Council approves series of contracts, grants, side-lot sales and capital items in unanimous votes

Shaker Heights City Council approved a package of motions and ordinances March 31, including financing to support sewer capital work, contracts for planning and engineering, capital appropriations for park improvements, equipment financing for the public works department and a series of side-lot and small property transfers. Most items were adopted unanimously under suspension of the rules.

Key measures approved included:

- Sewer financing: Council approved issuance of $2,000,000 in bond anticipation notes to fund the city's multi-year sewer capital plan. Finance staff and the municipal advisor said BANs are more efficient for the city's immediate small-dollar financing needs than a full bond issuance; the plan is to roll these notes for the next three years and consider a bond when critical mass is reached.

- Professional services and capital contracts: Council authorized multiple consultant contracts on first reading, including: - ZoneCo: up to $59,925 for a Lee Road zoning code update to implement the Lee Road Action Plan. - Weber Murphy Fox: up to $140,000 to design a City Hall addition and renovate the old fire bay and lobby, including security and HVAC upgrades. - Chagrin Valley Engineering: up to $477,500 for the Winslow-Avalon sewer study and design project (50% reimbursable grant from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District). - DLZ Ohio Inc.: construction inspection services (estimated $75,000 for 2025 with options to renew through 2027). - Zoneco and Chagrin Valley engineering contracts were reported as funded from capital line items or grant reimbursements as noted in memos.

- Capital projects and equipment: - Hildana Park improvements: $200,000 in Cuyahoga County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and supplemental grant funds were appropriated for park improvements and coordinated public art. - Vaccon sewer cleaner truck: Council authorized a six-year lease arrangement with NCL Government Capital for a 2025 Vaccon dual-engine combination sewer cleaner truck; the structure includes a sale-back arrangement after five years, with an annual lease payment of $102,234 reported by the administration.

- Human resources/IT relocation and inspection services: Contract approvals were granted to support City Hall renovations and to provide inspection staffing during the construction season.

- Fair housing and workplace protections: - Council adopted a resolution proclaiming April 2025 as Fair Housing Month and reaffirmed the city's long-standing fair housing ordinance and partnership with the Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research. - Council adopted a resolution expanding the city's equal employment opportunity policy to prohibit discrimination based on natural hair texture and hairstyles, aligning local policy with the state CROWN Act passed in the Ohio House.

- Conditional use and land-use confirmations: - Council confirmed a conditional use permit for Superior Academy Training Center to operate a specialized instructional school at 3649 Lee Road (training for up to 10 individuals in CPR, home health care and nursing assistance training).

- Side-lot and small property transfers: - Council approved 17 separate transfers of city-owned side lots and small parcels to adjacent property owners (sales commonly for $1), each approved by separate ordinance so each conveyance becomes part of that property's title history and so challenges to any single title would not cloud others. Several transfers were conditioned on minor open housing-code items being resolved by May 30, 2025.

- Administrative housekeeping: - Council approved a then-and-now certificate for an inadvertent purchase-order timing issue and fixed council compensation for the term starting Jan. 1, 2028 at $12,500 (no change from the current scheduled increase already adopted to take effect Jan. 1, 2026).

Votes and process: Many items were approved on first reading and under suspension of the rules, with unanimous or near-unanimous roll-call votes recorded. Committees (finance, safety & public works, planning) reviewed most contracts and recommended approval; memos cited funding sources, grant reimbursements, and public engagement schedules where appropriate.

Why it matters: The approved measures fund immediate capital work (notably sewer infrastructure and park upgrades), move forward zoning and planning work needed for Lee Road implementation, and transfer small city-owned lots to neighbors — a city priority to reduce maintenance burdens and encourage private stewardship. Several grants and reimbursement funding sources were identified in memos and committee discussions.

Administration follow-up: Departments committed to returning to council with reports or public hearings on larger land-use and zoning changes (zoning code updates will include public hearings at planning commission and council readings); grant-funded projects will be managed per grant timetables.