10/19/1999 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 10/19/1999 protection against the flooding of basements while improving the retention basin of the golf course, irrigation and erosion control. The detailed analysis will cost approximately $100,000, and the city would contribute $25,000 in the form of in-house engineering. The committee recommended approval. President Saringer announced that the next Council meeting would take place on Wednesday, November 3, due to the general election on Tuesday. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION Dennis Lambert, 25057 Carey Lane, said that the heavy rainstorm last week caused the sewer system in the Carey/Allendale area to fill up. He is concerned about the church building expansion in that area. He is hoping that the city will closely monitor to make sure that none of the water from this new construction gets into the Carey/Allendale sewer system. With any heavy rainstorm, the sewer system is right up to capacity. Also, the city put in some money repairing the street and the street is beginning to crumble around where the drainage is in front of his home. Mr. Lambert asked that an article from the Free Times newspaper be distributed to Council. He knows Council is considering a land issue involving an RTA proposal, and this article is about RTA wanting to run the red line to the western suburbs of Berea and Olmsted Falls. This will mean apark-n-ride. Apparently, those suburbs are fighting the proposal. He is concerned about our city's land use. He feels the park-n-ride will convert useful land into non-tax generating land. On the issue of deregulation of electrical utilities, he had previously brought documentation to Council of electric rates in southern Ohio which showed that northern Ohio is paying more for electricity. He is a proponent of the city going into its own business to provide electrical power, and he is glad that a Charter change was passed which allows the city to buy power. Mr. McKay noted that there has been some talk about the Westshore communities forming a co-cop to have a greater buying power of electricity for the area. Mayor Musial said that preliminary indications from First Energy's proposal is that it will cost an additional 3.4 cents per kilowatt hour. This would mean an increase of 24% in summer electric rates and a 28% increase in winter rates. So, even if we get a discount, we still may be paying more money. We need to look at this issue very carefully. This is one of the reasons that the west side mayors are joining together to study this issue. John Nauer, area manager with the Illuminating Company, noted that the Mayor had formed a committee, of which he is a member, to address this issue. The committee is looking into possible cost benefits to the city with this aggregation. He noted that the 45 days allotted to review the 7,000 page First Energy proposal was a requirement of the PUCO. Eric Zagrans, Law Director for the City of North Ridgeville, said he was ready to answer questions about the agreement between North Olmsted and North Ridgeville concerning the proposed Cypress Avenue at the western border of the city. Council's approval of the legislation allowing Mayor Musial to negotiate and enter into this agreement will resolve litigation that is currently set to go to trial on Thursday morning. That is the reason for