Mt. Healthy City Council hears updates on hiring, pool opening, roadwork and energy contract

City Manager Mr. Bower told the Mt. Healthy City Council the city has nine full-time firefighters on staff and that the 2026 budget added two positions; nine applicants remain and interviews are expected with hires by April.

“We have currently nine full-time filled positions, but we have two that we added in the 2026 budget,” Mr. Bower said, and he estimated staffing decisions would be made by April.

Mr. Bower also reviewed public-works work on Harrison and Warner/Madison avenues, noting tree removals required by curb replacement and a plan with the arborist to replant smaller trees later this year. He said staff would post construction updates and BRT renderings to the city website so residents could review proposed changes near Hamilton and McMacken.

On recreation, Mr. Bower said the city signed a July 3 fireworks contract for a larger package and tentatively set the pool opening for Saturday, June 6, with extended hours under consideration and swim lessons planned for the summer.

On energy, Mr. Bower said the city settled on a 19-month aggregation contract with a rate recorded in the meeting as "9.89," describing the deal as competitive with peer municipalities and intended to keep rates below the 10-cent target the city had sought.

Mr. Bower concluded with updates on an EIP grant application to assess the 'Just One More' building (staff were asked for clarification by the funder) and on ongoing animal-control enforcement and puppy-mill concerns, which the police chief had investigated without confirming large-scale violations.

Council received the updates and asked brief follow-up questions; no formal votes were taken on these operational matters during the meeting.