[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6286179,"mediaKeyId","2564324-dc481de51065a4de37c1871f757d9ee9","parentId",2564324,"title","Council clarifies public-comment rules and says department heads are not required to attend meetings","audioSeconds",329,"startMs",1366000,"endMs",1695000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2564324-dc481de51065a4de37c1871f757d9ee9&start=1366&end=1695","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2564324-dc481de51065a4de37c1871f757d9ee9/thumbnail_1366000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6286179/Ohio/Council-clarifies-public-comment-rules-and-says-department-heads-are-not-required-to-attend-meetings","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6286179-c9a55e582eafdcb7bd6825cb9775e656/orig.mp4?Expires=1771060719&Signature=B14kL1QGyiMbfqnLY9rI00XYcEHfryrUjW3FMKDDEXNKpvM9aO1oCl6G3ahfn92T-GLn9p9gNVnhD6ndH4JWnrum-yeyPOVvfWYuFbuDsWZwDQ~HfpQImd8pqSxCYYpb9ULU97a1WUmln9NACwHIkjpswsM6amaHEcu1ymzJ8DqiXM1FDjXyw7mcUm~LsbW8fcdUHvvhNEXv1yRbRBBkcGQ09upM1Mf9rMJ2A80ShdX-qzgv9YgRlByb0XABBIrP5V7EzNzn-xYFA1pPEi~1mcjgRVckBoaftknl9YJfW5N305iqKfQVMfkQNutUIBwblYn3oz1th2R58U-ly6mXtw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Garfield Heights OH","date","2025-03-11T22:25:19Z","article","Garfield Heights' council leadership clarified ground rules for public comments and said department directors are invited but not required to attend council meetings.

During the caucus meeting the council president told members that \"personal business is not discussed at Council\" unless the individual has exhausted the city's internal complaint process and requested to speak during the public-comment period. The president said residents should first bring complaints to their council member and the relevant department, and only after those avenues are pursued can a person request to address council.

A resident's right to speak during the public-comment period remains intact, council members said, but the president stressed that items that have not gone through department review will be struck from the agenda unless the resident has followed the city's complaint process. \"It does not mean that, the city on this part has not tried to resolve that issue with that individual. It just means that they disagree with the city's decision,\" the president said when asked to clarify.

Council members also asked whether department directors must attend meetings. Chief of Staff Durand told council there is no charter or ordinance requiring department heads to be present at council meetings. \"Each director is obligated to supply the mayor with an update with respect to their department, prior to a council meeting,\" Durand said, adding that departments are asked to make directors available for caucus or for council when they have an item on the agenda. Durand said the city balances the directors' regular duties and their availability to answer questions at council.

Council members said they will continue to request that directors attend when their departments have agenda items or when follow-up is requested by council, and they encouraged residents to use established complaint channels before seeking council time.

Ending: Council said staff will continue providing written updates and will summon directors when council requires a direct departmental response; no policy change was adopted at the caucus meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting (audio) 3/10/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The council president told members that personal complaints must be routed through departments and the mayor's office before being raised during public comment, and staff said department heads are invited but not required to attend meetings.","taxTitle","Garfield Heights City Council, Garfield Heights, Cuyahoga County, Ohio","taxId",69165,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6286184,"Council says vape-shop moratorium remains in effect; members will review enforcement history",41,1230000,1271000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2564324-dc481de51065a4de37c1871f757d9ee9&start=1230&end=1271","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2564324-dc481de51065a4de37c1871f757d9ee9/thumbnail_1230000.jpg","/articles/6286184/Ohio/Council-says-vape-shop-moratorium-remains-in-effect-members-will-review-enforcement-history","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6286184-234559d8ea6f324690aaec450d2488cb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771060719&Signature=HDfiUZi~v3ZCaMxis9VXjZ0XYUk-rCvlxNrEe0sqgG3DsA9vaKul2Rq9VoattpDWoemTmnRDPEeYvz934tZ1VWVT-1lVqCiub8L9VbYKV4jx4Gs95wCQ6GswwN7xg1wAeHTBEt9hfVBLewzyAT8c2GriEfnqM5mu94i6fQABNcR8aGIGBTJJO9Raed6QnF7eRE20jWjDS5HVwFO5GbLbmUbh7QIuAFYd3udLRqH8FCcN6vCmVrxep9--x3xqAZieaTOnhMb9ai~nzuum9WJ0zNEpEpB5W2HB5-r0ciQgZC3SOw-fsosqzHMDl29xm3fkETEgjcDofkNzydZqMZaQ7w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Garfield Heights council members confirmed an existing moratorium on new vape shops and said they will review the council record to confirm dates and next steps.

Councilwoman Stacy Collier told the caucus meeting the council placed a moratorium on vape shops within the city. \"We did put a moratorium on vape shops within the city of Garfield Heights,\" Collier said during the council's openings.

Councilman Kelly asked when the moratorium was last addressed and whether the recent appearance of a vape shop had slipped past enforcement. Kelly said the same shop had been raised previously and asked the clerk and law director to check records. The law director and council members said staff will review past ordinances and, if necessary, refer the matter to the safety committee or reintroduce legislation.

Council members did not vote at the caucus meeting to change the moratorium. Staff said they will provide specific dates and the council will determine whether additional action is needed to enforce or reintroduce the measure.

Ending: Council members asked staff to return with the moratorium's adoption date and any relevant documents so the council can determine whether follow-up enforcement or new legislation is needed.","Councilwoman Stacy Collier told colleagues a moratorium on vape shops is in place; members said they will check past dates and may refer enforcement or reintroduction to the safety committee if the moratorium was overlooked.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6286189,"Cleveland Water lead-service replacements will reshape Garfield Heights paving plans",685,434000,1119000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2564324-dc481de51065a4de37c1871f757d9ee9&start=434&end=1119","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2564324-dc481de51065a4de37c1871f757d9ee9/thumbnail_434000.jpg","/articles/6286189/Ohio/Cleveland-Water-lead-service-replacements-will-reshape-Garfield-Heights-paving-plans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6286189-81616f80b6dbb91db0060365eada8599/orig.mp4?Expires=1771060719&Signature=VBfz9r9KkWzBKfdqqviEmqf6ZNJSxOmiYAjMSEqwNxAjIMRklpE~XmzWVSfhcmMGwPRbVLP6fDZdFbSzX2OEpiE-hjh-R6mfSHNQMb4gGUsRv8-Ql4yuFsnPaV4P6gWzu8VLNU3t8cL6KBuWkonI6RTxxc~JKK21JL0xcUn-UoPic8YXzCsajosncet7RA851oqvsw8C5T5kh61nbZOK3M0UTGBoxComG3sNT8PeWCwVuXz28FV2FVHR7bqMAhehj-qKE1VRaen~PWENBYxroboVGPEF2wWK1dVYf3~jOUlWyccVjNvcjWaMlBM50P5UHXBgRFFu2JLL0S~YEFTNmQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Garfield Heights officials said Cleveland Water's multi-year plan to replace lead service lines across the city will change how and when streets are repaved.

At a council caucus meeting, Public Works staff described a Cleveland Water mapping and replacement program that identifies roughly 4,000 likely lead service connections among the city's about 11,000 water connections and plans to remove roughly 300 lead services a year through about 2037. That schedule, staff warned, could delay when the city may pave streets where lead services remain in place.

The change matters because the city historically has stacked grant funding: one set of grant money pays to replace water mains or services and a separate set pays to repave the street. Jeff Rohn, chief of staff, said the program is positive because the city will get lead services replaced at no direct cost to Garfield Heights, but it also complicates the city's usual grant strategy. \"Number 1, we're getting all of the lead service replaced in the city. That's great. Good news. No cost to us. Positive,\" Rohn told the council.

Jim Sickles, the staff member who briefed council on construction projects, said Cleveland Water will not pay for repaving when it removes lead services. \"If the lead services have been removed, then it has the potential to be paved,\" Sickles said. \"But that has been a way that we have been, in the past, been able to do road repairs is by replacing the water lines and then paving the street on top of that. So all this is just throwing a kink in a lot of the way we've been doing things.\" He added that if Cleveland Water removes lead service later than the city expects, the street may need to wait at least five years before a full paving program, depending on grant cycles and contractor scheduling.

Council members asked how the new schedule would affect pavings already planned. Sickles said work on some mains already completed (he cited a stretch of Cranwood Park Boulevard) could allow those segments to be repaved sooner, but where only smaller service replacements or temporary patches have occurred, the city should expect additional coordination with Cleveland Water and its grant timetable.

Sickles and Rohn said the city will try to align its street program with Cleveland Water's replacement schedule and with the city's consultant work (OHM) so that grant-funded paving can continue where feasible, but acknowledged the process now requires an additional step of coordination. \"What really changes for us is timing and planning,\" the chief of staff said. Staff also warned that Cleveland Water's grant money for lead removal arrives on a seasonal schedule and may not be available in time for the city's paving season, forcing potential schedule changes.

Council members asked staff to continue coordinating with Cleveland Water and to notify residents about impacts in specific wards; staff said more detailed planning and mapping will follow.

Ending: Council members did not adopt any ordinance or motion specifically tied to the Cleveland Water program at the caucus meeting. Staff said they will return with further information and that the city will attempt to sequence paving and lead-service replacement to minimize duplicate street work while accommodating Cleveland Water's grant and construction timetable.","City staff told council Cleveland Water plans to replace thousands of lead service lines through about 2037, a program that will complicate the timing and funding of the city's road-repair schedule because Cleveland Water's work and grants do not automatically fund street repaving.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council clarifies public-comment rules and says department heads are not required to attend meetings

Council says vape-shop moratorium remains in effect; members will review enforcement history

Cleveland Water lead-service replacements will reshape Garfield Heights paving plans