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
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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