AGENDA 12--15-2015

MIDDLETOWN CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

TUESDAY, December 15,

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

 

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

2. ROLL CALL

3. PRESENTATION - Jeff Pohlman Tire and Auto Service - 25th Anniversary

4. PRESENTATION - Middletown Ford - 25th Anniversary

5. PRESENTATION – Anita Scott Jones

6. PRESENTATION – Joe Mulligan

7. CITIZEN COMMENTS, GUESTS, ORGANIZATIONS’ REPORTS

8. CITY MANAGER REPORTS  TV Middletown

9. 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: November 17 and December 1, 2015

(b) Receive and File Board & Commission Minutes: Library Board- August 18 & September 15, 2015 Historic Commission- October 22, 2015 Park Board- November 2, 2015 Board of Health- November 10, 2015

{c) Confirm Personnel Appointments: Nicole Hitte- Dispatcher, Division of Public Safety David Terrell- Mechanic, Division of Municipal Garage Brandon Ramirez & Jessica Payne- Patrol Officers, Division of Police Karen Robinson- Senior Account Clerk, Division of City Tax.

(d) Confirm Promotional Appointments- Fire Lieutenants: Jess Chaille, Todd Steinbrunner, Brian Wright, John Scranton

(e) Confirm Termination: Brian Alexander, Maintenance Worker.

(f) Receive and File Oaths of Office: Timothy Haney, Steve Bohannon, Talbott Moon, Lawrence Mulligan, Jr.

(g) To authorize the City Manager to enter into a professional services agreement with John Hovell for Tax Process Server services.

(h) To establish a contract with Hawkins, Inc., of Roseville, MN, for the purchase of Hydrofluosilicic Acid (HFS), in the amount of $2.65/gallon to be used by the Water Treatment Plant during the 2016 calendar year.

(i) To recommend the purchase of liquid chlorine from Bonded Chemical, Columbus, Ohio, in the amount of $.74/gallon for use at the Wastewater Treatment Plant and $.85/gallon for use at the Water Treatment Plant.

 

PINNING CEREMONY

 

MOTION AGENDA

(a)    To authorize a contract with Voya for the Stop Loss Coverage in 2016.

 

COUNCIL COMMENTS

1. Ordinance No. O2015-74, an ordinance establishing a procedure for and authorizing a third amendment to a contract with Cardno ATC for demolition and remediation of the STM/Wrenn Papermill site and declaring an emergency.

 

2. Ordinance No. O2015-75, an ordinance establishing a procedure for and authorizing a second amendment to the contract with Metropolitan Environmental Services, Inc. for remediation of the STM/Wrenn Papermill site and declaring an emergency.

 

3. Ordinance No. O2015-77, an ordinance authorizing a development agreement between the City of Middletown, Commerce Corner, LLC and Atrium Medical Center, and declaring an emergency.

 

4. Resolution No. R2015-46, 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, 2015 and declaring an emergency. (Housing Assistance Fund)

 

5. Resolution No. R2015-47, 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, 2015 and declaring an emergency. (Appropriation Transfer- General Fund)

 

6. Ordinance No. O2015-79, an ordinance establishing a procedure for and authorizing an amendment to the contract with Polydyne, Inc. for the purchase of polymer for use at the Waste Water Treatment Plant for the year 2015 and declaring an emergency.

 

7. Ordinance No. O2015-80, an ordinance establishing a procedure for and authorizing a contract for the transfer of City owned property to the Middletown City School District, and declaring an emergency.

 

8. Ordinance No. O2015-81, an ordinance providing for the removal of parcels from a Tax Increment Financing Area created by this Council pursuant to Ordinance No. O2005-142; to declare seventy-five per cent of the improvements to those parcels to be a public purpose and exempt from real property taxation; to provide for the distribution of the applicable portion of those service payments directly to the Warren County Career Center; to create and provide for the deposit of the remainder of those service payments into a Municipal Public Improvement Tax Increment Equivalent Fund and to provide for payment of a portion of those service payments received by the City to the Middletown City School District as provided in a Compensation Agreement between that School District and the City; to specify the public infrastructure improvements and costs to be paid from that fund; to approve and authorize the execution of a Tax Increment Financing Agreement to implement this ordinance; and to declare an emergency.

 

9. Ordinance No. O2015-82, an ordinance establishing a procedure for and authorizing an agreement with Buxton for assistance in retail recruitment. (1st Reading)

 

EXECUTIVE SESSION Under the authority of O.R.C. 121.22 (G) (1) To consider the appointment of a public employee or official; and O.R.C. 121.22 (G) (2) To consider the purchase of property for public purposes, or for the sale of property at competitive bidding, if premature disclosure of information would give an unfair competitive or bargaining advantage.

Perfectly suited partners:

i)  Dollar Tree
ii) Dollar General
iii)  Pawn Stores R US
iv) Buying and Selling Gold
v) Salvation Army
vi) Goodwill
vii) Buy It Here Used Cars, Interest rates 37.5%
viii) Payday Loans

Hmmm...Buxton will be paid from the Civic Developement Fund? 

The city will not be able to pull in high wage manufacturing jobs from growth sectors such as aviation, biotech, etc. UNTIL we have a labor pool to draw from of educated people who WANT to work. We've got everything else going for us in regards of available land, location, access to utilities, the interstate, an airport, etc. But we don't have an available labor pool. Those types of employers that we have now, such as AK, Aeronca or Middletown Tube, has been embedded for years. Were they startups looking to locate somewhere right now, I don't think they would choose Middletown.

To beef up our labor pool requires excellent local schools that graduate students prepared for college or skilled trade schools. And there's a host of things that can and should be done by MCSD to right the ship, but the biggest factor they cannot control.

The generation of kids in school now, in this area, are largely coming from un- or under-educated households where there is little to no value placed on education. Learning starts at home. Discipline starts at home. Character, work ethic, citizenship...it all starts at home. These values and concepts can be taught all day long at school, but without being encouraged and reinforced at home it makes it very difficult to see success.

I've worked in manufacturing in and around Middletown my whole life, and I can tell you that not all, but the vast majority of the younger set who are just hitting the labor force over the last decade and a half who aren't leaving this area for college or better career opportunities are either unprepared or unwilling to step into those skilled labor roles. The ones who are willing and able to succeed are mostly leaving because there's not much left for them here.

It's a cycle. The educated and skilled labor won't stay because there aren't any good jobs. The employers won't come because there isn't a big enough labor pool.

Local government can only work on two of the three corners of the triangle. They can try to make the city more high wage employer friendly (which they have been working on, with very limited success). They can work to improve the local schools and the education it provides to the area youth (which again they have been working on, also with very limited success). But in the end it's that third corner, the families, that is failing us the most. How do you fix that?

A three legged stool with only two working legs cannot stand on it's own.

Scouter not long ago you indicating the city's plan to lure the FAA into establishing Hook Field to operate as a regional maintenance site was terrific. If that is so, and you are stating the workforce is unskilled and devoid in Middletown, how would that plan successfully work?

Certainly mean no disrespect but your premise is wrong. It is not lack of skilled workers that impede Middletown's economic development. On the contrary, there are many CNC shops all over the area, including Middletown, Carlise, and up and down the 75 corridor to Dayton and south. There are programs at C State that focus upon IT analytics, healthcare, and general business and operations. Indeed, southwestern Ohio, like Milwaukee and other areas that have many skilled German immigrants, are known worldwide, to have the best skilled technical manufacturing craftsman in the nation. And, some of the best welders, including underwater, are residing in Middletown and the general area.

No longer do you have journeyman programs for high school grads. You have two year programs where you earn a diploma, or two year degree, in CNC, water jet programming, robotic repair, et al. These schools are highly competitive and do attract students. Many companies pay students to attend them, including an excellent program Toyota has with UK in robotics engineering, which is coop, and you can obtain a guaranteed job at about $85,000 annually, while going to school and making an income.

Simply put, IT IS NOT shortage of trained workers prohibiting companies moving in. That's untrue. GE Aviations is 20 minutes down the highway, C State has the aviation maintenance program, as does several Dayton based institutions offering the two year CNC trade programs.

THE PROBLEM IS companies don't want to come to Middletown, for several reasons, which include crime, taxes, difficulty in working with city management, and countless other reasons. BUT, it is NOT associated in the least WITH A LACK OF TRAINED WORKFORCE. You have one of most trained advanced manufacturing workforces in the nation in southwestern Ohio, and Middletown.

Read the reasoning behind Mr. Adkins stating the city needs to focus upon retail. He starts with talking about foreclosure and the lack of disposable income, and yet states residents want places to spend disposable income. Middletown WILL NEVER be a success built upon a foundation of retail business. The effort needs to focus upon WHY businesses don't want in, as opposed to suggesting the workforce is inadequate. That is untrue.

Breihel businesses are leaving so fast you can't keep up with the FOR LEASE signs.

         
 

Excellent observations Spiderjohn.  I know a just a little bit about commercial real estate and concur with you.  From "Anal-ytical" as you previously referred to me.  I'm certain that you are a kind, Christian man.

Correct acclaro
All necessary parts of the package

I try to be the best that I can be analytical
A work in progress
i take offense to anyone who demeans the MUSA family
They are not the root of middietown's problems