Special storm sewer assessments slated for 74 tax bills

by Melissa Martin

June 18 city council meeting

Brecksville City Council is moving forward with two pieces of emergency legislation aimed at charging 74 residents in the Calvin Drive and Chippewa Road vicinity a special assessment to fund area sanitary sewer improvements.  

The first part of the legislation establishes the amount to be assessed to each of the benefiting residents, which is $13,500 per residence. The legislation also notes that residents whose properties are affected will be sent a letter in the mail notifying them that they are being assessed and have 30 days to decide whether to prepay the amount or have the assessment added to their property tax bills for the next 30 years, said Finance Director Laura Starosta.

The second piece of legislation authorizes the city to obtain a $249,000 bond that will be issued to help finance the assessments. Starosta explained that a substantial portion of the project cost is being covered by a $750,000 interest-free loan from the Ohio Public Works Commission. Recently, she said, council authorized the department to issue a $249,000 bond anticipation note to fund the property owners’ portion of the cost.

“Once residents decide if they are going to pay or [have the $13,500 assessed], then we will issue a bond for any amount outstanding over the $750,000 loan from OPWC,” Starosta explained. “I just ask that they are passed on the final third reading in the order they are presented today. First, assessing ordinance, then the bond legislation.”

Council anticipated passing the legislation at its July 16 meeting.

In other news, Recreation Director Rachele Engle told council the city plans to begin installing four new outdoor pickleball courts at the community center by the end of July. Engle said Brecksville recently received a $50,000 grant from Cuyahoga County that her department will use to fund more than 75% of the project.

“We’ve had quite the demand for our outdoor pickleball courts,” she said, noting that the city has elected install the new courts in the area that currently serves as outdoor basketball courts near the Kids’ Quarters playground area. “We look forward to maximizing the space, while also working on this project this summer and into the fall.”

According to Engel, the city retains the flexibility to swap out the pickleball courts if demand for additional space is needed by for another recreation project in the future.

“We can still have a multi-use function if needed,” she said.

“As soon as [the service department] is finished with our paving [projects], we will be shifting some of our operation over to start work in the basketball court area,” Service Director Joe Kickel told council.

Engle said that once opened, the pickleball courts will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Access has always been that way, so that’s how we’d like it to remain,” she said. “This way, families and individuals are welcome to come up there and play when they want. If we need to set any kind of boundaries in the future, we can do that as well.”

Additionally, city council passed legislation authorizing the administration to go out for bid on upgraded electrical service at the service department’s vehicle maintenance building. Kickel said plans for the engineering work associated with the project are completed. Once the bid is awarded, The Illuminating Company, the city’s electric provider, will install a new transformer and wires to increase the service department’s electric capacity in the building, which was destroyed by a fire earlier this year.

Additionally, council approved a $35,064 expense to design and install a fire alarm system in the three service department buildings. ∞