Minutes January 25, 2021
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Special Council Meeting
January 25, 2021
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met virtually by Zoom, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Davis called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL: The following were present:
MAYOR | COUNCIL MEMBERS | OTHER CITY OFFICIALS |
Helen M. Davis | Bruce Blue | Lisa Kraft |
Kate Greer | Attorney Randy Strobo | |
Marcia Myers | Attorney Clay Barkely | |
Marianne Rademaker | Attorney David Spinard | |
Suzanne Spencer | Steve Teaford | |
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the December 14, 2020, Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the minutes of the December 30, 2020, Special Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for December 2020 were moved for approval by Councilman Blue, seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the December bills, totaling $55,488.45 and was seconded by Councilman Blue. The motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS:
The Mayor asked if there were no objections if the Council could go out of order and present new business first, the presentation and acceptance of the 2019-20 Annual Audit. No one objected.
Debbie Stumler, Auditor with Bechtler, Parker & Watts Accounting Firm, presented a summary of the audit to the Council. There was discussion and a few questions for Ms. Stumler.
Councilman Blue made a motion to accept the audit, seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: Martha Davis reported: While walking up to the Shopping Center from the sidewalk on Rudy Lane, you can see that behind the center there is a lot of garbage and leaves on the ground and some of it is blowing into the MSD catch basin. Some of the garbage may be blowing out of the dumpsters. She asked the City to work with the Shopping Center to keep it cleaned up. Discussion by the Council followed. Councilman Blue reported that he would follow up and report at the next Council meeting.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
As reported by Mayor Davis, “Police Report: There were 101 hours of Police support. Most of the time was devoted to a single home located on Victoria. We spent 30+ hours on this house. If you, as a council member, help a neighbor with a house watch, please remind them that there is a 30 day annual limit. Also, you can be directed to the website because we will be placing a direct link to complete the form and submit it to Graymoor-Devondale.
They also conducted 5 hours of traffic control radar resulting in no tickets or warnings. There were a couple of reports of suspicious persons but no individuals were found. There was a mailbox damaged on Hill Top. There was a report of auto theft in Coach Gate.
I received a request from a resident of Spain for a Windy Hills challenge coin depicting our City seal. I emailed him back that I would happily send him a window decal since we do not have a City coin. I haven’t heard back.
The auditors have finished their audit and are presenting it for adoption this evening. I will file our state-required financial reports on Tuesday.
Office update: Lisa sent out delinquent tax letters to our residents who have not paid. She will give you more information in her report. Later this week or early next week, a CPA is coming into the office to work with Lisa on QuickBooks.
I was on a Zoom meeting with JCLC. The major topic was LG&E LED Lighting Service for cities. Bruce was also on the zoom meeting and will report more. Additionally, it was mentioned in the meeting that there is a possible statewide proposal to require elected officials to complete a mandatory training program. I will update you when we have more information.
The KLC is hosting a Mayors’ Zoom meeting with Governor Beshear. It is scheduled for Wednesday morning and I will attend.
Finally, I am still working on a few outstanding issues. The first is the house at 726 Indian Ridge Road. I have had additional calls from the neighbors and there was a fire department run at the house back in late December. I am working with our attorneys to move this forward. We have some additional legal issues dating to the spring that was left unfinished that they are also addressing.”
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker wanted everyone to understand the Windy Hills’ officials who deal with the money and sign checks are bonded.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Mr. Teaford reported he would be spending most of his time in February following up on vacant and rental homes. We have received most of the rental registries back, but are still waiting for a few responses.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported on the following items:
“I have contracted with SavaTree to fertilize the big Spruce. It is expensive ($460) for two treatments this year. We will probably have one next year. The holiday lights will go on a different tree next year. There is another big spruce and two hollies. Caroline recommends the holly tree because it will be bushier. There is one near Rudy the Bear and one near the other spruces.
We had a problem with the Holiday tree lights. The electric eye died so SavaTree installed a timer. Lights went on about 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and then went on again in the morning for people going to work. There was no extra cost. But then the timer got messed up one night (New Year’s Eve) and had to be replaced. Another problem involved one of the small evergreens by the sign. I gave Adam over 1000 lights to put on it. The lights lasted one or two nights. I will have an electrician look at the situation before the next holiday season.
The application for Tree City is complete. Unfortunately, some of the information I needed was at Cheri Silvey-Slusher’s house and she is in Florida. Thank goodness for Lisa. She sent me all the information Helen and I needed.”
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported: “ On December 17, 2020, The Windy Hills Breeze was sent to 729 subscribed resident addresses. About 60% were opened.
Our New Year’s print edition has been delayed in order to include our audit report and any other news from the Council meeting which was delayed this month in order to accommodate the late audit report.
The revised deadline for the edition will be Wednesday, January 27th at noon. Feel free to submit articles or announcements, reminders, etc. whenever you have them before that. The print edition should be in our resident’s hands by next week, end of the week for sure.”
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- Welcome to Windy Hills – 1 new resident in December.
- Community Caring – Little Libraries in the City – Working with Steve on Code Enforcement issues.
- Pat Haunz and her daughter have checked the plaque that will be placed on the Green in Foster’s memory.
- The St. X student Dare to Care project collected 3,500 lbs. of food in Windy Hills.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
- “New post and signs on Windhurst will be finished this week. They will have the upgraded reflective tape.
- Streetlights that were damaged have been repaired
- Discussed the stonework on the Old Stone wall.
- I will purchase a couple of deer cameras for the Green.
- Have a call into LG&E about more lighting on the Green.
- No big problems with EcoTech. Marcia sent out an updated report on when they will pick up garbage and yard waste.
- JCLC Meeting – All new lights in Metro will now be replaced with LED lights. Normal lights last 5-6 years, but the LED lights will last 15+ years. Less maintenance, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.”
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg – no report.
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported she sent out 26 letters for delinquent taxes on January 11, 2021. So far, 9 residents paid and several have called with promises to make payments.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
ATTORNEYS COMMENTS: Randy Strobo introduced Clay Barkely and David Spinard, members of his firm that will work with the city. He talked about helping with Parliamentary Procedure if needed. He wants the Council to make sure to go into Executive Session when talking about possible litigation since it adds a layer of protection.
Comments/Questions to the Council as a Whole: Resident Pam Feldhoff asked if there is an update on the Pohl property. The Mayor answered that the Pohls are planning on building sometime in the next year. They have started by paving their driveway. Steve Teaford added a few comments and there was more discussion.
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg, and the motion passed unanimously.
_______ __________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2021 Council Meeting Minutes
Minutes January 11, 2021
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Special Council Meeting
January 25, 2021
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met virtually by Zoom, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Davis called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL: The following were present:
MAYOR | COUNCIL MEMBERS | OTHER CITY OFFICIALS |
Helen M. Davis | Bruce Blue | Lisa Kraft |
Kate Greer | Attorney Randy Strobo | |
Marcia Myers | Attorney Clay Barkely | |
Marianne Rademaker | Attorney David Spinard | |
Suzanne Spencer | Steve Teaford | |
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the December 14, 2020, Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the minutes of the December 30, 2020, Special Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for December 2020 were moved for approval by Councilman Blue, seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the December bills, totaling $55,488.45 and was seconded by Councilman Blue. The motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS:
The Mayor asked if there were no objections if the Council could go out of order and present new business first, the presentation and acceptance of the 2019-20 Annual Audit. No one objected.
Debbie Stumler, Auditor with Bechtler, Parker & Watts Accounting Firm, presented a summary of the audit to the Council. There was discussion and a few questions for Ms. Stumler.
Councilman Blue made a motion to accept the audit, seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: Martha Davis reported: While walking up to the Shopping Center from the sidewalk on Rudy Lane, you can see that behind the center there is a lot of garbage and leaves on the ground and some of it is blowing into the MSD catch basin. Some of the garbage may be blowing out of the dumpsters. She asked the City to work with the Shopping Center to keep it cleaned up. Discussion by the Council followed. Councilman Blue reported that he would follow up and report at the next Council meeting.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
As reported by Mayor Davis, “Police Report: There were 101 hours of Police support. Most of the time was devoted to a single home located on Victoria. We spent 30+ hours on this house. If you, as a council member, help a neighbor with a house watch, please remind them that there is a 30-day annual limit. Also, you can be directed to the website because we will be placing a direct link to complete the form and submit it to Graymoor-Devondale.
They also conducted 5 hours of traffic control radar resulting in no tickets or warnings. There were a couple of reports of suspicious persons but no individuals were found. There was a mailbox damaged on Hill Top. There was a report of auto theft in Coach Gate.
I received a request from a resident of Spain for a Windy Hills challenge coin depicting our City seal. I emailed him back that I would happily send him a window decal since we do not have a City coin. I haven’t heard back.
The auditors have finished their audit and are presenting it for adoption this evening. I will file our state-required financial reports on Tuesday.
Office update: Lisa sent out delinquent tax letters to our residents who have not paid. She will give you more information in her report. Later this week or early next week, a CPA is coming into the office to work with Lisa on QuickBooks.
I was on a Zoom meeting with JCLC. The major topic was LG&E LED Lighting Service for cities. Bruce was also on the zoom meeting and will report more. Additionally, it was mentioned in the meeting that there is a possible statewide proposal to require elected officials to complete a mandatory training program. I will update you when we have more information.
The KLC is hosting a Mayors’ Zoom meeting with Governor Beshear. It is scheduled for Wednesday morning and I will attend.
Finally, I am still working on a few outstanding issues. The first is the house at 726 Indian Ridge Road. I have had additional calls from the neighbors and there was a fire department run at the house back in late December. I am working with our attorneys to move this forward. We have some additional legal issues dating to the spring that was left unfinished that they are also addressing.”
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker wanted everyone to understand the Windy Hills’ officials who deal with the money and sign checks are bonded.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Mr. Teaford reported he would be spending most of his time in February following up on vacant and rental homes. We have received most of the rental registries back, but are still waiting for a few responses.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported on the following items:
“I have contracted with SavaTree to fertilize the big Spruce. It is expensive ($460) for two treatments this year. We will probably have one next year. The holiday lights will go on a different tree next year. There is another big spruce and two hollies. Caroline recommends the holly tree because it will be bushier. There is one near Rudy the Bear and one near the other spruces.
We had a problem with the Holiday tree lights. The electric eye died so SavaTree installed a timer. Lights went on about 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and then went on again in the morning for people going to work. There was no extra cost. But then the timer got messed up one night (New Year’s Eve) and had to be replaced. Another problem involved one of the small evergreens by the sign. I gave Adam over 1000 lights to put on it. The lights lasted one or two nights. I will have an electrician look at the situation before the next holiday season.
The application for Tree City is complete. Unfortunately, some of the information I needed was at Cheri Silvey-Slusher’s house and she is in Florida. Thank goodness for Lisa. She sent me all the information Helen and I needed.”
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported: “ On December 17, 2020, The Windy Hills Breeze was sent to 729 subscribed resident addresses. About 60% were opened.
Our New Year’s print edition has been delayed in order to include our audit report and any other news from the Council meeting which was delayed this month in order to accommodate the late audit report.
The revised deadline for the edition will be Wednesday, January 27th at noon. Feel free to submit articles or announcements, reminders, etc. whenever you have them before that. The print edition should be in our resident’s hands by next week, end of the week for sure.”
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- Welcome to Windy Hills – 1 new resident in December.
- Community Caring – Little Libraries in the City – Working with Steve on Code Enforcement issues.
- Pat Haunz and her daughter have checked the plaque that will be placed on the Green in Foster’s memory.
- The St. X student Dare to Care project collected 3,500 lbs. of food in Windy Hills.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
- “New post and signs on Windhurst will be finished this week. They will have the upgraded reflective tape.
- Streetlights that were damaged have been repaired
- Discussed the stonework on the Old Stone wall.
- I will purchase a couple of deer cameras for the Green.
- Have a call into LG&E about more lighting on the Green.
- No big problems with EcoTech. Marcia sent out an updated report on when they will pick up garbage and yard waste.
- JCLC Meeting – All new lights in Metro will now be replaced with LED lights. Normal lights last 5-6 years, but the LED lights will last 15+ years. Less maintenance, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.”
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg – no report.
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported she sent out 26 letters for delinquent taxes on January 11, 2021. So far, 9 residents paid and several have called with promises to make payments.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
ATTORNEYS COMMENTS: Randy Strobo introduced Clay Barkely and David Spinard, members of his firm that will work with the city. He talked about helping with Parliamentary Procedure if needed. He wants the Council to make sure to go into Executive Session when talking about possible litigation since it adds a layer of protection.
Comments/Questions to the Council as a Whole: Resident Pam Feldhoff asked if there is an update on the Pohl property. The Mayor answered that the Pohls are planning on building sometime in the next year. They have started by paving their driveway. Steve Teaford added a few comments and there was more discussion.
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg, and the motion passed unanimously.
_______ __________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2021 Council Meeting Minutes
Minutes January 11, 2021
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Special Council Meeting
January 25, 2021
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met virtually by Zoom, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Davis called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL: The following were present:
MAYOR | COUNCIL MEMBERS | OTHER CITY OFFICIALS |
Helen M. Davis | Bruce Blue | Lisa Kraft |
Kate Greer | Attorney Randy Strobo | |
Marcia Myers | Attorney Clay Barkely | |
Marianne Rademaker | Attorney David Spinard | |
Suzanne Spencer | Steve Teaford | |
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the December 14, 2020, Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the minutes of the December 30, 2020, Special Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for December 2020 were moved for approval by Councilman Blue, seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the December bills, totaling $55,488.45 and was seconded by Councilman Blue. The motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS:
The Mayor asked if there were no objections if the Council could go out of order and present new business first, the presentation and acceptance of the 2019-20 Annual Audit. No one objected.
Debbie Stumler, Auditor with Bechtler, Parker & Watts Accounting Firm, presented a summary of the audit to the Council. There was discussion and a few questions for Ms. Stumler.
Councilman Blue made a motion to accept the audit, seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: Martha Davis reported: While walking up to the Shopping Center from the sidewalk on Rudy Lane, you can see that behind the center there is a lot of garbage and leaves on the ground and some of it is blowing into the MSD catch basin. Some of the garbage may be blowing out of the dumpsters. She asked the City to work with the Shopping Center to keep it cleaned up. Discussion by the Council followed. Councilman Blue reported that he would follow up and report at the next Council meeting.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
As reported by Mayor Davis, “Police Report: There were 101 hours of Police support. Most of the time was devoted to a single home located on Victoria. We spent 30+ hours on this house. If you, as a council member, help a neighbor with a house watch, please remind them that there is a 30-day annual limit. Also, you can be directed to the website because we will be placing a direct link to complete the form and submit it to Graymoor-Devondale.
They also conducted 5 hours of traffic control radar resulting in no tickets or warnings. There were a couple of reports of suspicious persons but no individuals were found. There was a mailbox damaged on Hill Top. There was a report of auto theft in Coach Gate.
I received a request from a resident of Spain for a Windy Hills challenge coin depicting our City seal. I emailed him back that I would happily send him a window decal since we do not have a City coin. I haven’t heard back.
The auditors have finished their audit and are presenting it for adoption this evening. I will file our state-required financial reports on Tuesday.
Office update: Lisa sent out delinquent tax letters to our residents who have not paid. She will give you more information in her report. Later this week or early next week, a CPA is coming into the office to work with Lisa on QuickBooks.
I was on a Zoom meeting with JCLC. The major topic was LG&E LED Lighting Service for cities. Bruce was also on the zoom meeting and will report more. Additionally, it was mentioned in the meeting that there is a possible statewide proposal to require elected officials to complete a mandatory training program. I will update you when we have more information.
The KLC is hosting a Mayors’ Zoom meeting with Governor Beshear. It is scheduled for Wednesday morning and I will attend.
Finally, I am still working on a few outstanding issues. The first is the house at 726 Indian Ridge Road. I have had additional calls from the neighbors and there was a fire department run at the house back in late December. I am working with our attorneys to move this forward. We have some additional legal issues dating to the spring that was left unfinished that they are also addressing.”
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker wanted everyone to understand the Windy Hills’ officials who deal with the money and sign checks are bonded.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Mr. Teaford reported he would be spending most of his time in February following up on vacant and rental homes. We have received most of the rental registries back, but are still waiting for a few responses.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported on the following items:
“I have contracted with SavaTree to fertilize the big Spruce. It is expensive ($460) for two treatments this year. We will probably have one next year. The holiday lights will go on a different tree next year. There is another big spruce and two hollies. Caroline recommends the holly tree because it will be bushier. There is one near Rudy the Bear and one near the other spruces.
We had a problem with the Holiday tree lights. The electric eye died so SavaTree installed a timer. Lights went on about 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and then went on again in the morning for people going to work. There was no extra cost. But then the timer got messed up one night (New Year’s Eve) and had to be replaced. Another problem involved one of the small evergreens by the sign. I gave Adam over 1000 lights to put on it. The lights lasted one or two nights. I will have an electrician look at the situation before next holiday season.
The application for Tree City is complete. Unfortunately, some of the information I needed was at Cheri Silvey-Slusher’s house and she is in Florida. Thank goodness for Lisa. She sent me all the information Helen and I needed.”
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported: “ On December 17, 2020, The Windy Hills Breeze was sent to 729 subscribed resident addresses. About 60% were opened.
Our New Year’s print edition has been delayed in order to include our audit report and any other news from Council meeting which was delayed this month in order to accommodate the late audit report.
The revised deadline for the edition will be Wednesday, January 27th at noon. Feel free to submit articles or announcements, reminders, etc. whenever you have them before that. The print edition should be in our resident’s hands by next week, end of the week for sure.”
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- Welcome to Windy Hills – 1 new resident in December.
- Community Caring – Little Libraries in the City – Working with Steve on Code Enforcement issues.
- Pat Haunz and her daughter have checked the plaque that will be placed on the Green in Foster’s memory.
- The St. X student Dare to Care project collected 3,500 lbs. of food in Windy Hills.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
- “New post and signs on Windhurst will be finished this week. They will have the upgraded reflective tape.
- Streetlights that were damaged have been repaired
- Discussed the stonework on the Old Stone wall.
- I will purchase a couple of deer cameras for the Green.
- Have a call into LG&E about more lighting on the Green.
- No big problems with EcoTech. Marcia sent out an updated report on when they will pick up garbage and yard waste.
- JCLC Meeting – All new lights in Metro will now be replaced with LED lights. Normal lights last 5-6 years, but the LED lights will last 15+ years. Less maintenance, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.”
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg – no report.
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported she sent out 26 letters for delinquent taxes on January 11, 2021. So far, 9 residents paid and several have called with promises to make payments.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
ATTORNEYS COMMENTS: Randy Strobo introduced Clay Barkely and David Spinard, members of his firm that will work with the city. He talked about helping with Parliamentary Procedure if needed. He wants the Council to make sure to go into Executive Session when talking about possible litigation since it adds a layer of protection.
Comments/Questions to the Council as a Whole: Resident Pam Feldhoff asked if there is an update on the Pohl property. The Mayor answered that the Pohls are planning on building sometime in the next year. They have started by paving their driveway. Steve Teaford added a few comments and there was more discussion.
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg, and the motion passed unanimously.
_______ __________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2021 Council Meeting Minutes, CouncilMinutes
Minutes January 2021
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Special Council Meeting
January 25, 2021
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met virtually by Zoom, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Davis called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL: The following were present:
MAYOR | COUNCIL MEMBERS | OTHER CITY OFFICIALS |
Helen M. Davis | Bruce Blue | Lisa Kraft |
Kate Greer | Attorney Randy Strobo | |
Marcia Myers | Attorney Clay Barkely | |
Marianne Rademaker | Attorney David Spinard | |
Suzanne Spencer | Steve Teaford | |
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the December 14, 2020 Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the minutes of the December 30, 2020 Special Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for December 2020 were moved for approval by Councilman Blue, seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the December bills, totaling $55,488.45, and was seconded by Councilman Blue. The motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS:
The Mayor asked if there were no objections, if the Council could go out of order and present new business first, the presentation and acceptance of the 2019-20 Annual Audit. No one objected.
Debbie Stumler, Auditor with Bechtler, Parker & Watts Accounting Firm, presented a summary of the audit to the Council. There was discussion and a few questions for Ms. Stumler.
Councilman Blue made a motion to accept the audit, seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: Martha Davis reported: While walking up to the Shopping Center from the sidewalk on Rudy Lane, you can see that behind the center there is a lot of garbage and leaves on the ground and some of it is blowing into the MSD catch basin. Some of the garbage may be blowing out of the dumpsters. She asked the City to work with the Shopping Center to keep it cleaned up. Discussion by the Council followed. Councilman Blue reported that he would follow up and report at the next Council meeting.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
As reported by Mayor Davis, “Police Report: There were 101 hours of Police support. Most of the time was devoted to a single home located on Victoria. We spent 30+ hours on this house. If you, as a council member, help a neighbor with house watch, please remind them that there is a 30 day annual limit. Also, you can be directed to the website because we will be placing a direct link to complete the form and submit it to Graymoor-Devondale.
They also conducted 5 hours of traffic control radar resulting in no tickets or warnings. There were a couple of reports of suspicious persons but no individuals were found. There was a mailbox damaged on Hill Top. There was a report of an auto theft in Coach Gate.
I received a request from a resident of Spain for a Windy Hills challenge coin depicting our City seal. I emailed him back that I would happily send him a window decal since we do not have a City coin. I haven’t heard back.
The auditors have finished their audit and are presenting it for adoption this evening. I will file our state required financial reports on Tuesday.
Office update: Lisa sent out delinquent tax letters to our residents who have not paid. She will give you more information in her report. Later this week or early next week, a CPA is coming into the office to work with Lisa on QuickBooks.
I was on a Zoom meeting with JCLC. The major topic was LG&E LED Lighting Service for cities. Bruce was also on the zoom meeting and will report more. Additionally, it was mentioned in the meeting that there is a possible statewide proposal to require elected officials to complete a mandatory training program. I will update you when we have more information.
The KLC is hosting a Mayors’ Zoom meeting with Governor Beshear. It is scheduled for Wednesday morning and I will attend.
Finally, I am still working on a few outstanding issues. The first is the house at 726 Indian Ridge Road. I have had additional calls from the neighbors and there was a fire department run at the house back in late December. I am working with our attorneys to move this forward. We have some additional legal issues dating to the spring that were left unfinished that they are also addressing.”
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker wanted everyone to understand the Windy Hills’ officials who deal with the money and sign checks are bonded.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Mr. Teaford reported he would be spending most of his time in February following up on vacant and rental homes. We have received most of the rental registries back, but are still waiting for a few responses.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported on the following items:
“I have contracted with SavaTree to fertilize the big Spruce. It is expensive ($460) for two treatments this year. We will probably have one next year. The holiday lights will go on a different tree next year. There is another big spruce and two hollies. Caroline recommends the holly tree because it will be bushier. There is one near Rudy the Bear and one near the other spruces.
We had a problem with the Holiday tree lights. The electric eye died so SavaTree installed a timer. Lights went on about 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and then went on again in the morning for people going to work. There was no extra cost. But then the timer got messed up one night (New Year’s Eve) and had to be replaced. Another problem involved one of the small evergreens by the sign. I gave Adam over 1000 lights to put on it. The lights lasted one or two nights. I will have an electrician look at the situation before next holiday season.
The application for Tree City is complete. Unfortunately, some of the information I needed was at Cheri Silvey-Slusher’s house and she is in Florida. Thank goodness for Lisa. She sent me all the information Helen and I needed.”
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported: “ On December 17, 2020, The Windy Hills Breeze was sent to 729 subscribed resident addresses. About 60% were opened.
Our New Year’s print edition has been delayed in order to include our audit report and any other news from Council meeting which was delayed this month in order to accommodate the late audit report.
The revised deadline for the edition will be Wednesday, January 27th at noon. Feel free to submit articles or announcements, reminders, etc. whenever you have them before that. The print edition should be in our resident’s hands by next week, end of the week for sure.”
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- Welcome to Windy Hills – 1 new resident in December.
- Community Caring – Little Libraries in the City – Working with Steve on Code Enforcement issues.
- Pat Haunz and daughter have checked the plaque that will be placed on the Green in Foster’s memory.
- The St. X student Dare to Care project collected 3,500 lbs. of food in Windy Hills.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
- “New post and signs on Windhurst will be finished this week. They will have the upgraded reflective tape.
- Streetlights that were damaged have been repaired
- Discussed the stonework on the Old Stone wall.
- I will purchase a couple of deer cameras for the Green.
- Have a call into LG&E about more lighting on the Green.
- No big problems with EcoTech. Marcia sent out an updated report on when they will pick up garbage and yard waste.
- JCLC Meeting – All new lights in Metro will now be replaced with LED lights. Normal lights last 5-6 years, but the LED lights will last 15+ years. Less maintenance, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.”
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg – no report.
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported she sent out 26 letters for delinquent taxes on January 11, 2021. So far, 9 residents paid and several have called with promises to make payments.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
ATTORNEYS COMMENTS: Randy Strobo introduced Clay Barkely and David Spinard, members of his firm that will work with the city. He talked about helping with Parliamentary Procedure if needed. He wants the Council to make sure to go into Executive Session when talking about possible litigation since it adds a layer of protection.
COMMents/Questions to the Council as a Whole: Resident Pam Feldhoff asked if there is an update on the Pohl property. The Mayor answered that the Pohls are planning on building sometime in the next year. They have started by paving their driveway. Steve Teaford added a few comments and there was more discussion.
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg, and the motion passed unanimously.
_______ __________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2021 Council Meeting Minutes, CouncilMinutes
January 2021
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Special Council Meeting
January 25, 2021
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met virtually by Zoom, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Davis called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL: The following were present:
MAYOR | COUNCIL MEMBERS | OTHER CITY OFFICIALS |
Helen M. Davis | Bruce Blue | Lisa Kraft |
Kate Greer | Attorney Randy Strobo | |
Marcia Myers | Attorney Clay Barkely | |
Marianne Rademaker | Attorney David Spinard | |
Suzanne Spencer | Steve Teaford | |
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the December 14, 2020 Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the minutes of the December 30, 2020 Special Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for December 2020 were moved for approval by Councilman Blue, seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the December bills, totaling $55,488.45, and was seconded by Councilman Blue. The motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS:
The Mayor asked if there were no objections, if the Council could go out of order and present new business first, the presentation and acceptance of the 2019-20 Annual Audit. No one objected.
Debbie Stumler, Auditor with Bechtler, Parker & Watts Accounting Firm, presented a summary of the audit to the Council. There was discussion and a few questions for Ms. Stumler.
Councilman Blue made a motion to accept the audit, seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: Martha Davis reported: While walking up to the Shopping Center from the sidewalk on Rudy Lane, you can see that behind the center there is a lot of garbage and leaves on the ground and some of it is blowing into the MSD catch basin. Some of the garbage may be blowing out of the dumpsters. She asked the City to work with the Shopping Center to keep it cleaned up. Discussion by the Council followed. Councilman Blue reported that he would follow up and report at the next Council meeting.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
As reported by Mayor Davis, “Police Report: There were 101 hours of Police support. Most of the time was devoted to a single home located on Victoria. We spent 30+ hours on this house. If you, as a council member, help a neighbor with house watch, please remind them that there is a 30 day annual limit. Also, you can be directed to the website because we will be placing a direct link to complete the form and submit it to Graymoor-Devondale.
They also conducted 5 hours of traffic control radar resulting in no tickets or warnings. There were a couple of reports of suspicious persons but no individuals were found. There was a mailbox damaged on Hill Top. There was a report of an auto theft in Coach Gate.
I received a request from a resident of Spain for a Windy Hills challenge coin depicting our City seal. I emailed him back that I would happily send him a window decal since we do not have a City coin. I haven’t heard back.
The auditors have finished their audit and are presenting it for adoption this evening. I will file our state required financial reports on Tuesday.
Office update: Lisa sent out delinquent tax letters to our residents who have not paid. She will give you more information in her report. Later this week or early next week, a CPA is coming into the office to work with Lisa on QuickBooks.
I was on a Zoom meeting with JCLC. The major topic was LG&E LED Lighting Service for cities. Bruce was also on the zoom meeting and will report more. Additionally, it was mentioned in the meeting that there is a possible statewide proposal to require elected officials to complete a mandatory training program. I will update you when we have more information.
The KLC is hosting a Mayors’ Zoom meeting with Governor Beshear. It is scheduled for Wednesday morning and I will attend.
Finally, I am still working on a few outstanding issues. The first is the house at 726 Indian Ridge Road. I have had additional calls from the neighbors and there was a fire department run at the house back in late December. I am working with our attorneys to move this forward. We have some additional legal issues dating to the spring that were left unfinished that they are also addressing.”
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker wanted everyone to understand the Windy Hills’ officials who deal with the money and sign checks are bonded.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Mr. Teaford reported he would be spending most of his time in February following up on vacant and rental homes. We have received most of the rental registries back, but are still waiting for a few responses.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported on the following items:
“I have contracted with SavaTree to fertilize the big Spruce. It is expensive ($460) for two treatments this year. We will probably have one next year. The holiday lights will go on a different tree next year. There is another big spruce and two hollies. Caroline recommends the holly tree because it will be bushier. There is one near Rudy the Bear and one near the other spruces.
We had a problem with the Holiday tree lights. The electric eye died so SavaTree installed a timer. Lights went on about 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and then went on again in the morning for people going to work. There was no extra cost. But then the timer got messed up one night (New Year’s Eve) and had to be replaced. Another problem involved one of the small evergreens by the sign. I gave Adam over 1000 lights to put on it. The lights lasted one or two nights. I will have an electrician look at the situation before next holiday season.
The application for Tree City is complete. Unfortunately, some of the information I needed was at Cheri Silvey-Slusher’s house and she is in Florida. Thank goodness for Lisa. She sent me all the information Helen and I needed.”
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported: “ On December 17, 2020, The Windy Hills Breeze was sent to 729 subscribed resident addresses. About 60% were opened.
Our New Year’s print edition has been delayed in order to include our audit report and any other news from Council meeting which was delayed this month in order to accommodate the late audit report.
The revised deadline for the edition will be Wednesday, January 27th at noon. Feel free to submit articles or announcements, reminders, etc. whenever you have them before that. The print edition should be in our resident’s hands by next week, end of the week for sure.”
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- Welcome to Windy Hills – 1 new resident in December.
- Community Caring – Little Libraries in the City – Working with Steve on Code Enforcement issues.
- Pat Haunz and daughter have checked the plaque that will be placed on the Green in Foster’s memory.
- The St. X student Dare to Care project collected 3,500 lbs. of food in Windy Hills.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
- “New post and signs on Windhurst will be finished this week. They will have the upgraded reflective tape.
- Streetlights that were damaged have been repaired
- Discussed the stonework on the Old Stone wall.
- I will purchase a couple of deer cameras for the Green.
- Have a call into LG&E about more lighting on the Green.
- No big problems with EcoTech. Marcia sent out an updated report on when they will pick up garbage and yard waste.
- JCLC Meeting – All new lights in Metro will now be replaced with LED lights. Normal lights last 5-6 years, but the LED lights will last 15+ years. Less maintenance, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.”
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg – no report.
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported she sent out 26 letters for delinquent taxes on January 11, 2021. So far, 9 residents paid and several have called with promises to make payments.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
ATTORNEYS COMMENTS: Randy Strobo introduced Clay Barkely and David Spinard, members of his firm that will work with the city. He talked about helping with Parliamentary Procedure if needed. He wants the Council to make sure to go into Executive Session when talking about possible litigation since it adds a layer of protection.
COMMents/Questions to the Council as a Whole: Resident Pam Feldhoff asked if there is an update on the Pohl property. The Mayor answered that the Pohls are planning on building sometime in the next year. They have started by paving their driveway. Steve Teaford added a few comments and there was more discussion.
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg, and the motion passed unanimously.
_______ __________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2021 Council Meeting Minutes, CouncilMinutes
Minutes December 14, 2020
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting
December 14, 2020
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met virtually by Zoom, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Davis called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL: The following were present:
MAYOR | COUNCIL MEMBERS | OTHER CITY OFFICIALS |
Helen M. Davis | Bruce Blue | Lisa Kraft |
Kate Greer | Steve Teaford | |
Marcia Myers | ||
Marianne Rademaker | ||
Suzanne Spencer | ||
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the November 9, 2020, Council meeting; seconded by Councilman Blue. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for November 2020 were moved for approval by Councilwoman Greer, seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilman Blue moved to approve the November bills, totaling $43,432.34, and was seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: None
MAYOR’S REPORT:
“Police Report: There were 94.5 hours of Police support. Most of the time was devoted to traffic control radar resulting in no tickets or warnings. There were 4 overnight parking tickets that resulted from my request for stepped-up enforcement in response to residents’ complaints. They responded to a missing child report, criminal mischief on Old Stone, a person running through a resident’s property but police were unable to catch the individual. I will be purchasing $10.00 Gift Cards to the hardware store for each of the 22 officers.
I also continued to work with Rick Grismer and the KYDOT on the newly planted trees. Windy Hills will now be responsible for the maintenance of that section of Westport Road vegetation/grass. Our city beautification/maintenance budget will have to increase to cover this additional expense.
The auditors finished their visit and are working on their report but I have not seen the preliminary document. We will have a 2019-20 surplus was roughly $150,000 but we do not have the details. We have to have the final report in January, because I have to send a report to the State by January 31st of our final numbers, or we will not be in compliance.
As I stated at the November meeting, we have a new attorney, Randy Strobo, whom the Council met at the work session. His partner was supposed to be in on this meeting but is not here. Their contract is for $250 an hour, and this is an increase over our past attorney, but we expect timely reports and timely work. If we have one of the non-partners doing work for the City, we will be billed at $125.00 an hour. They have 7 attorneys within their group. I can file liens and save our office the attorney fees. Steve will be working with them on some of our ongoing issues.
I was on two Zoom meetings with Governor Beshear, KLC officers, Kentucky Mayors, and County Executives discussing COVID, the rise in cases, etc. Lisa Kraft posted the Governor’s documents on our website and I sent a notice to our residents addressing the Governor’s concerns. Finally, as you know the office went back to a partially remote work schedule based on Governor Beshear’s emergency order. The emergency order expired Sunday, December 13, 2020, and we will return to our normal work schedule.
We are back in the office by appointment from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. The Restaurants are back open for in-person dining with 50% capacity. The case with Sandy has been settled with the Unemployment Office and the City has paid the final installment to them.
The Council members have to be sworn in by December 31st and we will conduct it via Zoom. When is everyone available? E-mail me when you are not available and I will come up a couple of options to choose a day and time.
Questions? Discussion”
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker no report.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Mr. Teaford reported the resident at #9 Pin Oak did a good job cleaning up their property. The Pohls at the end of Chelsea are going to redo their fence soon. His main concern was sending out letters to owners of rental homes to get them registered. At the entrance of Foeburn and Westport Road, now that the tall trees have been removed, there are a lot of electrics that have been exposed. He reported this to the Mayor and felt there needs to be some sort of safety barrier put up. The Mayor’s contact advised him that this is not a part of a LG&E transmission line, but part of AT&T. It is low voltage, but can still cause a significant shock. He will reach out to AT&T or the State about replanting some vegetation.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported on the following items:
There are two new redbuds planted to replace the two dead ones. If you go up to the Green, note the new watering devices attached to the trees. They are called Rain Wells and work better than the water bags according to Mike Hayman. When it rains, the water collects in the wells and the water just runs off the water bags. He got them from Cindi Sullivan. She would not take any money from us for them because she supports tree-planting.
The Holiday Tree looks quite different than it did last year. There are gaps in the tree because the Kentucky Tree men wrapped them incorrectly around the branches. In short, the branches were injured (girded) by the tight wiring. Some were dead and needed to be removed. The tree is in decline. I really preferred the smaller lights, but Caroline Westfall said that they must be wrapped tightly to stay on. The lights they use are put on differently. She recommends that we use a different tree for a few years and give this one a rest. There are two candidates—the Spruce directly behind the current one and a couple of hollies. One is near the spruces. The other is near Rudy II. This is where the estimate comes into the picture. She recommends that we fertilize the existing one seriously to bring it back to a healthy state.
Then there is the issue of the lights that are on in the daytime. Adam said the electronic “eye” is not working and did not work last year either. We just never realized it because the lights were so much smaller. Caroline said that Sav-a-Tree provides a timer for the tree at no extra charge. They didn’t install it because they thought we would use the “eye.” She is going to have a timer installed today. It will go on around 5:00 and go off at 1:00 A.M. It will go on again around 6:00 A.M. for a couple of hours for people going to work. This will have to do until we replace the “eye.”
Also, some of the lights were drooping. Sav-a-tree came and fixed them, but forgot to plug in the cord. Adam Vogelsang discovered it and took care of it. Adam told me that lots of lights were out on the small tree. I took over 1000 lights to him. They will be installed this week.
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported the November Windy Hills Breeze was sent to 733 residents. 60.6% were opened at least once. This is a very good rate for this type of communication. The issue was opened 1289 separate times. Two addresses were unsubscribed. We do not know the reason for those. This may be duplicate addresses or another preferred e-mail, or rejection of the communication.
By common agreement of the Council, we will send our December Holiday Greeting issue digitally and move the next print issue until January. The December Breeze deadline is noon on Wednesday, December 16th and the deadline for the January print issue will be Wednesday, January 13th. If the Council has ideas for articles for future months or photos that might be used, please feel free to send them to Councilwoman Myers any time as she keeps Dropbox folders for each issue. It would be especially great to have good news stories and affirmations.
Articles for The Breeze must be short and the e-mail format can only take 4 to 5 articles before becoming so large that it takes a long time to load, overwhelms mailboxes, and requires more scrolling than many readers will do. Pictures show well as The Breeze is in color. Our 4 annual print editions are usually 8 pages long, in black and white, and are mailed to every household. Each print edition includes any documents required by law (new ordinances, audit report, etc.).
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- Working with a group of St. X students on a Dare to Care project.
- Windy Hills Green – will talk to Pat Haunz about the plaque for Foster.
- There were 5 new residents in November.
- Would like to thank Cheri Baird, Staci Farris, Mary Jo McDonald, Pam Ritter, Kim Roberts, and Jody Smiley for helping with the light pole bow fluffing. Special thanks to Susie Walser and her company at the Brownsboro Center for storage space.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
- Asked to work on the Old Stone wall. It’s not in very good shape. Need to find people who specialize in these type of walls. Called EcoTech to find out if they have cameras in the back of their trucks. They have not called back.
- Met with someone about security cameras for the Green. We would need an internet connection or we could purchase Deer cameras.
- Reported a light out.
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg no report.
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported checks are coming in for Rental Registration 2021, and still receiving a few property tax payments.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
NEW BUSINESS: None
Comments/Questions to the Council as a Whole: None
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:47 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg and the motion passed unanimously.
_________________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2020 Council Meeting Minutes, CouncilMinutes
Minutes November 9, 2020
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting
November 9, 2020
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met virtually by Zoom, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Davis called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL: The following were present:
MAYOR | COUNCIL MEMBERS | OTHER CITY OFFICIALS |
Helen M. Davis | Bruce Blue | Lisa Kraft |
Kate Greer | Steve Teaford | |
Marcia Myers | ||
Marianne Rademaker | ||
Suzanne Spencer | ||
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the October 12, 2020, Council meeting; seconded by Councilman Blue. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for October 2020 were moved for approval by Councilwoman Rademaker, seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilman Blue moved to approve the October bills, totaling $41,992.54, and was seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: Cheri Baird asked if there was any resolution on the paving issue. The Mayor answered that she was getting a proposal from the City Engineer and had left several messages. to the City Engineer and needed to contact him again.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Still working on Indian Ridge. Over the weekend there was a break-in resulting in a theft over $500 on Indian Ridge. The car was moved from 726 Indian Ridge, so we did get the action needed. The Graymoor-Devondale Police report was 108 hours. They have been giving parking tickets for overnight parking, problem areas are Ambridge and Copperfield.
Attorney Jim Hodge resigned and we will be looking for another attorney. We have collected more back taxes, one that dates back to 2015.
EcoTech had their biggest day on Monday, picking up yard waste, in Windy Hills.
The Auditors will be in the office Thursday and Friday.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker reported all property taxes received before 10/31 have been recorded.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Mr. Teaford reported he had seven cases and now there are only two pending: 4205 Hill Top Road and 4301 Kirkhill Road. He has established contact with the resident at 9 Pin Oak.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported on the following items:
- Dead tree removed from Clerkenwell island.
TREE BOARD
- People who were getting a free tree received letters from Cheri to go order tree for yard.
- Caroline Westfall examined four trees on Ambridge I suspected having a problem. They are full of bores. Cheri has asked Cornerstone to remove them. They, and the other 4 previously removed trees, will be replaced after we have paid for the free trees going to residents.
GREEN
- I signed the contract with Save a Tree to remove old lights off Holiday tree and install their lights. They will install them the week prior to or the week of Thanksgiving. The lights will be turned on Sunday, November 29 and they will be turned off Wednesday, January 6.
- Mike Hayman has ordered two new Appalachian Redbud trees to replace the dead ones. They will cost $144 each. He will have the Whitehall gardener remove the dead ones and plant the new ones. If it does not rain a lot, I will install water bags.
- A resident called me to find out how he can memorialize his deceased wife with a tree on the Green. I explained our new program about donating $350 to the City, plus the cost of the plaque. He was pleased.
- Adam finally put mulch down in the areas I asked him to.
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported she sent out the October Breeze and had a good open rate. Found a problem with Mail Chimp. Rudy the Bear disappeared from the headers of our old issues. She has fixed the problem for now. Working on the November Breeze. The print issue of the Windy Hills Breeze will be sent out in January instead of December.
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- There were four entries in our Virtual Halloween Costume Contest and they were all awarded ice cream certificates from Comfy Cow.
- Working on a plaque revision.
- There were 4 real estate transfers in September.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
- Three street signs to be installed tomorrow.
- Ecotech has reported there is too much debris being left behind.
- There is damage to the newly paved area on Rudy. It appears to be sinking. Maybe an MSD issue.
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg reported she submitted a cycling article for the Breeze and did a cleanup of Westport road.
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported the property tax bills are caught up for residents paying before the deadline.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
NEW BUSINESS:
- Councilwoman Spencer made a motion to Honor Foster Haunz with a plaque to be placed on the Black Gum tree at the Green. Councilman Blue seconded the motion. A councilmember continued the discussion.
Councilwoman Spencer requested a roll call vote, the vote was as follows:
Roll Call Vote:
Blue – Yes
Greer – No
Myers – Yes
Rademaker – No
Spencer – Yes
Trachtenberg – No
Tie Breaker:
Mayor – No – not without changes.
Councilwoman Myers made a slightly different motion to Honor Foster Haunz. Let the family decide if they would like a plaque to be placed on the Black Gum tree at the Green or a donation made to a charity in his name. Councilman Blue seconded the motion.
Comments/Questions to the Council as a Whole: Cheri Baird asked if there was a timeline for the Engineer to have results.
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:43 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg and the motion passed unanimously.
_______ __________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2020 Council Meeting Minutes
Minutes October 12, 2020
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting
October 12, 2020
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met virtually by Zoom, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Davis called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL: The following were present:
MAYOR | COUNCIL MEMBERS | OTHER CITY OFFICIALS |
Helen M. Davis | Bruce Blue – Absent | Lisa Kraft |
Kate Greer | Jim Hodge | |
Marcia Myers | Steve Teaford | |
Marianne Rademaker | ||
Suzanne Spencer | ||
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the September 14, 2020, Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Myers. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for September 2020 were moved for approval by Councilwoman Trachtenberg, seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Trachtenberg moved to approve the September bills, totaling $61,097.54, and was seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: Martha Davis wanted to thank “the powers that be” for the removal of the poles on the Green. There was some discussion about a hedge on Rudy. The Mayor will do some research into our ordinances on shrubbery.
MAYOR’S REPORT: Report attached in full. Mayor’s October 2020 report
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker reported we have one CD that is getting ready to mature or has matured. It was temporarily put into our money market account because it has a higher rate than most CD’s. Helen is going to do some research to find CD’s at higher rates.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Mr. Teaford reported there are several cases being handled by Attorney Hodge that are carryovers and have a deadline to respond tonight. Steve Teaford will leave it up to Mr. Hodge to report on them. Helen Davis took the complaint about 744 Wicklow Rd where the trees were interfering with the line of sight at the intersection. The resident addressed the complaint and trimmed the trees.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported on the following items:
- “Cornerstone is cutting down the dying coffee tree in the island on Clerkenwell.
- Adam has mulched the areas that I listed last month. Because of the drought, he is still watering the trees. I told him to slow down on grass cuttings.
- Helen and I met with the LG&E people regarding replanting Westport Road. There will be a variety of specimens and sizes of trees and shrubs, depending on the sites. Some areas will have small shrubs, while some will have large trees. This is being done to discourage graffiti artists from painting the exposed fences. The planting will not begin until weather conditions are good for the success of the planting and the health of the trees. LG&E is spending a great deal of money on this. When completed, and the trees grow, it should be quite an improvement to what existed before.
- Cheri Silvey-Slusher is notifying the people who were granted free trees last year, to contact the nurseries and make certain they can get the tree of their choice.
- Several people have inquired about our tree subsidy program. Two have taken advantage of it.”
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported the September issue of the Windy Hills newsletter was a print edition prepared and sent to all residents the week of September 21. As usual, the issue included information about candidates for Council office in the upcoming election as well as news, announcements, and reminders. She apologized for 2 errors in the published edition. Marianne Rademaker’s name was omitted from the caption beneath the group photo and one of the butterfly photos was printed sideways. The omission of Marianne’s name will be corrected in the upcoming Breeze.
The October Breeze deadline is Wednesday, October 14th and it will probably be sent out on Thursday or Friday. This issue will include a reminder about the Halloween Costume Contest. Please let her know what other announcements or other articles that need to be included.
The deadline for the November Breeze will be November 11th. Council members will recall that there was a discussion about postponing the December print issue until January when there will be more availability of our printing company, less mail and activity with which to compete for residents’ attention, and the opportunity to use it to kick off the new year, new Council, etc. If we continue with that plan, we can send a Holiday edition of The Breeze in December.
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- “Working on a price for replacing damaged plaques.
- There were 9 real estate transfers in September.
- We have 6 judges and 1 possible judge for the Halloween Costume Contest.”
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue’s report read by City Clerk Lisa Kraft:
- All ordered signs are in place, except for the ones on Regency and Rudy Lane. The two signs will be placed the week of October 12th. The two signs will be made with reflective tape for us to view and see if it helps see the signs better
- MSD has been contacted about the cutting of the brush covering the walkway path across the bridge over the creek
- The poles have been removed from the north-west corner of the Green
- Several political signs from one party have been vandalized. Also, support of police signs have been vandalized
- Next election cycle we need to make sure all signs are off the encroachment path. Many signs were too close to the street
- We had several issues with two customers of ECO TECH about recycling. These issues were solved by the employees of ECO TECH. All ECO TECH trucks have cameras and can show the issue problems
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported the property taxes were coming in steadily.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
NEW BUSINESS: None
ATTORNEY’S REPORT: “Have been working on 7 cases, 5 are now resolved and 2 have a deadline of today.”
Comments/Questions to the Council as a Whole: None
Councilwoman Myers moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:39 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg and the motion passed unanimously.
_______ __________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2020 Council Meeting Minutes
Minutes September 14, 2020
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting
September 14, 2020
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met virtually by Zoom, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Davis called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL: The following were present:
MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS OTHER CITY OFFICIALS
Helen M. Davis Bruce Blue Lisa Kraft
Kate Greer Jim Hodge
Marcia Myers Steve Teaford
Marianne Rademaker
Suzanne Spencer
Laura Trachtenberg
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the minutes of the August 10, 2020 Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Greer. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for August 2020 were moved for approval by Councilwoman Greer, seconded by Councilwoman Myers. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the August bills, totaling $70,815.63 and was seconded by Councilwoman Greer. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: None
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Police Report: There were 96.6 hours of Police support. Radar monitoring of 18.37 hours on Ambridge and Rudy resulted in 4 warnings. The police followed up on the car thefts within Windy Hills and the homeowner was able to get back the stolen property. There were several suspicious individuals and cars reported but the police never found anyone.
The Mayor signed the auditors’ contract, but they have not called to schedule the audit. She spent a considerable amount of time on 726 Indian Ridge and hand delivered a letter regarding the non-compliance with the WH grass ordinance. The grass was mowed by the due date.
She met with the LG&E supervisor and arborist to discuss Westport Road and the impact of removing the trees and vegetation on our City. LG&E has graciously offered to plant back natural grasses and small trees to lessen the damage to the homeowners. The problem is that the vegetation would be on the state right-of-way. We will have to work with the DOT to see if we can accept the offer. She was able to track down the state’s contact person, sent her an email, and is waiting for a response.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker reported we are waiting for the Auditors. Two CD’s are getting ready to mature and Helen Davis is investigating the best rates for them.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Mr. Teaford reported there are seven cases being followed up on with residents on one matter or another. Attorney Hodge is spearheading five of those and he has taken care of two.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported on the following items:
• A new resident has taken advantage of the subsidy tree program.
• The residents who received free trees will need to check with the three nurseries to find out if they have the tree or whether it can be ordered.
• Caroline Westfall is going to Jonlynn Court to check a hazardous tree.
• She received a phone call from a resident on Clerkenwell about the unsightly island. She went over and took care of it, and called Adam to remind him about taking care of it in the future.
• Met with Caroline Westfall about the tree on the Green. Expensive to decorate.
• Called Tim Graven at Indian Hills about their tree. While talking to him he gave her some names to call. If we decide to have the common areas bid out next year, the City won’t have to bid out if it is under $30,000.
• She is seeking bids for the lights on the tree on the Green.
• Trees on the Green need to be pruned.
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported in mid- August we sent out the Windy Hills Breeze to 729 residents and just over 60%were opened. She is In the process of putting together the September print newsletter. This is an opportunity for us to reach out to all of our residents and not just a part of them. She appreciates all of the councilmembers who have sent in articles. Hopefully, we will have it in homes by a week from Friday. Discussion followed about Haywood Ice Cream and whether we could host an Ice Cream Social.
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
• “The interchange at Westport Road and I-264 is completely weeded. It was finished by Brightside without Dismas House, but altogether 9 Windy Hills and St. Matthews volunteers helped. The signs for Windy Hills and St. Matthews at that interchange were switched to correctly represent the right city. Walt Ostertag did the work.
• Working on a plaque revision.
• Two commemorative signs have been ordered.
• There were 7 real estate transfers in August.”
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
• “Paving project is complete
• In January or February, I would like to hire contractor to inspect all of Windy Hills roads for spidering damage and any roads needing full repaving or partial repaving. I can do the potholes, large gaps, etc., but need a qualified person to check for the above areas. This is one reason I did not do more this year knowing we might have a bigger expense next spring.
• Need to do some painting and repair to yellow painted areas from one end of Ambridge (Rudy) to Westport.
• Will fix hole on 42 entrance to Coach Gate
• All signs have been ordered.
• Checking pokes, signs, and street lights needing repair
• Need 2-3 estimates for painting on Ambridge.
• Mayor informed me the trimming around the walkway on bridge is St. Matthews responsibility.
• Cable provider had an explosion”
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg reported that she didn’t have anything this month.
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported the property tax bills were delivered late Thursday. Work began on separating the bills into three stacks: one to keep, one to mail, and one as a duplicate copy. The Mayor and Councilwoman Rademaker are helping and today we began stuffing envelopes. The plan is to mail out the tax bills tomorrow or Wednesday.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
• Pohl property, the Mayor sent a letter, but they have not responded. Per MSD, the gravel driveway was a temporary solution and should be removed by November 1st, this would allow the area to go back into a natural state. Steve will monitor the situation.
• 1116 Windsong Way –Back in 2010, the paving company instead of paving the road end to end, edge to edge, paved over the curbs possibly causing drainage problems on Windsong. Councilman Blue made a motion to have our City engineer, Mark Madison, investigate the significance of the problem on those streets, Councilwoman Greer seconded the motion. Discussion followed about the road problem. The motion carried.
• The matter of Staci Farris’ request to be reimbursed for work done on a retaining wall at her residence – 1116 Windsong Way, in the amount of $8,000 was discussed. The Council decided not to reimburse Ms. Farris for work completed in 2015.
• Councilwoman Rademaker made a motion to repeal the Municipal Order 6 Series from 2014/2015, Councilwoman Spencer seconded the motion. There was no discussion. The motion carried.
• Councilwoman Rademaker made a motion to create a new Municipal Order. The Municipal Order 1 Series 2020-2021. Trees to be memorialized on the Green will be $300 donation + the cost of the plaque. Councilwoman Myers seconded the motion. Discussion – two Council members spoke against the proposal. Councilwoman Rademaker made a motion to suspend discussion. Councilwoman Greer seconded the motion. A councilmember continued discussion. Councilwoman Myers called point of order. The motion to end debate was split 4-2.
Councilwoman Spencer requested a roll call vote. The motion to create a new Municipal Order, the vote was as follows:
Roll Call Vote
Blue – No
Greer – Yes
Myers – Yes
Rademaker – Yes
Spencer – No
Trachtenberg – Yes
NEW BUSINESS: None
ATTORNEY’S REPORT: None
COMMENTS/QUESTIONS TO THE COUNCIL AS A WHOLE: None
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:52 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Myers and the motion passed unanimously.
__¬_____ __________________ ¬¬¬¬¬_______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor Lisa Kraft, City Clerk
- Published in 2020 Council Meeting Minutes
Minutes August 10, 2020
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting
August 10, 2020
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met virtually by Zoom, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Davis called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL: The following were present:
MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS OTHER CITY OFFICIALS
Helen M. Davis Bruce Blue Lisa Kraft
Kate Greer Jim Hodge
Marcia Myers Steve Teaford
Marianne Rademaker
Suzanne Spencer
Laura Trachtenberg
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the July 13, 2020 Council meeting; seconded by Councilman Blue, and approved unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for July 2020 were moved for approval by Councilman Blue, seconded by Councilwoman Myers, and approved unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the July bills, totaling $45,832.91 and was seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: None
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Police Report: There were 102 hours of Police support. The police have continued to deal with incidents of vandalism within Windy Hills and thefts from cars parked in residents’ driveways. There was 1 speeding citation and 1 courtesy notice. The police issued one parking ticket and a warning.
Mayor Davis will be representing Windy Hills on the B3TEconomy Focus Team. The first virtual meeting, held on July 15, 2020, was almost 2 hours long and mostly dealt with revitalizing the West End of Louisville.
Most of the Mayor’s time this month has been devoted to the property at 726 Indian Ridge which will be discussed under new business.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker reported the 2 year CD at Eclipse Bank matured. It was rolled over into a 1 year CD at .75%.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Steve Teaford reported he had completed all inspections on rental and vacant properties. Only the Ackerman properties are not done. The property owner at 711 Indian Ridge wants his/her $50.00 waived. Discussed turning over newly paved driveways, without permits, to Attorney Hodge for possible action. Residents are concerned about the Pohl’s building a property fence on their property. The Mayor and Steve Teaford are requesting a meeting with the Pohls to discuss the property. The subject of vegetable gardens in front yards has come up again. Attorney Hodge said Metro addresses the subject.
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer: Councilwoman Spencer reported she and 5 other women – Joyce Brown, Carla McMillan, Betsy, Emily, and Jody Smiley, worked on trimming back weeds at the Westport Road/I264 interchange. Normally, this is a Dismas House project, but Dismas cannot permit the residents to work in teams because of the Covid crisis. There were 8 real estate transfers in July. The new bench is in place on the Green and two plaques have been ordered.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported on the following items:
• Pruned trees.
• The water bags on the Green have been filled.
• Adam Vogelsang sprayed the weeds and they have finally died.
• Waiting on an estimate from Adam Volgelsang to mulch the Green.
• She is seeking bid for the Lights on the tree on the Green.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
• The paving was complete and he would be checking all areas.
• Coach Gate pothole repairs are done.
• JCLC yearly dinner has been moved to February.
• Foeburn and Rudy is an MSD problem.
• Street signs have been ordered.
• He talked to Brian at EcoTech about recycling problems.
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg reported that she had researched information about the GPS trackers that can be placed on street signs. She also searched office records for information to bolster the Windy Hills Purdue Pharma claim.
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported the Breeze was sent to 730 residents and was opened by 62%. She is working on the September print issue, so please send any ideas to her.
Discussion followed about whether Windy Hills should host the Ice Cream Social. It is tentatively scheduled for October, but the decision will be made at the next Council meeting.
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported about the change in e-mail provider. All council members can call the office if having problems logging into Outlook.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
NEW BUSINESS:
The Mayor reported about the residence at 726 Indian Ridge Road. After talking to the Mayor Fisher’s office, Graymoor/Devondale Police Chief, Grady Throneberry, multiple times, and the nearby residents, she requested that the Council declare the property a nuisance.
Councilman Blue made a motion to declare the property a nuisance and have the City Attorney take all necessary action to effect this action. Councilwoman Myers seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.
Jim Hodge will proceed with the paperwork to declare the property a nuisance. Windy Hills will enlist the aid of the Jefferson County Assistant Attorney in this process.
ATTORNEY’S REPORT: Attorney Hodge reported he had filed a claim in the Purdue Pharma Litigation – for $50,000. He discussed that the amount would include anything that may surface even after the claim is filed. Sandy Moore update: She won her unemployment suit and we will receive an assessment. He has turned it over to a labor person.
COMMENTS/QUESTIONS TO THE COUNCIL AS A WHOLE: None
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Myers and the motion passed unanimously.
__¬_____ __________________ ¬¬¬¬¬_______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor Lisa Kraft, City Clerk
- Published in 2020 Council Meeting Minutes, CouncilMinutes