Stormwater Update:
Oral arguments were held before the Ohio Supreme Court on September 9th. The two issues the Court will consider:
Is a regional sewer district created pursuant to R.C. Chapter 6119 authorized to manage stormwater that is not combined with sewage and to impose a charge for that purpose?
When a regional sewer district has the authority to operate stormwater handling facilities, is the district authorized to create and implement a regional stormwater management program, including the imposition of charges to run the program?A final opinion is tentatively expected before the end of December.
False Alarms Legislation:
Legislation has been proposed in Cleveland’s City Council to address a false alarm crisis. Law enforcement responds to over 23,000 alarms – nearly 98% of them are false alarms. The new legislation applies specifically to alarm businesses. Alarm businesses (ADT for example) must register with the City, register each alarm, meet some new protocol requirements for requesting a police dispatch, and – for alarms on business property – be assessed a $130 fine on third and subsequent false alarms.BOMA Greater Cleveland’s initial concerns are that alarm businesses will pass fees and fines onto the end user – the property owner. One thing to keep in mind: the City already has the ability to fine a property owner for a false alarm. We will continue to monitor this legislation and have already raised this concern with the sponsors of the ordinance and City Council staff. This legislation is slated to come before the Public Safety & Finance Committees soon. We have been told by City Council staff the intent of this legislation is not to result in increased fees to the property owner – and should this legislation be enacted this would have to be monitored closely.2016 Republican National Convention:We don’t know the exact dates yet but we know it will be held sometime in the summer of 2016. BOMA Greater Cleveland has had discussions with the Greater Cleveland Partnership about some preliminary logistical items.Space near the Convention site (Quicken Loans Arena) will be a hot commodity for special events.
We have also reached out to counterparts in Tampa and St. Paul (previous hosts of the RNC) to gain a better idea for what exactly we can begin to expect. BOMA Greater Cleveland is looking to install some “ramp-up to the RNC” programming in late 2015 – details will be forthcoming.Public Square makeover:The Group Plan has secured legislative approval for the makeover and is still finalizing the overall plans. A new traffic study was completed yet traffic patterns through and around Public Square are still being considered.