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February 16, 2006
Council briefs for Feb. 13, 2006
The council of the village of Mariemont convened at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13, at the administration building. Here are the highlights of that meeting.
Cell phones still lawful
Village council held a lengthy discussion on whether or not to pass a law that would prohibit people from talking on their cellular phones while driving through Mariemont unless the driver was utilizing a hands-free earpiece or unless in a parked position.
The debate came after a safety committee report suggested the new cell phone restriction law be passed. The safety committee completed a study, upon Councilmember Rex Bevis’ request, to determine if such a law would prove beneficial in creating a safer driving environment within the village.
“Mariemont is one square mile with 3,100 resident and three schools with a major highway running through it,” Bevis said, adding Ohio’s state officials have not yet addressed the dangers of driving while talking on a cell phone. “The technology exists so people can talk on the phone while still having access to their hands.
Councilmember Bill Ebelhar said passing such a law would be aggressive but makes safety sense.
Councilmember Schmitt agreed. “I don’t know anyone who talks on the phone and drives who does not feel distracted,” she said.
Not everyone agreed, though.
“This is another case of Big Brother watching. You cannot legislate common sense,” Councilmember Doug Adams said. “What about people drinking coffee while driving? Or changing the radio dial? Are these not distractions?
“This will not produce positive results,” Adams said, adding a new law banning cell phone usage while driving will only cost the village more money in the future.
In fact, Councilmember Sullivan said she felt using the safety committee to conduct research and create a report was not a good use of the village’s resources.
Police Chief Rick Hines believes any action made that will create a safer environment is always great, but wanted to know how aggressively council would want the police department to enforce the law.
“How closely should we keep watch? Or, would you want us to target a certain age group,” Hines asked, adding he could not cite any reported accidents in the village that were the result of cell phone usage.
It was Bevis’ contention that the village should not wait for Ohio legislatures to address the issue; in fact, he wanted the village to be an example of the state’s communities taking a proactive approach at preventing accidents and the loss of human life by banning cell phone usage while driving.
Bevis adds, "Cell Phone restrictions, such as the ones proposed, are the law in the states of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia plus the Cleveland, Ohio suburbs of North Olmstead, Walton Hills and Brooklyn, Ohio."
Council ultimately voted 2 to 4 to not pass a law restricting cell phone usage. Instead, Hines will be sending a police officer to the village schools to education students on the dangers of driving while talking on the phone.
Public hearing to soon be scheduled
Villagers will soon be notified when a public hearing will be scheduled to discuss a proposed new zoning code language. It is believed the present zoning code language is old and ambiguous. It is council’s desire to make the language more user-friendly and discernable, along with making some minor changes to some existing items.
Committee reports
(committee reports, if passed by council, will then be given three readings before being officially passed. The reason for three readings is so the community has an opportunity to voice its opinion on the subject matter before council approves or disapproves the request.)
1) Planting of trees in village square
Council passed 6-0 for the request of purchasing 10 replacement trees for the village square at $186 a piece and a $200 delivery charge. The existing trees planted in the square are suffering from Cedar Hawthorne Rust, a degenerating fungus that will eventually kill the trees.
2) Council passed 6 to 0 to have work major work conducted on the village’s main pool. No significant work has been conducted on the pool in approximately eight years.
Miscellaneous
Two village vehicles – one police cruiser and one maintenance vehicle – have been put up for auction. The vehicles are old and have become obsolete. As a result, the liability insurance the village pays on its vehicles will be lowered by $1,000.
Posted by johnston at 11:21 PM
February 02, 2006
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