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 and was followed by a moment of silence observed to honor former firefighter, Councilman, and business owner Mr. Ron Wallace.
B) PRAYER
C) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
D) ROLL CALL
On roll call, the following members answered present: Mr. Sanker, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Moore, Ms. Kelly, Mr. Barlow, and Mr. Mumper
The chair noted that Mr. Gabbard is now in Council Chambers.
E) AMENDMENT OF AGENDA
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Moore, it was moved to amend the agenda by moving Ordinance J-A) to immediately following the Public Hearing on the matter.
F)
Approve MINUTES From:
February 13, 2007 and
On a motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to approve the minutes as if read. All members present voted YES.
G) PUBLIC HEARING
Prior to opening the Public Hearing, Ms. Grote explained the rules governing Public Hearings.
Phase II of Linden Pointe on the Lateral
The Public Hearing closed when no one came forward to speak for or against this Ordinance.
As amended Council then considered the following item:
J-A) ORDINANCE APPROVING THE FINAL PLANNED UNIT
DEVELOPMENT (P.U.D.) PLANS FOR PHASE IIA OF THE LINDEN POINTE ON THE LATERAL
DEVELOPMENT, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY
Mr. Moore mentioned that the proposal is for Office Buildings and Parking, we will have more information at the Community Development meeting tomorrow.
On a motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to hear the first reading of the ordinance. All members present voted YES.
H) requests to address council on agenda items
There were no requests to address Council.
I) REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL
1. Committee of the Whole RE: Fire Contract – Local Union #445
Mr. Schneider noted that he had concerns at the time of the Committee of the Whole meeting but has had those addressed and now is in full support.
On a motion by Mr. Moore,
seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to accept the
report. All members present voted YES.
2. Committee of the Whole RE: S&H Server Proposal
Mr. Schneider mentioned that the Administration is working on a proposal with Cincinnati Bell to create a full network. It is great to see the Administration working on a solution that allows all departments to work together more effectively with this super-server.
On a motion by Mr. Moore,
seconded by Ms. Kelly, it was moved to accept the
report. All members present voted YES.
3. Committee of the Whole RE: Software Solutions Proposal
On a motion by Mr. Moore,
seconded by Mr. Sanker, it was moved to accept the
report. All members present voted YES.
J) INTRODUCTORY READING OF ORDINANCES
A) ORDINANCE APPROVING THE FINAL PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (P.U.D.) PLANS FOR PHASE IIA OF THE LINDEN POINTE ON THE LATERAL DEVELOPMENT, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY
As amended, this item was considered previously.
B) ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO ENTER INTO A LABOR AGREEMENT WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL #445 FOR THE YEARS 2007 - 2008
Mr.
Moore commented that as discussed in the Committee Report on this matter we
have discussed this and are pleased we were able to work out this agreement
without going to arbitration. This is an
agreement that the City can honor and he has received several positive comments
regarding the professionalism in which the negotiations were conducted.
Mr.
Mumper added that this is a good agreement for both sides and is in line with
the agreements with the other Bargaining Units and among other things
standardizes Health Care and the contract lengths.
On a
motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Gabbard, 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. Barlow, it was moved to pass the
ordinance. All members present voted
YES.
K) ADMINISTRATION REPORTS
Mayor Williams was present and began his Administration Report by sharing memories of Mr. Ron Wallace. He was a great man and constantly contributed to this community and will be missed. Mayor Williams expressed his sympathy to the family.
Mayor Williams announced that Knothole Opening Day is this Saturday April 14th at noon at Shea Stadium.
Mayor Williams was pleased to announce that Miller Valentine and First Financial came by today to issue the symbolic check for $100,000 for the office makeover of the E-911 call center. Mayor Williams commended Officer T.A. Brown for his efforts in making this happen. E-911 response and paramedic response is vital to this community. We are considering relocating the offices to the first floor as part of this project.
Mayor Williams then shared a story and expressed his pride in the City and its citizens. Mayor Williams shared that he saw a Bentley driving down Montgomery Rd. and followed it knowing that it was Mr. Lindner. The Bentley led them to the Carl and Edyth Lindner Waterworks Park and while discussing the improvements two individuals came by to express their gratitude for the improvements to the park. This made quite an impression on Mayor Williams and certainly had the same affect on Mr. Lindner.
Mr. Sanker asked for an update on the Williams Avenue project. Mayor Williams called Mr. Geers to the podium who explained that work is progressing on the curbs, storm sewers, valves, and water lines. Cinergy/Duke still has some loose ends, but completion is targeted for Memorial Day weekend.
Mr. Geers also provided an update on the Montgomery Rd. realignment project providing the details on the four bids that were received ranging from $3.2 Million to $2.2 Million. This is great news since the lower bids came in under the latest estimates. ODOT is reviewing these bids currently and will award the submitted bids in the next few weeks. Due to the efforts to meet the increased ODOT estimates in January, we should have the necessary funds to cover any cost overruns.
Mr. Mumper asked about the construction timelines. Mr. Geers responded that the original schedule was to begin the work in May and have the major construction complete in the Fall.
Mr. Schneider asked for an update on repairing Smith Rd. Mr. Geers responded that the contractor looked at it today and will provide some options. Given that this is concrete this is an expensive and complex project.
L) OTHER REQUEST TO ADDRESS COUNCIL
A
request to address Council from Tom Wilkinson regarding bringing back the Taste
of Norwood for summer of 2007 was heard.
M) UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Mr. Sanker reminded residents that the City Wide Street Sale is the first weekend of May. Please contact the Clerk of Council’s office or the Treasurer’s Office for a permit.
Mr. Sanker also announced details of the Hamilton County Hazardous Waste Dropoff program. This is free to all Hamilton County Residents and residents can call 946-7700 for additional details.
Mr. Moore mentioned he and the Mayor will host a live call in show Thursday at 7:00pm on Channel 22.
N) NEW BUSINESS
Mr. Sanker commented on the proposal to update the City Hall network and computer systems. Combining these upgrades with consulting on the E-GOV system should enable a much more efficient operation between departments.
O) COMMUNICATIONS
1. Letter from Mayor RE: Mayor’s Court Fines
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.
2. Letter from Liquor Control RE: Liquor Permits
On a motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Mr. Mumper, it was moved that the letter be tabled until the next Council Meeting. All members present voted YES.
3. Letter from Dan Bly RE: Liquor License Renewals
On a motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Mr. Sanker, it was moved that the letter be tabled until the next Council Meeting and to forward a copy to the Law Department. All members present voted YES.
4. Letter from Lesley Wooldridge RE: Norwood Day 2007
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 Thomas Brown RE: Problems in
Mr. Sanker asked that this letter be forwarded to the Police Department since it is directed at issues that would involve the department. Mr. Sanker asked Mayor Williams to comment. Mayor Williams encouraged all residents to call the Police when these things are observed. Calling the police will deliver a faster response than writing a letter to Council. If escalation of an issue is required he can be reached in his office as necessary.
Ms. Kelly explained that while asking the Police Department to attend the next Committee of the Whole meeting, she is in no way implying that the police are not doing their jobs or that they need to defend themselves.
Mr. Moore added that a discussion is a great idea since every year there are issues that resurface. Mr. Moore added that he is always interested to hear our plans for dealing with these issues and to hear if there is anything Council can do to assist.
Mr. Gabbard encouraged all residents to call 911 and the Police for any of these issues. This will not only help to address the problem but will also generate data for special patrols.
Mr. Sanker added that the Committee of the Whole meeting may be a good opportunity to hear about the Citizens on Patrol Program and Block Watch programs.
Mr. Gabbard mentioned that he attended the recent Citizens on Patrol meeting and mentioned that Lt. Williams is coordinating and encouraging participation. Mr. Gabbard asked the Mayor for his comments on this matter. Mayor Williams commented that no one wants this type of activity especially the beat officers. They would love to catch this type of behavior.
On a motion by Ms. Kelly, seconded by Mr. Schneider, it was moved that the letter be received and filed and that the matter be placed in Committee of the Whole with an invitation to the Police Department to discuss. All members present voted YES.
6. Letter from Donna Laake RE: Health Department Annual Report
On a motion by Ms. Kelly, seconded by Mr. Mumper, it was
moved that the letter be received and filed.
All members present voted YES.
P) EXCUSE ABSENT MEMBERS
All
members present.
Q) 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