Tuesday’s meeting also saw the installment of Tasha Bibbs-Oakes and Earl “Bill” O’Brien to the board. Oakes defeated O’Brien on Election Day in November 2011. Last week, O’Brien received the appointment to Poole’s old seat. O’Brien was chosen among a pool of four candidates, including DeMario Phillips and Debra Brazil Griffin, who both ran unsuccessfully in November.
Read MoreAside from decisions pending from the school district about winterizing its Glendale, Roosevelt and Lindberg buildings, city clerk Sharon Gibbs noted that census figures due to arrive in August may reorganize precincts further. Until then, the City Clerk’s office chose to go to the city council for the temporary move.
Read More“Currently you have to go through a very bureaucratic process to open something like an antique shop,” said Ward 3 Commissioner Larry Spataro. “We thought this would let businesses get up and running without the need for a special permit.”
Read MoreChief Gill indicated that members of the city’s police force previously ran the auction of items and were paid overtime to run the event.
Mayor Darrel Paige indicated that having professionals like Midwest Liquidators could help drive final buying prices higher. Professional auctioneers are more skilled and could generate more revenue than the police force could.
Read MoreOn a recommendation from the city manager, the city council voted 5-1 to charge residents a 2 dollar “Transaction Service Fee” for payments made without bills present at the time of payment. The fee is meant to offset the administrative costs associated with locating the resident’s account and verify the payment amount on demand.
Read MoreDespite widespread misinformation, the board of education retains decision-making powers for the district. While the school board asked the state last month to install Demetriou as an emergency financial manager for the district, the state has not taken action on the matter; Demetriou remains in an advisory role only.
Read MoreAndrew Trzaska | January 4, 2012 District 1 County Commissioner Ken Mahoney will retain his chairmanship on the county board
Read MoreJeffrey Lewis – new Director of Public Safety was also introduced at the meeting. He officially started his duties with the city on January 3. Lewis replaced Anthony Kleibecker, who went to Michigan State University late last year. A 30-year law enforcement veteran, Lewis came from Milan, MI where he served as chief of police.
Read MoreAt Tuesday’s organizational meeting at city hall, Mayor Steve Warmington left his seat to approach the public’s podium to ask for the commission’s support in honoring a self-described “Big Red” and “Lakesider”.
Read MoreWhile the district’s technology department and other parties will review it before being put into action, the initial draft provides a look into how the district views social media use by its employees and may seek to regulate it. The main idea of the draft: the teacher-student relationship that schools depend on can be greatly altered because social media treats those connected as peers.
Read MoreNew fiber lines will not need to be run to city hall for the service, as the city’s police and fire departments already have the lines; this is a significant cost savings for implementation. New phone equipment will need to be purchased, and will cost $40,000 over 5 years. According to the city’s finance department, this will still save the city $7,000 a year for until the equipment is paid off; after that, savings of roughly $15,000 a year will be achieved.
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