In case you missed it, below you can find the letter to the editor I wrote and was printed in the Huber Heights Courier.  Twice already this week I've heard the City Manager say that it would be irresponsible too commit to buiding a Firehouse, yet in the same week he recommends we sign a $225,000 dollar a year, unbreakable for ten years, contract to a management company to run the Music Center.
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City Manager Rob Schommer passed us this report from Chief Ashworth:

The Big News was the flooding that occurred Wednesday night. We recently 
upgraded some of our aging equipment and increased our training which clearly paid off. We 
did, however, ran out of staffing even after calling in overtime and had to prioritize calls. 
Fortunately there were no injuries nor loss of life. Here is a breakdown of the events…

Here is a heads up that shortly the city should announce a couple of specially added meetings to next week's schedule both on Tuesday:

Looks like at 5:00 pm the Administration Committee will meet to discuss the Music Center management contract.  This will be the first time council members get to see it and it will allow for discussion in two committee meetings.  I commend Mr. Schommer and Mr. Campbell for giving us this…

Enter a street number, street name, city, zip code, owner name or parcel id…

Tuesday the Administration Committee meeting contained a brief referred to as the city's 2025 plan.  The plan was explained during the May 12th Live Chat.  A recording of the Live Chat is presented on YouTube.  I've posted a link to that presentation at the end of this article.  I recommend watching. 

The key plus of this brief is that the proposed tax levy is now expected to be .25% instead…

I received this email message from Col Barlow

Mayors and City Managers, It's official!  We have received official approval from the Air Force to open our pools to the Miami Valley Community.  As many of you know, this is something that has been in the works since last September and I'm glad that we are at a point where we can now execute a plan. While we are still working some logistic issues,…

Hello Mayor Tom,

Below is a link to a petition I created to allow the raising of backyard chickens in Huber Heights. I am aware of the code but wanted to take the pulse of the community to see if it's worth the time to try to amend the ordinance.  Gauging from the response to the petition, it is apparent that many citizens in our community have an interest in raising chickens for fresh eggs. The petition has already reached 50 signatures in less than 24…

The main point of the article I intend to write is a lesson learned for all future Mayor's.  If you get elected and you have a political rival on Council you should initiate a conversation sooner than 4 months into office.  Believe it or not 4 months into office and even though I have been sincere in my offer to sit down and talk I hadn't taken the initiative and arranged that conversation.
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Council meets tomorrow, Monday April 14, 2014.  I expect it to be a long meeting with plenty of entertainment value.  This is a pleasant way of saying last week was particularly frustrating.  I'm also disappointed that again this week,  I didn't get the opportunity to post responses to outstanding questions.  I will address at least one in this article.  Remember you can watch the meeting…

I received an email indicating On Monday, April 14th, the Bethel school board will have open forum discussion from 6-6:50PM at the High School Library.  It will be followed by a regular school board meeting at 7:00 pm.  Below you can find a notice about a May 4th presentation on the preliminary planning for the new school facilities. Below that is a picture of the proposed site.
 

UPDATE:  Tuesday the Administration Committee voted to nominate Mr. Schommer for permanent City Manager.  The process the voting members of the Administration Committee implemented last Tuesday was to tell Mr. Schommer to meet with the City Attorney and construct a contract.  He was told to have it ready for Monday's Council meeting so the full council could vote on it.  The committee did not give either Mr.
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Well, I got paid again last month so I thought I should write out a little of what's been going on.  This month I'll talk about the dichotomy of cats and trailers, the difference in my in audience perception of the Council Presiding Officer and my performance as the Presiding officer. Why I'm glad to see both community blogs and letters to the editor.  I also think I should outline what…

Thomas and I have been playing some tennis.  Makes me wonder if there is a group here in Huber that plays.  The schools have new tennis courts so that will free up the Thomas Cloud Courts a lot more this summer.  It would be nice to join a group that has a tennis challenge ladder system.  If there isn't such a group are you interested in being part of a group that plays?

If you don't know…

Before I talk about my congressional ambitions........

Upcoming Events

April 1^st – Early/Absentee Voting Begins

April 7^th – Registration deadline [9pm] for Primary Election (you can register to vote and vote on the same day until April 7th)

May 6^th – Primary Election
 

Montgomery County Board of Elections	Miami County Board of Elections
Address for early voting: 451 W. Third Street

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Did you see this message from Interim City Manger Rob Schommer?

I looks like the reason houses in Carriage Trails sell so fast is because the city is paying for a lot of the construction costs.  Is this smart since some of the money the city is using would normally go to pay for police and fire service?  Is this a smart choice since we have other builders in town willing to pay all their taxes?  Do the houses in Carriage Trails contribute more to the tax base or are the services they receive being paid for by other sections of Huber…

The nice thing about renting is that you don't have to worry about foreclosure, right? Not necessarily. Many tenants have come home to see a notice of foreclosure on their front door. Of course the responsibility falls on the landlord but the situation is also stressful to renters who are unsure of what they need to do now.

Understandably, renters who receive a notice of foreclosure might question whether they need to be worried.
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Wednesday the Harlem Wizards will play School Staff and Community leaders in a fund raising game for Huber Heights City Schools.  I'll be there in a Jersey and I plan to score at least 4 points.  This means I'll be taking at least 70 shots (so don't tell any of my teammates I'd hate to get benched before we even start).   

 
Come out Monday and hear what could be the last discussion before contract award of the new Thomas Cloud concession stand and…

I've heard at least 5 plausible reasons why the school agreed to the Alcore and Family Dollar TIF's and why they are not joining me in asking for the legislation to be changed. I want the legislation changed so the schools receive 100% of what they would normally receive from the taxpayer passed levies and inside millage.  I'm not going to try and guess which of these 5 explanations are…

The agenda's for next weeks committee meetings have been published.  The read aheads for the Public Safety and Public Works Committees can be found on the City WebSite here.  The most interesting item so far is the Energy Aggregation item.  

Aggregation is when a group of customers join together to form a single, larger customer that buys energy for its members.  Read the pamphlet, found as…

I received the first pay stub for a direct deposit of my Mayor pay. 
 
As with last month I did receive a free meal as part of my attending the Mayors and Managers monthly meeting.  If you are in Oakwood I'd highly recommend Flyboy's Deli.  The Mayor's and Managers meeting included an interesting presentation about GE's involvement in the Dayton community.  Unlike last month where there were two other free meals this was the only one in…

There is a proposed tree cutting ordinance.  One interesting item is that if you fail to comply it could result in your being charged with a minor misdemeanor.  
 

Click here to view the announcement for the first of many “Coffee and Conversation” sessions hosted by interim city manager Rob Schommer.  The first will be Thursday February 27 from 10:00 to 11:00 at the Senior Center.  Many other sessions will be held at different locations in the community.

 

Check out this event and RSVP (not required) on our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/#!/…

This article did not produce the results I was expecting.  I was hoping when I wrote it someone would have relayed the message I was trying to convey in this excerpt of the council meeting video.  This is the same message I was trying to convey in the flier I produced prior to the meeting and it is the same message I've produced below.

For the record, I appreciate the words of sympathy from…

Last night at the council meeting there was a long discussion on a number of issues: Rules of Council, the Election materials, City Attorney

My wife tells me that for most of the night my mannerisms and speaking ability made it impossible for people to get any of points I was trying to make.

Do you remember if there was anything that came across other than style?

Tom McMasters
Mayor of Huber Heights

I received the following email messages form the City Manager concerning a hazzardous condition on Taylorsville rd between State Route 201 and Bellefontaine Rd .

Bottom line up front --when reading this post it is important to know:
1.  Currently according to Roberts Rules of Order the Mayor is a voting member of every committee and eligible to be named or elected as chair of any of the committees (Clarifying information: former Mayors have chosen not to exercise these privileges).
2.  The proposed changes to the Rules of Council not only eliminates the Mayor’s committee vote but also eliminates all other authority previously given the…

The agenda items for the Public Works and Administration Committee meetings Tuesday Feb 18, 2014 are available.  The Public Works meeting has a few items that some residents should be interested in.  There is an update on the progress to the Thomas Cloud Restroom / Concession stand construction project on the agenda.  This should include a timeline of milestone events.  The read aheads for the…