4/16 Public Works Meeting

I attended the Public Works meeting and here's what I saw.  Selection of Contractor.  JK Meurer, while new to the Village, has credibility among other neighboring municipalities.  It passes the "lowest best" criteria, and I'm supportive of awarding them the contract.

Minutes and Report to follow.


Cortney


MINUTES
The meeting came to order @ 7:30 to discuss topic of 2013 Road Improvements Contractor.  In attendance were Denise McCarthy, Jeff Andrews, Chris Ertel.  Chris shared that he had received good feedback from other municipalities.  With compelling cost data vs the Engineers estimate, the Committee agreed with his recommendation:  to recommend to full Council JK Meurer as the contractor.  The meeting adjourned @ 7:45PM.


REPORT

The Public Works Committee met on 4/16 to discuss 2013 Street Repair Bids.  The Committee recommends we accept the bid of J.K. Meurer Corporation in the amount of $124,600.  This will deliver a savings to the Village of $25,400 versus original estimate, eliminating the need to withdraw $15,449 from the Permanent Improvement Budget as originally approved by Council.  Net result is a +$9,900 higher Road Fund balance that can be spent on additional sidewalk or street work in 2013.

The Committee would also like to thank Chris Ertel for his great work on this project and for his continued outstanding service & professionalism.

Respectfully Submitted,

Cortney Scheeser

Denise McCarthy

Jeff Andrews

4/16 Finance Committee Meeting

While not a member of Finance, I attended the meeting and here's what I saw.  Online payments:  we should absolutely continue to offer this convenient service.  We should also have Jordan Schad, our new Pool Manager, keep track of the time she and her folks save by this service.  If there's a savings (and i think there will be), then the modest increased cost per transaction should be more than offset.

Cortney

4/22 Council

I attended Council on 4/22 and here's what I saw.

Patty Busam taking over for Darlene Judd in the Tax Office.  I look fwd to working with Patty, and I think Darlene for her many years of service.  Patty can be a wealth of info coming from a different Municipality, and I hope we can take advantage of her "fresh eyes" phase.

Continued online payments.  I'm surprised this great service was ever in jeopardy, but Finance and full Council did the right thing.  This is an important service, and if we craft it correctly, the additional cost per transaction to the Village should be more than offset by savings via fewer Employee touches.

Paving for 2013.  I fully support this proactive plan, and I hope we can find worthy projects (Sidewalk or Street) for the $9900 underage.

Levys. Renewal of these is pretty straightforward.  While I think we should do the good work of study and possibly consolidation (as Jeff suggested), maintaining our revenue is right.

Proactive calendar to reduce Emergency votes.  I fully support a more rigorous calendar so there are fewer surprises.  As I understand it, the Mayor is in the drivers seat.  As he's made it clear only he can direct a Committee, I'll look to Dan to alert Committees in advance so we have proper time to act.  A little pressure on Committees to turn over recommendations quickly is fine and welcome (from my POV).

I voted in the affirmative, as all were procedural in natures.  Exceptions:  new truck, which is reasonable.  Levy Renewals which I support as mentioned above. Pool liquor exception - don't love the emergency, but I think this event has been good for the Village.  New Tennis rates - The Tennis commission supports this "Catch Up" price increase, and I defer to their opinion.

Cortney
ICRCTV.COM

Council 4/08

I attended Council on 4/08, and here's what I saw.

New Building Commissioner.  Welcome to Kirk Hodulik, and a big thank you to Dennis Malone.  Thank you for your many years of service.

Denise's resignation.  I'm sad to see Denise go.  I enjoyed working with her.  I wish her luck in her next chapter.

Rebuilt Blinking Light @ Indianview.  I'm excited about the enhancements to the island, mainly more attractive LED lights, which will sip <1 an="" be="" case="" energy="" experimentation="" for="" important="" incandescents.="" leds.="" nbsp="" of="" p="" s="" test="" the="" this="" village="" w="" will="">
Carl Stich resignation.  I appreciate all of Carl's service to the Village.  I wish him well.

Resident's comments.  I support the use of older life guards vs young teens during the adult pool party.  Related, I do support the pool party, as it's a well attended, and I feel a positive event for the Village.

Tennis Rate Hike.  This rate hasn't changed in nearly 20 years, so a large % increase is warranted.

Online payment.  We're overdue on this no-brainer topic.  I hope we do not miss this opportunity to continue a valued service.

Jordan Schad.  Welcome to Jordan who will take on additional responsibilities as Ed draws down his hours.  Jordan is a great choice.

Website redo.  I find it troubling that the Mayor would rather pay an outside vendor than allow the undesireable Jeff Andrews, an IT professional, do it for free.  A website's shelf life is months, not 3 years, so we're due for a revamp.  The previous site (pre 2010) was nearly unusable, and today's site is light years ahead.  To blame Jeff for issues with the site shows a real lack of understanding of the technology, the architecture, and the division of labor.  It's not unlike criticising the replacement window installer because you don't like the view it provides.  Who's tax dollars will pay for the incremental cost?  Mine?  Yours?  Terribly unfortunate, not to mention, AVOIDABLE.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes as all were procedural in nature.  Exceptions - pay raise windows going up for employees.  I think this is reasonable.

Cortney
ICRCTV.COM


 

Eastern Corridor writeup

Interesting article, especially considering willing support by Cincinnati Preservation Association & the Hillside Trust.  Great friends to have in this effort.

Cortney

http://tclf.org/landslides/mariemont

Council 3/25 Absent

I was absent again from Council. My misses are unfortunate, but my work commitments have eased, and I expect to more regularly attend meetings for the remainder of the year.

After reviewing the Minutes, here are my thoughts/comments:

Tennis Courts repair. I think we must continue to maintain our Courts & Pool. I am supportive of this repair. I hope the School District, who committed to paying for court upkeep (kids used the courts during Modulars) comes through in a meaningful way to offset the costs. Before we make major upgrades, I'd like to see us consider and let the community weigh in on the rightful place for the courts. Could they be tucked into the back of the old Belltower backstop (SW corner). Could they be placed down on the flood plain near the Community garden? I don't dislike their current location, but that property is very valuable and could be put to better, more attractive use.

Andy K resignation. I like Andy and consider him a friend. I wish him well in his next chapter.

Fire & Police expenditures.  I support this per my earlier blog posting.

Reworking Indianview blinking light island.  I look forward to our plans for this important gateway.

 

Cortney

ICRCTV.COM

3/17 Safety Committee

I attended the Safety Committee on 3/17 and here's what I saw.

Taser replacement.  This makes sense and limits liability.  This is a cost of doing business, so to speak, and I support the expenditure.

Fire equipment.  Similar to Tasers, this is the right call.  This gets us all caught up in terms of outdated equipment, and we should see a bit of a respite from ongoing expenses.  I support the expenditure

New Police truck & Transfer of existing Tahoe to Fire.  The Fire expedition is in tough shape and is in need of replacement.  I would have supported a new Truck for Fire only, but I support the recommendation of the Fire & Police leaders.  I support the expenditure.

Cortney