Representatives from several local governmental entities met in western Clark County Monday night for a Joint Government meeting to discuss current issues and announcements from their respective departments. In attendance were officials from Bethel Township, Clark County Commissioners, New Carlisle City Council, and the Tecumseh Local School Board, as well as State Representative Kyle Koehler.

Among the highlights of the meeting were announcements from Commissioners that the County Land Bank had acquired property in Park Layne, a New Carlisle street in rough condition will be re-paved, and Tecumseh students did well on their report card scores from last year.

New Carlisle City Manager Randy Bridge said city residents will see their tax dollars at work in coming weeks as the city’s new police cruiser is put into service. Bridge said the new cruiser has already been picked up by the city, however, it will be a couple more weeks before it patrols the streets, as it will now undergo striping and logo application as well as the installation of a light bar. He thanked the New Carlisle voters who supported the half-percent tax increase for policing services.
Mayor Mike Lowrey announced that the entire length of Edgebrook Street will be repaired in the near future, using funding from the city’s most recent street levy for the roughly $250,000 project. Lowrey said the levy generates between $125,000 and $135,000 per year, noting that amount isn’t too substantial when considering street project costs. He said this project will hopefully prove to residents that the city is using street levy funds for street improvements, noting that they had to save enough over a few years to foot the entire bill. Councilman Ethan Reynolds added that Edgebrook is one of the streets in the worst condition, noting that it would be a relief for many residents when the re-paving project is complete.

Tecumseh Local Schools Superintendent Norm Glismann announced that the district had recently received the “second part of report card data” from 2015, explaining that the students “did well.”

The data covered grades four through eight for the 2014-2015 school year, and Glismann said that they received two As, one B, and one C. He explained that while he personally doesn’t give much merit to the report card data in measuring student progress, one of the As awarded was for the criteria of overall fourth through eighth-grade performance and learning. He said this showed that Tecumseh students advanced by at least one year of learning in those grades, noting that those scores are what the staff strives for.
“It’s a testament to our students, their parents, teachers, and building administrators,” Glismann said.
Reynolds asked the school how the most recent grade card data compares with the previous year. Glismann said he did not have those figures with him, but said he believed the scores had improved ast year compared to the year before.
Councilman Lowell McGlothin asked the district’s representatives what they would do with the money recently paid back to them in restitution for former Superintendent Brad Martin’s thefts from the schools. Treasurer Deb Schock said the money is “unrestricted,” meaning the district can choose to spend it in any area.

County Commissioner David Herier was the sole commissioner present Monday evening, and provided the other agencies with a summary of current county updates. He said his board passed their budget last week, adding that the process was delayed just slightly by the county Auditor’s recent switch to a modern operations system from what Herier considered to be a “very antiquated process,” noting that the switch will make for much faster and more efficient budgeting next year.
Herier also said the county is set to begin funding “re-entry prevention” for the thousands of inmates in Clark County that are prone to return to jail shortly after being released. He said he hopes the prevention procedures will “break that cycle” and ideally save the county money by not having to house the inmates repeatedly.

He added that the Clark County Land Bank has acquired a property on Frayne Drive in Park Layne, and that the Neighborhood Housing Partnership will rehabilitate the home with plans to ultimately sell it. Herier said the Land Bank is capable of acquiring properties when their owners stop making payments, especially properties such as this one where the structure is in relatively good shape and not in need of being demolished.

He was proud to announce that for the first time ever, Clark County “actually has enough money for economic development in our budget.” He said that the only productive way to further develop the county is “from the highway-in,” explaining that our county’s highway exits do not have the same level of attraction to passing motorists as Beavercreek or Huber Heights, and welcomed any suggestions for development that fit that plan.

New Carlisle resident April Gibson addressed members of New Carlisle City Council, expressing her gratitude for them in voting to keep the pool open. Gibson said she once worked at the pool when she was a teenager, noting that they “had trouble keeping it open then.”

“It gives the kids…and adults fond memories to carry on,” said Gibson. “As a parent, not having to worry about your kids using drugs or drinking in a public place, it’s comforting,” she said.

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