Mayor urges support for Issue 14 as council approves borrowing for street repairs and ambulances

Garfield Heights Mayor Matthew Burke called on residents to research and vote on Issue 14, a proposed amendment to section 58 of the city charter that would change how land‑use conversions are approved, and the council approved multiple borrowing measures to pay for street repairs and ambulances during the regular council meeting in April 2025.

Burke told the council and audience that Issue 14 would shift some land‑use decisions from a required resident referendum to local review by the planning board, zoning board of appeals and council. "Issue 14 is an amendment to section 58 of our city charter, which just addresses land use changes," he said, and added, "If it passes, you're just gonna basically see development happen much faster." The mayor said the measure is on the May 6 ballot.

Why it matters: council members and staff said the city needs faster land‑use decisions to attract development; residents said the city also needs quicker, visible fixes to streets and better communication about public property maintenance.

Council action on borrowing and ambulances

Council voted to authorize notes in anticipation of bonds for several street‑repair projects and to allow financing for ambulances. The ordinances specify limits on the amounts the city may borrow for those projects and delegate to the finance director and the city’s bond counsel the work needed to sell the notes when market conditions are determined.

The finance director explained the market timeline for short‑term notes: the city typically takes notes to market in June and doesn’t know the purchaser or the exact interest rate until that marketing day. "You will not know who's going to purchase the note until the note goes to market, which is usually in June," the finance director said. The law director and bond counsel told residents the ordinances are written to cap the amounts and are not a blank check. As one staff speaker put it during procedural remarks, the ordinance language limiting dollar amounts and the statutory sections are what bind the city and prevent an open‑ended commitment.

Residents press council on streets and property upkeep

Several residents used the meeting’s citizen‑comment period to press council on street conditions and on how city notices are posted on private property. Rosalie Drive residents described deep potholes and recurring patchwork that they say has not been fully repaired.

"The streets are raggedy," said Leishawn Ledger, a Rosalie Drive resident. Ledger said her neighborhood’s pavement has not been resurfaced in years and that recent cold‑patch repairs were insufficient. Kanisha Crenshaw, who owns property on Rosalie, said the deep potholes create safety risks and vehicle damage, and asked the council to give residents a timeline for repairs.

Council members and the mayor said staff will place the streets on the engineer’s list for evaluation and explained that full paving is coordinated with underlying utility work to avoid repaving streets that will soon be dug up. The mayor noted the city can leverage outside partners (examples given included Cleveland Water and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District) to pay for utility replacements that trigger full road repaving.

The mayor and council also acknowledged public concerns about municipal notices (residents said some properties remain on a long‑term code‑violation list and that some posting practices were confusing) and about the former Roosevelt Elementary site, which residents said has left mud and erosion on the adjacent roadway since demolition. The mayor said the property is in the land bank and staff would schedule an engineer review and a community engagement meeting to define options for the site.

Conflicting numbers noted in meeting record

During the mayor’s remarks and later ordinance presentations, two different figures were referenced for the ambulance borrowing ordinance: the mayor referred to $450,000 in his report, while the ordinance text read in the meeting later specified a different cap. City staff and bond counsel explained the ordinance sections control the legal limit and that exhibit numbers can be updated as the financing is finalized. Because the meeting transcript contained both figures, the record reflects that inconsistency and staff said they will ensure the final ordinance exhibits match the adopted cap.

Next steps

Issue 14 will appear on the May 6 ballot. The council authorized staff to proceed with note and bond preparations; city staff said the next formal step for the notes is the market sale process typically conducted in June, after which the exact purchaser and interest rate will be known. The mayor and several council members also committed to follow up with residents about Rosalie Drive and to set a neighborhood meeting about the Roosevelt Elementary site.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified in the council transcript and include Mayor Matthew Burke, the finance director (staff), the law director (staff), and residents Leishawn Ledger and Kanisha Crenshaw.