MIDDLETOWN CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

TUESDAY, April 19, 2016

BUSINESS MEETING – 5:30 pm – COUNCIL CHAMBERS – LOWER LEVEL

 

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

2. ROLL CALL

3. CITIZEN COMMENTS, GUESTS, ORGANIZATIONS’ REPORTS

4. CITY MANAGER REPORTS Police Officer Recognition Board and Commission Handbook

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: April 5, 2016

(b) Confirm Personnel Appointments: Edward Truster- Maintenance Worker, Public Works Department, Division of Streets

(c) Receive and File Board and Commission Minutes: Board of Health-February 9, 2016 Park Board- March 7, 2016 (d) Proclamation Declaring April Fair Housing Month 6. MOTION AGENDA (a) To adopt Statement of Purpose and Rules, attached hereto, for members serving on all City Boards and Commissions.

(b) To require all Board and Commission Members to attend a training session on Board and Commission Guidelines.

COUNCIL COMMENTS

LEGISLATION

1. Resolution No. R2016-09, 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, 2016 and declaring an emergency. (General Fund)

2. Resolution No. R2016-10, a resolution authorizing the purchase of certain real property, located on the southwest corner of Columbia Avenue and Verity Parkway, and declaring an emergency.

3. Ordinance No. O2016-12, an ordinance authorizing the City to enter into a loan agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation and deliver a related note in the maximum principal amount of $452,000 for the purpose of paying the costs of constructing a two lane with median access road of about 1,200 linear feet from Union Road to the proposed AK Steel Research and Innovation Center and the chemical stabilization and asphalt paving of Wildwood Road, Barnitz Street, Jewell Avenue, Wisconsin Street, Vermont Street and South Main Street as well as an alley along Barnitz Park, together with related improvements and all necessary appurtenances thereto, and authorizing the execution of any additional documents related thereto, and declaring an emergency.

4. Ordinance No. O2016-13, an ordinance establishing a procedure for and authorizing a contract with National Water Services for the rehabilitation of a production well and declaring an emergency

Not really gonna consider taking another building for 20 grand that no one is interested in are they? And this purchase coming from the old "General Fund" where funds are transferred to be "manipulated" and redistributed in true Middletown fashion.

Thought the city wasn't interested in buying more real estate.....they have said that numerous times in the past.

Which is it?

.What about the First National Bank building that we gifted to HEP at the same time?
No restrictions on this building. Is HEP going to put this building on the market?

She saw good in saving the beauty and history of the historic building at the cemetery which the city saw no beauty, nor good in abiding by Ohio revised code.

She saw beauty and good in encouraging private investment in downtown, including pursuing a former prominent Middletownian considering an acquisition before passing on it, not wanting to deal with the Abbey politics.

i recall ml you saw good at a yoga site and wine facility downtown that has never materialized.

The question is: do you see wrong in anything the leadership does? If not, you are in a land in a city of blind, a one eyed ruling class watches its kingdom built on quicksand.   

Middle lover: We do see the good but it usually comes from someplace other than Donham Abby. A lot of us on this blog have watched with interest the chicanery,the back room deals,the favoritism, the out right lies, that have swirled around our city council for years. We were in hopes of Dougie changing his spots but I have my doubts. JMO

Posted: 4:23 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Middletown looks to buy back former senior center building

 

MIDDLETOWN — 

The city of Middletown wants to buy back the former Middletown Area Senior Citizens Center building at the southwest corner of Columbia Avenue and Verity Parkway, which it previously sold as part of a package deal to Higher Education Partners.

The city had hoped to pass legislation Tuesday approving the $20,000 purchase as an emergency measure — meaning consideration was needed at just one council meeting — but not enough council members were present to do so.

Middletown had previously sold a group of buildings — including the former CG&E building, First National Bank and senior center property — to HEP for use by the Middletown branch of the Cincinnati State Technical & Community College, according to a written report to council by City Manager Doug Adkins.

But “Cincinnati State does not have a future use for the old senior citizens building and HEP is considering selling the building,” Adkins wrote in his report.

HEP offered to transfer the title back to the city for $20,000, which is the amount it says it has “incurred to date in purchase and carrying costs associated with the building in lieu of marketing the property to the public,” Adkins wrote.

“Staff believes the city should take title back to protect future use of the building adjacent to City Hall,” he said in his report.

Because the city charter discourages use of one-meeting decisions — partly because they limit the opportunity for the public to comment on pending council decisions — at least four of council’s five members must be present at a meeting, and all present must vote to consider legislation on an emergency basis.

But only three council members attended Tuesday’s meeting. Vice Mayor Dora Bronston was out of town and Council Member Talbott Moon was called away at the last minute for a family emergency, so Mayor Larry Mulligan Jr. announced the building sale as well as three other items could not be considered until the May 3 meeting.

Adkins, in his report to council, offered three possible ways Middletown could use the former senior center property: selling it through a real estate company or by advertising it on the city’s website; renovating the space “for city functions”; or “we could demolish the building and utilize the space for green park space or additional city parking downtown.”

Middletown’s purchases and sales of downtown buildings have come with controversy.

The Journal-News reported in 2014 the city would lose $60,000 on downtown building deals in had previously made.

Earlier this year, residents expressed concerns about the $1 sale of a dilapidated building at 1316 Vail Ave. and two adjacent vacant properties to startup micro-distillery Liberty Spirits LLC.

The other three items that did not go to a vote Tuesday:

·                       A resolution adjusting appropriations within the city’s 2016 budget

·                       An ordinance for a loan agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation to build a two-lane access road from Union Road to the proposed AK Steel Research and Innovation Center and the paving of several roads

·                       An ordinance allowing the city to spend $42,375 to rehabilitate production well No. 7, which in 1999 produced 4 million gallons per day but now provides about half that.

 

Vivian Moon wrote: BTW...I believe the Old Senior Citizens building was appraised at $375,000 several weeks before it was given away to HEP. I can't wait to see which of the Good Friends of Middletown end up with this building...

Vivian Moon wrote: April 13, 2012: City Manager Judy Gilleland signs off on selling the former CG&E building for $202,000 and donating the former Senior Center to Higher Education Partners. Both buildings will play a role in the future downtown Middletown campus of Cincinnati State, though the CG&E We are now in the 4th year of Cincinnati State. Where are the 3,000 to 5,000 students that were projected within 5 years at the downtown campus? What is the current enrollment at CS downtown?

All good questions Vivian. I have noticed that the downtown supporter prideful talk about the "downtown cure for creating foot traffic" has subsided quite a bit in the last year. As I recall, the last time the Journal gave us all a dose of embellishment about Cinn State, Rep Tim Derrickson and some other "dignitaries" were doing the old politician "ribbon cutting shuffle photo opt" for all of us. Could this silence be because of missed projections on enrollment? Not too much to acknowledge to the public if the goals are way short of the mark and kinda puts a black eye on the old embellishment propaganda program in place since day one. If their plans are successful, they fall all over themselves patting themselves on the back, but if a failure, the plans silently go away to die on the vine.

Gentlemen
I did call the main office of Cincinnati State and the Middletown office and could not get the current enrollment at the Middletown campus.

Middletownscouter
The last time I requested the numbers for the Middletown campus it was less than 600 students and half of these students were on-line