Work is progressing on renovations for Fire Station 62 on 3777 Dayton-Xenia Road. The renovations are designed to bring the station up to current building codes and increase space to accommodate additional firefighters.

Updates to the living quarters of Beavercreek Township Fire Station 62 include additional bunk rooms for mixed genders, new kitchen appliances and cabinets, multiple bathrooms with showers for mixed genders, separate laundry rooms for uniforms and linens and soiled fire gear, a fitness room, and ADA compliant public restroom.

Hot Renovation: Fire Department Station 62 undergoing renovations. Photo © Craig Barhorst

Other renovations include new plumbing and electrical, roof repair and building structure reinforcements to comply with current building codes. The station, built in 1963, was originally designed as a volunteer fire station. New additions to the original building are being added to accommodate the additional personnel of a full-time fire department and to modernize the facility.

Besides voting for 3 open slots on Beavercreek City Council this election, Beavercreek voters will be asked to consider a number of state, county and local issues. The issues include 3 state issues, charter amendments, tax replacements, renewals and even a tax increase. See below for details about the local issues affecting Beavercreek voters.




QUICK GLANCE AT THE ISSUES IN BEAVERCREEK
GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 3, 2009

Issue 5
Greene County Mental Health and Recovery Board Renewal
1.5 mills-four years-commencing 2009 Operating Community Mental Health

Issue 6
Greene County Council on Aging Replacement & Increase
1 mill-five years-commencing 2009 Operating Senior Council on Aging

Issue 7
Greene County Library Renewal
1 mill-five years-commencing 2010 Current Operating Expenses

Issue 8
Beavercreek City Proposed Charter Amendment
Duties and Definition of Mayor and Vice Mayor

Issue 9
Beavercreek City Proposed Charter Amendment
Transfer of Appropriations

Issue 10
Beavercreek City Proposed Charter Amendment
Annual Appropriations

Issue 24
Beavercreek Township Renewal, Streets & Roads
0.5 mill-five years-commencing 2010 Streets, Roads and Bridges

Issue 25
Beavercreek Township & City Fire Levy
2 mills-for a continuing period of time-commencing 2009

Issue 27
Beavercreek City School District Renewal
1 mill-five years-commencing 2009 Permanent Improvements
Construction, Renovations of Existing Facilities




DETAILED LOOK AT THE ISSUES AFFECTING BEAVERCREEK
GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 3, 2009

GREENE COUNTY ISSUES 5 – 7, NOV. 3 2009
Greene county has three issues on the ballot. One, Issue 6, includes an increase in taxes. The others are renewals or replacements.

5 PROPOSED TAX LEVY (RENEWAL)
GREENE COUNTY
Greene County Mental Health

A renewal of a tax for the benefit of Greene County Mental Health and Recovery Board for the purpose of OPERATION, MAINTENANCE AND FINANCING OF MENTAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY BOARD OF GREENE COUNTY PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES at a rate not exceeding 1.5 mills for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.15 for each one hundred dollar of valuation, for a period of four years, commencing in 2009, first due in calendar year 2010.

6 PROPOSED TAX LEVY (REPLACEMENT AND INCREASE)
GREENE COUNTY
Greene County Council on Aging

A replacement of 0.8 mill of an existing levy and an increase of 0.2 mill to constitute a tax for the benefit of Greene County Council on Aging, for the purpose of PROVIDING SERVICES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS THROUGH THE GREENE COUNTY COUNCIL ON AGING, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEMS, HOME DELIVERED MEALS, IN HOME CARE, ADULT DAY CARE CAREGIVER SUPPORT AND RESPITE, at a rate not exceeding 1 mill for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.10 for each one hundred dollar of valuation, for a period of five years, commencing with 2009, first due in calendar year 2010.

7 PROPOSED TAX LEVY (RENEWAL)
GREENE COUNTY
Greene County Library

A renewal of a tax for the benefit of the Greene County Library for the purpose of CURRENT EXPENSES at a rate not exceeding 1 mill for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.10 for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for five years, commencing in 2010 ,first due in calendar year 2011.




CITY OF BEAVERCREEK ISSUES 8 -10, NOV. 3 2009
Issues for the City of Beavercreek focus on charter amendments this election. Issue 8 clarifies the definition and duties of the Mayor and Vice Mayor. Issue 9 deals with transferring appropriations within accounts and issue 10 clarifies the process of how the annual appropriations (budget) ordinance is conducted. For more details read the descriptions below.

8 PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT
CITY OF BEAVERCREEK
Section 4.04 Officers of the Council
The City Council candidate receiving the highest number of votes from City electors’ at the most recent November general election in an odd numbered year will be the Mayor and will serve as such for the first two (2) years of his or her term. The candidate receiving the second highest number of votes at that election will be the Vice Mayor and will serve for the same two (2) years in that capacity. Tie votes in any Council election shall be resolved by a coin flip in the presence of the person then serving as Mayor or in the presence of two other members of Council. (Amended 11-6-90)

(A) Mayor. The Mayor shall have the right to vote on all issues before the Council but shall have no power of veto. In addition to the powers, rights, and duties as a Council member, the Mayor shall preside at meetings of the Council, shall be recognized as head of the city government for all ceremonial purposes, by the Governor for purposes of military law, and by the courts for civil process involving the City. The Mayor is recognized as the Chief Executive Officer [Executive Officer] as required by the Ohio Revised Code for purposes of declaring an emergency, but not for any action other than as required by declared emergencies. The Mayor may by ordinance have judicial powers and shall perform all other duties prescribed by ordinance or by resolution of the Council not inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter.

(B) Vice Mayor. The Vice Mayor shall exercise all power and perform all the duties of the Mayor in case of temporary absence or disability. Should the office of Mayor become vacant, the Vice Mayor shall succeed to that office. If the office of Vice Mayor becomes vacant, the successor Vice Mayor shall be the member who received the next higher number of votes, at the most recent rotation election of Council members. If it is not possible to identify a successor in that manner, the Council shall choose a new Vice Mayor at its next regular meeting. (Amended 11-6-90; Amendment passed by electorate 11-4-97). City of Beavercreek Ordinance 09-7, passed June 8, 2009

9 PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT
CITY OF BEAVERCREEK
Section 10.04 TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATIONS
At any time during the fiscal year the City Manager may transfer part or all of any unencumbered balance within a fund; and upon written request by the City Manager, the Council shall consider by ordinance the transfer of any unencumbered balance between funds. The ordinance to transfer any unencumbered balance shall become effective upon adoption. (Amended 11-4-89; Amended 11-6-90)
City of Beavercreek Ordinance 09-8, passed June 8, 2009

10 PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT
CITY OF BEAVERCREEK
SECTION 10.10 ANNUAL APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE
At the meeting of the Council at which the revised final budget estimates for the appropriation ordinance are submitted, the Council shall adopt the estimates as submitted, or as amended, as the appropriation ordinance of the City of Beavercreek for the ensuing fiscal year:
The appropriation ordinance shall become effective upon adoption and shall constitute an appropriation for the budgeted items and approval of the work projects without further legislation (Amended 11-06-90)
The annual appropriation ordinance and any amendments to the annual appropriation shall be passed by ordinance with an affirmative vote of five members of Council and shall become effective upon adoption.
Provided Council expenses are approved in the annual appropriation ordinance or in an amendment to the annual appropriation ordinance, no resolution otherwise required by Article IV Section 4.10 shall be required to be approved by Council to expend or pay necessary and reasonable expenses of a Council Member incurred in the performance of their official duties. City of Beavercreek Ordinance 09-9, passed June 8, 2009




TOWNSHIP OF BEAVERCREEK ISSUES 24 -25, NOV. 3 2009
Issues for the Township of Beavercreek focus mainly on renewals for the Streets, Roads and Bridges Levy and a replacement for the FIre Levy. More details below.

24 PROPOSED TAX LEVY (RENEWAL) STREETS, ROADS, BRIDGES
BEAVERCREEK TOWNSHIP
A renewal of a tax for the benefit of Beavercreek Township, for the purpose of GENERAL CONSTRUTION, RECONSTRUCTION, RESURFACING AND REPAIR OF STREETS, ROADS AND BRIDGES at a rate not exceeding 0.5 mill for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.05 for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for a period of five years, commencing in 2010, first due in calendar year 2011.

25 PROPOSED TAX LEVY (REPLACEMENT) FIRE LEVY
BEAVERCREEK TOWNSHIP
A replacement of two existing levies for the benefit of Beavercreek Township, for the purpose of PROVIDING AND MAINTAINING FIRE APPARATUS, APPLIANCES, BUILDINGS, OR SITES THEREFOR, OR SOURCES OF WATER SUPPLY AND MATERIALS THEREFOR, OR THE ESTABLISHMENT AND PAYMENT OF PERMANENT, PART TIME, OR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS OR FIRE-FIGHTING COMPANIES TO OPERATE THE SAME, INCLUDING THE PAYMENT OF THE FIREFIGHTER EMPLOYER’S CONTRIBUTION REQUIRED UNDER SECTION 742.34 OF THE REVISED CODE, OR TO PURCHASE AMBULANCE EQUIPMENT, OR TO PROVIDE AMBULANCE OR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES OPERATED BY A FIRE DEPARTMENT OR FIRE-FIGHTING COMPANY at a rate not exceeding 2 mills for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.20 for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for a continuing period of time, commencing in 2009, first due in calendar year 2010.




BEAVERCREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT ISSUE 27, NOV. 3 2009
Some may find it odd that the school district seeks a renewal of a levy originally designed to renovate existing buildings after last year’s $80 million levy passed with the goal of building new schools and also renovating existing buildings. As always, voters will have to decide if a renewal of this levy is warranted.

27 PROPOSED TAX LEVY (RENEWAL)
BEAVERCREEK CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
A renewal of a tax for the benefit of Beavercreek City School District, Counties of Greene and Montgomery, Ohio for the purpose of CONSTRUCTING IMPROVEMENTS, RENOVATIONS AND ADDITIONS TO SCHOOL FACILITIES AND PROVIDING EQUIPMENT, FURNISHINGS, AND SITE IMPROVEMENTS THEREFOR, at a rate not exceeding 1 mill for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.10 for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for a period of five years, commencing in 2009, first due in calendar year 2010.




LOCAL OPTION BEAVERCREEK CITY-PRECINCT #11 ONLY
SUNDAY SALES OF LIQUOR AT WALNUT GROVE COUNTRY CLUB.
Shall the sale of wine and mixed beverages and spirituous liquor be permitted for sale on Sunday between the hours of ten a.m. and midnight, by Aramark Corporation, doing business as Aramark @ Walnut Grove County Club an applicant for a D-6 liquor permit.

Sources: Ballot Issues Nov 3, 2009 PDF… Greene County Board of Elections. Portions above from optical character recognition scan of Greene County Board of Elections PDF by The Beavercreek Record.

Demolition Day for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and the Terpenning family in Beavercreek, Ohio. July 2009. Photo © 2009 Craig Barhorst

The new home designed and built by Extreme Makover and Coventry Fine Homes was designed specifically for those with disabilities. The doorways and hallways are wider. Bathrooms, kitchen and other rooms have enough space for wheel chairs and the entire plan was created with the disabled in mind.

Jim works as an Information Technology expert at WPAFB. He was nominated for the show by the base’s three-star general among others. Jim has no legs and uses a wheelchair. As a child he suffered from polio in Vietnam and was one of the last children rescued before the country fell. After arriving in this country he was dopted by the Terpenning family. Later, his brother who suffers from cerebral palsy, was also adopted by the family. Jim’s brother now lives with Jim, his wife and 4 children in Beavercreek.

Ty Pennington of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition mugging for the handheld as the dust settles. July 2009. Photo © 2009 Craig Barhorst

Jim has won several Special Olympics International metals for the USA for swimming and he now donates much of time to work with soldiers returning from conflicts with physical disabilities.

All across the city trees are down in both residents yards and along major roadways. Dayton-Xenia Road was closed because of a tree blocking the roadway. A tree blocking Fairfield Road was cleared earlier today. Yesterday as the storm was raging and power began to go out, Beavercreek police officers were called upon to direct traffic along various parts of Fairfield Road.





Directing Traffic After the Lights Went Out
Beavercreek Police officers were called upon to direct traffic along various parts of North Fairfield after the power outages began. Photos © Craig Barhorst

The wind storm lead to a hasty end to the annual Heritage Days being held at Wartinger Park after winds snapped one of the large trees in half. Xenia, which was holding it’s annual Old Fashioned Days also cut the second day of their event short as city officials and support services quickly switched over to crisis management mode.



Heritage Days Ends Abruptly
One of the large trees at Wartinger Park was snapped in half leading to a early end to the second Day of Heritage Days. Photos © Craig Barhorst

The devastation was widespread across the Miami Valley affecting communities as far south as Miami Township to as far north as Wapakoneta. The city of Dayton declared a state of emergency this afternoon and the Montgomery County Sheriff asked that the courthouse be closed so he could put more deputies on the streets to maintain order.

Scene in Beavercreek: Beavercreek City workers replace a burnt-out traffic light at the intersection of North Fairfield, Sea Jay and the eastbound Rt 35 on and off ramps.

Scene in Beavercreek: City Workers Make a Signal Change

City Workers Make a Signal Change
Beavercreek City workers replace a burnt-out traffic light at the intersection of North Fairfield, Sea Jay and the eastbound Rt 35 on and off ramps. Photo taken April 18, 2008. Photo © Craig Barhorst

Scene in Beavercreek is a photo feature designed to give a glimpse of life in Beavercreek with a single photo or a few photos capturing a snapshot of an event or scene in Beavercreek. Look for more photos in this series in coming weeks and months exclusively from The Beavercreek Record.

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Discussion of what is being called the “Waste Hauler Contract” are only taking place at work sessions and special meetings. As of yet, the topic has not been brought up during any regular televised meeting of City Council. The most recent meeting where the topic was discussed was at the April 21, 2008 Work Session, according to the meeting’s agenda.

According to Rumpke Municipal Representative Matthew McNelly, the City of Beavercreek under the direction of City Manager Mike Cornell has been looking into the idea since as early as October of 2007. McNelly first mentioned that the city was considering granting a single hauler waste contract when he spoke to the Beavercreek Rotary Club on October 12, 2007.

McNelly said that the city is considering granting one contract for all waste removal services for residents to either Rumpke, Waste Management or Dempsey. At the time, McNelly said the goal was to provide a cost savings for residents. But according to an investigation by The Beavercreek Record, any savings for residents may be negligible.

Our investigation showed that Fairborn, which has such a system and is smaller than Beavercreek, charges it’s residents $15 a month for curbside pickup of trash. The service is managed by Waste Management. Currently, a typical Rumpke bill for three months of service for a Beavercreek resident is $45.80. The difference between the two bills is only 80 cents over three months.

Similarly, we looked at Kettering which also has a single waste hauler contract with Waste Management. The cost for base service, the lowest a resident could pay, is $14.69 a month. But if a Kettering resident wants to use a Waste Management container, there’s an extra $2.50 a month rental charge.

Some argue that going with a city chosen provider will open up recycling opportunities, but according to a 2006 press release from the city, a portion of the monthly charge residents currently pay to their individual waste hauler is already forwarded to the Greene County Solid Waste Management District so that a county-wide recycling efforts can be provided.

Talk about awarding a contract to a single waste hauler has been around since 2001 when the Beavercreek Environmental Advisory Committee first suggested it as part of a way to improve recycling. On June 9, 2003, members of the BEAC made a presentation to the 2003 City Council that included a call for awarding such a contract. Members of the BEAC argued that awarding the contract would improve recycling and the current average rate would be lower with more service. The meeting’s minutes did not include what level of services were added to achieve the “average rate”.

During that discussion in 2003, then council member Bob Glaser said that he had problems with removing competition. Council member Fowler said that it would be taking a decision away from citizens and giving it to the government. Council member Jerry Petrak said that if the issue was recycling, then mandate all haulers to recycle. Vice Mayor Bob Stone said there would have to be substantial savings to the consumer for him to support it; otherwise let the market rule. Council member Julie Vann said she would like to see more information on the issue from staff and the City Manager at the time, Dan Dubruiel said that staff had not formed an opinion since he felt the proposal should be presented to Council first.

The subject and what it represents could easily become controversial. If Beavercreek City Council goes forward with plans to award a single hauler waste contract in Beavercreek, it would represent the first time the city mandates a public service with a fee rather than funding it through levies. The possible controversy surrounding the issue may explain why the topic has been given such low-key treatment, only being discussed at untelevised meetings.

Tony Corvo, local author of the book “All Politics is Loco: Musings from the Conservative Next Door”, said, “This is just another example of government failing to deal with their legitimate functions, and instead expanding into areas they have no business in so they can fail at that also. If the city council and manager are bored, someone should bring them a deck of cards.”

Story by Craig Barhorst.

Wright-Patt Credit Union agreed to work with the Beavercreek Historical Society to determine the historic value of the church and considered moving it to the Wartinger Park if necessary. But it would seem that the old church was determined to have no significant historic value. The original church was built by Dunkards in the 1800’s and was covered by numerous renovations and add-ons over the years.

Charity Baptist Church Gone
An empty lot now exists on the former site of the Charity Baptist, on the corner of North Fairfield and Lantz. The church was demolished last week to make way for a new Wright-Patt Credit Union scheduled to be built on the property. Photos © Craig Barhorst

Wright-Patt Credit Union plans to build a new branch office on the 1.9028 acre property. Current plans call for a 4,821 square foot credit union to be constructed on the site. The proposed building is a freestanding, single-story structure with 2 drive-in banking lanes, and one lane for a 24-hour drive-up ATM machine

Story by Craig Barhorst.     br20080402-01