Minutes August 9, 2021
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting
August 9, 2021
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met at the Sojourn Community Church, 2501 Rudy Lane, 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 | Attorney -absent | |
Marcia Myers | Steve Teaford | |
Marianne Rademaker | ||
Suzanne Spencer | ||
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the July 12, 2021 Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for July 2021 were moved for approval by Councilwoman Rademaker, seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the July bills, totaling $12,631.10, and was seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS:
Martha Davis, a resident at 613 Rudy Lane addressed the Council about the status of the trees on Brownsboro Road. The Mayor explained a letter from our arborist Caroline Westphal has been forwarded to the Kentucky Department of Transportation (KDOT).
MAYOR’S REPORT:
“As I reported in July, I completed an open records request for the MSD records pertaining to drainage fees paid by our residents since 2009 and the projects completed and the dollar amount spent in our city during this time frame. They did not respond to the residents’ fees but did send me the WH projects that totaled $106,000. I thus used my own MSD bill and calculated that our residents had paid approximately $1.8 million in storm water fees to MSD since 2009.
Our attorney, David Spenard, Marianne Rademaker, and I met with MSD and discussed our drainage concerns. We shared the pictures of specific problems within the City. I believe it was a very productive meeting and the MSD staff agreed to meet with us again on site so hopefully we can develop a plan to address our issues. The problems won’t be corrected overnight but at least we are on MSD’s radar and I thank David for setting up the meeting.
The City received our 2021 funds from the American Rescue Act totaling $256,462.50. Marianne Rademaker, Suzanne Spencer, and I met with the retail business owners at the Brownsboro Shopping Center to discuss the City plan to offer grants to those businesses that were adversely affected by the Covid shut-down. I had created an application that was vetted by our City Attorneys that met the Federal requirements for documentation and reporting. We passed out 9 application packages and explained that the forms would also be available in an electronic format. I also emailed a copy of the form to Bonnie Jung as a prototype that other cities could use if they so choose. The form is available in both Word and PDF formats. The deadline for submitting applications to the City is September 30, 2021.
Bailey Loosemore, from the Courier-Journal, interviewed me about our American Rescue Act funds. She is writing an article about the small Metro cities, the funds that the cities received, and any plans to expend said funds. I do not know when the article will be printed.
Police Report: There were 96 hours of Police support. The police made multiple checks at the Brownsboro Shopping Center, Sojourn Church, and the Summit Executive Suites. There were directed radar checks on Two Springs, Rudy, and Ambridge with no tickets or warnings. Three houses were on house watch. There was a homeless person asleep on the sidewalk in front of the Gasthaus.
There was a car stolen out of a drive on Waterford but the residents contacted Metro police not our police. Chief Throneberry notified me that Graymoor-Devondale and Metro police responded this afternoon to a “suspicious” package containing a white substance at a house on Killiney Place. Since I did not get an update, I am assuming that everything was alright.”
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker reported we received the American Relief Act funds and the City ended the fiscal year in a surplus.
Code Enforcement: Steve Teaford asked if there were any questions about his monthly report and there were no questions.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported The Tree Board met in July. A long range plan for Westport Road was discussed. The trees on Westport Road are not suitable and need replacements. Also, the wooden fences at several of the entrances need to be painted.
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported an issue of The Windy Hills Breeze was sent to 714 residents and friends e-mail addresses on Friday, July 30th. It will also be posted to the city website “newsletters” page. This issue included information about upcoming Food Trucks and the Fall Festival scheduled for Saturday September 25th, Windy Hills garden photos.
Next issue is a print issue. Deadline is Monday, August 30th at noon.
Fall Festival Report and Recommendations: Covid Concerns –
With the rapid rise in Covid cases among the unvaccinated including young children and among fully vaccinated persons, the Council needs to consider the health and safety of our residents at this event. With school starting, it is likely that cases will continue to rise significantly toward the time of the event. Louisville Metro is expected to be a red county very soon meaning that our incident rate in the county is deemed “critical”.
It is an outdoor event, which is the safest venue.
Plans have minimized necessary bunching, crowding, but persons are likely to forget social distancing as they visit with neighbors, line-up for food, etc.
We must ask everyone to mask up when they go inside for food or restrooms.
For Council Consideration and Decision:
Councilwoman Myers asked the Council to vote on how to proceed with Festival in light of escalating Covid cases do we:
- Cancel the potluck and have a full catered picnic meal for those who make reservations?
- Cancel the meal, but offer ice cream and invite residents to bring food for themselves if they wish?
- Cancel the event?
A motion to cancel the Fall Festival was made by Councilwoman Myers and seconded by Councilwoman Greer.
A roll call vote was held:
Councilwoman Greer – yes
Councilwoman Myers – yes
Councilwoman Rademaker – abstain
Councilwoman Spencer – yes
Councilwoman Trachtenberg – yes
The Fall Festival will be cancelled with 4 votes yes and 1 abstention.
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following:
- Welcome to Windy Hills – We had 4 new residents in July.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
As reported by the City Clerk in his absence:
- Councilman Blue contacted Hall Contracting and asked for a bill for the current project on Copperfield. It will be paid out of 2021-2022 budgeted funds.
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg reported the food truck turnout in July was good. The food trucks will continue through October. She is still working on a Swale Ordinance.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
NEW BUSINESS: Vote on Grounds Maintenance Bids
The Mayor read the bid published in the Courier Journal Legal Ads. We received inquiries from 5 different companies or individual, but only received 3 Bids.
Brownsboro Lawn Care Co. $36,465.00
Greenway Landscape $39,965.00
Klausing Group $32,855.56
A motion to accept Greenway Landscape Services was made by Councilwoman Trachtenberg; seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker. Discussion followed: Greenway Landscaping was highly recommended by the City of Prospect. There was a question about “limbing and watering”. Greenway’s bid included these services at no additional charge.
A roll call vote was held:
Councilwoman Greer – yes
Councilwoman Myers – no
Councilwoman Rademaker – yes
Councilwoman Spencer – no
Councilwoman Trachtenberg – yes
The vote was 3 yes and 2 no to accept Greenway Landscape Services.
ATTORNEYS COMMENTS: No Report
Comments/Questions to the Council as a Whole:
Resident Allan Ware asked about Municipal Taxes and how they are dispersed. It was explained that payments come from individual insurance companies and not through the State.
The Mayor thanked Doug Maurer for all his hard work setting up for our meetings.
Ralph Williams asked about 726 Indian Ridge. The Mayor responded that the owners were in violation of the Rental Ordinance. Three letters were sent with no response so the city filed a lien for the cumulated fines.
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:59 p.m., seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker and the motion passed unanimously.
_______ __________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2021 Council Meeting Minutes, CouncilMinutes
Minutes June 14, 2021
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting
June 14, 2021
The Council and Officers of the City of Windy Hills met at the Sojourn Community Church, 2501 Rudy Lane, 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 David Spenard | |
Marcia Myers | Steve Teaford | |
Marianne Rademaker | ||
Suzanne Spencer | ||
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the minutes of the May 10, 2021, Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Greer. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for May 2021 were moved for approval by Councilwoman Rademaker, seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the May bills, totaling $37,137.64, and was seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS:
Martha Davis: 2411 Rudy Lane there is a hole in the sidewalk that is getting larger.
Jim Ising: Would first like to compliment the Council on keeping the City running smoothly during the last year. A question for the City Attorney about the size of outbuildings in Windy Hills. Mayor Davis answered the question stating that at last month’s Planning Commission meeting, the JCLC took a stand against automatically granting building permits for outbuildings. JCLC believes that the current practice of requiring a variance hearing before granting a building permit should continue as the standard procedure.
Issue for Kate Greer – Shrubs at Westport and Ambridge are covering the Windy Hills sign.
Money question from Mike Skelton via Jim Ising – “Are the Windy Hills funds secure?” Mayor Davis explained the funds are guaranteed by securities pledged by First Financial Bank at the Federal Reserve.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
“I have spent lots of hours on the computer participating in virtual meetings with KLC and JCLC discussing the American Rescue Plan Act. I have signed and returned ALL of the required documents to the State. The process is lengthy and has many layers of built-in accountability. I have read and reread all of the documents since my name and signature are on same. Two weeks ago, we set up a separate account in anticipation of receiving the funds. It technically is not required but it certainly makes the documentation and verification process much easier.
The funds and uses are VERY specific. This list includes grants for small business development to help mitigate the costs of business interruption. In February, I asked Marianne Rademaker and Suzanne Spencer to work with the retail stores in the Brownsboro Center to ascertain their losses so we could develop a plan to provide business grants to them. As a team, they will only be dealing with one portion of the funds, business interruption.
Not all of the retail stores will be eligible – only those businesses that actually suffered lost sales/revenues. Thus some of the stores will be ineligible. We will also add the funds that we would have spent with Haywood Dairy. Documentation will be required to show past revenue using a date of January 24, 2020, compared to revenue covering the Covid period.
Marianne Rademaker and I will be handling ALL of the documentation and Federal financial requirements for this piece of the funds. I will be working on a document that outlines the requirements and all pertinent information for the businesses to receive the funds. Additional signed documents will be required that meet the Federal compliance guidelines.
I am appointing Marianne Rademaker as chair of a committee with Marcia Myers, and Bruce Blue serving on said committee to recommend how the City should disperse the remaining funds. That committee will not begin working until approximately January 2022. Council members and residents will be asked by the committee to share their ideas on expending the remaining funds.
As I stated at previous Council meetings, we will receive the funds over two years. We should receive the first funds in June or July 2021 and the remaining funds in June 2022. We have until 2024 to spend and account for the funds. Additionally, our funds cannot be used for infrastructure.
Police Report: There were a total of 102.8 hours in April. Radar= 23 hours evenly divided between Ambridge and Rudy resulting in one warning and no tickets. Based on residents’ complaints, our police have been doing “targeted” parking enforcement and wrote 18 tickets for illegal overnight parking. We had had some “repeat” offenders and I hope that the increased enforcement will relieve the situation.
There were a total of 99.9 hours in May. Radar= 12 hours evenly divided between Ambridge and Rudy resulting in no warnings or tickets. The “targeted” parking enforcement continued and resulted in 9 tickets for illegal overnight parking. We had had less “repeat” offenders. We have only received 4 paid fines so I will be sending follow-up letters regarding the violations.
Someone told them to patrol the shopping center during the two-month period and the police conducted business checks. There was one shoplifting incident but the perpetrator had fled before the police arrived.
I want to thank everyone for your help during Lisa’s leave. I especially want to thank Kate and Laura for staffing the office for the three days that I was out of town.
I will discuss the taxes and budget under unfinished business and the council will vote on the two ordinances.”
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker reported we are now earning .25% interest on our market account.
Code Enforcement: Steve Teaford reported he has been busy with rental and vacant housing inspections.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported The Tree Board has not met since February but is going to meet in July to discuss an educational activity for the September event. Cornerstone will mulch the 4 trees on Ambridge. We need to advertise for a new Grounds Maintenance person. Some of the trees replaced by LG&E on Westport Road have died. She talked to Rick Grismer from LG&E and told him they need to be replaced with something hardier.
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported an issue of The Windy Hills Breeze was sent on May 14th. Only about half were opened. Two additional info e-mails were sent – a waste schedule holiday change and a food truck reminder.
The June print issue is in process. The deadline will be next Wednesday, June 16th at noon. That will be a hard deadline and it will be greatly appreciated if articles can be submitted earlier. In order to improve our newsletter appearance and give a KCTC design student an opportunity, we will be utilizing the services of Kyle Shook. Kyle will prepare the issue to be print-ready, then it will be sent to Minuteman Press for printing and mailing. This change should not impact our newsletter costs substantially and we hope will create a better product. Our arrangement with Kyle is a one-issue commitment at this point.
Thinking ahead – We rely on a print newsletter to publicize our annual 4th of July event. With the change of date this year, our regular newsletter schedule would get the September issue into homes the day before the Fall Festival. In light of that, I propose that we move our publishing schedule to very early September BEFORE OUR COUNCIL MEETING, to get the issue in homes no later than 2 weeks before the event. Our deadline for articles would then need to be Wednesday, September 1st at noon.
With that change, I suggest that we plan 1 Breeze issue if needed in late July so our schedule would be:
June 16th deadline for the print issue to be in homes is around June 26th
July 28th deadline for Breeze to be sent by July 30th
Sept 1 deadline for the print issue to be in homes by September 11th.
Fall Festival Report: The festival will be held on September 25th at Sojourn Church. It will be an Arbor Day event featuring the “Moon Dogs”, great food, and Heywood Dairy
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- “Welcome to Windy Hills – We had 3 new residents in May.
- Community Caring – No report
- Windy Hills Green Amenities – The Waters family was in town from Florida and we met regarding their purchase of a memorial bench with a plaque naming their parents who were long-time residents of Windy Hills. They understand they will be paying for the bench itself and for all materials and labor to install it.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
- Old Stone wall is repaired.
- Will try to put another hidden entrance sign and possibly a mirror at the entrance of Old Stone Road.
- Working on the sinkhole on Copperfield Road.
- Working on getting a shredder for the September Festival.
- Will need to place an ad in the Courier for bids for snow removal.
- The bridge is overgrown again.
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg reported about the Food Truck turnout in May. Everyone really liked the Lobster Truck.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Ordinance No. 1, Series 2021/2022 – Ad Valorem Taxes – 2nd Reading
Councilwoman Rademaker made a motion to have the 2nd reading of the Ordinance and was seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. A roll call vote was held, and the motion passed unanimously. Mayor Davis read Ordinance No. 1 into the record.
Ordinance No. 2, Series 2021/2022 Budget – 2nd Reading
A roll call vote was held, and the motion passed unanimously. Mayor Davis read Ordinance No. 2 into the record.
NEW BUSINESS:
ATTORNEYS COMMENTS: Attorney Dave Spenard responded to the following issues: drainage, American Recovery Act, and following up with LG&E on trees.
Comments/Questions to the Council as a Whole:
Cherie Baird and Stacie Farris both residents of Windsong Way asked about the drainage problem on their street. The Mayor assured them the City Engineer’s plan includes Windsong Way.
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:28 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 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 Barkley | |
Marianne Rademaker | Attorney David Spenard | |
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 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 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 have paid and several have called with promises to make payments.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
ATTORNEYS COMMENTS: Randy Strobo introduced Clay Barkley and David Spenard, 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
May 10, 2021 Minutes
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting
May 10, 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 Clay Barkley | |
Marcia Myers | Steve Teaford | |
Marianne Rademaker | ||
Suzanne Spencer | ||
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the April 12, 2021, Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Myers. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for April 2021 were moved for approval by Councilwoman Rademaker, seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Myers moved to approve the April bills, totaling $51,276.08 and was seconded by Councilwoman Greer. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: None
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Sent follow up letters to two residents, one Deerfield Road and one on Indian Ridge Road. Continuing to work with the attorneys on Indian Ridge. We had another complaint about Deerfield Road, so I have asked Laura to handle that complaint. It concerns the tree that is partially in the road. Kate looked at the tree back in the fall.
Marianne and I have been working on the budget, spending hours reviewing the numbers, accounts, etc. The 1st reading of the budget will be under New Business. We received the updated 2021 tax information from the PVA and those numbers were used for our budget projections.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker will give her report with a discussion of the budget.
Code Enforcement: Steve Teaford reported he has been busy with inspections of rental and vacant homes. The goal is to finish by the end of May.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported Adam is mowing weekly and spraying weeds. The Tree Board is going to meet in July to discuss an educational activity for the September event. Cornerstone cut down 4 trees on Ambridge.
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported The Windy Hills Breeze was sent out to 717 residents Friday, April 16th, 58.7% of them opened it. It is also available to residents on our website under the “Residents” tab at https://cityofwindyhills.com/government/newsletters/
An additional reminder e-mail about the Food Truck opportunity was sent on Monday, May 3rd, and similar messages were posted on Next Door for Windy Hills and adjacent communities.
To improve the quality of our newsletter layout and provided a meaningful learning experience for a student, Mayor Davis and I have explored and secured the availability of a KCTC student to assist with our next issue. We would continue to use Minuteman Press to print a “print ready” copy.
Our deadline for the May digital newsletter is Wednesday, May 12th at noon and for June issue it will be Wednesday, June 16th at noon.
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- “Welcome to Windy Hills – We had 5 new residents in April.
- Community Caring – No report
- Windy Hills Green Amenities – Memorial Plaque honoring Foster Haunz will be installed mid-May. His wife and daughter would like to be in attendance.
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
- Street signs are repaired.
- The city engineer did a comprehensive report of the Windy Hills Streets. I would like to add potholes to the list. There was discussion about the engineer’s report amongst the council.
- No complaints about garbage or recycling.
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg reported about the Food Truck turnout. May have the Lobster Truck in June.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
NEW BUSINESS:
Ordinance No. 1, Series 2021/2022 – Ad Valorem Taxes – 1st Reading
Councilwoman Rademaker made a motion to have the 1st reading of the Ordinance and was seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. A roll call vote was held, and the motion passed unanimously. Mayor Davis read Ordinance No. 1 into record.
Ordinance No. 2, Series 2021/2022 Budget – 1st Reading
A roll call vote was held, and the motion passed unanimously. Mayor Davis read Ordinance No. 2 into record.
Proposal – Meet and Greet – Gathering of New Residents on the Green by Councilwoman Spencer
There was discussion amongst the Council. Councilwoman Spencer called for a Roll Call vote.
The vote was 5 no and 1 yes.
Councilwoman Greer made a proposal to have a shredding machine at the September event. Need more information so postponed until June.
ATTORNEYS COMMENTS: Attorney Clay Barkley said he would investigate a Storm Water Ordinance for Windy Hills.
COMMents/Questions to the Council as a Whole: None
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:58 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker and the motion passed unanimously.
_______ __________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2021 Council Meeting Minutes, CouncilMinutes
Minutes March 8, 2021
CITY OF WINDY HILLS
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting
March 8, 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 Clay Barkley | |
Marcia Myers | Steve Teaford | |
Marianne Rademaker | ||
Suzanne Spencer | ||
Laura Trachtenberg |
MINUTES:
Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the February 8, 2021, Council meeting; seconded by Councilwoman Myers. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:
The financial reports for February 2021 were moved for approval by Councilwoman Rademaker, seconded by Councilman Blue. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Rademaker moved to approve the February bills, totaling $42,429.24, and was seconded by Councilwoman Greer. The motion passed unanimously.
RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS: Julie Mitchell Tyler introduced herself. She is on staff at Sojourn.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Police Report: There were 101 hours of Police support. They 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.
“Office update: As reported previously, Lisa sent out delinquent tax letters to our residents who have not paid. She has compiled a list of delinquent taxes so we can begin filing liens.
I was on a Zoom meeting with JCLC and the new Metro Police Chief. I thanked her for her quick response to my email regarding our “nuisance” property. Another Mayor asked her about dealing with properties that had drug issues. She explained that due to limited resources, Metro will not raid a property unless the said property is associated with violence and guns. It is a “bang for bucks” theory.
She said cities should enforce their ordinances via civil courts and hold the property owners accountable. She said this is a very effective strategy that worked in Atlanta and this is the approach that I have taken as Mayor. I will let our lawyers update you on our outstanding issue.
The KLC hosted two Mayors’ Zoom meetings with Governor Beshear. Governor Beshear and his Cabinet addressed the Covid updates As you know group, 1-C was eligible as of March 1, 2021. Apparently. Kentucky has been very effective in minimizing the deaths from Covid. The Governor reported that we are in the top 10 states for the lowest per capita deaths. This is amazing considering the preexisting conditions that many Kentuckians have.
Finally, I am still working on a few outstanding issues. We are still working on the Indian Ridge property. I sent a letter regarding the rental ordinance to the executor of the estate. I did not get a response so I have turned it over to our lawyers. We are also working on a zoning issue on Kitty Hawk that our lawyers will discuss.
Per, Windy Hill Ordinance 37.070, I am proposing Pat Cole to fill the vacant position of Chair of the Ethics Board.”
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance/Ordinances: Councilwoman Rademaker had nothing to report.
Code Enforcement – Steve Teaford: Mr. Teaford reported he had sent out his February report. There are 59 rental homes and 16 are in Coach Gate. There are 4 vacant homes in Windy Hills. He will be sending out letters to owners with addresses outside of Windy Hills.
He reviewed the ordinances pertaining to the placement of Little Libraries for Councilwoman Spencer.
Windy Hills Green/City Maintenance/Newsletter/Tree Board – Councilwoman Greer:
Councilwoman Greer reported she had contacted Mike Hayman about pruning trees. Adam Vogelsang will begin the pruning tomorrow. She took down the water bags on the Green and Westport Road and they will be stored in Marianne’s garage until needed.
Adam Vogelsang fixed the lights on the entrance of Rudy Lane and Brownsboro Road.
Newsletter – Councilwoman Myers: Councilwoman Myers reported: No Windy Hills Breeze was sent in February, although office e-mails and an alert were sent regarding waste services during the storms.
The March issue will be an 8-page print edition. The deadline is noon on Wednesday, March 10th with a target of having it in the homes of Windy Hills residents and friends by Friday, March 19th. Ideas for articles and photos are always welcome from council members and residents. They can be sent to marcia.myers@cityofwindyhills.com or newsletter@cityofwindyhills.com
Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills – Councilwoman Spencer:
Councilwoman Spencer reported the following items:
- “Welcome to Windy Hills – We had 5 new residents in February.
- Community Caring – All existing Little Libraries are at least 18 or 19 feet from the road. I would advocate for grandfathering all of them in unless Steve sees reason not to. I have marked the following additional locations for discussion with residents, Council, and Steve Teaford. (Windy Hills Green along the south portion of the walk, 304 Foeburn, 726 Waterford, and the little Island on Clerkenwell).
- The Louisville Free Public Libraries will try to open again for regular use and may make it unnecessary for Windy Hills to have 4 Little Library locations. We would revise the number of our location requests if Council can approve one on the Green and one on the little Clerkenwell island. We will continue to seek resident approval if Council cannot approve those “public” locations.”
Public Works – Councilman Blue:
Councilman Blue reported:
- “The snow removal on the first snow Monday night, in my opinion, was not handled correctly. The second snow on Thursday was handled correctly and I had no owners call me with any problems. The first removal was entirely different. Some complaints were correct some were not. The snow, on some streets, was not removed in a timely manner.
- I had a couple of young boys shovel snow off an owner’s property and many thanked me.
- I feel we need to rebid the snow removal for 2022. We need a detailed contract as to how snow is removed; when it is removed; where the sand is stored; how we pay for the sand; how billing is done; the time period when all streets will be treated; etc. These are just some areas for the bid.
- I am OK with the way Eco-Tech handled the pick-up of trash and recycling. I did not have any complaints, but a few calls with questions. I misunderstood my conversation with Bryan Slade about the pick-up on the recycling. I thought he told me both recycling and garbage would be picked up on Friday. Only the garbage was picked up on Friday, and all the recycling was picked up on Tuesday. I take responsibility for the mistake. I did not have comments on the issue only when it would be done. The garbage employees pulled the containers out of the frozen snow and ice. They did a good job.
- I checked the issue of poor drainage behind the shopping center. I do not find an issue of standing water. There was some water on the west side in a long drainage area, but it looked normal. “
Ordinances/Community Standards – Councilwoman Trachtenberg: Councilwoman Trachtenberg had nothing to report.
City Clerk – Lisa Kraft: Ms. Kraft reported she has received payments from 13 residents owing delinquent property taxes. Liens will be filed on the remaining.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Councilwoman Spencer’s proposal – “Free Little Libraries” – postponed until the next Council meeting.
NEW BUSINESS: Councilwoman Greer made a motion to approve the appointment of Patrick Cole as new Ethics Board Chair, and was seconded by Councilwoman Trachtenberg. There was a discussion by the Council. The motion passed unanimously.
Councilwoman Trachtenberg made a motion to have Food Trucks scheduled once a month in Windy Hills. Councilwoman Greer seconded. The Mayor suggested Councilwoman Trachtenberg make a motion and come back to the Council with logistics worked out in April and shoot for May. Taking cursory polling of the Council there are 5 in favor of the Food Trucks.
ATTORNEYS COMMENTS: Attorney Clay Barkley reported there is a Bill in the Kentucky Legislature that will likely amend the Kentucky Open Records Act and the Kentucky League of Cities is in favor of the bill. They are working with Mayor Davis and Steve Teaford on Code Enforcement issues including Indian Ridge and Rental Ordinance violations. The Board of Zoning Adjustments will hear the variance request case in Windy Hills and the firm is drafting a letter to present to the Board using the statute KRS 100.243 (1).
Comments/Questions to the Council as a Whole: Resident Joyce Bridge made a comment about Food Trucks. Julie Mitchell Tyler added she thought Sojourn would be a good location for the Food Trucks.
Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 P.M., seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker and the motion passed unanimously.
_______ __________________ _______________________
Helen M Davis, Mayor | Lisa Kraft, City Clerk |
- Published in 2021 Council Meeting Minutes, CouncilMinutes