CITY OF FORT THOMAS,

CAMPBELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY, ON

MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 2008

Mayor Mary Brown called the meeting of City Council to order at 8:00 P.M. on January 7, 2008. The Clerk called the roll and the following Councilmembers were present: Barb Runge, Jim Doepker, Barbara Levine, Eric Haas, Roger Peterman, and Tom Lampe. Staff members in attendance included: City Administrative Officer Don Martin, City Clerk Melissa Kelly, City Attorney Jann Seidenfaden, Finance Director Fred Ewald, Fire Chief Mark Bailey and Police Chief Mike Daly.

Mayor Brown led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Minutes

The Minutes of the December 17, 2007 meeting were presented to Council for consideration. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mrs. Levine to approve the minutes as written. The motion carried by a vote of 6-0.

Visitors and Communications

Mr. Bill Scheyer, president of Southbank Partners was present and addressed Council. Mr. Scheyer presented Southbank's updated mission statement and the current focus for 2008. The Mayor welcomed Mr. Scheyer and congratulated him on his new position with Southbank.

Statements from residents regarding the Urban Deer Management Program

Mayor Mary Brown indicated that City Council would re-visit the deer situation after the 21st of January. The meeting tonight would be strictly a listening session and Council would take everyone's comments into consideration when reviewing the program. Residents’ comments were limited to 2 minutes each.

· Cathy Surrett, 41 Highland Avenue: Mrs. Surrett indicated that she had done extensive research on the deer program. She noted that she was approached by a neighbor who was considering allowing hunting on their property. She also said that the research is lacking since there was no assessment on how many deer are in the city. She feels that the City rushed this before thinking it thru fully.

· Lee Berringer, 37 Sterling Avenue: Mrs. Berringer noted that she has a wooded area behind her home and she has seen more deer since the program started. She thinks that hunting them is moving them more toward the center of town. She also indicated that at the public hearing there was a ratio of 5 against to 1 in favor.

· John McGraw, 21 Arcadia Avenue: Mr. McGraw stated that the majority of the residents were against this program at the public hearing and he was not proud of this program.

· Chet Surrett, 41 Highland Avenue: Mr. Surrett noted that this is one of the most reckless programs he has ever seen. The rules are not clear and the city did not take into consideration the fact that there could be a shed or play equipment in another resident’s yard, which puts them in danger if there is a hunter on another property.

· Frank Renfrow, 103 Covert Run: Mr. Renfrow noted that his wife is afraid to take the dog out in the yard for fear of being hit with an arrow.

· Linda Rankin, 104 Broadview: Mrs. Rankin said that this past Saturday morning a hunter knocked on her door asking her permission to hunt in her rear yard. She said “no,” but wondered if the hunters know where property lines were located. She also wondered if she should warn the children that were playing in the woods. She saw an all-terrain vehicle come out of the woods later that evening and assumed that it had been someone hunting in that area. She also noted that her property abuts the City of Dayton and they have indicated that they would arrest anyone that they found hunting in the City of Dayton.

· Debbie Salzman: Ms. Salzman noted that she had returned to Fort Thomas after 14 years of living out of state. Ms. Salzman indicated that drivers should be aware of deer crossings and a study should be done of this. She also noted that more signs should be installed warning drivers of deer.

· Bob Rottgers, 17 Ohio Avenue: Mr. Rottgers noted that the deer are starving and diseased and people need to think about the deer and how they are suffering.

· Jeff Sutkamp, 57 Woodland Place: Mr. Sutkamp noted that the majority of citizens are in favor of eliminating the deer but not the way it is being done. Mr. Sutkamp indicated that if the program is written in a different way, he will consider allowing hunters to come onto his property in September.

· Kurt Rizzo, 44 Stacy Lane: Mr. Rizzo noted that there was an 80% to 20% vote at the public hearing and the city did not listen to the voices of the residents. Mr. Rizzo also said that for the record, the Recorder misquoted him and to clarify he is not in favor of the program.

· Tom Beck, 24 Clover Ridge: Mr. Beck grows a garden every year and indicated that there is a deer problem in Fort Thomas. He has not heard of a feasible solution yet.

· Linda Sheffield, 57 Chalfont Pl.: Mrs. Sheffield noted that she has done research on birth control darts and volunteered to help with applying for the grant to implement a darting program.

· Kathy McMath, 9 Tremont: Mrs. McMath noted that she has lived here for 50 years and the bow hunt is unbelievable, crazy and absurd to her. She questioned why there is not a proficiency test given to these hunters coming into the city. She also questioned why there was a public hearing because the city did not listen to the residents.

· Carol Edwards, 11 Carolina: Mrs. Edwards stated that it was obvious that the city did not listen to the residents at the public hearing and probably will not listen at this meeting.

· Susan Gilliam, 2181 N. Ft. Thomas Avenue: Mrs. Gilliam noted that the city has not done their homework and more research needs to be done.

· Stan Thompson, 10 Lafayette Avenue: Mr. Thompson acknowledged the city for taking a stand on this issue and doing something about it. He also acknowledged the citizens for coming to the meetings and voicing their opinions.

· Jeri Lykins, 165 Covert Run: Mrs. Lykins indicated that the city needs to have a referendum vote on this issue and get a true count of how many citizens are for and against the program. She also noted that property lines need to be clearly marked if hunters are going to be hunting.

· Marsha Rogg, 62 Holmes Avenue: Mrs. Rogg noted that she doesn't know when hunters are in the area and she is afraid to go outside. She also questioned if a homeowner isn't home, how will the hunter get permission to retrieve their deer. This leaves the property owner responsible for cleaning it up.

· Greg Gilliam, 2181 N. Ft. Thomas Avenue: Mr. Gilliam noted that he is a retired police officer. He feels that more security measures need to be taken to ensure homes are not broken into. Mr. Gilliam also noted that he runs in the parks and there needs to be better control of the program.

· Patti Kattenhorn, 14 Chalfonte Ct.: Mrs. Kattenhorn questioned if there was a need to print in the paper how many deer have been killed. She feels it is depressing.

Report on Vouchers

The Finance Committee presented its Report of Disbursements and recommended the payment of warrants numbered 54914 through 55007 for the period of December 17 - January 7, 2008. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mrs. Levine to concur in the recommendation of the Finance Committee. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye”: Mrs. Runge, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Haas, Mr. Peterman, and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no”: none. The motion carried by a vote of 6-0.

Ordinances, Resolutions, and Orders

Ordinance O-36-2007, the 2007 Street Apportionment Ordinance was presented to Council for consideration. A motion was made by Mr. Peterman and seconded by Mr. Doepker to approve Ordinance O-36-2007. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted "aye": Mrs. Runge, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Haas, Mr. Peterman, and Mr. Lampe. Voting "no": none. The motion carried by a vote of 6-0.

Ordinance O-1-2008, an ordinance setting the date and time of Council Meetings was presented to Council for a first reading and will be laid over to the January 17, 2008 meeting for consideration.

Ordinance O-2-2008, an ordinance amending section 51.14B of the Code of Ordinances relating to the placement of trash containers in the right-of-way was presented to Council for a first reading and will be laid over to the January 17, 2008 meeting for consideration.

Municipal Order MO-1-2008, re-appointing Ron Summers to the Board of Ethics for a three year term was presented to Council. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mrs. Levine to approve Municipal Order MO-1-2008. The motion passed by a vote of 6-0.

There being no further business to come before Council, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

APPROVED:

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Mary H. Brown, Mayor

ATTEST:

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Melissa K. Kelly, City Clerk