Municipal Services & Properties Committee Meeting - November 24, 2025
Municipal Services & Properties Committee Meeting - November 24, 2025
The Municipal Services and Properties Committee convened for its final official meeting of the year to consider and approve several emergency ordinances related to public works, safety improvements, and property management. The committee focused on funding for roadway projects, the installation of an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) for vital statistics, active transportation infrastructure, and the vacation of specific right-of-way portions to facilitate the Bedrock development project. Multiple ordinances were subject to amendments proposed by Councilman Casey and Councilman Starr regarding notification protocols and funding sources.
Consent Calendar
- [None; all items were addressed as Discussion Items or required specific action/votes]
Public Comments & Testimony
- [No formal public comments or testimony were recorded in the transcript; all discourse was limited to committee members and city staff.]
Discussion Items
- Ordinance 396-2025 (Amended): Authorized a license agreement with Key Bank for an ATM at Vital Statistics. Staff stated that two RFPs yielded no responses, leaving Key Bank as the sole willing partner. Director noted that while Key Bank has committed to Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rules, the $4 transaction fee (applicable to non-account holders) was not negotiated as part of the original RFP but represents the standard fee Key Bank charges.
- Positions: Councilman Starr and Councilman Casey expressed concern regarding the lack of competitive bidding and the specific $4 fee structure, questioning if costs could have been negotiated. Director clarified that while they requested cost negotiation in the RFP, no other bank responded.
- Ordinance 1404-2025: Authorized contracts for the "Active Transportation Program" (Vision Zero/Cleveland Moves) to retrofit safety improvements like signage and pavement markings. Commissioner Mavic explained the program aims to retrofit existing roadways (like Huron/Prospect) rather than new capital projects.
- Positions: Councilman Starr raised concerns about business access and safety issues at the Huron/Prospect project, citing business owner complaints about delivery bottlenecks and parking changes, though Commissioner Mavic defended the safety improvements and reduced traffic control needs for events. Councilman Maher noted confusion regarding the reversal of one-way traffic for Rockets games.
- Amendment: Councilman Casey and Councilman Starr proposed an amendment requiring written notice to the clerk for cooperative purchases. The amendment was passed unanimously to ensure council awareness of cooperative agreement usage without requiring prior approval for every minor project.
- Ordinance 1446-2025: Authorized contracts to purchase and install traffic signal support poles where existing ones were damaged or compromised.
- Positions: Councilman Casey clarified the scope is limited to repairing compromised uprights, not installing new mast arms on existing wire-hung signals unless part of a capital project. Data was requested regarding the total number of signals and the percentage of mast arm vs. wire-hung systems.
- Ordinance 1316-2025: Authorized a deed of easement selling rights for a fire lane and pedestrian access to Cedar Redevelopment Phase 4 for $14,000 (fair market value). The city retains fee ownership of the land.
- Positions: Councilman Harrison and Councilman Casey sought clarification that the city retains land ownership (fee interest) while granting only usage rights. Councilman Starr expressed full support, aligning the easement with the broader Central Recreation Center and neighborhood upgrade initiatives.
- Ordinance 1416-2025: Amended previous agreements for the Euclid Beach Tri-Trail Connector to change trail easements from 50 years to perpetual terms and added a submerged land lease piece for the sewer district.
- Positions: Councilman Harrison questioned the shift to perpetual easements, fearing future renewal issues with multiple property owners. Staff explained that perpetual terms prevent property owners from denying easements during renewal, ensuring long-term trail stability. Commissioner De Janeiro clarified that the submerged land lease remains limited to 50 years due to Ohio Department of Natural Resources regulations.
- Ordinance 1082-2023: Authorized application for DOPWIC state funding for roadway improvements on State Route 283 (55th St to St. Clair). The project scope expanded from $8.5M to $13M to include safety enhancements.
- Positions: Councilman Harrison expressed initial frustration that funding was prioritized over worse-condition sections of St. Clair Avenue but noted that a phased plan for the remaining sections was developed to his satisfaction. Councilman Casey inquired about private entity donations, which staff clarified are typically limited to enhancements within the public right-of-way adjacent to private developments.
- Ordinance 1295-2025: Amended an agreement with GCRTA for the West 117th Street station to extend the term and cover a $29,600 cost overrun.
- Positions: Councilman Starr proposed an amendment to strike the vague language "and other funds as approved by the director of finance," insisting that funding sources be explicitly listed in the legislation. The amendment passed unanimously.
- Ordinance 1400-2025: Authorized funding applications for rehabilitating Wade Park Avenue (66th to 118th) and connecting it to the 66th Street transformation project.
- Positions: Director noted the project is critical for bike infrastructure connectivity but clarified that the $164,000 listed for 2026 bonds is an estimate and requires future explicit authorization from Council.
- Ordinance 1402-2025: Authorized consultants for pedestrian enhancements on Euclid Avenue (Upper Valley to Ivanhoe), utilizing TLCI grant funding.
- Positions: Councilman Harrison expressed full support but noted the project is dangerous for students and emphasized the need for future funding (bonds or discretionary) to fully realize the scope.
- Amendment: Councilman Starr moved to add a requirement for written notice to the clerk for cooperative purchases, which passed unanimously.
- Ordinances 1489, 1490, & 1491-2025: Authorized the vacation of portions of West Third Street right-of-way to facilitate the Bedrock development project, transferring the land to adjacent property owners.
- Positions: Councilman Casey questioned why the city does not sell the land or issue easements instead of vaccating. Staff explained that upon vacation of a right-of-way, the land reverts to the adjacent owner by legal right, not via sale.
Key Outcomes
- Ordinance 396-2025: Approved as amended (Key Bank agreement, 2-year term with 3-year option).
- Ordinance 1404-2025: Approved as amended (Amendment regarding cooperative purchase notification passed; Vote: Ayes: 14, Nays: 0).
- Ordinance 1446-2025: Approved.
- Ordinance 1316-2025: Approved.
- Ordinance 1416-2025: Approved as amended (Easements made perpetual; Submerged land lease term noted as 50 years).
- Ordinance 1082-2023: Approved.
- Ordinance 1295-2025: Approved as amended (Struck vague funding language; Vote: Ayes: 14, Nays: 0).
- Ordinance 1400-2025: Approved.
- Ordinance 1402-2025: Approved as amended (Amendment regarding cooperative purchase notification passed; Vote: Ayes: 14, Nays: 0).
- Ordinances 1489, 1490, 1491-2025: Approved (Vacation of West Third Street portions).
- Next Steps: Staff to provide data on traffic signal inventory and Huron/Prospect traffic counts to Council members. Staff to finalize design for Euclid Avenue as funding is confirmed. Next meeting scheduled as called by the Chair.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. I'm calling the municipal services and properties committee to order. Today is um Monday. November twenty fourth. Madam Clerk, can you call the roll, please? Here. Here. Present on time. Okay. Um Madam Clerk. We uh we expect in another couple members, but nobody has uh requests to the absence. So if anybody else uh is not here that are they are unexcused absence. All right. Um to the table, please. So I want to preach everybody being here this morning. Uh today is our last official meeting of the year. Uh, we do have a meeting at twelve o'clock. What's the day as the Mr. Services Properties? Uh committee last day. Uh last meeting of the year. Okay, Director. Um, we're gonna start with uh ordinance number three nine six twenty twenty-five. This is by council members Bishop and Griffin. This is a departmental quest. Emergency ordinance authorizing the director of public works to enter into a license agreement with a vendor to install and maintain an automated teller machine terminal located in room one twenty-two. Vital statistics for the use and convenience of the general public for a period of one year with one year option to renew exercisable by the director of public works. All right, director. Councilman, there was also an amendment. Uh that's phone throughout if you all saw that. Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. Um this is uh ordinance number 396 2025 as amended. And I'm gonna read the amendment. There is no legal objection to the legislation if amended as follows. And one, in the title, line three, strike a vendor to install and insert key bank two, and in line seven, strike one year with one year and insert two years with one three year. Number two, in section one, at line three, strike a vendor based on competitive proposals, granting and insert key bank whereby the city grants key bank, and in line seven, strike the selection of a vend of the vendor and consideration for the license shall be made by the board of control on a nomination submitted by the director of public works. Number three, in section two, starting at line one, strike one year with one year and insert two years with one three year. Number four, insert insert new sections three and four to read as follows. Section three, that the license or agreement shall be prepared by the director of law and shall contain additional terms and conditions necessary to affect the license agreement authorized by this ordinance. Section four, that the director of public works and the director of law and other appropriate city officials are authorized to execute such other documents and certificates and take such other actions as may be necessary or appropriate to affect the license agreement authorized by this ordinance and number uh five, renumber existing section three to section five. Okay. All right. Uh so that is the amendment for ordinance number three ninety-six. All right, director, you want to give us a brief um, thank you. Uh thank you, uh councilman. This is in and uh committee. This is a piece uh just to have the ATM machine that's downstairs on the first floor in vital statistics and uh for to be available to the public. In the past, we uh this body had re uh required us to go out for an RFP. We did that two times, and each time there was no response. Uh the only company that was willing to do it was uh key because it was their machine that was there.
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