10/04/2011 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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,.~. Ah Council Minutes of 10-04-2011 Mayor Kennedy: • He spoke with regard to Ordinance 2011-96 which is an Ordinance dispensing with an RFP process and authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with Johnson, Miller & Schmitz LLP providing for the latter to continue to serve as the City's labor negotiator, and declaring an emergency. He realizes this is a touchy subject but the company's effectiveness has saved and created union jobs that the city intends to keep. Some important things to touch on that this law firm has done is help reform health coverage which has saved about $1 million per year, saved $55,000 from the weekend bonus in the Fire Dept., reductions in Fire Dept. overtime and created three new Service Dept. positions. He would never ask the unions to not have a professional negotiator on their side of the table. He said that Council works for the residents and they rely on Council to make decisions. If Council makes a decision to vote no on this Ordinance, they are putting special interests in front of the residents. If Johnson is retained, the Administration will provide Council with a monthly report of his fees and his progress. Director of Law Gareau: • The 1973 Citizen of the Year, James Davis, has passed away. He was a former Chairman of the Planning Commission and former President of the Jaycees. • Should the Sewer Rate Ordinance be passed, the process of opening negotiations with the City of Fairview Park and Olmsted Township through the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office will begin to amend their agreements with the City of North Olmsted. In the area of property maintenance, the asphalt is in significant disrepair in the Powerhouse Gym parking lot. They will be proposing to have a plan in place this Fall to rehab the parking lot. Stearns Plaza is in the process of doing the exact same thing. Charges were filed in what is known as the Waxman Carpet Building, which is an asphalt claim as well. The owner of the old radiator shop at 23525 Lorain plead to a fourth degree misdemeanor sign violation and he will be removing the abandoned pole sign. He participated in the wage reopener with AFSCME Clerical/Tech on Sept. 30, 2011. An agreement was reached. Director of Finance Copfer: • She and the Asst Finance Director attended the Government Finance Officers Association Conference which was held in Cleveland this year. There was a lot of talk about the economy, the continued decline in state revenues, the loss of the estate tax completely\ and the first year of collections for the reappraisal year which will be at least a 10% cut. • She prepared information on the negotiations and why it's important to the residents of the community and how it has impacted the budget of the taxpayers. They were able to achieve savings to keep people employed. The unions have given up a lot, and she expects that they will have expectations that will not be 2