Strongsville council approves recycling grant application, jail-fee changes and $40,334 contract amendment; three zoning-board reappointments

Strongsville City Council on Jan. 21 unanimously approved a set of ordinances and three reappointments, including an application for a $6,000 Cuyahoga County recycling-awareness grant, amendments to fees charged for use of the city's municipal jail facilities and a $40,334 modification to the contract with MS Consultants for the Fultz Parkway extension.

The council voted to accept and authorize filing of an application for financial assistance with the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District under the 2025 Community Recycling Awareness Grant Program; the ordinance declares an emergency and authorizes the mayor to accept any awarded funds. Council then suspended the rules and adopted the ordinance by roll-call vote.

Council also suspended and adopted an ordinance that revises fees charged to other police departments for use of the city's jail facilities. Council members and staff said the updated schedule raises the daily incarceration fee in some categories, removes fees for activities the city no longer performs, and adds a charge for requests by other agencies for copies of inmate telephone calls. Administration officials said the proposed schedule charges $20 for requests for phone-conversation logs as written, but that staff will double-check whether the charge should apply per individual call or per request before finalizing internal public-records policy. City staff also noted that a recently enacted state law sets a separate public-fees regime for body-worn-camera videos and that the two regimes are distinct.

In a separate vote the council approved an ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute a modification to the professional engineering, design and consulting contract with MS Consultants for the Fultz Parkway extension, adding $40,334 and bringing the contract total to $487,403. City staff said the increase stemmed from extra time and costs for permit approvals and environmental coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Ohio EPA, and from negotiations over wetlands mitigation.

Council also approved three reappointments to the city Board of Zoning Appeals: Richard Baldwin (four-year term effective Feb. 15, 2025, through Feb. 14, 2029), Dustin M. Hayden (term effective March 15, 2025, through March 14, 2029) and John J. Rusnoff (term effective March 15, 2025, through March 14, 2029). Each reappointment was moved and seconded and carried on roll-call votes.

All of the above ordinances were presented as emergency measures and, after motions to suspend the rules, passed on the same night by unanimous roll-call votes. Council members said the jail-fee schedule can be revised later if the administration identifies an error in how the phone-call charge is applied.

The law director reported that Strongsville and other municipalities had filed objections to an AT&T application seeking to charge cities for certain right-of-way work; after those municipal objections, AT&T withdrew the application. The law director cautioned that AT&T could revisit the issue in amended form and said the city will monitor any further filings.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 2025008: Application for Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District 2025 Community Recycling Awareness Grant Program; authorizes acceptance of funds; declared emergency. Outcome: adopted (unanimous roll call). Amount requested/authorized to accept: $6,000. Motion: moved and seconded; tally: unanimous yes.

- Ordinance 2025009: Amendment to fees for use of municipal jail facilities (codified ordinances chapter referenced in the ordinance text). Outcome: adopted (unanimous roll call). Key points: increases some incarceration fees, deletes fees no longer used, adds a charge for copies of inmate telephone conversations requested by outside agencies. Administration will clarify whether the $20 phone-call request charge applies per prisoner or per individual call before any administrative policy change.

- Ordinance 2025010: Modification to professional engineering design and consulting contract with MS Consultants, Inc., for Fultz Parkway extension phase 2. Outcome: adopted (unanimous roll call). Contract increase: $40,334; new total reported $487,403. Reason: additional permit and environmental coordination time, including work with the Army Corps of Engineers and Ohio EPA and wetlands negotiations.

- Reappointments to Board of Zoning Appeals: Richard Baldwin; Dustin M. Hayden; John J. Rusnoff. Each reappointment approved by roll call.

What this means: The recycling grant application allows the city to seek county funds for its 2025 recycling outreach newsletter; the jail-fee ordinance updates internal charges and clarifies what the city will bill other agencies for using jail facilities; the MS Consultants amendment covers extra consultant work tied to permitting and environmental review; and the zoning-board reappointments maintain continuity on that board.

Council indicated the jail-fee schedule could be amended later if staff determine the phone-call charge needs to be assessed differently. The law department said the city will continue to monitor AT&T's filings in light of the company’s recent withdrawal of the contested application.