MACEDONIA – City council amended regulations for door-to-door solicitors and peddlers at their October 9 meeting, cutting off activity at sunset instead of a half-hour after, while Mayor Nicholas Molnar highlighted the city’s extensive infrastructure improvements over the past eight years.
Solicitation Ordinance Changes
The change to the city’s solicitation ordinance passed on second and third reading after council amended the language to keep the application fee at $20 rather than the previously proposed $100. The ordinance also removes references to canvassing while maintaining enforcement requirements that each individual solicitor or peddler must have a separate application.
Law Director Mark Guidetti explained the restriction addresses public safety concerns about people walking streets after dark and the risk of vehicle strikes. The new rules change solicitation hours from the current 9 a.m. until a half-hour after sunset to 10 a.m. until sunset, Monday through Saturday. No solicitation is allowed on legal holidays.
The ordinance maintains that solicitors and peddlers cannot enter homes without express invitation and cannot make false, fraudulent, misleading or deceptive statements. Violations remain a second-degree misdemeanor, escalating to a first-degree misdemeanor for repeat offenses within 90 days.
The city will continue to maintain a Do Not Solicit Registry at the police department, which is updated yearly and provided to every permit applicant. The ordinance clarifies that no solicitor or peddler shall knock on doors or ring bells where conspicuous signs prohibit such activity. Signs must be at least three inches by four inches and are exempt from planning and zoning code requirements.
Guidetti noted that existing permits issued before the passage date would remain under old rules, but anything moving forward would require compliance with the new regulations. The police department will ensure each person has a separate application.
Mayor’s Infrastructure Report
Molnar provided extensive details on the city’s road improvements, calling the infrastructure record something residents should be proud of.
Over the past eight years, the city has secured $11,750,022 in outside funding to support road work. That funding helped pave 22 roads. In total, the city has paved 92 roads during that period.
To put that in perspective, Molnar noted Macedonia is a 10-square-mile community with 135 lane miles of roads. The city has repaved 68 of those lane miles in eight years, meaning nearly half of all road surfaces have been redone.
The total cost of all road work came to $16.9 million, with outside funding covering a significant portion. Molnar credited voters for approving the levy that made internal road work possible.
“There aren’t many communities that are doing what we’re doing,” Molnar said. “Our infrastructure is strong, and anyone that doesn’t think it is really needs to re-evaluate their thinking because we’ve done a really good job with that.”
The mayor thanked council for supporting the efforts and voters for approving funding measures.
Halloween and Fall Events
Molnar addressed calls he received about changing Halloween trick-or-treat hours due to a Nordonia football game. He made clear the city will remain consistent with Halloween always taking place October 31 from 6 to 8 p.m., regardless of weather or scheduling conflicts.
“I understand the thought with that, but I had other people calling me saying, ‘Well, if you move it to Saturday, you know, we have all these other activities,'” Molnar said. “I know it’s going to upset some folks that we’re doing it on that day, but in my thinking, it just remained consistent and it makes it a lot easier moving forward if we know we’re doing it all the time.”
Molnar praised Parks and Recreation Director Peter Eckendorf and his team for Fall Fest, which drew an estimated 1,500 people. He thanked police, fire and service members who assisted with the event.
“For someone who’s been on the job for a couple months to get that up and running and have that done, I think you did an exceptional job,” Molnar said.
Levy Renewal and Property Taxes
The mayor reminded residents about Issue 38, a levy renewal that has been on the ballot since the 1960s and has always passed. The levy is not an increase and supports police, fire and service personnel.
Molnar highlighted that Cleveland magazine ranks Macedonia in the top 15 in Northeast Ohio for lowest property taxes, calling it something the city should “hang our hat on.”
Nordonia Football and Other Updates
Molnar acknowledged his friendly wager with Twinsburg Mayor Ted Yates over the Nordonia-Twinsburg football game, which Nordonia won. The mayors took a photo on the Nordonia field, with Molnar thanking Yates for being a good sport about the cross-town rivalry.
The mayor announced a planning commission opening with several candidates under consideration. Information is available on the city website.
He provided an update on the service building project, saying it’s moving very fast with visible progress expected this year. Molnar said the building should be operational by December 2026, allowing service teams to vacate the dilapidated buildings they currently use.
“Safety of the employees is paramount. That’s the big reason behind all this,” Molnar said. “And it didn’t make much sense to continue putting money into four or five other facilities when we could have one new one and it’s probably not much more than it would have cost to rehab all the other ones.”
Breast Cancer Awareness
Council members and staff wore breast cancer awareness attire for the meeting, which takes place during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Human Resources Director Annette Smith coordinated the effort, with proceeds from merchandise sales going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Councilor Jessica Brandt encouraged everyone who needs a mammogram to schedule one, noting that while mammograms can be annoying and painful, they’re far easier than radiation therapy.
Holiday Meetings Cancelled
Council voted to cancel their November 27 and December 25 meetings due to the holidays. Council members noted they take this action almost every year for meetings that fall around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Pending Legislation
Two ordinances related to recreational vehicle parking were tabled after being referred to the planning commission. The measures would allow RVs to be parked visibly from the street from May 1 through September 30 each year, though they must still be stored in a manner least noticeable from the street during other months. A related ordinance amending traffic code provisions will follow the zoning changes.
An ordinance regarding residential driveways and parking areas also remained at second reading pending planning commission review.
Department Reports
Service Director Daniel Wilson showed off new equipment that arrived in record time, including a loader, leaf machine and leaf boxes. Leaf collection begins October 14, with information on the city website. Wilson’s team recently replaced all exterior fire station doors and is working with Samsara on a GPS system for snow removal trucks that would provide a public-facing map showing snow removal progress.
Engineer Director Joe Gigliotti reported the Longwood Park trail is about 60 percent complete with paving scheduled to continue.
Eckendorf thanked his team, especially Recreation Manager Taylor Stellion, for their work on Fall Fest. The office renovation project at the recreation center is close to completion with walls and drywall up. The first-floor family locker room project encountered delays due to pipes behind walls but framing of pods will begin soon, with completion still scheduled for early 2026.
IT Director Kyle Collins closed 31 help desk tickets since the last meeting. He issued a public service announcement about AI-generated video becoming indistinguishable from real video, cautioning residents that seeing something online doesn’t mean it’s real.
Assistant Building Commissioner Nino Monaco reported the sidewalk program is continuing with the city a little over halfway through. Work has been completed on several streets and is currently underway on Berkshire, Deepwood, Longbrook and Ridgeview. He provided updates on the new subdivision near the bowling alley, the Holiday Inn Express and DVD Landing developments.
Fire Chief Brian Ripley shared a touching story from the October 8 public safety open house. A woman whose life was saved by the fire squad two weeks earlier sought out the chief to thank the department. According to cardiac staff at Hillcrest Hospital, the squad’s actions saved her life. She and her son, who had tears in his eyes, later tracked down the crew members for a photo.
“Even though I don’t answer many calls these days, that’s what it’s all about,” Ripley said.
The chief also announced that Santa will be available for the Santa delivery program the second week of December.
Police Chief Vince Yakopovich thanked Tommy and Robbie Capel, directors of Saving a Hero’s Place, who built and delivered an honor chair yesterday in memory of fallen Macedonia police officer Gary Pastor. The organization, based in San Antonio, Texas, started in 2013 and has built 209 chairs across the country. The chair will be displayed in the memorial area of the police department vestibule.
Correspondence
Council received a letter from Janet and Jeff Gliha of Tiber Court thanking city staff for addressing and responding to speeding issues on Twinsburg Road.
The fire department received a letter from Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree thanking the department for exceptional support during a recent undercover operation. The assistance helped the Summit Regional Human Trafficking Task Force make 30 arrests during Operation Next Door with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Firefighters Ryan Zapora, Jack Pittson and Robert Sears served as drone pilots, along with auxiliary member Roger Mortimer and Detective Matt Nuronis.
Council members Jessica Brandt, Matt Ferraro, Dave Finley, Jeff Garvas and Vini Ventura were all present for the meeting, which Mayor Nicholas Molnar called to order at 7:30 p.m. Law Director Mark Guidetti and Clerk of Council Jon Hoover were also present.
Molnar closed the meeting by reminding residents not to drive distracted and to put their phones down while driving.
