Council
Chambers
September 25,
2007
A) CALL TO ORDER
The Council for the City of
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, Mr. Barlow and Mr. Mumper
E) AMENDMENT OF AGENDA
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Moore, it was moved to amend the agenda by adding Ordinance I-A. All members present voted YES.
F) requests to address council on agenda items
There were no requests to address Council.
G) REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL
There
were no Standing Committee Reports.
H) INTRODUCTORY
A) RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR OR SAFETY-SERVICE
DIRECTOR TO MAKE APPLICATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008 STATE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM FUNDS AND IF FUNDS ARE AWARDED TO EXECUTE GRANT AGREEMENTS ON BEHALF OF
THE CITY
Mr.
Schneider commented that in the past we have applied for grants and then if
awarded and Ordinance would be returned to Council to approve executing grant
agreements as a separate step.
Mr.
Sanker responded that the Mayor and Safety Service Director communicate
effectively with this Council and he has no concerns with the current wording
with this particular Administration.
Mr.
Moore directed a question to Mayor Williams or Mr. Geers regarding timing
requirements of this Resolution. Mr.
Geers answered that this application is already in and this is the follow up
paperwork. The wording came directly
from the Law Department from previous similar Resolutions. Mr. Geers is not concerned with the wording
either way but would like to move forward on this.
Mr.
Moore followed up by asking when funds would be awarded if granted. Mr. Geers answered that funds would likely be
awarded in early 2008.
Mr.
Mumper reiterated that previous Resolutions in front of this Council and
previous Councils have contained the same wording and he doesn’t feel this is
an issue.
Mr. Moore
noted that early 2008 is a long way away and it’s important that the wording is
consistent with the requirements of the State.
It’s better to get this right and asked that if we have the first
reading that the Law Department follow up on exact wording.
On a
motion by Mr. Schneider, seconded by Mr. Gabbard, it was moved to amend the
caption of the resolution by taking out AND IF FUNDS ARE AWARDED TO
EXECUTE GRANT AGREEMENTS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY, and by removing Section 2 of the resolution. The following members voted YES: Mr. Gabbard,
Mr. Schneider and Mr. Moore. The
following members voted NO: Mr. Sanker, Mr. Barlow and Mr. Mumper. With a tie vote, Ms. Grote voted YES and the
motion PASSED.
On a
motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Mr. Schneider, it was moved to hear the first
reading of the resolution. All members
present voted YES.
As
amended, Council then considered the following item:
I) INTRODUCTORY
A) ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SERVICE-SAFETY TO ADVERTISE FOR BIDS AND ENTER INTO A CONTRACTS FOR THE 2007 STREET REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAM FOR VARIOUS STREETS WITHIN THE CITY OF NORWOOD IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($200,000) FOR 2007, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY
Mr.
Schneider noted the same concern with wording of this Ordinance and added that
the Safety Service Director acts under the direction of the Mayor and not
Council.
Mr.
Sanker noted that this Ordinance when and if passed will be signed by the Mayor
and that the Mayor signing the Ordinance puts this into law and therefore the
law directs the Director of Public Service-Safety.
Mr.
Schneider added that this is a chain of command issue. Council cannot direct the Safety Service
Director and all mentions of this in previous Ordinances should be addressed.
Mr.
Mumper commented that there are significant occurrences of this wording in
previous Resolutions and Ordinances and retracting this from previous
Ordinances and Resolutions would be cumbersome and meaningless. When and if passed this is not Council’s law
it is a City law and therefore there is not a chain of command issue.
Mr.
Schneider asked a question to the Mayor or Mr. Geers if this would include
multiple contracts. Mr. Geers explained
that these projects would be opened for bid and then a single contract would be
granted to a single General Contractor.
Mr.
Sanker added that we are splitting hairs and the timing is suspect. We have a chance to do something positive as
we approach the end of the 2007 year.
This Council has no evidence that this Administration would not act in
good faith and as such we should move this along and show progress.
Mr.
Moore, Mr. Mumper, and Mr. Gabbard suggested that the wording is less important
than moving forward with this effort.
On a
motion by Mr. Schneider, seconded by Mr. Gabbard, it was moved to amend the
caption of the ordinance by taking out AND DIRECTING, and by replacing the word
“contracts” with contract. All members
present voted YES.
On a motion
by Mr. Mumper, 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. Barlow, it was moved to pass the
ordinance. All members present voted
YES.
J) ADMINISTRATION
REPORTS
Mayor
Williams noted that the 50 year Anniversary of the Norwood Chamber of Commerce
was a wonderful event. It is remarkable
that some businesses have been members for 50 years.
Mayor
Williams also mentioned that the
Lastly,
Mayor Williams mentioned that he recently had an opportunity to walk around the
Community Center with Mr. Lindner and discussed the recent consolidation and
uses of the facility including the Recreation Commission, Police Substation,
Norwood Historical Society and other organizations and events. Shortly thereafter Mayor Williams received a
call from Mr. Lindner’s secretary informing him that Mr. Lindner had issued a
$150,000 donation for renovations to the Community Center. Mayor Williams thanked Mr. Lindner for his
continued support. Mr. Lindner commented
that he liked the direction the City is heading and believes we are in the
midst of a real and long term rebirth.
We all thank him for his continued generosity to the City.
When
opened for questions, Mr. Schneider asked the Mayor and Mr. Geers what would be
done with the funds allocated for streets.
Mr. Geers responded that these funds were originally allocated to cost
overruns for the Montgomery Rd project but that these will not be needed for
this project and we thought the City could get some additional streets
completed in 2007 with these funds. This
could fund 2-4 streets this year and will include road milling, overlaying,
repair expansion and some curbs.
Mr.
Gabbard mentioned that he noticed some rough spots at the
Mr.
Gabbard then asked if there was any progress on a recently condemned apartment
building at
Mr.
Sanker mentioned that he has had several discussions with residents near X.U.
and asked Mayor Williams how the students have been as school has started. Mayor Williams mentioned that there have been
the same minor problems at the beginning of the year, but history has shown
that when we show our presence early we can eradicate these problems fairly
quickly and the students get the message – word travels fast. The University has been very cooperative and
proactive in assisting our efforts this year in particular.
K) OTHER REQUEST TO
ADDRESS COUNCIL
There
were no requests to address Council.
L) UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Mr.
Moore asked that a letter be sent to the Law Department asking for the origin
of the wording contained in Resolution A).
Mr.
Sanker asked that a letter be sent to the Building Department regarding the
status of the property on
Mr.
Moore thanked Mr. Shelby of the Building Department. There was a rental property with several
issues and Mr. Shelby worked with the owner and directly with the tenants and the
situation has improved immensely. Mr.
Moore encouraged everyone to call and address problems before they
escalate. Council, the Police
Department, the Building Department, the Mayor and others don’t see everything
and count on residents to alert us to situations before they become significant
problems.
M) NEW BUSINESS
Mr.
Gabbard asked that a letter be sent to the Law Department asking that a
representative attend the next few meetings.
During an election year there are always questions and wording issues
that could be handled more effectively with their guidance.
N) COMMUNICATIONS
1. Letter from
Donna Laake RE: Freon Removal & Tire Drop Off Event
Mr. Sanker urged residents to take advantage of this rare opportunity to rid their homes of items that will not be picked up by the normal Rumpke service.
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Sanker, it was moved that the letter be received and filed. All members present voted YES.
2. Letter from
Donna Laake RE: Healthy
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.
3. Letter from
Donna Laake RE: Abatement of High Grass/Weeds
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Moore, it was moved that the letter be received and filed, and that the abatement be authorized. All members present voted YES.
4. Letter from
Chief Goodman RE: Smoke Showing Cancelled
Mr. Mumper noted that the organizers of the Smoke Showing wanted 25 attendees and only 11 confirmed their attendance. Four of those eleven were from Norwood City Council so we certainly hope that this is rescheduled.
On a motion by Mr. Mumper, seconded by Mr. Sanker, it was moved that the letter be received and filed. All members present voted YES.
O) EXCUSE ABSENT MEMBERS
On a
motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Mr. Barlow, it was moved to excuse the absent
member. All members present voted YES.
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