AGENDA 4-02-2013

 

MIDDLETOWN CITY COUNCIL AGENDA , April 2, 2013

I. WORK SESSION – COUNCIL CHAMBERS – LOWER LEVEL

5:30 p.m. Weatherwax Golf Course Discussion

II. BUSINESS MEETING – COUNCIL CHAMBERS – LOWER LEVEL

1. MOMENT OF MEDITATION/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG

2. ROLL CALL

3. CITIZEN COMMENTS

4. CITY MANAGER REPORTS

Kathy Edelen, Outdoor Educator, Metroparks of Butler County, Community Gardens

5. CONSENT AGENDA. . . Matters listed under the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one motion and one vote of consent. There will be no separate discussion of these items. If discussion is desired, that item will be removed and considered separately.

(a) Approve City Council Minutes: March 19, 2013

(b) Receive and File Board and Commission Minutes:

Middletown Cemetery Board- February 20, 2013

Architectural Review Board – March 14, 2013

Civil Service Commission – January 18, 2013

Middletown Public Housing Agency – March 19, 2013

Park Board- March 20, 2013

(c) Confirm Personnel Transactions:

Appointment: Corrections Officer – Dee Rossi

(d) Appoint Park Board Member – Carolyn Kieffer

(e) Receive and File Oath of Office: Gerry Burris

(f) Proclamation: April 7 -14, 2013 as Days of Remembrance

6. MOTION AGENDA

(a) To request authorization to purchase a Sutphen S1 Shield Pumper Vehicle per the State of Ohio STS Contract in the amount of $387,627.08

7. COUNCIL COMMENTS

III. LEGISLATION

1. Resolution No. R2013-07, a resolution to make adjustments to appropriations for current expenses and other expenditures of the City of Middletown, Counties of Butler and Warren, State of Ohio, for the period ending December 31, 2013 (Downtown Fund) (2nd Reading).

2. Ordinance No. O2013-18, an ordinance approving an amendment to an agreement with Steam Systems, Inc. providing for the expansion of a manufacturing facility as a Development Project and Tax Exemption pursuant to the State Urban Jobs and Enterprise Zone Program, and making determination in connection therewith. (2nd Reading)

3. Ordinance No. O2013-19, an ordinance approving an amendment to an agreement with Pilot Chemical Company providing for the expansion of a manufacturing facility as a Development Project and Tax Exemption pursuant to the State Urban Jobs and Enterprise Zone Program, and making determination in connection therewith. (2nd Reading)

4. Ordinance No. O2013-20, an ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into a Job Creation Incentive Grant Agreement with Avure Technologies Inc. and declaring an emergency.

5. Ordinance No. O2013-21, an ordinance establishing a procedure for and authorizing and ratifying a contract with Lake Erie Electric for emergency electrical repairs and declaring an emergency.

6. Resolution No. R2013-08, a resolution declaring the intent of the City of Middletown to appropriate the fee simple interest and a permanent drainage easement in certain real property owned by T. E. Products Pipeline, Co. located at the northeast and northwest corners of Yankee Road and Todhunter Road and declaring an emergency.

7. Ordinance No. O2013-22, amending Chapter 1041 of the codified ordinances.(1st Reading)

8. Resolution No. R2013-06, a resolution strongly opposing the passage of HB5 by the Ohio General Assembly which proposes uniformity measures for municipal income tax in the form of unfunded mandates and a substantial loss of revenue (1st Reading).

9. Resolution No. R2013-09, a resolution to make adjustments to appropriations for current expenses and other expenditures of the City of Middletown, Counties of Butler and Warren, State of Ohio, for the period ending December 31, 2013. (Pool Fund) (1st Reading).

So they punted on the Weatherwax decision.  Goodness, can anyone make a decision about anything (that doesn't involve Downtown)?  And people act like selling the place is a crime.  It's a golf course, people!  Guess what -- whoever buys it will keep running it...as a GOLF COURSE.  It's not going away.  Stop the bleeding and dump it. 

Bill wrote: So they punted on the Weatherwax decision.  Goodness, can anyone make a decision about anything (that doesn't involve Downtown)?  And people act like selling the place is a crime.  It's a golf course, people!  Guess what -- whoever buys it will keep running it...as a GOLF COURSE.  It's not going away.  Stop the bleeding and dump it.

Journal story about the indecision....

Council and the golf commission agreed to continue the discussion about the golf course at its next meeting May 7 after soliciting input from local residents

SINCE WHEN DID COUNCIL ACTUALLY LISTEN TO "INPUT FROM THE CITIZENS"?

Dan Picard, vice mayor, called the decision “a very difficult issue.”

NICE GENERALIZED, SANITIZED STATEMENT SAYING NOTHING FROM PICARD. TYPICAL.

Councilwoman Anita Scott Jones said the No. 1 priority should be to pay off the debt as soon as possible. If that can’t be accomplished, she said, the city should “let it go.”

Councilman A.J. Smith said the city needs to look at alternatives and possibly sell Weatherwax to a private entity.

“We have to stop the bleeding,” he said of the city’s financial support.

Later, Smith called selling the course the “only conceivable idea.”

THERE'S TWO "SELL IT" VOTES FROM SCOTT-JONES AND SMITH. LAUBACH, THE MULLIGANS? NOTHING FROM THEM?

Councilwoman Ann Mort was concerned what impact selling the course would have on the city. She said when marketing the city to potential residents and companies, its location, city parks, symphony and Weatherwax are part of the package.

But at a time when the city is concerned with financing the repair of pot holes, it’s hard to fund golf holes, she said

GOOD LORD! A "KEEP IT- IT'S A PACKAGE DEAL" FOLLOWED BY A "CAN'T JUSTIFY GOLF HOLES/POT HOLES" COMMENT. EXACTLY WHERE DOES MORT STAND ON THE ISSUE? FENCE RIDING AT IT'S BEST. ON OR OFF THE POT MORT, WHICH IS IT?

AND THEN YOU HAVE THIS....

The city’s annual subsidy for the 41-year-old golf course in 2012 was $403,000, which was a near 3½ times increase since 2009.

Tieman assured council that Weatherwax was on the rebound. He said sales of season passes are higher than normal and said bookings of outings are on pace.

“We are not on the down turn,” he said.

THE CITY SUBSTIDIZED THE COURSE IN 2012 TO THE TUNE OF $403 GRAND......3 1/2 TIME INCREASE SINCE 2009. TIEMAN SAYS THE COURSE IS ON THE REBOUND.?????HOW CAN THAT BE IF THE CITY IS PUTTING 3 1/2 TIMES MORE MONEY INTO IT SINCE 2009. PLEASE EXPLAIN THAT TO US TIEMAN.

NOT A HARD DECISION IF YOU'RE HURTING FOR CITY MONEY. UNLOAD IT. IT IS A CASH COW ACCORDING TO THE ABOVE STATEMENT. YOU CAN NO LONGER AFFORD IT PEOPLE. MERCY! LET THE SENTIMENT GO AND GO WITH SOME COMMON FINANCIAL SENSE HERE.

you know its good to see that there's a couple on council thats thinking smart!!  never thought i would ever say that about AJ.. thumbs up AJ !!! and  Anita Scott Jones  Ann Mort was concerned what impact selling the course would have on the city!!!! oooo come -on !!!! do ya think it would be a really good thing, you could say ooo my Ogosh we saved alot money!!!!DO THE RIGHT THING !!! Dan Picard, vice mayor, called the decision “a very difficult issue!!!! your kidding!!! RIGHT!! DO THE RIGHT THING!!! MULLIGANS? oooo boy!!! DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THE TAXPAYERS OF MID TOWN !!! JUST LET IT GO!!! then you all can sit back and give yourself a pat on the back... for doing the right thing!! really it won't hurt...JUST LET IT GO!! this is really the reason a city should never be part of and giving out the ying yang to keep it going, you know im sure there are business golfing minded PRO'S with lots of $$$$ that could take over this place and just maybe get TIGER WOODS to come to town..

GLM wrote: Spider is "spot on" with his comments - selling assets for pennies on the dollar is a bad idea and you can bet any dollars received from the sale would evaporate immediately.    IMO, before considering offers to sell Weatherwax, the City should consider a golf course management firm to run the course - for example Billy Casper Golf manages several courses for the City of Cincinnati, Heatherwood in Springboro, and Longaberger (the one Tieman mentioned).  It might take a while for Weatherwax to become profitable but it can happen.

GLM....

"selling assets for pennies on the dollar is a bad idea"

ON THE OTHER HAND.....

ANOTHER BAD IDEA......PAYING $403,000 A YEAR (RISING SINCE 2009) OUT OF THE CITY FUNDS THAT A CASH STRAPPED CITY CAN ILL AFFORD, WHILE THE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE ARE NEGLECTED FOR DECADES. GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS OF PROVIDING FRILLS LIKE GOLF COURSES AND GET BACK TO THE BASICS BY PROVIDING THE BASICS LIKE DECENT ROADS TO DRIVE ON AND SEWERS THAT WON'T COLLAPSE UNDER THE WEIGHT OF TRAFFIC. THE GOLF COURSE BENEFITS A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION OF MIDDLETOWN WHILE THE ROADS BENEFIT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE. WHAT IS THE BETTER INVESTMENT OF CITY MONEY? JMO

Has it been considered to let 18 of the holes go natural and just maintain the other 18?  I'm not sure how much money this would save or it might result in a drop in revenue.

Spider...."slightly raise the fees--cart fees--market the place better including meetings/weddings/parties
maintain the wonderful standards--take the city out of management with their dslary/bennie packages
lease it to a management group--DON'T SELL IT!"

Will your suggestions wipe out the $403,000 deficit the city paid out in 2012? If so, keep it open as you suggest. If not, it remains a money losing investment for the city that benefits only a small % of the population. Agree with the pathetic city theme of buying buildings with money they don't have and giving them away for private ventures. Ridiculous waste of money.

Spider....

"Take the school admin building as payment for improvements toward their new 4th floor Donham space".

Good idea although I question the value of the old school admin building on Girard. Can't be worth much. Another building to be demolished along with the old high school and gym?

The Spider....

"Do you really trust our city govt. to properly manage(spend) the small amount that would be generated by fire-saleing this great facility"

YES

"Joe Mulligan is the only Council member who understands. The rest are clueless, especially AJ(and I like AJ)"

ACTUALLY, I THINK THEY ARE ALL CLUELESS AT THIS POINT, BASED ON OUR DAILY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING THEIR COLLECTIVE TALENT LEVEL AND DECISION-MAKING CAPABILITIES.


"I compare it to doing away with the dedicated road improvement fund to solve the budget crisis du jour
The money has gone elsewhere, the roads are a disaster, and we can't get them fixed or maintained now."

YEP. THAT IS, UNLESS WE GIVE THEM MORE MONEY, LIKE PRESTON COMBS IS SUGGESTING, TO MEET THE CITY'S RAMPANT SPENDING HABITS. BUT, THEY WILL HIDE/LOSE/ILLEGALLY MOVE/MISAPPROPRIATE/"MAGICAL VOODOO" THAT MONEY INTO EXTINCTION ALSO......JUST TO END UP IN ONE OF THEIR LITTLE HIDDEN AGENDA PROJECTS MONTHS OR YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.

Spider:

"would you rather see another low-end housing subdivision there?"

NAW, I'D RATHER SEE ANOTHER LOW END HOUSING DEVELOPMENT SPRING UP ON S. MAIN ST. RIGHT NEXT TO THE MULLIGANS AND KOHLERS, ANOTHER IN MORT, PICARD AND ALL THE OTHERS NEIGHBORHOODS, WHO WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING IN ALL THE POVERTY. ALSO LIKE TO SEE ANOTHER UDF SPRING UP DOWN ON S. MAIN. WOULD ATTRACT AN ABUNDANCE OF CRIME LIKE THE CURRENT ONE DOES DOWNTOWN. THE POLICE BRIEFS EACH DAY SEEM TO INDICATE THAT THE UDF ATTRACTS A LOW END CROWD DOWNTOWN.

Spider:

"I appreciate the course---and would play it regardless of who owns it if it is maintained"

THIS IS WHERE WE ARE HAVING OUR DIFFERENCES. YOU PLAY THE COURSE. I DON'T. SAME WITH THE SENIORS LEVY A WHILE BACK. I HAD A VESTED INTEREST IN SEEING THAT THE SENIOR CENTER SERVICES DON'T GO AWAY AS WE USE THOSE SERVICES. YOU PLAY THE COURSE AND BENEFIT GIVING YOU THE VESTED INTEREST.

Spider:

"how much are we currently spending to mainrtain the manchester--bank buildings--sonshione-studio/strand--hobby house--monty wards?"

AN ABSOLUTE TRAVESTY THAT THE CITY IS INVOLVED IN THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS AND EITHER SPENDING OUR MONEY TO MAINTAIN WHAT THEY OWN OR GIVING AWAY WHITE ELEPHANTS TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS FREE OF CHARGE AFTER OUR MONEY PURCHASED THE BUILDINGS. INSANE.

Spider:

"quit forgiving loans to private entities like we are flush with cash--demand payment or torment those delinquents like they do private low-income home owners"

ARE YOU READING THIS MOORMANS? HAVE YOU PAID BACK THE LOAN FROM YEARS AGO THAT BELONG TO THE PEOPLE? AND HOW ABOUT ALL THE MONEY THAT WAS FORGIVEN ON THE MANCHESTER FROM THE THATCHER ESTATE? KINDA FREE AND EASY WITH OUR MONEY CITY LEADERS.

Spider:

"--spend available funds to fix streets--maintasin public safety
no new levys!"

YEP, BUT THE INEPT ONES RUNNING THIS CITY ARE INCAPABLE OF USING LOGIC, PRIORITIZING NEEDS NOR MAKING COMPETENT DECISIONS. WE ARE LED BY VERY STUBBORN, INCOMPETENT PEOPLE (PUPPETS) BEHIND THAT COUNCIL DESK AND IN THE CITY BUILDING. HAVE BEEN FOR DECADES.

COUNCIL IS RIGHT ON TOP THINGS CONCERNING THE GOLF COURSE...

MIDDLETOWN

City Council considers sale of Weatherwax under certain conditions

Councilman A.J. Smith says to sell it now. Vice Mayor Dan Picard acknowledged he would listen if a buyer came along with the right offer, but is willing to give the golf course another year to increase revenues. Councilwoman Anita Scott Jones said the city should pay off the $1 million debt owed from improvements to the golf course before unloading it. And Councilwoman Ann Mort said she would “love” for the city to “hang onto” Weatherwax for a couple more years, but she would also “love” to find a new owner.

FOUR COUNCIL PEOPLE ASKED.....FOUR COUNCIL PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT OPINIONS. NO ONE ON THE SAME PAGE. NO WONDER WE CAN'T GET THIS GROUP TO WORK TOGETHER, IT'S NOT A TEAM APPROACH WHICH CALLS FOR COMING TO A CONCLUSION BASED ON THE MAJORITY CONCENSUS THROUGH GROUP DISCUSSION. THEY DON'T DISCUSS ANYTHING. THEY JUST OFFER OPINIONS AND DROP THE SUBJECT.

YA JUST GOTTA LOVE MORT'S CONSTANT NON-COMMITTAL ATTITUDE ABOUT EVERYTHING. DOES THE WOMAN CONSTANTLY LIVE ON TOP OF THE FENCE RATHER THAN ON ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER?

Councilman Joe Mulligan said with the rental agreement, investment of new golf carts, and other upgrades at the course, the city should keep operating it for the time being.

“I would like to see how the course performs this year under normal conditions without the weather extremes,” he said. “I would like to see the course be profitable, to give the course some opportunity to succeed in 2013.”

SO BASICALLY, J. MULLIGAN WANTS TO WASTE ANOTHER $403,000 THIS YEAR AND GIVE THE COURSE ANOTHER CHANGE WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE YEARS OF HISTORICAL DATA THAT SHOWS A DEFINITE TREND THAT IT IS A MONEY DRAIN FOR THE CITY. HOW MUCH DATA DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE MULLIGAN FOR YOU TO BE CONVINCED THIS IS AN ALBATROSS AS TO CITY FINANCES?

“It doesn’t really matter who owns it,” Mort said. “I don’t expect to make money on it, but I don’t want it to go to pot

THAT'S GREAT! "I DON'T EXPECT TO MAKE MONEY ON IT" KNOWING THIS CITY IS SUPPOSE TO BE CASH-STRAPPED AND CUTTING THE BUDGET TO MAKE ENDS MEET? APPARENTLY NOT. APPARENTLY WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO WASTE ON A CONSTANT MONEY-LOSING VENTURE?

Scott Jones said she’d like to pay off the debt early since there’s no pre-payment penalty “and give them a couple of years to see if they’re self-sufficient.”

While selling it is an option, she’d like to see if the city asset can be self-sustaining without the debt.

“I would love it to stay a golf course, and I would love to see more young people get involved,” Scott Jones said. “I see a lot of pluses with it, but we should only keep it as long as it’s self-sufficient.”

In a few years, if the debt is paid and it’s not breaking even, then the city should look to selling it, she said.

WRONG MS. SCOTT-JONES, WRONG. YOU ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH EVIDENCE. PULL THE PLUG.

Smith doesn’t want to see the city spend any more on the course.

“I’m only interested in stopping the bleeding, and we can’t afford to keep funding it at the rate we’ve been funding it,” he said. “I’d like them to stay open and make a profit, but I don’t think the city should be in the golf business.”

He said there are too many “what ifs” in a weather-dependent business.

“It’s very subjective,” Smith said. “What if the weather is great? What if the weather is mediocre? I think it’s too risky of a business for the city to be in.”

FINALLY, A VOICE OF LOGICAL REASON AND AN ACTUAL FIRM COMMITMENT FROM A COUNCIL MEMBER. NICE TO SEE FROM A PERSON WITH ALOT OF BAGGAGE.   

WHERE ARE YOU MAYOR LAWRENCE MULLIGAN THE THIRD? WHAT IS YOUR VALUED OPINION ON THIS?

On April 2, 2013 Middletown City Council held a meeting at the Middletown City Building. The meeting Included the moment of meditation/Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, roll call, citizen comments, City Manager reports, consent agenda, motion agenda (to request authorization to purchase a Sutphen S1 Shield Pumper Vehicle per the State of Ohio STS Contract in the amount of $387,627.08), Council comments, legislation, and adjournment.
Follow the link to watch the Middletown City Council Meeting April 2, 2013.