Shaker Heights Council approves housing code changes, hires plan examiners and sends museum levy to ballot; gets solar update

Shaker Heights City Council on April 28 confirmed a mayoral appointment, approved contracts for commercial plan review, adopted changes to the city's point-of-sale housing program, accepted a $300,000 private grant for a regional mental-health response effort and voted to place a 0.3-mill levy for the Shaker Historical Museum on the November ballot. Council also received an update on the proposed service-center roof and solar project and heard public comments on point-of-sale services and on senior services.

Council confirmed the mayor's nomination of William McCrae to the Civil Service Commission to fill an unexpired term running through Dec. 31, 2026. McCrae, who addressed the council, said, "I'm just happy to be home." The nomination passed on a roll-call vote with all members present voting aye.

Why it matters: The Civil Service Commission oversees hiring and promotional processes for the city's police and fire departments; filling an unexpired seat restores the commission's full membership for upcoming personnel actions.

Contracts for plan review

Council approved an ordinance authorizing personal-service contracts with CPL Architects and Sixmo Architecture to provide commercial plans-examiner services for up to five years, at a not-to-exceed amount of $130,000 each. Director Krewson told council the Ohio Building Code and the Ohio Board of Building Standards require the city to retain a commercial plans examiner for review of commercial plan submissions; the contracts replace an expiring agreement and a resigned backup reviewer. Krewson said fees charged by the firms are passed through to permit applicants and that both CPL and Sixmo submitted competitive rates and relevant experience. The council voted to suspend the rules and approve the ordinance on first reading.

Point-of-sale housing code amendments

Council voted to amend sections of the city's point-of-sale housing code in three parts as a first phase of changes staff presented earlier to the Neighborhood and Economic Development Committee. Director Krewson described the three changes as:

- Increasing the number of allowable partial disbursements from escrow and lowering the minimum partial-disbursement threshold from $5,000 to $2,000 so homeowners can access escrowed funds sooner to pay contractors for completed repairs; - Standardizing the validity period for a certificate used for transfers so it expires 24 months from the date the first inspection document is issued (whether a certificate of inspection or a certificate of compliance), to reduce inconsistencies in how long prior inspections remain valid for sale; and - Requiring escrow accounts established under the point-of-sale program to be placed in the buyer's name where practicable, to reduce disputes between sellers and buyers and to incentivize buyers to complete required repairs.

Council members said they expected only a modest fiscal impact; staff said an analysis of 2024 activity suggested the 24-month change would have resulted in about 12,000 fewer point-of-sale inspections under the new rule set. The ordinance passed on suspension of the rules, with implementation support including updated forms, staff training and realtor webinars; staff said the changes are planned to go live May 28.

Grant for regional mental-health response

Council approved acceptance of a $300,000 George Gund Foundation grant to support the First Call program (a regional mental-health response/local linkage program) for the period April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026, and declared an emergency to expedite access to funds. Staff said the grant helps sustain the program into a third year amid staff turnover and underspending in earlier months.

Museum levy resolution

Council adopted a resolution of necessity to place a 0.3-mill levy on the ballot to support the Shaker Historical Museum, pursuant to state law for free public museums. Council members debated whether to instead continue direct subsidies; Councilmember Malone said he would vote no and preferred continued direct city subsidy before a vote, saying, "I am gonna vote no," while stressing he supports the museum's work. The resolution passed on a recorded vote with one councilmember voting no. If council proceeds after certification by the county fiscal officer and board of elections, the levy would appear on the ballot under the timelines required by the elections process; levy renewals would occur every five years.

Solar roof project update (work session)

Council received an update on the service-center roof and rooftop solar proposal. Staff reported that initial estimates have risen as the proposal evolved: new roof work for the service-center buildings is now estimated at about $2.4 million and the combined project including solar has grown from earlier $1.0'million estimates to roughly $4.0 million in absolute dollars before tax credits. Staff and the administration are negotiating a design-build contract with Compass Engineering and said the roofing contract with Engineered Systems is signed and construction is scheduled to start in July with roof completion targeted for September'mid-October.

The administration outlined a plan to pursue federal investment tax credits available to municipalities through a direct-pay mechanism and to pursue the domestic-content bonus that can raise the credit from 30% to as much as 40% (a 10-point bonus). Staff cautioned that there are timing and eligibility uncertainties: (1) the city would start construction in 2025, (2) apply to the IRS for credit verification in 2026 and (3) receive any credit payment in 2027 if approved. Under staff scenarios the project's payback is roughly 18 years with the investment tax credit and 22'25 years without it; staff said the city can scale the array size to meet a budget ceiling if council decides a cap on reserve use is needed. Councilmembers expressed support for the project's climate benefits while asking for a clear cost ceiling and updated scenarios once Compass provides firm pricing.

Public comment and other items

Two residents addressed the council during public comment. Eileen Beal praised the city's point-of-sale staff for helpfulness in locating contractors and discussed data on the city's older-adult population, urging more recreation and services for seniors. Hazel Smith, representing the Friends of the Shaker Historical Museum, thanked council for advancing the levy resolution.

Votes at a glance

- Confirm appointment: William McCrae to Civil Service Commission (term to 12/31/2026). Outcome: approved (roll-call; unanimous among present members). - Ordinance: Contracts with CPL Architects and Sixmo Architecture for commercial plans-examiner services, up to five years, not-to-exceed $130,000 each. Outcome: approved on first reading as an emergency/suspension. - Ordinance: Amend point-of-sale housing code (partial disbursements threshold to $2,000; certificate validity standardized to 24 months from first document; escrow accounts to be in buyer's name). Outcome: approved on suspension (effective implementation planned May 28). - Resolution: Proclaim May 2025 Bike Month. Outcome: approved. - Ordinance/Resolution: Accept George Gund Foundation grant, $300,000 for First Call regional mental-health program (04/01/2025'03/31/2026). Outcome: approved as emergency. - Resolution: Declare necessity to place a 0.3-mill levy to fund the Shaker Historical Museum (Ohio Revised Code provision for free public museums). Outcome: approved (one recorded no vote).

What to watch next

- Administration will return with a more detailed budget scenario and recommended reserve cap for the solar project once Compass provides final contract numbers and domestic-content choices. - Staff will implement the point-of-sale code changes and run informational sessions for realtors; the effective date staff stated is May 28.

Ending note: Council adjourned the regular meeting and moved into a work session for the solar update. Meeting minutes, committee memos and staff analyses referenced at the meeting are available on the city website.