Why is the 2010 Census so important to Lakewood?

What do the twenty roads repaired and resurfaced in 2009, Lakewood public and private school students and first time homebuyers have in common? They all benefit from the City of Lakewood’s status as an “Entitlement Community”. The federal government bestows this designation annually on a formula basis. One of the principal components of the formula is population. A city must have a population of 50,000 or more persons in order to qualify as an Entitlement Community and the population count is based upon the decennial census report. Lakewood’s total population has decreased by approximately 10,000 persons each of the past three decennial census periods. Lakewood’s 2008 population estimate is 50,704 (source C.W.R.U. NEOCANDO database). Our community is very close to falling below the 50,000 population mark!

What will happen to our Entitlement Community status if Lakewood’s population falls below 50,000? Should the final census report reveal that our population is below 50,000, Lakewood would be eligible for only one more year of full federal entitlement funding. The fund allocation would be decreased by 50% in year two and all funding would cease in year three. This change would affect Title I school funding as well as Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) used for a variety of City initiatives including park improvements, street reconstruction, commercial and vacant property revitalization, childcare scholarship assistance, services for older adults, and low interest loans. CDBG grants also support a number of important programs conducted by community organizations including the Beck Center, Lakewood Christian Service Center, Lakewood Alive, and North Coast Health Ministry.

What can we do as a community to ensure that everyone in Lakewood is counted? First, every resident must complete and return the census questionnaire that will be mailed in March. Next, remind your neighbors, friends and family to return their forms then help spread the census message through your church, community organization, school or business via web sites, newsletters, emails or Facebook communications.

Click here for more information about the 2010 Census.

Eat Well Lakewood

Come to this FREE event and prepare to change your eating habits, and your life! Eat Well Lakewood will be held on Saturday, February 27 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Lakewood High School, 14100 Franklin Boulevard.

The day will include chef demonstrations, mini-workshop in the kitchen, and a vendor fair featuring local restaurants and service providers offering tips on nutrition and healthy . An added benefit: you'll get to check out Lakewood High School's beautiful new culinary arts facility which serves the West Shore Career Technical program.

At 1:00 PM, Ernie Logsdon, executive chef for the Nature’s Bin, will demonstrate ways to prepare many colorful vegetable delights. Beginning at 2:00 PM, Jim Perko, executive chef for the Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Mladen Golubic will teach participants how the food you eat can enhance your health and reverse chronic diseases. At 3:00 PM, Eric Lowrey, former pastry chef and instructor, will demonstrate how to prepare a healthy meal quickly and share tips on keeping fit on a tight budget.

Click here for more information.

Are you looking to buy your first home?

Lakewood's First Time Homebuyers HOME Program provides one of the best mortgage financing packages available to qualified first time home buyers interested in purchasing a Lakewood home. Assistance, which comes in the form of a 0% interest, no monthly payment second mortgage is used to assist with both down payment and closing costs.

The City will be holding a First Time Homebuyers Seminar on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 6:00 PM in the City Hall Auditorium, 12650 Detroit Avenue. This seminar is offered once a month to prospective homebuyers and is mandatory for those seeking assistance through the HOME Program. There are some steps you need to take prior to attending the seminar, so please call the Division of Community Development at (216) 529-4663 and they will provide you with all of the details.

Click here to find out more about the HOME program and to see eligibility requirements. If you have any questions, please call the Division of Community Development at (216) 529-4663.

2009 Financial Overview: In the Black

How Much Was Earned, Where Did It Go & What Do We Owe?

The City ended 2009 in the black with its General Fund revenues exceeding Expenditures. The General Fund is the City's primary operating fund that pays for Police, Fire, Refuse and all the other services that make the City tick. Revenue for the General Fund comes primarily from Income Tax, which was up almost 2% due to a one-time Tax Amnesty that took place this year.

The City's Property Tax goes to various functions such as the General Fund, to pay for debt related to capital projects, and to pay for police and fire pension costs.

The largest capital investments during 2009 was Street projects. More streets were resurfaced this year than there have been in any of the last 20 years. The City resurfaced over 7.5 miles of street, which is more than triple the average done in recent years. This was accomplished through Federal Stimulus monies, debt financing, and good timing when the City when out to bid the projects early in the year.

The City has six Enterprise or Revenue Funds. These funds are supported solely by the revenues received from those specific operations via the water and sewer rates and parking meters. The over $18.5 million in revenues from these sources can only be spent on these functions. So revenue from the water rates can only be spent on water operations and capital, sewer revenue only on sewer operations and capital, and so on.

For more information on City of Lakewood Finances including budgets and audit reports, visit the Finance Department web page.

Tax Amnesty Initiative Nets Half-Million Plus for City

Good news: In 2009, the City of Lakewood launched the first phase of a new initiative to collect delinquent income taxes. This first phase, a one-time income tax amnesty program, was implemented to ensure that every taxpayer is aware of and contributing to the funding of city services (police, fire, street maintenance, blogging, etc). Many took advantage of this opportunity to “wipe the slate clean” and from July 21, 2009 until September 30, 2009, the City of Lakewood collected $567,000 in delinquent tax dollars and processed 2,200 delinquent tax returns.

There is still time for taxpayers to file delinquent tax returns before the second phase- the one with penalties--is instituted later this year. The Lakewood Municipal Income Tax Division is located at 12805 Detroit Avenue in the City Hall Annex Building on the corner of Detroit and Alameda Avenue. No appointment is necessary. The Income Tax Division will assist with free Lakewood tax return preparation or assistance during regular business hours, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

The Division can address any questions or concerns in person, by phone at (216) 529-6620, or by email at taxdept@lakewoodoh.net during their regular business hours. Frequently asked questions, additional information, and/or tax forms are available here.

Lakewood Plaza Facelift at ABR (aka "Drug Mart Plaza")

At Thursday’s Architectural Board of Review, the board is going to see an updated proposal for the redevelopment of the site known as Drug Mart Plaza.

The owner’s proposal reflects many of the recommendations from the Detroit Avenue Streetscape Plan. For example, the slant-in parking in the front will be and replaced with wider sidewalks for pedestrian friendliness and outdoor dining. It also proposed to completely renovate the façade of the building on all four sides, including adding windows, awnings and lighting, while removing the overhang in front. When finished, the plaza will look brand new, though the building footprint will not change (similar to the 5Guys redevelopment at 15008 Detroit).

Often times they go through a number of iterations before they are approved by the Architectural Board of Review. This is the second review meeting, and the public is welcome (encouraged) to attend and give input on the proposal. Join us at ABR to give the newest proposal a look.

Point of interest: the shopping plaza is actually called “Lakewood Plaza,” and was originally named “Mars Plaza.” The photo above is the original Mars Plaza.

Update: Downtown Signage Program Approved by Planning Commission

At Thursday night's Planning Commission meeting, the Commission voted to approve the proposal for the Downtown Wayfinding and Signage Plan. The plan is available in its entirety here.

Downtown Signage Proposal - Thursday's Planning Commission

At Thursday's Planning Commission meeting, the Commission will consider a proposal for new signage and wayfinding in Lakewood's downtown district.

A key recommendation for the downtown area of Detroit Avenue (Bunts to Arthur) from the Detroit Avenue Streetscape Plan (adopted in 2008) was the need for a creative and purposeful solution to brand the downtown district through a signage and wayfinding program. A program of this type provides visitors, business owners and residents the identification, direction and orientation necessary to support and enhance the Downtown Lakewood district.

Lakewood Alive, who earned a grant from Heritage Ohio to facilitate the process, formed a volunteer Downtown Signage Committee made up of Lakewood residents to assist the public engagement process. As part of the design process, input was solicited to help shape the plan through community meetings, business and resident surveys and presentations to both the Planning Commission and Architectural Board of Review. Even sample signs were created and placed downtown for public review and comment.

Planning Commission meets the first Thursday of every month at 7pm in the Auditorium at City Hall.

We're Hiring: Certified Mechanic

The City of Lakewood, has an outstanding opportunity for a certified seasoned mechanic to join our team of professionals in the Division of Fleet Management.

Successful candidates must have 5 years or more of experience as a Mechanic preferably in a Fleet environment, possess a High School Diploma or GED equivalent, a valid Class A Commercial Drivers License (with less than 8 points) and tanker and passenger endorsements and possess ASE or related certificates, master level preferred. In compliance with Federal law, the successful candidate must be certified in Heating and Air Conditioning recirculation, recycling and recovery as required by Section 609 of the amended Clean Air Act.

The wage range for this position is $22.55 to $22.98 per hour. Interested candidates meeting these requirements may apply in the Office of Human Resources at Lakewood City Hall, 12650 Detroit Avenue or may download an application in PDF format from the Human Resources page on the website.

View the detailed description here.

The City of Lakewood is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Demolition is Over, Construction Begins on New Office Building This Week

This week, construction on the first office building built in Lakewood for many, many years will commence with the pouring of the foundation at the corner of Spring Garden and Detroit Avenue.

17513 Detroit Avenue, the site of the former Lakewood Christian Church, was purchased by a private developer to accommodate a long term tenant: the Department of the Interior’s Social Security Office. This tenant looked throughout the western suburbs for a new site, and Lakewood worked hard to retain them. In addition to retaining $4.4 Million in annual payroll and dozens of employees, the new site will also be added to the city’s property tax roles to benefit the city and schools.

The new construction is located at an intersection that has been busy recently: it’s also the site of the new Dunkin Donuts, that used to be an under-used parking lot, also owned by the Lakewood Christian Church.

By the way, Lakewood Christian Church is still Lakewood. They are currently “nesting” at 12501 Lake Ave.