Dear Villagers,

October is coming to a close after a beautiful month of mild weather and glorious colors. November brings us the elections and then a promise of holidays with family and friends through the end of the year.

Regarding the August 6th storm, our recovery claim and those of other municipalities in the county were declined by FEMA. We are resubmitting to the State of Ohio.

We hope to hear your views on two topics - Zoning and Broadband-in the next eight weeks.

On zoning, to provide the villagers’ perspectives to Council in their deliberations, we are going to conduct a short survey. The essential question is whether or not council’s decision on zoning should be put to the voters for final approval. The survey will provide context and consist of no more than five questions. The results will help inform Council as it debates the issue. The survey results will be shared in a transparent manner.

On the broadband topic, we have studied how to bring an affordable fiber optic solution to all of the Village in a buried vs aerial delivery system. An RFP process was launched earlier this year and we are starting discussions with legal counsel and the selected provider. This project represents a strategic decision for the Village with an expected twenty-to-forty-year life. We look forward to villagers’ comments and will organize a weekday and a weekend town hall in December. Council will address this and make the final decision.

The Village has also been working with four government regulators and environmental organizations and the Hunt Club to eliminate its private operator septic system and connect to the Village’s municipal wastewater treatment system for commercial customers. No Village funds will be spent on this project. A FAQ document is on the Village website to provide you more information. Funding applications have been submitted and their decisions are expected in December.

Finally, the village has a 3.5 mill operating levy renewal on the ballot in November. This levy was first approved in 2005, has been renewed three times with this request being the fourth. No new taxes are being requested. This levy provides $728,000 annually, about 10% of the Village’s revenue. The renewal will generate the same tax amounts that we receive currently through the life of the levy. I respectfully ask for your consideration on the Village levy.

And finally, with Thanksgiving being three weeks away, I want to express my gratitude to the Village employees that help me run your Village, to the council members who have rallied with each other on behalf of doing the village work, and to you, our villagers, who make this a special place to live and raise a family.

Steven L. Siemborski, Mayor
1470 Chagrin River Road
Gates Mills, OH  44040
(440) 423-4405   Ext. 122
mayor@gatesmillsvillage.com