03/01/1994 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 3/1/94 7) Since March is Red Cross Month, the city is flying the Red Cross flag at City Hall. Also, a proclamation in recognition of Red Cross month has been prepared and will be sent to the Red Cross. 8) March marks the 63rd anniversary of the North Olmsted Municipal Bus Line and the 191st birthday of the State of Ohio. Law Director Gareau reported: l) Occasionally, the Service Department sends uncollected bills for property damage to the Law Department. This week the Law Department received $250 from an individual who damaged a city street. We also have a commitment from an insurance company for approximately $500 to repair damages to a fire hydrant. These funds will be used. to replenish the account for property damage repairs. 2) On the President's Day holiday, Mr. Gareau attended the annual Cuyahoga County Law Directors' seminar which reviews recent municipal issues. 3) On Friday, March 4, Mr. Gareau will attend the semi annual Ohio Municipal Attorneys' Association seminar in Columbus. 4) An aluminum siding company has threatened a lawsuit against the city because of the no solicitation ordinance. In the past, Mr. Gareau has resisted any effort to change these ordinances and he will continue to do so. The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld no solicitation ordinances, commonly referred to as Green River Ordinances; however, the constitutionality of these ordinances has not been tested in the sixth circuit of the Federal courts. Mr. Gareau is prepared to defend the no solicitation ordinance. Members of Council agreed that the city should not vohurtarily change these ordinances because of the safety issue. 5) Another lawsuit, Fox vs. Simmons, has been received by the Law Department. This involves a party being unhappy with the construction of a building. Mr. Gareau will file a motion for summary judgment because the city has governmental immunity. 6) With regard to the Shadrack case which deals with a person who fell through a grate while riding a bicycle, the medical reports have been analyzed and it has been determined that the collateral source rule applies to most of the monetary damages being reque~ed. Blue Cross has already paid most of the costs; therefore, Mr. Gareau has notified the insurance counsel to be sure that these costs are not reimbursed. Finance Director Burns reported: 1) On tonight's agenda are Ordinances 94-49 through 94-53, which represent a rollover of existing bonds that come due on March 24. These ordinances have been discussed in Finance Committee. 2) At a recent Finance Committee meeting, the question was asked whether the Finance Department tracks interest rates. The answer to this question is, `des." The Finance Department tracks four interest rates: the prime rate; the Fed fund rate; the discount rate; the 26 month Treasury Bill rate. In addition, the departmerrt receives as Interest Rate Summary from National City Investments. One section of this publication deals solely with municipal issues, which has been of great help because of the amount of borrowings that the city has done during the past several years. Mr. Lind, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, reported: 1) The Finance Committee has met four times since the last Council meeting. The first meeting was held at 7 p.m. on February 16. In attendance were committee members Lind, McKay, Musial; Council 2