VC: Trash/Recycling rates, Village Manager search

Dear People--I'll be in the Emporium as usual from 12-1ish for my office hours tomorrow.

We have a fairly light agenda for this Monday's (8/4) Village Council Meeting (7 pm, Bryan Ctr) with the main item of business being a special report and discussion of our Village Manager search process. And I also want to use this opportunity to alert you all to the forthcoming efforts of the Environmental Commission to educate the community about the proposed tire burning at the CEMEX plant.  (Please also note my earlier posted entry today about Community Gardens in YS.)

1) Village Council Agenda

Resolutions and Ordinances:

• First reading of an ordinance regarding changes to our Solid Waste (trash/recycling) rates, including new surcharges that are tied to increased fuel costs. Rates are rising for most customers, but will still be in line with what other communities are charged.
  
• Resolutions to:  1) Renew our Rumpke solid waste (trash/recycling) contract / 2) Renew our contract with our village solicitor (our attorney, John Chambers, of Coolidge Wall law firm) / 3) Initiate a contract with Woolpert Planning services, who are assisting with the management of the Barr property and other projects related to the CBE, etc. / 4) Reimburse a village resident for a sewage backup, caused by Village sewer work, that damaged his home. 

Special Report by Don Vermillion regarding our search process for a new village manager. We will be determining what process we would like to use--especially how we will use, build on, alter or revise the work of the 2005 hiring committee. The things we'll be balancing are the need for broad community input, and also the need for the manager and Village Council to be able to work together. We need the manager to be absolutely willing and able to take direction from your elected representatives on Council as his direct employers, while providing clear professional recommendations as to how to get the work of the village done, generally on a limited budget.  

2) Environmental Commission:

• CEMEX tire burn questions? The next issue of the Yellow Springs News will, I hope, have an ecobeat article that the Environmental Commission wrote regarding the CEMEX tire burning issue, which has been raised again because they have been given permission by the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency (RAPCA) to do a test burn of whole tires. At this time, CEMEX has not notified RAPCA of plans to do a test burn, which it must do at least 60 days prior to burning. The EC is planning an educational forum on the issue for August 28th, 7 pm, in the Bryan Center, at which we have confirmed the participation of representatives from the Ohio EPA, RAPCA, the Greene Environmental Commission, and Cemex who will each speak briefly and answer questions from the audience.
  
• Community Gardens? see below!

Otherwise, I had a great time in New York City this past week (a quick drive with villagers, and we slept on the floor of two former YSHS graduates.) Bookstores are my personal addiction, so I spent a day wandering independent bookshops in the East Village and SoHo, and, despite many a resolution, bought an armload of new and used books. Just finished Fun Home by cartoonist Allison Bechdel, which was a fast, thought-provoking read. Now I'm trying to read mostly stuff I need to read for teaching this fall, which is fast approaching!