Finance Committee

Finance Committee Monday, October 21st, 2024, 8:00 A.M. Virtual meeting pursuant to Chapters 113 and 115 of the Codified Ordinances (as amended in Ordinance 22-28), and Resolution 22-29, enacted on March 22, 2022. Members present: Council Member, Anne Williams, Acting Chair Council Member, Carmella Williams Council Member, Kim Bixenstine Citizen Member, Anthony Moore Citizen Member, Ketan Patel Citizen Member, Kandis Williams Others present: Mayor, David E. Weiss Chief Administrative Officer, Jeri E. Chaikin Chief of Police, Wayne Hudson Director of Finance, John Potts Director of Public Works, Ramona Lowery-Ferrell Police Lieutenant, Timothy Grafton Assistant Director of Public Works, Christian Maier Recreation Sr. Program Coordinator, Thomas Lach Planner, Anna Mates Administrative Financial Support Assistant, Marleigh Marker Frank Goforth, League of Women Voters * * * * APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 19, 2024. Acting Chair Anne Williams stated that the minutes of August 19, 2024 meeting were unanimously approved. * * * * RECOMMENDATION TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH DANCE TO EVOLVE FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $60,000 FOR 2025. Recreation Sr. Program Coordinator, Thomas Lach requested to enter into a contract with Dance to Evolve for an amount not to exceed $60,000 for 2025. Mr. Lach stated that Dance to Evolve is one of the local dance companies that's been providing a variety of youth and teen dance programs for the City of Shaker Heights since 2019. These programs have continued to grow and show no signs of slowing down. He requested the contract remain at $60,000 for the 2025 year. The Finance Committee approved the request to enter into a contract with Dance to Evolve for an amount not to exceed $60,000 for 2025. * * * * RECOMMENDATION TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR $103,500 WITH PRECISION WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT LTD. FOR A JOINT DEER CULLING PROGRAM WITH THE CITY OF BEACHWOOD FOR THE 2024-2025 SEASON. Chief Administrative Officer Jeri Chaikin requested to enter into a contract for $103,500 with Precision Wildlife Management Ltd. for a joint deer culling program with the City of Beachwood for the 2024-2025 season. Ms. Chaikin noted the price increase from prior years and referenced the memo for further explanation. She proceeded to inform the committee that the contract had already been approved by the City of Beachwood, having been recommended by their committee as a whole and approved by their council. She then provided statistics from the annual residential questionnaire that supported the program. Approximately 76% of respondents described deer in the city as abundant or overabundant, while 69% said they would like to see a decrease in the number of deer in the city. Since the initial questionnaire, that statistic has remained above 63%. The memo references research compiled by Precision Wildlife Management that states that deer cross city boundaries regularly. Therefore, the city recently approached Cleveland Heights, Warrensville Heights, and Highland Hills about working jointly, but to date, no other cities are ready to commit to the program. Group questions are itemized within the memo, which references past concerns about not having enough bait sites. There will be two additional sites in Beachwood this year, including the former Fairmount Temple site on Fairmount Boulevard. In regards to inquiries about the number of respondents to the questionnaire, it was noted that this year’s survey was available for a shorter amount of time than previous years. In the future, the survey will be open for double the amount of time so that residents have enough time to weigh-in on the topic. At the most recent Safety and Public Works Committee meeting, the topic of completion time and labor costs were discussed. Precision Wildlife offered a lengthy explanation regarding the research and planning that ensures that the program is both safe and humane. Page 2 of 5 Ms. Chaikin concluded by stating that both the Wildlife Task Force and the Safety and Public Works Committee supported the recommendation. Citizen Member Ketan Patel addressed the mayor directly and asked if it would be appropriate to handle the issue on a county level, since the surrounding areas presently lacked a willingness to participate in the program. Mayor Weiss responded by describing past efforts to work with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, under the premise that they might provide funding on a state level. He was told that the state regarded the deer population as a local issue. He said that he continues to speak to other mayors regularly regarding the topic, and is making slow progress. Ms. Chaikin made presentations to other communities to establish interest. One issue appears to be that many cities are unwilling to commit without a large number of other cities already involved. Ms. Chaikin then confirmed the points made by Mayor Weiss, emphasizing their ongoing effort to involve other communities. The Finance Committee unanimously approved the request to enter into a contract with Precision Wildlife Management, Ltd. for $103,500 for a joint deer culling program with the City of Beachwood for the 2024-2025 season. * * * * REQUEST TO AUTHORIZE THE PURCHASE OF 30 BODY WORN CAMERAS FROM MOTOROLA IN THE AMOUNT OF $82,358.40 FROM THE GRANT AWARD FROM THE OFFICE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES OF THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. Police Lieutenant Timothy Grafton requested authorization to purchase 30 body worn cameras from Motorola in the amount of $82,358.40 from the grant award from the Office of Criminal Justice Services of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Lieutenant Grafton explained that acceptance of the grant had been approved by council previously for the same amount, but that the original request required that the monies be expended by September of 2024. As the deadline neared, the department was notified that the necessary upgrades and cloud-based system conversion would not be complete until early 2025. An extension to December 31st, 2024, was requested and granted. Negotiation took place with the body cam supplier, WatchGuard, to purchase the 30 cameras and expend the entirety of the grant. These cameras will replace the current aging cameras and will also be compatible with the new system currently being implemented. Page 3 of 5 He concluded by stating that this presentation had received unanimous approval at the most recent Safety and Public Works meeting. The Finance Committee unanimously approved authorization to purchase 30 body worn cameras from Motorola in the amount of $82,358.40 from the grant award from the Office of Criminal Justice Services of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. * * * * REQUEST TO AUTHORIZE A $500,000 GRANT APPLICATION TO, AND TO ACCEPT A GRANT FROM, THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES 2024 LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND (LWCF) FOR DOAN BROOK RESTORATION PARK IMPROVEMENTS – TRAILS. Planner Anna Mates requested authorization to apply for and accept a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources 2024 Land and Water Conservation Fund for Doan Brook Restoration Park Improvements. She explained the nature of the grant application, which would be to construct a 10-foot-wide path at Horseshoe Lake Park. The proposed Attleboro/Shelburne Trail will cross the center of the park connecting the north and south portions of the park, which also connects Shaker Heights to Cleveland Heights. This will also provide access to the New Nature Play area at Horseshoe Lake Park. The estimated construction project cost for the Shaker Heights portion of the trail is $760,887, and the Planning Department will submit a grant application for up to $500,000. The grant application may be co-sponsored by the city of Shaker Heights, the city of Cleveland Heights, and the city of Cleveland, which is the landowner. A minimum 50% local match is required, and estimated construction match for the trail is $380,444. Ms. Mates specified that no city funds are expected as part of the grant match, which will be fulfilled by the sewer district site work. The grant application and supporting legislation are due to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on November 15th, 2024. The Finance Committee unanimously approved the request for authorization for to apply to and accept a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources 2024 Land and Water Conservation Fund for Doan Brook Restoration Park Improvements. * * * * Page 4 of 5 REQUEST TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH WADE TRIM CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT & INSPECTION FOR THE LYNNFIELD/LOMOND SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOW CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AT THE COST OF $661,690. Director of Public Works Ramona Lowery-Ferrell requested to enter into a contract with Wade Trim Construction Management & Inspection for the Lynnfield/Lomond Sanitary Sewer Overflow construction project at the cost of $661,690. She explained that the project will consist of the elimination of a sanitary sewer overflow and water main installation for the Lynnfield/Lomond area, which will help alleviate the basement flooding that many residents have been experiencing. The nature of the project relies heavily on the ability to maintain reliable one-on-one communication, which was why Wade Trim was selected. Citizen Member Ketan Patel highlighted information presented in the memo, which indicated that the grant required a professional engineer. He asked if that meant we either had to hire a third-party contractor or have an engineer on staff, and if it was common for communities to outsource professional engineers. Ms. Lowry-Ferrell replied that this was correct, and that most smaller communities do not have a city engineer on staff. Council Member Kim Bixenstine emphasized the importance of taking into account the proximity of several schools during the project, and asked for confirmation that there would safe, designated walking areas for residents while the project is ongoing. Ms. Lowery-Ferrell confirmed that there would be workers on-site daily to ensure the safety of residents. The Finance Committee unanimously approved the request to enter into a contact with Wade Trim Construction Management & Inspection for the Lynnfield/Lomond Sanitary Sewer Overflow construction project at the cost of $661,690. * * * * There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:24 a.m. The next meeting will be November 18, 2024. * * * * Respectfully submitted, ________________________________ John J. Potts, CPA Director of Finance, Finance Committee Page 5 of 5