By CECILIA FOX

Record Herald Writer

Courtesy of the Weekly Record Herald; Printed 2/3/2012

TIPP/MONROE - Members of the Tipp City Council, the Board of Education and the Monroe Township Trustees met Monday to discuss their plans for the new year ahead.

The quarterly tri-agency meeting gives local officials a chance to brief each other on current plans and projects, including road construction and school redistricting.

City Manager Jon Crusey presented an update on some of the current capital improvement plan projects, including the renovation and expansion of the fire and EMS station, the new water tower, and street reconstruction.

Several roads are slated for reconstruction this year, including Franklin Street and S. Third Street. Construction on Franklin is expected to begin this spring and be finished by August. It should not affect any school bus routes. The construction on Third Street will begin later this fall and is projected to finish by the end of this year or next spring.

“That probably will cause some issues for bussing and we’ll have to work with the school district on that,” Crusey said.

The new water tower remains under construction, and may not be fully operational until the end of this summer. Currently, the inner workings of the tower are being built. Painting is set to begin this spring.

“The next phase is, when that one’s filled, we’ll draw down the one behind Menards and that’ll be refurbished and repainted,” Crusey said.

That project is expected to begin next year.

Another upcoming construction project is the new Tipp City fire station. The city is currently working with an architect to come up with a design for the new station. Crusey said he expects to have design options and cost estimates prepared in two or three months. The fire department can also expect to receive a new 100 ft. ladder truck in 10 to 12 months. Council recently authorized the purchase of the new truck at $935,082.

Other updates from the city included the resurfacing of the tennis courts, the annexation of the Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church, and plans for the construction of a bike path through Lesher Woods, which depends upon funding from the Department of Natural Resources. The city will also undertake the revision of the planning and zoning code, a 12 to 15 month process, according to Crusey.

“Updating your planning and zoning codes aren’t really sexy and don’t really bring out a lot of people, but we will do our best to get as much community involvement as we can,” Crusey said.

The current code was developed in the 1970s and ’80s and has not seen much revision since then.

Monroe Township Board of Trustees President Phil Cox discussed the board’s financial difficulties. According to Cox, they’ve seen a $90,000 reduction in their receipts, about 10 percent of their budget. There has also been a 40 percent increase in the costs to repair and repave roads.

“Things are getting a little tighter for us, probably for everybody else as well, so we’re certainly scrutinizing things more carefully than we have in the past,” said Cox.

Cox discussed the newly formed water and sewer district for the unincorporated part of the township. It was set up to meet the water needs of unincorporated residents. A board was created to oversee the district which will hold meetings on the second Monday of each month at 7 pm in the township meeting room.

“That board will be responsible for establishing their financing and contracting the water, and maybe down the road, sewer services,” said Cox.

Tipp City Schools Superintendent Dr. Kronour discussed with the other officials the proposed redistricting of the schools and reiterated the need for the levy in August. The redistricting, which would move kindergarten and first grade to Nevin Coppock and second and third grades to Broadway, is expected to save the district about $150,000 in personnel costs. There will be a meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb.6, at L.T. Ball Intermediate School open to anyone interested in the move.

Even with the cost savings of the redistricting, the school is still requesting a levy due to lower state funding. The levy will appear before the voters in August. The exact amount of the levy is unknown, but Kronour said he anticipates it will be approximately a 7 mil levy. If the levy fails in August, school officials will try again on the November ballot.

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By CECILIA FOX

Record Herald Writer

Courtesy of the Weekly Record Herald; Printed 1-20-12

Tipp City will be a part of Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission’s (MVPRC) “Going Places” initiative, according to a resolution passed by council 4-3, with members Joe Gibson, Bryan Budding and Katie Black providing the “no” vote.

At the study session prior to Tuesday’s the meeting, council discussed the initiative, which is a plan for developing the Miami Valley. The MVRPC has asked communities in the Miami Valley to participate in the initiative.

The land use initiative is focused on “concentrated development,” or encouraging the rehabilitation and repurposing of existing structures while maintaining and expanding parks and natural areas. The plan also emphasizes the revival of the City of Dayton.

“A lot has to do with using what’s existing and trying to at least curb some of what they call ‘urban sprawl.’ It includes encouraging the rehab and repurposing of existing facilities, focusing on maintenance of existing infrastructure, and locating new developments in areas with existing infrastructure,” said City Manager Jon Crusey.

The MVRPC sent out a resolution to communities in the Miami Valley where the commission did not project much job and population growth in the next 40 years. Troy and Piqua have already reviewed the initiative and made some changes to the resolution.

“If Miami County people stand together, we can make a difference,” said Mayor Dee Gillis.

Tipp City staff also reviewed the plan, and while they agreed with the general principles and characteristics of the plan, they had some concerns. A major concern was that the land use vision, with its emphasis on the preservation of natural spaces, might limit the future growth and development of the city.

Though the MVRPC makes it clear in the initiative that it encourages each community to maintain its own vision and identity, the resolution was also amended to make it clear that the city’s Comprehensive Master Development Plan will be used as a guide when making future land use decisions.

“What you don’t want to have happen is to buy into this scenario and have somebody come back at some point in the future and hold it over your head,” said Crusey.

Some council members were concerned that the initiative focuses too much on the city of Dayton and not enough on the communities in Miami County.

“Then you look at the map and see that this is a heat map of where all the development is going to be. And obviously the MVRPC is the major funnel of stimulus dollars and state aid for the region and you see we have nothing in Tipp City and you see everything in Dayton, so you have to worry about where the money is going to go,” said Councilman Mike McDermott, referencing the MVRPC job and population growth projection maps.

The resolution did pass 4-3. Despite the concerns raised that the plan ignores Tipp City, the majority felt that by not adopting the resolution, Tipp City might not have any say in future MVRPC land use planning.

Close votes were another, though unexpected, topic at last night’s meeting. Councilman Pat Hale took the opportunity at the end of the meeting to address the “naysayers” who say that the council doesn’t get along.

“I hear from people that think that our council isn’t necessarily moving forward in a common direction together and I really disagree with that as a whole. I think the seven of us all come here with different life experiences, we have different backgrounds, longer lives and shorter lives, we have a lot of different types of experiences that we bring to this and whether we all vote the same way or not is irrelevant,” said Hale.

With this in mind, Hale made a breakdown of all the votes made in 2011. According to Hale, council voted in a super majority, votes of 5-2 or better, about 85 percent of the time. After the meeting, Gibson called Hale’s remarks a “cynical and unsightly display of pandering.”

“In his term as council president, Mr. Hale has called fellow council members “closed minded” among other things. While the 4 to 3 votes are not on each and every item on the agenda, on key issues and important votes it is indeed usually a 4 to 3 decision,” said Gibson. “To call fellow members of council “closed-minded” is itself divisive, and to call the people who observe this 4 to 3 situation as “naysayers” does a disservice to the people he has been elected to represent.”

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Veolia Water, in cooperation with Tri-Cities Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, jointly owned by the cities of Tipp City, Vandalia, & Huber Heights, will have a scheduled road closure on S. First Street – Tipp Canal Road on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 from 8:30 am until 1:30 pm. The road closure will be between Evanston Road on the south and Kyle Park Drive in Tipp City on the north, with a “Closed to Thru Traffic” barricade posted at Elm Street.

Veolia Water will have these locations temporarily barricaded with an attending person to assist in directions. Although the detour route will not be signed or posted during this closure, the recommended route is Evanston Road, S. Hyatt Street, and Main Street (State Route 571). Kyle Park will remain open during this road closure, though access to the park can only be reached from the north. Wednesday, January 18, 2012 will be the alternate date should we have inclement weather on the 17^th.

Please direct any questions about the road closure to Jeremy Bowser of Veolia Water at 937-603-4641 or to the City of Tipp City at 667-6305.

City Council voted to elect John Kessler as Council President and Dee Gillis as Mayor. Both President and Mayor are two year terms.

Images graciously provided by the Tippecanoe Gazette

January 2012

                 2   City Council 7:30 pm 

                 9   Parks Advisory Board  7:00pm

               10   Planning Board  7:30 pm

               17 (Tues.)  City Council  7:30pm

               18   Board of Zoning Appeals  7:30pm

               24   Restoration & Architectural Review Board  7:30pm 

Check with the Planning/Zoning/Economic Development Department for Application Deadlines.  All meetings are at the City Government Center, 260 S. Garber Drive, Tipp City, OH.  (unless otherwise noted).

By CECILIA FOX

Record Herald Writer

Courtesy of the Weekly Record Herald; Printed 12-23-11

TIPP CITY – At the last meeting of 2011, the city council focused on next year’s operating budget and discussed last minute amendments before adopting the proposed 2012 annual budget.

The 2012 operating budget proposes $39, 257,034 in total appropriations and was reviewed by council during its Nov. 28 workshop. General Fund appropriations are projected at $5,801,022 and revenue is expected to increase by 3.14 percent over 2010 estimates. A deficit of $134,000 is projected, however a small surplus of $40,000 in the general fund is expected.

The budget was revised at the workshop to remove one of two requested additional seasonal employees in the Park Department, cutting about $4,008 in wages from the budget. The property maintenance expenditures were also reduced by $2,500.

Councilmember Joe Gibson proposed more budget reductions to council, listing nine areas where spending could be reduced or eliminated. Gibson proposed that the city eliminate the proposed $60,000 expenditure on council health insurance.

Currently, Mayor Dee Gillis, Council President Pat Hale, and council members John Kessler and George Lovett participate in the insurance plan and pay 12 percent of the premium as required, with the city paying 88 percent. Gibson participates and reimburses the city 100 percent of the premium. Council members Kaitlyn Black and Brian Budding do not take insurance but receive the opt-out fee of $1,800.

“I spent a lot of time on this this past March trying to work out a couple of compromises with council concerning this very issue,” said Hale, who proposed giving up the health insurance but increasing the pay to be in line with what other communities pay their city council.

Budding said that he considered that option a pay raise, which he does not support.

Lovett stated, “Unless you’re going to bring a wage increase along with taking away the health insurance, you’re asking council to serve for $1000 dollars a year. I think that’s patently unfair.”

Gibson also suggested cutting spending in the following areas: employing an in-house billing system for EMS services, eliminating outside contractors for park maintenance, cutting spending on Fourth of July fireworks, and reducing the contingency fund. All of Gibson’s proposed spending cuts were voted down by the council and the 2012 operating budget was adopted as is.

Included in the 2012 budget is a wage increase for members of the city’s volunteer fire department, the department’s first wage increase since 2004. Wages for active duty firefighters will increase from $11 per hour to $12 and for fire inspectors from $9 to $12.

The Council also approved the appointment of David J. Caldwell as the city’s new Director of Law following Joseph Moore’s retirement after more than 30 years of service to the city.

Another member leaving council is Lovett, who served for two terms. Gillis presented Lovett with a plaque commemorating his eight years of service on the council.

“My only hope is that, in a couple of years, people of your caliber in this community will step up and run again and we can populate this council with folks who have your dedication and your concern,” said Mark Mabelitini, thanking Councilman Lovett for his service during the citizen comments portion of the meeting.

He then added, “And maybe we can let some folks get back to their college studies, or running their businesses, or having a talk show maybe on KIT-TV.”

In other action, council approved a resolution for the reconstruction County Road 25-A project. This project will reconstruct the road from State Route 571 to just south of Michaels Road, upgrading the two lane roadway to a five lane roadway to match the existing profile north of West Main Street. Although this project was recommended to cut by the Citizens Capital Improvment Planning committee, Tipp City’s funding portion has dropped from $1 million from the capital improvement fund to $785,000 out of the electric fund.

“In my opinion, the grant application for 25-A was made significantly more palatable with the restructuring of its proposed financing,” said CIP committee chairman Mike McDermott.

Of the total $4.2 million, the other monies break down to about $2.5 million from Ohio Department of Transportation, $700,000 from the Ohio Public Works Commission, $35,000 from Monroe Township, and $210,000 from Miami County. Tipp City is paying $785,000 out of the Electric Fund. According to City Manager Jon Crusey, of the $734,000 committed from the Electric Fund, $500,000 was already budgeted to complete part the electric line extensions along County Road 25-A related to the substation No. 4 project.

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December 12, 2011 -- Because the Christmas holiday and New Year’s Day both fall on Sunday this year, Waste Management customers will have their normal collection schedule for both the week of December 25 and the week of January 1. All Waste Management customers are reminded to put their waste out the night before or by 6 a.m. on their regular collection day. If customers have any questions, they can call Waste Management Customer Service at 1-866-695-3433 (Tipp City Residents).

Waste Management, Inc. is its industry’s leading provider of environmental and waste management services. The company serves residential, municipal, commercial, and industrial customers throughout North America. To learn more about Waste Management, visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

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November 2011

                 7   City Council 7:30 pm  

                 8   Planning Board  7:30 pm

                14  Parks Advisory Board  7:00pm

                16  Board of Zoning Appeals  7:30pm

                21  City Council  7:30pm

                22  Restoration & Architectural Review Board  7:30pm 

                28  2012 Operating Budget Meeting  3pm

Check with the Planning/Zoning/Economic Development Department for Application Deadlines.  All meetings are at the City Government Center, 260 S. Garber Drive, Tipp City, OH.  (unless otherwise noted).

The City of Tipp City has scheduled a prescribed prairie burn at Freeman and Senseman Prairies located on State Route 571 east of Tipp City and Lost Creek Prairie Preserve, located east of the Miami River, off Tipp-Elizabeth Road.  Weather permitting the prescribed burns will take place sometime between October 24 and October 28, 2011.  The burn time will be between 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM and will last only one day at each Prairie. During the burn, Tipp-Elizabeth Road may be closed from the bridge to St. Rt. 202. Please watch for signs.

The City of Tipp City has met all necessary permit and notification requirements for the prescribed burn.  We take every safety precaution for these prescribed burns.

The City of Tipp City is being assisted by Erik Lewis, a farm bill biologist from Pheasants Forever, and is acting as the prescribed Fire Manager. A prescribed burn is used as a natural resource management tool for various types of vegetation control and prairie rejuvenation.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this prescribed burn, please feel free to call the Utility Office at 937-667-6305.

To do the job right, Council members must devote 200 to 700 hours a year. Doing away with health insurance means Council earns $1000 a year. Minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. I spend over 300 hours a year on Council. This is less than $3.33 an hour. Thus, the pay rate would be less than half of minimum wage.

We all value reasonableness and fairness. Even common criminals get this treatment. Some folks view elected officials as little better than common criminals. However, even Council members deserve fair play.

Mr. Hale offers a reasonable solution. This would do away with health insurance and pay Council $5000 a year. I support that plan.

Our city has crumbling streets and a 35 year old fire truck. We have cut expenses to the bone. We do not have the money to fix these problems. This is why I voted, for the third time, to move the city income tax rate to 1.5%. Our focus should be on how we can come up with the funds to fix our streets, replace the fire truck, and provide essential services. Making Council work for less than minimum wage does not make it more likely we can pave our streets, replace the fire truck, or provide good governance.

This is not a typical volunteer job. True volunteers are not responsible for $30 Million budgets like this City’s. True volunteers are not accountable to their whole community. This is why we pay elected officials. We pay folks when we can demand they do a good job. We pay folks when we want them to devote the time and attention necessary to produce good results. We pay folks at least the minimum wage because it is the law.

Council members should have reasonable compensation. It should be comparable to what other elected officials get in similar situations. Most Council members for cities our size earn $5000 to $15,000 a year. Mr. Hale’s proposal would put us at the very lowest of that range.

I agree with the Tippecanoe Gazette that this ongoing debate is not helpful. We need to earn citizen respect by doing our job instead of trying to score easy political points. Let’s fix the Council compensation issue by adopting Mr. Hale’s proposal.

- George Lovett
4/4/2011 City Council Meeting Notes