CITY OF FORT THOMAS,

CAMPBELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY, ON

MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2008

Mayor Mary Brown called the meeting of City Council to order at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, October 6, 2008. The Clerk called the roll and the following Councilmembers were present: Jill Steller, 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 Treasurer Fred Ewald, City Attorney Jann Seidenfaden, Police Chief Mike Daly and Fire Chief Mark Bailey.

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

Minutes

The minutes of the September 22, 2008 meeting were presented to council for consideration. A motion was made by Mr. Peterman and seconded by Mrs. Levine to approve the minutes as written. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Visitors and Communications

The Mayor thanked Chief Daly, Mike Jansen and Chief Bailey for the National Night Out event for the community that was being held on October 6^th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. It was a great event for the kids and parents and was very well attended.

Bruce Rath of 118 N. Ft. Thomas Avenue was present and addressed council. Mr. Rath commented on the fire union negotiations and voiced his support for the fire union. Mayor Brown noted for the record that the Police and General Services departments have signed their contracts.

Mr. John McGraw of 21 Arcadia was present and addressed council. Mr. McGraw asked if there was a way for council to lower the assessments on homes in Fort Thomas. Due to the economy the way it is right now, it makes it hard for people to pay such high tax bills. Fred Ewald noted that Campbell County takes care of the assessments and by law there is nothing that the City can do. Mr. Ewald invited Mr. McGraw to stop into his office to talk about this matter if he would like.

Michael Cook was present and handed out material on the Architects and Engineers for Non-Living Truth. A free ticket to the seminar with Richard Gage was included in the material.

Reports of Boards, Committees, and Commissions

Report of the Public Safety Committee: The Public Safety Committee of Council met prior to the council meeting to discuss changes to the Police Policies and Procedures Manual and potentially lowering the speed limit on Tremont Avenue. It was the recommendation of the Public Safety Committee to approve the changes made to the Police Department Policies and Procedures Manual and to table the lowering of the speed limit on Tremont until more information is obtained.

Reports of Officers

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

· Storm Damage: Mr. Martin thanked General Services crew for their hard work on the storm clean-up. The city hired Evans Landscaping to chip up the wood collected from the storm. The city has submitted paperwork to FEMA seeking disaster declaration. Campbell County Office of Emergency Management has logged $341,000 in overtime and expenses for communities addressing storm-related damage. It will likely be several weeks before a decision is made. Mr. Martin thanked Chief Bailey for his work on getting the paperwork together to submit to FEMA.

· VA Homes: The city is currently waiting on a revised version of the Memorandum of Agreement from the VA. Once received, it will be forwarded to Jann Seidenfaden for final review and then presented to council for consideration.

· Home Composting Class: The Campbell County Cooperative Extension is offering a Home Composting Class on Thursday, October 9 at 6:30 p.m. This class is being offered in an effort to reduce the volume of yard waste that makes it into landfills.

· Stream Restoration: The Northern Kentucky Center for Applied Ecology at NKU is interested in performing a stream restoration project in Fort Thomas. Staff is working with them to establish an appropriate stream and project boundary. If the project is approved, a permanent easement will be required over the boundaries of the restoration project. This project would be completed at no cost to the city.

· Rob Roy Parking Changes: Work has begun on the changes to the parking on Rob Roy Avenue. The Northern Kentucky Water District is in the process of moving the hydrant and the city’s portion of the work will begin soon.

· Water District Park: The city applied for funding from Lowe’s Charitable and Education Foundation for financial assistance for the water district park on Memorial Parkway. Due to Jay Treft’s efforts, the city was awarded a grant in the amount of $10,000.

Report on Vouchers

The Finance Committee presented its Report of Disbursements and recommended the payment of warrants numbered 56602 through 56674 for the period of September 22 – October 6, 2008. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mrs. Steller 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, Mr. Haas, Mr. Peterman, and Mr. Lampe. Voting "no" - none. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Ordinances, Resolutions, and Orders

Ordinance O-21-2008: An ordinance amending section 130.02 of the Fort Thomas Code of Ordinances pertaining to the possession of air rifles or air guns was presented to council for consideration. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mrs. Levine to approve Ordinance O-21-2008. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” – Mrs. Steller, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Haas, Mr. Peterman, and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no” – None. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Ordinance O-23-2008: An ordinance setting the rate of pay for Harry Holtkamp, Jr. in the position of City Mechanic was presented to council for consideration. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mrs. Steller to approve Ordinance O-23-2008. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” – Mrs. Steller, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Haas, Mr. Peterman, and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no” – None. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Ordinance O-24-2008: An ordinance adopting a supplement to the Fort Thomas Code of Ordinances was presented to council for a first reading. This ordinance will be laid over to the next regular meeting of council for consideration.

Ordinance O-25-2008: An ordinance adopting a new Policies and Procedures Manual for the Police Department was presented to council for a first reading. This ordinance will be laid over to the next regular meeting of council for consideration.

With 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