CITY OF FORT THOMAS,

CAMPBELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY, ON

MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2008

Mayor Mary Brown called the meeting of City Council to order at 8:00 p.m. on Monday. December 15, 2008. The Clerk called the roll and the following Councilmembers were present: Jill Steller, Barbara Levine, 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 Fire Chief Mark Bailey and City Attorney Jann Seidenfaden.

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

Minutes

The minutes of the December 1, 2008 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 passed by a unanimous vote.

Visitors and Communications

A letter from Mrs. Judy Jones was read by the Clerk. Mrs. Jones owns property located at 742 S. Ft. Thomas Avenue and 14 Indiana Avenue in Fort Thomas. The letter was regarding a tax bill that had been delivered to the wrong address. Mrs. Jones claims they did not receive the bill, which made it late resulting in penalty and interest being added. Mrs. Jones is requesting that the interest and penalty be waived. Discussion ensued. A motion was made by Mr. Peterman and seconded by Mr. Lampe to abate the interest and penalty on the tax bill. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” – Mr. Peterman and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no” – Mrs. Steller and Mrs. Levine. Due to the vote resulting in a tie, Mayor Mary Brown broke the tie with a vote of “no”. The motion was denied by a vote of 2-3.

Mayor Brown noted that this meeting will be Barbara Levine’s last meeting. She thanked Barbara for her two years of service on city council. We will miss her!

Reports of Officers

Fire Department Monthly Report for November: Chief Mark Bailey presented his monthly report to Council for their review. A motion was made by Mr. Peterman and seconded by Mr. Lampe to receive and file the Fire Department’s Monthly Report for November. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Police Department Monthly Report for November: Chief Mike Daly presented his monthly report to Council for their review. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mrs. Steller to receive and file the Police Department’s Monthly Report for November. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

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

Midway Streetscape Project: City Staff has been working with the engineering team to finalize the cost estimates and bid documents for the Midway District project. As with the CBD project, the General Services crews will work with the utility companies to relocate the utilities. We hope to start utility work in February and to select a contractor by May 1, 2009. Completion of the project is anticipated by December 2009.

Police Department Renovations: As we prepare for the renovation of the police department to occur, the police department is making the necessary preparations for their move to the Armory. This move will require an expenditure of approximately $10,000. These expenditures are not reflected in the budget. Prior to expending them, it must be approved by Council. A motion was made by Mr. Peterman and seconded by Mr. Lampe to authorize the expenditure of necessary funds for the renovation of the meeting room in the armory to accommodate the police department not to exceed $15,000. Included in the motion was the fact that if the money is borrowed, that the city intends to reimburse itself for the loan. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” – Mrs. Steller, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Peterman and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no” – none. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

New Business

Request to Vacate Right-of-Way: The property owners at 252 and 260 Rosemont have requested that the unimproved right-of-way between their two homes be vacated and closed. The right-of-way in question provides access to a 3.3 acre parcel of property behind the homes. The area was inspected by Ron Dill and Don Martin. It was decided that this would be the best access point if the property was ever developed. Closing this access point would require that access to occur from a less desirable access point. A motion was made by Mr. Peterman and seconded by Mr. Lampe to deny the request to close and vacate the right-of-way located on Rosemont Avenue. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Engineering Services for 2009: Each year CDS Associates proposes a new fee schedule for consideration by Council. The proposed increase for 2009 in all areas is 2.3%. One other change to note is that CDS no longer charges for CADD service. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mrs. Levine to approve the change in the fee schedule with CDS and authorize the Mayor to enter into a one year agreement with CDS Associates, Inc. for the provision of engineering services. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” – Mrs. Steller, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Peterman and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no” –none. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Report on Vouchers

The Finance Committee presented its Report of Disbursements and recommended the payment of warrants numbered 57027 through 57180 for the period of November 17 – December 15, 2008. A motion was made by Mrs. Levine and seconded by Mr. Peterman to concur in the recommendation of the Finance Committee. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” - Mrs. Steller, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Peterman, and Mr. Lampe. Voting "no" - none. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Ordinances, Resolutions, and Orders

Ordinance O-29-2008: An ordinance amending Section 12 of the Personnel Pay and Classification Plan in regard to the selection of health insurance plan, declination of insurance, and selection of vision insurance was presented to Council for a second reading. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mrs. Levine to approve Ordinance O-29-2008. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” – Mrs. Steller, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Peterman and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no” – none. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Ordinance O-30-2008: An ordinance amending Article XV, Section 15.5B of the Official Zoning Ordinance pertaining to signage was presented to Council for a second reading. A motion was made by Mrs. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Steller to approve Ordinance O-30-2008. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” – Mrs. Steller, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Peterman and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no” – none. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Resolution R-7-2008: A resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute documents between the city and Homeland Security for a grant to provide body armor to the Police Department was presented to Council. A motion was made by Mr. Peterman and seconded by Mr. Lampe to approve Resolution R-7-2008. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

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

APPROVED:

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Mary H. Brown, Mayor

ATTEST:

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Melissa K. Kelly, City Clerk