CITY OF FORT THOMAS,

CAMPBELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY, ON

MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2011

Mayor Mary Brown called the meeting of council to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, August 1, 2011. Melissa Kelly called the roll and the following Councilmembers were present: Lisa Kelly, Jim Doepker, Jill Steller, Eric Haas, and Roger Peterman. Absent: Tom Lampe. Staff members in attendance included: City Administrator Don Martin, City Clerk Melissa Kelly, Fire Chief Mark Bailey, Finance Director Fred Ewald, Police Lieutenant Jamey Gadzala, and City Attorney Jann Seidenfaden.

Mayor Brown led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Minutes

The minutes of the July 5, 2011 meeting were presented to council for consideration. A motion was made by Mrs. Steller and seconded by Mr. Doepker to approve the minutes as written. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Visitors and Communications

Presentation of 4^th of July Trophies: Mayor Brown announced the groups of people who won trophies in the Fort Thomas Parade. Dana Ensley, Director of the YMCA was also present and presented the trophies to the winners. The categories and winners are as follows:

Most Entertaining Division
1st Place: Dance Express
2nd Place: Olde Fort Pub
3rd Place: Highland Hills Methodist Church "Lawn Chair Brigade"

Most Original Division
1st Place: "Its Fun to be a Kid on Tower Place"
2nd Place: Highland Hills Baptist Church
3rd Place: Fort Thomas/Southgate Girl Scouts

Report of Committees

Report from the Law, Labor, and License Committee: Jill Steller updated council on what was discussed at the Law, Labor, and License Committee meeting prior to the council meeting. The committee met on the following issues:

Handicap Parking Application: Frank Gross had applied for an on-street handicap parking space to be located in front of Gross Insurance located at 26 N. Ft. Thomas Ave. The handicap parking ordinance is intended to assist residents who do not have off-street parking at their homes.

It was the consensus of the committee that this is not a need of the general public and does not meet the criteria of the city’s handicap parking ordinance. Therefore the request was denied by the Law, Labor, and License Committee.

Parallel Parking Ordinance: The issue of parallel parking in the opposite direction of the flow of traffic was referred to the committee for review. The purpose of the ordinance is to prevent vehicles from parking in a direction opposing traffic flow, and to prevent vehicles from driving in opposing lanes of traffic while pulling into or away from the curb. Several letters were received, both in favor of the ordinance and against it. It was the consensus of the committee to keep the parking ordinance the same and restrict parking the wrong direction throughout the city. However, before any tickets are issued, there will be an educational process for the public. The information will go up on the website, newsletter, marquis, e-mail, and notifications with warnings will be put on cars. After a pre-determined amount of time, parking tickets will be issued.

Reports of Officers

Fire Department Monthly Report: Chief Mark Bailey: Chief Bailey presented his report to council for June. Chief Bailey noted that it has been a busy and hot July with fires and he complimented his staff on a job well done and “never missing a beat”. Chief Bailey also noted that Dale Cruze retired effective August 1^st. He was with the city for 25 ½ years. He will be missed. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mrs. Steller to receive and file the monthly report from the fire department. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Police Department Monthly Report: Lt. Jamey Gadzala: Lt. Gadzala presented the report for June from the police department to council. A motion was made by Mrs. Steller and seconded by Ms. Kelly to receive and file the monthly report from the police department. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Report from City Administrator: Don Martin presented his report to council:

Possible Closure of Post Office: There was an article in the paper regarding possible closure of the Fort Thomas Post Office. The process will include a 60 day public comment period where residents can voice their opinion of the closing. The city is urging citizens to oppose the closure of the post office. Until a notice is placed on the door of the post office with specific information, residents can mail their written comments to USPS Customer Affairs, 1591 Dalton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45234.

V.A. Homes Update: Staff met with representatives from Ashley Development and Kennedy Homes on Wednesday, July 20 to determine what prevented each company from submitting a bid. The main concern was the rigidity of the historic preservation requirements. After speaking with the V.A. in Washington, D.C., it was noted that the city could oversee the historic preservation guidelines and they are checking with their preservation staff to see what limits of flexibility they will allow. The V.A. is also reviewing the current appraisal to determine if the value should be reduced.

Town Center Parking Lot Access: Several months ago a resident of the Miller/Lumley neighborhood asked if the direction of the “old bank drive through” could be changed to allow cars to come in and out of the driveway. Hank Pogue informed the city that the painting of the lines was in progress.

Fourth of July Events: A letter was received from the Fort Thomas Business Association asking that the events in the park be held on the same day as the parade in the future. The issue was reviewed and discussed by the Recreation Committee of Council and staff. It was the decision of council to refer this to the Recreation Committee of Council for more discussion.

Old Business

Discussion of Archery Ordinance: The archery ordinance expired in January, 2011. Don Martin contacted Dr. Tina Brunjes with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources regarding possible reasons for the decrease in the population of deer. She indicated that the bow hunting has helped to physically remove a number of deer from the city. She also stated that other factors were likely at work as well such as last year’s drought, an increase in coyote population and people no longer feeding them. Dr. Brunjes indicated that hunting is most effective during the breeding season and the first and last three hours of daylight. It was the consensus of council to keep the lot size at 3 acres for safety reasons. After much discussion, it was decided to re-adopt the archery ordinance with one change: If an individual is issued a depredation permit by KDFWR, they will be able to discharge arrows any time during the archery season for deer as established by KDFWR. Lisa Kelly noted for the record that she is against discharging arrows in the city. Staff will draft the new ordinance and the first reading will be on September 6, 2011.

New Business

Consideration of Waste Contract Bids: Bids were opened on July 8, 2011 for a contract for solid waste collection/disposal and curbside recycling within the city. Bids were received from two companies, Rumpke and Best Way Disposal. It is recommended that Rumpke be awarded the 2 year contract as the lowest bidder. A motion was made by Mr. Haas and seconded by Mr. Peterman to approve the waste contract for Rumpke. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye”: Ms. Kelly, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Steller, Mr. Haas, and Mr. Peterman. Voting “no”: none. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Consideration of Park Furnishings Bid: The city opened bids for park amenities on Friday, July 28, 2011. The bids specified equipment from two separate manufactures (Wabash and Ultra Site) to match what we currently use in the parks. The equipment included 41 benches, 33 trash cans/lids, and 42 picnic tables. The city received 3 bids. The bid results are as follows:

Lester Recreation Designs:

Wabash Partial bid submitted for non-specified product ($27,676.00).

Ultra Site $27,992

Bluegrass Recreational Products:

Wabash $43,197.60 *

Ultra Site $31,359.02

* (Price of items matching the partial bids submitted by other bidders is $24,595.20)

David Williams & Associates:

Wabash Partial bid submitted for non-specified product ($27,782.93).

Ultra Site $26,714.77

Staff recommends that the bid be awarded to Bluegrass Recreational Products in the amount of $43,197.60 for the purchase of the Wabash amenities and to David Williams and Associates in the amount of $26,714.77 for the Ultra Site amenities.

A motion was made by Mr. Peterman and seconded by Mr. Haas to accept the bid from Bluegrass in the amount of $43,197.60 for the Wabash amenities and to accept the bid from David Williams and Associates in the amount of $26,714.77 for the Ultra Site amenities. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye”: Ms. Kelly, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Steller, Mr. Haas, and Mr. Peterman. Voting “no”: none. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Finance Committee Report on Disbursements: The Finance Committee presented its Report of Disbursements and recommended the payment of warrants numbered 62582 through 62796 for the period of July 6 – August 1, 2011. A motion was made by Mrs. Steller and seconded by Ms. Kelly to concur in the recommendation of the Finance Committee. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” – Ms. Kelly, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Steller, Mr. Haas, and Mr. Peterman. Voting "no" - none. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Ordinances, Resolutions, and Orders

Resolution R-05-2011: An Agreement with Newport Housing Authority pertaining to Section 8 housing was presented to Council for consideration. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Ms. Kelly to approve Resolution R-05-2011. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Municipal Order MO-08-2011: A Municipal Order re-appointing Jann Seidenfaden as city attorney was presented to council. A motion was made by Mrs. Steller and seconded by Mr. Doepker to approve Municipal Order MO-08-2011. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” – Ms. Kelly, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Steller, Mr. Haas, and Mr. Peterman. Voting "no" - none. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

With no further business to come before council, the meeting was adjourned.

APPROVED:

_____________________________

Mary H. Brown, Mayor

ATTEST:

____________________________

Melissa K. Kelly, City Clerk