LET'S FORGET ABOUT THE WINTER OF 2009-2010
...and let's think about springtime in Indian Hills.
The winter has been very trying for our City. We have removed more
snow this winter than probably the last several winters combined! Snow
removal and the purchase of salt were very expensive for our City and did
put a strain on our budget. Public Works Director Jim Graven and his crew
once again did a great job for us and, of course, having a 24-7 Police
Department who initiated the process of putting the snow removal crews
to work. As they drive the City and see the need for Jim and his crew to
work on specific problem areas; they then immediately call the road crew
no matter what time of day or night.
Now is the time of year when we start to prepare our City for spring. Our
crews will be trimming, mulching, planting, seeding and doing all of the
things necessary to beautify our community for Derby. As the City goes,
so go many of our residents, who spruce up their properties, and we
encourage residents to take a look at areas where possibly trees and shrubs
are hanging over the rights-of-way in our City.
As we begin the mowing season, please be conscious of the times of day
your lawn is mowed and considerate of your neighbors. If you have a
yard service, please ask them not to mow on Sundays and also not to blow
the grass clippings into the street.
U. S. CENSUS
Starting March 15, the U. S. Census Bureau will be mailing the 2010
census forms. We ask that you take time to complete the ten questions that
are asked, which we estimate will take less than ten minutes, and mail
them back promptly.. The Census data helps determine how $400 billion
is distributed to state, local and tribal areas every year. We would make
sure that our at-large community gets its fair share by being counted in the
2010 census.
If this census form is not filled out and returned, we may have a census
taker at our doors. In the event that this happens, the census worker will
have proper ID to let you know that he/she is working for the Census
Bureau. We caution you always to be careful and vigilant when someone
comes to your door.
A special thanks to our Councilman Joel Deming, who has been our Board
representative and has worked with the Census Bureau the last year in
preparation for this census. He is a multi-talented person who deals not
only with the census, but also in trash collection (and he has been very
diligent in keeping them separated).
FINANCES
There are several issues to discuss under City finances:
- Audit
We received this year's audit from Cotton & Allen, which covered
the period from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009. We have an
unqualified opinion on the financial statements of our City. We
spent within our approved budget and even though we had two
damaging storms costing the City over $140,000, we were able to
recoup most of the cost from the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA). This allowed us to maintain our budget and our
rainy day funds to meet any additional unforeseen and unbudgeted
situations.
- Budget
Since our fiscal year ends on June 30, 2010, we are beginning the
process of working on the budget of July 1, 2010 through June 30,
2011, Councilman Lyle Spalding, our able Doctor of Dollars, is
collecting data for this budget, and hopefully we will once again be
able to maintain the same tax rate that we have had for the past ten
years. As you know, our police protection and trash collection
together make up the majority of our expenses. Police Chief Kelly
Spratt continues to operate the City Police Department within his
budget, and we will be in the second year of a very favorable trash
contract with Eco-Tech.
- Taxes
The taxes for the current year ending December 31, 2009, were
due by February; 1, 2010, in order to avoid penalty and interest.
Currently we have 14 households out of approximately 1173, who
have not paid their taxes and who have been assessed 10% penalty
plus interest at 1-1/2% per month. This number is actually better
than in previous years, and we expect these taxes to be paid. The indication for that is that we have no unpaid taxes other than the
current year's delinquencies. If these taxes are not paid by our
April City Council meeting on April 15, we will file liens and go to
foreclosure.
It always amazes us that the same names seem to appear on this
delinquency list year after year Many thanks again to Councilman
Spalding and to our Accountant Robin Stilger for their steadfast
work on this issue.
LG&E
On the City tree trimming issue, LG&E has completed their trimming in the
Country Club Section of our City and is currently working with residents of
the Cherokee Section. We think they did a great job in the Country Club
Section with very few complaints and were certainly competent and
courteous to our residents. Where there were questions, they were quick to
respond most professionally. While none of us liked to remove trees, we did
lose quite a number in the recent storms, but we are hopeful that the
trimming process will provide us with consistent electrical service.
FRESH MARKET
We have informed you about the Fresh Market in newsletters over the last
year, and finally on February 3 this market opened. We think it has been a
nice addition to our area. They have been responsive to any issues that have
arisen. Sam Meyers Cleaners has also opened in the little strip center
behind the Fresh Market with other businesses to follow. The original plan,
as you may know, called for a Fresh Market, a free-standing bank and a strip
center with 4 or 5 small businesses in it. Rumor has it that the free-standing
building that was to be a bank might well be a Panera Bread establishment
and that one of the other businesses in the strip might be a Graeter's Ice
Cream. Both of these we think would be great additions, but would not be
particularly good for our collective waistlines. We feel that Luther James,
the owner of this property, has turned a sow's ear into a silk purse.
Also, the Metro Government has reconfigured the Rudy Lane/Brownsboro
corner to accommodate the increased traffic, and we feel that this has
helped. The traffic at this intersection will continue to be monitored.
AZALEA
The only update we have on this property is that the Rite-Aid Drugstore at
Chenoweth will move into this area, that it has been approved by the Bauer
family, the residents of Mockingbird Gardens and the Metro Government.
Also, the old Azalea Restaurant will be remodeled and will become a
restaurant once again.
POPLAR HILL PROPERTY
As many of you know, a resident of Indian Hills sought permission from
the Louisville and Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission to
build 12 houses on a ten acre lot he owns off Poplar Hill Road. After
several hearings, the Planning Commission approved the request to develop
the property.
Many of the residents who live near the property expressed concern about
drainage, flooding, soil erosion, loss of trees and other issues. A resident of
the Poplar Hill neighborhood has appealed the ruling of the Planning and
Zoning Commission to the Jefferson Circuit Court and, at the request of the
resident, the City of Indian Hills agreed to join in the appeal. It could be a
somewhat drawn out process in the court system, and we will inform you of
significant developments in future newsletters.
COPS CORNER
By Chief Kelly W. Spratt
Finally, warmer weather is approaching. Unfortunately, an increase in
criminal activity tends to follow. Our police patrols are meant not only to
catch criminals, but also to prevent the crime from happening at all. The
first step, however, begins with you. Take the following steps to prevent
yourself and your neighbors from falling victim. Lock your doors when out
of your home. If you have an alarm system, use it. Keep your vehicle doors
locked. Remove all valuables from your vehicles parked outside. Report
any suspicious person, vehicle, or activity immediately by calling 893-2677.
Sign up for IHPD's Crime Alert System by visiting our website (ihpd.org)
and following the links under the "Crime Alert" tab.
TRASH COLLECTION
Following you will find a letter from Eco-Tech about recyclables:
Eco-Tech has been pleased to partner with Indian Hills to provide trash,
yard waste and recycling services since July of 2009. First of all, we really
appreciate the fact that so many of you look the time to contact us to thank
us for our service. We worked very hard during the transition period to
ensure a smooth start up, and are pleased to report that with your
assistance it was a remarkably smooth transition. And, to those of you who
have telephoned us to request an improved way to handle your needs we
promise we will always do our best to take the appropriate action to
accommodate your request.
One of the very first Indian Hills concern calls we received was, "The
drivers are simply compacting all my recycling materials into a rear load
compaction truck. Where is it going? What`s going on? Are they simply
taking it to a landfill?"
Many residents have called to ask questions about the "single stream"
recycling process. Single stream, or fully commingled, isn`t anything fancy.
It simply refers to a process in the recycling rear loader trucks instead of
being hand sorted by the Indian Hills residents in their kitchen or the
recycling drivers on the trucks at the curb.
Once collected, the recyclable materials are transported to the QRS
Riverside Recycling in New Albany, Indiana where the materials are
deposited into a sophisticated sorting system costing millions of dollars to
separate and direct the materials to the appropriate processing area. The
materials are then prepared and sent to the appropriate mills or markets for
each respective recycling product.
Many communities, including Louisville, San Francisco, Tucson, San Jose,
Philadelphia and Dallas have adopted the single stream methodology to
transport and process their recyclable waste streams. The major
advantages include ease and convenience at the resident level (no sorting or
separate recycling bins required), no driver sorting required at the curb and
reduced need for multiple recycling collection trucks reducing pollution and
wear and tear on streets. Typically, the percentage of residents
participating and the amounts they recycle increase significantIy because of
the ease and convenience of the single stream program.
Some of the Indian Hills street areas require "smaller trucks" to collect the
materials. When and where necessary, we have installed storage racks on
the collection trucks to place the recyclable materials in and then transfer
them to the recycling route trucks.
A number of residents have asked if they can visit the process facility to view
first hand the single stream process and the answer is absolutely yes.
Please contact Bryan Siade at 935-1130 if you are interested and a tour will
be arranged.
So, when you see all of the recycling materials being compacted in the
garbage recycling trucks, do not worry! All of these materials are being
transported to the recycling facility.
A couple of reminders. Please go to the Indian Hills website or call our
offices if you need confirmation regarding the types of materials you can
recycle. Secondly, remember the renewal period for yard waste collection is fast approaching. For those of you that want to continue or add yard waste to your services beginning July 1st, please call our offices at 935-1130.
Lastly, you can help us immensely if you will always remember to have your
trash, recyclables and yard waste in the appropriate collection location on
collection day. Each of us at Eco-Tech thanks you for your support.
On the recycling issue, just a reminder that cardboard boxes need to be
broken down and put into the recycling container.
As we mentioned in our winter newsletter, our experience with Eco-
Tech has been outstanding. They are truly responsive both to calls from
residents and our calls from the Council.
One of the continuing comments from people in our City is not about Eco-Tech. It is about residents who do maintenance in their yards on Saturday
and then put the yard waste container at the street, ready to be picked up on
Wednesday. This is never an acceptable practice. Please be considerate of
your neighbors and the appearance of the City by placing these containers
with your trash, garbage and recyclables in storage until time for collection
(and then remember to move the empty containers from streetside as soon as
they are emptied.)
Enjoy the spring, enjoy our great City and most of all enjoy each other.
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