CALL TO ORDER - The meeting was called to order at 7:25 PM by Mayor Harold A. Ries with the Pledge of Allegiance and a silent prayer.

ROLL CALL - Present were Messrs. Ralph Laird, Paul Meier, John Drummey, Frank Sommerkamp, Joe Maloney and Mrs. Beverly Draud.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA - approved as submitted.

Motion: Mr. Sommerkamp Second: Mr. Laird

APPROVAL OF MINUTES - The minutes from the special meeting held July 30, 1997 for the discussion of Thomas More Parkway was approved as submitted on a motion from Mr. Sommerkamp, seconded by Mrs. Draud. Minutes from the regular meeting of July 10th were approved as submitted on a motion by Mr. Sommerkamp, seconded by Mrs. Draud.

Motion: Mr. Sommerkamp Second: Mrs. Draud

OLD BUSINESS

A. Solid Waste

Mr. Laird reported on Ordinance 1997-6-2, which is an ordinance providing for the collection and disposition of garbage, debris, refuse and recyclable material within the corporate limits of Crestview Hills. This ordinance was discussed at length in committee and several changes have been made to the original draft which was presented at the June, 1997 meeting. Most of the changes involved definitions of single family and multifamily dwellings and exactly what the City would be responsible for collecting. Mr. Laird and other committee members are happy with the version presented for second reading and made the motion to accept the ordinance as presented. Seconded by Mr. Drummey.

Motion: Mr. Laird Second: Mr. Drummey

VOTE CALL:

Mr. Laird - Yes

Mr. Drummey - Yes

Mr. Meier - Yes

Mr. Maloney - Yes

Mr. Sommerkamp - Yes

Mrs. Draud – Yes

Motion carried unanimously and Ordinance 1997-6-2 is passed as submitted.

B. Telecommunications Study

Mr. Sommerkamp reported that the ad hoc committee had a spirited one and a half hour meeting this week in which a resolution was proposed to bring before council. A group of City Administrators came up with the idea for a broad band digital network which would provide faster access to the Internet as well as be an overall boost to the Northern Kentucky economy. The first step in the process would be feasibility study that would study whether an upgrade to phone and cable lines in Northern Kentucky could be done at a reasonable price and there would be customers for the new services that would be able to be offered; a cost benefit analysis. After the feasibility study, a validation study would then be performed to make sure the results of the feasibility study were not tainted or slanted in any way. Mr. Sommerkamp expressed concern that the group heading the telecommunications study did not get requests for proposals from other companies. Currently, Nortel and Public Facilities Investment Corp. will be the companies performing the feasibility study. According to Northern Kentucky Telecommunications Authority (NKTA) advocates, the feasibility study will not cost cities anything but the cost of the validation study could cost between $120,000 and $150,000. Crestview Hills portion of that could run up to $15,000. There is a 30 day window when the feasibility study comes back to determine whether Crestview Hills would like to participate in the validation study and what the approximate cost of that would be. Mr. Laird inquired as to whether NKTA would run the utility as he is not in favor of a governmental entity running a utility. It would be acceptable for the board to regulate the utility but not run it. Mrs. Draud inquired as to which cities have already approved their participation in the studies. Mr. Sommerkamp replied that Ft. Mitchell, Dayton, Taylor Mill, Newport, Edgewood, Crescent Springs, Lakeside Park, Elsmere, Bellevue, Ft. Thomas, Ft. Wright, Erlanger and Boone County Fiscal Court. According to advocates of the study, the City may opt out at any time once the feasibility study has been completed.

Mr. Maloney made the motion that, based upon information received, that council accept Resolution 1997-8-1 as presented to have the feasibility study done and to spend up to $15,000 on having the validation study completed. Seconded by Mr. Drummey. The Mayor requested a vote call on the resolution.

Motion: Mr. Maloney Second: Mr. Drummey

VOTE CALL:

Mr. Laird - No

Mrs. Draud - Yes

Mr. Drummey - Yes

Mr. Meier - PASS

Mr. Maloney - Yes

Mr. Sommerkamp - No

CITIZENS AND GUESTS

Recognized was Scot Draud.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

Mr. Celarek reported on the following:

1. C.R. Monhollen, City Clerk/Treasuer, received state municipal clerk’s certification, along with 21 other clerks, at the Skills Development Institute, which ended July 24, 1997.
2. The audit will be performed this year by Rankin and Rankin Assoc. because Mackey Mohr has decided to get out of the business of performing audits. There were four firms that were interviewed by the Mayor, Mr. Celarek and the City Clerk/Treasurer and this was the one that was chosen. The audit will commence the last week of September.
3. Thomas More College is now accredited for an MBA program which will open the door for other Master’s programs.
4. The Lookout Farm community-wide yard sale will take place September 13^th from 9AM to 3PM.

OLD BUSINESS

B. Thomas More Parkway

Mr. Berling stated that a meeting was held with contributors to the project on July 30^th. Contributors stated their items of concern which included large rocks in the grassy areas, bald spots on medians, and drainage problems. Overall everyone seemed satisfied with the meeting and the solutions presented.

Mr. Berling reported that he is getting prices on how much it might cost to construct a sidewalk on Turkeyfoot Rd. and Dixie Hwy. The Turkeyfoot Road sidewalk would run from Mall Road to the Edgewood city line on the south side of the street. Construction on Dixie Hwy. could involve some piping behind the guard rail on the southern side of the highway. Mr. Sommerkamp asked about the possibility of constructing benches along sidewalks as in Edgewood. It was an idea that would be taken under advisement when the plans for the sidewalks are drawn.

Mr. Celarek mentioned that Bill Erpenbeck had promised the entrance to Grandview Summit would be widened in September.

 

NEW BUSINESS

A. I-71 Corridor Study

Mr. Celarek referred to a letter of July 14^th from OKI which requested an analysis of elevated electric guideway transit in the Northern Kentucky portion of the I-71 corridor be performed. The letter estimated the City’s portion to fund this segment of the corridor study would be $2,400 based on past participation. Mr. Meier said that a number of cities have gone to mass transit systems of some sort and these systems cost millions of dollars to implement. He feels a study is appropriate and the City should participate and made a motion to that effect. Seconded by Mr. Sommerkamp.

 

Motion: Mr. Meier Second: Mr. Sommerkamp

The motion passed by unanimous consent by council.

2. Budget Amendment

Mr. Laird stated the reasons why an amendment would be needed to the newly passed budget. Ms. Monhollen clarified by saying that basically with the passage of the telecommunications study and the I-71 corridor study, expenditures would then exceed revenues and according to law, that cannot happen. Mr. Laird referred the amendment to the Finance Committee.

Committee Reports

Fire and Safety

Mr. Meier reported on Mr. Maloney’s suggestion from last council meeting that the possibility of Crestview Hills building a fire substation be looked into. The safety committee has recruited some members of the community as well as an expert from the University of Cincinnati to perform an in depth study. The first meeting of this expanded committee will take place August 28^th at 4PM. The committee hopes to compile a list of questions that can be addressed concerning long range fire and EMS services in the City.

Police Authority

Mr. Meier stated that the cruisers have new markings on them.

Economic Development

Mr. Drummey informed council that the Harris Corp. decided to locate to Butler County in Ohio. It is presumed to be in the Mason area.

Motion to adjourn made by Mr. Laird, seconded by Mr. Sommerkamp at 8:41 PM.