City Shirking Responsibility Again

Today's Journal .....

Street repairs coming to a neighborhood near you

MIDDLETOWN — Nearly $1.1 million in street repairs are planned for city streets this year, but homeowners will have to foot the bill for any concrete work.

The HOMEOWNER WILL HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL FOR ANY CONCRETE WORK. Nope, city's responsibility collected through taxes councilpeople.

"The city will be requiring homeowners to repair any defective driveway aprons, curbs, sidewalks and gutters as part of Middletown’s 2011 Sidewalk, Curb and Gutter Program".

Mr. Laubach, Ms. Scott-Jones, Mr. AJ Smith, this is wrong and you all know it. It is another attack on the city residents and their wallets. Why don't you three propose that the Street Repair fund money be returned from the General Fund? Why are you procrastinating on what is obviously the correct thing to do? Please answer why this hasn't been done years ago?

"Residents can choose to hire someone to make repairs or leave the work to a company hired by the city".

OR....OR.....do the work themselves. Buy some lumber, make some concrete forms, bust up the cracked concrete, buy some quick-set concrete and pour the dam concrete yourself. Doesn't say a thing in this article about the quality of the job done and doesn't say anything about the concrete work having to meet a certain criteria.

Jason Tarter, who lives on a corner lot at 109 Batsey Drive, is among property owners less than thrilled about the pending repair costs.
He said any necessary repairs are the city’s responsibility.
“All I’d like to see them do is blacktop the road. They take enough taxes for that,” he said.
“I think this is their job, myself,” he said of the plethora of spray-painted “Xs” along his driveway and curb to mark the repairs he’ll have to make.

Amen Jason.

"Public Works Director Dave Duritsch said homeowners can choose to make the repairs themselves"

There you go, do it yourself-apparently no criteria for assessment after it is done.

"Of the estimated $1.1 million it will cost Middletown to complete the road repairs, $650,000 will be covered through an Ohio Public Works Commission grant. The remaining $450,000 will be paid through Middletown’s city, storm water and water capital improvement programs, Duritsch said"

That $450,000 should be paid through the street repair fund...oh, forgot, that went away in 1986 and has yet to be returned from the General Fund. Why not?

Some of the streets listed at the end of this article are in better shape than other streets in town. It is also noted that the mayor, the planning director and I'm sure some other "dignitaries" live on South Main. Hmmmm....isn't that ironic, that the street paving should affect their street rather than ones in more need of repair.

So...the money that should've been being used for street maintenance and repair has been going into the general fund and used for salaries.  Now money from the sorm sewer and water fund is being used for streets.  But when this was suggested before, it was explained that this money could not be used for streets and that it was in an enterprise fund earmarked for separation of the combined sewer system.

VietVet wrote: Today's Journal ..... Street repairs coming to a neighborhood near you MIDDLETOWN — Nearly $1.1 million in street repairs are planned for city streets this year, but homeowners will have to foot the bill for any concrete work. The HOMEOWNER WILL HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL FOR ANY CONCRETE WORK. Nope, city's responsibility collected through taxes councilpeople. "The city will be requiring homeowners to repair any defective driveway aprons, curbs, sidewalks and gutters as part of Middletown’s 2011 Sidewalk, Curb and Gutter Program". Mr. Laubach, Ms. Scott-Jones, Mr. AJ Smith, this is wrong and you all know it. It is another attack on the city residents and their wallets. Why don't you three propose that the Street Repair fund money be returned from the General Fund? Why are you procrastinating on what is obviously the correct thing to do? Please answer why this hasn't been done years ago? "Residents can choose to hire someone to make repairs or leave the work to a company hired by the city". OR....OR.....do the work themselves. Buy some lumber, make some concrete forms, bust up the cracked concrete, buy some quick-set concrete and pour the dam concrete yourself. Doesn't say a thing in this article about the quality of the job done and doesn't say anything about the concrete work having to meet a certain criteria. Jason Tarter, who lives on a corner lot at 109 Batsey Drive, is among property owners less than thrilled about the pending repair costs. He said any necessary repairs are the city’s responsibility. “All I’d like to see them do is blacktop the road. They take enough taxes for that,” he said. “I think this is their job, myself,” he said of the plethora of spray-painted “Xs” along his driveway and curb to mark the repairs he’ll have to make. Amen Jason. "Public Works Director Dave Duritsch said homeowners can choose to make the repairs themselves" There you go, do it yourself-apparently no criteria for assessment after it is done. "Of the estimated $1.1 million it will cost Middletown to complete the road repairs, $650,000 will be covered through an Ohio Public Works Commission grant. The remaining $450,000 will be paid through Middletown’s city, storm water and water capital improvement programs, Duritsch said" That $450,000 should be paid through the street repair fund...oh, forgot, that went away in 1986 and has yet to be returned from the General Fund. Why not? Some of the streets listed at the end of this article are in better shape than other streets in town. It is also noted that the mayor, the planning director and I'm sure some other "dignitaries" live on South Main. Hmmmm....isn't that ironic, that the street paving should affect their street rather than ones in more need of repair. This isn't the only bulls*** in todays's paper,how about the crap concerning the canal with Josh stating that redirecting the water was a reactionary solution. What the hell was the pac deal and buying all those buidings for a no contract deal with Cincy State. Everybody paying over $4000 while the mayor pays $900 and Josh $400. Quit playing us for idiots you minrods.

A few questions about some of the above statements:

1. Why do we pay property taxes and income taxes to the city if we have to pay for everything personally that the city is required to do? The city won’t even open our swimming pool if it doesn’t make a profit. They also refuse to maintain our cemetery and the hydraulic canal if it isn’t profitable. Does council understand about collecting taxes and spending tax dollars wisely for infrastructure and quality of life programs (Quality of life for the citizens, not for the “fine people in the city building“)?

2. Josh, I applaud your trying to set aside infrastructure funds, but why would anyone think that putting money in a dedicated fund would be honored by council or anyone in the city building? We already have the Auto and Gas Fund (a dedicated fund) that is being misappropriated every year, including this year and last year. We have several enterprise funds that are dedicated funds that can only be spent for their original purpose. The citizens are over-billed for many of these funds, and the extra money illegally skimmed off for other purposes. It appears to me that what is legal and ethical has no effect on how council spends money.

3. To the people being forced to pay for curbs and gutters by the city. To see how honorable our city government is, take a drive out Tytus Ave. from Nelbar headed toward Franklin. You will notice that in their beautification program that only one side of the street has curbs and gutters. The city owns part of the frontage on the side of the street with no curbs and gutters. Our side of the street had to replace all driveway aprons (some were blacktop to the curb) with new concrete aprons while the city owned side not only had no curbs, gutters or concrete aprons but many aprons and driveways were (and are) gravel. Also, there is one section of curb and gutter missing on our side of the street were Webber and Ohio? Streets go off. Guess who owns that piece of property? When the city first started to resurface Tytus I was told that I had to replace nearly 80 feet of curb and gutter, but when the city decided to not have curbs and gutters on their side of the street they decided to pay for our curbs and gutters. The city replaced one five or six foot section of curb and gutter. When I asked about the other 70 something feet that I was going to be required to replace, I was told that if the city had to pay for it, it ready wasn’t so bad that it needed to be replaced. These are the same people that are deciding how much of your sidewalks and curb and gutter your going to pay to replace.

Very fitting , love Bob Dylan know one writes like he does!

There is a name for what goes on in city hall....it's called CORRUPTION !!!

The real tragedy associated with the movement (temporarily of course) of dedicated funds that were to e used only for street repair in 1986, is that no effort has been to make the initiative to restore the level in 25 years. Now what does that mean to you typical resident of Middletown? That means the roads and infratsucture are in decay and now cost hundreds of $Millions more than what would be required to spend otherwise. And more importantly, any one with a working brain, albeit a business or resident looking to move, would evaluate Middletown and not only have an immediate redflag, but question the dealings of interfacing with Middlteown in a city that takes no pride in iyself, nor its citizens. That is the trgic outcome of this scenario.

Let me add ANOTHER REASON BUSINESS AND RESIDENTS OUTSIDE Middletown will not move in associated with the abuse of the street funds is the affect it has on all existing streets in Middletown, as they all are in bad shape. For most who know, and many who may be looking to move into Middletown (inclding of course, our good friends at Cincinnati State), city council and the leadership under Ron Olson, spent about $5 Mm of money allocated to streets to but the property for The Atriu, (they really needed that didn;t they?). Council members then included Perry Thatcher and Nancy Nix, and others well established within the city.

I believe you or someone stated it as this in another thread:

Better than that, get a sledgehammer, break it into tiny pieces, spray paint them and say not only repaired but I contributed artwork to our new "arts community" for beautification. If they tell you it's not repaired, you can tell them "but, it's art"!!!

The sidewalk in front of my house got x'ed for two pads not because they were chipped or cracked or broken, but because the way they were originally poured wasn't a straight line between the two. Hopefully this little drawing looks right below. It was quite literally made that way, no other problems, yet they had to put the X on it. Stupid waste of time and money.

Normal               The way mine was POURED
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|    |    |          |    \    |
|    |    |          |    |    |
|    |    |          |    |    |
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I know that asymetrical layout of my sidewalk just kept me up at night upset over how I was driving down my neighbors' property values.