Council, mayor discuss finances, resignation

Even as Willoughby Hills reopens its tennis courts and people spend more time outside, Mayor Andy Gardener is cautioning people to focus on the safety and health of others as the novel coronavirus is still a concern

At a recent City Council meeting, Gardner and council members say they are doing all they can to help residents stay healthy but with the re-opening of businesses, clubs and bars, there is a chance to cause a second wave of the pandemic.

“The impact of the COVD-19 pandemic and the health and safety of our residents is still our top priority,” Gardner said. “Despite the good weather, I urge all our residents not to let their guard down; please continue to follow all the health department suggestions and guidelines for your safety and the safety of others.

“I’m happy to report we will be able to re-open the city’s tennis courts on (June 2) in connection with the re-opening requirements,” he added. “Rules are posted for appropriate social distancing. We will continue with re-openings as permitted, and we will keep you informed on the city’s webpage and the city’s Facebook page.”

Meanwhile, Gardner and

Finance Director Frank J. Brichacek, Jr. are analyzing data daily to monitor the pandemic’s impact on the city financially. City revenue could be greatly impacted by less revenue from income taxes, mayor’s court and other sources.

“We are monitoring the effect daily of the pandemic on our finances for the reasons I discussed in the last several council meetings, and fortunately since my last report there are no new potential issues,” the mayor said. “But we are mainly concerned that several of our revenue streams including income tax, mayor’s courts, state funding of local government, gasoline tax will be impacted and we’re continuing to track that.”

Brichacek said the situation is difficult to gauge as it’s a very fluid situation.

“To date, it looks like we’ve incurred about $22,600 in COVID-related expenses,” he said. “The impact of the virus so far will be more severely felt on the revenue side of the budget.”

Council voted to adopt two new ordinances to help the city recover and offer relief to residents by authorizing Gardner to sign all documents pertaining to the Federal Emergency Management Agency request for public assistance. The other ordinance adopted was for the mayor or his designee to apply and receive funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic

Security Act.

Council members also spoke on Councilwoman Janet Majka’s resignation. Majka resigned from her council seat last week and in her resignation letter that was released to the public, she was critical of “a dark side for those who speak up and challenge the status quo in Willoughby Hills City Hall.

“Truthfully, the venom and nastiness in City Hall literally makes me cry,” she said in the letter.

“Concerning Ms. Majka’s resignation and her letter, I believe the issues raised in resignation relate to issues raised by Mayor Weger before I took office,” Gardner said at the council meeting. “As to how she felt I treated her during meetings, residents are free to review council tapes and judge for themselves if they believe I behaved inappropriately in any manner in any of our meetings.”

Councilwoman Tanya Taylor Draper said she hadn’t seen any bullying that Majka alleged.

“I would like to make this comment to all the residents out there; there is absolutely nothing that we do in the dark,” Draper said. “We’re not in some back alley somewhere making deals, absolutely everything we say and do is for everyone to hear. So I encourage all the residents to go back and review tapes, review minutes, and determine if you believe comments were made.”