Copyright cleveland.com
BRUNSWICK, Ohio --- Brunswick voters Nov. 4 delivered a mixed bag of support and opposition to 11 proposed city charter amendments. The city charter requires a charter review commission made up of persons “not holding any other municipal office or appointment” to be appointed by the mayor every five years to propose “alterations, revisions, or amendments to the charter at the general election.” Following the vote, Ward 2 Councilman and Vice-Mayor Nick Hanek said he feels some of the results suggest a need for city leaders to better inform voters of both the charter-review process and the suggested amendments. Hanek commended the work of the charter commission, and said many of the amendments were supported or opposed definitively. However, he said, he feels voters could have been better served by more informative ballot language in some cases. “And council approved that, so that is on us,” Hanek said. He pointed to broad support for amendments such as the vice-mayor serving temporarily as mayor when the mayor’s seat is vacated, instead of as a permanent replacement; and increasing the city’s cost threshold for requiring public bids from $25,000 to the state minimum $77,250, as well as unequivocal opposition to other amendments such as removing the requirement that legislation be posted at the Brunswick Library; and reducing the required number of petition signatures to run as a candidate for mayor and council-at-large from 100 to 50, and for ward councilman from 50 to 25. “I don’t think I would [suggest] bringing those back [for consideration by future charter commissions],” Hanek said. However, revisiting some of charter amendments – with better explanations - may be beneficial, he said. For instance, voters defeated an amendment to eliminate the city’s Division of Public Health and Welfare by a whopping 3,669-to-1834 vote margin, based upon unofficial results from the Medina County Board of Elections. Hanek said this amendment would have been essentially a change in charter language, as the city no longer has an active Division of Public Health and Welfare and is served by the Medina County Health Department. Likewise, voters defeated an amendment to remove that requirement that a provision of notice as part of any rezoning or variance request include a certificate of mailing. Hanek said this suggestion was made simply as a cost-saving measure for the city. “I can see how people could read that as somebody not getting notice, but that is not the case,” he said. “The ‘certificate of mailing’ is a function that probably made sense at one time, but we can now do it equally effectively for less money.” Other approved charter amendments included: authorizing the clerk of council to distribute proposed legislation to council members and the mayor by electronic means; correcting grammatical errors and clarify the charter language; authorizing non-emergency expenditures in an amount not to exceed the amount established by Ohio statutory law; confirming any contract for real estate owned by the city to be made by the city manager, and exempting sales to boards of education, free library boards of trustees and any non-religious organization for the property to be used for a public purpose from public bidding requirements; and changing charter language to correct the information required to be provided in the Annual Comprehensive Finance Report and to comply with Ohio Public Records Act. The remaining defeated charter amendment would have authorized no less than five members of city council to approve the sale of real property not needed for municipal purposes without competitive bidding to any entity for use for any public purpose; and
