Organizational Council Meeting Minutes - January 5, 2015

The Organizational Council Meeting of the Village of Moreland Hills was called to order by Mayor Renda at 7:00PM.

PRESENT AT ROLL CALL: Mr. Buczek, Mr. Fritz, Mr. Richman, Mr. Sherck, Mr. Stanard, Ms. Sturgis

Also Present: Sherri Arrietta, Clerk of Council


Mr. Buczek announced that he and fiancé Myra Chudakoff, got married yesterday and the Mayor performed the ceremony for them in the Council Chambers. He stated that it was really an honor to have the Mayor perform the ceremony. Council members congratulated Mr. Buczek.

Mayor Renda asked if there were any additions or corrections to last month’s meeting minutes. Mr. Buczek stated that on page 5, the last sentence in the first paragraph references “two streets” however the names of those streets were not mentioned (River Mountain Drive and Mountain View Drive).

Mr. Buczek made a motion seconded by Mr. Stanard to approve the minutes of the last Regular Council Meeting of December 10, 2014, as amended.

ROLL CALL:
AYES: Mr. Buczek, Mr. Fritz, Mr. Richman, Mr. Sherck, Mr. Stanard, Ms. Sturgis
NAYS: NONE
MOTION CARRIED


Appointments and Confirmations

Mayor Renda stated that Council will need to elect a Council President, elect one Council Member to the Planning Commission for a two year term from the 2011 election cycle (Mr. Buczek, Mr. Fritz, Mr. Richman), and appoint a Planning Commission Chair.

Mayor Renda stated that in order to make this process easier, she asked any Council member who is interested in serving as President, inform Council as to why they are interested. She stated that she would like to take the time to hear everyone out and not rush through it. At this time, Mayor Renda asked those interested to raise their hand. Mr. Richman raised his hand.

Mr. Buczek nominated Mr. Richman as Council President for 2015.

There being no other nominations, Mayor Renda declared nominations closed.

ROLL CALL:
AYES: Mr. Buczek, Mr. Fritz, Mr. Richman, Mr. Sherck, Mr. Stanard, Ms. Sturgis
NAYS: None
MOTION CARRIED


Mr. Richman thanked Council members and stated that he is honored and privileged to be Council President. He stated that this is not a job he takes lightly and that he cares deeply about the Mayor and Council, the Directors, and the community. Mr. Richman stated that he really appreciates this opportunity. Council members congratulated Mr. Richman.

Mayor Renda stated that one Council member from the 2011 election cycle needs to be elected to the Planning Commission for a term of two years. She reminded members that Mrs. Cannon ruled years ago that one cannot be both Council President and serve on Planning Commission.

Mr. Buczek stated that Mr. Fritz has done a great job on Planning Commission. Mr. Fritz stated that he enjoys serving on Planning but wanted to know the requirements of remaining Chair and/or just being a member. Mayor Renda stated that traditionally, every two years the Chair changes but Mr. Fritz can certainly stay on Planning as a member. She asked Mr. Fritz if he was interested in staying on as a member and not as Chair. Mr. Fritz stated that he would be interested.

Mr. Buczek nominated Mr. Fritz to serve on the Planning Commission for a term of two years.

There being no other nominations, Mayor Renda declared nominations closed.

ROLL CALL:
AYES: Mr. Buczek, Mr. Fritz, Mr. Richman, Mr. Sherck, Mr. Stanard, Ms. Sturgis
NAYS: None
MOTION CARRIED


Mayor Renda stated that a Planning Commission Chair needs to be appointed.

Mr. Fritz stated that he has enjoyed working with Mr. Stanard and believes that he would take the roll seriously, if he would have interest in doing so. Mr. Stanard stated that he would but wanted to know if Mr. Fritz could continue as Chair if Council so chooses. Mayor Renda stated that it has been tradition for a Chair to serve only two years. There was some question whether or not Mr. Fritz has been Planning Commission Chair for one year or two years. Mrs. Arrietta checked the previous minutes and determined that Mr. Fritz has been Planning Commission Chair for two years.

Mr. Buczek nominated Mr. Stanard as the Planning Commission Chair for a one year term.

There being no other nominations, Mayor Renda declared nominations closed.

ROLL CALL:
AYES: Mr. Buczek, Mr. Fritz, Mr. Richman, Mr. Sherck, Mr. Stanard, Ms. Sturgis
NAYS: None
MOTION CARRIED


Mayor Renda stated that she will be asking Council to confirm her appointment of a resident member to the Planning Commission at the Council Meeting next week. She stated that Mrs. Corcoran has decided to resign from the Planning Commission. Mayor Renda stated that is going to appoint Mr. John Pogatschnik, who came before Planning Commission with a project and served on the Charter Review Commission as well. She stated that she was very impressed with him; he took his service on that commission seriously and he had interesting recommendations. Mr. Sherck stated that he too, was impressed by him on the Charter Review Commission and believes that Mr. Pogatschnik will bring something new to the Planning Commission as well as being a positive force.

Mayor Renda noted that Council has the opportunity to define their own schedule; however, traditionally Council meetings are known to be at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. There was general consensus that the meeting date and time should be kept the same.

Mayor Renda stated that the committee structure and the schedule of the committee meetings for 2015 was the next topic of discussion. Mr. Richman assigned Council members to the Committees as follows: Mr. Buczek will continue to serve as Chair on the Roads & Safety Committee and Mr. Richman will serve on that committee as well; Mr. Sherck will Chair the Facilities Committee and Ms. Sturgis will serve on that committee with him. A discussion ensued regarding changing the meeting times. The general consensus was to keep the two meetings separate, but to continue to have them back to back on the Tuesday following the Planning Commission Meeting night (4th Monday) of the month; however they decided to have the Facilities Committee Meeting first at 7:30am and the Roads & Safety Committee Meeting second at 8:00am.


Council Rules:
Mayor Renda asked if anyone had any suggestions for changes to the Council Rules. The consensus was that there were no changes needed.


Miscellaneous:
Mayor Renda updated the members on the status of the agreement with the County for reimbursement of funds incurred for repairs to county roads; the County will be reimbursing the Village a total of $10,500.00. She passed out a document showing how the amount is being broken down.

Mayor Renda informed Council that regarding legal expenses, the Village has spent 437 of our 500 retainer hours as of November 30, 2014; therefore we will be right at our limit for the end of the 2014 year. She stated that we have tried to pay more attention to what we ask our legal counsel for and Mrs. Cannon has taken a few items outside the retainer as well to help keep the hours down.

Mayor Renda informed Council that she will be running for Mayor again this year. She stated that she would be honored to serve the residents and serve with Council for a third time. Mayor Renda stated that she believes that she and Council have a great streamlined process going right now. She stated that she also has projects that are near and dear to her heart that are not complete and she feels she has the energy and desire to serve for another four years. Mayor Renda stated that she is hopeful that Council will all support her. Mr. Richman stated that he was glad to hear that she is running again and that he would also like to seek another term. Mr. Fritz stated that he agrees that the Village has a good Council and Mayor. He stated that when things are going good, they should stay that way. Mr. Fritz stated that he thinks that Mayor Renda has done an exceptional job and that he is personally glad to hear that she is running for another term. Mayor Renda stated that she believes that Mr. Fritz has done an exceptional job as well and hopes that he is going to run for Council again as well. Mr. Fritz thanked Mayor Renda and stated that it is on his radar. Mayor Renda stated that she realizes that it is always a huge decision to run but that she knows that everyone in this room takes it very seriously. She stated that she loves how well they all work together and even though they do not always agree, they manage to get through it in a feasible way. Mr. Buczek stated that is the reason there are six Council members; it allows us to bump heads and bring up different ideas and work around them. He stated that he is planning on running for Council again as well.

Mayor Renda informed Council that she has two projects in the works. On Wednesday, she and Mr. Charles Lang will be meeting with the Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC) about applying for a grant to get funding for trails in the lower part of Forest Ridge, in front of the house. The second project is in conjunction with the Metroparks regarding bike trails along Chagrin River Road on Metroparks property. She stated that she spoke with Sara Myers with the Metroparks and it was their understanding that the Village did not want to revisit the discussion regarding the bike path that took place many years ago, which the Village did not agree to. She stated that she believes that this Council has the courage to revisit this. Mayor Renda stated that she believed in the past the opposition had to do with xenophobia, however if we have a bike path to take a little bit of bike traffic off Chagrin River Road, it would be great for the safety of both the bikers and motorists. Mr. Richman stated that he has heard quite a bit of interest from residents regarding putting in bike paths/trails.

Mayor Renda discussed a few items that will be on the Council agenda next week; Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization, a bill from Chagrin Falls Utility Department re: work performed on hydrants in the Skyline Drive area, and extending the term of Dale Canter, Assistant Safety Director. She stated that she needs Mr. Canter to continue on and cover some meetings for her. Mr. Canter also meets with Chief Wyant to help with his transition to Chief. Mayor Renda explained that Mr. Canter also helped with the Sergeant testing and will sit in on a future interview. She stated that he works about twelve hours a week but in that time, the Village receives years of wisdom and support. Mr. Fritz asked about the Mayor’s intention as it relates to the position of Assistant Safety Director. Mayor Renda stated that she does not foresee that he will continue on past this year. She stated that he is such a great resource; she hates to have to let him go. Mayor Renda suggested having Mr. Shah determine how much Mr. Canter is costing the Village, if Council would like to see that. Mr. Fritz stated that while the Mayor is much more in tune to the needs of the police department and the administration; however he stated that looking in from the outside, it does not appear necessary when a community of 3500 has a Mayor who is compensated as the Safety Director and there is also a new Police Chief. Mayor Renda stated that she does not get a separate salary and therefore does not get raises. She stated that she is grateful to have an Assistant Safety Director to help her. A discussion ensued. Mr. Buczek stated that the Mayor has provided a lot of good reasons for Mr. Canter to stay on. Ms. Sturgis stated that she like the continuity since he has gotten to know the community as well as the inner workings of the safety department. She stated that while she understands Mr. Fritz’s point about possible implications surrounding costs, she stated that kept at a minimum, she does not see it any differently than other services that are needed. Mr. Richman stated that as Council members, we are always weighing needs versus wants as it relates to spending, but we also need to balance the inner workings of the administration which should be handled by administration and not the Council. Mayor Renda stated that the single most important thing that Mr. Canter does is to meet with Chief Wyant once a week. There are still a lot of changes in the Police Department; there is a new Lieutenant that has not fully taken over those duties yet, therefore Chief Wyant is being both Chief and part time Lieutenant. There will also be a new Sergeant, so there are a lot of moving pieces and with all Mr. Canter’s experience and personality; he lends a lot of calm to that department. Mr. Stanard stated that Council does have to be responsible to know the costs but he stated that he can clearly see how Mr. Canter is valuable. Mayor Renda stated that she will have Mr. Shah provide Council with the cost incurred by the Village as it relates to the Assistant Safety Director.

Mayor Renda announced that five of the six police officers that were eligible to take the Sergeants test took it and all five of them passed, which is very rare. Mike Pinizzotto scored number one and will be the new sergeant.

Mayor Renda also informed Council that there will be some Zoning Code amendments forthcoming; she and Mrs. Lane will be meeting with Mr. David Hart tomorrow.

Mr. Richman thanked Council for his confidence in him and told them all to feel free to contact him any time with any questions or concerns.

Mr. Buczek made a motion seconded by Ms. Sturgis to adjourn the Organizational Council Meeting.

ROLL CALL:
AYES: Mr. Buczek, Mr. Fritz, Mr. Richman, Mr. Sherck, Mr. Stanard, Ms. Sturgis
NAYS: None
MOTION CARRIED


The meeting was adjourned at 8:00p.m.

ATTEST:
Sherri Arrietta, Clerk of Council
Steve Richman, President of Council