Lake County residents decide charter amendments

Voters in Kirtland Hills, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Waite Hill, Willoughby, and Willowick made decisions on a number of charter amendments during the Nov. 6 election.

Kirtland Hills voters decided in favor to allow their city council with a twothirds vote to transfer no more than $500,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund to the General Fund during any one fiscal year. The vote was 266-90, according to unofficial final results.

Mentor-on-the-Lake voters considered three charter amendments related to renewal levies and they passed all three.

The 1.5-mill police operating levy passed by a 1,920 to 685 vote, the 1.1mill fire operations levy passed 1,990 to 616 and the 1.2-road construction and repair levy passed 1,901 to 708. All are unofficial final results.

All three levies are for five-year terms.

In Waite Hill, voters decided 227-68 to amend the city’s charter to require the mayor to provide an employee notice and an opportunity to be heard prior to discipline if the disciplinary action involves a suspension, transfer, reduction in rank or discharge from employment.

Willoughby voters passed all four charter amendments on their ballot, according to unofficial final results.

An amendment changing the commencement date for council members’ terms to Jan. 1 following the member’s election passed 7,554 to 1,282, while the amendment to allow the mayor to assume office on Jan. 1, following the election passed 7,722 to 1,105.

Voters also approved — by a 7,521 to 1,391 vote — the amendment that allows the vice-president of the council to perform the duties of the council president in the event of the president’s absence.

The amendment to remove “This article and all ordinances, rules and regulations shall be literally construed to give effect to the beneficial distribution of population and the orderly development, improvement and general welfare of the city,” from Article VI Section 5 of the charter passed with a 5,440 to 2,970 vote.

Willowick voters were opposed to a possible municipal income tax increase. By an unofficial final vote of 3,180 to 2,143, they decided not to allow the charter amendment that would grant council the right to levy a municipal income tax at a rate not to exceed 2 ½ percent.

Willowick Mayor Rich Regovich said that the levy was placed on the ballot after much discussion.

“We are going to have a deficit in our general fund which covers all the departments for our city, but our voters said no more taxes,” Regovich said. “As we move forward to budget season we will look to each department and tighten our belts where we can.”