Also, Village Going ‘Blue’ for Autism Awareness Month in April
By Emily Chesnic
Village of Northfield is concerned about the safety of those who select to sled on a slope near Smith Park, ordering new signs to continue to emphasize the village does not promote it as a sledding hill.
Northfield officials discussed the matter at the March 24 regular meeting, instructing Mayor Jesse Nehez to purchase additional signage stating sledding at the hill is “at your own risk.”
“The village currently has signs up but will put up signs that are new and more prominent,” said Law Director Brad Bryan.
While sledding may not take place anymore this season at the hill, an injury did occur, said members of Council.
Council President Jennifer Domzalski said it was appropriate to re-caution potential sled riders of the danger existing at the site.
She said it would be beneficial for Council to engage in conversations this summer regarding what could be done about the issue, with there possibly being a way to redirect sleds from the parking lot area.
“We have time to come up with ideas on what might work and might not work,” Domzalski told Council.
Also, at the meeting, Council unanimously voted to recognize April as Autism Awareness Month in the village. Each April, the nation-wide autism awareness campaign, Light It Up Blue, kicks off in recognition of autism, which is a developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by difficulty in social interaction and communication and restricted by repetitive patterns of thought and behavior.
Nehez said he will be lighting up the town hall blue to raise awareness.
The approved legislation states the village believes in accepting the uniqueness of its residents with autism, treating these individuals with “respect and dignity” and working to keep the village an “Autism Friendly Community.”
The village encourages its residents to wear blue or light a blue light on April 2, World Autism Awareness Day.
Additionally, the village asks the community to learn more about the characteristics of autism and how best to support and interact with all the citizens of the community, including those with autism.
Councilman Gary Vojtush said he would help provide sensory kits to give safety officials an additional tool to use when responding to an emergency regarding an individual on the autism spectrum.
Spending Authority
Also, at the March 25 meeting, Council adopted legislation to amend the Village Administrative Code to increase the mayor’s purchasing authority, after spending much time debating the matter beforehand.
The measure increases the mayor’s spending allowance from $5,000 to $10,000 to improve the flow of day-to-day operations.
Prior to 2016, the village did not provide any spending authority to the mayor, with every expense having to be approved by Council.
In 2016, the $5,000 spending authority was granted to the mayor, with anything over $5,000 having to go before Council for approval.
Increasing the spending amount would lessen the need to call emergency meetings of Council or to wait until the next regular meeting to keep a project moving forward, Nehez has said.
Village officials emphasized money cannot be spent unless it has been budgeted and agreed to revisit the issue in July to see how the increased amount is working out.
Budget Approval
At the regular meeting of Council, a revised 2021 appropriations resolution was approved, decreasing the originally proposed budget by about $250,000.
Council’s changes to the original budget included: adding $3,500 to afford 800 MHZ radio expenses and $3,000 for fire department turnout gear; and decreasing the budget by taking out $20,000 for Pitluk parking, $175,000 for creating a police department preliminary plan, $48,000 for village parking on the former bank site, $10,000 for an extrication tool for the fire department, and $10,000 for a storage building on Ledge Road.
The village-wide total appropriations for the year are $8.1 million.
Finance Director Jennifer Potvin said a mid-year review of the budget would take place to examine where the village is at regarding revenues and expenses.
Billing
At the meeting, officials said the village will be taking a closer look at how billing is done in the community, especially for local businesses.
Bryan said there are several different options to consider moving forward.
“This has been talked about for many years and it is time to examine things and see which way we want to go,” he said.
Engineer Dan Collins recently obtained a 2019 sampling of Cleveland Water bills to examine to see what formula may be best for the village to use in the future.
Storm Siren
Councilwoman Renell Noack reported the village’s storm siren was tested earlier in the day and worked well, coinciding with Ohio’s Severe Weather Awareness Week.
In-Person Meetings
At the close of the meeting, Vojtush said he received a call from a concerned citizen, who wants to know when the village will return to meeting in-person. He said the individual reported there being many people upset virtual meetings continue to be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Law Director Bryan said a state bill was extended to allow municipalities to meet remotely until the end of June.
“A lot of people still need vaccinated. We will continue to monitor it and see when it is safe to go back to regular meetings,” he said.