Mt. Healthy officials report library outreach, helmet distribution partnership and infrastructure updates

Mayor Moody and city staff used the council meeting on March 4 to report on community programs and municipal operations.

Mayor Moody told the council that Peachtree Advocacy hosted Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra outreach at the library and that attendance at library events is strong — "there were almost 40 people there," she said — and that she has submitted an endowment proposal to expand youth programming. She also said the Mount Healthy Alliance has submitted a "Put a Lid On It" program to distribute free bicycle helmets in partnership with the police department; officers will couple helmet distribution with discussions about bike safety and the mayor said she is pursuing funds to provide bike locks and follow-up safety programming.

Councilmember Redding gave an update on Welcome Home Ohio, describing it as a first-time homebuyer program offering what he said was up to $20,000 for qualifying buyers with an income cap he described as $80,000; council members noted funds for the program had been fully allocated by early March.

City Manager Scott Bauer reported two openings in the fire department after a recent test in which one candidate passed and one failed; he said an additional part-time candidate has expressed interest and that the failed candidate intends to retake the test. Bauer said the police chief is applying for a traffic safety grant "up to $50,000" to pay for speed enforcement equipment and signage and that he will identify the grant's funding source at the next meeting. Bauer also said the vacant portion of 7507 Hamilton will be rented to Urban Abstract to display artwork and potentially host classes, and that removal of a utility meter has cleared the way for the Antique Mall property to be moved or demolished pending contractor scheduling.

Public Works Director Justin Westridge reported the city handled roughly five or six snow events this season and that crews used "right around 127 tons of salt and then 8,550 gallons of liquids" during that time. He described recent pothole repairs, the in-house repair of a pickup truck for roughly $3,000 (versus an earlier estimate of $20,000), and delivery of a new skid steer with attachments to support road work and park cleanup.

Bauer said staff is drafting an ordinance to update building permit fees and add fire-department fees to give the city more enforcement options for repeated over-occupancy violations; he expects to present that ordinance at a future meeting.

The council had no public commenters during the public input portion and did not vote on these informational items; staff will return with ordinance drafts or grant funding details when those items are ready for action.