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Thursday, November 21, 2024 |
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City manager getting $25,000 raise |
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over the hill 
MUSA Citizen 
Joined: Oct 19 2012 Location: middletown Status: Offline Points: 952 |
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 Posted: Aug 27 2016 at 8:37am |
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Well sign me up. Tell me where and when and I'll be there.
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What A City
MUSA Resident 
Joined: Nov 06 2009 Status: Offline Points: 115 |
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Posted: Aug 28 2016 at 5:15pm |
Uhh, middiemom, I believe if you re-read the dialogue between Mr. Adkins and myself, we started with the idea to have a community forum. He answered by suggesting we have a one on one in his office which would be residential suicide for me going it alone. For obvious reasons, and because of the history this city has for vindictiveness toward residents who don't necessarily buy into the city plans, i reneged on that idea proposing we invite as many as would attend and I suggested he bring his city council with him so that they could hear, first hand, the conversation and issues brought forth. I also suggested it would take several events to complete the discussion. I suggested it be an evening event to include as many residents as possible allowing those who work days and those who work midnights to be included. I suggested council chambers or a banquet room at the Seniors Center as the venue. He responded by suggesting it may be an ambush situation for him and the people would "gang up" on him with that scenario. I left it at that for now. It is not a dead issue for me and I would like him to place the event on his busy calendar at some point in time. He needs to find the time and, I'm sure, the community would accomodate his schedule. Not cricket "chirping". Not just blowing smoke here. Not a "blowhard". I would like it to happen if it is set up correctly and not under the city's rules, his rules or the council's rules. Just civil dialogue that would be constructive so that he understands how people feel about their city OUTSIDE his comfort zone of his special friends in the city....... "outside the comfort zone" .......you know, the people the city deems as "non-essential" to their future plans and who are in the group labeled as "others" and are excluded from being listened to most of the time.
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What A City
MUSA Resident
Joined: Nov 06 2009 Status: Offline Points: 115 |
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Posted: Aug 28 2016 at 5:37pm |
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Ok, Mr Adkins has invited a smaller contingent to his office for a talk rather than to take on a larger venue. What say you frequent poster Vivian, Spiderjohn, VietVet, acclaro, Mike Presta, Analytical, Processor, others? Would you like to participate and if so, what time would be best for all of you?
I can be available anyday, Mon-Fri from 5PM to 9PM.
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Analytical
MUSA Citizen
Joined: Nov 19 2015 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 562 |
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Posted: Aug 28 2016 at 6:52pm |
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To What A City, Vivian Moon, VietVet, Acclaro, Nick Kidd, Paul Nagy, Mike Presta, etc., etc., What criteria were utilized by City Council in conducting Mr. Adkins recent impromptu performance evaluation? How did they arrive at $25,000 as a justifiable one-time annual salary increase? Besides the AK Research Facility, I-75 apartment complex and the Power Generating Facility, were other significant projects involving Mr. Adkins and other key players fully scrutinized from a cost/benefit perspective? It's good that Mr. Adkins has no problem with meeting(s) to foster improved lines of communication and trust. That is a major responsibility of any successful city manager. Of course, the meeting(s) location(s), citizenry attending and issue agenda(s) dictate the value of same. Throughout this recent process, I am still concerned about the questionable impact of a number of other major city projects involving Mr. Adkins. First, there's the mostly unsuccessful former Thatcher properties deals. Second is the projected 5,000 student Cincinnati State operation. As Vivian Moon reports, only 700 students (online and on-site) attend C-State. Third is the costly City/HUD confrontation over Section 8 that only led to other entities administrating the housing voucher endeavor with little to no reduction of subsidized units. Fourth is the highly dubious 'vetting process' used by city staff in designating preferred developer status in the revitalization of other downtown projects. Fifth is the wasteful use of federal funds in extravagantly expending multiple money-losing housing buy/rehab/sell projects of formerly foreclosed properties. Sixth is the wrecking ball approach to dealing with Ward 2 problems. Mr. Mulligan only presented a few select projects to help justify his role in the $25,000 deal. The bottom line is that there is more than improved communication at stake here. Millions in funds have been spent over the past 7.5 years on projects with less than stellar results. These projects are part of the legacy of Mr. Adkins and Ms. Gilleland jointly.
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Analytical
MUSA Citizen
Joined: Nov 19 2015 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 562 |
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Posted: Aug 28 2016 at 11:56pm |
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Now that Mr. Adkins has two plus years of experience as a city manager, is he receiving feelers about other opportunities in S.W. Ohio (most of which with higher salaries)? The scuttle butt going around indicates that this could potentially be the case for the concern of the mayor and city council. Only time will tell if he stays or leaves.
It wasn't too many years ago that he was making much, much less working for the city.
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Douglas Adkins
MUSA Resident
Joined: Aug 22 2016 Status: Offline Points: 94 |
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Posted: Aug 29 2016 at 8:17am |
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I can only give you my thought process in looking at these deals. You may or may not agree with the reasoning.
AK Steel - They needed up modernize and expand. I wanted to keep them in the City. The deal we made was expensive but I think we got a lot out of it beyond job retention. First, AK hopes to add higher paying jobs in the future in their expanded facility. The new location is still in the City of Middletown, so the current income tax is retained and the future jobs would go to us as well. The school districts are the biggest receiver of property taxes. The city does get a small amount of both Warren and Butler County property taxes for properties within the city limits. In the case of AK, Franklin City Schools partnered with us to abate property taxes on the new AK facility to entice them to stay. Third, one of the problems with developing the East End is a lack of roads and utilities. We now have a beginning road into the area and have extended utilities to the AK site. You may call it a giveaway. I prefer to think of it as an investment in future infrastructure development of the East End. Finally, we have an anchor to build off of. We have a nice big new AK Steel building on the highway to show other potential developers and the region. "AK thought that Middletown was the best place to expand... you should too." The Eye Institute - roughly the same thing. They wanted to expand their operation and we wanted to keep them in Middletown. The jobs continue to be within the Middletown city limits, income taxes continue to flow, and we get the property taxes from the new building. The only flaw in your thinking is that you have the Middletown schools losing in this. If you move to Warren County and destroy the old buildings, I agree. In this case, there is already interest in re-use of the current AK research site when they move and the existing Eye Institute building is in good shape and should be reoccupied. Even vacant, however, the property taxes continue and AK and whoever owns the current Eye Institute building continue to pay property taxes on the existing structure. There will be no loss to our school district and we gain a small amount from the new buildings in Warren County. The new apartment complex is completely within the city and all income taxes from residents of the complex will go to the City. I honestly am not sure where the Middletown district and the Franklin school district line is drawn over along the border, but property taxes for the new apartments will go primarily to whichever school district that complex lies in and the city will get its normal share of property taxes from the new complex. I think all three are good for the city long term. As Spider often says, "That's JMO." |
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spiderjohn
Prominent MUSA Citizen 
Joined: Jul 01 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2749 |
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Posted: Aug 29 2016 at 12:27pm |
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hesitant to wade back in to this, because I communicate, run in to Mr.A occasionally, and loosely talk about a few issues. As I mentioned, I find him open, honest and somewhat inspirational towards steady long-term community improvement. We still have widely differing opinions on MANY MANY local concerns and direction, and he still views me as basically negative towards city admin. Hey--Mr.A, the school head and chamber head get well-paid to promote the sunshine daydream. They are here to lead optimism and hopefully get it done somehow.
People posting like middiemom are probably the last type of supporters that he is seeking. A winey insulting person on the attack is seldom helpful. Thanx for the inclusion, what a city, however my song has been sung many many times over the last few decades. "They" know how I think--I know how "they" think: The lifer locals have difficulty separating the current "5 year plan" from the other plans and studies that have been shoved on us for 20+ years. We don't distinguish between when Mr.A took the job from the decades prior, especially recent since he has long been a part of the inner workings before his current position. We have heard it all many times--often the sos, only coming from a different new voice with no connection to past efforts. I am done with local community "meetings" about issues, whether it be city, schools, crime, business--whatever. Once you get past the egos, chest thumping, attacks and defenses, little seems to come from honestly well-meant sessions. Just get it done Mr.A--as fairly and efficiently as possible with the least expense. Instead of looking for ways to take income from working citizens, find ways to let them keep more of their $$. Let private enterprise run it's course. Only that can grow a business economy. Local govts are to crony-favoring, cost too much and take too long. 1. What is up with the streets? A lot of re-digging in areas that have been recently paved. Sewer issues? Poor work first time? more later....
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