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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Cleveland Heights City Council Meeting – September 23, 2026

City Council Meetings — Wednesday, September 23, 2026

BodyCleveland Heights, Ohio

SessionCity Council Meetings

DateWednesday, September 23, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 59:04

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:10

Okay, welcome to Cleveland Heights City Council.

0:13

It is Tuesday, September 22nd at 742.

0:18

Eddie, would you please call the role?

0:21

Here.

0:22

Larson.

0:23

Here.

0:25

Posh here.

0:26

Do it for you.

0:27

Here.

0:27

Cohen.

0:28

Here.

0:28

Huda.

0:29

Here.

0:30

Stone.

0:30

Here.

0:32

All right.

0:34

We have no absent members.

0:37

Vice President Larson is on Zoom.

0:40

And no amendments to the agenda.

0:43

So we'll go right to communications from the mayor.

0:47

Thank you, Mr.

0:48

President.

0:48

I just wanted to uh recognize the staff for all of their hard work on the Dennison splash pad.

0:53

Thank you to the council members who joined us for the opening.

0:56

It was a wonderful project.

0:58

It was years in the making, but I'm glad that we could finally get it done this year.

1:02

There was a lot of work that went into it beyond merely buying the water fixtures, had to run water lines, sewer lines, had to build a bathroom.

1:11

A lot of work went into that.

1:12

So very grateful to Parks and Rec for doing that.

1:15

Grateful to former counsel vice president Lars, or I'm sorry, uh Davito Russell for joining us.

1:22

Um and uh this evening also you'll have an update from our owner's representative, Roger Riacchi for the Cumberland Rebuild.

1:30

And so we look forward to you being able to hear that info and ask questions of him.

1:35

That's the end of tonight's report.

1:37

All right.

1:38

And uh yes, I was there, and it was great to see six kids uh running through there.

1:44

It was raining, it wasn't particularly warm, and it was but they it was they were oblivious to that.

1:50

They were just having a ball, and it was great to see.

1:53

Um, so we have a uh city administrator's report, so Michael Reese for the Reese report.

2:03

Yes, thank you, President Cuda, Vice President Larson, members of council.

2:08

Um this is the September 22nd, 2026 edition of the Reach Report.

2:14

I have uh just two items.

2:16

Um, our focus as an administration is on the 2027 budget.

2:21

Uh we started working on the budget in June.

2:23

We've had we have had detailed meetings with departments the last two weeks and still have a few more departments to meet with over the next week.

2:31

Our review meetings have been thorough and productive.

2:34

We will spend the next several weeks following up with departments, crunching numbers and making final decisions as we enter the late October, early November timeframe.

2:43

Uh number two, we have spent considerable time on the ARPA reconciliation process, meeting frequently, coordinating across departments and getting guidance from the law department so that progress continues.

2:56

I would encourage anyone tuning in tonight to this meeting to watch the committee of the whole meeting, which just preceded us for a comprehensive ARPA update.

3:05

And that concludes my report tonight.

3:08

Thank you, Mr.

3:09

Reese.

3:10

Um, to department reports, we have um Cumberland Pool Project.

3:15

We'll be doing that.

3:17

Uh Mr.

3:18

Roger Riachi from RFC Construction.

3:21

Thank you.

3:23

Good evening.

3:25

Good evening.

3:26

Good evening.

3:26

Thank you for coming.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████████████26%

Procedural████████████████████20%

Fiscal Sustainability██████████████14%

Parks and Recreation███████████11%

Economic Development█████████9%

Public Safety████████8%

Community Engagement██████6%

Historic Preservation██████6%

Summary of Proceedings

Cleveland Heights City Council Meeting – September 23, 2026

The Cleveland Heights City Council met on September 23, 2026, to discuss updates on the Cumberland Pool project, city debt management, and several legislative items. The mayor recognized staff for the opening of the Dennison splash pad. Public comments addressed concerns about the Severance Town Center redevelopment and general appreciation for city progress. Multiple resolutions and ordinances were passed, while the short-term rental ordinance was continued for further public input.

Consent Calendar

Resolutions 184-2026 through 187-2026, recognizing October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, National Book Month, and LGBTQ+ History Month, were passed unanimously under a suspended roll call.

Public Comments & Testimony

Larry Nowak (Edge Hill) expressed concerns about the lack of progress on the Severance Town Center redevelopment. He stated that an outside zoning expert report was due before the end of Q1 2026 but has not been made public, and that key tenants continue to exit (e.g., Office Depot). He urged the council to act without delay and provided written recommendations to the clerk.
Edgar Mitchell expressed gratitude for the city's positive direction, noting new construction, quality entertainment at Cain Park, and collaboration among residents and officials. He encouraged continued progress.

Discussion Items

Cumberland Pool Project Update: Roger Riachi, owner's representative from RFC Construction, presented an overview of the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) process. He explained that the selection process began in July 2026 with an RFQ; nine firms responded, four were shortlisted, and proposals were received. Interviews were scheduled for September 23, 2026. Evaluation criteria include experience with pool projects, historic renovation, CMAR expertise, cost discipline, and public sector experience. The project timeline: construction to begin after pool closure in September 2027, aiming for summer 2028 opening. The city will issue debt to finance the project, with a bond rating anticipated in spring 2027. Council will approve the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) and any change orders.
Debt Update: Finance Director Joe Brodzinski reported total outstanding debt of $36.6 million, comprising $14.3 million in bonds, $4 million in zero-percent loans (OPWC/OWDA), and $18.2 million in capital leases (including the sustainability project). He stated that the city will obtain a bond rating before issuing new debt for the pool, and that existing audits are being completed. Refinancing existing bonds is not advantageous due to low interest rates. He noted the possibility of using bond anticipation notes before locking into long-term bonds.
Legislation: Multiple resolutions passed on first and second readings, including contracts for archival assessment (Backlog LLC), tree inventory (Arbor Pro LLC), waterline replacement design (GPD Group), and a grant application for bicycle boulevards. Ordinance 155-2026 (landmark commission update) passed on third reading after three years of work. The short-term rental ordinance (190-2023) on fourth reading was not voted on; Councilmember Stone provided context, noting a public input session and that the ordinance will likely be voted on in October.
Traffic Cameras in School Zones: Councilmember Kotlin announced a public hearing on October 27, 2026, from 6-8 PM to discuss automated speed enforcement in school zones. He stated that over half of drivers exceed 31 mph in 20 mph zones and that enforcement could reduce speeding by approximately 81%.

Key Outcomes

All consent calendar resolutions (184-2026 through 187-2026) passed unanimously.
First reading resolutions 176-2026 through 183-2026 passed (with 180-2026 held for budget adjustment).
Second reading resolutions 165-2026 through 171-2026 passed unanimously.
Ordinance 155-2026 (landmark commission update) passed on third reading.
Short-term rental ordinance (190-2023) continued to a fifth reading; vote expected in October 2026.
Public hearing on automated speed enforcement in school zones scheduled for October 27, 2026.
Public input session on accessory dwelling units scheduled for October 15, 2026.
Noble neighborhood meeting scheduled for October 28, 2026 at 6 PM at Caledonia Road community center.
Council adjourned at 8:41 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, welcome to Cleveland Heights City Council. It is Tuesday, September 22nd at 742. Eddie, would you please call the role? Here. Larson. Here. Posh here. Do it for you. Here. Cohen. Here. Huda. Here. Stone. Here. All right. We have no absent members. Vice President Larson is on Zoom. And no amendments to the agenda. So we'll go right to communications from the mayor. Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to uh recognize the staff for all of their hard work on the Dennison splash pad. Thank you to the council members who joined us for the opening. It was a wonderful project. It was years in the making, but I'm glad that we could finally get it done this year. There was a lot of work that went into it beyond merely buying the water fixtures, had to run water lines, sewer lines, had to build a bathroom. A lot of work went into that. So very grateful to Parks and Rec for doing that. Grateful to former counsel vice president Lars, or I'm sorry, uh Davito Russell for joining us. Um and uh this evening also you'll have an update from our owner's representative, Roger Riacchi for the Cumberland Rebuild. And so we look forward to you being able to hear that info and ask questions of him. That's the end of tonight's report. All right. And uh yes, I was there, and it was great to see six kids uh running through there. It was raining, it wasn't particularly warm, and it was but they it was they were oblivious to that. They were just having a ball, and it was great to see. Um, so we have a uh city administrator's report, so Michael Reese for the Reese report. Yes, thank you, President Cuda, Vice President Larson, members of council. Um this is the September 22nd, 2026 edition of the Reach Report. I have uh just two items. Um, our focus as an administration is on the 2027 budget. Uh we started working on the budget in June. We've had we have had detailed meetings with departments the last two weeks and still have a few more departments to meet with over the next week. Our review meetings have been thorough and productive. We will spend the next several weeks following up with departments, crunching numbers and making final decisions as we enter the late October, early November timeframe. Uh number two, we have spent considerable time on the ARPA reconciliation process, meeting frequently, coordinating across departments and getting guidance from the law department so that progress continues. I would encourage anyone tuning in tonight to this meeting to watch the committee of the whole meeting, which just preceded us for a comprehensive ARPA update. And that concludes my report tonight. Thank you, Mr.

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