02/03/2004 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 2/3/2004 .~•• again, we certainly can have an open forum to discuss the issue. Councilman Nashar: commented that he had voted for the STOP program and noted that the majority of the work is done on I-480, and that highway is a highly traveled road throughout the state. As to police officers sitting in private driveways, that is done when a citizen calls and requests it as there is excessive speeding in a residential area. Also, the department has successfully used the electric speed sign to warn drivers. President O'Grady said he was quoted in the newspaper article and is on record of opposing this program. In the first year of the creation of the program, there was a 400% increase in the number of tickets. Since the creation of the program, North Olmsted has written more tickets that Westlake, Bay Village, Rocky River and Fairview Park combined. Further, in his opinion, there should never be a direct connection between a police officer's responsibility to enforce the law and the amount of income he can make on overtime. Unfortunately, this program creates that perception. If there is fault, it is not the fault of the police officers. The police officers are exercising the program that they were given. If there is fault, the consideration needs to come back to Council. Mr. Mills said he agrees. He has nothing but respect for policemen. But it has given the impression that the police are harassing people. Councilman Gareau said the officers do not harass people. When someone gets pulled over, they have broken a state code or a local ordinance. It's going to be up to the discretion of the individual officer as to whether a warning or tickets is given. If people aren't breaking the law, they don't get pulled over. Mr. Mills questioned whether the officers have a quota for writing tickets. Councilman Gareau said he believed the answer to that question was no. (Due to a tape malfunction, the remainder of the meeting was transcribed from the Clerk's notes.) Councilwoman Kasler also stated that there were no quotas for tickets. Councilman Miller noted that, when STOP concentrated on an area, there was a drop in accidents. It is saving people ftom injury. Don Pangrac, 23470 Sharon Drive • Commented that Claque Road is full of potholes. He noted that Westlake puts tar on the cracks. • There was a Plain Dealer article noting that Brunswick is exploring getting water from other sources. North Olmsted needs to continue to look at other sources. Councilman Dailey agreed Claque Road was in bad shape. Service Director Driscoll came forward to say that the road will be repaired by the county in 2006. There is no indication that they can put it into their schedule any time sooner. It has been covered with snow much of January, but the city has been out there recently to fill the potholes. The asphalt isn't holding up. He is in contact with a company that can install asphalt in winter. Something needs to be done to make the road reasonable to be driven on. Councilman Miller asked why the city is maintaining the patching, isn't the county responsible? Mr. Driscoll said it was not the county's responsibility to make the temporary improvements. 13 r,. ~..,, ~ ..