Sunshine Law problem

During 11/18's Safety Meeting, we didn't post notice of the meeting, as required by the Ohio Sunshine laws.  A mention in the Mayor's Bulletin, it turns out, is not sufficient to inform the public of a meeting.  I'm sorry to have been a part of this inappropriate action - I'm sorry to the residents, and steps have been taken to remedy for the 2nd half of the Safety Committee meeting, likely to occur in the new year.

This is a helpful reminder to the next Council to approach Sunshine from a belt and suspenders perspective.

Cortney

11/18 Safety Committee Meeting

I attended Safety on 11/18 and here's what I saw.

Leash Law.  I am opposed to changing the laws, reviewed and rewritting in 2003 for the following reasons: Mariemont nearly copies the Ohio Revised Code
Enforcement is very challenging due to dogs off leash ok at certain parks at certain times
We have a signage epidemic and this will only encourage more (REQUIRE MORE)
I talked with multiple residents who requested we leave the ordiance as is and focus on other more important issues.

I am opposed to changes in the leash law that aren't universal, village wide, enforced at all times.

Cortney

11/11 Safety Committee Meeting

I attended the Safety Committee Meeting and here's what I saw.

FEMA ordinance - this is a procedural step that makes sense to confirm participation.  We don't yield any authority of influence, so it makes sense to approve.

I'm supportive of this action.

Cortney

Thoughts for the next Council

I created a document for my replacement, Maggie P, and offered it to Eric M.  Unfortunately I haven't yet connected with Jim T but will share if he's interested.

I've made some adjustments and additions since first sharing.  For what their worth, here's a rundown of past, present and future through my eyes.  I'll probably have a few more I'll share on the blog....

Cortney

Recommended To Dos

Have Sue add you to Dist lists, setup a personal email separate from Mariemont.ORG

Meet w Department Heads incl Jordan at Pool, returning Council, Rick Greiwe, Dan S.

Think about 1-2 priorities that are important to you and focus on advancing those

Be Ready For – Hot Topics right now

Phase 4 condos – lots of headaches for abutting residents, street closures (as you know!)

Recycling and Trash changes – Mayor appears to want to have front yard recycling which will eventually lead to Front yard everything.  I originally thought front yard was fine, but many, many residents like the unique service.

Fire department merger will pop up again.  Not sure what I think about it this time.  Originally I was very much opposed.

Admin Bldg Addition – the Mayor wants to add space + an elevator.  Elevator is important for ADA, but I think the building is fine and instead we should focus on digital storage.  Much unused/underused/cluttered space

Topics I think are very important (no pressure for you to agree w me)

Active tree planting – we’re behind on our pace to keep our tree canopy long term.  We should require X number of trees for every square foot of asphalt we create

We should continually extend the sidewalks around the Village

NEW Sidewalks on West St are at risk (Across from Elementary School).  It's been quiet, but I expect another run at removal before the Spring.  We need to expand sidewalks, not remove them.

We should capture the bicycle traffic by being more welcoming (they’ll spend $$ here):  bike racks, bike lanes, etc

Beating back invasive species

Fiscal restraint and rooting out waste – you’ll find there’s not the same motivation to save money vs the private sector

NEW No formal budget process.  You'll notice a General Fund Ordinance presented by the Clerk in the Spring that will have a % increase for all Departments.  I never was privy to this conversation - Council was never pulled in, to my knowledge.  I think 3%, 4%, 2% ought to be a good discussion for Council to take up vs have it just be approved by Emergency vote.

We’re barreling towards the need for a levy.  Things are fine for a year or so, but state money is nearly gone and we aren’t sufficient to balance the budget without major revenue or cost reduction (ideally the latter)

Mayor has centralized authority and has boxed out the Council.  I think Council ought to have a more important role.  There is a plan to meet 1x per month which normally would be a great thing. However, be careful as this will further centralize power – the mayor will make more decisions unilaterally

Eastern Corridor is a big deal but will likely remain quiet for 1-2 years

Protecting Dist 4 residents from commercial district (and vice versa) by building a nice 6’ brick wall (w car and pedestrian egress).

Development of empty lot next to Mios.  We should resist more pavement/more parking when we have lots of street parking available

I’ve heard the Mayor wants to remove the cameras from the meeting – I think transparency is very important and would like to see them remain

NEW Signage is out of hand in the Village - we're cluttering up a beautiful place with a tremendous amount of metal.  We should be leery of more and should form a commission to remove 10% net every year.

 

Opportunities to save the Village Money

Cell phone plan centralized, remove data from all but a couple folks

Remove cell phone allowance and car allowance from Mayor

More online vs mailed paper

Setup a commission for online (Website) support vs paying the vendor

OT for Police during non emergencies

What I’d do differently

Sugar/honey vs vinegar -  I’ve publicly disagreed w the Mayor and it’s not been productive.  He’s arguably the most powerful Mayor in the area; he controls a lot.  If it’s not his idea, it doesn’t happen.  I should have been quieter, more subtle and worked more within the system vs poking at it

I should have focused on 1 priority project at a time vs trying to influence too much

Respect the full time nature of the department heads.  This is a part time gig for me, so I was more casual.  It’s their career, not a volunteer effort like it was for me.

Spend more time pre-aligning folks.  I liked to do work in the meeting, but this was offputting to some.  I did it to save time, but I should have invested a bit of time ahead of interactions.

 

11/11/2013 Council

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

Using Emergency.  While "Emergency" votes (3 meetings worth of comment condensed into 1 meeting) are sometimes a necessary evil, I am concerned it wasn't on the agenda as such.  Changing the class of the vote after an agenda is published essentially boxes out all who wait for the normal 2nd meeting to make their comments.  I understand the need to tap into grant money and speed up the process, and so I supported the vote, but I remain conflicted about this.  As I've relayed often in this blog, WHAT we do is as important as HOW we do it.

South 80 Trails group.  If residents wish to volunteer, I applaud the effort and will support them in any way I can.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes as all were procedural in nature except: creation of S80 group which I mentioned above.

Cortney
ICRCTV.COM

Halloween Trick or Treat move

I don't disagree w the "what" - moving the holiday to avoid weather issues, but I do question the "how".  I received feedback from many residents complaining of the change.  From what I can tell, the Mayor made a unilateral decision without involving a broad cross section of the Village.  Whether Council or a group of walkers or a group of hosters, this should have been properly vetted.

As I've learned, the How in Government is as important as the What.

Cortney

Council 10/28

I attended Council on 10/28 and here's what I saw.

South 80 Advisory group.  I like the diversity of the folks selected.  I don't particularly care for the group reporting to the Mayor (continues to concentrate power when we ought to be diluting it), but there's lots of work needed down there.  And an advisory group is another step towards a mature park that's harder to bulldoze for a highway.

Holiday Pay.  I think sharing in the recent upswing is fair.  Employees did bear a brunt as salary increases disappeared.  I do, however, think that we risk complacency in these plentiful times vs ingrained cost control.  The years of pain we experienced post the Great Recession ought not be episodic - it ought to be the new normal.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes as all were procedural in nature except:  Hawk Light on Wooster – I think it’s worth investing and am supportive.  Contracting w Public Works commission – more procedural than the name implies.  The final 2 were related to the Employee holiday pay additions of which I’m supportive.

Cortney

ICRCTV.COM