President of Council Marjorie Harlow called Council to order on September 7, 2011, at 7:00 p.m.

    The governmental body and those in attendance recited the pledge of allegiance.

    Mrs. McNear took roll call. Present were Council members Diehl, Emerson, Galster, Hawkins, Squires, Vanover and Harlow.

    The minutes of August 17, 2011 were approved with seven affirmative votes.

    COMMUNICATIONS                     -     none

    COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE    -     none

RESOLUTION R11-2011 COMMENDING THE 2011 SAILFISH SWIM TEAM FOR A SUCCESSFUL SWIM SEASON AND NSSL CHAMPIONSHIP

Mr. Vanover made a motion to adopt and Mr. Squires seconded.

Ronaldo Mesina, coach of the Sailfish team thanked Council for recognizing the Saifish team. He said Malena Dennis and Jordyn Pez were their first individual league champions in over eight years. Malena won against 49 swimmers and Jordyn against 88 other swimmers. I appreciate all the support that the Recreation Department and Council have given us.

Debbie Stahlgren said I have been affiliated with the swim team for the past twelve years and on behalf of the parent board I would like to say thank you to the Council for recognizing our Springdale Sailfish swimmers. I am especially grateful for Sharon Casselman’s dedication to the Springdale Sailfish and the support of the Parks and Recreation Department. I’m also very grateful to all of you for the support we have received over the years.

Mayor Webster said I want to thank you (Debbie Stahlgren) and your husband, Sharon Brooks and the one I think has held the swim team together over the years, Sharon Casselman. Mayor Webster asked Malena Dennis and Jordyn Pez to stand and be recognized.

Mr. Vanover, Mr. Squires, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. Galster and Mr. Diehl all congratulated the swim team. Mr. Diehl said this program was on life support for a lot of years and Ms. Casselman just wouldn’t let it go. Thanks for doing what you’re doing.

Sharon Casselman said this is one of the best groups I’ve worked with in a number of years. They are dedicated and willing to do whatever we need to do to make it a success.

PRESENTATION - COUNCIL ON AGING
Sharon Freso gave an update on the Hamilton County Elderly Services Program that Council on Aging administers. She passed out the annual report. She said the program makes it possible for 7200 Hamilton County seniors to remain independent and in their homes. It provides services such as meals on wheels, transportation, and home care assistance. More than one in ten older adults must go on Medicaid within the first six months of being placed in a nursing home. After one year it’s three in ten. It costs about $351 a month per client in Hamilton County’s Elderly Services Program, compared to $4,200 a month for nursing home care. To be eligible for the program a person must be a resident of Hamilton County, be aged 65 or older and unable to perform certain basic daily activities without help. In the near future we will be reducing the eligibility age to sixty. Eighty-nine percent of the program’s funding comes from Hamilton County Senior Services tax levy. The typical client is an eighty year old woman who lives alone. She needs help but not nursing home care. The Elderly Services Program was started to serve people in the middle; those not so poor that they qualify for Medicaid but neither are they able to afford in-home care out of their own pocket.

Mr. Diehl asked when does age sixty take effect?

Ms. Freso replied in October.

Mr. Diehl said you will increase the population. Will that have an affect on the amount of care you can give?

Ms. Freso responded it’s part of a larger plan that will actually reduce the number of people who are eligible. Last year we increased what it takes to qualify for a level of disability. This is an effort to make our dollar stretch as far as possible. We made a choice to serve the more frail older adults.

Mrs. McNear asked “what will the cost of the levy renewal be per $100,000 on a home evaluation?”

Ms. Freso replied I’m not sure but I think its $30 to $36 a year per household.

Mr. Hawkins asked “what is the number of clients you are trying to get down to serve?”

Ms. Freso responded it’s not going to decrease because we are not taking anyone off the program. It’s to slow the growth. In Hamilton County we are putting on 46 to 60 new clients a month. We are also experiencing some people coming off but we are growing at a rate higher than we can sustain in the long term. It’s going to level off the growth as opposed to making it decline.

Mrs. Harlow asked this is a separate levy than the one that supports the underinsured and free care that is given at some of the local hospitals?

Ms. Freso replied yes, the senior services levy is a separate levy designed specifically for helping older adults remain independent and in their homes.

PRESENTATION – POLICE DEPARTMENT – COP ON TOP

Joe Turre said members of the Springdale Police Department have been involved with Special Olympics since 1993. The law enforcement torch run is the largest grass roots fund raiser and informational vehicle for Special Olympics in the State of Ohio. Last year we raised over $500,000 through different fund raising events. Over the years we have diversified our fund raising and participate in the polar bear plunge which occurs in January, February and March. Our Cop on Top event was the first in the state. Last year we raised $5,000. This year we hosted the second annual event. Walgreen’s was the co-host for the event. We had chiefs come from Mariemont, St. Bernard, Glendale, Addyston and the supervisory special agent from the FBI in Cincinnati. I’d like to thank Chief Mathis; Fred Romano, who lined up sponsors; Suzanne Perry, whose organization skis are second to none. Several elected officials participated in the event. Walgreen’s hosted the event and provided a lot of materials. Tri-County Mall donated their fountain coins. Wendy’s hosted Burger Bash and donated 15% of the total sales for that day. Frame USA have given us a percentage of their sales for the month of August. Buskin Bakery provided donuts Friday morning. IHOP donated breakfast; Chick Fil A donated lunch. Costco donated pizzas Friday night. First Watch donated breakfast on Saturday and Jimmy John’s took care of lunch. Chipotle donated gift cards. Arch Rental in Sharonville provided the scaffolding. Klostermann’s supplied the buns for the grill out. Finishing Technology cleaned the coins so they could be run through CoinStar. The BenGals sent five BenGals out last year with five days notice. This year a third of the group came. Mr. Redlegs was here this year. The event raised funds and awareness for Special Olympics and let Cincinnati see what Springdale can do. I would like to thank the Police Department, the City of Springdale, and also Springdale and greater Cincinnati for your support.

SPRINGDALE CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY

Chief Mathis stated we are hoping to start a Citizens’ Police Academy where members of the community can get to know us on a deeper level and for us to know them on a more meaningful level. The purpose of the police academy is to provide information to the citizens who attend so that they can make informed decisions and judgments about our police department and other law enforcement agencies. Through this interaction and hopefully from the understanding that comes from it, it can dispel any suspicions or misconceptions and increase the police/community rapport that develops through this educational process. Our department, in turn, becomes more aware of the feelings and concerns of the community through input from the people who are attending classes. We hope as people graduate they will become partners with us in identifying problems in the community and solutions to those problems that affect our community. The Citizens’ Police Academy will consist of eight weeks of classes, one class a week that will last approximately three to three and one-half hours in length. The topics will be an overview of the police department and municipal government, domestic violence, laws of arrest, search and seizure, and use of force. We will have participants ride with an officer. We’ll talk about criminal and narcotic investigations, traffic enforcement, DUI and crash investigations and crime scene investigations. Instructors will be members of the Springdale Police Department. There will be no overtime and it will be done at a minimal cost of $500-$600 that can be paid through some of our special fund accounts. The first class will begin in October and be limited to twenty people. Colerain Township has the longest running program. In seven years they have utilized 21,000 volunteer hours.

Mrs. Emerson asked if they had considered a basic CPR or first aid program in the class.

Chief Mathis replied we could. There is a lot we could put in. I know the Fire Department offers CPR training now and we could partner with them. I know we can’t do it in the first class because we have to get going but perhaps in future classes.

Mrs. Emerson asked “how many citizens are in Colerain’s program?”

Officer Ture said they have 700 participants. Chief Mathis stated they offer three classes per year, two adult and one youth. I know at Christmas time the alumni of the Citizens Police Academy at Colerain will walk the mall.

Mr. Hawkins said the police academy is a wonderful idea. When I was the prosecutor I helped with Fairfield Township’s program. You get a lot of vigilant awareness that really helps with crime prevention. Are you planning to have any prosecutors coming in to speak?

Chief Mathis replied we are really working on the curriculum. When we talk about our police department and municipal government, it’s our intention to have Mr. Parham or Mr. Thamann speak briefly about our form of government. We can have a prosecutor there and other directors from the city government to talk about the different roles of government within the City of Springdale.

Mr. Galster asked “do you anticipate doing it once, twice a year?”

Chief Mathis responded twice a year would be our limit, hopefully in early spring and late fall, maybe a youth academy in the summer. We don’t know how many people are interested but we are going to offer it to Springdale residents first, business people in Springdale and then outside people. If you are interested in the class, call Joe Ture at 346-5530 or e-mail the Police Department.



    ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS

Public Hearing
ORDINANCE NO. 32-2011 AMENDING SECTIONS 153.903 AND 150.41 OF THE CITY OF SPRINGDALE CODIFIED ORDINANCES REGARDING MUNICIPAL LIENS FOR NONPAYMENT OF REVIEW AND INSPECTION FEES
Mr. Vanover made a motion to adopt and Mr. Galster seconded.
Mayor Webster said for years we’ve had a policy where a developer doing a project in the City needs to make a deposit which is used to pay for the engineering, consulting fees, etc. There have been a couple of occasions over the years where we maybe haven’t got the bills in time before the project is closed out and mostly, it’s where a development doesn’t happen, the deposit gets exhausted, the bills come in and the proposed developer is long gone so the City is left holding the bag. This will create a safety net, that if all other things fail, then we would be able to levy the charges that occurred against the property owner. We have asked our consultants to expedite the billing to get the bills in a lot sooner and have taken other measures to minimize the impact of this, but this ordinance will give us the ability to levy this against the property if all else fails.

Mr. Galster said for clarification, it says it was approved by six affirmative votes in Planning Commission. That’s because there were only six in attendance. Everyone on the board did support this.

Ordinance 32-2011 passed with seven affirmative votes.

ORDINANCE NO. 34-2011 ACCEPTING A BID AND AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CLERK OF COUNCIL/FINANCE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH DAVID WILLIAMS & ASSOCIATES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $29,350.00, RELATED TO THE CHAMBERLAIN PARK PLAYGROUND PROJECT, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY

Mr. Vanover made a motion to adopt and Mr. Squires seconded.

Mr. Parham stated this project was placed out to bid and the bids were opened on August 24. As part of the Community Development Block Grant Program, we were awarded $30,300 for this improvement to the playground area in Chamberlain Park. Presently we have a small swing set along with a small playground piece for smaller children. There is also a thirty by fifty foot concrete pad. The project will place a rubberized surface on top of that concrete pad that will permit the young people to enjoy a more improved and more contemporary piece of playground equipment. We request your approval of this project.

Ordinance 34-2011 passed with seven affirmative votes.

ORDINANCE NO. 35-2011 AN ORDINANCE REDUCING SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS LEVIED FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSTRUCTING CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY

Mr. Vanover made a motion to adopt and Mr. Hawkins seconded.

Mr. Parham said this is an annual ordinance we adopt in order to provide for a special assessment in the event the service payments are not met as a part of the Pictoria Island ten-story office building. We’ve always asked that our bond counsel, Brenda Wehmer, join us in case you have any questions.

Ordinance 35-2011 passed with seven affirmative votes.

ORDINANCE NO. 36-2011 APROVING A MAJOR MODIFICATION TO THE PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN TO TRI-COUNTY COMMONS PUD

    First reading

OLD BUSINESS

Mr. Parham said at the last meeting we brought in legislation to have the engineering authorized for the Century Circle North construction project. The proposal submitted by CDS was for $42,900. We had budgeted $53,000 for that engineering work. Also at the last meeting, I explained that we had been contacted by OPWC (Ohio Public Works Commission) and were notified that although we had applied for $374,500, (70% of the $535,000 estimated cost), they did not have the total amount available at that time. They had about $324,000, but they expected to have the full amount by November of this year. Yesterday, I was contacted by e-mail by OPWC that they have now received the total of $374,500. The project is a 70/30 percent split on the construction. The City has paid for the engineering of $42,900. Our 30 percent equates to about $160,000 for the construction of this project if the estimates come in where they are now at $535,000. Based upon whether we have a skilled Public Works Inspector to oversee the construction engineering for the project, we may be able to save $53,000 that we have in the budget for the inspections. If you think about Northland Boulevard which was $1.2 million, we spent under $40,000. This project is $535,000 and a complete tear out. I would have to suspect that the construction engineering will not hit the $40,000, even if we have to find a third party to perform those inspection services. I would like to be able to get back to OPWC to indicate whether or not we plan to move forward with this project so they can free those dollars for someone else if we decide not to move forward. We’re getting 70 percent of the construction costs covered for a road that is in desperate need of repair.

Mr. Vanover made a motion to approve the project and authorize Mr. Parham to contact OPWC and notify them that we are planning to move forward with the project. Mr. Diehl seconded. The motion passed with seven affirmative votes.

Mr. Parham stated we need to respond for the next round of the Community Development Block Grant funds by November 4. Counting this evening, there are four Council meetings remaining before that date. We need to hold two public hearings at two of those meetings. I have asked the directors to make recommendations for projects. I’d like to suggest that the public hearings be held on October 5 and 19. The City has realized much success through this program, as we discussed the playground equipment earlier this evening which you approved. At the last meeting, I also shared some of our successes with the home improvement program.

Mayor Webster asked for recommendations from Council by September 21. The home improvement project has been very successful and we’d like to do that again.

Mrs. Harlow asked “what price range should we be considering for projects?”

Mr. Parham responded the County has indicated that their funds have been reduced. They anticipate receiving $2.1 million for the 2012 program year. They base their anticipated reduction on two factors: they expect a 15% reduction in funding from the federal government; also, there are about eight communities in the Greater Cincinnati area that chose not to participate in this program because they did not want low income housing in their communities. As a result, the County has reduced the amount they expect to receive by another $530,000. Typically the State of Ohio has had the State Capital Improvement program to assist some communities with different projects. Earlier this year Mr. Karle, Mr. Shvegzda and I went before a group of state legislators to present the Ross Park Bridge project for their consideration. Unfortunately, we were not successful in receiving funding from that program. The engineers have determined the bridge’s foundation to be sturdy but the surface of the bridge seems to be in need of dire repair. If a community’s project qualifies for Community Development Block Grant funds, the County has indicated that they are going to try to serve as the matching share for the local on their project. I don’t know what the match is but that is the statement in the document. The Ross Park Bridge project is estimated at a cost of $360,000. Other projects discussed are: the inspection of City’s storm sewers system and paving of parking lots in some parks. Each community has a funding threshold that they can receive. At this time, we are not sure what that number is for Springdale. In any event, for whatever project we are approved for, we will be required to cover any engineering or architectural costs for the project.

Mayor Webster said over the last three years we have received $130,000. I think if we ask for the Ross Park bridge reconstruction, that’s $360,000. If we get $20,000 or $30,000 we have to come up with the rest of it. I don’t know that we’d get anything. I think we’d be better off asking for smaller projects.

    NEW BUSINESS

    Mrs. McNear said she has a liquor license request for Fiesta Vallarta Mexican Restaurant at 11305 Princeton Pike. There were no objections.

    Mr. Parham stated for many years we have been operating with three ambulances handling our life squad runs. Earlier this year, primarily due to reduction in some full-time personnel, but also equipment related, we decided to focus on sending out just two ambulances. This helped because we could now delay the need to purchase a new ambulance and extend the life of the units by having three units to keep two on the road. We also knew that if we received a call for a third ambulance, our engine is equipped with the necessary equipment for those employees remaining in the station. They just would not be able to transport someone until a squad comes. At the same time, we always have mutual aid available to us. The wear and tear on our ambulance has really taken a toll this year. Each year we would continue to push back the time for replacing them. We were trying to buy as much time as possible. I think we really need to replace at least one of the squads, now. I have asked the Fire Chief to check on a number of things. First of all, what is the cost to purchase a new ambulance? What would it cost to simply replace the chassis on one of the ambulance and continue to use the existing box of the unit. Over the last couple of years we have budgeted $175,000 for the purchase of a new ambulance and $125,000 to replace the chassis of the ambulance but continue to use the box. Each year, we would plug those numbers into the five year budget. Now we wanted to confirm if our numbers were good numbers to use or not. When the Chief checked the State bid price, he found out that to purchase a baseline ambulance, the cost was $107,000. That did not include much by way of extras. In 2005, we were able to purchase a new squad for $105,000. When we added all of the bells and whistles, we eventually paid $130,000. Today it will probably be $140,000 to $150,000. At this point, we have been running the three to keep two on the road. Earlier this year we experienced two blown gaskets in one of them. At the same time, during the heat of the season, the air conditioning went out so we were down to one ambulance functioning properly. We were able to get the air conditioning fixed pretty quickly. The good thing about the one with the blown gasket is that the engine is part of a class action lawsuit against Ford for that particular engine. Each time we’ve had problems with it, we have sent it back to Ford for repair. Most of the time there was no charge because it was covered under that process. In this particular instance there was an $800 charge because there were items that were not covered. So that we can make sure that we will have a reliable vehicle on the road, I think it’s time for us to purchase a new ambulance. We will probably need to replace a second ambulance in the next three years. We investigate the possibility of financing a lease to purchase over a three-year period. If we use $175,000 as the cost of the new ambulance, one financial institution gave us an interest rate of 4.15% which comes out to a little over $63,000 a year for a total cost of $189,733. I asked Mr. Jeff Williams, Finance Officer/Tax Commissioner to contact a number of other financial institutions to see what kind of rates we could get. He received several quotes with the best being a rate of 1.77%. The total cost would be around $179,000 with an annual payment of $59,000.

Because we realize that we will need to purchase another squad, we began to explore other options. One option is to apply for a federal grant program. We applied once before for this grant and were not successful. That application was to replace the existing fire tower. We were unsuccessful, but it did not hurt us to apply. We’re hoping to have the ambulance purchased as part of the 2012 budget. We can bring in the legislation authorizing us to purchase the ambulance at this time. We can pass the legislation and then place the order for the unit. The payment does not have to be made until 2012.

    Mayor Webster reported we have been contacted by the Village of Glendale to see if we had any interest in providing EMS services to that community. We did that from 1993 to 2007. They were very pleased with our service but they decided to farm out their fire service. They looked at us and Woodlawn. They chose to go with Woodlawn. That lasted a year or so and then they decided to bring their fire service back in-house. However, they left the EMS service with Woodlawn. They have decided they would like to move away from Woodlawn and have Springdale provide the service. Mayor Webster asked Mr. Parham how many runs Woodlawn made into Glendale last year.

Mr. Parham said in 2010 Woodlawn made 175 runs into Glendale.

Mayor Webster said if we add that to our present workload that puts us at 2,200 runs per year. Our fire chief assures us that with a new squad and our present staffing, we can always have two, sometimes three squads on the road. We also have the engines that can respond to emergencies and we also have mutual aid available. We would seek re-imbursement through the insurance companies. Based upon 175 calls, which is about 131 transports, we are probably looking at $40,000 to $60,000 a year in re-imbursements. The only out of pocket expenses we would have would be normal supplies, communications at $17.05 per run. There is a mileage re-imbursement also. We’d like to recommend that Council enter into a contract to do that. We know for a fact that the Glendale Village Council has met and approved an agreement to have Springdale provide them with services. We have the legislation here this evening and we’d like to push ahead so Glendale can notify Woodlawn.

    Mrs. McNear said Glendale would still have a first responder vehicle that would report to those calls as well.

    Mr. Galster asked “when will this take effect?”

    Mayor Webster replied I think they are obligated to give Woodlawn forty-five days. I know they are concerned that we would be willing to pick it up on shorter notice if Woodlawn said we don’t want your notice.

    Mr. Galster asked, with the ambulance situation, would we be able to do that, even tomorrow if necessary?

    Mayor Webster replied it would not be ideal but I think we could handle that. We may rely on mutual aid more than we’d like to but we can. I don’t think Woodlawn is going to take that approach.
   
    Mrs. Emerson asked “how long is the contract good for when we sign it?”

    Mr. Parham replied it’s for one year with an automatic renewal. There is a clause that if either party chooses to terminate the agreement, they give the other ninety days. I did talk with Glendale’s Fire Chief today. Glendale’s Law Director has not relocated back into the State of Ohio yet, but there was one concern that he did have. His concern was that the contract states it will renew each year, however, it does not indicate that if we decided to not renew, we do not have to provide any advance notice. However, there is a termination clause of ninety days for either side.

    Mr. Galster asked “when do we anticipate the delivery of the new ambulance?”

    Mr. Parham replied the contractor, Wheeled Coach, has indicated to us if we are purchasing a new ambulance, they said they could have it to us within forty-five days.

    ORDINANCE NO. 37-2011 AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CLERK OF COUNCIL/FINANCE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE VILLAGE OF GLENDALE TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY

    Mr. Vanover made a motion to adopt and Mr. Squires seconded.

    Mr. Parham said we have gone over the basic details of the agreement. We will put the one clause in there to give notice if we decide not to renew for an additional year. The termination clause is ninety days. The agreement states that the City of Springdale is responsible for the payment of the dispatch fees. It says we then have the ability to bill the individuals within the jurisdictional boundaries of Glendale at our current rates.

    Ordinance 37-2011 passed with seven affirmative votes.

    Mr. Parham said there is nothing in our Code that limits the amount of time that a person can have a dumpster in their yard. We have had a number of instances where a dumpster has sat in a yard with no activity for a long period of time. We want to draft proposed language to regulate how long a dumpster/roll off container can remain in the property owner’s yard. We are trying to give the resident an opportunity to have access to a dumpster for three thirty-day periods in a twelve-month time frame, not calendar year. If you haven’t finished your project after the first or second 30 day period, you can have the two of them tied in together.

    Mr. Galster asked will this also regulate self-storage containers or is there a way to tie that in as well. We’ve had some situations where self-storage containers have been left in driveways as well.

    Mr. Parham said we can look at that as well.

    Mr. Vanover said we had a situation in Heritage Hill a year or so ago where a mover will drop off a tractor trailer on the street and people can load it. In this instance it was there three or four days but there’s that possibility. If we are going to pick up the pods, then maybe include that.

    Mayor Webster replied that was for three or four days. It wouldn’t affect that. This is to try to keep people from having a dumpster for six months.

    Mr. Parham stated the intent of the language for the dumpsters was to address commercial construction debris. We can have the Building Department look to see if there is something that currently regulates the tractor trailer that is being dropped off and not attached to the vehicle.
   
    MEETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

    Board of Health                     -     Sep 8
    Planning Commission                     -     Sep 13
    Board of Zoning Appeals                 -     Sep 20
    Fire Department open house                 -     Oct 8

COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE   

Sharon Brooks said I have been asked by several of you how the concession stand went so on behalf of the Sailfish Team I want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to operate the pool concession as our main fund raiser this year. As you know, the Sailfish lost the funding from the City this year due to budget cuts. Operating pool concessions not only helped the Sailfish gain some of the money lost, it also provided a service to the patrons of the pool. With the help of Springdale Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Sharon Casselman, as well as the parents of the Sailfish swimmers we were able to operate the concession stand Monday through Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for the entire swim season. I am proud to announce that the Sailfish brought in almost $2100 in concessions profit. However, we still operated at a loss of $2,000. As we look for other ways to raise money, we hope in the future as City finances improve we hope you will reconsider reinstating our funding.

Greg Karle, Parks and Recreation Director, said the Jr. Olympics will happen this Saturday. Again, due to budget cuts it was difficult for us to continue funding it, but we were very fortunate that a number of businesses, the Springdale Youth Boosters and Stephen Brooks, a resident, made a valiant effort to provide funding to be able to do this again this year.

Mayor Webster said it speaks wonders to the type of parents and citizens we have in this City that Mr. Brooks took it upon himself to contact eight or ten businesses and got them to contribute enough money, not only to finance Jr. Olympics but also the Halloween carnival.

UPDATE ON LEGISLATION STILL IN DEVELOPMENT

Ordinance 36                         -     Sep 21
Beaver Run Phase II Restoration             -    Sep 21
   

RECAP OF LEGISLATIVE ITEMS REQUESTED

Ambulance purchase                     -     Sep 21
Dumpster restrictions                     -     Oct 5

Mr. Parham stated there will be representatives from Duke Energy at the next meeting to talk about the Smart Grid Program. I encourage any residents who have questions or concerns to attend that meeting. A new meter will be installed at the residences and the meter will have the capability to allow you to communicate and determine what is your most efficient and effective use of electric energy. It will allow you to monitor your energy and make adjustments. It does not allow Duke Energy to come in from the outside and make adjustments to your system. Multiple nodes will be placed throughout the community and your meter will speak to that node. That’s how the communication between your meter and that node will get back to Duke Energy. For the first three months you’ll still have a person coming out to read your meter just to make sure that what the node and smart grid is reading is accurate.

Council adjourned at 9:12 p.m.

                        Respectfully submitted,




                        Kathy McNear
                        Clerk of Council/Finance Director

Minutes Approved:

Marjorie Harlow, President of Council



__________________________, 2011