05/16/2000 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 5/16/2000 committee did talk about rates. Cablevision does feel that its rates are comparable to other providers. She did ask about the possibility of giving the senior citizens a discount as this was available when Cablevision first came to the city and it is done in other cities. They promised to get back to the city on that matter. There will be a major upgrade for the transmission system which will begin in approximately three weeks. There are several significant items that were included in this upgrade which will minimize complaints received from residents: pre-construction videotaping of all affected areas; upon completion of all work on private property, the contractor will be required to obtain written approval of the owner as to the satisfactory completion of the installation; an inspector will be assigned full-time to the project; the affected resident and the Service Director must agree to any additional pedestal placements. Cablevision has agreed to do a city-wide mailing at their cost announcing the upgrade project and listing the regulations under which they must work. The committee had no objection to the franchise transfer. Mrs. Kasler, chairperson of the Intra-Governmental Relations and Legislation; Long- Range Planning Committee: 1) A meeting was held last evening, May 15, to discuss Ordinance 99-54. Present were committee members Kasler, Miller and Nashar; all other Council members; Mayor Musial; several guests. Ordinance 99-54 reads as follows: "An ordinance creating new Chapter 177 of the Administrative Code of the City of North Olmsted entitled 'Project Labor Agreements' providing for project labor agreements to be evaluated, negotiated and adhered to in the course of certain building and other improvement projects and declaring an emergency." This ordinance has received an inordinate amount of inappropriate and somewhat deceiving publicity, so it is necessary to make an explanation to everyone here as to what it actually stands for. The ordinance, in essence, provides the Mayor with the ability to consider and negotiate project labor agreements for public improvement projects which exceed $500,000. The goal of a project labor agreement (PLA), is to insure quality workmanship, promote labor peace during construction, insure decent wages, protect against work stoppages, promote on time and on budget projects. The complexity of the project will be a major criteria for assessing whether a project labor agreement is necessary for any particular project in the city. If it is complex, involving various trades and sub-contractors, the Mayor has the ability to negotiate an agreement with the Cleveland Building Trades and Construction Council or other trade unions. Should the Mayor make a determination not to negotiate a project labor agreement, the ordinance provides that that decision is to be presented to City Council for its review and reconsideration with Council having the ability to overturn that rejection and require an agreement. Last evening, the committee discussed several aspects of the ordinance, including two major issues. One, Councilman Miller's suggestion that the $500,000 threshold was unnecessary because projects under $500,000 could be complex enough to be considered and warrant consideration. It was the position of some others that this figure, although arbitrary, was a reasonable indication of a potentially complex project and that number stood as of last evening's meeting. Councilman Gareau suggested that the complexity issue might be made more clear within the ordinance. Labor attorney Joyce Goldstein addressed the committee and responded to a concern that non-union contractors would be prohibited from participating in projects such as those referred to in this ordinance. Ms. Goldstein stated (and Mrs. Kasler 3