Useful Information for Residents
Consumer Affairs Resources - Cleveland's Best Companies
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Ready Notify CodeRed Notification System
The Village consulted with our Police Department and Cuyahoga County to bring back the Code Red emergency notification system. Code Red is a system that will send you a text, email and voice message that is generated by Moreland Hills Administration. You will not be receiving any banner ads, unsolicited emails or calls from solicitors with this system. There is no download or app required nor is there any cost to our residents.
Code Red will ONLY be used by staff during an emergency or to distribute essential information related to Village services. For example, if we have a watermain break in Pebblebrook we can use Code Red to only contact those residents who live in the affected area. Another example would be an overturned truck carrying hazardous materials that requires notification to the entire Village. Simply put we can cater the message and audience to immediately notify a specific group of residents on important issues that affect their safety and services.
We hope that all residents take a moment to register for this service, which will not be overly invasive and during the registration process one can set up preferences such as text only as opposed to text, email and voice message. If any resident is having trouble registering we can assist at Village Hall. Please contact Sherri at 440.248.1188 if you should require any assistance.
Click this link to register for CodeRed notifications
*Your 911 App
Once downloaded to your phone, the app also offers the ability for residents to contact the Village with non-emergency situations or concerns.
Click here to read the an explanation how the app works and how to download and set it up.
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Click the link to sign up for the service.
*The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Residents in need of free Civil
legal advice, can contact The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland any weekday (Monday,
Wednesday, Friday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Tuesday, Thursday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.)
Click the link for more details on how to contact them http://lasclev.org/contact/
or call 216-687-1900.
*Board of Health Septic Systems testing
for Wiltshire, Ellendale, and Berkeley
click here to read the
results
click here to see the water sample
results and the photos of the sample locations
First
Energy Communication Tools
First Energy strongly recommends
that residents notify the Illuminating Company anytime they experience a power
outage, even for blinking lights. This provides the Illuminating Company with a
documented record of a power interruption.
There are several ways to report an outage
…
For instructions on how to download
the app and register your smartphone, please click here: https://www.firstenergycorp.com/content/customer/help/communication_tools.html
or open this attachment.
-Communication Tools
These new communication tools provide customers with simple and convenient ways to get the most current information related to their electric service, using the mediums the prefer.
- Automated alerts via texts or emails offer important notifications related to power outages or bills
- Get personalized account information with two-way text messaging
- Mobile website and smartphone app offer on-the-go access to account services
- Enhanced 24/7 Power Center provides the most current outage information
- Connect with FirstEnergy on social media
Click here to read more about all the above listed communication tools or visit www.firstenergycorp.com/connect for more information.
-Customers Assistance Programs
There are many programs available to Ohio customers who are having difficulty paying their electric utility bills. The following are the Financial Assistance Programs offered:
- PIPP Plus
- Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
- HEAP Crisis Programs
- OPAE Fuel Fund
- Ohio Fuel Fund
- Community Outreach Opportunity Program (Co-Op)
- Project Reach
- Neighbors Helping Neighbors
The following are the Ohio Energy Conservation Programs offered:
- Community Connections Program
- Ohio's Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP)
- The Electric Partnership Plan (EPP)
Click here to read more about the above listed assistance programs.
Cleveland Water Discount Programs
Cleveland Water offers discount programs, such as the Homestead Program and the Water Affordability Program, which provide residents who qualify with the option to receive discounted water bill rates.
For more information or to see if you qualify, visit:
http://www.clevelandwater.com/customer-service/water-rates/discount-programs
*NEORSD Stormwater Management Fee
NEORSD and Cleveland Water now bill separately. Everyone in the village
should receive a bill from NEORSD for a storm water management fee, even if you
have a septic system. This fee was the subject of a long and drawn out law suit
which eventually ended up at the Ohio Supreme Court. NEORSD is allowed to
charge the fee. In exchange for that, they provide municipalities help in
managing the effects of major storms and in flood prevention efforts. They are
currently involved in several areas of our village. Members of the staff and I
have no control over this fee and no ability to reverse it.
- Stormwater Fee- How to Save $$
The monthly fee for stormwater
management is based on the size of your property and the percentage of imperviousness
(the amount of hard surfaces such as roofs and drives). There is a fee credit
program that NEORSD offers that can reduce your fee if you take measures to
reduce stormwater runoff volume and improve water quality on your
property. The fee credit amount is 25%.
Click here for a link to the application page at www.neorsd.org.
The application details the types of items that are eligible for a fee
credit. There is a 3-page form to fill out and mail in.
Please note that rain barrels do
require a permit from the Moreland Hills Building Department
*IRS Imposter Scam
Chief Wyant would like to remind
everyone of the on-going IRS scam that the police department has received
numerous calls about. This scam is a phone scam where the caller claims
to be an IRS employee informing you that you owe taxes and threaten to arrest
or deport you if you don’t pay. Be aware because this scam is very
sophisticated in that the scammer may:
- Know all or part of your Social
Security number
-
Rig the caller ID to make it look like the call is from the IRS
- Tell you to put the money on a
prepaid debit card and tell them the card number
To prevent yourself from falling victim to this scam, know that the IRS does
NOT:
- Call to demand immediate payment
about taxes owed without first sending you notification by mail
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers
over the phone
- Threaten to bring in local police
or other law enforcement to arrest you for nonpayment.
If you have any doubts, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 or if you think
you have been scammed, call their helpline at 1-877-908-3360 for advice and
guidance.
*UTILITIES SCAM ALERT:
Cuyahoga
County’s Department of Consumer Affairs is issuing a new utilities scam alert
after learning scammers are posing as electric company employees and calling
Cuyahoga County residents, threatening them with immediate utilities shutoffs
if they don’t pay.
The threat of losing power can scare people into wiring money or making a
phone payment before they’ve had time to think the call through. The
Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs wants you to know it’s OK to
hang up on these calls. Any utility that plans to shut off your service
will send you a written notice, not spring the news on you during a phone call.
Scammers have in the past used the names of First Energy, the Illuminating
Company, Cleveland Public Power, Dominion East Ohio and Cleveland
Water.
Consumers who receive
these calls should hang up and report them to the Cuyahoga County Department of
Consumer Affairs at consumeraffairs.cuyahogacounty.us or by calling 216-443-7035.
How to protect yourself: Don’t panic. Utilities don’t make cold-calls about shut offs. They
will always send written disconnection notices. Be skeptical of the Caller ID. Scammers may spoof
their numbers. Know that disconnections are
typically not scheduled at night or on weekends. Be wary if anyone asks you to pay a bill using a wire
transfer, prepaid card or gift card. Those are payment methods most
utilities don’t accept, but scammers like because they’re hard to trace. Never give account information to someone who calls you.
If you believe you may owe, contact your utility using
the number from your bill, not one provided by a caller.
*Preparedness
Resources from the Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management
For information about preparing for
specific emergencies, click on the links below:
Flooding
Extreme Heat
Thunderstorms & Lightning
ReadyNotify Fact Sheet
For more information, visit www.ready.gov
*Information about Chromium 6
A MESSAGE FROM CLEVELAND WATER...
At Cleveland Water, the health and safety of our customers - and your residents
- is our most important priority. Recently, a chemical called Chromium-6 has
been in the news, and I wanted to take a moment to assure you that the water we
deliver to the approximately 1.4 million people who count on us meets, and
exceeds, all Federal and State regulations including those related to
Chromium.
Chromium is a naturally occurring element that can also be caused by man-made
sources. It is commonly found in our environment, including our waterways.
There is no Federal Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for Chromium-6. However,
there is one for Total Chromium (which includes Chromium-6 and also Chromium-3,
a substance often included in health supplements) of 100 parts per billion
(PPB). Cleveland Water’s Total Chromium level during our most recent testing
was 10 PPB, so we are considerably below the MCL for Total
Chromium.
While there is no Federal MCL for Chromium-6, the State of California adopted
one and set the level at 10 PPB. During the recent US EPA's Unregulated
Contaminants Monitoring Rule testing, we did in fact test for Chromimum-6 and
our levels were 0.1 PPB – or approximately 100 times below California’s MCL.
For a little bit of context on what PPB means, think of it this way… 1 PPB is
about a drop in an Olympic sized swimming pool and 10 PPB is approximately one
ounce in an Olympic sized swimming pool.
We test for Chromium at all four of our water treatment plants and in our
distribution system as required by the US EPA. When interpreted correctly, our
results show Cleveland Water’s levels are well below the MCL for Total
Chromium. The report that started this discussion – and some of the subsequent
media coverage – refers to a level of .02 PPB. This is not a regulatory
requirement. It is a public health goal that is not tied to any regulation or
requirement.
Additionally, the report states that the Cleveland Water System has the 15th
highest Chromium-6 levels of large water systems (defined as serving more than
1 million people). If you look into the report, you’ll see this is a pretty
small group of systems from across the country – only 22 referenced in the
report – so we are actually in the bottom third of all large systems.
As always, we remain committed to providing a reliable supply of safe drinking
water, and we want to make sure we are providing accurate information to you
and your residents. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to us.
Also, as your residents ask questions, please feel free to share this
information with them, direct them to the link below where we have some good
information, or have them call our Water Quality Line
at 216.664.2639.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CHROMIUM, CLICK HERE: http://www.clevelandwater.com/blog/cleveland-water-far-below-state-and-federal-chromium-regulations
*News from the Treasurer of the State of Ohio...
A STABLE Account is an investment account available to eligible individuals with disabilities. STABLE Accounts are made possible by the federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (“ABLE”) Act. STABLE Accounts allow individuals with disabilities to save and invest money without losing eligibility for certain public benefits programs, like Medicaid, SSI, or SSDI. Earnings in your STABLE Account are not subject to federal income tax, so long as you spend them on “Qualified Disability Expenses.”
STABLE Accounts have some similar features to normal bank accounts, but they are not checking or savings accounts. STABLE Accounts are investment accounts, similar to 529 college savings accounts or 401(k) retirement accounts. When you deposit money into your STABLE Account, your money will be invested in different options that you choose. While you can still withdraw and spend your money whenever you need it, a STABLE Account also allows you to grow your money and to save long-term for disability expenses.
Account set up and enrollment is all online. No bank trips necessary.
You will put in your basic information, such as your name, address, birthdate, etc., as well as answering few questions regarding your disability, in order to confirm your eligibility to open an account. Once you have input your information, you will make your initial contribution and choose your Investment Options.
Setting up your account online is free (and easy!).
You will need to make an initial contribution of at least $50 in order to set up your account.
Pease click this link www.stableaccount.comfor more information.