CITY OF FORT THOMAS,

CAMPBELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY, ON

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

Mayor Mary Brown called the meeting of City Council to order at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, September 22, 2008. The Clerk called the roll and the following Councilmembers were present: Jill Steller, Jim Doepker, Barbara Levine, Eric Haas, and Tom Lampe. Absent: Roger Peterman. 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 2, 2008 meeting were presented to Council for consideration. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mrs. Steller to approve the minutes as written. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Visitors and Communications

Mr. Bill Scheyer of Southbank Partners was present and addressed Council. Mr. Scheyer gave an update on what was happening with Southbank over the past six months. Mr. Scheyer noted that he will be returning within the next 6 to 8 months to update Council with any new information.

Ashley Barlow of the Charities Guild of Northern Kentucky was present and addressed Council. The Charities Guild will host a tour of homes event on Saturday, October 4, 2008. This tour will include 7 homes in Fort Thomas. There are 3 parking lots for patrons to park in and they will then be picked up by bus. They would like to block an area in front of each home for a “bus stop” to allow people to get on and off the bus easily without blocking traffic in the road. Mayor Brown noted that Council was in support of this charity and was glad to see the event held in Fort Thomas. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mrs. Steller to allow the Charities Guild to block off the area in front of each home on the tour to allow for easy drop off and pick up. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Mrs. Sharon Schomaker of Bonnie Lane was present and addressed Council. Mrs. Schomaker noted that there was an agreement with the City and Sanitation District in relation to the property that they own at the bottom of the street. They have not yet heard anything from the Sanitation District, nor do they have anything in writing regarding this agreement. Mrs. Schomaker also asked how the bottom of the street will be reconstructed. Don Martin noted that he will confer with the engineer on the project and contact her. Mrs. Schomaker also noted that the Touch-A-Truck event was well attended and was a great event for the children.

Jill Steller thanked General Services, Fire, Police and Duke Energy for all of their hard work relating to the wind storm on September 14, 2008. She noted that people were “overflowing” with gratitude to the workers for their help with the cleanup and reconnection of power.

Reports of Officers

Fire Department Monthly Report: Chief Mark Bailey presented the Fire Department’s monthly report for August to members of council. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mr. Haas 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 August to members of council. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mrs. Levine to receive and file the monthly report for the Police Department. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

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

· Storm Damage: All of our employees, police, fire, and general services, have done a great job in the aftermath of the storm damage. Our general services crews continue to remove tree limbs and debris from the public right-of-ways.

· Merchants and Music: Merchants and Music was a great success. Thank you to Debbie Buckley, Jay Treft and the Renaissance Board for all of their hard work on a wonderful event.

· Campbell County Cleanup: The Campbell County Cleanup will be held on October 24, 25, and 26^th from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The spring cleanup of 2008 brought in 39.1 tons of metals recycled, 525.49 tons of tires, 227.02 tons of general litter and debris, and 93 battery units. This program is offered at no cost to the citizens of Campbell County.

· Street Resurfacing: North Fort Thomas Avenue will be resurfaced where the utility companies have been working to replace the water and gas mains. Don noted that he will check with the utility companies to verify how much of the road will be resurfaced.

· Information to Residents: Eric Haas noted that he was concerned about being able to get information out to residents if there was another power outage. Mr. Haas suggested looking at radio stations that would announce information so that residents could be informed on the status in case of a disaster.

New Business

Bonnie Lane Reconstruction Change Order: A change order in the amount of $36,284.18 is necessary on Bonnie Lane to transfer a portion of the work from General Services Department to JPS Construction. This change order will entail the extension of storm sewer lines, 5 curb inlets, downspout connections, and replacement of 1,500 square feet of sidewalk. It was determined by CDS and staff that it would be more effective to have the contractor complete the work while they are reconstructing the street. This will also free our General Services crews to work on other projects. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mr. Haas to proceed with the change order in the amount of $36.284.18 for Bonnie Lane. Upon call of the roll, the following voted “aye”: Mrs. Steller, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Haas, 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 56466 through 56600 for the period of September 3 – September 22, 2008. A motion was made by Mrs. Steller 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. Steller, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, and Mr. Haas. Voting "no" - none. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Ordinances, Resolutions, and Orders

Ordinance O-19-2008: An ordinance amending the Personnel Pay and Classification Plan to adjust the compensation of the position of city clerk was presented to council for consideration. A motion was made by Mrs. Levine and seconded by Mr. Doepker to approve Ordinance O-19-2008. Upon call of the roll, the following voted “aye”: Mrs. Steller, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Haas, and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no”: None. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Ordinance O-20-2008: An ordinance amending section XII of the Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual pertaining to education reimbursement was presented for consideration. A motion was made by Mrs. Levine and seconded by Mr. Doepker to approve Ordinance O-20-2008. Upon call of the roll, the following voted “aye”: Mrs. Steller, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Haas, and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no”: None. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

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 a first reading. This ordinance will be laid over to the next regular meeting of council for consideration.

Ordinance O-22-2008: An ordinance providing for the imposition, levy, collection and apportionment of the taxes of the City of Fort Thomas for the year 2008 was presented to council for an emergency reading. The ordinance shall become effective immediately and the requirements of a second reading are suspended due to time constraints, meeting dates, and the availability of information. A motion was made by Mr. Haas and seconded by Mr. Lampe to approve Ordinance O-22-2008. Upon call of the roll, the following voted “aye”: Mrs. Steller, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Haas, 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 a first reading. This ordinance will be laid over to the next regular meeting of council for consideration.

Executive Order EO-13-2008: An Executive Order appointing Harry Holtkamp, Jr. to the position of City Mechanic. No action by Council is necessary.

Resolution R-04-2008: A Resolution requesting that the Kentucky Retirement Systems Board of Trustees approve hazardous duty coverage for the positions in the police and fire departments for employees who begin participating in County Employee Retirement Systems (CERS) on or after September 1, 2008. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mr. Haas to approve Resolution R-04-2008. Upon call of the roll, the following voted “Aye”: Mrs. Steller, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Levine, Mr. Haas, and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no”: None. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

With no further business to come before Council, the meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.

APPROVED:

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Mary H. Brown, Mayor

ATTEST:

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Melissa K. Kelly, City Clerk