YELLOW SPRINGS NEWS
ability is a factor in being known as a community of economic conscience. But it is not, as can sometimes be misconstrued, the only ingredient. The question of affordability appears often meant to appeal to a consumer ethic of fair prices in the marketplace, which is a �ne thing but, perhaps by itself not quite suf�cient for getting at the fullest meaning of our community’s obligation in respect to economic pressures that bear more heavily on those of us with limited �nancial means. In what has on numerous fronts been a dif�cult decade for many in our community, it seems to me that the prevention or alleviation of circumstances in which economic factors will limit or exclude living and participating in our community is a serious matter of consideration for Council. There are a number of tangible issues that intersect on this plane that include major costs and economic factors like housing, wages, tuition, and tax structures. While Council’s role is generally not that of directly or unilaterally setting costs, some of these factors can be constructively in�uenced though local policy and Council advocacy. Becoming a community of economic conscience seems to me a distinction worth aspiring to and a creative and plausible basis for growing and renewing ourselves in a manner that puts our best foot forward. What we gain out of resolving to imaginatively exercising conscience, we should remember, has its roots in what has made this a varied and vital community to begin with. Putting such principles forward will fortify our ability to attract both interesting new members and progressive organizations and businesses that share these values.
RICK WALKEY*
During my �rst two terms on Council, I learned a great deal about how the Village operates, the role of Coun-
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cil members as both conduits and leaders, and the importance of maintaining transparency and civility. It has also been a privilege and pleasure to work with members of Council, our staff, and the rest of the community. It is with equal parts personal satisfaction and love of my village that I offer myself up for re-election. Question responses: 1 . The search for our next Village manager must begin with a careful delineation of the job’s expectations. As our Council tends to be hands-on, and our citizenr y highly engaged, our manager will need to embrace and respect our distinctly democratic approach to governance. And in a village that values its employees and staff, a natural ability to communicate and lead is essential. To identify candidates who have these skills, along with a resume of pertinent professional quali�cations, we need to reach beyond the usual venues, and include other like-minded organizations, such as institutions of higher education. Every Council will �ne-tune their own process, but recent searches have availed themselves of outside assistance from professional staf�ng consultants through the University of Dayton. Their primary function, with direction from Council, was to do the initial outreach, vet responses for minimal quali�cations, then gather and aggregate additional data on the best �ts. These background data can include Internet searches, phone interviews with personal references, and other public documents that might be useful in learning more about a candidate. After narrowing down the list, each �nalist is invited to spend a day in the Village touring our facilities, lunching with Council, staff and a selected group of citizens, be interviewed that afternoon by Council, and finally, meet the public in an open forum held that evening. In executive session later that evening, Council meets with the select group of citizens to share their impressions. Based on all this and additional communications from Villagers, Council now has the information it needs to make its �nal selection I believe the above outline, or something similar, will provide the most democratic process and the best candidate. 2 . Over the past year, Council has undertaken an extensive analysis of our water treatment facility. We have learned through repor ts from our Water Treatment Plant manager, commissioned engineering studies and by touring the facility, that our plant is in need of immediate attention. The
problems we currently face are due largely to long overdue maintenance. And because some of these issues have become critical, we are considering all available options to �nd the timeliest optimal solution. We have narrowed the choices to the three most feasible: purchasing water from Springfield, building a new plant, or refurbishing our existing facility. On the economic side, the costs of implementing either of the �rst two projects are comparable. Option three, refurbishing our existing facility, looks to run a magnitude of order less, or one-tenth of the cost of the other two options. Equally important in this calculus are the intangible and subjective aspects of this issue. One position speaks to the notion of retaining our local water source and the possible consequences of giving it up, which include potential health safety concerns, or future costs beyond our control. Another cohort has voiced a desire for softened water, doable by sourcing water from Spring�eld, or adding that capability in a new treatment plant. However, local water softening is the most expensive choice, and would discharge brine into the Glen. Purchased soft water from Spring�eld, while having no environmental impact, is one of the more costly options, and we would give up local control. My current sense, echoed by the many villagers I’ve spoken with, is that the best alternative is to upgrade our existing plant. This option would include adding the capacity to remove manganese, the reason for our occasional brown water, and give us upwards of 20 years of additional service from our current plant, while providing us with the ability to maintain and regulate the safety of our own drinking water. 3 . The Village Charter was adopted by the citizens of Yellow Springs to promote our common welfare through the bene�ts of local self-government. The question of affordability has to be considered in that light. However the notion of affordability remains vague, subjective, or at least relative. One definition we hear discussed is a lack of housing options in price ranges that working people can afford. Another is the cost for the services the Village provides its citizens. Regarding the former, and faced with trying to offset market forces with the limited resources available in a small municipality like ours, we have few options. However, this Council understands the importance of
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making our Village livable to all who need it, recognizing the richness we gain as a community when we make that possible. This Council made a parcel of unused Village property available for modest income housing, and in so doing, included a �re safety upgrade as par t of the deal. Council also recently passed a completely revised and updated zoning ordinance that includes the potential for reduced cost housing development by allowing smaller minimum lot sizes, and smaller permitted building footprints. As to the latter, the cost of Village services remain comparable to communities our size, a size we conscientiously choose and maintain. We maintain our own electric utility, and while the reliability and affordability of our power is exceptional, we are still able to make our power supply portfolio environmentally sustainable. Another measure of affordability Council is able to provide: we operate our own Public Safety Department, usually unheard of in a village our size, with a capability that far exceeds anything we could outsource. Through careful oversight, we can continue to make the most ef�cient use of our limited budget. And as our Charter mandates, these are the kinds of things we can do with local self-governance.
KAREN WINTROW*
I have lived in Yellow Springs with my husband, Ted Donnell, and our son, Lucas, for 19 years. We relocated from Dayton’s Grafton Hill neighborhood after restoring our home, drawn by the beauty, inclusiveness and sense of community that reminded us of our childhoods. I began my community service by joining the Community Children’s Center Board soon after relocating and then served on the Antioch