A Holiday Message

I have been thinking about the Dec 20th City Council meeting, a meeting that brought to the surface deep seated hurts; that brought up old wounds, divisions and misunderstandings. As I listened to the explanations by City leaders, and gave my own, none were adequate for the real pain and division that exists in Euclid.

Yes, some City leaders spoke fine words. Other leaders, not so good.

But this core problem that our community faces can not be fixed simply by better City leadership alone, rather the problems are those of the human heart, of how we treat each other each and every day.

It is appropriate that in the season of Holiday and new beginnings that we each reflect on our own behavior toward our fellow citizen, no matter what the background. No matter our faith, or, if no faith at all, we must strive to remember that we are all made out of the same stuff, as you will, that we all contain that spark of the Divine. If we accept this principal, that we are all part of the same human community, then, we will not so easily fall into the habit of snap judgements, half truths and the prejudices that most of us carrier around.

Our goal should be to see the good in each one of us. Mere tolerance of one another is not good enough. Acceptance and understanding are higher goals. Or, as Selman Hirsh stated "Respect, not tolerance, must be our goal if we would diminish prejudice in our time."

The character of each individual should be the measure of that person, not the group that they identify with.

As you can tell, I'm no preacher man, Priest, Rabbi, or Imam, yet I believe it true that compassion and acceptance of our fellow man can only make our Euclid Community stronger.

Here is an organizations out side of our many worship centers that can help better explain and build on what I've talked about.

B.R.I.D.G.E.S. -- BUILDING RESPECT INTERACTION DIALOGUE GROWTH & SOLUTIONS

This Group's basic philosophy is best summoned up by a quote from William Penn "...help me not to despise or oppose what I do not understand."

For more information on BRIDGES, please contact:

Sharon Resar @ str_cdp@yahoo.com

Have a wonderful Christmas Season, and a safe New Years Eve

Euclid Recycling Update

When will curb side recycling start? That is the great unknown. I can only tell you that the City Council has no information on bin distribution, or the actual start date. Stay tuned as I will continue to ask.

In other recycling related news, City Council rejected a proposal by yours truly to allow limited "scrapping" with in the City.

Scrapping, or, "curb side shopping" is the scavenging the discarded furniture and appliances that would other wise wind up in the landfill.

Keeping these heavy items out of the landfill saves the City money in landfill tipping fees. The cost to the City of allowing "scrapping" is zero. Unlike the curb side program, allowing scrapping requires no new hires or equipment. It would not allow anyone to go through trash bags or cans, would not allow anyone on to your property.

Yet the majority on Council would not pass this legislation even on a trial basis. The Mayor as cosponsor, and the Euclid Police Department gave their approval. Many North East Ohio communities already allow this type of activity. The basic arguments of the majority were: increase in crime and "we need to get our hands around recycling first" before allowing this.

The EPD could provide no information currently on arrests for "scrapping." And, the assumption that "scrappers" are some how prone to committing crime has no basis in fact.

For many, salvaging metals and furniture is a way to earn extra money in these difficult times.

As for waiting, the curb side program and 'scrapping" are entirely different. Starting now would determine if the scrapping program can really benefit the City. Any program to save the taxpayer money deserves a fair test. On this matter, the majority of Council failed to see this.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sound Wall Noise

Will our I90 Sound Walls ever be replaced? I get that question at just about every community meeting, and, the answer is "yes." In fact, work is finally underway again with the section
just west of 260th about done. The new walls will be just like the walls installed in western Lake county: pressed brick with sections embossed with "Euclid" and water front scenes.

That our old sound barriers were ugly can not be denied. That they gave the City a horrible image for any commuter passing through the City is also true. So, the replacement is welcomed.

Yet, the cost is not cheap. The final tab will run about 3 million for the entire Euclid stretch of
interstate. No, none of this is being paid by the City . But, like most projects, who pays was the big issue for many, many years.

For almost a decade, members of Euclid City Council have pressed the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to replace the walls. They refused because of cost. Funny how ODOT works: they have put up walls of all sorts, including clear panel walls all over the state, yet, allocated no money for replacement of older failing walls.

So, for the past 8 years, Euclid has endured numerous paint and patch jobs, which was really putting lip stick on the hog, so to speak. Replacement is what we wanted!

A few years back, after more council pressure, ODOT again painted the panels, (but, not the posts). They also glued on the walls, a medallion with "Euclid" embossed on them. That was about the very worst is could get: patched sections of wall, with rusting posts with Euclid medallions that started to fall off after a winter season.

ODOT was absolutely going to leave the City with this eyesore. When it was suggested that
ivy be planted to grow and cover the walls, ODOT refused to consider this, saying nothing could grow along the highway.

So, how did we finally get new walls? You can "thank" the national recession and subsequent federal stimulus money. The Feds allocated to Ohio and ODOT 10s of millions of dollars. In turn, ODOT then had money freed up to finally replace Euclid's section of wall. Of the approximate 3 million dollar cost, federal money is picking up about 90% with State money covering the rest.

So, about 2.7 million in federal stimulus money has gone into the replacement of the sound walls.

I can only hope that we will receive some federal money for projects such as the downtown transportation plan and the lakefront.

But the saga does not end there: Demolition of the old walls occurred in late summer, so why the delay? The ODOT engineers did not figure in the fact that the old posts would be reused. Because of this mistake, the panels were not manufactured properly leading to cracks and misfitting panels.

Remember, the walls were originally installed under ODOT supervision, it's their wall. For ODOT to make such a mistake, well, lets just say that you should expect better from any
public agency.

Finally, ODOT is now working with Cleveland to potentially install new sound walls along I90 on the near west side. That project is tentatively to be paid for entirely by ODOT.

Two Great Community Events

Support Shore Cultural Centre - The Heart Beat of Downtown Euclid

It's the 2nd annual Harvest Fest benefit ting Shore Cultural Centre!

Enjoy Food, Wine, Music Sideboards and Door Prizes and good company.

Friday, November 5th - Location - The Culinary School, lower level, Shore!

Doors open at 6:00pm - Fun lasts until 9:30pm

Tickets available at the Shore Business Office, from 9:AM - 6:00 PM

Cost, $25.00 before October 30th, after, $30.00

Sorry, No Credit Cards accepted. Make checks payable to Shore Cultural Centre

This event is one of the Shore Board's most important fund raisers. Proceeds will go towards general capital restoration of the facility.

Mary Mavec Opportunity School

The fine folks at Mary Mavec invite you to an art show and auction,

Hurry up now, its Thursday, October 28th at the Mary Mavec building.

That's at 21701 Lakeshore Blvd

Wine and lite refreshments available. Call 216-731-4666 for ticket info.

All art work created by the students of Mary Mavec students. Come and help support the fine work done on behalf of our most vulnerable citizens.

Curb Side Recycling - Is it really "No Cost"?

Weekly curb side recycling is returning to Euclid.

The October 4th City Council meeting saw a 5-3 majority pass Resolution 178-10, authorizing the resumption of curb side recycling, and Ordinance 179-10, authorizing a 92K purchase from City Capital funds of a recycling truck.

For long time Euclid residents, you know that at one time we had curbside bins, then central dumpsters at the Lakeland Service Garage/City Hall, then back to curb side blue bags and now our current system of using dumpsters in the City of Cleveland.

The Difference Today - Tonnage (Or the Weight of the Trash)

The City's current trash collection contract is partly based on the the amount of tonnage that
is brought to the landfill. The less tonnage Euclid dumps, the less it should cost the tax payer. For that reason alone, any program that diverts paper, plastics, metal cans and such

helps our bottom line and helps the environment.

Many of you already recycle (I do). Some may even compost yard clippings (I do also). As you all know spring grass in particular heavy! That's tonnage we can divert from the landfill. I urge each and everyone of you that don't recycle now, to do so, and to tell your neighbors and friends to join the effort

Why I voted "No" on this recycling idea.

Reason #1) Paying for the program. The Administration's proposal included hiring three City workers at a total cost of $123K per year along with the 92K purchase of the recycling truck. In the past, curb side recycling was always cut because of budget issues. So, how does Euclid afford the new salaries? It all hinges on how much trash we keep out of the landfill. According to the Mayor, and the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, we only recycle now about 2600 tons per year. We have to hit at least 4000 tons diverted to save enough money per year to equal the salaries of the new workers. Low tonnage equals money out of our general fund.

Reason #2) No Education Program: How do you get people to recycling? Develop a good recycling education program! No plan was presented by the Administration. With a good program, I am confident that Euclid can hit the 4000 ton recycling goal.

Reason #3) Where is the Consortium? The Mayor indicated that our recyclables would be sold

either via a suburban consortium, or via the City of Cleveland. By selling the recyclables, Euclid might realized a small return on the glass, plastic etc. collected. As of Oct 4th, the Administration could not answer which way Euclid would go; offered no agreement to vote on and, had no idea of how many communities would be a part of this consortium.

Reason #4) No Pay As You Throw: "Pay as You Throw" is a program of trash disposal and
recycling where the resident is charged based on the amount of trash generated. Used in many communities across the country, the Administration refuses to even look at the idea. Councilwoman Minarik is continuing to explore this idea.

Reason #5) Poor use of EECBG Grant: What is that, you ask? Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, a federal block grant that the City received in 2009. This block grant

"empowers local communities to make strategic investments to meet the nation's long term goals for energy independence and leadership on climate change (www..eere,energy.gov/wip).

In short, investments in energy efficiency, alternative energy, and new technologies saves money and lessens our dependence on fossil fuels. It is designed to encourage longer term investment. Instead, out of the 196K grant, this Administration is using 123K for 3 new hires to pay for their salaries for one year.

The Mayor claims this is a good use of the grant money, that it costs the tax payers nothing. Nonsense! Everything has a cost, no decision we make is free.

By spending 92K from capital on the trash truck, that means some other vehicle is not bought, or

some other street is not paved, fewer trees are planted, etc. By using the EECGB grant on salaries we lost out on the opportunity to:

Install solar panels at other City property such as the Ice Arena, Service Garage or Golf Course. Such installations, combined with our current City Hall solar project, would save Euclid hundreds of the thousands of dollars over 30 year life of the solar panels.

Pay for Shore's new boiler: an investment that will save 15% per year in natural gas over the existing boiler. (Instead we used our own capital monies)

Grants like EECBG should be used to leverage investments that saves the community money.

Instead, this administration is using the money on a one time, one year salary payout on a program that at best will break even.

Reason #6) Recycling was rammed through. From the Mayor's first proposal to passage on Oct 4th, was about 3 weeks. The Sept 22 committee meeting to discuss the proposal left many questions unanswered and raised even more. The Mayor and Council majority refused to have any other committee discussions: would not consider changing how much of the EECGB grant to use on salaries; refused to consider Pay as You Throw." Why won't the Administration answer legitimate questions? Why were so few answers given? Why did the Mayor continue to state that the program "has no cost?" What was the rush? All this is unknown.

Curb side recycling can be a fine program for Euclid. What passed on Oct 4th was not a program, but rather an idea lacking many details; lacking consideration of how to make it work, or consideration of it's true costs.

You should expect more from your government!

Thank you for reading, and, let me know what you think.

SHORE ' D UP - BY CORAL

Only in Euclid can the same issue be debated off and on for 25 years. No, I'm not talking about marina development, but, rather Shore Cultural Centre. What should be a deliberate process guided by good planning, and competent management is instead kicked around like a worn football.

On Sept 7 th, Council granted the Coral Co. the manager of Shore for the past 15 months a 15 month extension thru Dec. 2011. At the same meeting, Council also granted capital funds to install a modern boiler and thermostatic controls (70K expense)

For those of you just tuning in, the City's history with Shore has been a dreary exercise of befuddlement and neglect if not outright hostility.

Bought from Euclid Public Schools in the mid 80's to be a Cultural Center, the City's management has drifted from the Economic Development Department to the Rec Department. Not having the skills to actually program and run the facility, much of the responsibility drifted to the volunteer Shore Board.

Passionate about Shore, but, lacking the expertise to run such a large facility, the Board was left with a difficult task of advocating for Shore, while splitting programing duties with a City Administration at times openly hostile to its existence.

At various times, the City has cooked up deals to demolish Shore for a Tops Super Market, or to
develop various housing schemes at Shore. None really had any solid facts to support those
plans.

The City has "winged" it with Shore for decades: there was never any operational, capital or strategic plan for the building. Without a plan, the results could only be bad.

That's not to say that good things weren't happening INSIDE Shore They were: theatre productions, Euclid Orchestra, Euclid Hunger Center, Red Cross, etc. Former City Councilman Pat Delaney spearheaded the drive to bring the Euclid Culinary School to Shore. But these were predominately in spite of the Administration, not because of it.

Two years ago, I wanted to change the debate and solve the "problem" of Shore once and for all.

My assumption (which many others had before me) was that managed right, Shore would take its rightful place as the catalyst for downtown rebirth.

This concept has been done all over N.E. Ohio. Areas benefiting from arts as economic development include: Collinwood (Arts Collinwood) Shaker Square, Larchmere (Cleveland)
Gordon Square (Detroit & w 65th) Beck Center (Lakewood).

I made the initial contact with Coral, and, they were interested in managing Shore. The Mayor
was adamantly opposed. But after going through a lengthy proposal process, where the City solicited over 40 firms only three remained. Coral's management plan; Spies Group (building a new library in place of Shore); and, City Architecture's plan to build subsided housing at Shore.

Asking the residents to pay for a new library was a non starter; no firm was willing to commit to housing at Shore. That left Coral.

Coral came on board in May of 2009: They immediately laid out a management plan, and spent the summer of 2009 seeking input on the condition of the building. Experts (heating, electrical, structural) brought in by Coral immediately concluded that many of the false rumors of a building in dire need of immediate millions in repairs was not valid. At the same time, Coral held numerous public meetings and meetings with City officials. Going into these meetings, Coral held no preconceptions that that the building should even be saved.

Last Sept. Coral unveiled their strategic plan for Shore Cultural Centre. Their first conclusion; Shore has value! Shore should stay! Backed by exhaustive data, the plan laid out how to build on what Shore was already doing. Coral clearly understood that City finances were limited when it came to Shore.

But the plan laid out several options that could be implemented for minimal cost that would immediately improve the operations of the building.

In short, Coral provided the operational, capital and strategic planning so sadly lacking. They provided the path to lead Shore out of the wilderness.

Last Sept, 2009, Coral's vision for Shore was debated by council (a three hour debate) and, was finally accepted. Now the City only voted to fund the management portion of the contract. We did not fund the marketing portion or, fund the position to raise money for Shore.

So, where are we after one year? Well, from comments of the Administration, and, some council members, they act like there was failure.

The spectre of closure and demolition has again been brought up. Yet, these very same folks can not tell you how they would close the building. Would they simply board up Shore and let it rot? Would they moth ball it, meaning that it would have to be heated? How much would this cost? How much to demolish Shore? What is the economic impact on the downtown area with no Shore? NO SUCH ANSWERS HAVE EVER BEEN PROVIDED!

The truth is, that Coral's management of Shore has been a resounding success! Projected last year with an operational deficit of 144K, it was only 100K after one year. Revenue is up, expenses are down, new tenants are moving into Shore. Shore is cleaner and more vibrant than ever. More people are using Shore meaning that more folks are visiting our downtown. And that is only the beginning. Coral's plan calls for even more revenue generation through some key City investments, investments that are far far less than the cost of closure and demolition.

Coral's management of Shore is a success. We should back success!

More on Shore and other matters soon.

Buy-By St, Roberts?

The City Should buy the closed St. Roberts church land. The cost of the approximate 7.8 acres is
$647,000. I not only favor the purchase, but, have pushed this purchase strongly. Here are some points to consider:

No tax or fee increases related to this purchase. The trash and lighting fees recently passed by City Council is not going toward this purchase. In fact, those monies are to pay for general operating expenses such as police and fire salaries and benefits. St. Roberts purchase is coming out of our capital funds. Capital funds can not be used to pay for salaries.

Shore is not the target of this purchase. It is not my intent to purchase St. Roberts to somehow
close down Shore. We are purchasing this property as a "pass thru" until the lakefront project is farther along and, we are ready for its redevelopment.

The City has done a poor job with properties on Euclid Avenue and at 205. True. But the problem was not in the purchase itself, but, in not having a plan. With JJR, our lakefront consultants, we have a top notch waterfront planning firm.

And, St. Roberts IS a part of the lakefront planning: Since at least 1994, lakefront development planning envisioned redevelopment pushing south of Lakeshore Blvd. I have always felt that the entire area between the golf course and the marina should be a target of redevelopment efforts.

JJR, our lakefront development consultants, and the "quarterback" of the project believes St. Roberts is a critical piece of the overall lakefront development area.

So, what do we do with St. Roberts once we buy it. Ideally, we would immediately pass it thru to an interested and sympathetic developer. Short of that, the City should rent out the church to an interested congregation. This will allow the City to recoup some of the purchase price while we work on other aspects of the lakefront plan.

Some might say that it is still risky. The risk is minimal. If we are not successful on the lakefront the City can always sell off the property.

Euclid is at a critical time. Our population is falling, and, we are losing wealth. That means we have fewer and fewer resources to pay for services. Therefore, from an economic development standpoint, we must do the marina as a catalyst for apartment conversion into condominiums. JJR estimates that such public investments will leverage 8-12 times that amount in private investment.

Purchasing St. Roberts gives the City options in creating a truly great redevelopment project.
We will have none south of Lakeshore if we miss.

Let me know what you think.

Trees for Euclid

Planting trees does a world of good! Not only do trees offer beauty to and garden, they can save the home owner money. Properly planted trees can cool your home thereby saving money on air conditioning. Consult a landscape or an arborist to select the proper tree and, more importantly the proper location to plant your tree. Chris Grant, our City Arborist can suggest
help for your tree planting questions.

Planting trees is not simply the home owners choice: The City of Euclid plants dozens of trees every year. Most are to replace diseased and damaged trees, or, trees that have been removed for sewer/road work. The City is a long time winner of the Tree City USA designation meaning that we appreciate the value planting and maintaining trees.

As a member of the Shade Tree Commission, I have a great interest in planting trees along our public right of ways. To that end, Matt Sarver, another member of the Shade Tree Commission
have set up an Shade Tree Ad Hoc Committee dedicated to planting trees along the marginal, and in the "infield" areas of the I90/Rt highway interchange. We are currently experimenting
by planting seedlings along the marginal near 260th. If all goes well, and, they take" we will work to obtain ODOT's permission to do a more extensive planting next spring.

2010 Euclid Pond and Garden Tour

Right here in Euclid you can see some of North East Ohio's most creative gardens. Its the
2010 Euclid Pond and Garden Tour. This year's tour is June 26th and 27th. Saturday, the 26th is the special candlelight tour from 7:00 pm to Midnight. Sunday, the 27th is from
1:00pm to 7:00pm. As a member of the Euclid Shade Tree Commission, I want to thank my colleagues and City staff for putting this all together. Proceeds go toward planting trees in Euclid. Tickets are 8 dollars and can be purchased at City Hall. Call Marcia at City Hall for more information (289-2726)

City Council Charter Amendments

The Charter Review Commission for the City of Euclid is proposing additional changes to the structure of the Euclid City Council.

You might ask what the Euclid City Charter is. Think of it as Euclid's Constitution, the very document upon which our entire government rests. Adopted in 1951, this governing Charter has served the City extremely well. The original charter called for City Council to have two year terms with all members standing for election at the same time. Two year terms were clearly patterned after the State and Federal House of Representatives. Each of these bodies still have two year terms.

At the time of adoption, Council was composed of 9 members: one Council President, 4 at large members and 4 ward councilperson. Now, our system is composed of 1 Council President
and 8 ward councilpersons. The change was ordered by the Federal Court to settle the Department of Justice complaint against Euclid. The Federal Court decision did not mandate
a change of the length of terms

The Charter Review Commission is exactly that: a commission made up of citizens appointed by the Mayor to review the Charter of the City of Euclid. Meeting every 8 years, this group can
propose changes to the Charter.

Last fall the citizens voted for one of these proposed changes: changing council terms from 2 years to four. This change will go into effect for 2011

I opposed this change: 4 year terms are great for politicians, bad for the average citizen. Four year terms leads to less accountability. The Founders of the nation felt that the legislative branch, the peoples branch needed to stay as close to those they represent as possible. Two year terms are the way to achieve that.

Now, on May 4th, you will again be presented with changes to City Council:

#25: "Shall Council Members and the Council President, and the Mayor be elected to terms
ending on December 31 and beginning on January 1st

Currently, the Council term ends on Nov 30th. This gives the outgoing Council one more meeting. Under the proposed change, you will have a lame duck council for 3 meetings. This can invite political mischief.

#26 "Shall the Charter of the City of Euclid be amended to increase the number of signatures
needed to file such recall petitions to 25% of the electors voting in the most recent general election?

Currently, the Charter requires only signatures of 15% for those voting in the last election.
It is interesting that the Charter Review Commission in lobbying for passage of 4 year terms
stated that if people were dissatisfied with their council person, they could recall them.

Yet, this proposal makes it harder to recall. So on one hand, we have longer council terms, a longer time that Council DOES NOT have to stand before you. On the other, we now have a proposal to make a recall attempt even harder. This results in even less accountability to you, the citizen.

#27 "Shall the Charter be amended to require a declaration of intent to petition for the removal of any elected officer of the City; and, to impose a 45 day time limit on the filing of recall petitions after the declaration has been filed.

Currently, there is no time limit on the gathering of signatures for recall.

Much like #26, this amendment will make recalling any official that much harder. The result will be a council and government much less accountable to you, the citizen.

There has only been one recall attempt since the Charter was adopted in 1951. From what I know of that attempt, the gathering of enough signatures (15%) could not have been done
within the 45 day time frame. We must remember that public service at the local level, is a decidedly a part time job. Gathering signatures to appear on any ballot, let alone a recall is a time consuming process. We should not make the process so difficult as to make it impossible.

I believe that these three Charter proposals, while good for politicians and political parties, is a bad deal for the citizens of Euclid. Keep your voice, and your options, Vote "No" on #25, #26 and #27

Let me know what you think.

Also, please take a moment to fill out the poll on the Euclid Public Library Levy.

Is Euclid at the top of the (Trash) Heap?

Trash Tax estimated to Raise 2 million dollars per year:

The Cervenik Adminitration sites 14 communites in Lake and Cuyahoga counties that impose a tax on trash pickup. Included are Cleveland, Cleveland Hts, Mentor, Eastlake and Willoughby Hills. Some communites give a discounted rate to senior citizens, some do not. Apartment dwellers are not a part of this calculation, as those complexes have private trash hauling.

Here is a selected breakdown

Willoughby Hills: $276.00
Painesville: $184.44
Kirtland: $183.36
Maple Hts: $182.82
Olmsted Falls: $181.12
Euclid (proposed) $168.00
Eastlake: $144.00
Cleveland: $96.00
Mentor: $84.00
Cleveland Hts: $84.00
East Cleveland: $72.00
Bay Village: $48.00

From these selected cities, Euclid would be about in the middle. Yet, when viewed against our
traditional municipal competitors such as Mentor, Eastlake and Cleve Hts., Euclid would be at the top. Some of this discrepancy is explained by the fact that Euclid has fewer homes with which to spread the cost over.

Center of Dialysis Care Creative Arts Exhibit:

Euclid Public Library is hosting the 5 annual Creative Arts Exhibit from March 2-March 29th.
Exhibits include art work in various mediums by patients of the CDC and the Kidney Foundation
of Ohio amount others.

On Sunday, March 7th, please join the CDC in the Shore Room at the library from 2:30-4:00pm
for an informal opening reception. Light refreshments will be served. Contact art therapist
and Euclid Resident Dawn Knez @ 440-951-3602 ext .121 for more information.

Euclid's Budget: To Tax or Tax not?

The City of Euclid's budget hearings begin Monday Feb 8th at 6:30pm. Other scheduled meetings
will occur on Wed, Feb 10th and on Mon. Feb 22nd. Both also beginning at 6:30 at City Hall. A quick budget primer: City budgets in general are broken down into a variety of categories such as capital funds or enterprise funds and, of course the general fund. These different categories usually have a dedicated revenue stream such as property or income tax. For example, our yearly street repair and repaving budget is funded through a portion of the property tax you pay. Whereas police and fire are paid via income and other taxes. Euclid by law can not use capital money to pay for salaries of police and fire.
The 2010 General Fund Budget: The proposed Administration budget projects a deficit of about 3 million dollars. Given that we ended 2009 with a 1.6 million dollar reserve, if we used all of these funds, our deficit will still be 1.5 million. The City can not run a deficit. Emptying our reserves would leave no cushion for the City and could hurt our bond rating
The Mayor's proposal: Beginning this year, the Mayor is proposing a trash collection fee for those
properties served via the City's waste hauling contract. This cost is about 2 million dollars. The proposed tax is $14.00 per month per household; $8.00 a month for any resident that receives the homestead exemption. In addition, the Mayor is proposing a street lighting tx. Yes, Euclid must pay for the electricity that lights our streets and runs the traffic signals. Projected
cost this is year is 900 thousand dollars. The fee would raise 98% of this cost.

Other budget facts: Many of our employees receive a yearly longevity bonus. Police, Fire, Motor Maintenance, etc. receive such payments. Depending on how long you are employed, such payments can equal 6-8% of a yearly salary. Total cost to the general fund in 2010 is about $769 thousand.

The government and City is yours, let me know what you think. Also, you can call the Mayor's office
@ 289-2751 or e-mail bcervenik@cityofeuclid.com.

P.S. As this is my first foray into blogging and such, I hope you will bare with me. Check back often for updates on other City matters.