2018 Committee Appointments – Mayor Duncan presented the following list of reappointments and new appointments to various citizen committees:

William Stephens, ADA Compliance Committee; Charles Campbell (Precinct A), Sarah Waechter (Precinct A), Howard Boose (Precinct B), Frederick Dudding (Precinct B), Brian Huelsman (Precinct C), Leigh Turben (Precinct C) and Jim Broz (Precinct E) to the Budget Review Committee; Darrell Apt, Stanley Herr, Nancy Drozd and Jane Lieberth to the Environmental Committee; Harrison Gowdy to the Planning Commission; and Chuck Ellis (Precinct A) and Cheryl Young (Precinct D) to the Property Maintenance Board.

It was moved by Mayor Duncan and seconded by Vice Mayor Byington that the aforementioned appointments be confirmed. Upon a viva voce vote on the question of the motion, same passed unanimously and it was so ordered.

VISITORS

2017 Holiday Decorating Award Winners – Mayor Duncan was joined by Nancy Drozd and Jane Lieberth of the Environmental Committee to present certificates to the 2017 holiday decorating contest winners. Awards are presented based upon use of natural materials, lighting and curb appeal. Although several were not in attendance, all of the following winners were recognized:

DAYTIME WINNERS
Area 1 – The Weeda Family, 420 Schenck Avenue
Area 2 – Alan and Tracy Ambrose, 61 Beverly Place
Area 3 – The O’Connor Family, 1306 E. Schantz Avenue
Area 4 – Jeremy and Beth Wilson, 324 E. Peach Orchard Avenue
Area 5 – Cindy McHugh, 1815 Coolidge Drive
Area 6 – The Harlamert Family, 330 Southview Road
Business – Toasty Barker Boutique – Jenni Robillard, 2306 Far Hills Avenue
NIGHTTIME WINNERS
Area 1– Drs. Charles and Mary Bane, 5 Volusia Avenue
Area 2 – Anthony and Sally Jo Stayman, 601 Woods Road
Area 3 – December Green and David Bales, 304 Forrer Boulevard
Area 4 – The Musselman Family, 26 Corona Avenue
Area 5 – Allison Cowan and Andrew Smith, 1700 Ridgeway Road
Area 6 – David and Melissa Stackhouse, 51 Forrer Road
Business – The Flower Shoppe – Mark Brueninghaus, 2316 Far Hills Avenue

Panos Kokoropoulos, 118 Spirea Drive, shared that he has lived in Oakwood for 21 years. He understands that the proposed income tax legislation on the agenda this evening is to raise an additional $600,000. In the past, the city has budgeted high and then come in lower than what was budgeted, so he believes the $600,000 is an imaginary number. With the recent property revaluations, and the extra tax money that will be received from new construction, there is revenue that possibly was not being accounted for. He feels that taxes should be raised for the entire community and not just impact individuals who work outside of the city of Oakwood.

Mayor Duncan thanked Mr. Kokoropoulos for his comments and stated that City Council and city staff are very careful with the budgeted expenses. It is not only important to look at the budget versus actual expenditures, but also the revenue versus expenses.

Dick Lipowicz, 259 Spirea Drive, shared that he did not realize that Assistant City Manager Jay Weiskircher retired at the end of last year. He said that Mr. Weiskircher did a tremendous job for the city. Mr. Lipowicz thanked the Public Safety Department and shared that he was impressed with Crew #1’s life-saving efforts. Mr. Lipowicz then commented on the proposed income tax legislation. He stated that he strongly believes that a tax increase needs to be taken to the voters. A few years ago, two Council members voted against a tax credit issue because they felt it needed to be voted on by city residents. He is concerned that the measure being taken by City Council is the easy way out. There is nothing fair about a proposed tax increase that singles out people who work outside of Oakwood. He supports a tax increase that impacts all residents and that is voted for by Oakwood residents. He asked that Council rethink their decision, and table the proposed legislation due to the time of year and inclement weather.