MINUTES, WEEK OF DECEMBER 9, 2010 BOARD RETREAT

The Board of Trustees met on Thursday, December 9, 2010, at the Butler Township Government Center, 8524 North Dixie Drive, Dayton, Ohio, at 1:30pm for a Retreat to set the direction for the township in 2011.

Doug Orange, President, called the meeting to order.

BUDGET REVIEW: 1. Budget Policy – Kimberly Lapensee, Township Administrator presented the details of the budget policy that has been followed for some time now. There were no changes requested at this time. 2. Department Heads – Dan Alig, Fire Chief and Danny Hobbs, Police Chief each discussed their 2010 budgets with the Trustees. 3. General Fund – Ms. Lapensee provided details on the general fund budget as well. 4. Review 5 year plans – The capital projects for the next five years were submitted for discussion. They include renovations to the administration building, relocation of the police department, purchasing new police cruisers, a new medic for the fire department, a new ladder truck for the fire department, renovations to Station 88, and miscellaneous equipment for the service department such as a chipper, generator, and a v-box salt spreader. 5. Review TIF revenue status – Ms. Lapensee reviewed the TIF revenue status with the Trustees. It was noted that Van Con Construction is requesting repayment of any extra TIF dollars to repay them for all the money they paid out for the construction of Sudachi Drive.

ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP LIST ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT Ms. Lapensee provided the list of organizations that we currently have membership with in 2010. The Trustees decided to continue their memberships with the Vandalia/Butler Chamber of Commerce, MVRPC, OTA, MCTA, MV Military Affairs, the Presidents Club, Clout, EMA, Dayton Hazmat, and I-70/75. The Board decided not to renew the Dayton Development Coalition, Business First, and the Fire/EMS Alliance. The Trustees will also continue to pay for half of the fireworks with Vandalia, contribute to the Vandalia/Butler Easter Egg Hunt and the Vandalia/Butler Schools After Prom.

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES 1. Moritz Property – the Trustees discussed purchasing the Moritz property for future economic development. There were no actions/decisions at this time. 2. Sowder Property – Ms. Lapensee noted this property is for sale and the current owner plans to move his operations further south near the Springboro area. 3. ODOT Property – Ms. Lapensee mentioned that ODOT is currently having a firm appraise this property so that it can be sold at auction. 4. JEDD with Vandalia – Ms. Lapensee discussed with the board that the JEDD is almost finished (being set up with the County) and we should have the first meeting at the end of this month. Ms. Lapensee mentioned that she and Mr. Bothwell will start working on expanding the district next year. 5. Website Marketing – Ms. Lapensee asked the board how they would like to proceed with the website. Mr. Lang stated that he is working on getting some estimates on updating the website. 6. Hard Marketing Materials – Ms. Lapensee asked the Trustees if they were interested in paying for advertising in the Discover Dayton Regional magazine that was presented to them a couple of months ago. The Trustees decided that they are not interested in advertising in a magazine at this time. 7. Business Retention Program – Ms. Lapensee asked the Trustees if they were interested in having a business retention program. The Trustees are interested in having a program. Mr. Russell stated that he would like to see the staff do more in this area so we keep up good relationships with the businesses. 8. Miller Lane Area – Ms. Lapensee discussed with the trustees about developing a plan for the Miller Lane area that would encompass overpass improvements, lighting, landscaping, sidewalks, signage, etc. This plan would be used for discussions with the business owners over the JEDD.

PROJECT STATUS 1. Cloverleaf – Ms. Lapensee discussed with the Trustees the status of the Cloverleaf Project. She stated the closing of the Brown property is complete and they will have until January 31st to vacate the building. She stated that staff plans to tear down the house in February, bid out the project for construction in March and hopefully start construction in April or May. She stated that staff is working on financing details at this time with our bond counsel. Mr. Daniels has asked for an updated cost estimate. Mr. Russell asked if we had gotten anything in writing from Crossroads of America yet on their financial commitment to the project. Ms. Lapensee stated that we have not received anything to date. She recommended that we not move forward with the project until we get a firm commitment from them on participating financially in the project (such as a service agreement like Stonesprings if we cannot make the payments on the bonds).There was a long discussion over their commitment to the project, who will pay for the service payments on the bonds if the township cannot make the payments, and whether the township will have enough funds to complete the project. Ms. Lapensee suggested that we give Crossroads of America a deadline to put their intentions in writing and if they make the deadline, we go forward with the project. If they fail to meet the deadline, then we redesign the project and move forward with what we promised Stonesprings. 2. Rodeway Inn – Ms. Lapensee stated that staff has been working with Mr. Ducker on obtaining an asbestos appraisal on the building before the demolition can take place. She stated that this project will need to be bid and should be ready by late spring. She stated that we will need to wait for the County to give us the green light on the funding for the project. The Trustees agreed that we will need to work out a funding agreement with Mr. Ducker that will include him and his investors signing the property over to be included in the JEDD. Mr. Orange suggested that we have a meeting with him to decide on our funding arrangement. 3. Police and Administration Facility – Ms. Lapensee stated that she has discussed purchasing the Sudachi building with Mr. Moorman to relocate the police department. She will continue to talk with him and discuss any options that may arise from those conversations. Mr. Lang stated that he was apprehensive about the numbers that were provided by Affani Architecture concerning building a new building on the lot next door for the police department. He stated that he does not think that it will be cheaper to build a new building versus buying the Sudachi building, along with renovations. 4. Road Paving for 2011 – Ms. Lapensee discussed with the Trustees that there were 60 residents who signed a petition from the Irongate Subdivision to have their plat paved in 2011. She stated that we currently have that plat on the list to repave in 2013. Ms. Lapensee stated that the reason we were going to pave the Downing Plat in 2011 was to save money for the future so that we would have enough money in the road fund to pave all of Irongate in 2013. After discussion, the Trustees decided to move that plat up the list for repaving in 2011. All other projects on the list will be moved back a year. The trustees would like Mr. Brunk to watch over the contractor during the project to make sure we get them to give us a good product so the residents are happy. 5. Technology – Ms. Lapensee stated that to date, we have purchased new phones, installed a new canopy system for the internet connections, and upgraded to new computers in the administration building. She stated that we will need to upgrade the computers in the fire and service departments in 2011 so that all the computers will be compatible. She stated that we will put all of them on a 3-year rotation instead of the 5-year plan that we currently have now. She stated that the police department will be upgraded when they move into their new building. Mr. Lang stated that we also have some server issues we need to deal with. Ms. Lapensee stated that if the police department moves to Sudachi, we will need to pay extra money to provide them with a connection to the canopy system. This would probably cost around $20,000.00 and will require additional equipment because the administration building would most likely interfere with the signal to the police building. 6. Entrance Signs – Ms. Lapensee stated that she talked to Vandalia about using their design for the entrance signs. Rob Anderson, Assistant City Manager in Vandalia, sent Ms. Lapensee the design and the sign company who designed it. She stated that she will call that sign company and have them re-design the sign with the Butler Township emblem or wording on it. Mr. Russell stated that he has talked with Van-Con Construction and they would be willing to give us some space on their property (where the hardware store is located on N. Dixie Drive) to install the sign. Ms. Lapensee stated that we could also put one at the corner of Little York and Miller Lane (on the left side) where ODOT owns property. Mr. Lang suggested that we put an entrance sign near the Heathcliff bridge to clean up an existing sign that is located in that area.

POLICIES 1. Snow Removal – Ms. Lapensee stated that it has been discussed at previous staff meetings that the other department heads would like to have the Service Department plow the lots due to the reductions in the fire department staff. The Trustees agreed that the Service Department employees will provide the man power to plow the lots and the fire department can assist them when needed. 2. Street Sweeping – Ms. Lapensee stated that we recently received a request to run the street sweeper up a certain street in the township to clean up the leaves that had fallen. She stated that we currently do not have a policy on when we run the sweeper, but our practice has been to run it about 4 times a year (once in the spring, 2 times in the summer, and one more time in the fall). She stated that she would like to keep it that way. She stated that the sweeper is not made to pick up leaves and it could clog the machine. 3. Code Enforcement/Public vs. Private Property – Ms. Lapensee stated that we would like to make some changes to our property maintenance code that will give us more teeth in enforcing our code. Ms. Lapensee stated that it will be on Monday night’s agenda. Mr. Hobbs stated that he has been reviewing the policy and he is willing to assign one police officer on the day shift to that task to help out our code enforcement officer. Ms. Lapensee stated that townships do not have much in the ORC to rely on for code enforcement on commercial vehicles. The ORC only gives us the power to remove vehicles that are abandoned. She stated that to be considered abandoned, the vehicle has to be there at least 72 hours. There was a discussion over commercial vehicles and how to remove them from the public streets. 4. Landscaping Baskets – Ms. Lapensee asked the Trustees if they would like to continue the landscaping baskets throughout the business district. She said that it generally costs about $7,000 dollars a year to provide the flowers which includes watering and maintenance around the buildings. The Trustees agreed that the baskets and flowers should be cut out of the budget in 2011. Ms. Lapensee asked if we wanted to put up any baskets for winter. The Trustees agreed that they will eliminate baskets from the budget in 2011, but would like to see baskets put up for winter but only at the intersection of Little York and N. Dixie. Mr. Russell stated that he would like to do an entry sign and put landscaping around the sign and have them maintain that. Mr. Lang stated that the Service Department could take care of the maintenance around the building. 5. Community Outreach – Ms. Lapensee asked the Trustees if they wanted to continue with the Butler Township Nights. The Trustees agreed not to continue with Butler Township Nights and thought it may be nice to do something for the community, but just once a year. They agreed to continue to think about what they wanted to do. Mr. Orange suggested that they do something in the winter because people are so busy in the summer. Mr. Russell suggested that we establish a Community Events Board and they could submit suggestions on events. 6. Dispatch Contract – Ms. Lapensee stated that she sent our current contract with Huber Heights to the prosecutor’s office and to the City of Vandalia to see if there was an out clause in the contract. Both entities have reviewed the contract and can find nothing in the contract that will allow us to get out of the contract early. Staff had originally looked at switching dispatching agencies so that when we begin to joint staff with Vandalia, it would make more sense to use their dispatching center. Ms. Lapensee stated that as we move forward with the fire departments working out their response areas, we can re-evaluate dispatching.

Martin Russell made a motion at 4:40 PM to recess into Executive Session to discuss benefits for the employees, personnel for the fire department and police department, and real estate, with Michael Lang seconding and Doug Orange approving the motion. At roll call, the vote resulted as follows: Martin Russell, aye Michael Lang, aye Doug Orange, aye

Doug Orange left executive session at 5:30 PM.

At 5:36 PM, Martin Russell made a motion to reconvene into Regular Session, with Michael Lang seconding the motion and Doug Orange approving the motion. At roll call, the vote resulted as follows: Martin Russell, aye Michael Lang, aye Doug Orange, aye

TOWNSHIP EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 1. Insurance – Medical, dental and life. Ms. Lapensee stated that we were able to get some really great rates with United Health Care for medical, life and vision plans. She stated that it will be better for us to stay with Metlife on the dental plan. The Trustees agreed that any new employee who is hired after December 31st will have to start paying 5% of the total cost of the plans. She stated that there are some minor differences in the co-pays and that can be handled with reimbursing the employees the differences in the old plan versus the new plan. This would include doctor visit co-pays, prescription drug co-pays and emergency room visit co-pays. Mr. Lang suggested that we look at eventually going to an HSA account for everyone. Ms. Lapensee stated that we could try and negotiate up to 10% contribution just in case. Mr. Lang asked what other townships paid 100% for their insurance. Ms. Lapensee stated that all the townships (Miami, Washington and Harrison) still pay up to 100% for the employees. 2. PERS/OPF Pickup – The Trustees agreed that any new employee who is hired after December 31st will have to start paying the employee portion of the retirement plan (PERS 10% or OPF 11%). Mr. Lang stated that he felt we should eliminate it completely from our benefits. He stated that most other governments do not pay this benefit anymore. 3. Overtime Pay – Ms. Lapensee suggested that we change the language in the Collective Bargaining Agreements to make sure that we are only paying employees overtime who are working the entire week (that it would not include sick time or comp time). 4. Vacation and Sick Leave Buy Back Policy – The Trustees agreed that we need to lift the cap on how much sick leave can be accumulated which would eliminate the need to buy back any sick leave. They agreed to move the cap to one year but change the ratio on what can be paid out upon retirement. 5. Cost of Living and Merit Increases – The Trustees agreed that due to our budget, it would be in our best interest to provide a one-time lump sum payment to the non-union employees for 2011. Ms. Lapensee stated that this will allow us to keep salaries at the same level until we can identify ways to bring in more revenue. Ms. Lapensee stated that this will also be in line with what was approved for the Fire Department Union Employees. 6. Longevity – The Trustees agreed that we should rework the longevity in lieu of the sick leave cap increase. Ms. Lapensee stated that the whole scale should be shifted so that longevity pay begins after 5-years of service. 7. Union Contracts – Ms. Lapensee stated that we will have 3 contracts that will need to be negotiated this coming year (Service, Police and Admin). She stated that we will continue to work through our attorney to see what we need to do to get prepared for those upcoming negotiations. Ms. Lapensee stated that she will continue to work on the salary surveys and benefits to see how we compare to the other townships. 8. Dress Code – Ms. Lapensee stated that Mr. Lang had inquired about the dress code policy that we currently have in place. He stated that he would like to see all employees in the admin building wear business casual clothes Monday through Thursday and jeans on Friday’s only. Ms. Lapensee stated that she will work on language for business casual and incorporate that into our employee policy book. 9. Personnel/Staffing – Ms. Lapensee stated that Mr. Russell had inquired about hiring an additional staff person to help out in the administration department. Ms. Lapensee stated that she will work up a job description and salary range for that person. She stated that she is unsure whether or not we could hire a person right now due to the budget deficit we will still have for 2011.

There was no further business to discuss at this time.

ADJOURN Martin Russell made a motion for approval to adjourn the meeting, with Michael Lang seconding and approving the motion at 5:39 PM.

______DOUG ORANGE MARK ADAMS PRESIDENT FISCAL OFFICER