Brecksville City Council Approves Contract With Police Union

Brecksville City Council last night approved new contracts for the patrolmen and sergeants in the ’s union, the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.

The contract will keep salaries flat this year, but will give union members a 2 percent raise in 2012, Mayor Jerry N. Hruby told the council during committee meetings before the regular business meeting on Tuesday night. Everything else in the contracts will remain the same, Hruby added.

The City Council also approved a number of other resolutions throughout the evening. While many were routine, one resolution in particular filled the council chambers with proud family members. 

Council President Larry J. Potla moved the resolution making Nicholas E. Sternad a volunteer, part-time firefighter up to the beginning of the meeting. Sternad, a 2010 graduate of the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District, has an interest in giving back to the community, Hruby said, noting that he hopes Sternad becomes a full-time member of the some day. 

“This is a fine young man,” Hruby said before swearing Sternad in.

Sternad's father and uncle are also firefighters, his mother, Terri Sternad, said outside of the meeting, and he has worked hard for this opportunity. She said that he attended the , studying public health and safety, and has taken the extra classes to become certified as an EMT (an emergency medical technician). He is now attending the Cuyahoga Community College, she added.

“We’re so proud of him,” she said.  

In other council news:

• The council also approved a resolution appointing members to the Board of Equalization for the . The project will replace residents’ septic tanks with a sewer system, which can hold significant costs for the residents. If a resident has submitted an objection to their assessment, the Board of Equalization will make a ruling on their case, said Councilman Mike Harwood. The public hearing will be on April 6, and residents who have submitted an objection will be notified.
• The council also approved a resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the city to enter an amended agreement for the Southwest Council of Governments. This collaborative, regional organization lets cities take advantage of specialty teams that none could manage individually, Fire Chief Ed Egut said during the committee meeting. While the new agreement will raise the city’s dues, he said he thought it was still a good value. Hruby added that the organization allows Brecksville to be part of groups like SWAT teams. 
• The council also approved the city to purchase 160 flags to commemorate the . The flags will be flown throughout the city in honor of its 200th anniversary, and extra flags will be sold to the public, according to the resolution. 
• The council also discussed the ideas of master plans for some of its properties. The city is working to develop some land on Stadium Drive, and Hruby said he would also like to have a discussion on the future plans for the Blossom property. Hruby plans to create a committee of residents to weigh in on the possible plans for the Blossom property, working with the Recreation Commission to determine what the public would like to see.