The Mayor read the following communications:

From Police Chief Hines: September 2006 monthly report. Mr. Ebelhar said he noticed that overall thefts were down from 2005. Chief Hines said fortunately 2006 has been a better year. We are still having a lot of opportunity type thefts. There was a report this month where there was an unlocked door with a cell phone and quite a bit of cash taken from a vehicle at the library. The department continues to try to educate people on the importance of locking valuables in the truck and locking doors.

From Fire Chief Phifer: September 2006 monthly report. Chief Phifer said the annual fire expo will be held this Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. He encouraged everyone to remember to change the batteries in their smoke detectors.

From Maintenance Superintendent Scherpenberg: September 2006 Monthly Report. Mr. Adams asked when the last time the street sweeper was in the vicinity of Homewood. Superintendent Scherpenberg said he knows it was last done for a block party. Mr. Adams said he had it brought to his attention that the area needs some attention. Superintendent Scherpenberg said leaf season starts next week so all the areas should be taken care of. Mayor Policastro asked about the status of the Miami connector and asked when the trees would be planted. Superintendent Scherpenberg said the trees should be in on Monday. He said OOPS is running about a week behind and the area is still very soggy. Mayor Policastro suggested getting more dirt. Superintendent Scherpenberg said the trucks are already sinking in the wet grass.

From Building Commissioner Malone: September 2005 Monthly Report.

From Tax Administrator Judd: September 2006 Monthly Report/September 2006 Waste Collection Report.

From Mayor Policastro: Letter dated September 29, 2006 re: Street Paving on Harvard Acres/Park Lane. Mayor Policastro said he went around with Mr. Campbell from MSD. It was told to him by several of the residents that the 600 lineal feet did have some prior damage and at this point he agreed with Mr. Campbell that there should be some depreciation. You arrive at fair market value by taking replacement costs minus depreciation. It was agreed between the two of them to split the cost 50/50. Mr. Thomas asked how MSD is addressing the other issues. Mayor Policastro said we have a punch list of problems and so far MSD has been receptive. Mr. Ebelhar said we should not sign off on anything until everything on the punch list is satisfied. Mayor Policastro said he would like to get a letter to MSD as quickly as possible. Council agreed to split the cost provided the punch list is addressed satisfactorily.

From Rev. Lucy Vick: Letter dated September 30, 2006 re: Placement of stones at Patriots Park. Mr. Bevis suggested having the Parks Advisory Board look into the matter. Mayor Policastro agreed and asked Mrs. Van Pelt to forward a copy of the request to Carolyn Tuttle. Mayor Policastro said he thought it would be appropriate to re-name the lane ‘Patriots Lane’ and referred the matter to the Health and Recreation Committee.

From Spinnenweber Builders: Letter dated October 1, 2006 re: Thank you to the Fire Department.

From Mariemont Parks Advisory Board: Minutes from the meeting September 26, 2006. Mayor Policastro said the Parks Board has gotten favorable approval from the Dornette Foundation of $15,000 for fountain restoration and modifications to the Village of Mariemont. However the Parks Board must now secure the matching grant for $15,000. The Mayor believes Comey & Shepherd will donate, however the Parks Board wants to use the Bloch Fund as the matching fund. It is not believed that they will need the entire amount. Mr. Bevis said he would rather see what kind of matching money they come up with and then take a look at it. Mr. Ebelhar said he recalled that the Parks Board was going to pursue all of that and we would not necessarily have to get into the Bloch Fund. The Mayor said to get the $15,000 they have to have a matching fund. Mr. Ebelhar said he understands that, but he would like to see that come from other sources. Mr. Thomas asked what the scope of the work is. Mr. Bevis said primarily to raise the fountain and to fix it so it does not spray all over people. Also, the piping is going to be fixed so it can be drained properly in the winter time. Mr. Adams said he agreed with Mr. Ebelhar. He would like them to raise the funds and then come back to Council with an amount. Mr. Ebelhar said from the meeting he understood that they were going to pursue all private funding. His understanding was that the Bloch Fund was only to be used as the last resort and this seems early in the process. Mr. Adams suggested going back to the Park Board and telling them it is their obligation to raise whatever funds they can and whatever they are short - then come back to Council for a request for money from the Bloch Fund. Clerk Bahler said if you tell them you are going to give them the whole amount, where is the incentive to go raise any extra money. Mr. Ebelhar said there seems to be an artificial timeline on this that he does not understand. It is not unusual for grants to require matching funds, what is unusual is for that amount of money be requested from us this early in the fundraising project. Mayor Policastro suggested there be another meeting between the Health and Recreation Committee and the Parks Board.

From Ohio Municipal League: Legislative Bulletin No. 9

Mrs. Schmit moved, seconded by Ms. Sullivan to pay the bills as approved by the Mayor, Clerk and the Chairman of the Finance Committee. Mr. Adams asked if the repair to the fire hydrant was due to damage caused by others. Chief Phifer said he did not know, it was found broken. Superintendent Scherpenberg said at the last meeting there was a question about a litter vacuum. It is a billy goat that they use to pick up cigarette butts and garbage around the Square. On roll call; six ayes, no nays.

Mr. Ebelhar moved, seconded by Mr. Adams to accept the recommendation of the Finance Committee which met on October 3, 2006 to discuss the purchase of an online tax package that will allow taxpayers to complete their Mariemont Tax forms online, then print, sign and submit. Using our tax forms, this instrument completes the mathematical calculations, reducing errors and expediting correct payments to the Village. Our Tax Administrator reports approximately 50% or more of the existing submissions come with errors and require mailed request for correction. Each mailing costs c. $.63 cents plus labor costs. Additional costs savings may include: tax reminders will be mailed on post cards instead of full first class postage and ordering less of the expensive no carbon required tax forms. The online tax package vendor, Insource, has agreed to a five-year contract that will establish a fixed annual cost and spread out the initial set up fees, annual hosting and annual maintenance fees. Other municipalities using their system include Dublin, Newark, Loveland, Fairfield and Mason. The annual cost to Insource will be $2,240 per year. The Finance Committee recommends purchasing this software to enhance our Tax Department. The Committee further requests that the Tax Administrator ‘market’ the availability of the online tax service via local news outlets and the Village of Mariemont website. Mr. Ebelhar said this is a sophisticated software package. You can go online, enter date and it will make the calculations. Mrs. Judd was conservative with 50% of all tax forms that arrive at the office with some kind of mathematical error that need to be corrected. The cost of mailing and re-mailing add up and we are losing interest having the deposits in our account. We are hoping that something like this will re-coup itself over time as well as expedite the number of claims that come in. It is very user friendly. The five-year contract refreezes the rates for awhile and it seems like a pretty good deal all around. Ms. Sullivan said it is very affordable for that type of software. On roll call; six ayes, no nays.

Mrs. Schmit moved, seconded by Mr. Bevis to accept the recommendation of the Public Works & Service Committee which met on October 2, 2006 with members of the Mariemont Preservation Foundation and Dennis Malone to discuss renovation plans for our Village’s Boathouse. After much discussion, it is our recommendation that the Village, with the support of the MPF, and the Reakirt Foundation, rehabilitate the Boathouse. We believe that the Boathouse is an important part of Mariemont’s history and should be protected. The Boathouse must first be protected from further deterioration, the structure rehabilitated and it should be returned to public use. Because of the importance and uniqueness of the building the community would receive great enjoyment from utilizing the structure for social or business functions. We recommend approving the proposed scope of work and proposed budget for Boathouse renovations. Scope of work: Please see attached. Proposed Budget: Reakirt Foundation $18,000, MPF $18,000, Capital Improvement Budget 2007 $24,000 for a total of $60,000. It is important to note that to utilize the Reakirt Foundation grant money; the building must be completed with a finished interior and to be useable by community residents for all kinds of functions. In addition, certain work on the Boathouse will begin in the fall of 2006 with MPF funding. Mrs. Schmit thanked Mr. Malone and Mrs. DeBrunner for all their hard work and effort. The Committee felt that this was an important structure to our community and we need to prevent it from further deterioration. We need to rehabilitate and get the structure back for community use. Mr. Adams asked if this has been budgeted for 2007. Clerk Bahler said that we would allocate the funds in January 2007, but the funds are available now. Mr. Adams asked if due to the total amount of work, would the project need to go out for bid? Mr. Malone said we would need to go out for publicly and competitively bid for the second phase of the project. The second phase is close to $40,000 with the work primarily inside. Phase One work could start within two weeks, while Phase Two work would begin the end of this year/beginning of next year. We still need to put together the formal package for the bid process. Mr. Adams said he felt this would be a very worthwhile project. Clerk Bahler said we could not sign the contract until we have the funds available. Solicitor McTigue said he will prepare a Resolution for the bid process for the next Council meeting. It was discussed and determined by Council not to pass the resolution on an emergency basis. On roll call; six ayes, no nays.

Ms. Sullivan said there was a meeting on October 3, 2006 of the Safety Committee and at that meeting it was agreed to dismiss the size of vehicles allowed in the lanes because they did not see a way around how they would regulate the size of the vehicles in the lanes. She did suggest that it be mentioned in the next Mayor’s Bulletin to ask residents if they are having deliveries made to instruct the driver to deliver to the front as opposed to the rear of the residence.

Ms. Sullivan said they did meet with the Safety Chairman in Terrace Park to initiate discussions about the Terrace Park Fire Department renewal. There will be a second meeting on October 26, 2006. We are looking at ways to increase the value of the Terrace Park/Mariemont Fire Department relationship.

Mayor Policastro said he found out last week that the boiler in the building needs to be replaced. Before Council are several bids from Becker Plumbing. The Mayor recommended the 80% efficiency model as it would not make sense to put $18,000 into fixing the boiler if we are going to try to do something with the building of if we are going to build a new building. Council agreed to the 80% efficiency model so the work could be done prior to the weather turning cold.

The Mayor read the following communications:

Reminder to Council to submit their pictures for inclusion on the Village website. Ms. Sullivan said she would bring in a camera and pictures could be taken at the next Council meeting.

Resolutions:

“A Resolution Supporting the Construction of a New and Larger Jail Facility in Hamilton County” had a second reading. Mr. Ebelhar moved, seconded by Ms. Sullivan to remove Sections II and III as it gives more latitude than a general Resolution granting support. On roll call; Five ayes, one nay (Mr. Adams dissenting).

“To Request Advance from the Hamilton County Auditor for Second Half Real Property Taxes Collected for MariElders and Paramedic Service and to Declare Emergency” had a first reading. Mr. Adams moved, seconded by Mr. Ebelhar to suspend the rules to allow for the second and third readings. On roll call; six ayes, no nays. The Resolution had a second reading. Clerk Bahler suggested that we add the Permanent Improvement and General Funds to the request as well. Treasurer Borgerding said he talked with David Nurre of the Auditor’s Office and was told that we could receive payment in two weeks or two months - it was hard to say. Clerk Bahler said we might as well have the money in our account gaining interest. Mr. Adams moved, seconded by Mr. Ebelhar to add the Permanent Improvement and General Funds to the Resolution request. On roll call; six ayes, no nays. The Resolution had a third reading. Mr. Adams moved, seconded by Ms. Sullivan to adopt the Resolution. On roll call; six ayes, no nays. Ms. Schmit moved, seconded by Ms. Sullivan to invoke the emergency clause. On roll call; six ayes, no nays.

Ordinances:

“An Ordinance Authorizing Application and Contracting with the Ohio Public Works Commission” had a second reading.

Mrs. Schmit said under Public Works & Service what was the matter of State Issue Funding that was referred on 9-12-05. Mrs. Van Pelt said she would have to check the minutes for the history of the referral.

Treasurer Borgerding said he contacted the local banks and U. S. Bank will accept matching rates from other banks. He is still waiting to hear from PNC Bank. Mayor Policastro said he most definitely wants to do business with the merchants here in the Village.

Mayor Policastro said if anyone sees Jane McDonald to thank her for helping get the Statuary Park wall redone. Prus Construction put in a block wall several years ago that we were not happy with. They came back last week and redid the wall and now it looks great.