What We Accomplished.
When Trevor K. Elkins took office in 2012 it didn't take long to learn how big some of the village's problems really were. Even though the job was "technically" part-time, there is no way the village was going to stop sinking with only part-time attention. So he set himself to work, often falling asleep at his desk and going home to the family at 5 AM to get ready for his regular day job.
On our 'Where We Started' page we outlined what he planned to tackle. That plan had to expand quickly. With a lot of hard work and by hiring a great team, he nailed it. Check out the results below.
Restructured Full-Time Police Department:
Trevor's original plan was to get more than 1/2 of the hours worked by full-time officers. Today, because of Mayor Elkins working with Council, the Village can proudly to say it's gone from paying part-time officers working all of the hours for $11.35/hr to a full-time department working 95% of the hours at an average pay rate around $28.00/hr.
New Village Facilities:
Brow Avenue Closure:
Using a grant and a small investment of village funds, because of Trevor's planning, we were able to build a project with numerous benefits to the village.
First, we closed off what had become a highspeed cut-through for transient traffic making the streets in the neighborhood calmer, quieter, and safer.
Secondly, the Village built a retention basin that helped improve sewer overflows by keeping roughly 22,000 gallons of water out of the sewer system annually.
Finally, we demolished a blighted eyesore and replaced it with a beautiful and appealing greenspace.
Repurposing the Former RTA Garage:
The seeds of this project began in 2014, before Armond Budish was even officially sworn into office. Mayor Elkins reached out to the soon to be County Executive and pitched the idea. It would take half a decade to come to fruition but, the regular communication and persistence paid off and Cuyahoga County ultimately relocated its service and maintenance operations to Newburgh Heights, closing four others around the county.
This enormous economic investment in the facility exceeded its original construction price and the number of jobs brought to the village is about twice what was there when it operated as an RTA facility, resulting in a substantial influx of resources for Newburgh Heights.
As an incentive, the village had to agree to split the income tax revenue until roughly $1,000,000 is paid to the county. Our estimate is that this would be roughly an eight year commitment. At current county employment levels, it is likely to be sooner!
Economic Development:
Charter Steel Noise:
Mayor Elkins sought out and convinced Council to do what ultimately was a bit of a clandestine noise study. The results allowed us to make real traction in resolving this issue. We brought in a specialized firm that pretty clearly identified the sources and location of the noise. It related to the plant's scrap yard and furnace facility. As a result, we developed a more collaborative relationship with the ownership of the plant and they built a wall that became a significant noise deterrent, agreed to install monitors on their dumps, and limit the use of other equipment to daytime hours. Although it is not perfect, the results have been a significant improvement in the noise pollution.
Eliminating Blight and Housing Maintenance:
When he first became Mayor, the impact of the foreclosure crisis was really starting to hammer the Village. Property values plummeted and along with it, tax revenue. Speculators were running roughshod throughout the community and every street had a dilapidated property or two that was negatively impacting the appearance and safety of almost every street.
First goal, stop the bleeding by removing structures that couldn't be saved because they were no longer economically viable or had transitioned into zombie status through abandonment. Immediately he went to work with the County Prosecutor and Landbank and secured over $300,000 in funding to cull the worst properties. This began to stabilize things.
Then he went to work constructing a functioning building department that complied with Ohio regulations. This was necessary for implementing a comprehensive rental registration program and the initiation of owner-occupied curbside inspections to ensure all properties in the village were reviewed. Throughout this process, we were able to fully inventory the village housing units, determining which were rentals and which were owner occupied, and from there fully initiate the process of inspections that had been on the books for decades but, never implemented because of the lack of a functioning department. We were also able to start requiring contractors to register and pull permits to protect village property owners from fly-by-night and uninsured "handy" men that disappeared with deposits or did more damage than repairs! Additionally, because the administrative staff was finally in place to properly run a department, we were able to start reporting to Cuyahoga County and the Board of Building Standards as required by law.
To assist residents, we created the housing maintenance grant program that would allow a resident to receive up to $3,000 in grants in any five year period for most projects.
We also became members of the Home Heritage Program network, further assisting property owners with resources, financing, contractors, and information.
Finally, because of Mayor Elkins, we created and began utilizing the Newburgh Heights Community Improvement Corporation. We were able to more effectively entice contractors into funding the rehabilitation of vacant homes that could be salvaged. This was done by creating a set of rehab specifications and offering it to contractors to bid. The winner would be granted the house to sell after they had met the requirements of the bid specifications. This cost the village very little if any and in exchange, a home would be sold in the village as a deed restricted owner occupied single family home. The most recent example just sold on East 42nd Street for $180,000. This type of purchase price helps all of our property values!
With the second oldest housing stock in Cuyahoga County, the village can't allow the days of "deferred" maintenance and out-of-town landlords to prevail again.
Professionalizing Mayor's Court:
Back in the "old days" as they like to say in these parts, the village Mayor's Court teetered precariously on the edge of disaster with every session presided over by the elected mayor. Unfortunately, the old days weren't all that long ago though. Long after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that if a mayor was not also an attorney in Ohio, an errant decision could result in severe legal action being taken against that mayor, yet they continued to preside.
Wanting to advance the village into the 21st century, Trevor was able to work with Council to modernize how we did business. We still follow the structure he built for Mayor's Court. Our magistrate operates independently of the administration, removing the "revenue" motivation accusation often made against communities with their own courts. Also gone are the days of the law director doing double duty as village prosecutor. This allows both attorneys to focus on their respective roles.
Sharing Municipal Services:
And A Whole Lot More:
He Protected Children:
Mayor Elkins greenlighted stings and investigations during his tenure that resulted in removing hundreds of molesters, pedophiles, traffickers, and abusers from the streets. It may sound strange to say but, these operations were actually rejected by mayors in other communities. Trevor knew the importance of protecting children everywhere. In fact, the largest operation in Ohio history was the direct result of Mayor Elkins supporting Operation Memorial Dazed. We actually topped it the next year! Check out the report here.
Full-Time Fire Department:
Under Mayor Elkins, for the first time in its history, Newburgh Heights has been able to transition from the instability and uncertainty of being staffed by a part-time fire department to a department of dedicated full-time firefighter/paramedics. Now their first priority is Newburgh Heights and the village does not have to run the risk of being shorthanded or not staffed at all because our personnel have been called into their other position as a result of conflicting priorities. This is no longer an issue and a major upgrade in the safety of every resident!
First New Homes Built In 50 Years:
As a result of Mayor Elkins' blight and housing maintenance initiatives, conditions were finally attained to make new housing construction viable in the village. The village was able to turn two sites where abandoned houses had been demolished into brand new homes. A third was built on a lot that had been owned by the village and was vacant for decades. Construction of new homes improves the value of all of the homes in the village and demonstrates there is potential in our market if the conditions can be made attractive enough. Unlike other communities that have had to heavily subsidize new housing starts, the village was able to get these homes constructed without doing so. Each of the new homes constructed in the village was built and sold at market rate, another key goal of securing construction.
$15+ Million In Infrastructure Improvements:
Nuclear Cell Well Monitoring:
After Sunbeam-Oster, the parent company of Chemetron was finally forced to clean up the mess they made by dumping low-level radioactive waste in the village, the EPA put monitoring requirements in place to ensure the integrity and security of the containment cell for the next thirty years. Part of the settlement with the company required that an escrow account be established to cover the expense of this monitoring and reporting to the EPA. Additionally, the physical condition of the cell was to be inspected annually by Cuyahoga County. Despite these mandates, for nearly 20 years, none of these requirements were met.
When Trevor Elkins became Mayor, he immediately engaged Partners Environmental to spearhead compliance on this issue. As mentioned, the village had gone decades without meeting its obligations! However, under Mayor Elkins we were able to update our protocols and finally secure baseline samples from the monitoring wells that allowed the village to get onto a quarterly reporting system with the EPA. From there we have successfully transitioned from a quarterly to an annual system and if we can continue to demonstrate there are no issues, we may soon be able to terminate monitoring altogether as we are closing in on the thirty year marker. This would allow the village to use the remainder of the escrow funds for other priorities.
Bottom line, because of Mayor Elkins, this is now finally being properly managed.
Tree Canopy Restoration:
We have planted in the neighborhood of 500 new trees over the past ten years, after going decades without planting more than a handful. This is an often unnoticed step in beautifying the community and establishing it as a desirable place for growth and commerce. A vibrant canopy leads to healthier, cleaner, and generally happier neighborhoods.
Professional Staff:
Reduced Taxes And Fees:
When Trevor became Mayor each household in the village was paying $12/month plus the processing fee as part of their water bill to cover the cost of trash collection and recycling. Mayor Elkins was able to stabilize the village's finances and get this fee reduced to $1/month.
Coming out of the housing crisis the village had to eliminate its 0.6% resident income tax exemption, reducing it to 0. Again, through successful management of the village's finances, Trevor was able to not only restore the original exemption but, he worked with Council to increase it by 25% over the previously eliminated figure of 0.6%.
Things were so bad financially at one point, the village had to charge a fee to use the dog park to cover the cost of the electric bill for the security light and maintenance. Fortunately, this is also no longer an expense the village charges.
And finally, we haven't had a village property tax increase in over a decade, breaking a long cycle of tax levies every five years!
Modern And Maintained Equipment:
Deferred maintenance, pennywise and pound foolish replacement purchases, or just outright neglect was costing the village enormous sums of money in both the short-term and over the long haul. More importantly, it was putting the safety of our personnel and residents at risk.
Through discipline and planning, Mayor Elkins' team has modernized the equipment and fleet in every department with state of the art vehicles and equipment, ensuring our staff has the tools they need to protect you.
And The Short List Of Even More:
Improved Benefits to Assist with Retention:
Why Does It Make Sense:
Incentives to Attract Homeowners:
Battling Corporate Stadium Greed:
Fighting for Rider Friendly Public Transportation:
Campaigning for Affordable Drug Prices:
Fighting to Lower Your Taxes:
Support Trevor, Please Contribute Today:
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Paid for By the Elect Elkins Committee, Treasurer Donna Kolis, Esq. 3888 E 43rd Street, Newburgh Hts OH 44105