08/20/2002 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 8/20/2002 ~. Ordinance Nos. 2002-118 and 2002-119, introduced by Councilmen McKay and Nashar. Ordinance 2002-118 amends Sections 1149.02, 1149.03, 1149.041, 1149.07 of Chapter 1149 of the Zoning Code, Mixed Use District, in order to provide more flexibility for land development in Mixed Use District "D" and further to protect the adjacent residential districts from the adverse impacts of the development of this Mixed Use District classification. Ordinance 2002-119 provides for the amendment of the Zoning Map of the City of North Olmsted by changing the zoning for the approximately 24-acre vacant parcel of land along the north side of Brookpark Road between Great Northern Boulevard and Columbia Road, and commonly known as "Parcel E," from Office Use District to Mixed Use "D" District. The committee recommended approval of the legislation, both of which will need public hearings. Councilwoman Kasler, chairperson of the Public Safety Committee: 1) The Safety Committee met this evening at 6:45 p.m. Present were committee members, other Council members, the Mayor, the Law Director, Officer Chuck Holly from the North Olmsted Police Department, invited guests Bob Pollack from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Kathy Wesolowski, Injury Prevention Director from Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. Mr. Pollack, from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, presenrted a report with regard to safety belts. The issue is whether safety belt violations should be a primary offense in the City of North Olmsted. The focus of the National Highway Safety Administration is preventing loss of life and reducing the loss of property and property damage. The facts that were presented were numerous, but some of the highlights were that seat belts are the single-most effective safety preventive device and device in preventing injury. One fact presented was that 11,980 fatalities were prevented by the use of seat belts in any given year. Even though those facts were given and many more that promoted the use of safety belts, the usage is not as high as it should be. When mandatory seat belt laws began in 1984, national campaigns and state law upgrades helped to increase the usage. Non-use of seat belts in North Olmsted is presently a secondary offense, meaning that the citation is issued only if another violation occurs first. There is a proposal pending that will increase that to a primary offense. This is what is being considered and investigated and what Council was being educated on with regard to the presentation. According to a cost-crash estimator program that is provided by the National Highway Safety Administration, if North Olmsted has a 67% usage, one life would be saved and 52 serious injuries prevented. Currently, the usage rate is North Olmsted is 61%. Also, there is an economic impact based on the loss of productivity of anyone injured, property damage that occurs, medical expenses and EMS runs. Officer Holly from the Police Departmenrt provided the North Olmsted Police Department perspective on this issue and discussed the fact that the Police Department is not interested in revenue of tickets but rather in lives that would be saved based on the usage of safety belts. He cited the American College of Emergency Physicians, which he believes is an objective party, and said that they have stated that adults who do not buckle up send a deadly message to children. They have found that, when adults do not use seat belts in a car, that in those same cars where children are present, 70% of the children are also not buckled. That is a serious concern to our Police Department. Several questions were asked and answered, some were left unanswered and will be looked into. Mr. Limpert asked a good question as to why seat belts are not 7