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Lakewood, leading to a final score of 2.55.Normally this figure would have led to a lower credit rating, <br /> however Moody's looks behind just the 12 statistics that compose the scorecard, and considers things <br /> such as the city's many stable institutions, stable budgeting over time, etc. Moody's does their <br /> assessments of each city in the fall annually, sometimes visiting the city and other times gathering <br /> information over the phone. Mayor George raised concerns regarding the city receiving a B-grade in the <br /> category of debt/pension liability. Mr. Rink explained that all cities in Ohio receive the same grade due to <br /> the singular pension system for municipal employees statewide. <br /> Councilmember Rader sought insight into how leadership of a city can quickly ruin its credit rating. Mr. <br /> Rink indicated that having an unbalanced budget and having multiple years where reserves were used to <br /> plug gaps in the budget due to the presence of more expenditures than revenues. <br /> The committee and the city's bond counsel then reviewed items 1-10 on the Finance meeting notice and <br /> the various projects that were associated with each debt. Councilmembers again surmised about the <br /> timing of projects and whether that$5.5 million was enough for new projects. Mayor George cautioned <br /> Council about upcoming significant financial commitments that the city has, such as the Cove Church <br /> project and the environmental issues found at the former Lakewood Hospital site. She noted that the $4.7 <br /> million in the city's land acquisition fund will not cover the cost of the Cove Church project, as its cost <br /> has doubled since last year. Her administration is in the process of meeting with Lakewood's state level <br /> representatives to attract funding to the project. Acting Director Schuster also noted the benefits of <br /> making steady improvements over time via a capital plan that has been and is currently in place, and its <br /> positive effect on maintenance schedules. <br /> Members of the committee briefly discussed street repair schedules, obstacles preventing the demolition <br /> of the Vista bridge, and the decision to lease public safety vehicles instead of purchasing them. Minor <br /> changes to Ordinances 49-19 and 50-19 were reviewed as well. <br /> Chairman Bullock made a motion to substitute Ordinance 49-19 as drafted, which was seconded by <br /> Councilmember Litten. All members voted in favor. Motion passed. <br /> Chairman Bullock made a motion to recommend Ordinance 49-19 as substituted for passage by full <br /> Council,which was seconded by Councilmember Litten. All members voted in favor. Motion passed. <br /> Chairman Bullock made a motion to substitute Ordinance 50-19 as drafted, which was seconded by <br /> Councilmember Neff. All members voted in favor. Motion passed. <br /> Chairman Bullock made a motion to recommend Ordinance 50-19 as substituted for passage by full <br /> Council,which was seconded by Councilmember Neff. All members voted in favor. Motion passed. <br /> Chairman Bullock made a motion to recommend Ordinances 51-19 through 57-19 for adoption by full <br /> Council,which was seconded by Councilmember Litten. All members voted in favor. Motion passed. <br /> Chairman Bullock made a motion to recommend adoption of Ordinance 58-19 pending an amendment on <br /> the floor that we anticipate from the Acting Finance Director, which was seconded by Councilmember <br /> Litten. All members voted in favor. Motion passed. <br /> The meeting was adjourned at 7:27 p.m. <br />