Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Comm of Whole 12/5

I attended the COW meeting on 12/5 and here's what I saw

Darlene's request to retire and come back part time after a cooling off period. i think this is good for Village finances and doesn't risk double dipping (still legal in Ohio). Further I think service will be maintained overall. It also allows us to trim slightly the number of full time employees. I think step 1 of creating the job in the salary ordinance is reasonable and I support it.

Cortney

Council 11/14

2/2 failed postings. Again sorry for the delay. Remarks exactly as originally submitted on 12/6

Cortney
-------------
I attended Council on 11/14 and here’s what I saw.

Stop Sign overusage. I think we’ve been too aggressive with placemnt of signs. For my part I’ve always supported, but I need to rethink this going fwd. Stopsigns are cheap and effective, but they’re ugly and pollute the landscape visually. And while I’m not a lawyer, I think our use of them is flirting with inappropriate since they do control speed.

Overnight Parking. I think our enforcement ought to evolve to a paid sticker program. If you want to park on the street, there’s a fee associated. We ought to explore an annual fee that neutralizes the costs to manage the program. Maybe not “profit”, but at least cover expenses.

State resolution opposing centralization of income tax offices. I dislike emergency legislation and am not sure it was necessary. I may have voted differently thinking back. However I think outsourcing the office to a lower efficiency provider is not a smart decision. So I supported the resolution.

New member of ARB. I am glad for Village volunteers, and I am sure Paul Allen will do great. However, I am concerned on how the vacancy was created. The Mayor sent a note to Frank Raeon, 10 years on ARB saying his time on ARB was done. This is terribly concerning for 4 reasons: 1)Frank has more relevant experience in his little finger than all of us on Council COMBINED. 2)we should cherish and celebrate volunteerism when it happens – this is not how you treat volunteers. 3)council should have received a copy of the termination letter in the packet. This was done under the radar. 4)Dissent is necessary, patriotic even. Frank disagreeing with the Mayor is the cause for this, and I think it’s terribly small, petty, and vindictive. Council should be informed. I am frustrated by this – Council, our residents and our volunteers deserve better.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes, as all but the Tax office were procedural in nature.

Cortney

Icrctv.com

Council 11/28

pls excuse my delay in posting this. I tried unsuccessfully on 12/6, assuming it went online. Here is a direct Copy/Paste from my remarks on 12/6

Cortney
-----

I missed Council on 11/28 due to a family vacation. However, I read through the minutes, and here’s my take on the Dale Park potential acquisition for a Community Center idea. I was asked by a NKU student for my opinion and here’s what I shared. How did the idea of a community center first come up? IDEA HAS BEEN MENTIONED CASUALLY FOR A FEW YEARS. IDEA BROUGHT UP BY OUR MAYOR IN NOVEMBER.

What are the steps that need to go about to get a community center? FOR ME, IT'S PURELY A COST/EXPENSE EXERCISE (UP FRONT THEN ONGOING), THEN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RESIDENTS TO CONFIRM INTEREST AND DETAILS AND WILLINGNESS TO FUND (TAXES). WE AREN'T STAFFED TO WRITE GRANT PROPOSALS, BUT IF POSSIBLE THIS WOULD HELP WITH THE FINANCIALS.

What are the positives and what are the negatives of having one? SAVES AND REPURPOSES AN HISTORIC BUILDING WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO ME AND OUR HISTORIC VILLAGE, PROVIDES ADDITIONAL SPACE FOR MEETINGS/ACTIVITIES. KEEPS RESIDENTS IN THE VILLAGE VS HAVING THEIR EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE VILLAGE.

WE HAD A COMMUNITY CENTER AT ONE TIME, AND IT'S NOW A CHURCH. NOT SURE WE NEED GIVEN THE CHURCH'S SPACE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. SCHOOLS ALSO OPEN UP FOR THE PUBLIC.
COST OF MAINTAINING AN HISTORIC BUILDING IS HIGH, AND WE CAN'T BALANCE OUR BUDGET TODAY PRE THIS PROJECT, PRE THE STATE BUDGET CUTS (UP TO 15% OF OUR REVENUE GONE IN 2 YEARS). I AM CONCERNED THIS IS COST PROHIBITIVE GIVEN OUR SHRINKING REVENUE

Why will the school have to give up a part of the building to the city for the center? SCHOOL HAS ANNOUNCED IT WILL CLOSE AND VACATE THE SCHOOL IN 2012. WE WILL HAVE A LARGE VACANT BUILDING IN 2012 AND NEED A PLAN FOR IT....

What are your feelings about the center and the complications that come along with it? I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA WORTH DISCUSSION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. BUT I FEEL THE BURDEN ON THE TAXPAYERS WILL BE GREAT, AND PROBABLY BE TOO GREAT FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD.


Cortney

ICRCTV.com

Council 12/12

I attended Council on 12/12 and here's what I saw.

Armed Robbery in the Village. This is very concerning, and unfortunately the Police can't be everywhere. My ask of the citizens - report criminal activity immediately. in this case, it wasn't reported for 1+ hours, and it hurts the Police's chances of finding the bad guys.

Darlene's move to part time. I appreciate Darlene's creative solution to our ongoing budget problems. And this appears to avoid the worry of a double dip scenario. I am supportive of this setup and I think we should take this oppty to keep 1.5 full time equivalents in the tax office vs 2.0 today.

Appointments - lots of volunteering is a great thing for the Village. It's pretty easy to support these instances.

Frank Raeon termination on Arch Review Board. I believe Council should be informed when a volunteer is let go. Volunteers are hard to come by and we should be made aware.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes as they were procedural in nature. Darlene's part time role within the salary ordinance was the exception, however I think part time is a reasonable request and good for the Village.

Cortney

ICRCTV.COM

Monday, November 14, 2011

Election Results

I was disappointed to see my candidate for mayor defeated on Tuesday. In his defense, I think 42% of the electorate voting for change is an impressive first showing. I like and still support Jeff. His issues remain huge opportunities for the Village. I will partner with any on Council who are willing to work on them.

I have been asked to step down due to my support for Jeff's failed run. I disagree with the thought and will honor my commitment to the Village.

Finally, congratulations goes to Dan for running an effective campaign. I will continue to find common ground and work with the Mayor for the good of the Village.

Cortney

Council 10/24

I attended Council on 10/24 and here's what I saw.

Parking - we don't need to spend $200K+ on West Street parking when we can amplify what we ALREADY HAVE for hundreds (maybe few thousand) of dollars. We need wayfinding(physical and virtual signage), we need awareness, we need safe crosswalks. We don't need the nuclear option on West St.

Parking study data. We need to be very careful to not "throw the baby out with the bathwater". That study may have some bias (all studies do), but it's a solid, independent data point. If we go and try to "fix", we risk reducing the study to useless.

Agenda Packets. Denise brought up an important point - we do NOT see much of which comes across the Mayor's desk. I speak mainly to the opinions contrary to the Mayor's POV. This is unfortuante, and it shows serious bias. We need objective information in the packets, not a one-sided opinionated view.

New Dodge Charger. This choice is net neutral in terms of operating costs. I would like to see us choose efficiency as an important variable, instead of a secondary one. We can't keep the General Fund from imploding by not improving efficiencies, one of which is energy costs.

Rumpke 2% - this is better than the 3% we absorbed last year. This is meaningful savings vs 3% on such a large portion of our General Fund.

Bike Route in Lower 80. I look fwd to an update at the next Council meeting. This can be a nice add to the village, if someone (not the Village) maintains it.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes. All were procedural except for the Police Car (above) and the State regulating Wooster Pike signage. I have some reservations here, but I think standard signage is reasonable.

Cortney

ICRCTV.COM

Monday, October 24, 2011

Parking Study Draft - West St Project not needed

The parking study draft is very interesting. It says we have a couple pinch points during the day, but overall we aren't bursting at the seams. We have work to do for sure. Here are some thoughts on how to improve
-awareness campaign for parking south of the pike. Maybe some nice signage for wayfinding.
-great crosswalk upgrade maybe w led lighting (i know it's expensive)
-paint spots on M'ville (20+), E bound Wooster E of Square (10ish), squeeze additional spots near the fountain (5ish)
-look at parallel parking on West if we must put any there(10+)
(sum total is 50ish!)
-if we still need more, it's time to revisit a garage. With no geothermal at the Elem Parking lot, why not buy it and double its yield with a low, attractive garage?

My takeaway before Council takes it up (I admit this is premature). From the data I've seen so far: We DON'T need to blow up West Street and spend $200K+ on this project. This study shows it's NOT NEEDED for a couple hours a day difficulty (which we absolutely must solve for). We need to invest in parking, yes. We don't need this radical solution.

Related, I think some of the Griewe condo spot estimates are incorrect. He needs 0 for Nolen, and only a handful for Emery (or vice versa). I'll follow up on this. We should make sure all the assumptions are correct, and we should NOT allow the "light day" comment to derail the DATABASED STUDY that we have paid for.

Cortney

10/18 Pub Works

I attended the PW meeting and here's what I saw.

Rumpke is coming in at +2% for 2011. This is better thank I expected (+3%). However, I would like to see us hold that increase down even further considering the reduction in residential units (mainly MVille road) this year.

Compliance education is really important. Residents need to know the rules, so do the Trash guys. We can solve this (at least improve this) by working together.

Cortney

Health & Rec & Pub Works Comm Meeting 10/3

I attended both Committee Meetings and heres what I saw

Tennis Courts upgrade. I support repaving the practice court since it's an eyesore, and since the membership makes an attempt to pay for the upkeep. It's kind of an expectation in my opinion.

Renting facilities. I'd like us to reserve and charge for these facilities for non residents. I also would like to explore allowing open container in a safe, controlled way. We do it at the pool and it's been well received from what I can tell. A superbowl party, for instance, could happen in the village, keeping our residents here. If liability is in anyway unmanageable, then it would not make sense to proceed.

Trash. We need very consistent, deliberate standards for what's trash, what's yard waste, what's recycling, what's allowed vs not, etc. Inconsistent enforcement by the Rumpke guys is causing cost to the Village and frustration by residents. We should get really clear on what's allowed. I don't think this should be a point of contention for the Service renewal for 2012. But I do think it's an ongoing need for education and awareness on both sides....


Cortney

Council Meeting 10/10

I attended Council on 10/10 and here's what I saw

Police Cruiser. I think our severe deficits in the General Fund and continued surpluses in the Perm Improvement Fund mandate efficiency choices at every turn. Recall the device cost is Perm Improvement, the energy cost is General Fund. Rick pulled me aside after the meeting and shared the new Charger's improved efficiency due to disengaged cylinders. This is great news, however we're not really improving upon the inefficient Crown Vic (same is still better than worse though). I will support the Charger since it's not efficiency decretive, but I'd like other options too.

As an aside, I wish we would consider alternatives to big cars like the Charger/Crown Vic. This car makes/made sense in highway situations, but I think (no data) it's over engineered and unncessary for a 1 square mile village with a speed limit no greater than 35mph. Why couldn't we maintain a fleet of Ford Fusion Hybrids? Or maybe Hybrid Escapes? (this assumes safety is ensured, it assumes vehicles can do the job) A Hybrid would get amazing mileage, probably 2-3x vs today and would easily pay us back over its lifetime. What would meet our need?

IT Plan. I wish the Mayor had come to Council with his suggestion for Village webmaster sooner. The IT Plan is baked, we're PAYING an IT consulting firm. I love resident input and volunteering, but we'd have been better off designing around this talent/resource earlier. Communication continues to lack between the Mayor and Council.

Signage on Wooster Pike Ordinance. I'm concerned about this. In retrospect I really appreciate Rex Bevis' efforts to minimize signage. What are we approving? What will it look like? Where do we maintain/lose control here?


Voting: I voted in the affirmative on all. With the following exceptions, all were procedural in nature:
-bids for Street Repair. I voted yes since we need to continue to invest here
-Levy - I voted yes since we have no plan to retire them. On a personal note I will vote yes for this renewal. We need in the income now more than ever. I believe one of these could be reduced, though, if we make different choices and agree to a different level of service


Cortney

icrctv.com

Monday, October 3, 2011

O-17-11 Clarification

I made a mistake on the 1st Sep Council meeting recap. O-17-11 is excluding Condo associations from the annual trash fee, as long as they follow a series of rules. I was mistaken on my recollection of this ordinance. I did vote in favor of this ordinance as it is reasonable to avoid paying 2x for service.

Cortney

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Walked Warrior Mile with Dennis Wolter 9/27

I walked the proposed pedestrian path between MM Elem and FF Jr High with Dennis. We agreed it is a direct, safe, appealing route. Dennis will take this up in Safety and I look fwd to helping him.

Cortney

Council 9/26

I attended Council on 9/26 and here's what I saw

Lighting. I like the idea of investing however the cost seems severe. I would like us to revisit during annual Permanent Improvement appropriation.

Recycling award. We are awesome as a Village. Our recycling rate is something we can be proud of.

MPF Vision Plan. This work is outstanding. We lack planning on Council, and MPF delivered just that. I think we should use as a lens next year during Perm Improvement appropriation: If it's not in the doc, we don't do it. Case in point - a wasteful addition to the Admin bldg. This does nothing but give us more room for boxes to pile up. The challenge will be to activate this doc. It can very easily collect dust (in a box in the Admin bldg). We must will it into being.

Employee uniforms. I was surprised to learn we pay for uniforms for the Service Dpt. No disrepect to this hard working group, but why don't we mandate a uniform, pay a $75/year to every employee and provide a fluorescent vest only? We have lots of 1940's norms still in place. We should look at these types of expenses and make an intentional decision (either way is fine). But we should be talking about these kinds of things.

Warrior Mile. I am glad for Dennis' support and believe Fairfax's concerns are reasonable. We need to plan for the long term, not next year. I believe in this idea.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes. All were procedural except insurance premiums. I voted yes as it seemed reasonable.

Cortney

ICRCTV.COM

Committe of Whole 9/26

I attended Committee of Whole on 9/26 and here's what I saw.

Process. Andy did a fine job forcing this decision into the light. As I've mentiond before, too many budding ideas are aborted too soon due to lack of process. We are better when we evaluate as a body.

The "Other" side. We don't see this often enough. I am glad folks showed up in favor. It shows who diverse our Village is.

Survey. There was some contentious back and forth on this. I didn't bring up, but I recall Dan saying he would survey the residents (which I support). This didn't happen, so I'll take some of the blame on it. I think we should survey residents when big, crazy ideas surface. Survey + Meeting Comments + ALL Correspondence is a good thing.

Event. If this event were a road race, I would fight to get it in Mariemont. All of the non-course issues/headaches called out are manageable. However, I have been swayed by many who brought up valid concerns about severe damage to landscaped surfaces. I think this is too aggressive/risky for our Village. I am disappointed I can't support the plan and voted no.

Cortney

Council 9/12

This recap is later than normal due in part to the passing of my mother on 9/21. I'm sorry about the delay.

I attended Council on 9/12 and here's what I saw.

Chili Event. Hats off to Andy for seeing this through. I like the idea and appreciate the efforts above and beyond "paying the light bill". Too often we get caught up in the day to day and never look forward or work on programming events. Nice job Andy.

Committee of Whole Bike Race. Again, really appreciated Andy's efforts. We do not follow a process as a body. Too often ideas are aborted before they can evaluated, due to the Mayor's stifling what he doesn't like. Andy pushed for transparency and due process, and I think it's awesome. I have concerns about this race, but dragging the discussion into the light is right!

"Warrior Mile" Concept. I'm excited about Fairfax + Mariemont + Mariemont City Schools working on a dedicated, safe route between the 2 Villages. It's something I hope develops over time, modest to start, more robust in the out years. More to come on this.

Parking Study. I look forward to the results, however my serious concerns remain.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes, as all were procedural in nature. One exception was O-17-11 which I voted yes. This I believe was street repairs on Miami. I will confirm this.

Cortney

ICRCTV.COM

Saturday, September 10, 2011

8/25 Comm of Whole

I attended the Committee of the Whole on 8/25 and here's what I saw.

Cyclocross event. I support the idea IF we have a bullet proof plan to restore the turf/landscaping. I think it's >$10,000 in repairs. I think traffic is manageable. I think the other concerns are manageable too. However the we must not underestimate the damage high pressure tires (narrow) on a multi lap course will cause. That being said, I don't think it will have support of Council to move forward.

UPDATE since the meeting. Lots of concerns are surfacing about the damage to the Village caused by the race. I think these concerns are legitimate.

Darlene early retirement. I like creative ideas, and I think all should be brought forward. I have concerns about the legality of propping up a salaray before retirement. I have concerns about transferring our responsibility to a state fund. This moves the problem but doesn't solve it. I do think, however, that we need to get more comfortable with concepts like Double Dipping, if they truly (fully researched) save the Village money. Thx Darlene for bringing this up.

UPDATE since the meeting. The lump sum income boost can't be used for retirement calculation so Darlene has withdrawn her idea.


Cortney

Council 8/22

I attended Council on 8/22 and here's what I saw:

Honoring the officers from Fairfax and Mariemont for their bravery and service during the awful shooting early this year. A great reminder of the sacrifice of our first responders. Thank you for all you do.

IT Plan. While it's expensive, it will save us both money and lower risk for our Village. I fully support the "WHAT" as well as the "HOW". Tim Rettig's company InTrust will manage and I am a big fan of theirs. I know Tim personally, so I abstained on the vote. Thanks Jeff for all the time you spent on this thorough plan.

I voted in the affirmative on all except for the abstain above. All votes were procedural in nature.

Cortney

icrctv.com

I Support Jeff Andrews for Mayor

In my role as Councilman, I see both the promise of Mariemont (unfortunately unfulfilled) and Jeff's strong leadership. It's been a very illuminating couple years on both fronts. I firmly believe Jeff's the Leader we need right now. I love his energy, ideas, and vision for our Village.

I fully support Jeff's candidacy for Mariemont Mayor. Good luck Jeff!

Cortney

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Council 8/8

I attended Council on 8/8 and here's what I saw:

I was 1 min late according to the clock in the Admin Building, so I abstained from the 1st vote (Didn't know what we were voting on). I'm very sorry to have been late.

3M leaving Mariemont. I am very frustrated to hear about this after it was official, and by a Resident no less. This decision, even if not change-able, should have been communicated months ago. And we should have been working on plans to fill in this Real estate and Income tax hole (one example). Could we have offered them incentive to stay? (another example) I understand the Mayor knew of this months ago, yet he infomed no-one. This is yet another example of failed communication. This year alone, Council has been surprised by 1)West Street No Parking, 2)E Center Street No Parking, and now 3)3M leaving. Council MUST be brought into the discussion. 1-off singular actions are not Democratic, and are not in the spirit of Representative Government. I would prefer a seat at the table for ALL decisions. Further, it's not fair for one person to have to brunt the responsibility for running the Village. It's a Council + a Mayor for a reason.

New I74. Many believe that Eastern Corridor will slowly morph into I74, from I71 eastward out past Clermont County, ultimately to the East Coast. I believe this to be a likely end state if we allow a limited access highway to be built along Red Bank Road, aka Phase 1. While the Eastern Corridor will ease Wooster Pike Traffic (a very good thing for the quality of life in the Village), its subtle consequence is an INTERSTATE running <1/2 mile from Miami Bluff and surrounding streets, arguably the most affluent portion of the Village. It would be about 1/4 mile from Village property. This will spoil the view, the air quality, the quiet, and it will ultimately impact property values (I'm not an expert-this is personal experience/study/opinion at this point). This needs to be taken VERY seriously. Mariemont needs to go on record and declare its opinion (whichever it is). I personally believe a pedestrian-sensitive slow-speed phase 1 will impede the likelihood of a big highway running along the Little Miami. And this is in the best interest of the Village.

I voted in the affirmate on everything except for the Minutes Abstain. I also support the deer signage test along Wooster/West Street as it was a simple, free (Stat paid for them) solution to test.

After Council, I had a very productive 45min conversation with Rick Hines re last meetings comments. I very much appreciated his willingness to chat and "clear the air". I like and respect Rick and was glad to have had the chance to work through our differences.

Cortney

ICRCTV.COM

Idea for new Belltower event

I shared an idea with Council today re a Halloween soundtrack provided by the Belltower Carrillon, and here is the text of my memo:

I would appreciate any feedback on this idea.

Cortney
-----------------
Hi All,

Had an idea coming out of the great July 4 Fireworks event. That event comes together so nicely in part due to the soundtrack provided by the Carrillon. It made me think - what other events could be enhanced? & Halloween came to mind. What if we played Halloween-themed music during Trick or Treat? I think it would be really fun and add a new layer of richness. So I followed up with Richard Gegner, one of our Carrillonneurs, and he shared a couple things:
-he likes the idea and would be willing to perform for free
-he needs both Emery Memorial ok which he thinks is no issue + Council's ok
-he shared a Halloween program was done 10 years ago but was discontinued due to complaints about the music

While it may have been an issue in the past, 10 years has passed, and I think it's still a worthy idea. I would like to make this happen and will be happy to own this. If no one is opposed, I'll reach out to Richard and share we're ok to proceed. If anyone has a question/concern, let's either chat 1:1 or at Council tomorrow. I'll assume we're ok to proceed unless I hear otherwise.

Holler w questions.

retraction from blog posting in late July

I came across some data this weekend, and I need to clarify my financial comments on 7/25. Originally I said: "We have deficit spent each of the last 4-5 years (across all accounts)." Truth is a bit different. Raw data:
2006 ending General Fund balance: $1,870,000
2007 $1,665,000
2008 $1,268,000
2009 $1,010,000
2010 $1,027,000
2011 $ 838,000* June 2011 estimate per Tony Borgderding, Clerk
2012 $ 683,000*
2013 $ 233,000*
2014 $ -230,000*
2015 $ -707,000*

Here's what I should have said: "Between 2006 and 2010, our General Fund balance declined 4 of 5 years, losing $638,000 or 38% of its value in that time. Our Clerk projects Default in the General Fund in approx 3 years. In the one year of positive increase in the amount of $17,000 (2009 to 2010), we experienced an unexpected windfall from the Inheritance Tax, a revenue source which will disappear completely in 2013."

I'm sorry I didn't get it right originally, however it's still very concerning, and I stand by the spirit of by comments of the past month. We must act boldly and act now to close this gap. And Tax increases, as suggested by the Mayor, are premature. We should not advance this idea until we show due dilligence first. Hopefully, with creative ideas and tough choices, we can avoid a tax increase completely.

Cortney

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

transcript of email reply re criticism of my views

Here's a partial transcript of my email re criticism of my views expressed in Council on 7/25. I've made it anonymous. 2 topics

-ideas on budget cutting
-the value I place on trees


Cortney
------------------
Wanted to reply more specifically to your comments last night. Note: I'm copying the same distribution list as last week since your concerns seems to be shared by many. Here are 2 points worth clarifying (I’ll watch the video and will respond back if there are others I’m neglecting): I do not support layoffs. I do support uncomfortable belt tightening. I do support managing headcount via attrition and packages. Within the Perm Improvement budget I believe trees deserve disproportionate investment to correct years of under investment.

1)Shared Services are an example of the “What” we might entertain. I made no mention of the “How” they could be implemented (mainly because it’s just a raw idea at this point- strongly suggested by the Governor). Shared services do not need to involve layoffs. We don’t need layoffs, and I would not support them. If the S.S. Idea was viewed as right for the Village by all of Council and reduced headcount was deemed right (again by all of Council), I would support delivering it via Attrition or Financial Separation Packages. What if we paid 1/3 of a year’s salary to someone to not work for the Village anymore? Long term ROI is fantastic, and it respects the Employee.

However, because I won’t go down a Layoff path, there are financial consequences (savings has to come from somewhere). I think employees would value no layoffs over data plans on cell phones, 2 sided B&W only copying, no Council packets, no OT, more fuel efficient vehicles, lower thermostats, and other sacrifices. Again, I’m at step 0, I have done no research, I have made no contact with employees. This is a raw idea only at this point. Further, this is not inconsistent with what I’ve written previously about Budget matters: http://scheeser..blogspot.com/2010/02/finance-committee-efforts.html

2)Trees are Number 1. I did say this, however you failed to mention it was in the context of investment within in Permanent Improvements. Recall February’s Committee of the Whole meeting was to set the Perm Improvement Budget for 2011. Within Perm Improvement, there are many priorities (General Fund priorities like salaries, uniforms, & gasoline are exceptions). I value trees as #1, worthy of the biggest % increases each year. The aging canopy is a frightening situation as confirmed this Spring by our professional Arborist. Our history (not really an investment choice right now) and Trees make Mariemont distinct and special, and these areas deserve disproportionate investment.

Going forward my plan is to continue to blog (however I will try and preface better & provide more context), to continue to press for efficiencies, to continue to be transparent, to continue to be an honest and forthcoming elected official. I will continue to be a supporter of the Employees. I will continue to collect & publish any and all ideas that may benefit the Village. I will continue to to fight for bigger budgets for Tree planting.

Council meeting 7/25

I attendend Council on 7/25 and here's what I saw:

Marielders funding. We provide approx $60K of the $173 operating budget via a pass through Recreation levy. In terms of stewardhip, when it's gone it's gone, we're not liable for anything financially. ME provides a great service, and I look to them to manage the budget vs Council playing an active role

Trash Fee exceptions. I agree with my the Pub Works Committee's reco to allow for exceptions only for registered condo associations, and only via waiver. This gives council good visibility and authority to police.

Comments directed at me from a recent blog posting. I was pretty severely criticized for my brainstormed list of cost cutting ideas. Without having full history, I think our economic outlook for the next 3 years has NEVER been bleaker. We have deficit spent each of the last 4-5 years (across all accounts). We live in a tax-averse age, moreso than previously. We have a huge school levy (of which I supported) on the books. Expecting Residents to overwhelmingly support a levy is unrealistic, especially before we do the due dilligence to look for opportunities to save. And this is the backdrop for my comments on 7/11.

The Private sector is a fantastic model for how we could operate. Differences exist for sure, but rampant, relentless cost cutting in the Private Sector while maintaining good service is expected and done year after year.

Part of the difficulty in this issue is misconception that something posted here is a done-deal, fully baked. Quite the contrary, it's the 1st step after popping into my head. It's a collection of random ideas that may or may not make sense to investigate. Capturing them is the point. Acting on them is not. In total, I'm proud of my 240+ postings over the past 2 years, and while I'm sorry that I haven't gotten each of them right, they have been honest, candid, and timely. I'm one guy with an opinion (and to be fair, a seat at the table). I would rather have discomfort and angst at step 0 than the alternative: no communication, back door dealings, and a terrible program rammed down throats at the last minute.

I'll do better at context and positioning. As I said, "I'm a work in progress"

Comments directed at me from comments in February about Trees being the #1 issue in the Village. In terms of investment from Permanent Improvements, I believe money can not be better spent.

I will go into additional detail on both of these in a separate posting.


I voted in the affirmative on everything. All were procedural in nature.

Cortney

ICRCTV.COM

Monday, July 11, 2011

Council 7/11

I am away on vacation and will miss Council on 7/11.

Cortney

Council, Comm of Whole - 2012 Budget 6/27

I attended Council and Commitee of the Whole on 6/27 and here's what I saw.

Budget (discussed during COW). We will lose 10%-15% of our General Fund revenue starting in 2012 due to Ohio's approved budget. We are in trouble, and we need to revisit decisions like shared services (fire, police, building dpt, administrative, tax). We should look at outourced payroll. We should force all Village employees and officials to make their own copies and type their own docs. We should elminate cell phones for all but Dpt heads, and in those cases, offer no more than texting. We should discontinue car allowances. We should stop answering the phone and take all calls via voice mail. We should consolidate all data and phone plans to 1 vendor. We should cancel many phone charges we incur today. We shoudl standardize our IT platform. We should stop mailing invoives to residents, unless we charge an additional processing fee. We should invest in energy efficient windows in the admin building. We should invest in LED lighting in the street lamps. These last two come from perm improvements, where we're not suffering as badly. We've got to act NOW, and act boldly. Business as usual is officially dead.

Fireworks. Glad to see we'll pay for 100% of fireworks from private donations. A great event, for sure, but we don't have the resources to pay.

Work Hours. I think setting hours each day with no holiday exclusions is reasonable.

Health Care premium increase. I am uncomfortable with the huge increase in premiums vs last year, however we saved significant $$$ last year and this seems to unravel the savings only. Further, there are concessions by employees which is also a help. I am disappointed but still believe Center For Local Gov'ts Pool is the best option.

Public Housing. Again, I think we are missing out on a potentially lucrative financial situation in exchange for cooperating with the County. We have low income residents, let's not kid ourselves (Section 8 is available to ANY qualifying landlord). And this is a good thing! I think decentralized low income residents are a far superior setup vs concentration a la Over the Rhine in the 1970s-2000s. We should consider participation.

Calender of Events. I like Denice's idea very much and think this rigor can reduce our instances of emergency legislation.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes. Of note: approving health care of which i voted yes per the above.

Cortney

ICRCTV.COM

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Council Meeting 6/13

I attended Council on 6/13 and here's what I saw.

In house installation of new Fire Dpt alarm system - I think this is great opportunistic savings, and it's a great way to offset big cost increases. For instance, why couldn't a Fire Guy/Girl answer the main Village phone number? Figure out a fair perk for double duty and leverage their need to be in the building whenever not on a run. Well done.

Online payments. Well done Jeff, let's expand! Trash fees, Income tax, etc.

Extra Sidewalk replacement $$ this year. With Miami Rd grant (great), we can authorize some additional sidewalk creation and replacement. I would like to see the east side of East Street, between East Bound and West Bound Wooster. There should be a sidewalk and a crosswalk there.

Hamilton County Development $$ participation. I am slowly learning about this. It is grant money in exchange for the possibility of low income housing units, to be placed in Ham Co suburbs outside of the City of Cincinnati. I do not want property value erosion, no on does, but a NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) doesn't solve problems, while decentralizing low income households seems to make great sense. The argument is: decentralized low income citizens see and matriculate to higher income. Concentration doesn't allow for a new point of view. I feel we should at least investigate this. "Control" is the argument batted around, but it's a thinly veiled argument to keep low income people out of Mariemont. With Section 8 already available to ANY Village landlord, we probably already have low income families here. Is this program right? I don't know, but I would welcome discussion at least as a 1st step. We're walking away from real grant money and the Village sorely needs income now (and in the future)

Emergency Ordinance popularity - we do last minute legislation too often. Our lack of planning hurts the cause of Democracy in the Village. And it looks bad. We should back up the Calendar 2 meetings (1 mo) to avoid 3 readings in one night. We can do better on some of our Emergency legislation.

Disabled/Handicap parking at Belltower. I think we should seriously consider adding disabled only parking, but I feel full Council needs to be in on the decision. My idea of STREET handicapped parking was not even considered prior to me bringing it up. And my idea solves the extra width requirement without taking an additional valuable spot. We need group think here. Not just a couple of folks making big decisions without Council.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes, as all were procedural in nature. Liquor license suspension is for an interesting, novel adult pool party. I'm supportive of this and would like to see it broadened (carefully). Additional stop signs seem to be popping up a bit too frequently, but I am not in opposition of additional stop points in the Village.

www.icrctv.com

Cortney

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Recycling conversation with Resident

I was approached by a Resident who said "what would it take to double our recycling rate" (we're currently 1st in Hamilton Co). We ended up saying what would it take to lead the state/nation?

He suggested increasing fees, but providing easier and easier access to recycling and composting. I shared the City of Cincinnati program that uses 96gallon cans every other week as an example.

During an early Monday run I noticed about 20% of residences pull their trash to the curb! We pay a premium for this service, and it's a shame we waste it.

The question I want to answer is: would residents be willing to support front yard service if it saved them money and improved service. To that end, we need quantitative and qualitative data to figure out how to fashion trash service now to be ready for the fall.

Cortney

Memorial Day Parade 5/30

I walked in the Memorial Day parade with my daughter Ally. It's a nice event each year and good opportunity to pause and appreciate the sacrifice of our Armed Forces.

Cortney

Council Meeting 5/23

I attended Council on 5/23 and here's what I saw.

Construction Hours. While I'm ok with R&L committee findings, it's a bit complicated. I am very flexible to remove holiday exceptions and allow fewer start and end times.

Online pool and tennis memberships is a huge leap forward for the village. Well done Jeff. Let's expand this further.

I voted in the affirmative on everything. All were procedural except Parking Design which I support due to the broad feasibility study we bolted on.

icrctv.com

Cortney

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Special Council Meeting May 17

I attended the Special Council Meeting on May 17 and here's what I saw. Only one agenda topic - discuss the plan to spend Village money on West St Parking.

I think concentrating parking on West street is a bad idea, plain and simple. Some parking ok, but 70+ spots means safety issues for the MM Elem kids, and and it doesn't address the needs of the Square.

One nice detail that gives me some hope in the process is Martin Koepke's involvement to guide the process. His focus on design has been lacking from previous discussions. So glad he's on the case.

Further, by bolting on a full parking feasibility study, this bad idea becomes a decent one. So it's relatively easy for me to support it.

The other comment I made is on the communication of this emergency meeting. I was not contacted. Only after the meeting was set, was I contacted by Joanee to inform me that the meeting had changed (what meeting?) While I'm only a bit player in this government, I do play a role. And I would like to see better communication.

I voted in the affirmative on the funding of this design phase.

Cortney

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Rules and law committee minutes/report 5/9/2011

These are the minutes of the rules and law committee, which met on Monday 5/7 at approx 8pm to discuss construction work hours.

In attendance were Joe miller, Dennis Wolter, Dan Policastro, Dennis Malone, and Cortney Scheeser. I shared two points of view: Realestate developer Rick Greiwe told me 7:30AM-8PM M-F, 8:30AM-6PM Sat, 9AM-6PM Sun. Also shared was a resident's pov (Paul Wright). Paul suggested 7:30AM-7:30PM M-F, 9:30AM-5:30PM Sat, 12-5 Sun. Dennis M clarified the current hours which are actually 7:30AM-7PM M-F, 8:30AM-6PM Sat, 9AM-6PM Sun.

We all talked about construction vs landscape noise and we decided to not overly complicate the language. We believe landscape noise is short lived, vs longer term with construction. We believe specifying power tool is limiting due to noise of a hammer or instnace. We also believed a later start on the weekends was reasonable especially if we add time later on Saturday. After good debate we came to the following conclusion and recommendation:

Hours for permitted consturction and/or permitted home improvement are:
7:30AM-7PM M-F, 9AM-7PM Sat, 10AM-6PM Sun
No work on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and New Year's Eve

The meeting ended at approx 830pm.

-------------------
Report

The Rules and Law Committee met on Monday 5/7 at approx 8pm to discuss construction work hours. In attendance were Joe Miller, Dennis Wolter, Dan Policastro, Dennis Malone, and Cortney Scheeser.

After good debate we came to the following conclusion and recommendation: Hours for permitted consturction and/or permitted home improvement are:
7:30AM-7PM M-F, 9AM-7PM Sat, 10AM-6PM Sun
No work on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and New Year's Eve

Respectfully Submitted,
Cortney Scheeser
Joe Miller
Dennis Wolter
-------------------
Cortney

Monday, May 16, 2011

Attended Council 5/9

I attended Council on 5/9 and here's what I saw

Biowheels presentation. I think a cyclocross style bike race in Jan 2013 could be a great fit, however we need to factor in SIGNFICANT destruction to the parks and tree-stands on the route. Unless frozen, the ground will suffer. A good idea, and it promotes a great lifestyle, so I'm supportive, as long as we recognize and plan for signficant cleanup and restoration.

New Garage door. I think the new door makes sense. I like that it's insulated as well. Will be a help when/if we replace windows.

Electric Buying. All upside, no real risk to the Village. Significant savings today.

"Box Score" on Trees planted and removed by the village. I love that we're finally investing in Arborist services again. This is an ongoing need in the Village. I asked John S to provide a YTD trees planted and removed and he agreed. i'm looking fwd to measuring this important metric.

Inheritance tax risk. We should plan now for 8% reduction in revenue. I have no data other than Republican rule in Columbus across House, Senate and Governor, and a campaign promise to eliminate it. Will be a big hole for us to fill.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes as all were procedural in nature.

icrctv.com


Cortney

Attended Econ Develop. Committee Mtg 5/2

While i'm not a member of Econ Development, I attended the meeting on 5/2 due to the sensitive topic: West St Parking. Here's what I saw

The good - I learned some valuable info.
-I got to hear from Gary Goldman (MM Theater), stating 1)he'd renewed the lease for 5 years and 2)he wants to expand to 2 more screens = 310-315 seats = 150 parking spaces. Having real data, rather than opinion and rumor is very helpful. I appreciate his attendance very much. The Theater is the the hub of our Village, and it needs to succeed.

-I also got an appreciation for the pinch that seems to occur mid afternoons near the Executive Building

-The Village did a parking study in 2001 that has been mothballed. I think we should look at this and pay to update it concurrently with any money spent on West St.

My takeway - we need additional parking, (however "more" isn't yet sufficient to act - more data, data, data is needed)


The bad - this idea lacks planning and comprehensive study. It's being undertaken in a backwards way.

-This idea concentrates unsightly, dangerous, expensive parking unnecessarily. It doesn't help the theater. There are much cheaper options to consider first - re-add parking on Madisonville Road? Diagonal parking on West bound Wooster pike east of Graeters, Diagonal parking on East bound Wooster Pike near the Administration building, more spots on the center island (I easily can see 2-3). Here's a picture of the area around the theater that could be "optimized" with existing asphalt:



I can find 100 parking spots within this circle.

-We're jumping to Engineering Drawings too quickly. We're not ready for step 3, not sure we're ready for step 1.

-I've shared more of my objections in a previous posting.


Unless we attach full, holistic study to the Engineering request, I will vote no to spend Permanent Improvement fund money.

Cortney

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

West St Parking concerns

I am very concerned about the proposed 70ish parking spaces on West St between Wooster and Madisonville. While I have very little concrete info to go on, here are some of my concerns.

Safety – more parking is less safe. I don’t understand the logic of this improves safety. Concentration of surface parking can not be a safety improvement. Concentration is bad, and the only way I would support uber concentration is via a limited access deck. As a parent, I want to decentralize parking, for instance reopening West St south of Wooster.

Trees - We will lose >10 18" or greater trees. As planned, we will lose both heritage oaks on West. We are fair weather fans – the minute a tree is inconvenient, we eliminate it. “Gum Trees drop bad, slippery fruit”. “They’re not street trees”. These are two arguments you’ll hear. That’s fine, then what’s our plan to plant this species off street (I’m assuming they’re originally part of the Nolen plan). And what’s our plan to plant a more desireable tree in between the less desireable ones, so that we have a few years of maturity before tearing down? Ginko trees near the tennis courts have awful, rotten smelling fruit. Deciduous trees drop their leaves EVERY year. Where does it end? We live in a place that is defined by trees, that benefits from trees, and I’d like to see more loyalty to them.

Cost – this will cost the Village $200,000 when all is said and done. The Village, which has run deficits for each of the past 3-4 years has other priorities.

Government Involvement – should the Village play mediator to this dispute? It seems better handled by the property owners.

Environmental – parking lots are heat sinks in the summer and have storm runoff issues. We will see congestion jump during business hours as cars jockey for spaces. I’ll take lawn over parking any day.

Process – we conducted a feasibility study for 11 spaces in 2006. We conducted a needs assessment in 2001 which has been mothballed. How many spaces do we need in the Village? How far away from the Square should they be? We have no architectural/planner point of view. We are jumping right to Engineering drawings. Engineers (I am one) are great at efficiency and yield, not livability, not appropriateness. Finally, why is this not part of the MPF Vision Plan?

Urban Planning - Surface parking is a failure of Planning. We need more parking. Don’t think lateral, think vertical. We need a deck in the Village to not waste our precious/small acreage

Aesthetic – we are designing a sprawling Parking lot. Trees (really little ones that won’t mature during our lifetimes) will help, diagonal will help. But it’s still a parking lot.

Pedestrianism – Sidewalks are at the “discretion of the Owner”. Does this mean we might not have them? How do bicycles navigate a street like this? Are they permitted to ride on the sidewalk, assuming it exists?

Nolen Plan – this may very well be the biggest change ever to the Nolen Plan. It doesn’t feel at all historically appropriate. Shouldn’t it warrant careful consideration, expert opinion, and lots of input?

Street Parking – we could paint parking spots on Madisonville Rd and for cost of materials, we could have up to 38 parking spaces. West Street had parallel parking until 2006 – why not re add them? Why not search out every opportunistic spot FIRST.


Cortney

My drawing of real impact to the street



Initial drawing done by the Village

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Council meeting on 4/11

I attended council in 4/11 and here's what I saw.

Executive authority. Jeff did a nice job questioning the authority of the mayor to make these changes. I disagree with West Street 'no parking' entirely. I disagree with how Center st was done but not necessarity with the decision. I also am concerned more than ever that there is no legal standing for it.

Stop signs sprouting up. I think about Rex Bevis' concern over his time on Council of too much signage detracting from the Village. I haven't voiced this yet, but we might be overdoing it....

Less mowing area. I would like to see us get additional services for free since the Dale Park grass is gone.

Steam Plant. The lease holder is not meeting expectations, and the Village may have the oppty to buy the property, tear down the plant, and subdivide and sell the plots. I think we should consider this, however the plan will intimately affect many. And we need to approach very carefully. Some thoughts: Hillside Trust may have a say? Extending "Arbyville" west would cross municipalities? Options for abutting homeowners to buy additional property? Build homes on south side of Mt Vernon in Bird Sanctuary? Lots to consider and Jeff's right: Econ Development should take this one up.

Street calming. I voted yes to accept the reco of the safety committee to break up Rembold and Hiawatha via Stop Signs. I would like to see us try other approaches besides Stop signs.

Levy - we need to continue to renew existing levys, especially now since both Inheritance Tax and Kasich's recent budget put huge uncertainty in our Revenue. Jeff's push though is a good one. We may be able to ELIMINATE a levy and save the taxpayers real money as we run a tighter and tighter ship. Post the state revenue decisions, I'd like to look closely at this.

I voted on the affirmative on everything. All were procedural except:
Street improvements which are needed and reasonable
Allowing Levy renewal is reasonable.
Street Calming on Hiawatha and Rembold is reasonable

ICRCTV.COM
Cortney

4/5 Health and Rec mtg

I attended the Health and Rec meeting on Tues 4/5 and here's what I saw.

Correct members. We were without Joe as a new member of the Committee. Joe will replace Denice. Welcome Joe - this Committee does important work like Trash and Mowing. Both are a big deal...

We need to get consistent on Trash in Public Works, its rightful place. Last year H&R took it up. And this was tolerable since Committee membership was the same. No more this year.

Credit card over the Internet is now easy and cheap. We should do this now. Let's remove the manual touches that add costs.

Pool and tennis fees should remain flat this year. Only increase is babysitter which will now be simpler w fewer price points.

I support a red sticker applied by a trash guy/girl saying you're in violation. May/should involve refusing pickup. This is an ok short term fix. Many, many people are out of compliance. Overfull cans, too large cans, etc. We need to reign this in.

Longer term, we should look at reapplying Fayetteville Arkansas' City owned multican program so we can discontinue stickers. Pay for what you throw away is right and fair. But stickers are a pain for everyone. Multi can size accomplishes same goal more simply. Also would like us to crank up our recycling via bigger bins. I can pay For this via front curb service. Would lead to cost savings I believe, and we would pass this on to the residents. This is a controversial idea for sure, so I would like us to do some market research this Summer. If strongly opposed, then stickers while flawed are manageable.

Cortney

Public Works Committee mtg 4/7

I attended the Public Works Meeting on 4/7 and here's what I saw.

For Plainville grant project, I'm Ok with the low bid since it's from proven contractor. Would like the final topcoat layer on Plainville done later in the Season if possible. Later means less truck traffic from Elementary School project.

I'm Ok with going with Schumacher Dugan for regular work. Again a reputable vendor at a good price. Emergency passage is ok since Administration Bldg stairs are so bad. As an aside, why did we wait so long to fix. This is of concern.

Within the SD contract, I'm Ok with adding on (if price is ok) to fix broken curbs and sidewalk on the Square. Normally add ons should have scrutiny but in this case, we need to keep the Square appealing and healthy.

Cortney

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Painting E Center St Curbs

I'm concerned by the unilateral decision making by the Mayor like eliminating parking on E Center St. This should be a Council decision. And we shouldn't be painting 90 year old granite curbs. If no parking is indeed chosen, let's put something in place less inappropriate to an historic Village, like a sign. Our historic fabric should be preserved.

Cortney

Monday, March 21, 2011

3/14 Council recap

I attended council on mon 3/14 and here's what I saw:

No parking signs. This process Is broken. There are few issues in mm more important than parking and one person should not make the call. There is no safety issue at that corner regardless of what was said. This is a neighborhood dispute, again a situation where government does not need to intervene. And we're worse off when it does. These signs have no legal binding and I'm curious to see the first challenge to a parking ticket and how it plays out. I fear we will lose in court. Council should play a key role in these decisions.

Bill pay process. Good news here. Bills aren't mailed until after Council approves. This step makes me feel comfortable that our vote actually matters

Letter from Citizen re waste in Maintenance Dept. We'll get into this in detail next Council, but there are some accusations that warrant inspection. We need to make sure we're getting every dollar of value out of investments managed by Maintenance (ie Tree planting). John's an honest, hard worker, and I'm sure we can figure out each line item. More to come on this.

Fire OT (after end of meeting). OT went from $0 to a few hundred dollars each month, mostly attributed to Tim Feichtner. Rick and Jeff spent 20 mins with me after Council and I walked away feeling better about why it's happening. Our decision to run with fewer full time has a side effect: less loyalty when we need someone to step in last minute. There is an opportunity to fill the part time roster with great, and more available folks, but this won't fix it. So, it's unfortunate that we spend too much sometimes, but it's a "cost of doing business". I can live with it. Thx Rick and Jeff for their continued patience with my repeated questions on this and other subjects.

Votes. I voted in the affirmative on all votes as all were procedural in nature.

Video of meeting. ICRCtv.com

Cortney

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Council 2/28

I attended Council on Feb 28 and here's what I saw.

Denise McCarthy. She's going to be a great addition to Council. Her perspective as a renter plus her tenure in the Historic district will be helpful as we try and "right the ship" there.

Town Meeting Rules. Code of Ordinances defers to Ohio Revised Code, which states we have a 30 day window for COUNCIL to re-appoint. (ORC says Council explicitly - not an issue per se, just a clarification). I reviewed the language today. Town Meeting requires a caucus within **2 weeks** to fill the position. So in this case, TM is the more restrictive requirement. Todd Keyes confirmed this for me today. Todd held a Caucus on Saturday and had 8 attendees, a sufficent quorum. Denise M was unanimously endorsed. Todd confirmed this for me today. Net net, I'm satisfied that we're not unnecessarily rushing into things. And I also continue to hear good things about Denise, mainly that she's passionate about the Historic District. And energy there is in short supply....

Tree Species. I think we should plant right out of John Nolen's Bill of Materials from the 1920s. We should plant less of these ornamentals which seem to cause problems. And let's over plant. We are at risk with too little investment, as I have said previously.

Fire Dpt Overtime. This is a problem, and while you can't eliminate it completely, it's going to unravel the difficult decisions made last year to live within our means financially. I would like to see the Fire Dpt tap into this growing list of Part Timers to reduce our reliance on OT.

Traffic Calming. LOVE the databased points system Dennis is working on. This is the right way to approach this, leaving emotion out of it. I would like an override option though, if a majority on the street say "no thanks". I wouldn't put something in place if a majority were against it.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes. Street approval seemed reasonable. I would like us to dig deeper into the Hafner contract and see if it's truly the value that some claim it to be. On the surface it's not a bad thing, so with what I know, a yes vote was appropriate.

To view
ICRCTV.com

Cortney

Friday, February 25, 2011

Council 2/14

I attended council 2/14 and here'ss what I saw.

Sorry to see Kim go. Shes been a supportive partner. Denise seems like a fine replacement. Worried about town meeting process being upheld.

Andy's no vote on Mowing Contract. I respect his opinion, and I welcome him as the newest member of the 5-1 club :) I think there are problems, yes, and we should continue to expect more of our contractors, however nothing I saw suggested a "do over" scenario for 2011.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes.

Cortney

Health and Rec Committee Meeting Feb 2011

I attended Health & Rec Committee Meeting and here's what I saw.

Toy Lot Fence is a good idea but is too high. I'm still sportive but worried about the view/aesthetics
Pool enhancements. I support overinvesting here because they had a strong revenue year last year and we received lots of negative feedback from residents in how outdated our offering is vs other communities.

Cortney

Attended Committee of Whole

I attended the Committee of the Whole to discuss annual appropriations. Here's what I saw.
-Trees. We under invest continually in tree replanting. We are at risk, increasing every year. However I'm not much of a salesman and got budget up only +$5000. We need much more focus here. We live within the canopy of a dedicated, focus effort in the 1920's. Without big, continued investments, we will lose the canopy.
-Turnout gear for fire. 40 people on a part time roster is fine until you factor in a need for personal gear for all. Gear costs $2000 per each. I'd like us to reduce this number to a minimum. Maybe 25? Rick and Jeff would need to sign off for sure, but we should crank up quality AND availability and reduce the list's members.
-Police cruiser. New Taurus interceptor is a nice fuel savings story. Would like to see us go 100%6 cyl engines for our fleet.

Cortney

Thursday, February 3, 2011

1/24 Council recap

I attended 1/24 Council Meeting and here's what I saw:

Dumpster trash & unsightliness. MarieElders' complaints are valid in my opinion. I think we ought to do more and require commercial trash cans to be shielded and kept out of view (just like residents).

Fear of losing Estate Tax income. Paul T confirmed we on average get about 8% of our budget from this generous source. If Gov Kasich and the legislature eliminate, we'll have to plug that hole in a painful way: less services for more $$$.

West Street Parking. I appreciate Dan calling and giving me a heads up ahead of Council. After lots of thought (no data yet), I have real concerns about this. Why should government intervene when neighbors don't get along. Last time that happened, we lost a heritage tree south of Wooster Pike. Why should we spend $100,000 (estimate) of money better spent on real improvement. The Village should control LESS property, not more. Sidewalks will be lost since some of them will touch the adjacent buildings. These spaces aren't close enough to the Square to do any good. More parking/more backing means safety concerns. Why design for 3-5 days a year when the school is full of visitors? We will lose all 15 trees (most >18" Diameter). This change is a HUGE departure from Nolen's plan. And, it'll be unsightly. Unless I'm presented with compelling data to the contrary, I don't see the need for Council to get involved.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes. All were procedural in nature except for the salary ordinance. Increases seem reasonable, and position us to better retain employees ahead of the predicted economic recovery in 2011.

Watch video at icrctv.com


Cortney

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

erosion control below the Belltower

We were informed of serious erosion issues below the Belltower. John S mentioned he's planning on clearing fallen trees, as they cause stream currents to erode the hillside. I asked John of status, and John confirmed this is on his radar and will get to work this/next month. I'm looking forward to hearing his report.

Cortney

Attended H&R Meeting on 12/13

Sorry for the delay in posting this. December was a crazy month.

I attended Health and Rec on 12/13. We talked about Pool repairs postponed from the Spring. I'm in favor of investing there, as the attendance in 2010 brought in strong revenue. Further, we get feedback that the pool experience isn't what it could be.

Sharing tennis courts with MM Elementary during construction. I'm supportive of this.

Much of the work & decisions will come in subsequent meetings.

Cortney

Council recap 1/10

I attended Council on 1/10/11 and here's what I saw.

Confirmation of Asst Fire Chief. While I've gone back and forth during Jeff's probationary period, I decided ultimately to vote Yes. I have heard good and bad things re the job he's doing, however I've personally verified some of the good while many of the bad are explainable as out of context. And I like him. He brings an education focus which I think is great.

Ending the year in the black. We'll end our Calendar Year 2010 with the General Fund in the black vs estimates as high as -$300K in the beginning of 2010. This is fantastic. While other accounts are still in trouble (Paramedic Fund), our huge General fund ending +$10-$15K is great.

Council Committees. I am fine to continue to serve on Health and Rec, Public Works, and Rules and Law. I was asked to sit on the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission which I accepted. This will be new work but I think involvement is minor.

Andy Black as Vice Mayor. Andy's a balanced, thoughtful guy and I happily support him in that role.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes, all procedural except Jeff & Andy, mentioned above.


Cortney

Friday, January 7, 2011

Losing Paul as Clerk

I'm very disappointed to hear of Paul's moving out of State. This is a big loss for the Village. Sorry to see him go, but I hope he does great in TN.

Cortney

check in

I've been off the reservation for about a month. I missed both December meetings due to a great Florida vacation. 2011 is here and i'm ready to jump back in.

Cortney