CITY OF FORT THOMAS,

CAMPBELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY, ON

MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2008

Mayor Mary Brown called the meeting of City Council to order at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, August 4, 2008. The Clerk called the roll and the following Councilmembers were present: Jill Steller, Jim Doepker, Barbara Levine, and Eric Haas. Absent were Roger Peterman and Tom Lampe. Staff members in attendance included: City Administrative Officer Don Martin, City Clerk Melissa Kelly, Finance Director Fred Ewald, Police Chief Mike Daly and Lt. Dale Cruze sitting in for Fire Chief Mark Bailey..

Mayor Mary Brown led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Minutes

The minutes of the July 1, 2008 meeting were presented to Council for consideration. A motion was made by Mrs. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Steller to approve the minutes as written. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Visitors and Communications

Mayor Brown congratulated City Clerk Melissa Kelly for her recent certification as a Kentucky Certified Municipal Clerk.

A note was received from the Fort Thomas Garden Club thanking the city for their help with the plantings in the center of North and South Fort Thomas Avenue. A motion was made by Mrs. Levine and seconded by Mr. Doepker to receive and file the letter from the Garden Club.

Mayor Brown presented the trophies to the winners of the 4^th of July Parade and thanked them for their participation. The winners were as follows:

Most Entertaining

1^st Place: Manyet Dance

2^nd Place: Campbell County Library

3^rd Place (Tie): Dance Express and Highland United Methodist Church “Chair Brigade”

Most Original

1^st Place: Bank of Kentucky

2^nd Place: Tom Rechtin Heating and Air

3^rd Place: “No Snow Dogs” by Doug Gilb

Reports of Officers

Fire Department Monthly Report: Lt. Dale Cruze presented the Fire Department’s monthly report for June to members of council. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mrs. Levine to receive and file the monthly report for the Fire Department. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Police Department Monthly Report: Chief Mike Daly presented the Police Department’s monthly report for June to members of council. Chief Daly noted that Officers Rolpher and Moening recently graduated from the Police Academy in Richmond and are currently working on completion of the 14 week FTO program.

Councilmember, Barbara Levine also thanked the Police and Fire Departments for making the residents of the Barrington and Highlands feel safe and secure. Mrs. Levine is an employee of the Barrington.

City Administrator's Report: Don Martin presented a report to Council on the following:

· City Building Renovations: The Police Department renovations have been in the planning and preliminary stages for a number of years and represents the greatest need within the city in terms of facilities. Because this issue involves several committees of council, staff recommended scheduling a meeting of the Committee of the Whole for discussion at a later date. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mrs. Steller to refer further discussion of the Police Department renovations to the Committee of the Whole. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

· West Southgate Park: The city is looking at options to renovate the park located at the corner of West Southgate and Memorial Parkway. A resident has volunteered to pay for the replacement of the wall that surrounds the park and new play equipment. The city is working on getting some designs and costs together and is appreciative of the resident’s generosity.

· Rossford Park Improvements: The city is currently filling in an area in Rossford Park below the parking lot area. The area being filled will be covered with top soil and seeded at no cost to the city. This area will be used for additional parking, shelter, play equipment or whatever the city deems most appropriate. While the equipment operator is working at Rossford Park, he will be assisting the city be creating an additional level “play field” area directly below the furthest baseball backstop. This area will be approximately 100’ x 150’ and will provide adequate space for youth soccer or football practice. It is likely that this will be completed at no cost to the city. Jim Doepker noted that he would like to look at putting in a retention area in the lower park area due to watershed problems. Staff will have Mark Brueggemann, city engineer take a look at options for correcting this.

· Cable Franchises: The city has contracted with Linda Ain to represent the city’s interest to renew the franchise agreement with Insight Cable. Linda was also contracted to address the request from Cincinnati Bell for a cable franchise agreement. The renewal of Insight’s franchise agreement and the initial franchise agreement with Cincinnati Bell will likely be on the agenda for consideration in September or October.

· Midway Redesign: Staff will be meeting with the Midway design team on August 5^th to review a redesign of the improvements at and near the intersection of South Fort Thomas Avenue and River Road.

· US 27 Lane Diet: The city is currently working with KDOT to see if we can install a center island near Hollywoods Drive. This island would be constructed by our general services personnel and would be landscaped. A “Welcome to Fort Thomas” sign could also be installed. This plan is in the preliminary stages.

· Rob Roy Intersection: The city is working on making the Rob Roy intersection safer for school children that walk to school. The city applied for a “Safe Routes to School” grant and is still waiting to hear if we have received it. The city has sent information to affected property owners and will have a meeting for comment on Monday, August 11, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. If there is no opposition, the city is hoping to have the project complete by the time school starts on August 19^th.

· Archery Ordinance: The information on the website has been updated to reflect the revised ordinance and program guidelines. The map showing lots of 3 acres or more has also been included. This information will also be included in the next newsletter.

Report on Vouchers

The Finance Committee presented its Report of Disbursements and recommended the payment of warrants numbered 56114 through 56310 for the period of July 1 – August 4, 2008. A motion was made by Mrs. Steller and seconded by Mr. Doepker to concur in the recommendation of the Finance Committee. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye”: Mrs. Steller, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, and Mr. Haas. Voting "no" - none. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Ordinances, Resolutions, and Orders

Ordinance O-17-2008: An ordinance amending the Personnel Pay and Classification Plan to adjust the compensation of the position of Greenspace Laborer II was presented to council for a first reading. This ordinance will be laid over to the September 2, 2008 meeting for consideration.

Ordinance O-18-2008: An ordinance appointing Alex Scott to the position of Greenspace Laborer II was presented to council for a first reading. This ordinance will be laid over to the September 2, 2008 meeting for consideration.

Executive Order EO-12-2008: An executive order re-appointing John Cody as a member of the Fort Thomas Tree Commission was presented to council with no action necessary.

With no further business to come before Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

APPROVED:

_____________________________

Mary H. Brown, Mayor

ATTEST:

____________________________

Melissa K. Kelly, City Clerk