Council recap Mon 5/10

I attended Council on Monday and here's what I saw/how I voted.

Police Cruiser. I think with the deficit in the General Fund and the surplus in the Perm Improvement fund, we should overinvest in the latter to save in the former. This means potentially more expensive cruisers (PIF) that are cheaper to maintain (GF). For instance, an Impala or the 2011 Ford Interceptor get 25% better mileage than our current fleet of Crown Vics. The Chief has concerns about performance, and I completely respect his opinion. However, in the spirit of turning over every rock, we should investigate all "Alternatives" - my new favorite word!

Speed Bumps. I would like to see them installed on any street where a majority of owners want them. I would also look at speed humps rather than bumps, as they're more permanent and more attractive. We have a projected surplus in the Streets fund and we should buy sidewalks and speed bumps/humps with them.

Wasted Water. John S. confirmed we're not watering any longer due to that broken controller. He assured me we won't water until June.

Mowing. A citizen has problems with the new provider. I am not ready for an intervention, however I expect all issues are being brought up to Grass Cor.

Roundabout. I think we should go on record and proactively declare our intentions. The Mayor has concerns and thats ok! This is precisely why we have Committee Meetings. Let's mix it up and look at Alternatives! Dan committed to meeting with Todd Portune, and I look forward to his report. I expect we'll go into Committee in parallel or soon after Dan's meeting. A majority of Council seems to support the idea: exploration. Interesting article that should be in next week's paper:
http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/C2/20100511/NEWS/5110319/0/recorder/Mariemont-council-to-consider-roundabout

My Rules and Law Resolution to update property maintenance code had its first reading. Not revolutionary, and not perfect, but I'm pleased with my first bit of legislation. 2 more readings and then it will become law.

Tent "rental". I like us better using under-utilized assets, however renting the tent to employees may be problematic. Where do you say no? What happens when it's ripped? What happens when a spike/stake is lost? The more I think about it, the more concerns I have. More to come on this.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes, all of which were formality-type votes.


Cortney