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It is springtime again in Indian Hills, and there are a number of
things that we generally point out in our spring newsletter
concerning our fine City.
At this time last spring we were warning you about a turkey buzzard
invasion. So far this year, these buzzards have not become a
problem, but we will always be vigilant, should they return. Just by
way of warning, if you do see more than a couple of these birds
roosting anywhere in the City, please contact any of the City
officials listed in the margin of this letter, in particular Jim Graven,
Public Works Director, who last year did such a great job handling
this problem. As we mentioned before, these birds have the ability
of doing a great deal of property damage and are a serious health and
safety threat.
CITY ISSUES
We feel that Indian Hills is in excellent shape, both
physically and financially. We will be doing our normal
spring spruce up, clean up and planting in the park areas.
Also, because of the relatively light winter (not much snow),
we have not had to spend a great deal of our reserves on
salting and snow removal.
During the winter we have replaced a number of signs within
the City and will continue to do so on an as-needed basis.
If you see areas that you think need attention that we may
have overlooked, please do not hesitate to call any City
official.
- Delinquent Taxes
Delinquent tax letters will be sent to those who have not paid
their taxes by March 1, 2007. The letter will include taxes
due plus penalty and interest. If the total amount is not paid
within a reasonable time, tax liens will be filed on these
properties.
- Finances
Our Councilman Lyle Spalding, who handles the budget for
our City is currently working on the budget of 2007-08. As
he does this work our Finance Guru reminds us of the
importance of our insurance premium fees to Indian Hills.
- Insurance Premium Fees
Each year at this time we mention the importance of
informing your insurance companies that you live in the City
of Indian Hills. The insurance premium fee is a charge that
the insurance companies makes on all policies and is remitted
to the city in which the resident resides. If you do not alert
your insurance companies that you live in Indian Hills, these
revenues go to Metro Government. Metro Government does
not provide any of your services; the City of Indian Hills
does so. It is important to know that roughly 10% of our
income comes from this insurance premium fee and these are
dollars that we do not have to charge in city taxes.
The benefit of this item was highlighted just last month when
the City received an insurance premium fee from one
insurance company for a very large life insurance policy that
they issued on one of our residents. The amount of the
insurance premium fee that was paid to the City of Indian
Hills from this one policy was greater than our entire
insurance premium tax budget for the year. Since these were
dollars that we had not budgeted, we immediately transferred
the majority of them to our reserve for road maintenance.
Had this person not indicated that he lives in Indian Hills,
these dollars would have bypassed us and gone to Metro
Government.
SO, ATTACHED TO THIS NEWSLETTER YOU WILL
FIND CONVENIENT STICKERS THAT YOU CAN
SEND TO YOUR INSURANCE COMPANIES WHEN
YOU PAY YOUR INSURANCE PREMIUMS. [Click here for additional information on the premium tax and access to a label template in Microsoft Word.]
- Garbage Collection
If the number of calls we receive about garbage collection is
any indication, we think that Rumpke is doing an excellent
job for our City. We thank Councilmen Deming and Murphy
and Councilwoman Bukowski for their dedicated job of
working with Rumpke to maintain their good service to
Indian Hills.
- Yard Waste
As we are sure you know, yard waste is by contract with
individual residents and Rumpke; so if you do want to take
advantage of this service and receive a large yard waste
wheeled container, please call Rumpke directly at 568-3800.
Tell them that you live in Indian Hills and that you would
like to sign up for the yard waste service.
- 2010 Census
We were recently notified that preparations are underway for
the 2010 census. We will have a great deal more information
about this issue in future newsletters. Councilman Joel
Deming will be directing this task for our City. It is very
important for us to get a good count on the number of people
in Indian Hills because some of our revenue sharing is on a
per capita basis. More to follow.
CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES
There are four things that we want to bring to your attention that
would and could affect our City.
A change in the Brownsboro Road Corridor as it affects the
entrances to Indian Hills. We have talked about this for some
time in the past, and if you would like to give your input into
what is being discussed, Councilman Ken Fleming, our
Metro Council representative, will hold a meeting on
Monday, March 26 at 6:30 at Second Presbyterian Church.
Discuss your concerns with the appropriate officials from
Metro Public Works and the Kentucky Highway Department,
as well as Indian Hills. A copy of Councilman Fleming's
flyer is attached to this newsletter [Click here for flyer].
Please attend if you can.
There was a neighborhood meeting at Best Western Inn on
February 21, which was attended by your mayor, several of
your Councilmen and a number of concerned residents in the
area who were notified. The purpose of the meeting was to
talk about a proposed subdivision located in Indian Hills on
approximately 11-1/2 acres at the corner of Blankenbaker
Lane and Poplar Hill Road.
The plat of this proposed subdivision shows fifteen lots.
While this proposal does not necessitate a zoning change, we
plan to monitor it and express our concerns about the density
of the development.
Over the last several years, we have talked about the
Brownsboro Inn at 4805 Brownsboro Road. We have been
notified that there will be a meeting on Monday, March 12 at
6:30 p.m. at Brownsboro Inn to discuss plans to raze the
Brownsboro Inn and build a new Fresh Market Store and a
small neighborhood retail center including an anticipated
Panera Bread store. Several of your Councilmen and your
Mayor will attend this meeting.
Our concern about this development is the amount of traflic
that will be generated by a new retail center. This area from
a traffic standpoint is now almost impossible to negotiate
when the Dunn Elementary School opens and closes.
Any development will necessitate a zoning change and while
this property is not in Indian Hills, we feel that we can have
an influence on its outcome.
The Louisville Boat Club has ten acres for sale just west of
the Boat Club and east of Caperton Swamp and Indian Hills
Trail. This property is in our City and is in the flood plain.
We have had no contact from any potential buyers or
developers and will keep you informed of any action.
If you have any questions about the above four items, please do not hesitate
to talk to one of your officials. We will keep you advised as we learn more
about these situations.
COPS CORNER
By Col. Kelly W. Spratt, Chief of Police
During the period of April - June 30 of 2006, the Indian Hills Police
Department investigated 4 Burglaries, 3 Thefts and 8 Thefts from Autos.
Criminals tend to take advantage of the warmer weather by looking for open
doors on homes or valuable items in vehicles. For example, during this time
of year, people may become complacent and leave items such as golf clubs
in their cars overnight. Although some of the crimes listed above are not preventable by the victim, most (such as Thefts from Autos) can be
prevented.
Remember to:
- Remove all valuables from your vehicles at night
- Keep all house doors locked, even while working/playing
outside
- Report all suspicious activity or persons to the Indian Hills
Police
SPRING THINGS
As always in the springtime, people think of additions to their homes, pools,
fences and yard sales. All of these issues are covered by our municipal
ordinances and require permits from the City of Indian Hills.
In the case of building permits, Metro Government will not issue a permit
unless one has been issued by the City of Indian Hills. The contact person
in our City is our Public Works & Code Enforcement Official Jim Graven.
Another date to keep in mind is Saturday, March 24 at 8:30 a.m., when
Metro Councilman Ken Fleming invites you to fight litter in our
neighborhood. If you would like to help in this project, please meet at the
St. Matthews Fire House at 4400 Brownsboro Road. Coffee, donuts, gloves,
bags and a free t-shirt will be provided. Please contact Councilman Ken
Fleming at his office at 574-1107 to sign up. See you then!
If spring is here, can Derby be far behind? Have a great one !!!!
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