Financial assistance Warren County veteran services here my check one my check M check one M check one M check one M check one I said oh my God by the it came back welcome to the Hamilton County Board of Commission
Meeting we got quite a full agenda today I’m going to ask everyone to introduce themselves that are on the dais Kristie Rechel Assistant Clerk Lesley Hervey Clerk to the Board Stephanie Summerow Dumas Commissioner good afternoon I’m County Commissioner Denise Driehaus Jeff Aluotto
County Administrator Charlie Annis Prosecutor’s office and I’m Hamilton County Commission board President Alicia Reece we welcome everybody that’s here today we we always start our meeting with silent prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance amen please rise for the Pledge of
Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all I’ll make a motion to approve the minutes of the previous session second Commissioner Reece yes
Commissioner Driehaus yes Commissioner Su Dumas yes all right we have a special Proclamation presentation today that I’m proud to bring before the Board of of Commissioners today it’s a proclamation celebrating Alpha fi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated Delta Gamma Lambda chapter whereas
Alpha F Alpha fraternity Inc was founded by seven Visionary Founders on December 4th 1906 at Cornell University New York as the first Intercollegiate Greek letter fraternity established for African-American men and whereas alpha alpha fraternity Inc Delta gamma Lamba chapter was
Chartered on December 20th 1947 in Cincinnati Ohio and has been an inspiration and strong supporter since its Inception in the Cincinnati and Hamilton County community and whereas the Delta gamma Lamba chapters beloved member Theodore M Barry Ted Barry was elected to be the first
African-American Mayor in the city of CincinnatIn 197 2 and served for four years and where the city of Cincinnati has now named a Street and Park in recognition of Barry’s contributions and whereas the Delta Gamma Lamba Lambda chapter has awarded over $250,000 in scholarships
To College Bound AfricanAmerican young men in the city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County since his Inception and whereas a Delta gamma Lambda chapter has played an instrumental role to the welfare and needs of men women and children in the greater Cincinnati and Hamilton
County area where for over 25 years Delta gamma Lambda chapters holiday food drive has fed over 800 families I could clap on that too but I won’t so in response to the pandemic and hunger crisis in the tri state area and whereas the Delta gamma Lambda chapter has always put the
Well-being of others before their own standing true on the fraternity’s mission statement developing leaders promoting Brotherhood and academic Excellence while providing service and advocacy for our communities for over 75 years and in the city of Cincinnati and in Hamilton
County therefore be it be it claimed that the Hamilton County Commissioners on behalf of its residents and entire Community hereby extends its deepest gratitude and appreciation to the alpha alpha fraternities Delta gamma Lambda chapter for their contributions to Hamilton County for
Over 75 years and proclaims that on December the 4th 2023 that it become Delta Gamma land Lambda chapter day alpha alpha in all of Hamilton [Laughter] County at this time before you give remarks we going to open it up to my colleagues Vice President Dre I just want to thank you for
Being here congratulations y’all look pretty good for 75 and I did have an opportunity to speak to some of you you came from all over the country by way of your colleges and where you I guess
First you know were exposed to the fraternity but you all settled back here in Cincinnati and we’re grateful for that and all the good work you do I know some of you individually and individually without exception you’re doing great work the ones that I know and so I assume that is true
Of the the whole Cadre of individuals here today so we’re honored to recognize you and thank you all for coming in thank you Commissioner Dumas thank you so much for being here thank you for the opportunity to recognize all of you you were a force and you continue to be a force to
Be reckoned with when I was in college and so you have always been doing great things it was really nice when we’re doing the pledge of allegiance to hear that bass sound in here so I’m saying we
Need more men to be more involved in what we do in this County so thank you so much for all that you do I just want to GL that for those watching who may not be familiar this is also the fraternity
Of Dr Martin Luther King Jr I want to thank you all I want to thank my staff for inviting I want to invite you guys down I don’t think you’ve had a chance to be here before but I wanted to invite
You guys down and to be here and we want to thank you for doing that and the reason I also wanted to invite you because we are also pushing positive images too many negative images we just had our
Office of Youth report where we’re we’ve helped 20 26,000 people but we also know that young black men need to be able to see positive African-American men that they can look up to and I know that you do a lot of mentoring your organization has people that are preachers and do
I see one of my doctors here I tell them my knee now is my knee is not feeling too well might have to help me out but you got doctors and lawyers and Judges the the former Judge Fanon Rucker
Who’s here and I know Judge Tyrone Yates was here earlier but you have all of these different people I see Mr booth and his father that helped start the Progressive Baptist with King so it just has so many connections and it’s still needed today so thank you for the scholarships putting young
People to school thank you for the mentorship thank you for the leadership and so I just really wanted to have you all come come here and not just me go present a proclamation to you by myself so
With that we have ran Walton who is the President of Delta gamma Lambda and I will turn the floor over to you thank you I appreciate on behalf of Delta Ganda chapter I’m the chapter President
Here we would like to thank Miss Alicia Reece for allowing us to be here today also we like to thank the Board of County Commissions here for Hamilton County you’ve read off several of the things that we’re doing here in Cincinnati and have been doing for the past 75 years including our scholarships
That we give annually around $25,000 a year we have our go to high school go to college program aimed towards secondary education also our voteless people as a hopeless people program aimed towards voting education we do several programs and events aimed towards helping our youth and
Helping our community and we like to just thank you for allowing us to be here today and as we always preach we’re first of all Servants of all and we shall transcend all thank you thank you
Very much now we have a we took a picture earlier but you didn’t have the proclamation so if you guys will come back up we got the proclamation and we’ll take that’ll be better because I don’t think we can fit down here yeah we GNA move our let move chair
Much so we have an exciting meeting if you want to stay you can but if you got to go we understand you can leave at this time if you have to leave and I’d like to also acknowledge we have Mariemont school here and they are covering our meeting they for a
AP class we’ve got Connor Ethan and Donnie from marry let’s give them a round of applause awesome okay at this time we have public comments do we have anybody on Zoom do last oh it’s the last one okay we’ll get to that one okay we just go in order
Um lha cin did I say it right C cofin welcome you have two minutes all right hello thank you for allowing me to speak here my name is lha cin all right so I prepared something imagine giving
Birth to two healthy babies imagine taking them to the doctor to establish a primary care physician in case your holistic lifestyle doesn’t suit the well-being of your children imagine after being told you’re unvaccinated vegan grown breastfed one week 3 days old old babies bright-eyed hydrated
Active and healthy that you should admit them to the hospital to be watched and imagine declining this and then being threatened by Hamilton County Job and Family Services child protective services imagine getting a second doctor’s opinion to appease Child Protective Services who then again
Clears those brand new babies was told the case was closed and then to be harassed 3 Days Later imagine hiring your own lactation consultant to find out the problem that caused your children to lose weight and You Begin gaining them weight and Child Protective Services still tells you
That that is not enough that they go ahead and they still remove your children without making reasonable efforts without allowing you to exercise your 14th Amendment right to parent to choose what health care providers provide care to your children imagine CPS then telling you that
They’re going to take your older four children as well that you call 988 the crisis line line that is promoted by Hamilton County Job and Family Services and then you end up being arrested detained and taken away from your children imagine then being cleared of any mental health illnesses
Being told that they have no concerns for you to have your children but it is now 10 months later and still not being reunited with your children imagine reaching out to the Commissioner imagine reaching out to city council imagine reaching out to Ohio Department Job and Family Services
To Alexander patsa to Michael Patton and imagine that no one is being held accountable imagine you doing everything in your power to take care of your children and bring your children home and your children are not returned imagine being a Cincinnati firefighter and being able to take care
Of your children but not your own imagine going to court for 10 months and then being told by a casew worker that in order for you to have your children return you needed to have humility imagine no one
Being there for you or your children and allowing you to continue the separation of your family without anyone being held accountable imagine your child then being placed in foster care because Job and Family Services then lost her for 12 hours and because you were the one who
Found them you are now being told that you will not get to see your child or speak to your child for two weeks or until they feel like it is okay for you to speak to them because you lost you they
Lost your child and you founder so imagine being having six siblings being raised together from 13 years 11 years and 9 years and now being separated from your family and your mother and your mother’s clear of any mental health illnesses your mother is financially stable emotionally stable and you
Are still not allowed to be returned home imagine how you would feel when you come to a meeting and you find that they are giving out $5,000 and $6 million to Foster care agencies to foster children who don’t need to be fostered imagine that this is not only my story and that this
Is happening in the entire County of Hamilton County and that nothing’s being done that there are no allegations of physical abuse emotional abuse or neglect to your children that is just because they want someone to have humility and no one is there to have our back or to stop this
Injustice from continuing to occur in our family that’s all thank you thank thank you Malcolm Timmons thanks Commissioners that story wow I feel like what am I even doing up here so I want to say
This to you all it’s kind of an in inquiry so they had this the grants they were putting out for small business and I don’t I don’t I’m here not to say that someone owes me something I’m
Got to have an inquiry so the long and short of it is this they had a grant out for small business which I have upscale events and from 2019 to 2021 you had to have lost like 15% mine
Came in at 14% so I was off by 1% I’m like wow not to get the money so I was disappointed then I got to thinking about it and by the way young Vader Stevenson thank you young man young man’s
On point he walked me through the process to let me know about how this is going and the reason I’m here because back during the pandemic I couldn’t do my events at the Sharon Bill Convention Center so went through the process got the money hey felt great took care of all
My staff and everybody everybody was good so then then going forward the Sharonville they went up on me $1,100 for the Ballroom that I’m in then they had me pay an additional $200 for a promoter’s
Contract which I don’t own a business out there I know and then they had me pay an additional $176 for a liability insurance okay then they wanted me to hire their police officers which I had the
Gentleman from the national who are excellent no guns no outside liquor I mean they take care of everything so I almost got the thing I said well hey maybe I should apply for some of this money
I mean you know everything’s going up for me and then I was told that I didn’t get it because of 1% I was like well you know the numbers are the numbers and I get that so I’m thinking if I’m only
Off 1% should is there something else for a small business I mean I mean cuz they are what they are but my guess my question is what does a person do when you’re that close and you have and you came
Up 1% short that’s my question thank you thank you all right thank you we’ll have someone get that information to you appreciate that Dave Schmidt thank you Commissioners my name is Dave Schmidt I’m the Executive Director of the mil Creek Alliance and I know that yall are
Familiar with our work protecting and restoring the mil Creek I’m here today with just a couple of comments in regard to the resolution that’s on the agenda today for the port authority and their Redevelopment plans for property they have out in Evendale I believe it spells over a little
Bit into reading as well mil Creek Alliance is is certainly in favor of of that property being redeveloped but I would also like to make the Commissioners aware that this is a a beautiful piece of property right along the main stem of mil Creek it’s right in the heart of about a
Two mile Corridor that we have already restored has some portions of it that are actually ideal for further restoration along the mil Creek and also is an ideal location for the future path of the triangle trail part of linking all the trails along the mil Creek throughout Butler and Hamilton
County all the way down to the Ohio River we’ve had some discussions with the port about this already in principle I would just ask that as these development plans go forward in the future that both the port and the Commissioners keep in mind the potential to even further the restoration
Efforts of mil Creek and make the mil Creek in the entire Corridor and the bike trail into true amenities for everyone in the county that’s all of my comments thank you so much thank you very
Much also on Miss M Lasha L Lasha on Miss Lasha I know we we’re not allowed to get records on children and that kind of thing but Mr Aluotto if you could get all the Commissioners what what
They can what is what’s going on whatever you can give us can they get that to us on her situation I just that out there she just right now but I can only do that dropped some heavy stuff we can’t
Just leave it out there I know we can’t get your personal stuff so that’s another Pro I’m issue that we’re not allowed privy to William Jackson thei yes I’m I’m trying to figure out what we going to talk about today too but with everything there would speak speaking about with our mental
Health crisis that we’re having where if you listen to some of the people that speak other places they talk about kids that can’t stand each other so much today that they’re they’re checking ex they’re checking 30 kids at a time a day that kids you know that we have a major problem today
Because of parents that are teaching their their kids things that they they acted the same way in the classrooms probably 10 times worse than they they were as kids and the people that don’t show their faces in the city and especially the ones that have been per permitted to leave the country
Under starting under the Trump Administration with these uh Diplomat licenses that were tied to Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses until we get to the bottom of this like I’m doing in some of these filings and and and getting some accountability of people that as they
Were re retiring or which they say they are publicly a lot of these people but they don’t show themselves in public of things that affect every day people starting with Judges that used to be Judges that there were some very racist things going on in their Court rooms of retired
Judges and then this this case that we have going people are going by what they have to do with the law documenting things starting with notaries that I’m having a lot of trouble with things that you know it’s it’s it’s pretty much saying as you swear yourself in this is the truth nothing
Else but the truth and there’s there’s people breaking the law as notaries and banks that are being documented like they’ve done in the past of cases that that I’m comparing this to and I’m going to be submitting something here at another department you know exhaust more Administrative
REM remedies we’ll see what happens because you know everybody’s blaming each other private the public this that that but they’re they’re being remanded to do things here in Hamilton County that they don’t think they have to go by two by hire courts and nobody’s supposed to talk
About anything thank you Oscar right you have to fill out a card when you get done you get two minutes Commissioner Reece I’m a veteran I’m the the Korean War I was a Navy veteran for four years
I was stationed aboard a Heavy Cruiser ca74 for four years no land duty all sea Duty and it I had to fight and a lot of us like a lot of had to do at that time to get anything we could get
Eyeglasses we couldn’t get dental work of anything and we fought for that and after 4 years I’m thinking that the that the United States do owe me something you know so I’m I’m I’m just glad and and and my Councilman President Reece for bringing out information about the veteran services that we
Weren’t aware of nobody was aware of this private organization that controlled that had money coming in to to help the vet but did not do so so I’m here in favor of of doing something about that
If we can to I appreciate that because it would e ease my soul because I still get feelings about that thanks very much thank you Carrie Davis on Zoom can you get someone get him a card he can
Fill it out that’s all get the card to him Carri Davis hello hello hello hi Carrie Davis you have the floor for two minutes yes ma’am I sent each one I reached out to each of your offices to find
Out what you were doing and giving you some ideas and as Miss ree said if we do nothing them were part of the problem and so I would like you guys to talk about what you have done done some of the
Suggestions I provided to you all were to contact the State Auditor’s office and ask them to conduct an audit of the veteran service Commission at both a financial and a performance audit because they do have the authority to walk in their doors and determine what they are doing how they’re doing
It if it’s legal and if their budget reflects the need in the county I asked you to contact the Director of the Ohio veteran services because she has the authority to conduct an investigation if you believe that the veterans are not being served in Hamilton County I’ve asked you guys to
File a complaint on behalf of veterans with the Judge of the Court of Common Pleas assigned to this issue requesting the removal of the officers and I tried to follow up yesterday nobody answers their phone except Miss Reece’s office who gave me a little bit of time thank you very much but
I feel like we have all these options of things we can do and we are doing nothing we were made aware of this in early November of the problem and while we all went home and had Thanksgiving
With our families we had veterans who did without and now we’re coming up on Christmas and because nothing nobody’s making any moves that will be a catalyst to change I feel like our veterans this Christmas and their families are going to suffer I applaud Miss Reece’s request for
An ombudsman Lorraine County Ohio in 2021 took it a step further and they said it set up something called the heroes fund and it worked kind of alongside of the veteran service Commission and filled the gaps where the veteran service Commission was failing and I think her ombudsman
Program would be the start of doing something like what they had planned in Lorraine County it would necessarily have to be tied to the Judge and the funding should be for the Judge to have an ombudsman who answers to the Commissioners and the veteran Service Commission because
The Judge is the only person in Hamilton County who has the authority to walk in their door and conduct any kind of review and that was told to me by the Assistant Director of Ohio’s Veterans Services and he referred me to a document called the Ohio judicial conference best practices for
Veteran services and if your Ombudsman funding is put under the Judge he will be able to assemble a team to do the proper monitoring and then he will be able to take actions Commissioner Dumas seems worried about the existing Commissioners and we all have a soft heart for them how ever I want
You to think when you think of these four of the five Commissioners feeling bad or not appreciated and wanting to keep them on I’d rather you think of the 400 veterans that did without who were told they cannot have Services who were treated horrifically I wanted to mention to you that even
Though the Commissioners only only became aware this past week of that lawsuit it was filed back in February your legal counsel is not reporting to you all Miss Davis we I said Davis Miss Davis
I’m sorry we are out of time on I let you go a little longer but we’re out of time thank you for your input thank you okay so those are the public comments that ends the public comments I’m open up
For Commissioners for public comments or motions we’ll start with Vice President Driehaus thank you I’ve got a couple of things today one is related to the toy drive for JFS given the fact that it’s
The holidays and we have a toy drive every year I want to thank the Bengals and JFS for organizing a tour drive at at the game last Sunday and jungle gym who evidently was quite the promoter for the
Event and they collected many many Toys For the Kids in Need at JFS and for those kinship care families and the Foster families we also have a program that we run every year at the county called kindness for kids and it is a program where again we’re purchasing Christmas presents for kids
That are in custody and there is a QR code on the website for the county JFS U Oran organization and you can go to that QR code it’s very simple you you plug in to the QR code you pick some toys
You put in your payment information and and it’s delivered so it’s very easy we also have a tree in the lobby as we all know to promote this program so I just wanted to give that a shout out and hope
That people will contribute for the kids that are in our care secondly I went to a a opening of the Boys and Girls Club at The Villages of roll Hill Commissioner Dumas I think you were I gosh I can’t even remember what happened yesterday but we were both there great organization setting up
A recreation facility and more for the Villages of roll Hill it’s a community with 700 families and this is a facility where when you go in and out of the community you have to pass this facility
And so it’s really the perfect spot for it and I want to congratulate the girls and boy or boys and girls club for having the vision to create a facility there that will serve that Community also
Attended the first suburbs event last night they had the Christmas party and saw a bunch of Mayors and Village Managers from all over the county in collaboration with one another to try to move projects in the for the county forward I was happy to attend that and then lastly we’ve talked a bit
About veterans we’ve had a couple folks testify related to the veterans so I wanted to give a brief update I have had ongoing conversations with s s about Transportation options for veterans for the the vehicles that they have for people with disabilities making them available for Veterans
For free making the rides available for free making the rides on any of their vehicles free they right now offer a discount for veterans I am suggesting that the county through the VSSC pick up the rest of that cost and pay for the the ride so that veterans can use public transit
For free and make sure that we’re responding to what I think we heard at the public hearing what which was related to transportation to the VA and doctor’s visits in particular and then we also it heard about the makeup of the Board and I appreciate the comments related to the Board I
Heard at the hearing that there are veterans that are serving on that board but they are not necessarily in tune with some of the issues related to the younger vets and so the younger vets came in and testified to that and so in order to be sensitive to that I have offered some
Ideas to our legislature I’ve reached out to our delegation sent them some information about some bills that are running at the state level already related to the makeup of the VC’s throughout the state of Ohio there are other ideas floating around but the idea would be to change state
Laws so that we could add more individuals to the Board to reflect some of the younger viewpoints some of the younger needs that we heard from some of those folks and so it I haven’t purposely gotten very specific with the legislature because there are other ideas percolating up but have put
The information in front of them and they to a person seem to be a supportive of the idea and I think they’re willing to help and lastly so i’ I’ve got a letter so you know we’re we’re in
A a difficult position because as we have all sorted out we have a situation where the VSC has to request money from the Board of County Commissioners in order for us to give them the money that people have testified to is needed to provide for more staff more services and more of
What other counties are doing related to Veterans and so I’m I’m sensitive to this idea but we’re in a bit of a bind because the VC has to request the dollars before we convey the dollars unless
If they were to go over the 10% and and this would be over the 10% of their previous budget and the challenge there is if they ask for more than their previous budget by way way of 10% the
County Commissioners can come in and appoint six members of the VSSC the VCA has five members so essentially the County Commissioners would take over the appointment for the majority of those members and so I don’t mean to speak for the VSSC but I think that’s problematic and so I but but
The code says that the County Commissioners May appoint six members not that we shall appoint six members and so I’m wondering and I met with some veterans yesterday in my office they reiterated some of what we heard at the hearings and it occurred to me that if we went if the Board
Of County Commissioners went to the VSC and said look we need to provide more services we need to do more marketing we need to have a more robust resp response to the needs of veterans in this
Community we understand the challenge with the 10% but we pledge to you if say let’s for instance say they asked for $2 million doar instead of the 1 million that we currently have in front of us and
We said to them we will not appoint six members we will appoint some members though especially young members to reflect what we heard during the conversations at the public hearing we’ll appoint two members or three members to your board in addition to the five and that’s what we pledge
To to you in order that you are comfortable asking for additional dollars to serve veterans in this community it’s it to my mind it kind of gets to what some of the challenges are without having to wait for the legislature to act I feel like I feel pretty optimistic actually about the legislature
But there’s a timing element there and we have to get a bill passed and so I have drafted a letter for three it’s got three signatures lines on it I wanted to pass it out I just have it now because I
Just had the meeting yesterday but it conveys this idea that maybe we could get more young vets on the VSC and more money to the VSSC through this commitment that we would make in agreement with
Them and and I have not talked to anybody at the VC other than one of the Board members and he was supportive of this but obviously they would have to be supportive of this as well so I’ll pass it
Out just an idea thinking through some of what we’ve heard heard by way of what the needs are and trying to get some action in place sooner than later so I’ll hand that out and that’s all
I have thank you thank you Commissioner Dumas no we came from the audience I’m sorry we can’t we’re not allowed U Commissioner Dumas appreciate I have a few things I was on a webinar earlier today Brownfield remediation program that the state is having and lots of additional monies
Are going to be allocated of course there’s an application process our lead agency is a Port Authority for Hamilton County so you would have to apply as a county I know there was some question
Can the city apply on their own but the question was answered that no the county has to apply and your lead agency would lead that charge Inspire Inspire is initiative I’ve talked about quite often for young people in that that each group in the neighborhood that applies can get $5,000 for
Their group and to try to continue to Mentor their group we’re in our second round once we finish our second round of allocation we should have impacted 11,000 young people and we will start our third
Round the end of our second round in 2024 and our third round in 20 24 which JFS is going to lead that charge as was said earlier I was at the ribbon cutting for the Boys and Girls Club
Of Ro Hill groundbreaking ceremony really exciting they have a community center but that the new club is just going to be fantastic I heard a couple people say when they were speaking neither one of us of the Commissioner spoke because we weren’t directly involved but and I heard the statement by
A couple officials this is the one of the poorest communities and I think we need to stop saying that because we may poor is all relative to me and that Ro Hill is one of the richest communities you
Look at the history and the community and how much they love their area I think that’s of oftentimes said about Lincoln Heights when people used to come in now we don’t allow it to happen but we need to stop saying especially as elected officials and it wasn’t Commissioner Driehaus that
This is the poorest Community we need to look at all aspects of that Community because we’re planting seeds that we don’t need to plant in addition I was on a webinar for the White House Department of intergovernmental Affairs which I go every Thursday I have that webinar so I’d like to
Talk a little bit about that as we as I talk about the veterans situation and and I think all of us in our own way have been looking into that issue immediately as we heard about veterans and not
Getting what they needed we’ve all talked about having a history or I have a family of veterans and so I know all of us are connected directly or indirectly but what I did immediately because we don’t have any power Authority as Commissioners to make decisions for VSC as a now I’m not interested
In a takeover of VSSC but what I am interested in is to try to contact the people who are in charge and to see what they are doing now what they’ve done in the past and strategically what
They plan on doing in the future so I contact a Judge dressing the court has jurisdiction over VSSC and we’ve been talking and he connected me with Judge Warner wack Wagner who is out of town
And he has Judge Wagner has agreed to come here and speak to us about the Court’s position on the VSC and so when he gets back in town I’m sure Commissioner Reece’s office can work with them
On a the best we’ll be out we won’t be having a lot of meetings so if we could get him in before our meetings end and in addition to that one of my weekly White House briefings there was a the
Lady name is Zenita l Adams she’s the a deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Veteran Affairs in Washington DC and I contacted her and told her about the Dilemma that we’re in down here and how the veterans are really not getting all that they need and they deserve she immediately
Wrote me back Connected me with Deb Ashen Herbert who is the let me get this right the Director of the Ohio Department of Veteran Affairs and and we’re going to talk about what’s going on in addition during the webinar the V veterans affairs Representative indicated they’re going to have 10
Listening sessions throughout the United States and I asked if maybe our area Hamilton County could be one of the ones that you come and listen to our veterans and hear the good things and the
Not so good things and they are looking at their schedule now to see if they can come and talk directly to the veterans so my take on all of this is we all know veterans need more we all know that
The numbers of veterans that are being impacted is extremely low through the VSSC I also know we have no and I’m I know I’m being repetitive because I choose I want to do this to make it clear I know
We have no Authority but we need to work with the ones who have the authority presently which is the court have them come in and talk and let us know where they are on it and also the top Veterans
Affairs people in Washington DC are the ones that I have been working with to see if we can turn this around this has been going on for many years and so before we come up with what our Solutions
Are I think we need to hear from the people that are actually in authority to make some changes and see if maybe they’ve come up with the same things I don’t know but to listen to them and they’re
Willing to come in and have a listening session with us and I believe that will end my comments thank you thank you very you got one more go ahead one other thing the young lady who spoke about her
Family and I’m not going to address it directly but there is a advocate for just for families at JFS they hired them specifically because I am a social worker also and I said what about we have advocates for the children we have advocates for agencies but what about specifically when families
Have a specific problem so Jeff I don’t have her name I can’t think of her name right now but there is a spe that okay with the special Advocate okay and I also wanted to talk I’m sorry for leaving
This out a little scribble when U Malcolm Timmons came in and about being 1% below where people need to be in order to be funded I think that’s called compassion for me when we were starting the small
Business grants for whatever reason they said if you were a a business owner but did not have an employee you didn’t qualify I said what I’m a sold proprietor and I know I have a small
Business and a lot of people don’t have employees so they need to qualify and that’s how we ended up with sole Proprietors just someone who does not have an employee but my the bottom line of this
Is if you’re below what the criteria you have to set a criteria so maybe they were 1% below maybe somebody is 2% below so I would think that we could be adjust maybe you don’t get all the
Money maybe you just get 75% of the money you start with the top with the criteria and then if we have money left and you’re 1% below I think we had this with something else we were looking
Into some small business it was a few you a few months ago was a lady who was just below wherever we were allocating so I once again I say you have to have rules you have to have guidelines
But where does the compassion come you could have someone who had was impacted by the pandemic and trying to get moving and they’re just a little bit below and so we need to just try better to
Try to fit those people where the gaps are and that’s that’s what I wanted to say that’s all I have thank you I agree with that I think we have the final vote on the grants so I do want
To look into that because I was never for that Gap anyway that was self-imposed it was not a federal guideline but I know we had a lot of people so that was a way to to have a guidelines so I do
Want to make sure all of those are presented to us and then we as a board can make our our we make the final decision I’ve been a lot of places but I’m not going to go into that because
We got a lot on the agenda we got some very big issues I’m going to start with the veterans issue it is by leave number eight on the calendar I’m going give a quick rerun of what has transpired with the veterans situation the Veterans Services Commission issued
Reports to us that went back five years five plus years I’ve been here three years this is my third year the veteran services from my knowledge has not ever come before this board to do anything even though we have a budget process and other people with restricted funds do come before us
When I got elected I’m going to speak on just with I’m my behalf it doesn’t mean that others have not tried but I speak each have had a chance to speak and I’m speaking for me when I got here in County
Government and there’s a lot of things in County government that I’m learning and also sharing with the public so the public understands how County government works because most people do not when I got here I met with Jeff Aluotto he asked about priorities ETA us said I want to give more money
To the veterans how do I do that his response to me is the Administrator is that they will not take the money I backed off only because I thought they were veterans and they would hopefully be doing
The right things by veterans I was never told that they were independent board I was never told that we can’t make appointments I was never told that they have to ask for the money I was never
Told if they asked for 10% more that we would get appointments every time we talk about this subject matter we’re getting more information it’s one of the problems that I have with independent boards that have authority over taxpayer money but never have to report to the people that the
Taxpayers elect we do that in a number of ways and I’ve been fighting against them since I got got here we put these independent boards you don’t know who they are you can’t find them they don’t
Have to answer to anybody they run and have their meetings they help a few little people but you as a taxpayer can’t do anything about them but you can do something about the elected officials so
I had a problem when this came out I was sleep went to sleep one way and woke up with a $31 million headline they said Hamilton County they didn’t say a independent board they said Hamilton County $31 million returned to the Commission and used for different projects now the only person
That could answered that question would be our Administrator Jeff Aluotto what happened to the so-called money he indicated on the video that they didn’t get $31 million they never asked for $31 million and they give them what they asked for that’s what Jeff Aluotto said now if that’s
Not true then we have to we’d have to challenge Mr Aluotto then the veterans of course would get upset they started getting up and said this has got to stop now for us to say I need more time I
Got to look into it I mean this thing has been going on they’ve been around for over a decade so for me I’m like hold on we got to be doing something we need to take some action and this
Doesn’t have to be the only action but we got to take some action so then I did meet with a board member as mentioned earlier I met with a board I met with a board member too freshes and Norwood
And said what is going on this cannot continue to happen and so that particular board member was more Progressive and nice but also said that their board appointment is up and may not get reappointed so the one that was working with us might not get reappointed but was trying to help
With this matter I said now you said your Director who makes $123,000 makes more money than a County Commissioner you said that person was ill and not available I said well bring the number two or the
Chairman of the Board so I asked Mr Aluotto to invite them it took two invites but they never came before in the last five 10 years they ain’t been up here nobody was telling about let’s work
With them they wasn’t up here so they came we said hey this is the Olive Branch let’s work together let’s get to the bottom of this so they came up and they presented that the person was was not
Able to come but we got the chairman of the Board he came walking up now when I looked at this board I didn’t see diversity it’s not just age I didn’t see no diversity I don’t even think I saw a woman
On the Board if I’m not mistaken anyway it came up and then they brought a gentleman African-American gentleman said he was veteran services officer and said they had voted to make him the interim you
Stood right here it’s on video I even asked him do he have anything to say he didn’t have much to say and all these veterans were looking and then they said we’re going to do better we’re going to do
More and we got an intro that was on a Thursday on that same following Monday I get a headline Channel n headline came out and said that it’s going to that the old the old Director is taking the Reigns here it is Hamilton County veteran services executive Executive Director takes back
Reigns well now work from home so everything we discussed in this meeting had the veterans leaving thinking we got some hope had us thinking we gonna work together now if they do this in your face
Sending them a letter ain’t gonna change nothing I done met with them at at fres I then invited them here we they done come and said they going to do more and then their request wasn’t 10% more and I
Couldn’t understand why don’t they want more why don’t they want more and it’s getting down to you didn’t you don’t want the Commission to make any appointments that’s what it’s down to but nobody’s talking about their reports we up here talking they gave us reports and in those reports they
Gave it to us on a Wednesday hope we wasn’t going to read it but in the reports I read them they had Pharmacy at doar who’s going to deal with that today they had glasses at Zar who GNA deal with
That today we only helping a thousand veterans one year 500 another year 400 V we got 42,000 plus families we’re not even helping 10% that’s should make everybody not be able to sleep at night I
Know I can’t my grandfather I got to do this CU my grandfather told me about serving his country as in the Navy he told me about the benefits he told me about what he had to do he told me
About not having nowhere to turn and then here I am benefiting and I’m gonna sit here and say I got to study it a little longer I can’t study it no more so with that we said hey you’re right we
Don’t have the power and there’s a difference between State veterans and federal veterans I was on the plane coming back for Thanksgiving and I tell you how God works I’m on the plane with the former United States Secretary of veteran services you don’t get no higher than that Mr
McDonald encouraged me to keep pushing but Federal that’s a different thing that’s Washington and all that we talking about the state veteran services and the reason we got State veteran service I’m learning so much about this I learned from Teresa Burns this able veteran that was here last time
She told me when you come out you got you got to fill out paperwork to get to the VA level you got to get to a certain percentage so they got the state veteran supposed to help be that
Bridge so when you come out you got you can pay for your rent you can pay for your food while you’re getting that paperwork in place for the federal benefits so we can’t really call the
Federal on this because they G to say they on Vine Street that’s the VA and and and there Services places on Vine Street we’re dealing with the state people the state put it in place for it
To be a pass through from the county and then when I looked at the documents nobody wants to talk about we said hold up but they didn’t hold up on a 4% raise for their Sal they didn’t
Hold up on a 4% raise for themselves but nothing percentage wise in the budget that I got to vote on all of us will be voting on a budget that ain’t going to help no more V we’re just as guilty if
I go along with that I’m guilty because I wasn’t guilty before because I didn’t know about now we know about and I’m gonna pass a budget that I know only gonna help a thousand veterans zero dollars
For glasses Zer do for pharmacy only $22,000 to help you with your gas and electric and then I say well I sent them a letter and I want to work with them I hope they work with I brought them here and
They decided they didn’t want to work with them so my thought is my resolution before I go to resolution we also talked about marketing I want you to pull up I’ll tell you this stuff must be
Haunting me I was asleep and woke up and this got on this came on the tv who needs help obtaining benefits transportation to medical appointments or emergency financial assistance Warren County veteran services is here to serve you look out for our new Outreach vehicle traveling throughout
Warren County and learn more about how Warren County veteran services office can help veterans and their families while also providing a direct link to local state and federal veterans benefits we’re veterans helping veterans to learn more call Warren County veteran services office at 513 695
2717 hey now we asked about marketing they say we got a website we asked about Transportation they say they got some bus cards even if we cut a deal with sort of if we had a disabled vet up
Here with one leg you get them on the bus and they got to transfer and go why can’t we get nothing like this Warren County’s smaller than us and they got a look at that that big old bus coming
Through here and helping people and advertising and we’re saying we got to learn more they also are advertising at payor stadium that we got to come up with the money to pay for PayCor Stadium our taxpayers and they got advertising they done put up we have no advertising and then we go with
This budget you can’t do no more because this is a small budget so instead of just begging I think we need a liaison that can be fulltime that’s under this board and reports to the Administrator now
We create these positions all the time we’ve got different offices and we run and hire people to be the person over those offices I can’t think of a more important office than to have a veteran services support office and not just have you know so someone someone served in the military
Have them run over there when they got time no I’m talking about ombudsman and ombudsman could come back with other recommendations it’s not saying it’s the only thing we’re doing but we would have an ombudsman and their job would be their job would be to be the liaison between veteran
Services also liaison between the Federal Veterans Affairs would also put our money toward marketing we wouldn’t give it over there and say are y’all going to Market because they not gonna Market they
Ain’t GNA take the money you see it now they not marketing they saw it on TV like I saw it on TV they not gonna do it but that we would have this ombudsman to do marketing to get the word out so
People know what’s supposed to be going on and then have a report I sent somebody over there to you what has happened with that person have they been helped be able to report to us and say
This many people we’ve been helping this many things we’ve been doing be able to go to events and represent Hamilton County and then to have a Hamilton County Event a big event that we would have at PayCor stadium that we own and they have Community Days in our contract that we’re supposed
To do now what would that look like we bring daav over here disa veterans they’re over in Kentucky they would be there taking applications you would have the Veteran Federal people taking applications we’ have the state people taking applications we would have the families there
To come and enjoy and be together face paintings Etc music it would be Hamilton County’s veterans awareness and support day and be big down here on the Ohio River to help connect veterans so with that because of everything the state takes a long time and they’re getting ready to go on
Recess we ain’t getting nothing passed by now it ain’t going it didn’t get in the it didn’t we didn’t make the budget if you don’t make the budget doc it hardly ever happens we’re getting ready to do a capital budget but this wouldn’t be Capital so it wouldn’t be going more veterans
With nothing to do we’ve got a budget we G to pass and I need to have something before I go with this budget knowing that it’s not going to to help any more veterans and so today I’m introducing this
Resolution not on my behalf but on behalf of the veterans that don’t are not getting serviced this is just a beginning step doesn’t mean we can’t add doesn’t mean we can’t do more but we got to take
A step and so the resolution says it talks about all of the history what happened happen with the veterans and it brings accountability to us where we have somebody here that could keep us a breast of what’s going on as indicated legally we cannot allocate additional funding unless they ask for
It because they not going to accept it because if it’s 10% and I don’t know if it’s just about two people or three people or what have you I didn’t see no diversity sitting in here and then
When they H I just don’t know how can you trust somebody that comes in and say Here’s the inum person and we G to work on all this and that’s on a Thursday they didn’t even give it a month on a
Thursday and then it read that Monday morning they told the god thank you you did your job now go on and get demoted again we going back to business as usual and then I read the budget and they said hey
We gonna ask for what we asked for last year so how do you how do you support that so with that this resolution says now therefore be resolved that in efforts to assist the veteran population of Hamilton County that the Hamilton County border of Commissioners support the establishment and
Allocation of funding of an Office of Veteran Affairs under the Board of Commissioners and County Administrator with an ombudsman to serve as a liaison between the citizens the Board and Veteran Services Commission to better assist with the delivery and marketing of resources
And opportunities be it further resolved that the county establish and allocate funding for the first ever annual veterans appreciation resource day at our very own PayCor stadium with an on-site application process and access to Grants housing Workforce Health Care disability food assistance
Those will be the partners that would be there this day should be marketed and promoted with paid advertising text messaging and transportation services according to our Stadium contract we have Community Days under the stadium lease this event should be done before the Bengal season
Somebody say you gonna do it it’s gonna be cold now we doing it we got that Stadium 365 days we want to do it before while the stadium is sitting empty the other thing that we said be it further
Resolved that the additional funding be allocated to veterans Commission possibly to procure a van for transportation of veterans provide additional services to Veterans and expand the Outreach efforts so this is a start now are we saying that someone said can we do that legally we gonna take
Over we not taking over veteran services they GNA stay they keep doing the bare minimum they’ve been doing we got the ombudsman to send people over there to know what they’re supposed to be doing
And that person will be looking and checking Mr Johnson came and I sent them on this day what have y’all done for Mr Johnson and be able to report back to us that’s I think is a good first this
Is a good first step how are we going to get the money well we’re supposed to be allocating them we got they got up to almost $10 million they can ask for so some of that money we using should have
Been going to Veterans so we should have some money and so I tried to answer these questions I put it out early as a as a motion so that my colleagues could look at it they could see it
They can massage it It’s not a I’m not springing it on anybody I’ve had the the hearings we had the people here tried to work with them see if they gonna do something different you know they didn’t
I’ve met with board members try to see if we can talk a board member they didn’t even really listen to that board member we have no choice we have no choice and let me just say that I will hope
That this can be passed today and I want to be on record I want to be on record this is where I stand I want to be on record because we have big projects they come in and tell us we got to
Turn it around in 30 days and we get to Running World Cup K told us got 48 Hours you got to sign on the dotted line and we went to stopping what we were doing to make sure it happens why can’t we do
It when it comes to the people the veterans and I know all of us care about veterans that’s I don’t think that’s a question there’s a lot of people community to care about veterans but we need some
Action and we’re not getting it across the street so with that I’d like to make a motion to approve by leave number eight is there a second I’d like to introduce by leave number eight
And have it on the record to the clerk it’s on the record and I think it’s a sad day a sad day for veterans we can stand up for the big business but we can’t do nothing for the veterans it’s a sad
Day Madam President yes yeah I’d like to comment on some of what was said so we I think all three of us are working on this issue and I applaud that if we were to bring in Judge Wagner which I think
Is a great idea I think the VSC should come in with him and listen to and respond to some of the concerns that we’ve had some of the Board members I don’t know who we’ve all talked to individually
Some of the Board members do want to work with us and the whole idea of appointing additional board members would be that we would have board members that are anxious to do something different and to
Act we we have them the orc establishes the VSC there’s nothing we can do about that they are the agency that has been established by the Ohio Revised Code I think we just have a different
Perspective on whether or not we can get them to do what they said they would do at that meeting they did say they would do more marketing they did understand that people were not being served
In the way they should be served and so I just have a different perspective related to the VSSC and the idea that we can add some members and have some influence in that way and give them
The resources they need to respond to the needs in the community and and even and with the letter I didn’t add any kind of contingency and maybe there should be a contingency in there and I welcome everybody’s ideas by the way related to the letter I didn’t sign it because I hope it’s
Not the final because I want everybody to weigh in but you maybe there should be a contingency about what our our expectation is by way of how they would spend additional dollars if if they were to
Ask for those and we were to appoint a couple new members so I just wanted to offer that and also in my you’ve mentioned the buses and I just wanted to highlight in my conversations with sorta sorta
Is willing to wrap buses and adverti for the VSC to make sure that veterans know that that service is available able to them for free and I don’t know how many buses and and I my impression was
That they would absorb the cost and so I did want to thank them for that idea as I said it’s a it’s a work in progress but I’m anxious to as you say get something done here as soon as possible and
I’m hopeful that if if Judge Wagner is available to come in the VSC can come in some of the Board members can come in again this I think this we we need to keep digging down on this and hopefully
Get something accomplished before we break for the holiday and there because there are budget items in here too and I know our staffs and I did meet with your staff Commissioner Reece and offered some ideas none of which have been discussed here by way of the motion I look I’m I’m
I would like to work with the VC I would like to work with Judge Wagner I would like to work with my colleagues to try to come to a resolution on what more we can do for veterans and I’m hoping
That we get there before the Christmas break yeah well let me just say that I passed out the motion directly before you came with this letter couple times it was sitting for a couple weeks Indicated
When I was going to do it I think the issue though is not about you said let’s invite VSSC I just got here VSSC should have been invited you you were here way before me they never came and they
They’ve been doing this for years this ain’t just happened these last two years VC came so I don’t want to give a we I think we should invite VSC BSC was here I requested that they come BC was here no
I requested it by email the both of us by email I requested it I agree they should come in and respond to the concern well they came in and they and they didn’t respond and they had a guy here
That was embarrassing if you go back and look at the tape they had a guy here that was embarrassing said this guy gonna be the inum and by Monday the guy was not the inum and so my whole point is it’s
Not so much it got nothing to do with me I’m not getting veteran benefits what it got to do with is I don’t want to play games with veterans the bottom line is these people say I want to have
Them come in we just had them come in they ain’t been in ever before and they’ve been in existence for years they came in they presented they said they were gonna do something and then the budget
Came back they asked for the same amount very not 10% over and then I found out only because appointment it’s not about just who GNA we got some appointments I want to know how we gonna
Help these veterans whoever is on the Board I mean what are we doing to put our foot down and say in the next 45 days you gonna help veterans that’s where I’m coming from and I put this around the
Ideas that I asked anybody if they had any ideas that they wanted to add yours was send a letter no that’s what I got back with me that’s why I don’t like the chief of staff thing because we
Get into a he saying she saying thing and I like to hear it for myself but whatever you got to tell me let’s say it out here because you ain’t got to tell me I have offered my ideas and I added
Them okay what is the ideas that you want to have I would be working to I’ve already talked about it the legislature piece the sort of the state legislature why would that be in my resolution County because the resolution is how we’re going to respond to the needs of the veterans in this
Community that’s that’s what I okay so you wanted an amendment to say that sent a letter I want to have willing to accept I want to have something from all three of us that incorporates ideas that
Is a collective move forward for veterans that’s what I was looking for too and I let it be I put it out I got to get the data the what date was the the motion we put a motion out and it’s been
Weeks November 9th November the 9th I reached out to your November the 9th and if you wanted amendment to say we would talk to the state but I didn’t want to get rid of doing something and say
I’m just G to send something to the state I’ve been at the state you’ve been at the state and you know Democrats ain’t in charge at the state and they can’t hard we hardly can get anything
Done at the we very sing to get anything done I don’t mind writing a letter in addition to this that’s what I’m saying should be a collective well I try to be Collective it can’t be Collective just
When you show up I tried to be Collective I gave it to everybody and said hey here’s something I gave it as a motion I put it out in public been transparent with it I didn’t just write this up
Yesterday and come with this and I don’t want that appearance I said if you want to add something but if you’re going to take away that I don’t want an ombudsman then no I wasn’t going to support that
Particular because I want to have an actionable item that actually does something right now for veterans not some put not me p pushing it up to another group and say oh it’s them or it’s
That person or is this person so that’s why I was bringing that forward but if I didn’t want forward I wouldn’t have put it out all early I would have waited kept it to myself and then dropped it today
I dropped it on November the 9th so I do want to clear that up I think that’s very important and let me say I wouldn’t have wanted to deal with this I just got here I would hope this thing
Would have been solved before I showed up I just getting here we could have been got to the state we could have these people been doing it every year after year after year according to the WCPO
Report they’ve been doing it every year so that’s where I we can’t just say oh because somebody’s idea we don’t like it or whatever it it’s just I was just trying to I brought them here we brought
Them here go get the tape yep go get the tape go get the tape they were here and all of us got to ask questions they told us they was going to do something then we get the headline I didn’t
Write the headline they wrote that this is from the news I didn’t know they had got rid of them they demoted the guy on Monday introduced them to us on Thursday demoted them on Monday and then the
Budget I didn’t write the budget Aluotto wrote this budget this budget had the same amount of money from last year so that’s why I got issues we got to do something different well this was just brought to our attention by the veterans and I think we’re all trying to respond we’ve all been
Here for more than a couple of years and none of us were aware of what was going on until the veterans came and said something so here we are trying to respond so I just you know I just want
To say that I’m again hopeful that we can all get something done here before the end of the the year because we need need some movement as as we all agree we need some movement on this issue well I
Put some forward for Action so I put some forward for Action Commissioner Dumas yeah thank you very much I think there there’s no doubt that we all care about veterans that veterans are our top priority I think it’s a difference in strategy for me I’m only speaking for me and as I said
Earlier I don’t believe in a Takeover in other words words they admitted that they have not been doing things wrong right the vs C they admitted that they need to do marketing and advertisement we have a by leave here by leave 10 the veterans relief 104,000 additional dollars but for me the
Strategy is to talk to the people who have the power and authority to actually do something as we work through it the Judges are the ones who have the authority now it may eventually change I
Don’t know so for me I want to talk to the Judges as was mentioned earlier have them come over they may have the same strategy they may say a van a Ombudsman but I don’t think for me I need to hear
From them and they will be coming in in addition I want to hear from more veterans we heard from some of them that came some of them that have called me and emailed me I think there needs to be a mass
Needs assessment of veterans in general and and what they want I think that’s really important as a relates to the paperwork that came in from five years ago immediately as I heard about the issues Immediately asked for all the data that they have and that’s how we got all those five reports when
They were here I asked for that paperwork and it painted a a terrible picture that something needs to be done but I’m just one who believes in collaboration and partnership and to as I said to hear from the Judges to hear from the Veterans Affairs Department that I’ve been talking to and
Then move from there and so It for me it’s just a difference in strategy I think it’s great that we had the passion that we all have for veterans and I’m just looking at doing it in a different
Way and I don’t want anybody to paint the picture that we don’t care because something was was put before us or I don’t care because something was put before me and I did not vote on it in the
Affirmative but I am waiting for the Judge to come in he’s out this week as I was saying should be in in the next week and see what their strategy is they also saw that negative publicity and
As was mentioned earlier we didn’t know about this problem until it got brought forth to us and immediately all three of us start working on it in our own separate ways and so I think until
We hear from the owners of this Commission we do do not need to move forward and try to take over with our own ideas that’s all I have thank you I’m glad you brought up the budget adjustment
Because on Tuesday we were talking about the budget and everybody got a chance to ask their questions or what have you then it got to me and I got my chance to ask the questions and I had
Asked about veterans having the same amount that they had already asked for before and then all of a sudden I get an email that afternoon right after we get done meeting a email saying now we
Gonna do a budget adjustment and my question to Mr Aluotto because I want to make sure we get down to the bottom of this stuff because I’m hearing stuff every different day if he want to come at me but
We need to be getting down to the bottom of it of the people who’s doing this to the veterans instead of coming at Alicia Reece we should be just as angry and and upset of the people who have
Not been servicing the veterans that’s where the energy should be that’s where my energy is but Mr Aluotto you were have on here an adjustment and my question is you told me that they had to ask
For the money and we give them the money they asked for so why are you making an adjustment of $100,000 did they ask for that extra $100,000 and you did not give it to them and if so why yeah
So Commissioners the the adjust this is just for anyone who’s followed along I think this is byle a portion of ble 10 as we get later in the year we’ve got more budget adjustment items that come
Forward before us this one relates to a request of the veteran services Commission related to I think it’s $14,300 this relates to the budget for this year 2023 so every year as we’ve discussed the Board this board passes a resolution saying here’s what veteran services requested here’s the amount
That was allocated to the veteran service because we know that every year veteran service Commission historically and traditionally does not spend what this board allocates and I think historically as far as I go back past five years or more they have never spent what this board has allocated but this
Board has routinely passed a res resolution that says here’s what you’ve requested here’s what we’re allocating in the budget based upon your historical spend but is it the same though I got to get to the bottom line did they request an amount and did you give them the exact amount
They requested or did you recommend less no and Commissioner and so in the resolution that the Board passed last year but no I’m saying last year is it the same amount I know the resolution
Said if you need more come back no it doesn’t it doesn’t just say that Commissioner it says it says the veteran this was unanimously approved veteran services requested a budget of 1.21 million Hamilton County Administration recommended a budget of 1.1 million based upon the Department’s
Prior year expenses which just as an aside was $995,000 that that prior year but that that amount that Delta would be available if needed in the future for them to come back they have never come back for that this year they have and they came back and said we would like that additional
$104,000 well this is the thing I got a question about because we go and we kind of trust you you got all the numbers you’re the one that gets to talk to each Commissioner I ain’t talking about
No chief of staffs chief of staffs nice people but nobody elected the chief of staffs and we’ve had times when Chiefs of staffs got together and the elected official got up here and did something
Different and said I don’t want to do it I changed my mind so you get to speak to each of us a lot of people don’t know this a County government we cannot talk to each other until we come to this
Meeting we can’t have one on-one so whatever I want to come up with I can’t even present it I got to have somebody else present it my question is if I came to you and said I want to give more
Money to Veterans then why would we have something that’s less than what the veterans had asked for that’s what I’m if all of you said all three of us had asked you to do more or maybe I don’t need
To ask that question question here’s where I’m at whatever they asked for I want that amount so I don’t have to get bamboozled or you know I didn’t know and then you coming up here telling
Me the three of y’all went was you recommended it so that’s where I’m getting frustrated and and the thing is as let we get frustrated they people getting y’all getting frustrated with me but ain’t nobody getting to the Administrator who’s who basically you told me that they requested and
We gave them what they requested so I would like like for this budget to make sure this is what they requested cuz that lady she had her hand up Pam and she was trying to dispute it and you had
Told me no we gave them what they asked for so whatever they asked for is the number I want to see down to the nickel I don’t want to say well we gave him 49 cents less but give it down to the
Nickel because I said I wanted to give more so if I want to give more why would I want to have a budget that has anything in it that’s less so I would like to know in this budget as we’re getting
Ready to vote on I want to have exactly what they requested and then if the Board decides we don’t want it or we do then we can go from there but you know I was telling you told me and I was telling
Them that we gave exactly what they had requested I don’t care what they spent in the past what did they request because we were all trying to get more according to you I know know I was well so
Commissioner I would just say that when this when when this I think it was the very first meeting this came up and I think you would asked me to do kind of a primer for the entire board on this
It’s exactly what I said was that they submit a budget request and we adjust that for historical spend said that very directly that that budget as it is recommended to the Board is adjusted for historical Trend and spend so that is not exactly what they requested at the same time they
Have never spent what we have authorized them to spend every but isn’t it odd that on Tuesday you did your budget town hall and I went in here and said wait a minute you asked for the same
Amount of last year and I made a big you can go back to the video and then soon as we get to the office now we got a email saying you want to make a budget adjustment of $104,000 that’s not that’s
Not for the 24 budget that is for the 23 budget that is for this year’s budget not for next year’s budget still seem odd for me to make it clear so I got an understanding because when you come in
You got this this this you running this you got all the numbers you got all the money you got all the staff and I want to if I say that I want the maximum for veterans I’m expecting to see the
Maximum for veterans and if the Board would like so that I can understand it and I don’t have to get two votes to see it I need to see it if the Board would like for the budget the 24 budget to
Be adjusted to have the the B budget for veteran services Commission reflect their request we can certainly do that I will be very upfront in saying we have historically not done that because as I
Said they have not spent what we’ve allocated in the past and for us to then say okay we’re going to give them exactly their request knowing that they’re not going to spend it then we are taking
From other areas of the county in order to do that if the Board but they’re saying you’re taking their money and using it for other areas anyway that was the AR article the article says that they can go up to this amount and they said you were taking the money and putting it
To other things now I don’t know if what what we got to get to the bottom of it we can’t be fuzzy we can’t be we got to be is it is or It Ain’t So for me you ain’t got to put in this budget because
They gotta vote on it they might not vote with me it don’t seem like they voting with me today they ain’t liking me today they’ll like me next week but I want to see it give it to me and writing
And let me make a choice for my own vote with the 22,362 people that voted for me so that I can hold my end of the bargain to them but if I don’t know it then I’m voting on misinformation
Or not the full I wouldn’t say misinformation I’m not getting the full picture it’s my piece so that would help me you don’t have to put it in the budget I need to email with here it is
And then I can decide to say well no we might need to take away from this maybe that as we go into our budget negotiations we we can certainly get the Board the exact request amount versus the
Recommended amount for veteran services Commission for 24 you you have it for for 23 that’s the what the the budget adjustment is on for today so you I’m just getting it today I mean I’m just
Getting it for 23 gave me an email yesterday oh no but the Board knew what what it was when the budget was passed what the request was versus what the allocation was last year no yeah that was in
That’s in this resolution it says it very directly what the request was and what the allocation was okay well I want to pay more attention to it because you slipping a whole lot of resolutions no I didn’t slip anything I mean there’s a lot of resolutions in this budget I’m just saying
There’s a lot of resolutions in this budget so I want to have that out so I can just find out what that is because I did get an email yesterday after our meeting for hundred something thousand do so
I can I just comment sure go ahead yeah so I hear what you’re saying I think we there’s a meeting on Monday where the Chiefs will be talking about the prior I don’t want just the Chiefs understood but
That is the way we communicate with one another so when the Chiefs get together I think I will speak for myself I’ll let you all speak for yourselves I would be in favor of allocating the full the
Full ask to the veteran services Commission and in light of the circumstances we have not done this traditional although we do always say it’s just a matter of timing really that the money is always available that they have requested it’s just a matter of when they need it and if they need it
And as Jeff said they don’t generally spend it so they never come back and ask for the rest of it this time they did that’s great hopefully it’ll provide more services but in the next budget given
The the circumstances what we’ve got in front of us I would agree with the idea that we fund them at 100% so that we don’t have this Dynamic where they have to come back and then move forward from
There so U I hope that that will I mean my step will bring we got two votes for it I would I would second that and now we ain’t got to go to the Chiefs we want it in the budget or look at
Least to look at the budget and then we can make our Des I will and Jeff will get us the numbers I want to see the numbers to know what we’re looking at but I will I all right Commissioner
Just give a couple comments first of all I have a fantastic chief of staff very professional and effective Bishop Bobby Hilton and will not do anything without asking me what I want to do
As a Commissioner so I when I say when I send my chief into the meetings he knows exactly where I am with certain issues so I needed to say that and also for 2024 I have not seen a strategic
Plan from vso VSSC on what they’re doing with the money now what they plan on doing if they get more money money what they’re going to do and I’m not in agreement with increasing the money because they continue to give us money back and why would you increase in my opinion why would
You increase the money and they have not showed us a plan of where the money is going where it’s been going which is nowhere so why would we give them more and they’re giving money back every year
Now at the point where they can show us that they want to do more marketing more advertisement more money is needed I’m certainly in agreement with that because they are definitely not reaching 42,000 veterans so at this point I’m not in agreement with giving them more money because
They’re giving money back and they’re not using the money that they have in a strategic dist the Strategic way I would like to have from them a strategic plan on what they plan on doing with
The money that they have right now and I haven’t seen it thank you got two put the number to what they’re asking so we have it in front of us okay all right we didn’t got that battle battle number
Two let’s go to it talking about rebate by leave number four and it’s also another by leave on here so we’ll go to both of those I get the number okay in front of me soon as I get where is it okay
So B number four and five I want to start with b Le number five that’s my B Le this is regarding the rebate for homeowners in 1996 Hamilton County voters passed a half cent half percent sales tax the sales tax was intended to build two stadiums
Which it did as well as it was advertised heavily that there would be a property tax rebate of 30% many people voted for it homeowners because of the 30% rebate however like has been done with a lot
Of levies and that’s something I’m going to really be working to try to change can’t have all these levies on here we must write in the taxpayers in the law we can’t have we write something for the
Business operations but then the taxpayers they’re out here is just a just advertising they’re not in the law and so they have been promised this amount and it’s only been realized three times and I’m
Very proud when I got here I worked really hard and we were able to get it P unanimously the 30% only one of three times when it comes to the 30% % the sales tax we always say we broke and we can’t
Help the home owner but on the lease agreement right here this is old too this lease agreement is 1997 and we are still upholding everything in here everything we said they got us we got to do it it
Also says on here hear property tax roll back on the contract but they were slick the people that was here had put it together years ago they didn’t put the amount that they advertised but the
Bengals was smart they said no we ain’t We’re not gonna just a vote that ain’t good every page every little thing we gonna put it here in writing and Hamilton County signed off on it in about 30 days
Or a couple weeks we got a email saying that we are obligated or we’re going to have to do some fixing up our Stadium we spend we take on 96% of the cost the taxpayers 96% of the costs upkeep
Upgrades all of that so we got a email saying that we’re looking and recommending $3 million or more to fix some things escalators and all those kind of things I’m not against it what I
Am against is if we’re going to do 30 million for that why can’t we do the 30 million back to the homeowners with this backdrop number one everybody received a re-eval letter and they’ll get another
One and they said it’s the largest re-evaluation in history that means your taxes will go up now is it going to be one to one I don’t know was going to be one to one but it’s going to be more than
What you paid last time and that is due in January we have been very firm about affordable housing we put $40 million for affordable housing but that’s new affordable housing very important we did the
Right thing but I want to take it a step further and make sure the people can afford the house they already have as well we can’t have the taxes where they got to get the heck out of this County and
I’ve heard everything that Introduce is something I’ve gotten from the voters I just want to tell y’all that even the thing with the veterans I didn’t I’m not a veteran some veterans came
Up with that for me and I want to thank them and don’t give up y’all don’t give up but on this one the homeowners were saying man we going up so if before I got here we weren’t in we wasn’t really
High in no double digits we’re getting a little higher but I was saying we can bomb Bond we’re doing some Bond packaging of some smaller projects we could possibly Bond the 30 million in that
Package that would get our upgrades or what have you and then we’re able to give 30 million I’m for and I don’t apologize I’m for giving $30 million back to the homeowners through the 30% property tax rebate and so that’s why I’m introducing this resolution now I’m keep introducing it that’s
Why it keeps we’re inching up but I’mma keep introducing it because without it we wouldn’t be probably inching up now we’re gonna say we’re give more than we gave last year but your taxes
Gonna be more than you had last year so it kind of evens out you know you go to a store and they say 50% off but they done Jacked up the price by 100% so now it’s really did you really get a
Break so I have a by leave here I believe it’s the right thing to do let me take a step further it is the right thing to do on behalf of the homeowners we don’t get creative with the taxpayers we don’t
Get creative with the homeowners but we always have creative finances for everything else but we can’t get creative when it comes to the taxpayers and the homeowners and so I think that I think this is something that’s doable and I’m going to submit this to by leave number five on behalf of
The homeowners of Hamilton County who are paying full price on everything and not getting a break nowhere it was promised to them let’s keep the promise that we add in this we got a promise in
Here we got to keep we can keep it for the Bengals let’s keep it for the taxpayers and so with that I would like to introduce by Le number five is there a second for the homeowners okay by leave number five will be on the record thank you very much all right
Now by leave number four is the Administrator’s recommendation Mr Aluotto would you like to bring that forward happy to Commissioners B number four is resolution number also listed as resolution number 42 in your packet authorizes a property tax rebate for calendar year 2024 the substantive
Part of the resolution reads now therefore be it resolved Board of County Board of Commissioners of Hamilton County Ohio that $1,800,000 or 12.4% of the proceeds from the dedicated 1 half% sales tax is used for property tax reductions from the 23 tax year payable and calendar year 2024 the
Administration recommends approval happy to answer any questions Commissioner just a as a matter of timing and and process this was discussed previously presented on and staff meeting discussed earlier this week in staff meeting as well the rationale for the passage today
Is to facilitate the Auditor’s ability to get this rebate on the proper proper tax duplicate for 2024 for Hamilton County homeowners okay I’ll open it up Vice President Driehaus thank you we’ve talked about this one a couple of times but I will reiterate my thoughts related to property tax
Rebate I do want to highlight that the amount this year is higher than the amount last year primarily because we have taken an approach as a majority of the Board to pay attention to a formula that has been established with the advice of the Administration to make sure that we retain
The Reserve balance at 85% for the stadium fund we have commitments in that fund Debt Service operating Capital emergency repairs lots of strain on that balance and so we need to keep a healthy Reserve if we didn’t we would be dipping into the general fund to pay for the stadium expenses and
And I do not think think and I will never think that that’s a good idea and if we were to go down the road and I know others don’t like to talk about the long term but if we were to do a 30%
Rebate year after year this fund would be bankrupt by 2028 and so I don’t think that is what the taxpayers voted me in here to do and so I am not going to continue to vote I we I did it once post
Co because I thought people might need the relief but we now have established formula to make sure that people get the rebate related to the amount of money we’re bringing into the fund I do think
That is the appropriate way to approach this and so as more money comes into the fund the taxpayer gets an increase if it were less they would get a decrease according to the formula but that would
Be a vote of this Commission so the reason that the amount of money has increased from last year to this year is not due to any resolutions or anything that was introduced is because the formula dictates that you that there’s more revenue and so there is more of a rebate going
To the taxpayers so I think it’s a responsible way to approach this fund I’m hopeful that we will continue to see increased Revenue in this fund and we will continue to increase the rebate
But as I said you know we are trying to do what we can and retain a certain balance there and so I’m glad that the taxpayers will see an increase related to this year thank you okay Commissioner Dumas thank you appreciate a couple comments the state decided on the property assessment and it’s
Much higher than we anticipated or wanted it to be so people it’s not consistently evident that everybody’s going to be paying more but it it some people will be paying more when I came here in 19
We were in a $29 million whole deficit I certainly don’t want to go back there and I’m I’m sure my colleagues don’t want to either if we go with res B 4 the average $100,000 home the homeowner would
Get about 4345 versus $15 if it was a full PTR I’m out of breath we have kept the residents taxpayers I’ll just speak for me I have kept the taxpayers in the Forefront of of my mind and everything
That we do and that’s why we continue to provide services for our taxpayers and the taxpayers will be the first ones to complain when we’re not able to provide the services that we have told them
We would provide so I think it makes I mean we actually could have no PTR if we decided that and we don’t want to decide that because our residents need every help bit of help they can get so I’m
Very comfortable with B for and I plan on voting yes for that thank you thank you I’m continuously going to push that the promises that are made are kept we can’t keep it on one side and not keep it
On the other side I do think that keeping the the heat on is is important on this particular issue not just this one because people look in I was in a a meeting with all of lot of people
Business people Etc and they said to me they said you know a lot of times y’all cry broke but I saw see a lot of cranes out there they building and building and building and this is from you know
A business person who says who makes a lot of decisions ISS in Hamilton County but lives in Warren County a lot of decisions and I think when we have different things we’re creative we
Can find it we G to get the we was G to do World Cup almost $40 million I mean we was G to figure it out I just want us to be as creative because people are really struggling out here I mean I’m
Out here with them and talking to them seeing them hearing from them and the people you don’t think is struggling are struggling I’m not talking about the super poor I’m talking about the ones in the
Middle that’s paying top dollar and can’t get a break for anything I want to keep them in mind and affordability is not just building new affordable housing it’s helping people be able to keep the house they already have and I have people say that their taxes is higher than their mortgage they can
Keep the house on the mortgage but the taxes is driving them out and I’m talking diverse people I mean you can go anywhere with everything from C Cincinnati to Green Township to you know you go you go anywhere I’m hearing from people Forest Park other areas they said these taxes we getting
Ready to lose our house because the taxes are higher than our actual mortgages so if we can do anything anything every little bit counts which is helpful today I will I think keeping the pressure
On and getting it done with the 30% that we were able to do for the 22e tax period is the right thing to do I’m going to keep pushing for that but I think that push also helps us look at now we’re
In some more double digits and we’re inching up so I will support this today because I do want the homeowners to get something but I’m here to tell you that the homeowners once again have gotten screwed they got screwed when this thing got passed and they getting screwed every day we
Don’t do the 30% but I want them to have a little something so I will support this so I’ll make a motion to approve by for can I make one additional comment sure okay I just wanted to say and I had
Talked to Jeff about it that when we talk about I don’t know 20 million for this and 10 million for that and people are wondering well why can’t they do a 30% or whatever that there are different pots
Of money and I was talking to Jeff about we need to better educate the people that are watching and our our taxpayers specifically that when we can’t we can allocate money for this particular project but can’t allocate for this particular service or purpose because it’s in a different
Pot and there are restricted funds either we made them restricted or they restricted through a levy but I think we need to do a better job of letting people know why we can’t take money from certain
Other pots to do certain other things and so I just wanted to say that again so Jeff can start on that mission of maybe educating our our people more about that yeah and I will second the motion
But I will also agree that the other caveat to this one is that if this fund doesn’t have the money to respond to emergency repairs or Debt Service we go into the general fund the general
Fund is the one that funds the 911 operators and the Sheriff deputies and the JFS workers and all the services that we have and it just would be devastating to dip into the general fund to provide for something because we didn’t handle this Reserve balance correctly so I will second
By by Le number four before you second because if we want educate we won’t educate I’ve been asking about the education but let me say this first of all this fund is a sales tax it was not in a fund
There was a group before us that decided to put it in a fund but any board can come in and change the dynamic so this is not a restricted fund by the state of Ohio legally it is not restricted
Number two I’ve been asking to be more creative you could bond the upgrades Bond it put it in we got we’re gonna we just voted on a pond package that had a number of smaller projects 20 million
15 million put it in the bond package which would allow us to open up the 30 million could have went to the homeowners so we can do both so what I’m asking is let’s get creative and just because it’s
Coming from me we can’t oh I don’t want it let’s get creative and I’ve asked the Administrator and not because we don’t get to talk to each other like this directly I’ve asked them to get creative
So we can do both but if there’s no support to get creative we’re gonna keep doing what the past Commission put so I want to be honest I’m not being fiscally responsible and even you said
You did 25 cent a tax to be able to pay for all these other things so I’m saying it could have got a little more creative and I’m asking the Administrator and it may not be this it may be
Something else can we get creative where we can try to do both that’s all I want to try to see if we can do something creative can we be Innovative because I’ve seen us be Innovative when we have
These major deals if some big deal come in here we G to figure it out sharpen the pencil and come up with creativity so that’s where I’m coming in I’m educated about the funds I’m familiar with certain
Funds can’t be used and other funds can be this fund is not restricted by law this when they voted on it they did not vote the taxpayers did not vote for this to be in a restricted fund different than
When we have the gas tax and those kind of things this was not voted to be in a restricted fund and I’m saying we were going to go and dip in this fund for the World Cup and we signed on the dotted
Line thank God we didn’t get it but if we had it for the world cup why don’t we have it for the home owners so that’s all I’m asking is can we just be a little creative I mean I’m willing to
Go with this 14% now because I don’t want people not to have anything but all I’m asking is in the future can we get creative and that’s all I’m asking that’s all I’m asking is can we try to
Get cre maybe it don’t work maybe it do work but can we try to get creative that’s my only thing so with that you seconded and we got a motion on the floor it seconded roll call Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehaus yes Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes all right back to your by leave
U thanks Madam President and not by leave I’m sorry back to your comments understood and thank you I appreciate the the context around this I do just want to State as it relates to the creativity
Aspect of it and to mesh with I think what all three Commissioners are saying when you go back to I think it was might have been 2017 or 2018 the Administration had actually come in I had come to
The Board with a recommendation for a $5 million PTR $5 million is admittedly as we discussed with the Auditor’s office it is the about the lowest you can provide and the Auditor to say I can that I can still split it up meaningfully across different tax bills in discussion with the Board
Offices the Board unanimously said the same thing can we do something a little bit different here said understand what the Administration’s concern is we’re concerned about maintaining that firewall between this fund and the general fund you’re right Commissioner Reece whereas it’s not a a
Restricted fund via law it is a fund that has a lot of legal obligations within it that are legal obligations of the county in terms of contracts leases Debt Service Etc and if to Commissioner Driehaus’s point if if this fund were not sufficient to pay for those those obligations then
Bleed into the general fund so recognizing that we’re trying to do two things give as much back to the taxpayer as we can and keep that adequate firewall while also trying to make sure that we are setting ourselves up appropriately for the large amount of future improvements that we know
Are going to be needed in our Riverfront assets we took that $5 million base and established a formula where we said we we want to maintain this firewall so let’s take an amount of 85% of the
Maximum annual Debt Service that we have coming out of that fund because that at leads to to bond holders others we can say we have a reserve that is substantive but on an annual basis if the
If the revenue performs greater we will add that Delta or that increment on top of that $5 million base so that the taxpayer gets the benefit of an increased PTR when the fund performs better and we still try to maintain that hybrid approach of of helping the taxpayer while at the same time
Making sure that we protect the other policy U initiative or or priority and that is maintaining the viability of the funds so doing that we’ve now had two consecutive years where we’ve been able to
Provide a higher amount of of PTR it seems to be a formula that is that is working in that regards so I think and I and had several folks in the budget office that that worked on this I want I want to
Thank them because I think they were creative in in their approach on it we can review that formula in more detail with the Board over this next year if there’s ways that we want to tweak it because it’s not a magic formula there are ways that things can be done differently it’s
Something that we came up with but if we want to try to tweak it and we can run run different scenarios and the model with the Board to say if we tweaked it this way this is what it would
Look like we can look at that over the course of this next year U this was our recommendation for for this year and again happy for the contextual conversation around this because I think it’s it’s good for the public to understand the Dynamics in this fund because it is so important to a
Lot of uh responsibilities and quality of life issues associated with the community as well as the taxation base as well so thank you I go you I was just my thing was rolling it into a larger
Bond package we’re going to give to do bonding and maybe to free up those dollars I know it’s year to year and we got to tackle it year to year but this with the revaluations coming and a lot of people
Well it’s not GNA be one one the taxes are going to go up on some people and considering that has not happened historically it’s the largest reevaluation I think they said in history I thought we could be creative and maybe rolling that into a bond package of 30 million that you’ll
Be asking for and I think Commissioner to your point we will certainly I just want people know say oh she’s physically respons no I’m talking about rolling it into a bond package you still get to do all the stuff that we’re doing in this budget and then $30 million would have been freed
Up to help for whatever bump is going to happen with people with the reevaluation next year that might not that might not great idea and we will certainly be looking at that absolutely okay you
Got anything else can I yeah yeah I don’t know who you’re looking at me or Jee oh no I was looking at him but I wouldn’t tell you that VI no no no I just want to say that you you alluded to the idea
That because it’s your idea I’m voting against it I just want to say we have a difference of opinion on some things it’s not personal I’m voting with my conscience and as I see fit so I just want to
Say that I am not voting for or against anything because of Personality this is not personal we are policy makers we do what we think is the right thing to do yeah that’s great to know and I
Want you to know when I’m bringing something it’s something it’s not something I just came up with myself people contact our off office and I try to put it in a policy and be kind of the Carrier of
Them a lot of people feel like they don’t have a a voice a lot of people didn’t even know where we were located so when they came with this I said cool that looked like a good idea and I put it
Forward and I gave it to everybody to try to get their input and give time for it so that was the goal so but that’s that’s good to know nothing is personal with anybody we’re going to be grinning
And skinning after this and with that Mr Aluotto you got anything else we got a long agenda not on this just other B items if the Board is ready to go yeah let’s go with your B Lees just to with
The Defence of the Board one quick B Le comment and that is just to remind the public of the upcoming budget hearings we have budget hearing on December the 5th at 1M here in this room and
Staff meeting we also have a budget hearing the evening of December the 12th in Silverton at 6 pm at their Municipal Building people can go to Hamilton County Ohio.gov forward SL budget to download the Administrator’s recommended budget just again if folks are going to do that just
Realize that that is not the budget of the Board of County Commissioners at this point in time so if there’s any criticism on it it comes to the Administration the Board’s budget won’t be final until after it’s voted on in mid December that’s the the public service announcement on the budget
Hearings Commissioners my first by leave item is by leave number one in your packet this is a resolution approving the tentative collecting collective bargaining agreement between asme Ohio Council 8 this is the representing the bays in the Clerk of Court’s Office it’s Serb case p number
2023 me05 0474 the Administration recommends approval any questions on by leave one no question okay I’ll make a motion to approved by leave one second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehaus Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes thank you Commissioners BYO number two is per my comment
Earlier regarding the budget hearings this is a resolution authorizing a special meeting for the Hamilton County 2024 budget hearing this is the hearing that would be out in Silverton at 6m at their municipal building on the 12th of December Administration recommends approval any questions
Are we confirmed for Silverton as a relates to audio vis-a-vis video stuff we have now the will be no video but we will have sound and we are going to bring people in through Zoom so that
There will be no video I thought it was gonna be Facebook I thought Bridget was gonna it will be live on Facebook on our Hamilton count going to yeah it won’t be going out it’s not on won’t be on
Icrc no are we okay with that I’m okay with okay you okay with not really I mean a lot of people watch I mean everybody doesn’t get on Facebook so I was just thinking a lot of people watch our
Meetings through RC and why we couldn’t just have it here and if they don’t want to come here they could call or do the zoom I mean we could still do zoom and calls but we would be on television
Here well this is one of those things that the chief of staff’s got together on that’s what I’m talking about well they were talking about yeah they all of them got together they knew this and
Agreed and I don’t know if the message got but this is the stuff I was saying sometimes it so you said where’s your Chief at did they they all all agreed on it do we want to we’ll come back to
This at the end of the thing the the chief of staff well I won’t stop it and and I did talk about with the chief but I still you know there was some confusion of whether or not we could do
It on the television and so I think they came to the Chief of Staff told them we’re going to do Facebook live I got that information okay yeah well we’ll come back to that let’s move on What’s
Next by Le so we have a couple of we don’t have to come back we can go on okay we’ll come back go go ahead go come back we’ll come back with so do B leave number three oh that’s mine B lead
Number three is a resolution appointing members to the Community Development advisory Council Jack Camaron Michael Donahue Elizabeth Elliott and Tyra Oldham open it up for any comments or I just want to as always thank these individuals for being willing to step up and serve the county in
This way Commissioner juli all thank you all for serving and I think we’ve got a a great group and so I move that we adopt by leave three second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner dream yes Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes by leave six would be the next one Commissioner the next two
Are also appointment resolutions thank you very much by Lea six resolution appointing members to the economic inclusion advisory Council James Steele Randy Berlew and Michelle Starr I’ll open it up any questions or comments Vice President no no comments other than to thank them Commission
Dumas just glad that we’re filling the positions thank you all for serving I’ll make a motion to approve by Leaf 6 second Commissioner Reece Commissioner Driehaus Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes by leave s is a resolution appointing members of the elderly services program advisory
Councel Dimity Orlet Susan Amerongen and Janine Gage I’ll open up for any comments happy to support Commissioner Dumas same thank you all for serving I make a motion to approve by Le seven second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehause yes Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes I
Leave 10 Mr Aluotto don’t want to skip over by leave n by leave nine I’m Sorry by leave nine Commissioners this is a resolution authorizing the Administrator to enter into the First Amendment agreement with the between the Board of County Commissioners and the port of Greater Cincinnati
Development Authority this is the Board heard part of this in staff meeting on Tuesday this relates to the site Readiness projects this is two a $2 million Amendment to the ports agreement related to three contracts or three projects one of which was extensively detailed on Tuesday the other two
Regarding property acquisition the Administration recommends approval I know we have Representatives from the Port Authority here if there are any questions also to the Board’s questions from Tuesday I know that I think Holly had distributed a letter from the Mayor of Evendale indicating
His support for the formica project as well so again happy to answer any questions but the Administration does recommend approval I just got one comment thank you for thank you to the port and Holly for getting that letter from the Mayor of Evendale I appreciate that my other
Thing just going forward I know that we got some general information from the US Commerce numbers I would like to have as part of the I don’t know if it’s part of the contract when you go
Into contract with these folks I’d like to see where the ZIP codes of their employees I think that would help us get a little closer down making sure that the people near these areas we are making that impact that is the intent of both the port and the Commission which is to get
Jobs for people that are in Hamilton County but I will support it Vice President Driehaus anything yeah I just want to thank the port for their due diligence I know they’re in the room but I can’t
See them because they’re behind please stand up and be there we go I see there you are yeah that that that’s in the way the so I thank you for for bringing this forward I think it’s really
Important that we’ve got good solid projects for the site Readiness money it will allow us to move forward with economic development projects and create jobs in this County and so I’m I’m very grateful for the partnership and I’m happy to support this Pro or resolution okay Commissioner
Dumas thank you I’ve done my due diligence on this B leave and I’m able to support it okay I’ll make a motion to approve item number nine second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner dream yes Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes thank you all thank you Commissioners by leave number
10 as we’ve talked about we’ve got a one on the consent agenda as well this is the time of year we start to get more budget adjustments coming in Bud by leave 10 is a budget adjustment totaling $754,000 veterans relief dollars discussed earlier in this meeting also includes U the following some
Job and Family Services encumbrances for contracts that are under negotiation for 2024 payroll expenses for the addiction response Coalition a transfer from the auto title fund in the clerk’s office you transfer within the auto title fund within for personnel cost within the
Clerk’s office it includes Appropriations within the workers comp fund for Personnel cost in that fund transfer in in uh for personnel in MSD oversight for in in County Administration the appropriation of additional state grants for the 23 special election in at the Board of Elections
A appropriation of a grant in Municipal Court appropriation of a state Grant in the clerk’s in the Clerk of Court’s Office a Corner’s office Grant for training and Department of Environmental Services a transfer and appropriation for a Federal grant for additional air quality particulate monitoring the Administration recommends approval happy to answer any
Questions open it up particulate monitoring the Administration recommends approval happy to answer any questions open it up for questions no questions no questions no questions okay move to approve item number 10 second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehaus yes Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes that concludes my by leaves Commissioners okay thank you to
The regular calendar Mr Engineer how are you good afternoon Commissioners first I want to thank you for everything you do you it’s an unappreciated job thank you did two two items on on the Engineers agenda item number one is a resolution to rebid the Loveland Road Bridge we
Originally bid this in July and came in the bids came in higher than the 10% Allowed by the Ohio Revised Code we’ve readjusted the estimate put some things as alternate bid items and the new estimate is 765,000 we have funding from the permissive Auto fund City of Loveland OPWC
Grant and the City of Loveland and Clermont County funding to Total that amount and the constructions anticipated to be completed in September of 2024 item number two is a resolution to put out bids for the Corbett Road at Winton Road storm sewer improvements this is located in Springfield
F Township the Engineers estimate is $999,000 the funding is coming from MSD for this repair and completion should be done in May of 2024 all right open it up any questions I have a question about the second one Eric I don’t remember a time when the it’s and
I’m applauding at the collaboration between the Engineers office and MSD can you better describe yeah we brought this to you a couple weeks ago for a memor memorandum of understanding between MSD and the county MSD put a new sanitary line in a number of years ago and it was discovered that
That line went through one of our storm sewers in order to correct that problem is causing flooding so in order to correct that instead of moving the MSD line MSD is paying to relocate the storm sewer line so that there’s no longer a conflict gotcha all right great yeah I’m happy to support
This Commissioner Doom no no questions okay I’ll make a motion to approve items one and two second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehaus Commissioner Summerow Dumas thank you thank you MSD good afternoon afternoon laen dearia with MSD I have with me today Tony e and Matt Spadari the
Principal Engineers overseeing the projects we’ll be discussing today three items are on the agenda starting with item three this is legislation to approve construction of the dry run area sewers Phase 2 contract RB project an appropriate $ 7,613 th000 this project is included in
The approved 2023 CIP for construction and is part of the larger dry run area sewers Expansion Project located in Anderson Township which was initiated in the early 1990s and has been implemented through six phases four of which have already been constructed this phase includes
The construction of approximately 5,500 feet of sanitary sewer the proposed sewer when completed will expand MSD sewer system and customer base by providing sewer availability to 27 existing properties currently served by on-site systems and as well as facilitating potential area development
And providing a connection point at Broadwell Road for a final future construction phase item four is legislation to approve construction of the dry weather channel for sanitary sewer 937 and appropriate 4 million of $66,000 this project is also included in the approved 2023 CIP for
Construction and will install a 5600t dry weather flow Channel along along and existing combined sewer which will prevent the accumulation of solids that is currently occurring during periods of dry weather and resulting in odors as well as operational issues water quality issues so
The project will address these items as well as address structural deficiencies in the sewer item five is to authorize construction of the Reading Road 12th Street to East Liberty Street a sewer replacement project and appropriate 3 Mill 469,000 this project will
Address structural defects in the combined sewer in this area by installing approximately 1,400 feet of new sewer and another about 900 feet will be lined in addition this project will fill seal and abandon approximately 1,850 feet of existing combined sewer this project was slated for an
Oute 2025 for construction in MSD approved 2023 to 2027 CIP but it is ready to proceed to construction at this point in time ahead of schedule and MSD does recommend proceeding at this time in order to address those structural deficiencies in the sewer so recommend approval
Of all three items and can take any questions at this time thank you I open up for questions Vice President Driehaus I no questions Commissioner Dumas no questions Okay I move to approve item number three through five second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehaus yes Commissioner
Summerow Dumas yes thank you thank you thank you storm water Engineer you’re back and I’m back with my other hat on items six and seven are two storm waterer items item six is a resolution approving an agreement with the Hamilton County General Health District to perform
Storm water services in 2024 contract is 95,3 this money comes from the stormwater fund item number seven is a the fourth renewal of an agreement with Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District to perform storm water services in 2024 and that’s
Okay I move to approve items six and seven second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehaus yes Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes thank you thank you Mr Aluotto to consent agenda yes can the consent agenda and there are on this agenda Commissioners several annual credit card
Resolutions I think the Board has asked me to given the length of this agenda to hit the substantive ones with budgetary impact if you want I can mention every time there’s a a credit card resolution otherwise I’ll just hit the well I think you should who are the credit cards
You should acknowledge not one by one but who are they well I won’t know until I you don’t know okay never go to the other ones first other I’ll just I’ll hit them as I go through so the Auditor item
Number eight is the statement of financial tra transactions for October of 2023 item nine is a credit card resolution for the Board of Elections item number 10 it items number 10 and 11 are both Grant amendments between the county and Norwood and Golf Manor respectively this relates to our
Community revitalization grants the the in both of these cases it relates to the time the timing of the grant so if remember Norwood has a facade Improvement program that they U applied for and received from the county a Golf Manor was for the acquisition and demolition of of property
For development purposes the item number 10 is just an extension of Norwood’s Grant until the end of 2024 item number 11 is an extension of Golf Manor’s Grant until March 31st of 2024 item number 12 is a resolution appointing one member to the Over the Rhine special Improvement District board
The county is a member of the over the r special improvement district as a major property owner in the in this area of the of the community this is a position that was previously held Follow by Marc Von Allman the prior U senior policy manager for economic development we have recently hired
Mark’s replacement this puts Holly Christmann Assistant Administrator Christmann on the Board for the December meeting and we’ll ultimately come back to the Board with a resolution to put the new senior policy manager on that on that board item number 13 is a budget adjustment we have got the
Sheriff the Sheriff’s office for overtime and to appropriately assign some Levy dollars to certain functions we have the court reporters for a for an equipment equipment purchase and this was Commissioner Reece you had asked a question prior to the meeting about whether
This was budgeted this this is a transfer so this is within the current budget we have a municipal court item related to payroll municipal court Public Defender additional dollars for assigned councel developmental Disability Services a transfer from Capital to fund year-end payroll
Juvenile Court we have additional youth placement costs we have a state grant for lab equipment within the corner and we have the the levelin road bridge in the Engineers office as well as County facilities funding for design of the Courthouse facade and roof project item number
14 is a resolution authorizing criminal background check services within Job and Family Services with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal in identification and investigation at 250,000 item number 15 is a resolution to accept the execution of a contract at River City Correctional Center for pharmacy
Services item number 16 is a purchase order also out at River City for Food Services with Food Services and supplies with Cisco item number 17 is a communication regarding a vacation request this
Is just to accept for the record this is relating to an alley off of Camp Road item number 18 is a resolution involving credit cards for the Hamilton County Communication Center item number 19 and 20 are two different credit card authorizations for the Emergency Management agency one of those is a
General credit card one is for Fuel Services item number 21 is a resolution adopting the Hamilton County it of government plan this is a plan that’s put together for us by the Emergency Management agency to help us better identify the Administrative processes that we would have to go
Through if there ever were some sort of disruption of government here in Hamilton County this is the same plan that was approved back in 2020 this is just U amending it to U put the right names and
The right and the right organizational charts in that have changed over a couple of years we have item number 22 this is resolution approving the tenative collective bargaining agreement between IE local 20 representing the Stadium security Specialists Serb case 2023 Meed 9735 then we have
Several Job and Family Services items we have the primary Workforce investment Grant through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services we have a an agreement with YWCA for home visitation and parent Training Services there was a question on this item as well as to why it had indicated
Original agreement this is the new agreement I believe there may have been some amendments in a prior agreement this is now a new agreement so it is restating it as the original agreement for $2,767 item number 25 is an amendment with live changing lives youth services for group
Home services for 500,000 item number 26 is a resolution authorized ing agreements with eight vendors for Independent Living Services at Job and Family Services all totaling 9 million item number 27 is a resolution authorizing an agreement for also for Independent Living Services with three
Different vendors for $3 million item number 28 is a resolution authorizing Amendment one of an agreement with Lighthouse youth services for foster care services at 6.4 million item number 29 is a single Source agreement with Hearn housee with Job and Family Services
For Independent Living Services at 140,000 item number 30 is a resolution authorizing a second amendment and renewal of a agreement with meder for medical field training for snap and tan of consumers at 195,000 we have credit card usage at the Municipal Court we have the resolution
Adopting the annual fee increase for 2024 for Planning and Development this is on the agenda specifically because the CI the resolution that exists benchmarks the the fees to the CIP which for last year was 8% the Planning and Development Office realized that was just too high and came
Back in with a recommendation of 4.5% so this pulls that U that fee increase down from what it would have been item number 33 is a credit card use authorization in the Prosecutor’s office item 34 is credit card used within the Public Defender’s office item number 35 is a report of
No objection to one liquor permit application in the Sheriff’s Office item number 36 is use of credit cards for their stadia and Parking Department item number 37 is credit card usage in the Treasurer’s office and Commissioners I think that completes the consent agenda happy to answer
Any questions thank you very much appreciate it open it up for questions or comments Vice President Duo I have no questions or comments Commissioner Dumas just a general question Jeff the budget adjustment that was a by Le we also have a budget adjustment number 13 is it a is
The reason because some of the information came in later and that’s why we made it a bave that’s precisely correct Commissioner yeah just this time of year we especially with the the books
Closing in December U things come in Fast and we need to get them on the agenda and we try to do that as quickly as we can and the other comment is with the healthy aging Grant I’m glad that we
Are allowing the council and aging to facilitate that I think that’s a great decision do that and I apologize Commissioners I don’t know that in the in my by leave and I know Council on Aging
Is here so I apologize but I did not I did I don’t I think I skipped right over that that it also that budget adjustment 13 also does appropriate the healthy aging Grant received from the state of Ohio at 2.4 million yeah since you came down and paid for parking would you like
To say something at least say [Laughter] hello well thank you Commissioners for your support and I am happy to report that the services are returning with the workforce is improving so you know we’ve we’ve been suffering with gaps in Services because of Workforce shortages and
That’s been closing significantly this year so some good news there so we appreciate the additional revenue from the state of Ohio through the healthy aging grants thank you a question yes what do you attribute that to the the Improvement in Workforce I think part of it’s the economy our
Hare providers are reporting better recruiting of new new Workforce part of it is also the roll out of our addin a app which has enabled us to recruit new Workforce the gig economy to help older adults provide service services in the home so those two things you’re welcome than again thank you
Okay no questions no more comments I’m sorry are you done yes okay all right well I make a motion to approve consent approve and receive for the record items number 8 through 36 second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehaus yes Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes sorry I
Left out then I make a motion to approve item 37 as well second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehaus Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes okay now we got to go back to the by leave for the
By leave number two have we got Bridget Doherty is here you want to tell us about the how we’re going to do Silverton or if we got to do it here thank you Madam President I’m Bridget dhy the Director
Of the Office of media and engagement and I just got off the phone with ICC who might be listening but they’re working really hard to live stream our night meeting so they’re very hopeful that they’re
Going to be able to pull it off but if they’re not we do have a backup plan and it would be going live on Facebook okay but it would be Facebook live only say it one more time sorry it would
Be Facebook live only only okay no Zoom we can do Zoom so people can come in remotely as well but we would do Facebook live we would not be on YouTube unless until later we could download it and then
Put it up on YouTube later okay I’m open it up where we’re gonna have a final answer on this where are we at Commissioner D I’m question no no more questions yeah we good with it okay I’ll
Make a motion to approve by leave two to have our special budget hearing meeting 2024 in Silverton Ohio second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehaus Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes and thank you for that additional information all right we got two executive session I make a motion to go
Into executive session pursuant to Ohio Revised code section 12122 G4 to discuss collective bargaining and to discuss collective bargaining second Commissioner Reece yes Commissioner Driehaus Commissioner Summerow Dumas yes
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