SUMMER
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ViewHeights
from the
City Recognizes Volunteer Contributions
V
olunteer action is a powerful source for
Board, the Huber Heights Senior Center and the Tax
addressing issues in all aspects of life within
Appeals Board.
the community. By uniting together, in the spirit of
Fire Chief Mark Ashworth presented the 2014 City
giving, individuals can transform lives and entire
of Huber Heights Volunteer of the Year Award to Ellen
communities.
LaGrone. Ellen LaGrone has a long history of volunOn Thursday, April 10, the City of Huber Heights
teerism within Huber Heights including serving on the
held a Volunteer Appreciation Awards Dinner at the
Tax Appeals Board and the Citizens Water and Sewer
Huber Heights Senior Center with over 100 City volAdvisory Board. She is currently a member of the City
unteers and staff members in attendance. This annual
Planning Commission, serves as the local coordinator
event, held during National Volunteer Week, is intended
for the AARP Tax Aid program and volunteers weekly
to recognize the invaluable contributions of the City’s
with the Fire Division’s Home Safe program. Chief
volunteers and to acknowledge their commitment to
Ashworth emphasized Ms. LaGrone’s cheerfulness and
the betterment of the City and the Huber Heights comdedication when he presented the award to her.
munity. The evening included dinner, a proclamation
from Mayor Tom McMasters honoring the volunteers,
Anthony Rodgers
remarks by City Manager Rob Schommer and an
Clerk of Council
awards ceremony.
The Volunteer Appreciation
Awards included individual awards
to all of the City’s volunteers and
the presentation of the 2014 City
of Huber Heights Volunteer of the
Year Award. The volunteers present
included representatives of the Arts
and Beautification Commission,
the Board of Zoning Appeals, the
Citizens Water and Sewer Advisory
Board, the City Planning Commission, the Engineering Division,
the Fire Division Home Safe
Program, the Invocation Pastors,
the Parks and Recreation Board,
the Personnel Appeals Board, the
Police Division P.R.I.D.E., the
Property Maintenance Review 2014 City of Huber Heights Volunteer of the Year Ellen LaGrone with Fire Chief Mark Ashworth
w w w. h h o h .o rg
Yard Waste Site
Open now to October 30
Thursdays from 7:30 to 11:30 AM and the first Saturday of
each month from 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Located on Wildcat Road near Kellenburger Road
Contact Public Works for more information
at 937-233-1562
Mark Your Calendar
JUNE
June 9: City Council meeting
June 12 – 15: Community-Wide Garage Sale
June 23: City Council meeting
June 28: Star Spangled Heights Parade, 10:00 AM
June 28: Star Spangled Heights Festival, 4:00 PM
June 28: Star Spangled Heights Fireworks, 10:00 PM
Children’s Bike Safety
Many bicycle-related accidents resulting in injury or death are
associated with the bicyclist’s behavior. To maximize your safety,
always wear a helmet AND follow the rules of the road.
Go with the Traffic Flow - Ride on the right side in the same
• direction
as other vehicles.
All Traffic Laws - A bicycle is a vehicle and you are a driver.
• Obey
to Traffic When Appropriate - Drivers on a smaller road
• Yield
such as Fishburg Road must yield to traffic on a larger road
JULY
July 14: City Council meeting
July 28: City Council meeting
AUGUST
August 11: City Council meeting
August 25: City Council meeting
•
•
Save the Date
Marigold Festival: September 13
Community Garage Sale: October 9 – 12
Beggars’ Night: October 31
•
Star Spangled
Heights
June 28 at Tom Cloud • Saturday,
Park
Parade begins at 10:00 AM at
• Chambersburg
Road and Brandt
•
Photo courtesy of Miami Valley Elevated Photography
•
•
•
•
Pike and ends at Nebraska Avenue
Spend the day in the park with a
car show, family fun, games,
activities and a jump house
Concert featuring Flashback
begins at 6:00 PM
Food, snack and dessert vendors
Fireworks display at 10:00 PM
Admission is free!
Marigold Festival
Saturday, September 13 from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
• Located
at the Eichelberger Amphitheater, 8625 Brandt Pike
• Food, shopping,
kids zone, activities, music and more!
•
2
VIEW from the HEIGHTS
such as Brandt Pike. Additionally, cyclists must yield to pedestrians who have already entered crosswalks.
Be Predictable - Ride in a straight line, not in and out of cars.
Use hand signals to alert others.
Stay Alert at All Times - Use your eyes AND ears. Watch out for
anything that could make you lose control of your bike. You
need your ears to hear traffic and avoid dangerous situations,
so do NOT wear a headset when you ride.
Look Before Turning - When turning left or right, always look
behind you for a break in traffic, then signal before making the
turn. Watch for traffic turning left or right.
Watch for Parked Cars - Ride far enough away from the curb to
avoid the unexpected from parked cars, such as doors opening
or cars pulling out.
If you would like more information about bike riding safety,
please stop by Fire House #22 at 7008 Brandt Pike and pick up
some great information offered by our Fire Marshal’s Office or
call 937-233-1564.
Jason Eckert
Fire Marshal
•
Low Water Rates
Huber Heights residents enjoy some of the lowest combined
water and sewer rates in the region. The partnership between the
City of Huber Heights and United Water provides our residents
with safe and reliable service at low prices.
City/Township
Average cost every 3 months
Huber Heights
$158.95
Vandalia$185.13
Kettering$238.09
Fairborn $240.30
Beavercreek$296.48
Source: Oakwood Annual
Water Survey, 2014
Miami County, Tipp City $392.91
Just the Facts
As many of you are already aware, the City of Huber Heights is at a crossroads.
As a community, we have two options: raise new revenue or significantly reduce
city and safety services. As city officials, we are
dedicated to providing the facts behind this
issue so that residents are able to make an informed decision. If you haven’t already visited
our webpage filled with information around
this issue, please do so at www.hhoh.org
and then click the “Maintaining Safety & City
Services” link on the homepage.
How Did We Get Here?
In 2008, the City had a surplus of more than $13 million in the general operat• ing
fund and listened to the residents, allowing .25% to fall off from the earned
•
•
income tax
Since 2008, drastic cuts from the state including elimination of local government
funding and an additional $8 million in revenue lost due to the downturn in the
economy has forced the City to utilize its operating cash reserves to continue to
provide residents with service levels to which they are accustomed
In 2012, residents were approached with an increase in the earned income tax to
offset these reductions in revenue; voters rejected the increase
How We Have Managed the Reduction In Revenue
the past six years, the City has cut an average of $3.6 million per year
• Over
City is operating under the same budget request dollars since 2008
• The
Despite managing a $22 million reduction in revenue, the budget has only in• creased
1.6% to maintain acceptable service levels
• More than 20 full-time personnel positions have been reduced through attrition
What the Future Looks Like
At current revenue levels, the City will be unable to fund a 2016 budget at the
• current
service levels
As a City, we have two options: raise new revenue through the passage of an
• earned
income tax on November 4, or significantly reduce safety and City services
We encourage residents not to be swayed by misinformation. Get the facts on our
website, by attending one of the upcoming community meetings or by contacting a
city official. Later this summer, we will be conducting ward meetings throughout the
city to provide information, answer questions and give
facts. If you are unable to attend the meeting scheduled
for your ward, feel free to attend another ward’s meeting
that fits your schedule. For additional information and
notice of upcoming events, please check our website at
www.hhoh.org.
Rob Schommer
City Manager
Employee of the
First Quarter Sandi Abbott
Sandi has served
the City for over eleven
years in the Division of
Income Tax. Additionally, she acted as the
Interim Tax Administrator during a critical time in the Income
Tax season. Sandi is recognized for her
outstanding dedication and high-level
service to our community.
Stay Safe with
CodeRed
The City of Huber Heights uses CodeRed to
communicate with residents in case of emergency
or severe weather. CodeRed is an emergency calling system that uses state of the art technology to
notify our residents. Businesses and residents of
Huber Heights are urged to sign up for this free
service. Visit our website at www.hhoh.org or
stop by City Hall to sign up today.
A New Look!
In early spring, we launched an updated website design, the first time since
2009. As with all technology, things on the
internet change rapidly; it was time for an
update! The average lifecycle of a website is
normally three to four years. Often times,
the website is the first impression or only
impression a government entity makes
on potential and/or current residents,
businesses and visitors. This new design
increases cyber security and streamlines
navigation choices. Please check it out!
www.hhoh.org
facebook.com/hhohcity twitter.com/hhohio
SUMMER 2014
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Cleaning Sanitary Sewers - Keep those toilet lids down!
The City of Huber Heights has 145 miles of sanitary sewer
pipeline. Most of the lines are in the street and some run through
utility easements in grassy areas. Each year, United Water cleans
approximately one-fifth of the City’s sanitary sewer lines. This
routine maintenance helps prevent blockages and backups. The
sanitary sewer lines are cleaned using high pressure sewer cleaning equipment. Early spring through late fall is the season for
sewer cleaning.
What should I watch for?
During cleaning of sanitary sewer lines, air occasionally vents
into a home through the sanitary sewer service line and ventilation
system. When this happens, water in the toilet bowl can bubble or
surge; in rare cases, it can splash out of the bowl. Remember the
water that could come from this type of incident is from the bowl
itself. So make it a habit of keeping your toilet lids down!
Elected Officials
Thomas McMasters Mayor
Tracy Dudley
Vice Mayor and Ward 5 Councilmember
Mark Campbell
Jan Vargo
At Large Councilmember
At Large Councilmember
Lu Dale Ward 1 Councilmember
Karen Kaleps Ward 2 Councilmember
Tyler Starline Ward 3 Councilmember
Judy Blankenship Ward 4 Councilmember
Ed Lyons Ward 6 Councilmember
City Hall 937.233.1423
What causes the air to vent into my
home?
The common causes of air venting into homes during sanitary
sewer cleaning are:
Air movement from normal cleaning operations
Use of higher pressure needed when cleaning sanitary sewer lines that have a steep slope
Sewer lines that run close to your building
A plugged roof vent on your home
The size/complexity of your home’s waste and ventilation system
•
•
•
•
•
Since there is no crew dedicated to year-round cleaning of the
sanitary sewer and the weather and emergency water/sewer line
repairs play a large part in scheduling, it is not possible to create a
schedule to notify every customer of when we will be in their area.
To minimize water splashing out of your toilet bowl, make it a
habit to keep the lid down.
City Manager – Robert Schommer
Assistant City Manager – Scott Falkowski
Assistant City Manager – Don Jones
Clerk of Council – Anthony Rodgers
Finance Director – James Bell
City Engineer – Russell Bergman
Zoning – Jason Foster
Water Water/Sewer Manager – Pamela Whited
Fire (non-emergency)
937.233.1564
Fire Chief – Mark Ashworth
Police (non-emergency)
937.233.1565
Police Chief – Mark Lightner
Public Works
937.233.1562
Public Works Manager – Michael Gray
Tax Division
View from the Heights is a newsletter to keep you informed about your
City. You may also view this newsletter electronically on the City’s
website at www.hhoh.org. If you have any questions about the newsletter,
please contact Trisha Reents at 937.237.5824 or [email protected].
937.233.3292
Tax Administrator – Tracy Vanderman
937.237.2976