The Weekly Informer (5/2/16)
On Monday, April 25th, 2016, at 5:30pm, the following transpired:
Committees:
Finance (Members present: Marmie, Cost, Fraizer, Floyd, and Bubb):
Resolution No. 16-38: With the emergency clause, Allowing Auditor Johnson to pay the police division’s bills.
Safety Director Spurgeon reported that a hot water tank left a mess for the Police Division, necessitating the use of an unmentioned local vendor. This is to pay for those services. Passes 5-0.
Resolution No. 16-39: Allowing Mayor Hall to apply for the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant from the Ohio Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice Services.
Grant Writer Barbara Gilkes says that this is meant to permit the city to apply for a yet-to-be-determined grant this year. It is likely that the money sought will be used for technology of the police. Passes 5-0.
Resolution No. 16-40: spending money.
$2,422 for Vehicle Maintenance. Director Spurgeon reported that the Command vehicle for “Battalion 1” had an accident recently. The insurance company paid the city – not the Service Provider -, it was financed by the Fire Department, and this is a request to replace funds. Passes 5-0.
$3,098.07 for Vehicle Maintenance. Fire Department sold some old supplies and would like to put the fund in their maintenance account. Passes 5-0.
Resolution No. 16-42: spending money.
$61,286.40 for Temp Services. From the Job and Family Services Summer Youth Grant. Passes 5-0.
$142,661.83 for Health Insurance in the General Fund. Director Buskirk reported that the Administration is presently in talks with the unions representing our city employees and are looking for a premium increase of 7% with the city and employee share remaining where it is at 88% to 12% respectively. A request for more money to help pay the health bills could be coming later in the year. There was some debate with the Administration – spearheaded by Councilman Marmie - involving how the three premium holidays last year helped pave the way for this issue meanwhile our infrastructure is in dire need of attention. Passes 5-0.
$142,661.83 for the Budget Stabilization Fund. Passes 5-0.
$1,547.39 for the Storm Water Fund. Passes 5-0.
$11,521.50 for Health Insurance in the Sewer Administration Fund. Passes 5-0.
$22,957.15 for Health Insurance in the Water Administration Fund. Passes 5-0.
$2,511.11 for Health Insurance in the Com Dev Fund. Passes 5-0.
$13,201.92 for Health Insurance in the Street/Traffic Fund. Passes 5-0.
Resolution No. 16-45: with the emergency clause, allowing an increase in the City’s “premium rate for health insurance contributions in order to properly fund the city’s insurance reserve account”.
Passes 5-0.
Capital Improvements (Members present: Johnson, Hall, Rath, Fraizer, and Rolletta):
Resolution No. 16-43: spending money.
$16,000 for Hardware/Software to upgrade city servers for the first time in 12 years. Passes 5-0.
$80,000 for paving and bridges. Passes 5-0.
Service: (Members present: Rath, Cost, Fraizer, Floyd, and Bubb)
Resolution No. 16-44: with the emergency clause, allowing Service Director Rhodes to accept bids and sell City property deemed as “surplus” and not essential.
City is wanting to hold an auction for various city-owned stuff on June 4th at the Service Complex. Emergency clause sought to help city meet some deadlines. Passes 5-0.
Safety:
No business.
Personnel:
No business. Result: *
Recreation:
No business. Result: *
Street (Members present were Floyd, Hall, Blake, Bubb, Rath, Rolletta, and Johnson):
Ordinance No. 16-11: vacating an alley “between properties at 108 and 112 West Main Street”.
City Engineer Brian Morehead explained that these two ordinances were to follow up on last year’s resolutions of intent to vacate each respective alley. Passes 5-0.
Ordinance No. 16-12: vacating an alley “between properties at 301 and 303 Clinton Street”.
Passes 5-0.
Rules (Members present, Rolletta, Fraizer, and Johnson):
Discussed Council Rule 8.
Blake had requested the meeting to get clarification on the appointment process, and asked Law Director Sassen to lead the way.
There are 3 types of appointments with the founding document of the affected agency guiding the process: City, Mayoral, and Legislative.
Legislative appointments are based on statute and are thereby rare.
City appointments are recommended by the Administration for consideration by Council.
Mayoral appointments are made by the Mayor acting unilaterally.
Council only has the power to alter the process for legislative appointments.
The City Charter would have to be changed to grant more powers to Council in influencing the process for other appointments.
The current process has been in place for decades.
Economic Development:
No business.
Ways and Means:
No business. Result: *
Further thoughts:
There were only 5 private citizens in attendance (myself included). Also, Councilman Marmie left before the Streets Committee met – where Bubb had to fill in for him -, after Marmie seemed a little ill. There was one point where a whole host of provisions were swiftly passed in under five minutes. In the end, Council adjourned the meeting completely within less than an hour at 6:18pm.
What to expect at the next Council Meeting at 7pm:
1) Appointments: None
2) Public Hearings: None
Any Resolutions or Ordinances on the First Reading – except those brought forward using Rule 11 – were already covered at the recent committee meeting as seen above.
3) Ordinances on the Second Reading:
None.
4) Resolutions on the Second Reading:
a. No. 16-33: spending money. * $2,582 for “Non-Health Ins”. Service Director Rhodes reports that an air conditioner was stolen from the city at the Civil Air Patrol Everett Park location.
b. No. 16-34: spending money. * $7,200 for “Hardware/Software” from “Siemens Traffic Software”. An update to our traffic software which will permit the system to update itself with a monthly fee.
c. . No. 16-35: allowing Mayor Hall to apply “to the Ohio Department of Public Safety Office” for a set of “Ohio Traffic Safety grants…: Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) and the Impaired Driving Enforcement program (IDEP)”.
d. No. 16-36: allowing Mayor Hall “to apply for funding from the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program”.
See you all next week. Thanks for reading.