's Office to perform the audit, but if there is insufficient staff to perform the audits in a timely fashion, other approved accounting firms collaborate with them so the work can be completed. This is a three-way contract with the State Auditors, the City of Rocky River and Ciuni & Panichi and is the second year of a five-year contract. Last year proposals were received, reviewed, independently scored and independently ranked by the Auditor's Office and the City, with the result that Ciuni & Panichi was chosen. This ordinance allocates the funds for this contract.



• •Jennifer Carnahan of Ciuni & Panichi met with the Audit Committee, and reviewed the letter of engagement with them. The Committee approved the letter and recommended that the City move forward. The Mayor suggested that any Council members with questions call Mr. Thomas during the week, so that the ordinance can move forward on April 27 which will assist in completing the audit in a timely fashion.

COMMUNICATIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Mr. Long reported that the Rocky River Kiwanis held its annual Easter Egg Hunt last week. This is the first in three years because it has snowed the last two years. About 250 children of all ages participated, and the event was very successful.

• •Mayor Bobst praised the work done by Councilman and Mrs. Long to insure the success of the Easter Egg Hunt, and thanked them for helping to create happy memories for the youngest members of the community.

As there was no further business by members of Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

______________________________ ______________________________

Thomas J. Hunt Misao Kurokawa

President Pro Tem of Council Clerk of Council