12/17/2002 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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' . Council Minutes of 12/17/2002 Paul Barker, 23629 Carriage Lane '- Before the speed limit was changed on Great Northern Boulevard, the issue was discussed in a committee meeting. At that time, he remembers asking the Traffic Engineer whether the speed limit on Canterbury Road should be changed, and the answer was no. He does not recall a meeting to discuss the change of the Canterbury Road speed. Dennis Lambert, 25057 Carey Lane ^ As for a comparative analysis, Trebisky Road in Richmond Hts. goes through to South Euclid. As you enter Trebisky in South Euclid, it is a through road at 35 mph, but the speed drops to 25 mph in Richmond Hts. He is not certain what the distance of the road is but feels that state funding was used to repair it. Mr. Nashar noted that Lorain Road changes from 35 mph to 2S mph in Fairview Fark. Dan Coyle, 8625 Brentwood Drive, Olmsted Township, secretary of Local 1267 ^ As to Mr. Limpert's comments about the Lorain fire fighters, some of our city fire fighters went to Lorain to march with their brothers. It is a shame that 16 people lost their jobs, especially at Christmas. It is a shame they closed the fire station, and a shame they stopped functioning a ladder truck. Mr. Limpert's remarks came across as suggesting what happened was acceptable and that public safety is something that can be axed when things go wrong. He doesn't think it is, and he does not want those things to happen in North Olmsted. Mr. Limpert did not mean for his comments to be taken that way. He supports the Fire Department, and his voting record will show he has supported the department in matters of equipment and increased staffing. He is very concerned about the city. We are not experiencing a unique situation as to finances-other cities are experiencing problems also. He doesn't find layoffs an enjoyable thing and would suggest finding other solutions to avoid layoffs. By the same token, there are taxpayers who are being laid off. Council must begin substantive discussions on what it will take to fix our problems. He is very sorry that there is a trust issue going on. If his remarks were taken as suggesting he thinks it's okay to cut back on any services, that is not so. At this point, there was a lengthy discussion with several Council members expressing their desire to begin serious discussions on the 2003 appropriations. The Mayor explained that he had presented the General Fund portion as a "preliminary" budget. Council is anxious to play their role in this process; however, the Mayor has not yet presented the final complete balanced budget. David Boatman, 2093 Brawn, president of the fire fighters union ^ Questioned whether Mr. Limpert was in favor of not funding the Assistant Fire Chief's position. Mr. Limpert answered he is aware that the Assistant Chief s role is very important; but, if it means losing fire fighters, he feels it would be in the best interest and safety of residents to have the fire fighters. Staffing is a problem for many suburban fire departments. We may need to consider regionalizing fire service in the future. 16 - _ , ,.~r~ s..