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

10/14 Council

I attended Council on 10/14, and here's what I saw.

Ms. Busam, new Tax Administrator.  Welcome to Patti - she'll be a great add to the Village.

Mayor addition to ARB.  I think the ARB ought to be an independent body, and this setup will hurt this.  I am fine w a member of Council (similar to Economic development).  Adding the Mayor, though, will further concentrate power.  I believe this is bad for the Village.

Zoning Change.  I struggled with this decision. I was a No during the 2010 vote for Phases 2 and 3 (Madisonville Rd) because of their height vs their neighbors.  Quality & Character were obviously no issue, but height was a deal breaker for me.  Fast-forward nearly 4 years, and the neighborhood has changed tremendously.  The "weighted average" height is now much taller than before.  And there are 100-200 residents who would say move forward.  And Phase 4 is more isolated than any of the others.  So I voted Yes.  Did I get it right?

Shared Drive for Phase 2 & 4.  I strongly support fully utilizing infrastructure like pavement.  In this case, a shared drive is a much better utilization of "ugly" pavement vs a suburban model of inefficient duplication.  A traffic study should obviously be performed, but we should share pavement, not let it proliferate.

No Treasurer on the Ballot.  This is unfortunate, and I believe we haven't done enough to canvas the Village for a replacement.  I oppose any effort to consolidate the roles.  While we have a fine Clerk in Tony B, the separation of responsibility is a smart and prudent Internal Controls design for those who come later.  We must find a new Treasurer and not change our structure to collapse both into 1 person.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes except 1, as all were procedural in nature except:  Residence B to Residence D for Phase 4 Condos.  I voted no on the conditional zoning change for the empty lot next to Mios.  Approving a change with no hint of a plan is irresponsible.


Cortney
ICRCTV.COM

Council 9/23

I attended Council on 9/23, and here's what I saw.

Loss of Town Crier Mr. Kleinfeldt.  I was sad to hear of his passing but am thankful for all the years of service in so many capacities to the Village.

1x monthly council meetings.  In a normal Village/City environment, I think this is wise:  saves cost, makes the job more appealing to would-be public officials leery of time commitment.  However, in the last 4 years I have found a very troubling imbalance between the Mayor and the Council.  The Mayor routinely oversteps his boundaries and makes decisions for the Council (see stop sign installation in my previous post or note the garbage survey sent out in Mayor's Bulletin when Health and Rec Committee is designated by Law to manage Trash).  This imbalance will be exacerbated when Council meets less often.  I don't support 1x monthly meetings with the current Mayor.

Website confusion.  I don't believe Mr. Wendel intends to confuse, and I'm sure there is an easy resolution to this issue.  I would say, however, alternatives to the narratives relayed by the Mayor's Bulletin are welcome and helpful to the Village.

Buying hard copy books.  I think this is shortsighted for 4 reasons:  cost, lack of space in the building, no legal requirement, "stale" information risk before the books are even delivered.  In this day and age, we should be sourcing information exclusively online, where permitted by law.

I voted in the affirmative on all votes as all were procedural in nature.

Cortney
ICRCTV.COM

Safety Committee 9/23

I attended the Safety meeting on 9/23 and here's what I saw.

Stop Sign at Haines.  I was informed there hadn't been an accident as we were originally led to believe.  However, I was told there have been near misses, and the neighbors are supportive.  Further, I agree with Joe's suggestion of a comprehensive project vs piece meal work.

I was dismayed to hear the Mayor had already ordered the sign to be installed - it was in place w/ a garbage bag BEFORE the Committee even met to discuss.  This is a great example of the imbalance the Village faces, and the lack of boundaries exhibited by the Mayor on a daily basis.  Regardless of our Committee's recommendation, this installation was wholly inappropriate.

While I hate additional signage and the clutter it adds, and I object to the pre-installation of the sign, I think it's warranted.  I support the additional sign.

Cortney

sad to see 30 day tribute to Jack Phifer expire

Our great new truck came with some extra artwork - tributes to Jack Phifer.  Unfortunately, after 30 days, they were removed.  I was told it was intended to be a 30 day tribute only.  I'm glad we paid homage, but I wish it was permanent.  I'll pose this question to the residents (the handful who read my blog): Should we do something permanent for Jack?

Cortney

Safety Idea - leverage runners'/walkers' eyes and ears - call 271-4089

I offered up an idea for our large contingency of walkers, runners, cyclists to combat the crime in the Village:  share the police number (271-4089) and ask them to watch for suspicious activity.

Cortney
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Cortney,

 

Thanks for the ideas. We will try to get out communication asking for the help via NIXLE. I think it will be a challenge to get people out of the gyms due to hot or the upcoming cold weather, but we can always ask.

 

Thanks,

 

Rick

On Wed, Sep 11, 2013 at 11:14 AM, Cortney Scheeser <cscheeser@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hi Rick,

 

Had a thought as you're combatting all the property theft in the Village.  We have a secret weapon in the Village - pedestrians and cyclists.  Personally, I study the neigbhorhoods I run through and notice when things are out of place.  There may be a way for pedestrians to be more intentional w info sharing.  Here's a brainstorm list of ideas:

-ask for residents to work out in the Village vs on a treadmill in Fairfax

-ask them to consider running the same route to gain familiarity

-ask residents to carry a phone

-provide residents a non 911 number (maybe the officer on duty cell number?)

-call whenever they see something out of the ordinary, including open car, trunk latch open, open garage, etc.

 

Obviously it's your call on how/if to leverage this, but I think pedestrians could be a help.  Holler w questions.

 

 

Thanks,

Cortney
Mariemont Village Council
513-271-4513
scheeser.blogspot.com

Farmers Market Idea - use West St when Lot unavailable?

I shared the following info with the Mayor.  Unfortunately, he did not reply to my request/idea.

Cortney

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Hi Dan,

 

Can you pls share the contact info?  Also, for the 2 weekends with a school conflict, could we block off the West Streeet block between Madisonville and Thorndike for the event?  This block has been shut down for 1/4 of the year anyway, and it would allow the event to go on.  Just a thought....

 

 

Thanks,

Cortney
Mariemont Village Council
513-271-4513
scheeser.blogspot.com