BIRD IS BACK
B1
Your Community Press newspaper serving Bethel, Chilo, Felicity, Franklin Township, Moscow, Neville, Tate Township, Washington Township Jacob the peacock has found a home along the New Richmond waterfront.
Vol. 111 No. 34 © 2010 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
E-mail: clermont@communitypress.com T h u r s d a y, S e p t e m b e r
2, 2010
Nancy Haines’ says her sense of volunteerism came from her parents. “Whenever we said there was something we couldn’t do, my mom would say, ‘We’re Americans, not Ameri-can’ts,’” Haines said. “They raised 11 children, but were still able to help whenever anyone needed it.” Haines received the Orpha Gatch Citizenship Award at the League of Women Voters of Clermont County Suffragist Event Tuesday, Aug. 24. FULL STORY, B1
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Village is in fiscal emergency
By Mary Dannemiller
mdannemiller@communitypress.com
Haines wins Gatch Award
JOURNAL
The village of Bethel is in a state fiscal emergency, as declared today, Aug. 24, by Ohio Auditor of State Mary Taylor. This fiscal emergency was declared after a fiscal analysis requested by Mayor James Dick revealed the village’s general fund owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to its enterprise funds. According to Taylor, the general fund owed $401,178 as of Dec. 31, 2009, and $340,766 as of May 31. Fiscal Officer Angel Burton said that number is now at $219,111. As a result of the fiscal emergency status, a seven-member oversight commission will be established by the state to help the village regain financial stability, Taylor said. The commission will approve the village’s fiscal recovery plan, which must balance the budget and outline how the village will avoid future financial crises, Taylor said. “Village officials face tough financial decisions in the weeks and months ahead, but my office will
provide assistance where we can to help them improve their situation and restore financial stability as soon as possible,” Taylor said. The general fund owes so much money to the enterprise funds because previous administrators and council members allowed money in reserve enterprise funds to be spent on general fund line items, Dick said today. The mayor requested he be the only village official to speak about the fiscal emergency. “There were funds you could consider rainy day funds that were put aside for the electric and water funds that could be used say, if you had a storm that took out $500,000 worth of property,” he said. “Essentially, what happened is we had money in these rainy day funds, but the previous administration decided they were going to liquidate those funds and spent it in various places. We cannot spend enterprise funds on the general fund and that’s what the auditors are saying. That amount of money was taken from the enterprise funds and misused for general fund purposes and that’s where the deficit comes from.
“It’s not really going to change much from the way we’re handling everyday operations … It’s more of a formalization of a process we’ve already put in place.”
Mayor James Dick
The general fund has to repay the enterprise funds.” Dick said the village has since replaced the village administrator and fiscal officer who made those decisions. He said he is confident in the village’s recovery. “The issues that created this situation were taken care of two years ago when the administration changed over and we’re had some council members change over, too,” he said. “Those conditions don’t exist anymore and we’ve been on the right track since.” The mayor also said he is looking forward to working with the oversight commission, which will consist of village residents, elected officials and representatives from the state.
“It’s not really going to change much from the way we’re handling everyday operations,” he said. “That oversight commission will look at our fiscal recovery plan and any subsequent changes to appropriations and make sure we’re doing what we said we would. It’s more of a formalization of a process we’ve already put in place.” Dick said since he invited the auditors to audit the village after noticing irregularities in the finances, residents should not worry about the fiscal emergency status because it shows he and the council members are committed to improving and making sure the mistakes don’t happen again. “The oversight commission really is a check on your elected officials, which is great,” he said. “Residents can always contact the village offices and talk to one of the people involved in the finances and they can give a layman’s terms break down of a lot of this stuff.” The next Bethel village council meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, at the village municipal offices, 120 W. Plane St.
Pink Elephant is a family affair
It’s hard to miss the latest store to open in Bethel. The Pink Elephant’s hot pink exterior stands out among the row of shops and restaurants on Plane Street. “We wanted something with a distinct color,” said Rich Thompson, one of the store’s managers. “We wanted people to stop and notice us and when they come looking for us, we don’t want them to miss us.” FULL STORY, A2
Back to school
Many parents in the FelicityFranklin Local School District walked their kids to school for the first day Wednesday, Aug. 25. From left are: Secondgrader Lilly Findlan, Brie Findlan, third-grader Emma Lewin, Nora Lewin and second-grader Hannah Lewin. See more photos, A5. KELLIE GEIST/STAFF
Bethel-Tate creates social media policy By Kellie Geist kgeist@communitypress.com
Big crowd turns out for Bethel 10K
Hundreds of runners and walkers came to Burke Park Saturday, Aug. 14, for the Bethel 10K Run & 5K Walk. FULL STORY, A8 For the Postmaster
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With social media sites and cell phones, the lines of communication between teachers and students have become blurry. To help set guidelines for using those tools, the Bethel-Tate Local School District has created a Social Media Policy. “There is an appropriate need for these tools in the educational process ... But we need to be clear on what’s appropriate use of technology and what’s not,” said Scott Hobart, chair of the district’s Planning Commission. Superintendent Jim Smith said the Social Media Policy, which was approved in July, is being discussed with all the district staff. Each employee will be asked to sign a sheet that says they have received, read and understand the Social Media Policy. That signed sheet will go into each employee file. “We’re trying to react to the new technology that’s available ...
Here is what the policy looks like • All communications accessed or sent from technology owned by the Bethel-Tate Local School District is property of the district. Anything received or sent (messages, photos, emails, etc.) from district property belongs to the district. • Bethel-Tate prohibits (social media) activities during working time unless to advance the educational mission of the school. • The district prohibits all conduct, including online activity, that may negatively impact Bethel-Tate’s reputation. Such activity, even if engaged in on an employee’s own time, may result in discipline and/or termination. • All communication between Bethel-Tate staff and students should be open and professional. The district strongly discourages text messages, personal e-mails, Facebook, MySpace or other social media “friendships.” • Do not post or permit statements, pictures or links on any Bethel-Tate employee social media site that may negatively impact the district. • Do not consider any social media to be private. Do not post, do, say or write anything you would not want shown on the front page of a newspaper. I think all school districts are trying to figure out how to facilitate communication while having some control with the employees,” Smith said. Smith said having contact with
• Bethel-Tate logos may not be used without written consent. Any reference to your job must include: “These are my personal views and not those of the Bethel-Tate Local School District.” • Do not solicit, encourage or engage in an inappropriate relationship with a student or a minor, including through the use of technology or social media. • Do not disparage a student, parent or Bethel-Tate employee. • Do not use inappropriate language, gestures or signs – even on your own time. • Do not provoke an altercation between students. • Do not contribute to or knowingly fail to intervene in the harassment, intimation or bullying of a student. • Do not publish, provide access to or alter confidential student information, including grades, personal information, photos or individual education plans without approval from an administrator. • Do not violate the Code of Professional Conduct for Ohio Educators. • Use good judgment and be respectful, just like at work.
students outside the classroom can be useful, especially in immediate or emergency situations, but staff need to be careful. “There are legitimate needs for this type of communication. I
think what we are saying is you have to use logic and reason with the understanding that a teacher is a teacher and a student is a student. You have to maintain that relationship,” he said.