FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio - Mayor Eileen Ann Patton is hoping to inspire residents to volunteer for the Charter Review Commission.

Fairview Park Mayor Eileen Ann Patton

"Every 10 years we have to form a 10-member commission," Patton said. "People's lives are busy, and it's a volunteer position, so I need to get the word out pretty early for any interested person to send a letter of interest to me. The last time we only had 14 residents send in letters."

This time around, Patton is going to target members of younger families who recently have moved into Fairview Park. She said some of those residents have already expressed interest in joining the Planning & Design Commission, Board of Zoning and Recreation Commission.

"I thought this would be a great opportunity for some of them to apply," Patton said. "This gets them pretty involved with what goes on with the city. They can learn about the charter, and then they might be interested in running for public office.

"This is critical for the future of moving forward in Fairview Park. The more residents we have involved in making tough decisions, the better our community is going to be. I encourage it," she said.

Patton said in August that she'll appoint the Charter Review Commission, which will have nine months to work. Charter amendment recommendations will be presented in May 2019 to City Council, with public discussions to follow.

In Fairview Park, the Charter Review Commission serves in an advisory capacity, meaning any recommendations must be approved by City Council, which can also add charter amendments on its own.

Charter amendments would also have to be approved by voters. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections requires ballot issues to be submitted three months before Election Day.

"It goes through a lot of steps," Patton said. "These are going to be open public meetings, so the residents can come in and listen. I'm sure we'll have guest speakers such as the police chief, fire chief and City Council members."

Patton said the previous Charter Review Commission was encouraged to read charters from other communities for ideas.

Some of the topics the mayor would like the commission to examine include a reduction in the size of City Council, which currently has seven members, as well as the city's referendum zoning and whether to hire a full-time economic development director.

Currently, Shawn Leininger holds the title of Fairview Park director of public service and development.

"It's always been this way, one person wearing two hats, and sometimes it's exhausting," Patton said. "Those are two major departments we have here. Also, I'd like the commission to look into public bidding and see if it needs to be increased.

"We can't spend more than $15,000 without going to City Council. Times have changed. You can't buy much for $15,000 these days," she said.

"Another big thing is the Internet and all of the type of electronic and social media we have going on. Those aren't touched upon in our charter, so things like that need to be talked about."