I missed the 9/10 Council Meeting, but after reviewing the packet and minutes, here are some comments.
UC Anthropologist research. I think this is great evidence to the sensitivity of the Lower 80 Acres, and I look fwd to his findings. I feel the Eastern Corridor is bad for the Village if it tracks anywhere near the Little Miami River (will be Seen, Heard).
Best Recycling Rate. This is awesome - I'm very proud of our Community's focus on this. I would like to see us set a stretching objective of 50% within 2 years of the new garbage contract where we plan to further incent recycling by offering larger containers at cost. One followup - this number may or may not include brush pickup. We should get clear on how it's measured.
Theatre Tax abatement on improvements. I fully support this - the Theatre is the heart of our Village and disproportionate investment (with conditions) is right.
Process for Tax abatement. Once again, Council has been completely left out of the process. 72 hours notice for review is wholly inappropriate. One person should not be steering the ship. In all cases, the Group will make a better decision than the Group's smartest Person. (per the book "Wisdom of Crowds"). This issue is easy to get behind, but it illuminates the dysfunction of Council/Mayor. I am sure the founders of our Village's Government did not mean to install an Autocrat.
Andy Black vote. I am glad that per the Solicitor, we conducted the vote legally. While I'm not the expert, I still question this and don't understand how we can vote to fill a vacancy when there is in fact no vacancy. I believe this fails the logic test. Again, glad there is legal justification for our actions, but this doesn't make sense to me.
Waste Contract. This contract has options I am not interested in pursuing, like front yard service. I am fine to collect data on theoretical savings, but I am uncomfortable losing this important service in the Village. I am excited to see the bids come back from this process - we may see 2 Companies bid which I believe will save the Village money.
Cortney
Sunday, September 23, 2012
letter to resident re questions from Council 8/24
I sent this note to the resident as followup to his comments in Council on 8/27
Cortney
---------
referenced Audio is clip from ICRCTV.COM
http://icrctv.com/mariemont-village-council-7912
(fast forward to minute 30:49 and listen for about 30 seconds)
Cortney
---------
Hi,
Thx for the comments tonight. Couple thoughts. I don't recall the pay as you go component in the last contract. We discussed but not sure it made it in. I recall we were worried about wet summers like 2011 and going way over when discussed in 2010. We were more comfortable with "even billing". Your memory might be better than mine however. Regardless pub works should be held accountable and to a lesser extent full council.
Second, here are Ed's comments (audio) and guidance to andy to not vote. This is only a small portion so it's more nuanced for sure. While our actions fail the logic test (voting to fill a vacancy before there is one), if we were legal then ill be relieved. Looking fwd to Eds analysis.
8/27 Council
I attended Council on 8/27 and here's what I saw.
Historical Expert's comments re Eastern Corridor. I applaud his research and investigation, and I think this is the most compelling defense the Village has against the Eastern Corridor cutting through our South 80 acres. The Eastern Corridor's path will negatively affect the quality of life for our Residents - we must work to find an alternative.
Resident's comments re mowing. I think we chose "even billing" because of the dry years balanced vs wet ones. I for one am no "futures" predictor of the rainfall, so I think even billing is appropriate.
Resident's concern of my fear of an illegal vote by Council (Andy Black voting for his replacement). I don't see how Andy could possibly have voted. The vote happens when there is a vacancy. We had no vacancy at that Council meeting. The Solicitor even said he assumed Andy wouldn't vote (before changing his mind). It fails all logic and reason.
Pls see separate post to the resident on mowing and legality of Andy Black voting for his replacement.
I voted in the affirmative on all votes except accepting Minutes in which I abstained since I was absent from the previous meeting. All were procedural in nature.
Cortney
ICRCTV.COM
Historical Expert's comments re Eastern Corridor. I applaud his research and investigation, and I think this is the most compelling defense the Village has against the Eastern Corridor cutting through our South 80 acres. The Eastern Corridor's path will negatively affect the quality of life for our Residents - we must work to find an alternative.
Resident's comments re mowing. I think we chose "even billing" because of the dry years balanced vs wet ones. I for one am no "futures" predictor of the rainfall, so I think even billing is appropriate.
Resident's concern of my fear of an illegal vote by Council (Andy Black voting for his replacement). I don't see how Andy could possibly have voted. The vote happens when there is a vacancy. We had no vacancy at that Council meeting. The Solicitor even said he assumed Andy wouldn't vote (before changing his mind). It fails all logic and reason.
Pls see separate post to the resident on mowing and legality of Andy Black voting for his replacement.
I voted in the affirmative on all votes except accepting Minutes in which I abstained since I was absent from the previous meeting. All were procedural in nature.
Cortney
ICRCTV.COM
Finance Committee Meeting 9/20/2012
I attended the Finance Committee on 9/20/2012 and here's what I saw.
Radios for Maint dept. Their current radios become obselete in Jan 2013, so this request makes sense. Further, new ones are mobile vs vehicle mounted, so we can expect better response times in case of emergency. I support new radios for the Maint dpt. I would like us to revisit cell phones and the standards in which we deploy them. I think we should factor in these new radios as we analyze cell usage and need.
Land Line telephone contract with Cincinnati Bell. While I support 60 month contracts to maximize savings, the group converged on 36 months which is still a nice savings. The group felt like flexibility in changing suppliers on month 37 was desirable if necessary. While I'd rather save more, I'm ok with this. I would like to see Joe S's reco to revisit phone hardware (and maybe cell service too) in 2013 or 2014.
Utility Aggregation. The group continues to support Opt In (less discount, more autonomy to the resident) vs Opt Out. Again, I would rather save more, but this should result in substantial energy savings for the Village and those who choose to take advantage. We're reaching out to Anderson, Terrace Park and Newtown to see if further scale/bundling might be possible. More work needs to be done on Aggregation before a Council reco.
Cortney
Radios for Maint dept. Their current radios become obselete in Jan 2013, so this request makes sense. Further, new ones are mobile vs vehicle mounted, so we can expect better response times in case of emergency. I support new radios for the Maint dpt. I would like us to revisit cell phones and the standards in which we deploy them. I think we should factor in these new radios as we analyze cell usage and need.
Land Line telephone contract with Cincinnati Bell. While I support 60 month contracts to maximize savings, the group converged on 36 months which is still a nice savings. The group felt like flexibility in changing suppliers on month 37 was desirable if necessary. While I'd rather save more, I'm ok with this. I would like to see Joe S's reco to revisit phone hardware (and maybe cell service too) in 2013 or 2014.
Utility Aggregation. The group continues to support Opt In (less discount, more autonomy to the resident) vs Opt Out. Again, I would rather save more, but this should result in substantial energy savings for the Village and those who choose to take advantage. We're reaching out to Anderson, Terrace Park and Newtown to see if further scale/bundling might be possible. More work needs to be done on Aggregation before a Council reco.
Cortney
Saturday, August 25, 2012
7/18 Planning Commission: West St sidewalk removal
I attended the Planning Commission (as a resident) on 7/18 and here's what I saw.
Removing sidewalks on West Street between Wooster and Madisonville Rd (opposite the school) is a bad idea. I'm concerned it's even still under consideration. We are a walking community who is trying to extend sidewalks (up Miami's hill, on East across Wooster, etc), not remove them. Less sidewalks unravels what we've been praised for: New Urbanism, an alternative to suburban sprawl's driving community model. We should kindly thank the applicant for his offer to landscape but reject this regressive idea.
I will be watching closely as the PC reconsiders this application after school convenes. If it again comes up, I will work hard to preserve those important West St sidewalks.
Cortney
Removing sidewalks on West Street between Wooster and Madisonville Rd (opposite the school) is a bad idea. I'm concerned it's even still under consideration. We are a walking community who is trying to extend sidewalks (up Miami's hill, on East across Wooster, etc), not remove them. Less sidewalks unravels what we've been praised for: New Urbanism, an alternative to suburban sprawl's driving community model. We should kindly thank the applicant for his offer to landscape but reject this regressive idea.
I will be watching closely as the PC reconsiders this application after school convenes. If it again comes up, I will work hard to preserve those important West St sidewalks.
Cortney
Health and Rec 8/6
I attended the H&R 8/6 and here's what I saw.
Trash contract. I do not support front yard service changes, but I do support adding these options to the contract big proposal so that we may obtain data on cost premiums for comparison sake only. I think we should preserve this tradition of rear yard service in the Village.
We are at 65% of our waste going to the landfill, currently best in Hamilton County. I would like to see it at only 50% - 1/2 gets recycled! To that end, I would like to see us offer a large can option for recyling. Studies show more volume in the container increases the amount recycled. I would be ok to subsidize the cost so that the homeowner would be on the hook for less that full cost.
After bigger can = more recyling, another benefit of large can is less mess as animals and wind often spread recyclables throughout the yard. Finally, more recycling (a profit stream for Rumpke) will lower our costs and may help negotiation in future contracts.
Cortney
Trash contract. I do not support front yard service changes, but I do support adding these options to the contract big proposal so that we may obtain data on cost premiums for comparison sake only. I think we should preserve this tradition of rear yard service in the Village.
We are at 65% of our waste going to the landfill, currently best in Hamilton County. I would like to see it at only 50% - 1/2 gets recycled! To that end, I would like to see us offer a large can option for recyling. Studies show more volume in the container increases the amount recycled. I would be ok to subsidize the cost so that the homeowner would be on the hook for less that full cost.
After bigger can = more recyling, another benefit of large can is less mess as animals and wind often spread recyclables throughout the yard. Finally, more recycling (a profit stream for Rumpke) will lower our costs and may help negotiation in future contracts.
Cortney
Ridiculous loss of Trees on West Street
I am dismayed by the reckless removal of street trees on West. We now have only 1 stree tree remaining. It is an embarrassment for a Tree City USA Village to operate in such a shameful way. Here's a view of life (with shade) before Jun 2012:
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=west+st+45227&hl=en&ll=39.145867,-84.377141&spn=0.001105,0.002411&sll=41.455293,-82.702129&sspn=0.136632,0.308647&hnear=West+St,+Mariemont,+Hamilton,+Ohio+45227&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.145867,-84.377141&panoid=QdOUURMidgqWvMIBUWpPYw&cbp=12,359.08,,0,-1.3
Huge, prolific, beautiful tree canopy is a Mariemont asset very few communities can claim. It is a main reason for the graceful and inviting atmosphere in the Village. We take this for granted and do not act in such a way to preserve this for the long term.
There are those that say trees with nuisance fruit are ok to remove. (See August Mayor's Bulletin Parking Lot Article) What about those with nuisance limbs? Nuisance leaves? Where does it stop? That answer is easy - the Mayor. He uniquely and solely controls all planting and removing. This should instead be managed by a Committee with different viewpoints. Something has to change.
Sweetgum trees like those removed do have problematic fruit, no question. I wouldn't plant them near a sidewalk, but they lived happily there for 50+ years, all the while next to a school. So the logic of all must come down in the span of 2 months is flawed. I disagree they need to be removed, but if the consensus is to remove, then strike them down over 5, 7, or even 10 years. Why all at once? It's obvious we have no plan, and the Village suffers because of this. Pls see below note to Dennis Wolter on the need for a program/process.
I had hoped to make a meaningful impact on trees in the Village when I ran for Council, and I have been unsuccessful. I am sorry to the residents for this failure. I commit to continuing to push for their care, appropriate removal and generous planting as long as I serve on Council.
Cortney
-------------------
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=west+st+45227&hl=en&ll=39.145867,-84.377141&spn=0.001105,0.002411&sll=41.455293,-82.702129&sspn=0.136632,0.308647&hnear=West+St,+Mariemont,+Hamilton,+Ohio+45227&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.145867,-84.377141&panoid=QdOUURMidgqWvMIBUWpPYw&cbp=12,359.08,,0,-1.3
Huge, prolific, beautiful tree canopy is a Mariemont asset very few communities can claim. It is a main reason for the graceful and inviting atmosphere in the Village. We take this for granted and do not act in such a way to preserve this for the long term.
There are those that say trees with nuisance fruit are ok to remove. (See August Mayor's Bulletin Parking Lot Article) What about those with nuisance limbs? Nuisance leaves? Where does it stop? That answer is easy - the Mayor. He uniquely and solely controls all planting and removing. This should instead be managed by a Committee with different viewpoints. Something has to change.
Sweetgum trees like those removed do have problematic fruit, no question. I wouldn't plant them near a sidewalk, but they lived happily there for 50+ years, all the while next to a school. So the logic of all must come down in the span of 2 months is flawed. I disagree they need to be removed, but if the consensus is to remove, then strike them down over 5, 7, or even 10 years. Why all at once? It's obvious we have no plan, and the Village suffers because of this. Pls see below note to Dennis Wolter on the need for a program/process.
I had hoped to make a meaningful impact on trees in the Village when I ran for Council, and I have been unsuccessful. I am sorry to the residents for this failure. I commit to continuing to push for their care, appropriate removal and generous planting as long as I serve on Council.
Cortney
-------------------
Hi Dennis,
One thought I didn't share - we can disagree about which tree when, and that's ok. But I think you'd agree that a comprehensive plan for old, sick & nuisance trees could have for instance left 2/3 the old trees on West in 2010, 1/3 of old trees in 2012, and 0/3 in 2014. With a staggered, structured plan, you give the new trees a chance to mature a bit before all the old canopy is gone. This softens the stark Mason-like conditions we see now.
What I would like to see is a published plan of diverse Nolen-approved tree species. What, where, when. I don't think we have this rigor today. Would appreciate your thoughts on the value of a plan like this and how to advance the idea.
Thanks,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
