As chair of the Utilities Committee, Councilmember Eileen Paley serves an integral role in providing safe, reliable services and utilities at the lowest possible cost.  Paley also draws from more than 20 years of legal experience to help ensure one of Ohio’s largest and busiest Municipal Courts is run smoothly and efficiently.

As chair of the Judiciary & Court Administration Committee, Councilmember Paley has sponsored legislation to help witnesses and victims of domestic violence through legal assistance, counseling, referrals, and connection to other agencies and community resources.  Ordinance 0142-2009 allocated a $103,705 grant to fund two prosecuting attorneys in the Domestic Violence Unit of City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer’s office. The grant was secured through a modest financial commitment from the city.
 
Paley also introduced resolution 0009X-2009 to honor the Columbus chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) for their efforts in helping reduce teen dating abuse.  Statistics indicate that one in every three teenagers will experience an abusive dating relationship by the time they graduate from high school or college, and 10% of adolescents report being physically abused by a romantic partner.  The NCJW has initiated a community-wide effort to prevent teen dating abuse through its “Love Shouldn't Hurt” program, which educates teens on how to identify the warning signs of abusive relationships, the foundations of healthy relationships, and a safe strategy to exit an abusive relationship.

Paley used her legal background to sponsor legislation that created an administrative fee for the collection of delinquent payments. The fee covers the cost of services of private collection agencies hired by the city.  Councilmember Paley believes strongly that Columbus taxpayers should not be paying for the city to collect money we are owed; the people who are forcing the city to go to outside agencies to collect their delinquent taxes, fees, and fines are the ones using the service and should be the ones paying for it.  The city contracts with two collection agencies and used to pay those firms 30% of every collection. That fee is now to be paid by the consumer, allowing the city to collect 100% of the money it is owed.  According to data from City Attorney Pfeiffer’s office, the new formula would have saved $313,850.99 in 2008.  The new collection fee formula went into effect April 1, 2009.

With adoption of the 2009 capital improvement budget (CIB), Councilmember Paley supported a plan to effectively and efficiently reinvest money collected from Columbus ratepayers to improve critical aspects of the city’s utility infrastructure. Without using any city tax dollars, Councilmember Paley has helped allocate:

• $3 million for streetlight upgrades throughout the city
  
• $200,000 for streetlight inspections and improvements
  
• $32.7 million for water treatment plant improvements
  
• $5.4 million for water treatment plant security upgrades
  
• $7.1 million for storm sewer system improvements
  
• $17 million for storm water improvements
  
• $13.7 million for sanitary sewer improvements
  
• $530,000 for the Livingston/Parsons sewer rehabilitation project, which is part of a larger effort to help Nationwide Children’s Hospital expand and create 2800 new jobs
  
• $850,000 to help redevelop the former Columbus Coated Fabrics brownfield site

The Department of Public Utilities serves more than one million customers with safe, dependable drinking water, environmentally sound wastewater treatment, and storm drainage systems.  Ordinance 0208-2009, sponsored by Councilmember Paley, continues the city’s efforts to provide the highest quality drinking water to its residents. This legislation appropriated necessary funding to purchase critical water treatment chemicals to be used throughout the fiscal year.
 
The Jackson Pike Wastewater Treatment Plant serves a crucial role in ensuring Columbus’ waterways remain clean and safe.  Paley sponsored ordinance 0676-2009 to appropriate $300,000 from the voted sanitary sewer bond fund for additional and extended technical services necessary to complete the plant’s Skimmings Concentrator System Improvements Project.  This project will update equipment that mechanically removes pollutants from the water’s surface.

The Big Darby Accord Master Plan was developed collaboratively by the jurisdictions within the Big Darby Watershed in Franklin County as a land use plan that balances environmental protection and responsible growth. Ordinance 0320-2008, introduced by Councilmember Paley, enacted the Big Darby Accord Master Plan. This legislation will allow the city to enter into contract with Franklin County to extend water and sewer service by the City of Columbus to certain areas within the Big Darby Accord Planning Area.
 
Hellbranch Run, a major tributary to Big Darby Creek, remains a top conservation priority. Paley sponsored legislation to help keep this potentially vulnerable habitat a source of civic pride for generations to come. Ordinance 0344-2009 authorized an environmental covenant for the purpose of implementing activity and use limitations for the mitigation wetlands created by Columbus in accordance with the Clean Water Act.

The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is constantly working to prevent the backup of sanitary sewer systems into Columbus homes.  Ordinance 0374-2009, sponsored by Paley, allocated funds to implement a new pilot project to find ways to improve sewer lines that connect from main lines to homes. The DPU has determined that leakage into the sewer during rain events allows excess water into the public sanitary system, causing water backup and overflow in homes. If the department determines that this project is cost effective, then the DPU will evaluate other opportunities to expand the program to other areas of the city that experience similar problems.

Paid for by the Franklin County Democratic Party, William A. Anthony Jr., Chairman, 271 East State Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215