Fireworks and short-term rental ordinances, as well as agreeing to move forward on a parks ordinance for rules, and a separate regulations and fee schedules for each park and a separate parks plan to maintain them, were discussed by the Solon Township Board Feb. 13.
Each ordinance will be drafted as a police-power ordinance and will be presented for public approval in the coming months.
After hearing from Kelly Claar, board trustee and parks committee co-chair, the board also took the first step toward a forest management plan for Vlack Memorial Park by approving contracting with Deering Tree Service to create one.
“Even if we don’t go with the entire plan, we will have a guiding document to work from,” Claar said.
The fireworks ordinance needs to be adopted before the parks and short-term rental ordinances because it will be referenced in both. Solon is the only township in the county without a fireworks ordinance.
Neither does the township have a parks ordinance. One was drafted in 2008, however, it was never adopted.
Trustee Steve Morgan suggested a fireworks ordinance that had been vetted by both the prosecutor and sheriff’s office. The board and zoning administrator will review it at their next meeting, make any agreed-upon changes, then start the approval process with the public.
Board members as well as members of the public voiced concerns about current shortterm rentals in Solon and the ordinance’s ability to “grandfather” them in.
Zoning Administrator Christina Deeren explained there is no legal way to grandfather a short-term rental. Board members stressed the importance to make the application process as fair as possible.
Concerns were expressed by both the board and the zoning administrator about the number of calls from potential buyers regarding land-splits and whether or not Solon has a short-term rental ordinance.
“We have people coming here wanting to buy as much property as they can to do shortterm rentals because it’s such a lucrative business,” said Deeren. “And you can tell other places that have allowed them and not cap a number on them… it’s turned their communities upside down.”
The parks committee reported that Co-Chair Mary Taylor resigned, leaving only three members, with one member not consistently coming to meetings. Claar reported that if the member continues to not show, they will not have a quorum.
A discussion ensued as to whether to disband the all-volunteer committee considering it’s difficult to find dedicated volunteers, create a commission that would receive a per diem as an incentive, or hire a part-time employee to manage Solon’s parks.
Until that is decided, a parks ordinance cannot be adopted. In order to have an enforceable ordinance, according to Deeren, there needs to be a governing body, such as a commission or an employee. A committee is made up of volunteers, makes recommendations to the board and has no decision-making power.
“I think everybody here knows how important parks are to this community,” Supervisor Chris Comeaux said. “We have to take care of them.”
The board agreed to take a look at options for either a commission or an employee at the annual budget meeting set for Thursday, March 20, 6 p.m.
