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Covering the Heart of Hamilton County Since 1983
Mayor John Estep asked for a moment of silence at the St. Bernard Council meeting
on June 21 for longtime resident Jerry Clements who passed away. Mayor Estep invited
everyone to the community event on July 3. Enjoy rides, the pony rides and fair type
food before the Rusty Griswolds take the stage at 7:00 pm. Sit on a blanket and enjoy
the music prior to the fireworks at 10:00 pm. Dial-
Walter St. Clair said he distributed his report. He spoke about the notice sent out for the public hearing on the 2008 Budget. It will be held before the Council meeting on July 5 at 7:30 pm. The budget needs to be adopted by Council and be down to the county by July 20. At the COW meeting, Mr. St. Clair discussed the ordinance to provide additional appropriations for building maintenance at the Police Department. This pays for a damaged air conditioning unit.
Jonathan Stuchell informed everyone that June is National Safety Month and provided driver safety tips. Mr. Stuchell followed up with TEC Engineering about a traffic study for Ross Avenue. TEC said there is grant money available. They have offered to help St. Bernard with traffic study information. It is a reimbursement program. It would also be a good planning tool. Mr. Stuchell noted that there will be a resolution to allow the Fire Department to go with Hamilton County’s 911 dispatching services.
Bill Burkhardt gave the Police Department report and provided safety tips for summer. In summer, there are increases in bike thefts, articles from porches and items from cars. Please lock up bikes when not in use. Please do not leave tools or equipment in your yard overnight. If you see any suspicious behavior, call the police.
Kevin Meier announced that the ICRC has taped a performance at the high school as well as A Concert to Remember on Saturday. He will inform everyone of the playback schedule.
Steve Asbach remarked that there will be a Public Improvements Committee meeting on June 28 at 6:30 where they will discuss the Bertus Street Park development. It will be held in Council Chambers.
Patty Hausfeld noted that the Laws and Claims Committee met on Tuesday to talk about children playing in the streets and portable basketball hoops.
Peggy Brickweg complimented Mr. Stuchell for going after the grant for the traffic study by TEC. They need to look into the increased traffic that could be caused by the possible closure of Towne Street exit. She read a letter from a resident of Ross Avenue who hopes that they don’t pass on the study. “You need to have tests run to see what the problem is,” the resident stated.
Under Old Business, Ms. Brickweg summarized her newsletter information. The report from Dr. Romanos was 80 pages. The challenges to the City are lack of vision, lack of leadership, no civic center and Vine Street is under utilized. The City is located in a prime location, close to universities and hospitals. They need to promote their landmarks and get the advise of professionals. More clubs and organizations need to become involved as well as up and running. Mayor Estep said that Walt Moeller has looked into the costs of putting Dr. Romanos’ report on CDs. This is one way to get the information out.
Mr. Stuchell gave more information about TEC’s study. They may not even get the grant, it is based on need gathered from the study. TEC will do all the work on the application. Mr. Stuchell will provide them the information from reports. If the City wants to get grants, they need this study. The majority of Council said to go ahead with the study.
Norm Miller spoke to everyone about information he received from Jeffrey Allen Landscaping. This landscaping company has done work for Miami University, National Underground Railroad and the Village of Evendale. The spoke about Bertus Street Park. This work needs to be conceived by a professional who knows what plants and greenery grows best there. They need to minimize maintenance since there are so few people in the Service Department. The gentleman suggested lamp post lighting for the area. Put in a tiered waterfall or a gazebo and benches plus add cameras for security. Walkways could be made of stamped concrete. This would discourage skateboarders.
A lady spoke about the information in the newsletter from Ms. Brickweg about the financial situation of the City. First she thanked the City and all who were involved with the concert at the park. The tax projection per year was off 45 percent at the beginning of the year. The City is not going broke. When City services were cut, people were not told the truth.
It is hard to project tax projections. It was a very hard decision for Administration to raise taxes. Ms. Brickweg provided information about the budget. She said she would be glad to provide copies to anyone of the newsletter. They were told that the City was going broke, it was not. Revenue has continued to grow. Council will vote soon on the 2008 Budget. They should bring in a projected $11.9 million and spend $11.7 million. With having a surplus it is now to spend money to invest in the City and hire professionals to help fix up Vine Street. She urged citizens to contact their Council member. Mayor Estep noted that in years prior to his coming into office, the City had $2 million in reserves. The City was headed into a downward spiral. Council controls the spending. If the decision was not made (to raise taxes) they would be in much worse shape today. They now charge fees for the hall rentals. They had a few layoffs. Some have been brought back. They cannot keep overspending. They need to run the City as efficiently as possible.