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Saturday, July 19, 2025 |
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Lets help the City be Good Leaders.... |
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Pacman ![]() Prominent MUSA Citizen ![]() ![]() Joined: Jun 02 2007 Status: Offline Points: 2612 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posted: May 09 2009 at 5:26am |
Please post any pictures and locations of the City's violations of it own ordinances, so that they may be better able to effect repairs to such violations. Leadership by, "DO AS I SAY AND NOT AS I DO", IS NEVER A GOOD FORM OF LEADERSHIP OR EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT. I particularly like the "Good Citizen" comment in the very first line. The question is what makes for good leadership?
So lets help the City out, go out and get photos of those rusty fences, backstops, those potholes, those trees that need trimming and don't forget your ruler to measure the grass on City Property no more than 6", etc.
Someone get a photo of that lovely Port a Potty at Jacot park, nothing like a little monument to the city to start this off right.
Go forth and assist your City in their quest and have as little expectation as possible that anything will be done unless it is on Private property. And remember if your grass is 6.5" tall you may be a "Bad Citizen".
Property Maintenance Standards
2009 Part of understanding the community and being a good citizen requires that you learn about local rules that impact your quality of life. This information is provided to help you be a good citizen. Remember, quality neighborhoods benefit everyone by keeping our City attractive, clean and a safe place to live and raise families. Following is information on some of our most common questions – or sources of complaints. Please take the time to read and become familiar with this information and call if you have any questions. Community Revitalization and Code Enforcement can be reached Monday through Friday 8am-5pm at 513-425-7952. Building Maintenance: All exterior property and premises shall be maintained in a clean, safe, and sanitary condition. The occupant shall keep that part of the exterior property which he or she controls in a clean and sanitary condition. IPMC § 302.1.Windows/Screens: Operable windows located within 6 feet of ground level shall be equipped with a locking device. All broken windows must be repaired. IPMC § 302.1, 304.18.2. All windows must be weather tight, all glazing materials must be free from cracks and holes and every window, other than a fixed window, shall be easily openable and capable of being held in position by window hardware. IPMC § 304.13. Every window shall be supplied with approved fitting screens of not less than 16 mesh per inch. Middletown Ordinance § 1486.05.Premises Identification: Buildings shall have approved address numbers placed in a position to be plainly visible from the street fronting the property. Address numbers shall be Arabic numerals or alphabet letters and shall be a minimum of four (4) inches high. IPMC § 304.3.Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs: Swimming pools shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition, and in good repair. Private pools, hot tubs and spas containing water more than 24 inches in depth shall be completely surrounded by a fence or barrier at least 48 inches in height. Gates must be self-closing and self-latching. IPMC § 303. For specific questions on pool, spa and hot tub requirements, contact Middletown Building Inspection at 513-425-7973.Accessory Structures: Storage buildings, detached garages, fences, walls, etc. must be kept in good repair to provide a presentable appearance. IPMC § 302.7.Stairways, Handrails and Guardrails: Every handrail and guard shall be firmly fastened and capable of supporting normally imposed loads and shall be maintained in good condition. IPMC § 304.12.Decks, Porches and Balconies: Every exterior deck, porch and balcony and all appurtenances attached thereto, shall be maintained structurally safe and sound and in good repair with proper anchorage and capable of supporting the imposed loads. IPMC§ 304.10. For specific questions on decks, porches and balconies, call Middletown Building Inspection at 513-425-7973.Chimneys: All chimneys shall be maintained structurally safe and sound, and in good repair. All exposed surfaces of metal or wood shall be protected from the elements and against decay or rust by periodic application of weather coating materials, such as paint or similar surface treatment. IPMC § 304.11.Roofs/Gutters/Downspouts: Roof drains, gutters and downspouts must be in good repair and free from obstructions. IPMC § 304.7; Middletown Ordinance § 660.05.Storage of Junk Motor Vehicles: No person shall willfully leave a junk motor vehicle, non-operating motor vehicle or vehicle part uncovered in the open for more than ten days after receipt of notice by the City of Middletown. Middletown Ordinance § 660.07.Storage of Automobile Part or Tires in Public View: No person shall display, store or maintain inoperative automobiles, automobile parts or tires for any vehicle, in a place which is open to public view for more than 48 hours, unless the area where such items are displayed, stored, or maintained are inside an enclosed structure, such as a building, garage, etc. Middletown Ordinance 660.075.Yard Maintenance. No person can permit furniture, mattresses, household furnishings, rugs, appliances or other large items to be placed or stored in any yard area, next to any structure, or on any porch, patio, deck or other outdoor structure, which is not enclosed, for a period of more than 48 hours. Middletown Ordinance § 660.21.Grass and Weeds: Grass and weeds must be kept under 6" in length and must be cut within 5 days of notice by the City. Middletown Ordinance § 678. The owners of all lots or land within the City of Middletown must keep their properties free from weeds by cutting them or by destroying them by spraying with a chemical compound approved by the Commissioner of Health. Middletown Ordinance § 678.Trees: The owner must trim or cause all tress, plants, or shrubs to be trimmed so that a clear height of 12 feet between the lowest branches and the street level is maintained and so a clear height of 9 feet between the lowest branches and the sidewalk or lateral strip is maintained. The owner must remove all dead, decayed, or broken trees, plants, or shrubs so that they will not fall into the sidewalk or street. Middletown Ordinance § 1030.Garbage, Litter and Rubbish: Owners cannot permit the accumulation of garbage, rubbish or litter on their property, including any alleyways under their control. The accumulation of these items poses a risk to the public health, safety and general welfare, and the City will abate the nuisance. Middletown Ordinance § 660.045.Sidewalks: All owners must keep their sidewalk in good repair and free from leaves, ice, snow or any nuisance. Middletown Ordinance § 660.05. |
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When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
Thomas Jefferson |
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Vivian Moon ![]() MUSA Council ![]() Joined: May 16 2008 Location: Middletown, Ohi Status: Offline Points: 4187 |
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Pacman |
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Perplexed ![]() MUSA Citizen ![]() Joined: Apr 22 2009 Status: Offline Points: 315 |
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CITIZEN PARTICIPATION MIDDLETOWN STYLE??Mr. Richter -By reading meeting minutes from last June and July you will find that City Councilman David Schiavone advocated the now-defunct HUD Consolidated Planning Committee as serving in an "oversight role" in addition to being the Citizen Participation entity for the City of Middletown. The citizens of this community should be grateful for the many volunteer hours that real estate professionals, target area neighborhood residents and mortgage banking experts spent. Without their considerable help, it would have been impossible to revamp the Down Payment/Closing Cost Assistance Program, to establish regularly-scheduled Home Buyer Education Classes, to provide a Housing Rehab Loan Servicing mechanism to help avoid continued large losses of HUD funds, to prepare Housing Rehab Program guidelines and procedures that did not exist, etc.
Three members of the current City Council and one former member of this group were told in great detail by a long-time employee of the City of Middletown about numerous abuses involving HUD funds. He went into even further detail in providing hard copies of City documents that provided proof beyond the doubt of anyone that large amounts of funds were wasted and mismanagement was at issue.
I do thank Chris Amburgey for having called and e-mailed James Cunningham at the Cincinnati Office of HUD about these problems. He was quick to note that an audit was required and that the HUD Consolidated Planning Committee and me were working hard to put a stop to the fiscal bleeding.
I realize that you have previously been informed of this by me. In view of this morning's announcement, I felt that a reminder was in order.
Sincerely,
Nelson Self
CD Administrator (Resigned??)
City to disband housing committeePlan is to create a new group more focused on public input than oversight.By Ed Richter Staff Writer 2:04 AM Saturday, May 9, 2009
MIDDLETOWN — Middletown has decided to disband and reorganize an ad hoc citizens’ committee that had been created to advise the city on its spending of federal housing funds. The action comes after the Consolidated Plan Committee, which studied the Community Development Block Grant program, was permitted to expand its scope by a former city employee. The plan is to re-establish it with a more focused direction while providing public input. The Housing Subcommittee of Middletown City Council discussed the matter at its Friday, May 8, meeting. The question of what the committee should be doing and its parameters had been an issue of contention among city officials for several months. A former city employee expanded the citizens’ Consolidated Plan Committee’s role from an advisory role to more of an oversight role. “I don’t know how much more oversight I would need,” said Doug Adkins, acting community revitalization director. Adkins said the department has plenty of oversight from the city manager, Middletown City Council, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city’s Master Plan and the 2009 budget. In addition, HUD is slated to do its periodic monitoring visit in June to review the city’s use of the federal funding. That monitoring, which is scheduled by HUD, is a year overdue, he said. A public committee usually reviews the city’s five-year CDBG plan. However, Adkins said the city is not required to have a standing committee. “We’re done being behind closed doors,” Adkins said. “We’re making this an open and transparent process.” Christopher Amburgey, a former councilman and Consolidated Plan Committee member, said he asked several months ago for City Council and the city manager to let them know what they wanted the committee to do and to define the committee’s purpose and establish guidelines. City Manager Judy Gilleland said City Council will need to take action to disband the former citizens committee and establish a new group. |
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Mike_Presta ![]() MUSA Council ![]() ![]() Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483 |
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Hmmm…”IPMC” is the International Property Maintenance Code”. As I recall, it deals mainly with soundness of structures, sanitation, safety, infestation prevention and remediation, trash, hazardous or unsanitary conditions, and the like. I don’t recall it addressing cosmetic matters, although I could easily be wrong. (It’s been a long time since I’ve had occasion to reference it.) Pacman’s idea could cause trouble for the City though. It is fairly strict on cracks and holes (including in windows) that allow rodent and insect infestation, including in unoccupied buildings. (ALL buildings--not just residences, including those downtown white elephants and the dollar houses!!!) |
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“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
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Pacman ![]() Prominent MUSA Citizen ![]() ![]() Joined: Jun 02 2007 Status: Offline Points: 2612 |
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"The plan is to re-establish it with a more focused direction while providing public input."
This appears to be Middletown speak for another good old boys committee they can keep the lid on. You know the old Rah-rah, "Middletown has a Bright Future" type of Group. Public input usually consists of sit down, shut up and you can't make any motions, only we can do that referring to Council.
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When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
Thomas Jefferson |
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spiderjohn ![]() Prominent MUSA Citizen ![]() ![]() Joined: Jul 01 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2749 |
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I have had dealings with Mr.Adkins in his role as city prosecutor, and have found him to be both concerned and competent. Still--I don't see how he can handle this new position along with his primary position. The asst.prosecutoer seems to do fairly well, but the HUD/CDBG debacle has to be overwhelming.
His statement on a new open policy sounds very good, however please remember that he works for the law dept.,the city manager and Council. THEY will determine this new policy, though hopefully Mr.Adkins will be true to his word.
Admin/Council has the opportunity to put all new faces on this new committee, and we must challenge them to exclude everyone who has prior board service with these issues. Also bring on new diverse people, while by-passing those who are or have served on other municipal boards.
We have heard the talk, and await the corresponding actions.
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VietVet ![]() MUSA Council ![]() ![]() Joined: May 15 2008 Status: Offline Points: 7008 |
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Oh crap! I think alot of people are in violation of the item listed as "Yard Maintenance". It says that on a porch other than an enclosed one, you can't leave furniture for more then 48 hours. Wonder who, from the city inspection department, will be driving around town checking and recording the time for all the rocking chairs, small tables, and other porch furniture on many porches. Do you think they'll chalk the porch like that fat cop on the three-wheeled motorcyle use to do the tires on the cars in the downtown back in the 50's for parking meter violations?
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Sidewalks- must be kept in good repair, free of leaves, ice, snow,or any nuisance. Can't have any city people walking on 'em. That would create a nuisance. ![]() Windows and Screens- what the he-- does locks on windows within 6 feet of ground level, weather tight windows or ease of opening of the window have to do with property maintenance standards? This is more of a functional, security, safety issue than an aesthetic one. And what's this crap about SCREEN MESH? 16 mesh per inch? Do people really notice a home's window screen mesh size? Horse-hockey!! Roofs Gutters and Downspouts- Doesn't say anything about rust on the gutters. Just says good repair and free of obstructions. Good repair is a very ambiguous term and can be interpreted many ways depending on ones opinion. Building Identification- letters to be 4 inches high? What- I've got 3inch high numbers on the mailbox. Wonder what the fine is for being an inch off? I'm betting at least 10 days in jail, a hefty $500 fine and being forced to write "I will not violate" on the class blackboard a thousand times.- Morons. Trees- Just how does a plant or bush "fall" into the sidewalk or street. I have known alot of instances where a bush or plant has caused severe damage to a blacktopped street and concrete sidewalk in my lifetime. I can understand the tree being an issue but, again, the wording is "troubling". Alot of this nonsense is really ignorant. Did the legal department really mean to publish this stupidity as it is written? |
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Pacman ![]() Prominent MUSA Citizen ![]() ![]() Joined: Jun 02 2007 Status: Offline Points: 2612 |
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Residents can see a short version of property maintenance code onlineBy Ed Richter | Friday, May 8, 2009, 02:03 PM Middletown residents looking for a short review in layman’s terms on the city’s property maintenance standards can download the information from the city’s Web site. Doug Adkins, acting community revitalization director, told the Housing Subcommittee of Middletown City Council at its Friday, May 8 meeting that the document was now available online at http://www.cityofmiddletown.org/docs/commsvc/2009propmaint.pdf. He said this is one way the city can communicate with residents about its property maintenance expectations. The property maintenance standards document gives a quick rundown on city expectations for building maintenance, windows and screens, premises identification, pools, spas and hot tubs, accessory structures, stairways, handrails and guard rails, decks, porches and balconies, sidewalks, chimneys, roofs, gutters and downspouts, junk vehicle storage, yard maintenance, grass and weeds, trees, vehicle parts and tires storage, garbage, litter and rubbish. |
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When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
Thomas Jefferson |
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Perplexed ![]() MUSA Citizen ![]() Joined: Apr 22 2009 Status: Offline Points: 315 |
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Mr. Richter -It seems that your recent Middletown Journal blog on City of Middletown affairs confirms what many of us have known for some time - that no known guidelines and procedures governing the operation of HUD-funded housing rehabilitation programs have been in place for at least eight years. This statement was repeatedly made to me, the now-defunct HUD Consolidated Planning Committee and to three current City Council members by a long-time member of what is now called the Community Revitalization Department.
To the credit of the now-defunct HUD Consolidated Planning Committee (including Mr. Amburgey), city staff (myself and Skip Batten) spent many hours in work sessions with these civic-minded volunteers preparing housing rehab guidelines and procedures. These were presented in final draft form to City Council members and senior City staff at the July 2008 meeting of their Hosing Subcommittee. I was reprimanded immediately following this meeting by the SUDDENLY RESIGNED (March 2009) Community Revitalization Director. I was told that neither the "Committee" or me would have anything to do with preparing guidelines and procedures (if they were in fact needed).
When HUD visits Middletown next month one of the first things that they would normally do is to obtain a copy of guidelines and procedures for program activities. Their internal HUD Monitoring Manual provides clear direction that Monitoring Staff is to determine if program activities were implemented accordingly. What is the HUD Columbus Field Office to do when they learn that no guidelines and procedures were in place?
Senior city officials keep saying that HUD finds nothing wrong in MIddletown. How I would love to be a fly on the wall to review how thorough this process will be. After all, it has been quite a number of years since HUD conducted a thorough monitoring review of HUD activities here in MIddletown, Ohio. They surely wouldn't want HUD headquarters in Washington, D.C. to know this???
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VietVet ![]() MUSA Council ![]() ![]() Joined: May 15 2008 Status: Offline Points: 7008 |
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Perhaps HUD in Washington should know what HUD in Ohio is doing as it pertains to overseeing/auditing Middletown's program. If one were to notify them, would that produce some attention directed at this state and this city? Would it alert someone higher up that this state and this city need to be monitored more closely? If so, that sounds like the right thing to do.
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Nelson R. Self ![]() MUSA Citizen ![]() ![]() Joined: Oct 03 2009 Status: Offline Points: 279 |
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More than nine months have passed since this May 9, 2009 posting on the so-called revamped(??) HUD Citizen Participation Process in Middletown. In my humble opinion, the actions of Miss Judy and Doug since that time underscore their non-commitment to tranparency and accountability regarding HUD funds!!
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