Jeffrey Lynn McElravy

The Code Enforcement Review Board meeting addressed several cases related to vacant properties and rental registrations. For cases SERB 2593 (10377 Pippen Lane), SERB 25101, and SERB 25102, the board's recommendation was for owners to make payments within seven days, with failure to comply resulting in fees being assessed to property taxes. For SERB 25103 (2900 Geraldine Drive), the recommendation was similar: payment within seven days or assessment of fees to property taxes, following owner communication regarding intent to pay. Cases SERB 25104 (7240 Creek View Drive), SERB 25105 (2790 Burnside Drive), SERB 25106 (2753 Terrace Drive), SERB 25107 (7050 Harrison Avenue), and SERB 25108 (10873 Invicta Circle) resulted in recommendations for no action, as the respective owners had recently paid their past due balances. Cases SERB 25109 and 25110 (2480 Clover Crest Drive and 7490 Pippen Road) required the owner to pay remaining balances within seven days, or face assessment of fees to property taxes. Finally, for cases SERB 25111 through 25114, involving properties owned by Lisa Hogach, the board was informed that while one property was registered after initial contact, all properties lacked full registration or payment, leading to staff recommending fees be assessed to property taxes if payment/registration is not completed within seven days.

The meeting commenced with the pledge of allegiance and a moment of meditation focusing on service people. A new segment, the 'moment of positivity,' was introduced to highlight positive aspects within the community or staff. For the inaugural segment, three officers were recognized with a Medal of Honor from the Hamilton County Police Association for their actions during an officer-involved shooting incident in the prior year. Administrative reports included updates from the Fire Department, noting a recommendation for accredited agency status, an analysis of performance gaps using 2020-2024 data, and a decrease in average response time in 2025 due to station relocations. The Fire Department also reported increases in overall and fire incident activity in 2025 compared to 2024. The Police Department reported data for 2025, highlighting a significant reduction in violent crime (39%) compared to 2024, alongside comparisons showing major crime reductions since 2016. Staffing challenges were noted, indicating the department is below its target level, with a lengthy onboarding process expected for new recruits. Discussions also covered the minimal financial return from traffic citations versus the cost of officer court appearances.

The special meeting focused on two primary areas of new business. First, the board considered a motion authorizing the township administrator to execute a collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME Public Services, which was successfully negotiated. Second, the board addressed resolutions to establish Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts. The first TIF district established was for Staverman, associated with a new senior assisted living facility project anticipated to be valued at approximately $20 million. The second TIF district established was for Taylor Glenn, which involves the construction of 99 single-family attached homes on the former Beas Elementary site, requiring a cleanup from a former TIF on the same site. Discussions also covered the ongoing construction impact on Pottinger Road due to water and sewer line work related to the Taylor Glenn project.

The document covers the annual meeting for the Colerain Chevia Joint Economic Development District (JEDD), followed by separate sessions for the CIC and Trustees. Key discussions included the necessity for the JEDD to adopt its own records retention schedule, adopting the Colerain Township schedule, and appointing the township's fiscal officer as the JEDD's public records custodian. The JEDD also approved quarterly financial statements for Q4 2024 through Q3 2025, noting that the sale of Fire Station 102 funds were temporarily routed to the township general account. For the CIC, the committee discussed and approved the appointment of Tim Bachmann to the CIC board, contingent on his resignation from the Zoning Commission. Furthermore, the CIC reviewed the update regarding the sale of a vacant lot at 2800 West Kemper, involving negotiations on the price and confirmation of setback restrictions for proposed development.

The Zoning Commission meeting focused primarily on initiating several text amendments to the zoning resolution. Key actions included initiating a text amendment to clarify the eligibility and standards for charitable donation containers within residential zoning districts, removing the requirement for 501c3 status. The commission also initiated an amendment to update legislative review procedures (CZC-25-17) to align notice and filing requirements with the Ohio Revised Code, replacing specific radius requirements with general ORC compliance. Furthermore, an amendment (CZC-25-18) was initiated to revise planned district review procedures (Section 6.4.3) to modernize requirements, particularly regarding digital workflows over paper copies. Another initiation concerned signage regulations (CZC-25-9) to ensure content neutrality, consistent with First Amendment principles. The commission approved initiating an overhaul of use-specific substandards (CZC-25-20) in Article 3 to update outdated or overly prescriptive regulations, such as those concerning charitable donation bins and conservation development. Finally, a request was approved to initiate technical corrections (CZC-25-21) for nonsubstantive spelling or punctuation errors across the resolution. The acceptance of a commissioner's resignation was also entered into the record.