City Council Agendas / Approved Minutes

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES CITY OF GARFIELD HEIGHTS, OHIO Thursday, June 10, 2021 (Note: This meeting was conducted via Zoom due to the current Covid-19 outbreak.) PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Okay, here it is. 6:30 p.m. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to call this Special Council meeting to handle what started out as just interviews and since then two items have been entered into that to add to the meeting. One is possible litigation and the other one is employee discipline. The two last ones that were added are going to concern attorneys that we’re paying. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to take those first because the interviews will take some time and I can't have attorneys on the clock sitting around for about an hour, hour and a half. I discussed this with Mr. Riley and he is in agreement with this. Before we get into that, I have a couple of things I'd like to go over. On Monday, we'll be back in regular Council chambers. We will be doing the regular Council meeting. I'll get into that more after the meeting. I just want to make you aware of that. Okay, so what I'm going to do is, I would like to call to order this meeting for 6:30 p.m. on 6/10/2021 to handle the items I just had mentioned: the interviews, pending litigation and employee discipline. Barb, would you take a roll call please? Members Present: Jason X. Blake, Council Ward 5 Chuck Donahue, Council Ward 2 Michael Dudley, Sr., Council Ward 1 Avery Johnson, Council Ward 4 Michael T. Nenadovich, Council President, Council Ward 3 Frank Tagliarini, Council Ward 6 Thomas Vaughn, Council Ward 7 Others Present: Tim Riley, Law Director PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Let the record show that all seven Council members are present for this Special meeting. Moving along here, the interviews will be conducted in Executive Session, as we did with the Council people, so that nobody can hear what we're asking the questions, and they can give their honest answer and no other answers so the other people have any preview of what we will be asking. It is going to be, Tim, I don't know how long we're going to take on the pending litigation and the employee discipline. Have you any kind of time limit on that? LAW DIRECTOR RILEY: I don't think it'll be that long. I'm hoping to keep it within 15 minutes. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: For both items? LAW DIRECTOR RILEY: Yes. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Okay. So the interviewees, we're going to have to go into Executive Session for this pending litigation and employee discipline, as the Ohio Revised Code 1 dictates we can do. We will be back in probably about 20 minutes. We will get back to you and we will take the interviews in alphabetical order. I believe I do have them in alphabetical order. So when we come back, our first interviewee will be Brenda Carpenter. So right now, I want to turn the meeting over to Mr. Jason Blake to take us into a breakout room admitting Mr. Riley and all of Council. Are the attorneys online, Tim? LAW DIRECTOR RILEY: Yes, we need Greg Geist admitted and we would need Jeff Jerome admitted, but you need to make a motion first. CLMN VAUGHN: Mr. Chairman, I'd like to make a motion that we go into Executive Session, please. LAW DIRECTOR RILEY: You need to state the reasons. CLMN VAUGHN: To discuss matters of litigation and employee discipline. Is that good enough, Tim? PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Can I have a second please. LAW DIRECTOR RILEY: I would include the interviews on this. You don't have to do it again. CLMN VAUGHN: And the interviews for the Council Clerk position. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Thank you, Tim. Can I have a second? CLMN DONAHUE: I second that. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Mr. Donahue seconds that. Barb, take a roll call starting with Mr. Vaughn. AYES: Vaughn, Dudley, Donahue, Johnson, Nenadovich, Blake, Tagliarini PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: That’s 7 Yes votes to go into Executive Session. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: At this time, I'm asking Mr. Blake to go into a breakout room. And admit the seven Council people, Mr. Riley, and when we get in there, Mr. Riley, Mr. Jeff Jerome and when we get in there, we'll admit the other attorney. So Jason, it's all yours. CLMN BLAKE: All right. If you are not in that group that's going into Executive Session, you're going to be removed to the waiting room and then we will admit you as needed. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Mr. Blake, I believe you're supposed to create a breakout room and admit who you want into the room and not remove the people from the meeting. CLMN BLAKE: They're going into the waiting room. That's the way I did it the last time. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Okay, as long as you can. Okay, fine. CLMN BLAKE: I mean, they will be readmitted. They're still in the queue. LAW DIRECTOR RILEY: Is Barb Biro on the line? 2 CLMN BLAKE: I have not seen her. LAW DIRECTOR RILEY: Okay. If she comes on, let her in for this. Okay? PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Will do. You have one more. Lakeita has to be removed from the room. CLMN BLAKE: Okay, in the meeting right now it's. I got to let Mike in, sorry. LAW DIRECTOR TIM RILEY: And Greg Geist. CLMN BLAKE: All right, so I have myself, Mike Nenadovich, Tom Vaughn, Chuck Donahue, Jeff Jerome, Tim Riley, Avery Johnson, Frank Tagliarini, Greg Geist and Michael Dudley, Sr. Does that look correct? LAW DIRECTOR TIM RILEY: That looks correct, Jason. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Mr. Dudley? CLMN DUDLEY: Okay. Before we start, I thought I heard you say that this thing is being recorded. Are we supposed to record this? PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: No, we'll put it on mute right here. LAW DIRECTOR TIM RILEY: This should not be recorded. (The Executive Session began at 6:35 p.m.) PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Welcome ladies and gentlemen, we're back from the interviews. We had two people that did not make the interview process. To be fair, we talked about it legally. And the people did have the courtesy to apply. Due to late notification, on my part, not Council’s, my part, not my Clerk, my part, we decided to postpone the selection till we can get a chance to interview the last two people, which is only fair to everyone. We will have that meeting Wednesday. One way or the other, the decision will be made that day. If I do notify them, which they will be notified by mail, email, phone and text tomorrow. If they don't make it, I'm sorry, but we've given them every chance. This is a little unfair to the people that went tonight, but again, it was my fault. I did not notify in time. First of all, Tom, would you make a motion for me? I forgot. CLMN VAUGHN: Can we make a motion to come out of Executive Session, please? PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: And a second on that. CLMN BLAKE: I second. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Jason seconded. Barb, would you take a roll call on coming out of Executive Session? I apologize, Mr. Riley. AYES: Vaughn, Dudley, Donahue, Johnson, Nenadovich, Blake, Tagliarini PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Let the record show that at 8:29 p.m. on 6/10/2021, Garfield Heights City Council came out of Executive Session. Okay. The Special meeting will progress 3 again. I will reiterate what I said before. In all fairness, I know it doesn't seem right, but we have to give everybody the same chance. So I would respectfully ask the others that did interview tonight to honor our desire to get all people interviewed, which would be fair to everybody. I have nothing else as of now to discuss. Does any other Council member have anything to discuss? CLMN VAUGHN: Mr. Chairman. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Mr. Vaughn. CLMN VAUGHN: At this time, I make a motion to adjourn tonight's meeting. Michael Dudley seconded it. PRESIDENT NENADOVICH: Okay. On the motion by Mr. Vaughn to adjourn tonight's meeting. Barb, take a roll call starting with Mr. Vaughn. AYES: Vaughn, Dudley, Donahue, Johnson, Nenadovich, Blake, Tagliarini Okay, on the motion to adjourn tonight's Special Council meeting on 6/10/2021 at 8:31 p.m. There are 7 Yes votes. I thank you all. I apologize for the inconvenience on some other week delay, but please bear with us. Mr. Blake, I turn the meeting over to you to stop recording and make us leave. CLMN DUDLEY: Well, good night, everybody. CLMN TAGLIARINI: Good night, everybody. CLMN VAUGHN: Good night, everybody. Approved, Respectfully submitted, _____________________________ _________________________ Michael T. Nenadovich Barbara Molin President of Council Clerk of Council 4