VILLAGE OF GLENDALE 30 Village Square Glendale, OH Minutes - Regular Council Meeting January 7, 2002

Transcription

1 Archive 0102CMM VILLAGE OF GLENDALE 30 Village Square Glendale, OH Minutes - Regular Council Meeting January 7, 2002 Mayor Todd called the Council Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. on January 7, There were a number of Glendale residents in attendance. The village officers attendance was as follows: Tom Todd Mayor Present Nancy Floyd Council Present Monica Alles-White Council Present Ephriam Swafford Council Present Debbie Grueninger Council Present Joe Gaynor Council Present Joe Hubbard Council Present Ed Hartwig* Council Present Randy Stolt Clerk/Treasurer Present Walter Cordes Village Administrator Present Matt Fruchey Police Chief Present Donald Latta Fire Chief Present James Kelly Solicitor Present *Was seated on Council after being sworn in by the Mayor Mayor Todd began the Council meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer for the Village, its residents, members of Council, and Village employees. 1. Minutes from the December 3, 2001 Regular Council Meeting Debbie Grueninger requested the minutes be amended at point 9 to include the fact that the Glendale School Citizenship award is still in existence. The Mayor suggested we present it in the spring along with the 100 th birthday proclamation for Glendale School. It was moved by Hubbard and seconded by White to adopt the proposed minutes as amended. The minutes were unanimously approved. 2. Persons wishing to address Council The Mayor said the Glendale Strikers coach, Ed Sawyer, could not attend the Council meeting to receive the Proclamation, so it will be presented next month. Nancy Floyd has agreed to attend the February meeting to read the proclamation.

2 The Mayor read the following Proclamation to Dottie and Howard Ecker, Tom Carruthers, Hugh Garvin and members of Lunch and Learn in recognition of their efforts to raise money to buy American flags for the Village. The Mayor reported a total of 17 flags have been purchased and placed around the Village. ~ P r o c l a m a t i o n ~ A Proclamation recognizing and thanking the volunteers of the Glendale Flag Committee WHEREAS, since the tragic event on September 11 th, 2001 involving the attack on the World Trade Center there has been much unity and patriotism in the world and particularly the United States of America, and WHEREAS, Glendale, Ohio also shares in this patriotism and wished to display Glendale pride and support by flying additional American flags throughout the Village, and WHEREAS, arose volunteers Dottie Ecker, Tom Carruthers, Howard Ecker, Hugh Garvin and members of Lunch and Learn to establish a Flag Committee and collect funds to purchase street lamp flags, and WHEREAS, these funds paid for many flags that were then installed by the labors of this volunteer committee and has now given Glendale a most patriotic and supporting image. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, by Thomas U. Todd, MD, Mayor of the Village of Glendale, Hamilton County, and State of Ohio; As Mayor of Glendale, I hereby bestowed the highest honor, recognition and appreciation upon Dottie Ecker, Howard Ecker, Tom Carruthers, Hugh Garvin and all others that participated from Lunch and Learn, for all that they most generously gave of themselves in raising funds, purchasing and installing symbols of our great support and patriotism for these United States of America. This is yet another reason why Glendale continues to be one of the most desirable communities in which to live and raise a family. God bless you all. Mayor Thomas U. Todd, MD Village of Glendale, Ohio Proclaimed December 27 th, in the year two thousand and one Composed and Certified by Walter W. Cordes, Administrator Jack Buescher, a Village resident, spoke on behalf of Monica White for the position of Vice Mayor. The following is the text of his presentation. Mayor Todd, Ladies and Gentlemen of Village Council: Congratulations on your respective elections. As dawn breaks on a new year let us erase the shadows of the

3 past year. Tonight you will be making some important decisions that might greatly impact the Village so I urge you to consider the many facets of this challenge to do it right. The post of Vice-Mayor will be an item for discussion and I recommend to your attention to Nicki White for that post. I make this recommendation because of her dedication, ability, experience and the normally applied tradition of awarding that post to the most tenured Council member. To choose differently would strike a discordant note that could ruin the harmony we so much need and do away with any future guidelines for this process. Any change in this process should be explored before it is enacted to dispel any notion of behind the scenes jockeying. Consider her two elections, her four years of dedicated service, her committee work, her enthusiastic connection with the electorate, her desire to serve, and her election numbers. She also has good connections with Village managers and is up-to-date on all issues facing the Village. The majority of the public would be disappointed with a leapfrog appointment that only would prove divisive. And we are way too divided already. I hope you will all consider her appointment a step towards unity and vote for her. Let s start this new year right. Thank you for this opportunity to speak. Ralph Hoop, a Village resident, spoke on behalf of Monica White for the position of Vice Mayor. The following is the text of his speech. Mayor Todd and members of the Glendale Village Council. My name is Ralph Hoop, I live on Ivy Avenue, and I have been a Glendale resident for 18 years. I first want to thank each of you for your service to the Village. The preservation of our small-town way of life is enhanced by your efforts on behalf of all the residents. I also congratulate each of you who were recently voted to Council in a very competitive race. I think the high voter turnout is evidence that Glendale residents are more interested than ever in their Village government and the decisions that must be made as the modern world continues to develop around us. Later this evening Council will vote to fill the position of Vice Mayor for the next two-year term. Although any number of criteria could be used for this selection, in Glendale the tradition is to select the longest serving Council member as Vice- Mayor. I urge you to continue this tradition. Although Council members must apply their best judgment to each situation, the traditional method has the advantage that the process was know to the whole community before this evening s vote, or indeed, before the voters selected the Council members in November. A change from this approach, without prior discussion, may have at least the appearance of less than open government. So the first reason I urge you to select Monica Alles-White as Vice Mayor is to enhance the reputation of Council as an open government body that doesn t change the playbook without notice. I also think Monica is well qualified to be Vice Mayor. I see her as a dedicated Council member who does her homework and is engaged with the residents. The fact that she has twice been elected to Council by comfortable margins is evidence of her reputation in the community. For both these reasons, historical precedent and personal qualifications, I urge you to select Monica Alles- White. Thank you for the opportunity to present my views this evening.

4 Michael White, a Village resident, spoke on behalf of Monica White. Mike said that Monica has been elected two times by the residents of Glendale and served all four years of her first term and did her job extremely well. The Vice Mayor has always been the senior most Councilperson. They know the issues, they have been trained to work within Council and have the most experience to lead Council and conduct Village affairs in the event the Mayor is not around. Mike believes Monica is just such a person. He said he has heard the Mayor wants a person as Vice Mayor who thinks like him and with whom he can get along. Mike believes that it is better to have a Vice Mayor who will provide an open honest debate on issues and put Council and the Village residents first, rather than one who will simply just get along with the Mayor. He reminded members of Council that, in his opinion, they are responsible for leaving their seats in good shape when they eventually leave Council. Finally, he said the Vice Mayor s job is largely honorary and a reward for work well done for the most senior Council member and he believes Council should leave it that way. 3. Mayor s Report of the Year 2001 Accomplishments and Activities 1) Appointed Don Latta as Fire Chief 2) Appointed Jim Kelly as Village Solicitor 3) Appointed Robert Frantz as a member of GPHP Commission 4) Appointed Michelle Evans to the Glendale Park Board 5) Appointed Ann Navaro to the Glendale Park Board 6) Approved of Matthews Ct. Subdivision, a 19 single family home subdivision 7) Continued to work on the Village Plan Update and adopted a draft acceptance 8) Approved Carruthers Pond PH II Subdivision, a 35 single-family home subdivision 9) Renewed as a Tree City USA for the 5 th consecutive year 10) Bought 231 E. Sharon, razed and established additional parking and open space 11) Vacated remaining portion of Garfield Ave; a paper street and made it green space 12) Improved the Fire House apparatus apron and landscape 13) Established an annual Glendale Farmer s Market at 231 E. Sharon 14) Again receipt an exceptional annual audit from the State of Ohio Auditor 15) Received the CSIV (Children s Summer International Village) 16) Managed the construction and received a donated park in the Square; Rogan Park 17) Relined inferior sanitary sewers at Greenville and Woodbine and reduced flooding 18) Resurfaced $38K of interior roadways 19) Relined and enlarged 1,000 lf of inferior sanitary sewer from Sharon to Lake Ave. 20) Renewed employee health insurance without an increase in expenses 21) Codified all Village Ordinances and brought them up to date with state code. 22) Hosted the National Park Service meeting 23) The Mayor conducted six weddings and donated $500 to Village non-profit organizations

5 It was moved by Hubbard and seconded by Gaynor to move from the Regular Council meeting in order to conduct an organizational meeting of Council, after which the Regular Council meeting would be resumed. The motion was unanimously approved. Organizational Meeting of Council The Mayor called the organizational meeting of Council to order. Those present during the Regular Council meeting were also present at the organizational meeting. 1. Installation of New and Re-elected Members of Council The Mayor gave the oath of office to the following re-elected and new members of Council: Monica Alles-White, Debbie Grueninger, Joe Hubbard, and Ed Hartwig (new). The new and re-elected members of Council were congratulated by all with a hardy round of applause and were seated in their new respective positions in chambers. 2. Ordinance : An ordinance appointing James Kelly as solicitor of the Village of Glendale and establishing compensation. It was moved by Grueninger and seconded by Swafford to adopt proposed Ordinance It was moved by White and seconded by Hubbard to declare the ordinance an emergency measure for the purpose of the timely and efficient administration of Village affairs. Discussion: None Motion to declare an emergency: Passed, 6 aye, 0 nay. Motion to adopt: Passed, 6 aye, 0 nay. 3. Ordinance : An ordinance authorizing employment of an Assistant Solicitor of the Village of Glendale, to be selected by the Mayor, and establishing compensation. It was moved by Grueninger and seconded by Swafford to adopt proposed Ordinance It was moved by Hubbard and seconded by White to declare the ordinance an emergency measure for the purpose of the timely and efficient administration of Village affairs. Discussion: It was asked if compensation had been determined for the year. Wally Cordes said compensation would be indexed versus inflation and last year s compensation, in February of this year before the budget is finalized. Motion to declare an emergency: Passed, 6 aye, 0 nay.

6 Motion to adopt: Passed, 6 aye, 0 nay. 4. Verbal Resolution : Mayor s Standing Committee Appointments Laws, Claims, Miscellaneous Hubbard, Grueninger, Gaynor Streets, Public Improvements & Lights Grueninger, Alles- White, Swafford Finances Alles-White, Hubbard, Swafford Police Hubbard, Swafford, Gaynor Fire Gaynor, Grueninger, Hartwig Utilities Grueninger, Alles-White, Hartwig Public Buildings & Historic Preservation Swafford, Hubbard, Hartwig Recreation & Playgrounds Hartwig, Gaynor, Alles- White It was moved by White and seconded by Grueninger to adopt the proposed Verbal Resolution Discussion: The Mayor said he decided to change all of the Committee chairs to make sure we had broad experience on Council. He said kept the Chair from last year on each Committee for this year for continuity. Monica White wondered why she was not assigned as a member of the Police Committee since Nancy Floyd was not returning to Council and Monica would represent the continuity desired by the Mayor. The Mayor said Ephraim was included on the Committee this year as well as last year. Joe Hubbard said he had no objection in including Monica on the Committee. Wally Cordes said the Village Code called for 3 members of Council per committee not four. If we wanted to add a fourth, it would require a change in code or switching of proposed committee assignments. Monica said the assignments were fine with her as proposed by the Mayor. The motion was unanimously approved. 5. Verbal Resolution : Nomination and Election of Mayor Pro Tempore. Jim Kelly said seconding a nomination was not necessary during the nomination process. Debbie Grueninger nominated Monica Alles-White for Mayor Pro Tempore. Joe Gaynor nominated Joe Hubbard as Mayor Pro Tempore. Joe Gaynor provided the following perspective on his nomination. The office of Vice Mayor is a position that has definitions and requires varying skills, depending on with whom you are talking. Some think of the office as a title only with no meaningful purpose, some think of it as a bauble to bestow on a

7 favorite. I think of the office in the following manner: It is an office that should be held by an experienced person that will assist the Mayor in performing his interpretations of his duties and to assume the office of Mayor in the event of a catastrophe. A lot of communities permit the Mayor to choose directly who that person will be. I feel it should be held by a person whom the Mayor holds in high regard and fits the Mayor s personality. The Mayor should feel at ease in assigning tasks to be performed in his name and in his stead. Finally, I feel that the individual should be a person that can foster peace and harmony in the Village alongside the Mayor and other members of Council, and be a person that has demonstrated these skills. The individual on Council that best represents these traits to me is Joe Hubbard. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to nominate Joe Hubbard for the office of Vice Mayor of the Village of Glendale for the year It was moved by Grueninger and seconded by Gaynor to close the nominations. Discussion: Ephraim Swafford said before a vote is taken he wanted people to know that he believes everyone on Council is eligible for the position of Vice Mayor. He said he will make his decision independently and had discussed this issue with people in the Village and with the Department Heads as well as the Mayor. Monica White offered the following comments: I would like to go on record tonight that I can t support the nomination of Joe Hubbard as Vice Mayor. To do so would be breaking a tradition and custom that has served our community well. In Glendale, we ask the residents to wave the flag of tradition often. But now it s deemed inconvenient for our Mayor, Council is being asked to toss this tradition aside. It s funny how strong Mayors in the past didn t have any problem getting their work done following this tradition. In November, the residents voted me in office for another four-year term, expecting me to move into the role as Vice Mayor as tradition would dictate. But in the two months since that election, Mayor Todd, you have worked behind the scenes to put an end to this tradition. You have contacted Council members asking them to support a Vice Mayor that thinks like you and will be easy to work with. Well Mayor Todd, with your actions over the past couple of weeks, I ve come to realize one thing. If this is the heavy-handed way you plan to conduct business and operate this Village: You are right, I don t think like you! The vote for Mayor Pro Tempore was taken: Four for Joe Hubbard, (Hartwig, Hubbard, Gaynor, Swafford) and two for Monica White (Grueninger, White). Joe Hubbard was approved for the position of Mayor Pro Tempore. 6. Verbal Resolution : Planning Commission Appointments of Tom Carruthers (4 years) and Tom Kerr (4 years).

8 It was moved by Grueninger and seconded by Swafford to adopt the proposed Verbal Resolution There was no discussion and the motion was unanimously approved. 7. Verbal Resolution : Village Official Appointments. It was moved by Hubbard and seconded by Swafford to adopt the proposed Verbal Resolution approving the appointment of the following Village officials: Walter Cordes Matt Fruchey Donald Latta Roger Campbell Village Administrator Police Chief Fire Chief Utilities Supervisor There was no discussion and the motion was unanimously approved. 8. Verbal Resolution : Appointments of: Ann Navaro to the Park Board (4 years); Hugh Garvin (5 years) and Joe Green (5 years) to the Zoning Board of Appeals. It was moved by Gaynor and seconded by Hubbard to adopt the proposed Verbal Resolution There was no discussion and the motion was unanimously approved. 9. Ordinance : An ordinance providing supplementary appropriations giving the Clerk the authority to draw certain warrants until the annual appropriation ordinance is passed. It was moved by Grueninger and seconded by White to adopt the proposed Ordinance It was moved by Hubbard and seconded by Gaynor to declare the ordinance an emergency measure for the purpose of the timely and efficient administration of Village affairs. Discussion: None Motion for the emergency: Passed, 6 aye, 0 nay. Motion to adopt: Passed, 6 aye, 0 nay. 10. Ordinance : An ordinance authorizing the Administrator to employ temporary employees. It was moved by White and seconded by Swafford to adopt the proposed Ordinance It was moved by Grueninger and seconded by Gaynor to declare the ordinance an emergency measure for the purpose of the timely and efficient administration of Village affairs. Discussion: None

9 Motion for the emergency: Passed, 6 aye, 0 nay. Motion to adopt: Passed, 6 aye, 0 nay. It was moved by White and seconded by Gaynor to adjourn the organizational meeting of Council. The motion was unanimously approved. The organizational meeting was adjourned at about 7:40 pm. The Mayor called the Regular Council meeting back into order. Members of Council present during the organizational meeting were also present at the resumption of the Regular Council meeting. Ed Hartwig is the new Council member replacing Nancy Floyd who is retiring after 10 years of faithful service to Glendale. 4. Verbal Resolution : A Resolution recognizing Nancy Floyd for outstanding Service to the Village of Glendale. Village of Glendale Resolution WHEREAS, Councilwoman Nancy Snowden Floyd was appointed to the position of Councilwoman in January of 1993 to replace exiting Councilman Herbert Wengler, and WHEREAS, Councilwoman Floyd was appointed to the Chairmanship of the Fire Committee of which she served for many years, and WHEREAS, Councilwoman Floyd subsequently ran for re-election in November of 1993 and favorably won her seat, and WHEREAS, Councilwoman Floyd completed another four years of active and meaningful work for the Village and again favorably won her seat for yet another four year term in November of 1997, and WHEREAS, Nancy Floyd was involved in many worthy projects in and about the Village, including, but not limited to; * a long term plan to minimize expenses and maximize services * a merit system pertaining to employee compensation * the restoration of the McLaren Building and installment of 5/3 Bank * the procurement of two municipal parking lots in the Village Square * the installation of a new and larger water tower * the demolition of the former water tower * the construction of a new police car garage * a long range prioritized improvement of the water plant

10 * the restoration of the Village House on Maple Avenue * the Village s procurement of the historic railroad depot * the plans and layout of a remodeled Village Office * the Village Plan 2000 update project WHEREAS, Councilwoman Nancy Snowden Floyd additionally served her community in many other volunteer activities and projects; also to the betterment of Glendale. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the council of the Village of Glendale, Ohio, a majority of its members elected thereto concurring; SECTION I: That this resolution of appreciation and recognition be spread upon the January 7, 2002 minutes of Council as a testimonial to the valuable and splendid services rendered by Councilwoman Nancy Snowden Floyd to the residents of the Village of Glendale. SECTION II: That a copy of this Resolution, signed by the Mayor, Clerk and members of Council be transmitted to Mrs. Floyd and her supporting family. Thomas U. Todd, Mayor Monica Alles-White Randall Stolt, Clerk Deborah Grueninger Ephriam Swafford Joseph Gaynor Joseph Hubbard Ed Hartwig January 7 t h in the year 2002 Prepared and certified by Walter W. Cordes, Village Administrator Nancy Floyd thanked the residents of Glendale for allowing her to serve them on Council for over ten years. She said she will miss everyone, but will not be going away soon and plans on continuing to attend Council meetings on a regular basis. Nancy said serving on Council has been the finest thing she has ever done with the exception of raising her family and her dog! This is really quite a compliment to the Village of Glendale. The Council and residents in chambers gave Nancy a standing applause of congratulations!

11 5. Ordinance : An ordinance authorizing the first expenditure of $109, for work to date in the Congress Ave./S. Lake sanitary sewer replacement project, said project being 80% complete; with $100,000 to be drawn from the VPGI 2001 appropriations and $9, drawn from the 2.5 Sewer Levy Fund. It was moved by Gaynor and seconded by White to adopt proposed Ordinance It was moved by Grueninger and seconded by Hubbard to declare the ordinance an emergency measure for the timely and efficient administration of Village affairs. Discussion: None Motion to declare an emergency measure: Passed, 6 aye, 0 nay. Motion to adopt: Passed, 6 aye, 0 nay. 6. Verbal Resolution : Annual adoption of Rules of Council. It was moved by Gaynor and seconded by Hubbard to adopt the proposed Verbal Resolution Debbie Grueninger said the Laws and Claims Committee met on December 12, 2001 to consider any changes to the Rules of Council and the Committee recommended no changes be made. The motion to adopt was unanimously approved. 7. Verbal resolution : Non-profit corporate authoriztion for securities investment. It was moved by Hubbard and seconded by Swafford to adopt the proposed verbal Resolution Randy explained that this resolution was required by 5 th /3 rd Bank in order for the Village to be able to accept stocks and securities as donations to the Village and turn around and sell them. The Mayor, Clerk Treasurer, and Village Administrator are appointed by this resolution to act for the Village in this respect. The motion was unanimously approved. 8. Ordinance 234: An ordinance for the payment of certain bills. It was moved by Hubbard and seconded by Grueninger to adopt the proposed Ordinance 234 for the payment of bills totaling $71, from the Enterprise Fund. The motion to adopt was unanimously approved. 9. Ordinance 1524: An ordinance for the payment of certain bills. It was moved by Hubbard and seconded by Grueninger to adopt proposed Ordinance 1524 for the payment of bills totaling $248, from the General Fund. The motion to adopt was unanimously approved.

12 10. Committee Reports MAYOR (Todd): The Mayor reported he has asked Ephraim Swafford and Joe Gaynor to work with the Harry Whiting Brown organization to chair a series of meetings to address racial problems and opportunities within the Village. A public meeting will be scheduled for late January. The Mayor said the turn lights at Sharon Road and Route 4 have been installed and are working well. Traffic flow has improved significantly. Mayor Todd reported he was contacted by the Chamber of Commerce and was told they will no longer sponsor the Glendale Street Fair due to financial concerns. They asked if the Village would get involved in chairing the Street Fair this year. The Mayor was very pleased with the turnout for the Village Sing just before Christmas. He thanked Alec Brockmeier for his musical leadership. Kindervelt and Harry Whiting Brown tried to have Light Up Glendale on the same evening, but didn t. He noted Jack Cook, a Village resident, hired a horse drawn carriage for the Boy Scouts and their families. The Mayor said he would like to schedule the Village Sing on December 22, He has asked Will Sawyer and other business owners on the Village Square to be open that evening. We will attempt to coordinate Light Up Glendale for the same night and have several horse drawn carriages available for residents to take a ride through the Village. Mayor Todd said his letter to help finance a green space fund through private donations did not go over well. So far we have $15,000 in donations. He asked Council members to continue to support this effort and keep in mind that this fund is to help purchase any land in the Village for maintaining green space, not just buying development rights on historic home property. Joe Hubbard said the money could also be used for paying the legal expenses of those individuals who want to establish legal trusts to protect their property from future development. The Mayor said Council members, as requested, had provided him with prioritized lists of the proposed Village Plan recommendations they would like to see Council consider. Don Latta prepared a multiple page spreadsheet of these priorities. There was some confusion and significant discussion on exactly what was to be submitted. The request was two fold, a prioritized list of the top ten action items recommended in the proposed Village Plan, and a prioritized list of the top five strategies, from each Council member. Apparently, not all Council members did both. Don Latta was asked to simplify his spreadsheet and Council members were asked to submit the complete information on their priorities to Wally before the next meeting. Joe Hubbard said the Laws and Claims Committee should suggest a process by which we will sort through and fund the recommendations. Monica said she thought the strategies would be worked on within the standing committees of Council. Joe Hubbard agreed with this perspective, particularly in terms of

13 what we should do and how to fund the activities. Ephraim said he was concerned there was not single point accountability on Council to make sure this work got done. Joe Hubbard again suggested the Laws and Claims Committee should be the central committee with significant input/participation from all of the other standing committees. Mayor Todd said he asked Joe Hubbard to take the lead in sorting through the completion of the Village Plan. Ephraim said he was in agreement as long as all Council members were going to attend the Laws and Claims Committee meetings. FINANCE (Hubbard): Joe Hubbard reported the year-end Village finances were in good shape. Revenues were up and we under spent the budget. Randy confirmed we did well for the year. All departments had small encumbrances, and the largest ones were clearly accounted for (e.g., Capital Fund, $10,389 for SCBA gear and $100,000 from VPGI for the 2001 sewer project work). Randy reviewed the budget process as Mayor Todd had requested in his letter in December. This process required a temporary spending appropriation be past at the January 2002 Regular Council meeting (done), standing committee review of the budgets by January 23 rd, a Finance Committee summary meeting by the end of January, and passing a final 2002 budget at either the February or March Regular Council meeting. Monica White said she was concerned that the budget process was moving too fast and asked that we make sure the budget was right before we passed. She wondered if we could move some of the planning meetings into February as long as the budget did not need to be passed until March. Wally said we are on track to meet the schedule that was provided by the Mayor and did not want to extend it much further. Wally said the departments had worked hard and had done a great job in meeting the targets set by the Finance Committee in October It was agreed to have a Finance Committee meeting to review the overall budget on February 29 th at 7:00 pm in the Village offices. FIRE (Grueninger): Debbie Grueninger said the Fire Committee did not meet in December. Don Latta reported that our annual total incident rate was the highest it has ever been with 411 total calls. This increase was due, in large part, to the floods in July, and the affects of the 9/11 terrorists attach on the World Trade Center. There were some questions related to large increases in certain areas (e.g., structural fires), but Don said the annual totals presented represented the sum of all three communities reported and not necessarily a big increase due to problems in Glendale. Don also noted that FEMA is requiring any reports of suspicious packages be reported under chemical spills. LAWS, CLAIMS, MISC (Grueninger): Debbie Grueninger reported on the December 12, 2001 meeting of the Laws and Claims Committee. Dick and Marilyn McCracken and Bill Dorward have asked for Council s help in resolving a flooding problem apparently caused by the new building on the subdivided Brinker property. The McCrackens have worked with

14 Wally Cordes and the Utilities Department, as well as the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District to help find a solution. They are not looking for reparations. The McCrackens, the Dorwards and the Baileys are all experiencing the same increase in flooding problems. The Village has confirmed the storm sewers are working fine. The Sims, owners of the new house on Forest, have been involved in trying to find a solution. The major question at hand is who is responsible for fixing the problem after a certificate of occupancy is issued? This question has been referred to Jim Kelly for review. The Committee also discussed how long a building permit might remain open before it must be renewed. Current ordinances do not have a defined timeframe. Thus, property owners that do have a permit don t have a specified time to bring closure to their project. The Committee has asked Dan Bly, Building Commissioner, for his recommendations. Finally, Rules of Council were discussed. It was suggested Council might want to consider adding standing committees under Rule 6 including an Education Committee and a Long Range Plan Committee. No recommendations were forthcoming. Under Rule 10, Hearings Before Council, it was recommended that the Mayor attempt to control the unsolicited outbursts by members of the community that have been occurring in Council meetings over the last year or so. Our rules are clear on this issue. POLICE (Floyd): Matt Fruchey reported on the December 12, 2001 Police Committee meeting as Nancy Floyd forgot her notes. Matt reported the Police Department had a very successful year and presented overall statistics as follows: Traffic citations up 12%, arrests up 50%, vacation checks up 29%, thefts down 7%, burglaries down 24% and traffic accidents up 19% (due to a continued increase in traffic through the Village). He explained the draft budget that has been submitted to the Police Committee, which includes the addition of two part-time police clerks, the replacement of one wrecked squad car and the purchase of one new squad car. Matt reported he has been elected Secretary of the Hamilton County Association of Chiefs of Police for PUBLIC BUILDINGS, HISTORIC PRESERVATION (Floyd): Nancy Floyd said the Committee did not meet in December and no report was provided. RECREATION, PLAYGROUNDS (Gaynor): Joe Gaynor said the Committee did not meet in December and no report was provided. was STREETS, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS, LIGHTS (Swafford): Ephraim Swafford said the Committee did not meet in December and no report provided. UTILITIES (White):

15 Monica White reported the S. Lake/Congress Avenue sewer project would be completed within the week. Traffic issues were only encountered for 1 week. Joe Hubbard asked when the money from FEMA would be available for creek cleanout projects. Don Latta said $17,000 was approved; the paper work has been completed and submitted to FEMA. Don is not sure how long it will take to get it, but guessed it would take several months. 11. New Business Debbie Grueninger reported that Jenny Gulick s report on her natural resource study of the Village is complete and available. She said a public meeting would be held in January to provide the results of the report. A copy of the full report is available on computer disc and is available at the Village Offices. Wally will make copies. Monica White recommended Council offer regular coffees as a way to reach out to Village residents and give them an informal environment to discuss Village issues and opportunities. She said they could be held at various locations around town to promote diversity. In general, there was a favorable reaction to the idea. Ephraim Swafford said he had a nagging concern the Village can do more to improve the safety of the Village residents, particularly during major accidents, natural disasters (tornadoes, floods, etc.), and use of weapons of mass destruction. Matt Fruchey and Don Latta have working on plans, especially since the 9/11/01 New York disaster. They discussed a reverse 911 phone system. Council asked Don and Matt to keep them up-to-date on their progress toward a well- defined plan. 12. Old Business: There was no old business discussed. It was moved by Hubbard and seconded by Gaynor to adjourn the Regular Council meeting. The motion was unanimously approved. The Mayor adjourned the meeting at approximately 9:00 pm. Attest: Mayor, Thomas U. Todd Clerk/Treasurer, Randall A. Stolt