It’s dusk in the sprawling metroplex known as Tipp (or Tippecanoe, if you’re a purist) as the stereoscopic predator prepares to await his prey. Miles Avenue is by no means reminiscent of the Serengeti, but it can get pretty dusty and Matt Black is poised nonetheless. The hunt will soon be on.

Black is an avid hunter, but laments that lately the roles of predator and prey have been skewed in favor of those armed with compound bows or semi-automatics with flash suppressors or silencers. “An unfair advantage” he declares with a scowl and an eye on the horizon…or maybe just across the street. “This time…it’s personal, and I’ll take the prize with my bare hands.” In the corner of his eye, he detects a blur of activity in the front lawn abutting Miles.

Eschewing the more mainstream role as webmaster/gatherer, Black spends some downtime at the home of his mother (known as “Mother Black”…or just “Mom”) as he considers the conditions within the city limits; he waits…waits for his prey to make “the mistake.”

Suddenly he lifts a hand, causing the matriarch of his “pride” to be very still, as he senses a new quarry. “I’ll take this one, Mom,” but he knows he’s not alone. Someone or something is competing for this urban trophy, but he will turn this situation to his advantage, again, as he aims to use the assets that nature gave him: incredible speed and guile, a higher brain function, and opposable thumbs. “Rest, Mom…dinner is on me.”

Leaping from the front porch, Black bolts after his prey, a ten point buck, he hopes…or maybe a fawn, but that minor detail detracts from the excitement of the tale; it’s a wild animal nonetheless. Black sees his competition: their behavior reminds him of a SAY soccer game; gaggles of giggling adolescents chasing his prey from yard to yard, trying to run down the frightened, disoriented fawn. After all, his quarry has no working knowledge of municipal code or recently adapted fencing regulations that seem incomprehensible. Black knows he has to outsmart the 3rd graders with his superior knowledge and speed.

Distracting the kids by pointing at an ice cream truck (He’s always hated the theme from “the Sting”), he eyeballs the fleeing animal, and starts his run. The fawn has legs, but it can’t outfox “Cheetah” Black, if you’ll pardon the mixed metaphors. Hitting speeds of 7 mph, Black realizes the Marlboro in one hand and the Miller High Life in the other represent an unacceptable level of drag and he jettisons them, accelerating…to almost 8 miles an hour! His heart pounds away like a jackhammer as his pace compacts the air in front of him and the sonic punch explodes…or maybe it was just gas. Nonetheless, he’s booking. Suddenly he grinds to a stop in the neighbor’s back yard. His prey is obviously hiding, with nowhere to go as it finds itself “fenced in” by a fence, a faux stockade variety, perfectly acceptable to municipal code, of course.

Cheetah Black knows his speed won’t help him now, but his “sense of stalk” comes into play as he makes his way toward the cowering, but still semi-dangerous animal. Black stops, catching his breath and wiping the sweat from his brow as maneuvers downwind to prepare for “the moment.”

Like a coiled cobra, he leaps (a leaping cobra???) at the fawn, grasping it with his hands and capitalizing on his opposable thumbs, and securing it close to his chest. He awaits the inevitable sting of the animal’s fangs, but much to his consternation, the frightened quadruped kicks the living begeezus out of his torso and arms, causing the King of the Miles Ave food chain to wince. But alas, the animal is caught.

“You’re not bringing that thing into my living room,” howls Mother Black mightily. “I’ve just had the carpets clean from the last time you manhandled a Whopper with extras tomatos.” Cheetah is perplexed as to his next move: dinner, or catch and release. He turns to his daughter (covering her eyes in embarrassment and mumbling “OMG, OMG…”) and asks her to call Obi John Kessler. His old mentor will know what to do.

After he stopped laughing, Kessler sauntered into action. Putting the great besotted hunter into the back of his F250, Kessler drove for miles and miles in circles, knowing that the fawn was pummeling Cheetah Black’s chest and arms as he clutched the near-hysterical animal close to him (now we’re anthropomorphizing; animals can’t be hysterical, but Matt is…). Finally composing himself, Kessler heads out of town and finds a wooded reserve. Bleary-eyed and bruised, Black releases his quarry into the wild as the animal turns one more time toward his beneficent captor. Kessler later commented that he was sure the fawn “mooned” Black. But Matt Black knows he did the right thing.

Resting back at his lair, Kessler asked Cheetah what his greatest fear was during the whole escapade. “Was it the fangs or the possible ambush the fawn was planning as it crouched in the bushes as you approached? Was it the embarrassing publicity you’re about to get?” Black slowly shook his head and took another swig. “No… with the incredible speeds I reached during the chase, my greatest fear was a right angle turn…or maybe blacking out from the high-G stops.” And with that, Cheetah Black finished his Natty Lite, and crushed the can against his forehead. His mouth agape, Kessler could only marvel at what he just experienced. Darwin was wrong…natural selection must have failed somewhere…

By Becky West

“I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Most people recite these words from rote memory. It is just a mechanical repetition of something that we learned in grade school. If you are one of those people, read the Pledge of Allegiance again, thinking about each phrase and what it means. Those words are powerful.

Alright. Now that that is done, let me ask you this. Who made the first American flag? You probably answered the same that I did. Betsy Ross, right? Well, maybe. And why is it called “The Star Spangled Banner” or “Old Glory?”

At www.usflag.org I found: “No one knows with absolute certainty who designed the first stars and stripes or who made it. Congressman Francis Hopkinson seems most likely to have designed it, and few historians believe that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, made the first one.”

If you search www.ushistory.org, however, you will find, “Betsy (Elizabeth Griscom Ross 1752-1836) would often tell her children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends of the fateful day when three members of a secret committee from the Continental Congress came to call upon her. Those representatives, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, asked her to sew the first flag. This meeting occurred in her home some time late in May 1776.”

Maybe Congressman Hopkinson designed the first flag, but I kind of like believing the idea that Betsy made the first flag. In my heart I’m still going to give Betsy credit for it.

There are several names for our flag. Apart from the official name which is, oddly, Flag of the United States; the most common nicknames are "Stars and Stripes", "Star-Spangled Banner" and "Old Glory."

Why the flag is called the “Stars and Stripes” is a no-brainer but how did it come to be known as “The Star Spangled Banner?” (According to Merriam Webster, the word “spangle” is “a small glittering object or particle.”) This nickname goes to the War of 1812.

“On Sept. 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key peered through clearing smoke to see an enormous flag flying proudly after a 25-hour British bombardment of Baltimore's Fort McHenry. Key was inspired to write a poem.” (www.francisscottkey.org). The name of the poem was “The Defence (original spelling) of Fort McHenry.”

The words from the poem “O say, does that Star - Spangled Banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” gave us the nickname for our flag. Eventually the poem was made into a song, the name was changed to “The Star Spangled Banner,” and it became our national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931.

The term “Old Glory” comes from a ship’s captain named William Driver. “The original Old Glory was made and presented to the young Captain Driver by his mother and some young ladies of his native Salem, Massachusetts. The year is uncertain, but it was probably sometime in the 1820s. It is a large flag, measuring 10 feet by 17 feet, heavily constructed and designed to be flown from a ship's mast. It originally had 24 stars and, symbolic of its nautical purpose, includes a small anchor sewn in the corner of its blue canton.

“The captain was very pleased with his gift and kept it with him always. By most accounts, he first hailed the flag as “Old Glory” when he left harbor for a trip around the world in 1831.” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Flag of the United States of America has a very long and interesting history. It has gone through many changes but “For more than 200 years, the American flag has been the symbol of our nation's strength and unity. It's been a source of pride and inspiration for millions of citizens. And the American Flag has been a prominent icon in our national history.

“Inspired by decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 – was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.” (www. usa-flag-site.org.)

I can’t say what our flag means to me any better than holidayinsights.com: “Flag Day is a day for all Americans to celebrate and show respect for our flag, its designers and makers. Our flag is representative of our independence and our unity as a nation – one nation, under God, indivisible. Our flag has a proud and glorious history. It was the lead of every battle fought by Americans. Many people have died protecting it. It even stands proudly on the surface of the moon.

“As Americans, we have every right to be proud of our culture, our nation, and our flag. So raise the flag on June 14th and every day with pride!”

The prom has come and gone. Several hundred students will talk about it for years to come and will even tell their kids what a great time and memories they will have after their prom.

But I know of two that won’t. And the rationale does not sit well with me. I always thought that once one “had served their time for their crime,” their debt to society was paid for. I guess I am wrong.

Most people know the names of all involved but I am not going to use them. I will lay out the facts as I know them and let you make a decision as to whether it is right or wrong.

The first thing this young man did that fired up the administration was arrive at last year’s prom in shorts and dress shirt. Mind you, there was no dress code at the time detailing appropriate dress to the dance. I wore a flannel shirt and jeans to one of mine, so I’ll cast no stones.

I was told that the current dress code covers such infractions, due mainly to his actions of last year. I think it was nice of him to demonstrate the loophole in the rules and help the administration correct it. It took over forty years.

The next thing I heard of that caused consternation with the administration was a senior prank, on or about the last day of school, that had something to do with water balloons. Now discipline was applied to, as I understand it, one of approximately thirty students involved. You guessed it. (If I can’t get you now, I will later. It happened to me too.)

While serving an administered detention for this abominable action, the student was asked by the administrator if he was entering the military. He replied in the affirmative and was told that “he would not make it because he did not have what it takes.” I will admit that I don’t know the exact verbiage, but you get the drift.

Since then, the young man graduated in the top 5% of his class of 800+ Navy seamen and has earned college credits. He has passed a military background check for security clearances. He is even allowed to carry a weapon if his assignment deems it necessary. I can state with confidence that the military training received makes a better person for society. Yet, for the safety (?) of the current students, because of his indiscretion with water balloons (they are dangerous??); he was not allowed to attend the prom. However, they will allow alleged drug users, alcohol abusers and sexual bullies to attend. I am supposed to feel safe?

Now I get angry. I am a veteran, as are my three sons and my father and his brothers. Is my family a threat to other families? Do we need to be denied social contact with the rest of society because we were in the military or of possible past actions we have served the penalty for? According to the current administration we do.

I believe the young man in question filled out the proper paper work for the school to attend the prom. He is a graduate of our schools, was asked by a current student to attend, and is within the stated age guidelines. He was given a thirty-six hour pass from the military to attend, only to be told he could not by our administration. So what is the problem? Where is the “safety” issue”?

I will tell you. There is no safety issue, but there is a problem. It is called retribution, and we know it happens all the time. My own sons paid for some of my actions twenty years after I graduated. I have heard from several parents that the reason they do not say anything is because they still have kids in school.

The system has a zero tolerance policy, and I use that loosely, for the students. How can we expect our young men and women to respect a policy that is supposed to treat all equally when an athletic star or a monetary benefactor’s student is not?

Why isn’t the same zero tolerance policy applied to the administration and staff? How is it that some people in authority positions can get away with it and others can’t? Let me state at this time that I am aware that state and federal law prevent the disclosure of administrative action administered to the parties involved. That not withstanding, we are still a small enough community that actions, or inactions, do not stay hidden long. As much that is allowable by law, administrative action, and the reason for the action, should be made public.

From where I sit, there was no justifiable reason to deny this young man and the student that invited him to attend the prom. And retribution is not a justifiable action, either.

By John Kessler

For those of you who love Metallica, you will be happy to learn that the world famous Metallica tribute band “Battery” will be performing live at The Brig in Troy, Ohio on Friday, May 15th starting at 9:00pm with 3 Play performing as the opening act.

Battery has been featured on MTV as one of the premier tribute bands in the world and voted "Best Metallica Tribute Band". They were the opening act for Metallica on all five sold-out shows of the Garage Inc. tour as well as Stone Temple Pilots, Rob Zombie, Kid Rock, 3 Doors Down, Def Leppard and Godsmack. Metal Edge Magazine wrote: "Battery did Metallica Justice! You could hardly tell the difference!" in an article entitled Metallica Undercover.

The Tipp City Independent Voice and TGM Designs have teamed up with The Brig to become one of three pre-sale locations in Miami County. The Brig and Sound City Music being the other two. Pre-sale tickets to Battery are on sale now at the Tipp City Independent Voice / TGM Designs offices located at 135 E. Main Street in Tipp City starting Monday May, 11th for $10.00. As an added incentive to see the show, The Brig has made it a “two for one” ticketed event. Buy a pre-sale ticket to see Battery on Friday and come back on Saturday to see Wicked Garden, a tribute to Stone Temple Pilots at no extra charge. That’s two bands for $5.00. Tickets at the door will be $7.00 per show.

Other upcoming shows at The Brig include Hells Bells, a tribute to AC/DC and Sharp Dressed Man, a tribute to ZZ Top.

The Brig is located at 118 West Main Street in Troy, Ohio next to the Bamboo Grill.

Come join the Voice at The Brig to see the world famous tribute to Metallica!

Yes, you read that right. After receiving multiple phone calls and a post in our online forums, we here at the Voice are working to investigate what is going on with this story. We have heard from a parent of former Tipp City student, Baily Cole who is now serving in the United States Navy as well as several members of our local veterans organizations expressing their outrage over Baily not being allowed to attend the high school prom because of safety concerns of other students.

We contacted the schools and spoke with Tipp City superintendent Dr. Kronour, and he stated that this former student had some discipline issues at the end of the 2008 school year and felt that Assistant principal Brian Honeycutt made the right decision to disallow the former student to attend this years Junior/Senior prom. He further said that they will re-evaluate it again next year if necessary.

We want to hear what you think about this topic. You can visit our online forums to read more at the following link: U.S. Military a threat to the Prom?

By Katie Black

Sorry the article you are about to read has nothing to do with actual drinkable tea, though I do love a nice glass of sweet tea and on occasion, green tea. Oops…better get back on track. Everyone who filed taxes and even those naughty ones who didn’t know that April 15th is the dreaded (I emphasize dreaded) TAX DAY! So, try to stay with me. What does delicious tea and not so delicious or edible tax day have to do with each other? Well I never pass up the chance to go back through history.

Let’s pick the date December 16, 1773. To those of you who are not smarter than a fifth grader this was the day of the Boston Tea Party. Again what is the correlation between tax and tea? Don’t worry I will brush up your history. Back in the days of the New World, America was colonized and controlled by the British. No big deal except the British got the bright idea to pass an act in 1721 that said, and I will summarize, colonist can’t buy tea from anywhere else but Britain. Yes the British allowed the East India Trading Company to become a monopoly on tea and many other goods, our focus is tea though. To make a long story short, in 1773 the King passed a Tea Act on the American colonists. Ugh, more money the colonists didn’t have or didn’t want to spend. Well the Tea Act actually reduced the cost of tea but just the tea not other goods. Basically ridiculous amounts of taxes were being forced on the colonists because it was thought they wouldn’t do anything about it and because Britain had accumulated a bulky amount of debt, and who better to push it off on then the people across the sea. Well the monarchy was wrong. The colonist did do something. On December 16th men boarded three British ships and threw the tea overboard into the Boston Harbor, sending the message “no taxation without representation”. The Boston Tea Party along with other events led to the Revolutionary War and American freedom.

History aside, the question now is what is the point of this article?!? On April 15th 2009 “tea parties” were held all across the United States supporting smaller government, supporting free markets, taking on fiscal responsibility, and respecting the constitution. I along with Jack, Patti, and Pete Berbach attended the Tea Party in Dayton. Some of you I know are rolling your eyes saying, “This is another political event”. I want to inform you that it is a political event but it is not held by a parties or politicians. It is held by the people, republican, democrat, independent, libertarian or whatever you call yourself. For once there were no party lines, just people upset with the stimulus package, hard working citizens paying tax dollars for individuals who don’t work at all, supporters of the fair tax, and so many other issues. It was a respectable protest of our government today bailing out car companies, banks, etc, increasing our taxes when the government should not be involved in any of the companies. Our country is founded on capitalism, small government, and an open market. Strangling us with a tax rope will not help the economy, and most important it will not help the citizens. Like the Boston Tea Party we want “no taxation without representation”. Spending trillions of dollars might help in the short-run but what happens in the long-run? I guess it will be another Presidents problem, another Congress’s issue, but it certainly will stick with us working class citizens for generations.

If you are interested in who spoke, what issues were discussed, or just curious you can visit www.daytonohioteaparty.com.

On Saturday March 28th at approximately 7:45 pm, the Tipp City High School Baseball team left the high school headed for Fort Walton Beach, Florida for a spring baseball tournament they participate in every year. The team arrived Sunday morning at the Holiday Inn Sunspree on Okaloosa Island which is located in southern Okaloosa County, Florida. The team was accompanied by 4 coaches and several parent chaperones. The team occupied 7 different rooms with 4 boys to a room. Over the next several days the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams played in games at several local high schools.

On Wednesday April 1st while conducting curfew checks of the boys’ rooms, Assistant Varsity Coach Jim Johnson reported to Head Coach Bruce Cahill that he believed he smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from one of the rooms. After discussion with the other coaches it was decided that they would do a room inspection the following morning.

At approximately 11:30 the next morning, while the students were out, a search of the room was conducted and several rolled marijuana cigarettes and partially burnt “roaches” were discovered in a Listerine travel bottle. When the students arrived back at the hotel, the coaches questioned them about what they had found and their involvement. At the direction of Athletic Director Matt Shomper, local law enforcement was called to investigate.

At 13:08, Officer Arnold of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department arrived and completed interviews with the boys and determined they where all being truthful as to what happened, so he decided not to make any arrests. He then spoke with Assistant High School Principal Brian Honeycutt and informed him of the decision and advised that the evidence, 3 grams of marijuana, would be collected and maintained for future use if necessary. Honeycutt informed Officer Brown that the school was going to take administrative action against the students.

The students were sent home at their own expense as soon as arrangements with their parents could be made. I spoke with Dr. Kronour about the incident and he said that the school was taking the appropriate administrative steps with regards to the discipline of the four students involved.

On a more positive note, the varsity team did finish the tournament 2 & 3. Coach Cahill said that typically they play against ranking Kentucky teams. This is the 11th year of the trip in which the team has participated in tournaments in Cocoa Beach, Orlando, and Tennessee. This is their second year back at Ft. Walton Beach, FL. Cahill said the trip helps to bond the team by participating in activities, team dinners, practice and to build experience against high ranked teams.

For their first game on Monday March 30th the team played 8th ranked Lexington Dunbar HS at Niceville HS and finished with a 6-5 loss.

On Tuesday March 1st the team came out strong for game 2 when they played at Ocaloosa Walton Community College against Todd County HS. Ryan Koopman pitched a perfect game for the first 5 innings with T.J. Smith finishing up for a Tipp City win of 10-0. Later that day they played 16th ranked Louisville Dupont Manual High School at Ft. Walton Beach HS and was up 4-0 until a rain delay. After the delay they finished with an 8-5 loss.

The team had Wednesday off from games and Thursday was a complete rainout, but they were back at it on Friday against #3 ranked Louisville Eastern HS at Ft. Walton Beach HS in which they ended up with a 20-6 loss.

The team finished up on Saturday, April 4th against Crestview High School coming from behind 3-1 in the 7th inning and finishing up with a win of 8-7 in ten innings.

For more information on the Tipp City High School baseball teams such as schedule, scores, players and coaches please visit www.tippecanoebaseball.com.

COLUMBUS – Former State Representative Fred Strahorn returned to Ohio’s General Assembly today when he was sworn into office as the State Senator for District 5, representing Miami County and parts of Montgomery and Darke counties. Senator Strahorn replaces Tom Roberts who retired in February to accept an appointment to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.

“I’m excited to get back to work as a member of the General Assembly,” said Senator Strahorn. “There’s a lot I hope to accomplish on behalf of the people of the 5th District. Education will be one of my priority issues, especially getting parents more involved.”

The Senate Democratic Caucus voted unanimously to appoint Strahorn to fill the remainder of Senator Robert’s term, which expires in 2010. “I would like to express my thanks to the Democratic Caucus for my appointment to the Senate and my gratitude to my friends and family for their support,” said Senator Strahorn.
Senator Strahorn spent eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives before he left office in 2008 because of term limits. While in the Ohio House he served as Minority Whip and Democratic Caucus Policy Chairman. Senator Strahorn most recently worked as Vice President for Governmental Affairs for the Ohio United Way.

Several resolutions focusing on an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Annual Phase II Storm Water Management report of 2008 compliance activities and a Notice of Intent to file for Coverage under the Ohio EPA Small MS4 General Permit were passed by the Monroe Township trustees on March 16.

During a detailed presentation at the Monday evening trustees meeting by Special Projects Coordinator Mary Lou Wilson, the 2008 EPA Phase II Storm Water Management Program report was laid out for the trustees before the resolution passage. Areas specifically noted in this report included rules mandating pollution control activities in small communities, delegation of authority on implementing Storm Water Phase II regulations in Ohio, and statement of an exact square mileage portion of the township designated as urbanized.

The Notice of Intent to file for coverage under the Ohio EPA Small MS4 General Permit notifies the Ohio EPA of a change of the status of Monroe Township from a permittee to that of a “co-permittee” with Miami County. The $200 fee involved for this permit will be paid by Miami County. The resolution passed by Monroe Township states that the Annual Discharge fee for the urbanized area of Monroe Township will be paid by Monroe Township. This discharge fee is based upon census figures to establish the number of square miles designated as “urbanized” by the EPA. Currently the annual discharge fee is $225. However, this could change once new census figures are in for the 2010 census.

The trustees also agreed at the Monday evening meeting to pay a 2009 membership to the Honeycreek Watershed Association; pass the 2009 permanent appropriations totaling $1,597,513.00; and pay this week’s bills totaling $34,793.16.
The annual springtime cemetery cleanup in the township begins March 23. After allowing a week for this cleanup, area residents are invited to place spring and Easter floral decorations anytime after March 30.

In other reports, those participating in the March 14 recycling event at the maintenance facility on Michaels Road numbered 86. As a reminder, a special used tire recycling program is being held at the Miami County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, March 31 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Pre-registration for Miami County residents is required by contacting the Miami Soil and Water Conservation District (MSWCD) no later than March 20. Tires are accepted if they are no larger than 17 inches and if the rims have been removed from the tire. There is also a charge of 50 cents per tire, and a limit of 10 tires per registrant.

The trustees discussed with Tipp Monroe Cable Access Commission (TMCAC) members, Dave Werts and Bryan Stewart, changes regarding Time Warner Cable’s franchise agreement with the township. Under a new Ohio law, Time Warner has applied for and been designated as a Video Service Provider (VSP) by the State. This automatically terminates the existing franchise agreement and replaces it with a VSP agreement. The township will collect fees through this agreement to replace the lost franchise fees, but Time Warner Cable will no longer pay the rent for the KIT-TV local cable access studio, nor will they provide further annual equipment funding of $3,000/year. TMCAC will be signing a new lease with the township and presenting a new budget and request for additional future funding to the trustees and the City of Tipp City.

The trustees will be attending a Tri-Agency meeting on March 30. This meeting is to be hosted by the Tipp City Board of Education.

The next regular township trustees meeting is set for Monday, April 6 at 7 p.m.

Tipp City community members and staff volunteers recently met to plan the "neighborhood coordination" segment of the "Yes! Tipp Schools" levy campaign.

The Tipp City school district will have two issues on the May 5, 2009, ballot: a renewal of the current 3-year, $2.7 million emergency operating levy, which will not increase taxes; and a new 3-year emergency operating levy for $990,000, which will cost the owner of a $100,000 home approximately $80 per year in additional taxes.

Levy Chairman Jim McKee said that both levies are needed to allow the school district to keep its current level of programs and services. He said even if both levies pass, the district will freeze wages for all employees for 2009-2010 and will continue other budget-reducing measures. Neighborhood Coordinators for the campaign are Amy Joseph, Lynn Hinkle, Tom Cochran and Amy Cochran. At least 40 additional neighborhood "captains" have teamed up with staff volunteers in their neighborhoods to assemble additional volunteers who will work to inform the community about all aspects of the May 5 levies.

McKee said, "This is truly a grassroots effort, where neighbors are enlisting the help of other neighbors to get the word out. By the time the neighborhood captains assemble other workers, we expect to have at least 500 volunteers involved in the campaign."

Campaign plans include the delivery of flyers, installation of yard signs, articles in area newspapers, programs on local cable access television and possible town meetings. A levy web site is now live and will be updated regularly. The address is: www.tippschoolslevy.com. Neighborhood captains are also planning activities that will be unique to their own neighborhoods.

Amy Cochran said, "In addition to factual information, there will be neighborhood surprises that we hope will prove to be a fun way to promote the levies. These are serious times and the school levies are serious concerns, but ultimately it is about our kids and our community. We hope by lightening the mood with a few of our activities we will encourage our neighbors to continue the support our schools need."

Along with McKee, a steering committee of community members and staff representatives is meeting regularly to work on the campaign. Members include levy treasurer Scot Clyne; Bob Bair, Lora Heddleston, Lynn Hinkle, Amy Joseph, Frank Maus, Sherry Priddy, Tim Priddy, Gary Riebe, Melinda Schall, Greg Smith, Mike Stucke, Nancy Carus, Amy Cochran, Alexis Dedrick, Sarah Gearhardt, Jan Green, Amy Grescowle, Jeanne Koch, Joan Lucas, Angie McMurry, Diana Davis-Miller, Peggy Osborn, Dale Pittenger, Chris Prokes, Heidi Silvers, Greg Southers, Suzi Walker, Karen Weber and Jenn Wysocki.

Board of Education representatives on the campaign committee are Scott Dixon and Kate Johnsen.

Council met on March 16, 2009 at 7:00 pm to discuss the financial position of the City. The General Fund had revenues of approximately $731,000.00 but expenditures of almost $820,000.00, leaving a negative balance close to $88,000.00.

Council was advised that this was normal for this early in the year. Last year’s figures were about the same.

Income tax revenues are about 5.3% above last year. Other tax receipts are about 3% higher but local government funding has dropped 8%. A windfall estate tax revenue helped brighten the picture some what as did the savings garnered by the lower gas prices.

With budget cuts made by Council earlier and the unexpected revenue increases, coupled with judicial spending in the future, the City has a good chance to have a balanced budget at the end of the year. Council is still looking at ways to save money, with hopes of increasing the Capital Improvement Fund to be able to move on some projects the City needs done.

Also discussed was a COLA of 2% for employees not covered by a bargaining unit. Mr. Kessler was concerned about the way it would be applied and did not think the time was right to implement a raise of any kind. After some discussion, Council entered chambers for the regularly scheduled meeting.
Council Meeting

The meeting was called to order by President Hale at 7:30 PM. After the prayer and Pledge of Allegiance, a motion was made to amend the agenda with the removal of a resolution. The motion was approved, as was the motion to accept the amended agenda.
Mayor Evan gave a proclamation making March American Red Cross Month in Tipp City.

A motion was made by Mr. Kessler to bring an ordinance concerning the pay schedule of Chapter 37 employees off the table. The ordinance had been tabled at the previous council meeting. The motion was approved. Mr. Lovett removed his sponsorship of the ordinance. The ordinance died for lack of a sponsor.

A resolution authorizing the City Manager to submit applications for stimulus monies for two projects was approved. Mrs. Blakey asked about the need for the quickness to apply and Council was told that all applications for stimulus money were time sensitive. Mr. Lovett expressed concern about the way the government was burdening future citizens with the cost but also knew that if Tipp City did not apply, someone else would get the money.

Three ordinances were presented for their first readings. The first ordinance established the new fees for the Aquatic Center. The second ordinance would remove electric utility charge from the General Rules and regulation and allow them to become part of the utility fee schedule. The third ordinance would amend the schedule of fees to include the increased electric fees.

A motion to accept the recommendations of the Tax Incentive Revue Council passed 6-0. Mrs. Blakey was the dissenting vote. A motion to hire part time and part time seasonal employees was presented. There were 25% less than last year requested. The motion passed 6-1. Mr. Kessler cast the dissenting vote.

A citizen expressed concern about a traffic pattern change on Bel Air Drive. The repositioning of two stop signs was causing a safety issue at that location. He was advised that the City Manager would look into it and get back to him. Mr. Lovett thanked the EMS team for their professional service this past week-end.

There being no further business to come before Council, the regular meeting ended and Council entered into Executive Session.

Tipp City’s School Board met on March 5, 2009 for a special meeting to discuss the up-coming levy proposals and potential cuts. All board members were present.

President Scott Dixon opened the meeting at 6:00 PM by welcoming all in attendance and commented on the difficult decisions the board was dealing with.

The first piece of business discussed was allowing the school to implement open enrollment. Open enrollment would allow students from neighboring districts to attend Tipp Schools with out paying tuition. The extra monies received from the State because of increased enrollment, based on 25 students entering the system, would be a little over $143,000. By taking that action and assuming 25 students would take advantage of the open enrollment, some of the initially proposed staff reductions would not take place.

Three scenarios were presented to the board that considered the failure of both levies, the passage of the renewal only, and the passage of both levies.

The failure of both levies would have the greatest impact. Items considered for reduction or cuts under that result are reduced transportation of students. The limit proposed is any student living within 1.5 miles of the schools would not be bussed. There may be some areas exempted from that if there is a lack of sidewalks for the students to use. A “Pay to
Participate” would be implemented, charging fees to engage in athletics, band, and high school clubs.

Also proposed is the elimination of one assistant varsity coach from each sport, increase in health co-pays, the elimination of field trips, a wage freeze and the elimination of fifteen staff positions. Revenue will be brought in through the open enrollment, increased parking fees at the high school and charging Community Services for the use of school property.
Estimated savings under this plan are around $1.35 million plus around $162,000 in revenue.
If just the renewal passes, the fifteen staff will stay and participation fees will be slightly lower. Cost cutting measures in energy usage, reduction of some supplies and other steps will, combined with anticipated revenues from the same sources above, will create a savings of near $765,000.

If both levies pass, the wage freeze will stay in effect.
It was asked if an across the board wage reduction had been considered. The administration, and some board members, did not feel it would be an accepted proposal based on conversations with school staff.

If you have any questions or concerns, or would like a more detailed copy of the proposals, feel free to contact the school at 669-6302 or Jim McKee at 669-9098.

The next regularly scheduled Board meeting is 7:00 PM, Monday, March 23, at the Board office.