Norwood City
Council
Council
Chambers
A) CALL TO ORDER
The Council for the City of Norwood met in regular session on the above date with Ms. Jane Grote presiding. The meeting opened with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
B) PRAYER
C) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
D) ROLL CALL
On roll call, the following members answered present: Mr. Gabbard, Mr. Sanker, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Moore, Ms. Kelly, Mr. Barlow, and Mr. Mumper
E) AMENDMENT OF AGENDA
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to amend the agenda by adding five Proclamations and add as the first item of Business, by adding Ordinance I-C), I-D), and I-E), and by adding Communications N-7), N-9), and N-9). All members present voted YES.
As amended, President of Council Jane M. Grote read Proclamations for five students who are attending the Jr. National Young Leader Conference. Proclamations were read for the following students: Johnathan Boone, Molly Elliot, Melissa Prantl, Justin Borgemenke, and Cori Miracle.
F) Requests to address council on agenda items
There
were no requests to address Council.
G) Reports of Standing committees of council
1. Community Development RE: Entertainment Solutions.
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to accept the report. All members present voted YES.
2. Community Development RE: Interbrand Signage.
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to accept the report. All members present voted YES.
3. Community Development RE: Huntington ATM.
On a
motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to accept the
report. All members present voted YES.
H) SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE
A) ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE OHIO FIRE CODE AS PART OF THE NORWOOD CODIFIED ORDINANCES, AS AMENDED BY THE NORWOOD FIRE DIVISION, AND DELETING CHAPTERS 1519 AND 1523, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
On a
motion by Mr. Schneider, seconded by Mr. Sanker, it was moved to hear the
second reading of the ordinance. All
members present voted YES.
I) INTRODUCTORY READINGS OF ORDINANCES
A) ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE SAFETY-SERVICE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO A LABOR/MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH AFSCME OHIO COUNCIL 8, LOCAL #914 EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2006 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2008, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Mr. Moore commented that this was the result of successful negotiations between the bargaining units and the Administration and thanked all those involved for their cooperation.
Mr. Schneider commented that there was one item removed from the contract that is of concern. The Performance Appraisal Process gave employees the ability to sit down with their bosses. Prior to this being added several years back there was very little review of employee performance and set goals and plans for development. The contract is heading in the right direction in many areas but removing this clause is a step in the wrong direction.
Mr. Moore responded that he was unsure why a bonus was required for department heads to sit down with employees. Mr. Moore asked The Director of Public Safety-Service to the podium to help explain. Mr. Geers answered that in the past tying this bonus of up to 1% to the performance review has led to the filing of several grievances. In most cases, the bonus itself is in the $350-500 range cost approximately $1200 in fighting the grievance.
Mr. Schneider commented that the increased money that we lost in lawsuits was a result of poor documentation on performance issues. Documenting issues provided coverage for possible termination. Mr. Schneider asked why this clause wasn’t at least tweaked. Mr. Geers answered that when he dealt with City employees during the 80s he talked to employees on a day to day basis, as Mr. White does currently. There is no need to wait for a once a year event to discuss performance, provide both positive and negative feedback, and set goals with each employee. Any serious matters are documented currently.
On a motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Mr. Barlow, it was moved to suspend the rules and hear all three readings of the ordinance. All members present voted YES.
On a motion by Mr. Gabbard, seconded by Mr. Mumper, it was moved to pass the ordinance. All members present voted YES.
B) ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY-SERVICE TO ENTER INTO A COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH AFSCME OHIO COUNCIL 8, LOCAL 3278 FOR THE YEARS 2006,
2007, AND 2008, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to suspend the rules and hear all three readings of the ordinance. All members present voted YES.
On a motion by Ms. Kelly, seconded by Mr. Gabbard, it was moved to pass the ordinance. All members present voted YES.
As amended Council then considered the following item.
C) ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A FUND TO ACCEPT HAMILTON COUNTY
DISBURSEMENTS OF MONIES RELATED TO THE E-911 OPERATING SYSTEM TO THE CITY OF
NORWOOD AS A RESULT OF THE H.B. 361 AND PURSUANT TO OHIO REVISED CODE SECTION
4931.65, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Mr. Moore mentioned that while it sounds great to accept money from the County he would like to hear the details and asked Mr. Geers to the podium to explain. Mr. Geers explained that $.25 of each active cell phone goes towards 911 operations. Since Norwood operated its own dispatch a portion of that collected by the County is entitled to the City of Norwood.
Mr. Mumper added that it sounds like this should have been coming in for years, is the County willing to make up the lost income for the last few years? Mr. Geers responded that he is not sure but will follow up.
Mr. Moore asked where this money would be directed. Mr. Geers responded that this will eventually go into a special fund for E-911 Operation.
On a motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to suspend the rules and hear all three readings of the ordinance. All members present voted YES.
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to pass the ordinance. All members present voted YES.
As amended Council then considered the following item.
D) ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC
SERVICE-SAFETY TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH RUMPKE OF OHIO , INC. TO PROVIDE
FOR GARBAGE COLLECTION FOR THE CITY OF NORWOOD FOR CALENDAR YEARS 2007, 2008,
AND 2009 AS WELL AS OPTION YEARS FOR 2010 AND 2011, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Mr. Sanker asked Mr. Geers to the podium to discuss the contract. Mr. Geers explained that once bids closed we had three bids. The contracts are composed of three different areas including residential, multi-unit, and commercial and the services into three areas as well including refuse, yard waste, and recycling. Rumpke came in as the lowest bidder. The contract also includes flat prices for Port-o-Let service, additional pickups, toters for City buildings, and Option years for 2010 and 2011. The per unit fee will increase slightly to approximately $12.50 which is mostly a result of a 30% increase in fuel prices.
Mr. Schneider asked how this compares to surrounding communities. Mr. Geers responded that this is extremely competitive. Mr. Geers cited several nearby communities that pay between $15 and $17 per month and that doesn’t include unlimited refuse or yard waste. Mr. Geers added that Rumpke has been good to work with and they remain responsive to periodic issues/complaints.
On a motion by Mr. Sanker, seconded by Mr. Mumper, it was moved to hear the first reading of the ordinance. All members present voted YES.
As amended Council then considered the following item.
E) ORDINANCE TO CHANGE APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE YEAR 2006.
Mr. Sanker explained that Exhibit A has several options that we need to decide upon. Section 1 covers our immediate payroll needs, Section 2 covers payroll and our second quarter Police and Fire Pension Fund Payment, Section 3 covers each of those in addition to paying off additional Pension Fund debt. Mr. Sanker asked Mr. Molony for his comments on the Pension Board payments. Mr. Molony responded that analysis for the interest we are collecting and the penalties that the Pension Board is levying results in about a wash and it is his recommendation to go ahead and retire as much debt as possible by moving forward with Option 3. There have been recent meetings with several Leasing Agents regarding other City business and the first question is always in regard to our Fiscal Watch status. Anything the City can do to come out of Fiscal Watch sooner rather than later is to our advantage long term.
Mr. Moore added that this sounds like the right thing to do and while this uses quite a bit of the check from the developer it takes nearly everything off our back as we head into 2007 and we have a great chance at fully recovering from the tough last few years.
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Moore, it was moved to amend the exhibit to cross out section 2 and cross out the last amount on the exhibit (258,079.53). All members present voted YES.
On a motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Mr. Schneider, it was moved to suspend the rules and hear all three readings of the ordinance. All members present voted YES.
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Schneider, it was moved to pass the ordinance. All members present voted YES.
J) ADMINISTRATION REPORTS
Mayor
Williams was attending a task force in Washington D.C. and was not present.
Mr. Molony,
Treasurer, reported on several updates.
The first two items were in regard to the $3.5 Million UDAG funds and
the Police and Fire Pension Fund Debt, both which have already been discussed
as part of the appropriations Ordinance.
Mr.
Molony proceeded to provide an update on Earnings Tax Collection. The Treasurer’s Office plans to increase the
Certificate of Expected Resources and the City is on track to increase Earnings
Tax collections 7% over 2006.
Mr.
Molony then provided an update on the Hardware and Software purchase and
mentioned that the office has made their selection from the two bids. Both bids were from Market Leaders in this
area and both were very competitive and complete. Through negotiations, several items were
included in the bid, including the migration of historical data at a not to
exceed bid.
With
respect to Personnel, Mr. Molony mentioned the potential hiring of one or more
experienced tax clerks, both of whom are very familiar with the new software
package and will not only provide assistance in getting through our first
mandatory filing season, but will also serve as experts in the software
package.
Lastly,
Mr. Molony provided an update on the mandatory tax filing process. The Treasurer’s Office plans to mail forms in
mid January, will host a cable show, and will have several other ways residents
can get assistance. The office has had
several discussions with the City of Hamilton.
They have been very helpful providing tips, documentation, and aids as
well as sharing the pitfalls as they recently launched mandatory tax filing.
K) OTHER REQUESTS TO ADDRESS COUNCIL
L) UNFINISHED BUSINESS
M)new Business
Mr.
Sanker provided further explanation that Mayor Williams was invited and is
currently attending a forum on terrorism and rail safety in Washington
D.C. This discussion is fallout from the
rail car leak in the East End of Cincinnati recently and this issue is of
significance to the City of Norwood primarily due to the McCullough yard. Mayor Williams flew up at the expense of the
task force.
On a
motion by Mr. Schneider, seconded by Mr. Sanker, it was moved that a letter be
sent to Jerry Owens and the Victory Park Veterans from Council thanking them
for all of their involvement in "The Wall That Heals". All members present voted YES.
N) COMMUNICATIONS:
1. Letter from Mayor RE: Tree Board Appointment.
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Moore, it was moved that the letter be received and filed, and that both term appointments be approved. All members present voted YES.
2. Letter from Mayor RE: October 2006 Mayor's Court Fines.
On a motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved that the letter be received and filed. All members present voted YES.
3. Letter from Donnie Jones RE: October 2006 Auditor's Report.
On a
motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Barlow, it was moved that the letter be
received and filed. All members present
voted YES.
4. Letter from John Hanrahan RE: October 2006 Tax Report.
On a
motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Mr. Mumper, it was moved that the letter be
received and filed. All members present
voted YES.
5. Letter from Donna Laake RE: Health Department Grants.
On a
motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved that the letter be
received and filed. All members present
voted YES.
6. Letter from OKI RE: New Representative.
On a
motion by Mr. Schneider, seconded by Mr. Sanker, it was moved that the letter
be received and filed and that Mr. Schneider be appointed as the new representative. All members present voted YES.
As
amended Council then considered the following item.
7. Letter from Carri Town RE: 2042 & 2046 Courtland Avenue.
On a
motion by Mr. Schneider, seconded by Mr. Mumper, it was moved that the letter
be received and filed and that a Public Hearing be set up for January 9,
2007. All members present voted YES.
As
amended Council then considered the following item.
8. Letter from Carri Town RE: Rentway - 3855 Montgomery Road.
On a motion
by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Moore, it was moved that the letter be received
and filed and that a Public Hearing be set up for January 9, 2007. All members present voted YES.
As
amended Council then considered the following item.
9. Letter from Carri Town RE: Parcel at Linden Pointe.
On a
motion by Mr. Schneider, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved that the letter be
received and filed and that a Public Hearing be set up for January 9,
2007. All members present voted YES.
O) EXCUSE ABSENT MEMBERS
All members present.
P) ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Moore, it was moved to adjourn. All members present voted YES.
______________________________ ______________________________
J. Brian Mumper Jane
M. Grote
Clerk of Council President
of Council