Minutes
June 13, 2000
PRESENT: Mayor Maxine Gilman; Council Members William Gordon, Vern Angerer, Jack Jensen, Linda Lotspaih, Donald Mounce and Jeff Sanner; City Manager G. Tracy Williams; Assistant City Manager David Watson; Law Director Patrick Carney; Police Chief Richard Barnhart; Fire Chief Jack Keister and Assistant Clerk of Council Patricia Replogle.
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Gilman. Joe Getts, Deacon at New Hope Community Church, gave the Invocation. The Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call followed.
MINUTES
A motion was made by Mr. Sanner, seconded by Mr. Gordon, to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of May 23, 2000 and the Vision Retreat Meeting of June 6, 2000. A roll call vote was taken, all members voted yes and the motion carried.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
There were no Public Hearings.
COMMUNICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
RESOLUTION NO. 14-2000: DONALD E. RICE
Resolution No. 14-2000: A resolution acknowledging the appreciation of the citizens and public officials of the City of West Carrollton for services rendered unto said City by
Donald E. Rice.
Mr. Williams read and presented Chief Rice, who was accompanied by his wife Sandy, with a plaque which also had the Chief's badge on it. Mr. Williams said that it has been a pleasure to be associated with Chief Rice, congratulated him on his retirement and wished him the best. Mayor Gilman read Resolution 14-2000 and presented it to Chief Rice. She also congratulated him and wished him well. Chief Barnhart, on behalf of the Police Department, wished him well. Chief Barnhart told Don that he will personally miss him and how much he has influenced his career. He wished Don and his wife a long and prosperous future.
Retiring Chief Rice addressed Council. He said that it's been a long time since he started working at the City. He said that Chief Barnhart is fortunate to have a City Manager like Mr. Williams to work for. He said that Mr. Williams is an excellent City Manager. He then addressed Mr. Gordon who he said he looks upon as a friend and not just as a Council member. To Mr. Angerer, he said that he hasn't known him very long but he was glad to have met him. To Mr. Jensen, he said that he has known him for many years and that he regarded him as kind of a watchdog, in the best sense of the word, who looks out for the City and he appreciates Mr. Jensen's friendship. To Mrs. Lotspaih, he said that he also has not known her very long but he has appreciated her friendship. He told Mr. Mounce that he owes him a golf match and that he very much appreciated him. Chief Rice told Mr. Sanner that he will miss their talks and regards him, too, as more of a friend than just a Council member. To Mr. Carney, he said that he appreciated Mr. Carney's friendship and advice over the years and thinks he (Don) has mellowed since they first met. To the Mayor, Chief Rice said she is a class act and there is no better Mayor anywhere. He said that he has enjoyed their talks. Chief Rice said that he will miss everyone and congratulated the Council on their choice for new Police Chief.
Mr. Gordon said that he thinks the West Carrollton News should have an article on "home town boy makes good". He said that it has been a pleasure to know Chief Rice and he thanked him for his friendship.
Mr. Angerer congratulated Chief Rice and wished him luck.
Mr. Jensen said that he remembered when he rode with Chief Rice some nights on patrol early in his career. He said that he is sorry to lose him and thanked the chief for all his years of service and the many personal things he's done.
Mrs. Lotspaih sent her best wishes and wished him luck.
Mr. Mounce said that Chief Rice brought professionalism to the department and made the department better. He added that he is leaving a good crew behind.
Mr. Sanner thanked the Chief, congratulated him and said he hopes he enjoys his retirement.
Mayor Gilman said that she appreciated his kind comments and that she has enjoyed the many conversations they have had. She wished him a long and happy retirement.
COMMENTS BY THE AUDIENCE
Toni Perry, Director of External Affairs with Ameritech introduced herself to Council. She said she is looking forward to learning more about West Carrollton.
David Anderson, Miami Township administrator, said that he wished Chief Rice good luck in his retirement.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
There was no Unfinished Business.
NEW BUSINESS
OATH OF OFFICE - CHIEF OF POLICE RICHARD R. BARNHART
Mayor Gilman administered the Oath of Office to Police Chief Richard Barnhart who was accompanied by his wife, Connie. Mr. Williams said that it is often a difficult duty to appoint the Chief of Police. He said that they had accepted applications from several candidates and Rick Barnhart stood "head and shoulders" above the rest of the candidates and, therefore, was chosen as the new chief of Police for West Carrollton. Mr. Williams said that he feels Chief Barnhart will be an outstanding new chief of police. He added that the Chief's wife, Connie, will undoubtedly be first advisor to the Chief, but he will be second.
CONTRACT WITH DAYTON HUMAN REHABILITATION CENTER FOR 2000
Mr. Mounce made a motion, seconded by Mr. Jensen, to authorize the City Manager to enter into an agreement for boarding prisoners at the Dayton Human Rehabilitation Center. A roll call vote was taken, all members voted yes and the motion carried.
RESOLUTION NO. 16-2000: SERGEANT RICHARD D. WILSON
Resolution No. 16-2000: A resolution acknowledging the appreciation of the citizens and public officials of the City of West Carrollton for services rendered unto said City by Sergeant Richard D. Wilson.
Mr. Gordon made a motion, seconded by Mr. Angerer, to approve Resolution No. 16-2000. A unanimous roll call vote carried the motion.
REPORTS BY THE OFFICERS
Mr. Williams noted that bids had been received for the fire station projects. A new fire station will be built on West Central Avenue, and expansion and renovation will be made to Station 2 on Alex Road. Several bids were received and the bid was awarded to Fryman-Kuck with the low bid of $3,150,000.00. Mr. Williams noted that the groundbreaking ceremony will be on June 14th at 12:15 p.m. He added that these changes will be made in such a manner that the facilities should last for decades.
Mr. Williams noted that four bids were received on June 2nd for transition of the civic center from electric to natural gas. The low bid went to Harm and Ring Mechanical contractors with a bid of $72,930.00. He said that the city will realize a substantial pay back over the years.Mr. Williams also said that he his delighted to have promoted the new police chief and wishes him the best.
Mr. Carney congratulated Chief Barnhart.
UNSCHEDULED BUSINESS
COMMENTS BY THE AUDIENCE
There were no comments by the Audience.
COMMENTS BY COUNCIL
Mr. Jensen congratulated Chief Barnhart.
Mrs. Lotspaih wished Chief Barnhart good luck and said that he seems to be a man of integrity. She also thanked everyone who helped with the Paper Festival.
Mr. Mounce wished Chief Barnhart well and congratulated Mr. Gordon on the Paper Festival. He also said he was impressed with the improvements on the Alex Road Fire Station.
Mr. Sanner congratulated Chief Barnhart and said that he has the support of his officers, many of whom attended the meeting.
Mr. Gordon congratulated Chief Barnhart and said that he had received many calls in support of his being appointed Chief. He added that he has a part in the decision but passed the requests on to Mr. Williams. He said that the new Chief obviously has the support of the officers and dispatchers. Mr. Gordon thanked Ron and Julie Ziemkowski for pitching in and helping with the festival and Kimm Mote for getting all the hundreds of donuts for the festival. He also thanked Steve Sandlin for all the good articles about the festival. Mr. Gordon said that modifications will be made on the festival, ranging from time, location, name, etc. Mr. Gordon expressed disappointment for the turnout at the festival and the apparent apathy of many of the citizens regarding the festival. He hopes that things will be different in the future.
Mr. Angerer congratulated Chief Barnhart. He said that there was an outstanding five piece band at the festival that he hoped many were able to enjoy. He also said that the graduation ceremonies were great and he congratulated the graduates.
Mayor Gilman congratulated Chief Barnhart and said that she is looking forward to working with him. She thanked Mr. Gordon for a hard job well done, adding that people do not realize all that is involved in putting the festival together. She also thanked Gene Jarman, the D.A.R.E. officer, for his booth and participation in the festival. She then thanked Ron Ziemkowski on cameras.RECESS
Mayor Gilman made a motion, seconded by Mr. Gordon, to recess to a Work Session to discuss the items on the agenda. All members voted yes to a roll call vote and the motion carried.
Council recessed.
WORK SESSION
JOINT MEETING
WEST CARROLLTON CITY COUNCIL & MIAMI TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES
Present from City Council were: Mayor Maxine Gilman; Council Members Jeff Sanner, Don Mounce, Linda Lotspaih, Jack Jensen, Bill Gordon and Vern Angerer. Township Trustees present were: Trustee president Dave Coffey, Shirley Omietanski, and Doug Zink. West Carrollton city staff present: David Watson, Assistant City Manager and G. Tracy Williams, City Manager. Township staff present: Dave Anderson, Administrator, and Debbie Preston, Clerk-Treasurer. Also present were Steve Sandlin from the Miamisburg/West Carrollton News and John Woods from the Dayton Daily News.
Initial discussion centered around the differences between the forms of government of the city of West Carrollton and the city of Miamisburg - how officials are elected; the voting rights of the mayors in the respective cities; how the cities' charters affect their opportunities to develop land and to develop legislation. Also discussed was how council is informed of issues; how members are kept up to date on the progress of projects; and how information is provided to members prior to city council meetings. Township trustees were inquiring about these issues to gain an understanding of how a city government, particularly a charter community, functions and how it operates. After some discussion, it was felt that the Township should obtain copies of the West Carrollton City Charter. Staff will forward.
The group then discussed issues of a more regional nature, such as SR 892; supporting the core community of Dayton; and the issues of fragmentation within the county, addressing the question of, "Can the county survive as a group of forty separate government entities?"
The issues of merger and annexation were discussed. Trustee President Coffey stated that the Township has been concerned with border stability. At a recent vision retreat, several people had been brought in to talk about different options such as merger and annexation. Mr. Coffey continued that those options were not necessarily being entertained, but trustees want to gain an understanding of the process, in the event of a need in the future.
Council and the Trustees then moved on to discuss joint recreational possibilities. Mr. Coffey offered that he will present the idea of a joint recreation center to the recently formed committee made up of citizens representing Miami Township and the city of Miamisburg. Following some discussion, West Carrollton City Council agreed that the idea should be presented to the joint committee.
The group then discussed the ramifications and opportunities which would be jointly realized if Miami Township trustees and West Carrollton City Council fully supported the Dixie Drive interchange being upgraded to a full intersection. After some discussion it was agreed that the Dixie Drive interchange is important to both jurisdictions.
Support for the West Carrollton School District was then discussed, in that the school district serves families in both the city and the township. Both communities will continue to support the schools. Progress is being made with regard to improving the district's stability. The strategic planning process which the district has been undertaking is progressing and showing some results. Township trustees have representation on the school liaison committee as does city council. Consensus is that progress is being made. The next meeting of the school liaison committee is scheduled for October.
The next topic for discussion was sewer service needs west of the Great Miami River. Mr. Coffey noted that he did not support extending sewer service to the west, feeling that it would allow development without control. The Township is in the early stages of reviewing its zoning regulations and building regulations toward a strategic look at the west side of both the township and the county. In that way there would be control over development; development would not outpace the absorption of the land.
There being no further items for discussion, the trustees from Miami Township moved to close the joint meeting. Trustee vote unanimous. Miami Township Trustees and administrative staff left the meeting.
City Manager Williams then reviewed several items, the first being recreational vehicle parking regulations, which topic is to discussed at a focus group meeting scheduled for June 22, at 7:30 p.m. Deputy Mayor Gordon suggested staff notify Wade Brewer of the meeting.
City Manager Williams continued to a review of the Organized Crime Task Force. At the time of the budget process, plans were to dismiss, or disband the task force. However, disbandment did not occur. The state attorney general's office wants the force to continue because its work has been very productive. In light of that, Mr. Williams informed Council that funds will be needed to continue participation in the task force. The Police Department will try to absorb the cost within the department's existing budget.
City Manager Williams asked which council members might be able to attend the I-75 roundtable discussion. Deputy Mayor Gordon, Councilmember Angerer and Councilmember Jensen responded that they plan to attend.
COMMENTS by COUNCIL
Councilmember Mounce stated that he had recently talked with some members of both the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals. It is felt that City Council and staff need to improve communications. There has been some misunderstanding as to what are the expectations of the board and commission members, and those of Council, with regard to issues of mutual concern.
Mr. Gordon noted that major changes to the Paper Festival are needed, if the festival is to survive and continue. Mr. Gordon reviewed several concerns, items that had been brought to his attention for consideration as possible changes for future festivals. These include a name change and altering the focus of the festival, and a change in the dates.
Mayor Gilman asked Council which members of Council would be available for the Business Focus Group luncheon on Thursday, June 15. Four members responded.
Mayor Gilman reviewed the resolution distributed to council members, concerning a regional water strategy which had been approved by the Mayors and Managers Association of Montgomery/Greene counties. There was considerable discussion about the impact of the water resolution, as it places the county in conflict with the city of Dayton over water rights and water distribution.
Mayor Gilman informed Council that she will not be available for the next meeting, since she will be out of town.
Mayor Gilman then began a discussion about monuments honoring significant people. Offered as a possibility was the concept of a Walk of Fame, in which stones or bricks could be etched with persons' names in order that future generations would learn of significant people in the history of West Carrollton. Discussion followed.
There being no further business, it was moved by Councilmember Mounce, seconded by Councilmember Linda Lotspaih, to adjourn the meeting. Vote unanimous. Meeting adjourned.
MAYOR CLERK OF COUNCIL