SHOP WITH A BENGAL B1
Rey Maualuga shops with kids at the Eastgate Toys ‘R’ Us.
Your Community Press newspaper serving Miami Township and Milford E-mail: milford@communitypress.com
Vol. 30 No. 48 © 2010 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Food pantries busy, need help
With the approaching holidays and the state of the economy, this is a busy time of year for Clermont County food pantries. “We serve a lot of people around the holidays,” said Kirstin Eismin, who runs the food pantry at the YWCA in Batavia. FULL STORY, B1
Milford council works on budget
Although city council continues to discuss Milford’s 2011 budget, residents shouldn’t expect any major cuts or changes to services next year. “Overall, the city of Milford will enter 2011 with strong fund reserves and city council will not have to make any major adjustments to balance the 2011 Budget,” said Budget Director Daniel Burke. FULL STORY, A2
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Milford considers rate hike By Kellie Geist-May
kmay@communitypress.com
Milford City Council is looking at the city’s water and sewer rates, but they aren’t ready to make any decisions on an increase. Wayne Cannon, a representative with the Ohio Rural Community Assistance Program, made a presentation about the city’s water and sewer rates during a special council meeting Tuesday, Dec. 7. He said the rates in Milford are “very reasonable” at .82-percent of the city’s median household income for water and 1.2-percent for sewer. Average is at least 1.1 to 1.5 percent for both each. Cannon also looked at the
city’s water and sewer fund revenues and expenses. In 2011, the city is projecting about a $110,000 shortfall in revenue in the water fund and about a $6,500 shortfall in the sewer fund. While Milford has about $2.5 million in combined reserves for these funds, Cannon said a rate increase would be necessary to balance the revenues and expenses while maintaining the reserves for future capital projects. The typical customer, a household that uses about 4,500 gallons of water, pays $21.43 per month for water and $31.85 for sewer. Cannon’s recommendations would raise that to $27.16
for water and $36.63 for sewer. Cannon also recommended instituting an automatic rate increase of about 2-percent each year for the next four years. Milford Mayor Ralph Vilardo Jr. said those increases would be dramatic for many of Milford’s residents. “Most customers are interested in ‘How does this impact me? What will it do to my bill at the end of the month?” said Vilardo. An additional $10 a month “is a big deal,” he said. Milford has not had a rate increase for water and sewer services since 2006. City Manager Loretta Rokey said council and city staff would
explore Cannon’s recommendation, but also look at other options. “How much and how soon is what we have to ask ourselves. If we just want to meet the shortfall instead of planning for future projects and maintaining reserves, then we have to look at a different set of assumptions,” she said. Vilardo said council would not be ready to vote on an increase any time soon. He also said council would want to hold the recommended three public hearings to discuss any possible rate increase with the public. For more about your community, visit www.Cincinnati.com/milford.
Promont offers lots of holiday cheer
Holiday decorating is underway at Promont. The theme this year will be a traditional Victorian holiday using the natural items favored by the Victorians including feathers, nuts, pine cones, evergreens and handmade items. The Victorians would arrange and place these items throughout the house to create a warm and festive feel. Visitors are invited to stop by Promont and experience the holiday beauty. FULL STORY, A2
New high school league forms
Anderson, Glen Este, Kings, Loveland, Milford, Turpin, and Walnut Hills high schools will leave the Fort Ancient Valley Conference and begin a new conference in the fall of 2012. According to Glen Este Principal John Spieser, the new conference will build stronger bonds among the affected schools. The size of the FAVC, which stands at 17 teams this season, was one of the reasons Spieser cited as to why the schools decided to leave the conference. FULL STORY, SPORTS, A7
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KELLIE GEIST-MAY/STAFF
History awards
The Greater Milford Area Historical Society presented three historical preservation awards at the annual holiday dinner Thursday, Dec. 2. From left are award winners Karen McKitric, chair of the newly formed Milford Black Heritage Society; Sue and John Bradford, who worked on and donated three sampler collections to the museum; and Andy Evans of Evans Funeral Home who donated a variety of historical mortuary items to the museum. For more about the event, see page A4.
Santa Sunday event to be held Dec. 19 By Kellie Geist-May kmay@communitypress.com
In Milford, it’s not Christmas until the firefighters come around for Santa Sunday. This year Santa Sunday will start at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19. During this event, the firefighters hand out bags of treats to neighborhood children. “We think this is our 60th year. It’s just one of those hometown traditional things,” said Chief John
Cooper, Milford Community Fire Department. “It’s funny because there are a lot of adults who lived here when they were little and they remember Santa Sunday. It just means Christmas to a lot of people.” Council member Amy Brewer has lived in Milford her entire life and has always loved Santa Sunday. “It’s so original. In what other community does Santa come around on the fire truck and fire-
fighters wearing Santa hats come around with (treats,)” Brewer said. “I think it is a wonderful sense of community and I actually schedule my day around Santa Sunday so we don’t miss it.” “We’ve been out there in the rain, in the blizzards ... I don’t know who loves it more – me or my kids,” she said. The fire trucks will pull out of the station at 1 p.m. and will hit every street in the city. Cooper
said people should know the fire trucks are coming and come out to the street. “That’s the one thing we really ask, is that people come outside. It just makes it all much easier on us if the kids come out,” he said. “It helps us keep moving so we can get to everybody.” Santa Sunday will happen regardless of the weather, Cooper said. For more about your community, visit cincinnati.com/milford.
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