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
Sunday, October 2, 2011
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
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
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
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
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
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
I fully support Jeff's candidacy for Mariemont Mayor. Good luck Jeff!
Cortney
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