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CD <br />? <br />? <br />? <br />0 <br />fn- <br />? <br />? <br />cD <br />?r <br />0 <br />? <br />w <br />? <br />z <br />? <br />? <br />? <br />? <br />a <br />? <br />w <br />W <br />a <br />Q <br />Q <br />? <br />? <br />0 <br />? <br />w <br />1?: <br />In- <br />M <br />? <br />o • <br />? <br />C=D <br />N <br />inuMDurtir, rrrrcI L c, iyyc <br />Moiddleburg ks <br />defe of HB 314 <br />Starr calls measure an effort to put <br />Ohao macyor s courts aut of busaness <br />sy xEN wooo <br />Staff WrlEat <br />MddEeburg Heights has latxnched <br />a fxontal aasault aa a bill cify offi- <br />cia3s say could $nanctally cripple <br />their tuayar's court and others in <br />theregton. <br />Middleburg lieights G7ty Councfl <br />last week appmved a resolu#ion <br />urging #he defeat af Amended 5u1o- <br />stftute EIause Bill 514, which wauld <br />change the fonnula fo* diu3ding up <br />municipal court operatkngoosts. <br />Midal.ebtkrg Heights Mayar Gary <br />W. Starr labeled the bill "a back- <br />door attempt 1o el[mina#s meyor's <br />cburts in Cuyahaga County and in <br />the state oFOiuo." <br />Berea has supported the biA say- <br />ing it vrould mare fairly appartion <br />operating vosts in Berea Nlunicipal <br />Courk <br />'i'iie court, which includes Berea, <br />Brook Park, Middleburg He:ghts, <br />Strongsvflle. Qlmsted Falls and <br />Olcnsted Township, has been operat- <br />ii1g A4 a $30t},UOQ de$Gft, 8Cw£d]tlg t0 <br />Berea affieials. Aerea, as frie courE's <br />home city, must cQVer the deficlt. <br />The cities af Srook Park. Middle- <br />burg Heights, Strongsville and <br />Olmsted Falls now opeaate enayor's <br />courts. <br />"We aren't 9pposed ta paying a <br />fair share of the operating sasts af <br />Berea 1Vdunicipal Cnurt," Middle- <br />burg Heights VPard 4 Cauncilman <br />Raymond G. Gut#mann said, "But <br />thekey wardisiair. House Bi11314 is <br />far from fair." <br />5tarr caIIed #he bM "a one hun- <br />dred percent, pure-bredturkey:" <br />The blll. whichhas been apsproved <br />by the ahio House o[ <br />ftegresentatives, would make a city <br />wffh a mayar's courtliahle to pa?q up <br />to 50 perocelrt ofthe moneythat court <br />collects in order to meetthe commn- <br />nity's share ofrnunicipal court oper- <br />a#ngcvsts. <br />A city's paymenta arenow limited <br />ta the amount of money it receiwes <br />in casts, fees and fines 1Yom themu• <br />nicipal oourt. <br />The bill has treen in the Senate Ju- <br />diciary Commfttee, chaaed by 5en. <br />Paul E. PfeiFer, sinr,e July 1991, <br />accarding to tle state's Ieglslative <br />informationservqoe. <br />Just what the bill would mean to <br />Berea Municipal Court dis#riCt cit <br />ies with mayvr's cour#s is being de- <br />babed. <br />Middleburg Helghts, in its <br />resolutflan, l1igEd thE Oh10 SBlla[e tD <br />defeat the bill and Governar George <br />Y. Vainovich to veto it ifft doea pass. <br />Th.e resalution stated that the bill <br />"ahifls the burden of uperating <br />?asses fmm the hast city, which has <br />some conhvl over munfcipal court <br />spending, to cities w9th meyor's <br />eaurts," that have no contrni over <br />suchspending. <br />See COURT, page A9 <br />OTheNewsSan <br />Court that have mayor's caurts and to <br />state lEgi81at0r5, <br />from page A7 <br />Nliddleburg Heights greparcd a <br />ehaFt showfng the possfble flnancial <br />impact of the bill on its own mayar's <br />courk The ehart, wtifch uses 1991 <br />mayor's court ffgures and a worst- <br />casQ scenar:a far the muniicipai <br />court deHcit, ahawed the Mfddle- <br />burg Heights court wi#h a$W oper- <br />atinglass. <br />The mayor's court generated <br />about $300,000 in fines and court <br />ccrsts for the dty in 1991, officaaia <br />said. <br />But Bet+ea Mayor Stanley J. Tnnpa <br />said he belfeved the progosed fund- <br />ing changes wauld cast 14iiddleburg <br />Heights an extra $20.00D to $25.OOD <br />per year, and wauld still nat #1ffly <br />caver his cfty's bill far court opera- <br />ttons. <br />"There's certainly no winclfalt <br />here for the cf#y of Berea," Tru,po <br />said. <br />Starr said he has sent cop9ea of the <br />MidtUebarg Heigh#s resolullon to <br />the 28 citfes in Cuyahoga County <br />According to 5tarr, a "tense" <br />meetiag of the Cuyahoga Gsunty <br />Mayors and City Managers Aawcfa- <br />tian's legislative committca on <br />Friday resulted In a recammenda- <br />tion that the ball efther reccfve "ma <br />jor" changes ar be deYeabed. He said <br />1131ines war#h of amendments had <br />been added ta the bill since the may- <br />ors assaciafion agreLkd to endcrse it <br />lastyear. <br />Trupa acknowledged thet "as (the <br />bill) fs preseated noxv, there are sew <br />erat questions that need . to be <br />answered:" He safd PFeifer had bexn <br />asked ta hold the bill fn cyrnrofttee <br />untll ttwsequeatiansareanswered. <br />State Rep. Racco J. Calanna, D-T, <br />of Brook Park, three weeks ago told <br />NddIeburg Neights City Cauncil <br />that he belleved the bill would not <br />make lt out af commfttee. Ciky offt- <br />cials grllled Calonna, aa"pansorof <br />the legislatlon, whea be was unabla <br />ta tell them specitlcally how much <br />the biU would oost Middleburg <br />Heighla. <br />O