The Observation Deck

VOTE NO ON LAKEWOOD CHARTER, ISSUE 24!

READ: TAX INCREASE BY CITY COUNCIL. CITY COUNCIL CAN INCREASE PROPERTY TAXES WITHOUT A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE.




(Don't fall for the argument "there is an ethics requirement in there." Even though there is an ethics requirement in there, which by itself is good - it doesn't mean anything because our city hall officials don't believe in ethics anyway.)

Now why would they want to do that?

To make up for lost income from a business they GAVE AWAY maybe?

With the previous and current, charter doesn't there have to be a vote of the people to raise taxes???

Pretty sneaky! But then again, NOTHING surprises me from these fools.

Folks, you need to read it.

Steve Davis says the clause about City Council can raise taxes without vote of the people - was already IN the charter.

Well - why would they LEAVE it in there - they should have REMOVED it. City Council should NOT have the freedom to tax us without our knowledge and vote.

The new amended Charter is easier to read and has added an Ethics Provision (and these are good things) BUT in the areas of transparency - it decreases notifications to the citizenry in a couple of areas.

1. If you read carefully, you see that the new charter gives Lakewood officials a lot of free rein to do as they please – without protecting your rights.
"Many Lakewood homeowners, have encountered problems when appearing before the City of Lakewood's Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) regarding variance issues. It has been our experience that the BZA does not make decisions in accordance with legal standards they are required to apply. Our group is concerned that the Proposed Charter Amendment would make the Board even less accountable for its decisions by removing important safeguards that protect property owners. Please forward the attached to any homeowners you believe would be interested in this issue."
Please READ the attached PDF to compare the current charter vs. the proposed charter in regards to the BZA.

2. Where the City wants to acquire a property through Eminent Domain. The notification to the owner has been seriously shortened before the City Council has the right to take it to the courts. I will attach this at a later time..believe me - only 1 notification goes to the property owner and then City Council is in charge and they can proceed to the courts immediately to take your property.

3. See Margerite Harkness' input on taxes imposed without the same level of notification as in the Second Charter Amendment.

In the spirit or "flexibility" (Kevin Butler) and nimbleness (Mr, Davis -& I do appreciate his work) - we will make changes in Lakewood through Codified Ordinances and empower City Council and any Administration to act quickly with less public notification and scrutiny.

I truly believe the Charter Amendment group was coached by Kevin Butler and Mike Summers to go to codified ordinances instead of maintaining public involvement in some important decisions the city may make..

I know we have citizens up in arms about BSL and Opioids and other issues and the Third Amended Charter may pass.

I invite you all to lay down the Second Amended Charter..The document that outlines the changes & the Third Amended Charter and carefully compare the changes.

If you believe an Ethics Clause will hold this or a future administration to acting in the public's best interest instead of their friends financial interests, then I think you are consuming one GIANT Dreamsicle (sp) my friends.

Increasing the Government's power is not the answer in Lakewood, Ohio. A City Charter is designed to protect the interests of the citizens and I feel this new version woefully short.

The prior comment about look who is supporting this amendment should be carefully scrutinized. Many of these people are the same people that did not disclose or lied to the public about the hospital and other issues in the last few years. Many of these people are the same one's who will be making changes on our behalf in the future.

I say vote AGAINST 24 - the Third Amended Charter until some changes can be made to protect the public.

The Charter Commission, not just Stephen Davis as one person:

REMOVED the hospital, in AUGUST 2014, before the citizenry even had any CLUE that City Hall was destroying the hospital behind closed doors;

Made Eminent Domain a FASTER PROCESS for City Hall to take a citizen's property;

Retained City Council's ability to INCREASE PROPERTY TAXES without a vote of the people;

Streamlined City Council's ability to do as they please, with LESS NOTICE to the people;

Thereby worsening the already-opaque "transparency" which we as citizens are entitled to.

And by the way: City Council made some changes, after the specific changes that the Charter Commission identified in their long document 3 years ago.

Exactly WHAT changes did City Council insert/delete in this Charter?
And WHEN did they put those changes in?
Were these in secret Committee of the Whole meetings?