CITY OF WINDY HILLS

Minutes of Regular Council Meeting

January 8, 2018

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 Ising called the meeting to order.

ROLL CALL:  The following were present:

MAYOR	COUNCIL MEMBERS	OTHER CITY OFFICIALS
E. James Ising	Helen Davis	Sandy Moore
	Kate Greer	Jim Hodge
	Lou Phillips	Steve Teaford
	Marianne Rademaker (Absent)
	Mike Skelton
	Suzanne Spencer

 

MINUTES:

Councilwoman Greer moved to approve the minutes of the December 11, 2017 Council meeting; seconded by Councilman Skelton and approved unanimously.

FINANCIAL REPORTS, APPROVAL OF BILLS:

The financial reports for December, 2017 were moved for approval by Councilwoman Davis, seconded by Councilman Phillips and approved unanimously.

Councilwoman  Davis moved to approve the December bills, totaling $49,667.17 and was seconded by Councilwoman Rademaker.  The motion passed unanimously.

Jane Emke and David Hawpt – Contribution Request for a new Family Court:

Jane Emke, David Hawpt and Mike Schultz addressed the Council with a request for a contribution from the City to help fund Family Drug Court, a 501C3 agency.  Their goal is $561,000 and have raised $340,000 to date.  The money will be used to pay the two staff members and transportation for clients.  The Judges volunteer their time.  The court attempts to keep the family together with intensive mediation and counseling.

RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS/CONCERNS:  Resident, Laura Trachtenberg addressed the Council with a speeding concern on Rudy Lane, stating she was passed by someone doing 70 mph.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Finance/Ordinances:  Councilwoman Davis stated the Rental Ordinance is working well and recognized Steve Teaford for all the hard work he has done to implement the Ordinance.

Code Enforcement:  Steve Teaford stated the inspections on the rental properties would begin the following week, weather permitting.

Community Caring/Health & Fitness/Welcome to Windy Hills:   Councilwoman Spencer reported that there are 6 new residents.  She also reported that the Christmas decorations were taken down in a timely manner and there is a request for 1 new plaque.

Community Events/Newsletter/Tree Board:   Councilwoman Greer stated that the next Tree Board Meeting would be on January 9.  She reported that they had no response to their letter to the residents on Clerkenwell  inviting them to add trees to their yards.   She also reported that Ward Wilson has resigned from the Tree Board and they will need to replace him.  She also stated she had finished the Tree City Designation Application .

Public Works:  Councilman Phillips stated that the Ambridge/Rudy Lane intersection had been repainted.  He also reported that he is working on which City street signs need to be replaced and brought up to code for reflectivity.

Police Liaison/Real Estate Signs:  Councilwoman Rademaker read the report she had previously distributed.  She stated that Graymoor/Devondale Police Department patrolled Windy Hills for 101.4 hours.  8.43 hours of radar time was spent on Ambridge, resulting in two warnings.  Rudy Lane received 2.14 hours of radar time, resulting in one citation.  Parking citations were issued on Bonfire, Indian Ridge, Clerkenwell and Foeburn.  Warnings were given on Regency and Indian Ridge.  Two residences were on house watch.  Officers did a wellness check on Merrifield – no problems.  A resident had security footage of a suspicious vehicle on Tottenham, which the police followed up with increased patrols.

Windy Hills Green/City Beautification:  No Report. Councilman Skelton made a motion to approve Brownsboro Lawn Care’s proposal for Landscaping services in the City in the amount of $5,850.  The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Greer and approved unanimously.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Website Update:  Councilman Skelton suggested that the Council attend one of two sets of meetings (so a quorum would not be an issue) to review any changes to be made to the new website.  There will be a meeting on Thursday at noon with Councilman Skelton and Councilwomen Davis and Spencer along with Clerk Moore.  The other Council members would meet on Friday at 10:00.

Encroachment Resolution:  Councilman Phillips stated that the City’s Encroachment Resolution will be enforced for any project, including all the Fiber Optic installations.

NEW BUSINESS:

Telecommunications Franchise Issues & Meeting with AT&T on Fiber Project:  Councilman Phillips made a motion to hire Linda Ain for $300 per hour to write the agreements with the telecommunication companies.  Councilwoman Davis seconded the motion and was approved unanimously.  A letter of engagement will be signed and forwarded to Ms. Ain.  Attorney Hodge reported that AT&T has filed the Encroachment Permit.  He will circulate to the Council and Linda Ain.

Leadership Succession Planning:  Mayor Ising stated that he would like the Council to develop a plan for succession as 2018 will be an election year for all the Council and Mayor positions.

2018 Opportunities for Goals and Plans:  The filing date for running for Council or Mayor positions is in August.  Mayor Ising asked the Council to consider their 2018 goals and plans for the City.  Councilman Skelton suggested that the Council consider passing an Ordinance to pay the Council members and increase the Mayor’s salary – maybe $300/month for Council members.  The Ordinance will need the first reading in March.

Lighting for Rudy:  Councilman Phillips made a motion to light Rudy for a cost up to $3,092.  The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Spencer.  The motion passed with three “Ayes” ( Councilwomen Greer and Spencer and Councilman Phillips), there was one “Nay” (Councilman Skelton – prefers a flagpole) and 2 abstained (Councilwoman Rademaker and Councilwoman Davis).  The Abstained votes go with the majority (Ayes).

Other:  Councilman Skelton reported that sex offender has moved out of the Wexford Place Oxford House.

Councilman Phillips moved to ratify the erection of the No Parking signs from the sign to Westport Road.  The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Davis and passed unanimously.

ATTORNEY’S REPORT:  Attorney Hodge reported that he is working on a response to the Robert Nast email.

MAYOR’S REPORT:  Mayor Ising reported that the JCLC will be having a Special Meeting on January 29th to discuss Google Fiber issues.  The meeting is for elected and appointed members.

Comments/Questions to the Council as a Whole:  None.

Councilwoman Greer moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:23 P.M., seconded by Councilman Phillips and the motion passed unanimously.

__­_____          __________________                                                ­­­­­_______________________

E. James Ising, Mayor

Sandy Moore, City Clerk