At its recent meeting, Oxford’s City Council addressed several key issues concerning transportation, infrastructure and local development.
Public transit updates
A presentation on public transportation focused on making the area surrounding Chestnut Field a Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA) hub. Proposed changes would make bus lines operate inbound and outbound, rather than in loops, which have led to disparities in trip times to and from campus.
Due to lower ridership, Walmart bus routes will be available only in the evenings and on weekends. City Council also discussed expanding summer transit options to serve local residents beyond the academic year.
“These are the routes for the school year that primarily service Miami University students,” Mayor Bill Snavely said. “Is there any intention of serving other people in the community, particularly during the summer?”
The BCRTA responded saying there is a summer schedule and is seeking community feedback on proposed routes. The BCRTA transit app and Google Maps are reliable resources for real-time transit updates.
Sidewalk repairs
City Council approved a resolution to send letters to property owners requiring them to repair sidewalks within 30 days, with possible extensions available. City engineers have marked necessary repair areas with white dots.
Infrastructure investments
A resolution was passed to purchase new Motorola radio equipment for city services.
Additionally, City Council approved a $120,000 easement request for phase five of the Oxford Area Trail System. A separate resolution to declare the necessity and intent to acquire land owned by EVR Investments was passed.
Public concerns were raised over transparency and property impact, particularly by Lara Osborne, who highlighted the effect of the rerouting on property values. Council emphasized that the resolution intended to return all parties to the negotiating table rather than enforce eminent domain.
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"It is both my future home and my pension," Osborne said. "If someone said, give us a third of your pension … or a third of your backyard and had already done architectural drawings to utilize portions of your backyard … it would come as a bit of a shock."
Michael Dreisbach, the Service Department Director, said he believed they followed the correct procedure.
The resolution passed unanimously.
Energy contract approval
The Council also approved a resolution to renegotiate an energy deal with Dynergy. The current contract costs approximately 4 cents per kilowatt per hour, and the proposed wind energy option would add a cost of roughly $1 per citizen per year.
Due to market volatility, the contract required approval within 24 hours.The resolution was amended to include wind power and then passed.
“I believe these to be quite reasonable rates overall, you know, I think many people in other parts of the country would be very grateful,” Councilor David Prythrecth said. ”This is for City use, but we're saving the taxpayer's dollar by finding a good price for renewable energy.”
City Council will meet again at 7:30 p.m on Tuesday, March 4 at the Oxford Courthouse.
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