Doing Our Part: Becoming A Cool County

Last month, rather quietly, Hamilton County took a step as important as any we've taken this year.  In the long run, it actually may be the most important step we take in years.  We became the 13th County in the country to commit to be a "Cool County."

No, this was not an attempt to be culturally hip.

It was a commitment that Hamilton County will do our share--indeed, we will help lead the way--to improve sustainability and substantially decrease emissions and energy consumption in the coming years.  The long-term Cool City and County goal is to collectively reduce our global warming emissions by 80% by the year 2050.

To get this done at the County level, we will create an inventory of our greenhouse gas emissions, and thereafter take steps to reduce those emissions year after year.  The long-term goal is appropriately aggressive, for we have no time to waste if we are going to tackle, successfully, the incredibly daunting task of battling our global warming crisis.  The County Commission also plans to take a lead role in creating a partnership of major private and public sector players in the region to collectively reduce our emissions in the same way.  More to come on this later this year.

There are so many ways, large and small, that every individual, and every private and public sector entity, can start turning around the troubling environmental trends our planet faces.  Our Cool County Commitment is a sign that we hope to lead the way.

David

Issue 27 Update

The Comprehensive Safety Plan Issue 27 Campaign is in full swing and gaining more momentum every day.  Over the last couple weeks Issue 27 has been endorsed by the Hamilton County Democratic Party, the Hamilton County Republican Party, and the Charter Committee as well as numerous elected officials, organizations, and candidates. The Citizens for a Safe Community invite you visit their website site www.safecommunity.org for all the latest updates and to find out how you can get involved in the effort. THEY WANT AND NEED YOUR HELP! Now is the time for citizens to get involved with our mission to make Hamilton County a safer community through a comprehensive set of investments and reforms.  See the special Issue 27 section of the newsletter for more information.

Criminal Justice Commission Approves Two Key Reforms

As part of an ongoing effort to reform the County's criminal justice system, the Criminal Justice Commission recently approved two important measures aimed at addressing different areas within the overall system.

Mental Health Court Expansion

One initiative approved proposes to expand the County's mental health court docket. Currently the mental health court handles a total of 35 inmates at one time, and excludes felony inmates.  Working with national models, local service providers, and current mental health court judges, the CJC Policy and Structure Committee will look at ways to open the docket up to more inmates that would benefit from the court's approach.  Just this past week David, the mental health court judges, and community services providers met with experts from the Ohio Supreme Court Specialized Docket Division to discuss possible methods of expanding the Mental Health Court.  "We know there is a far greater demand for service that we provide today. The last thing we want are people with mental illnesses sitting in jail, not getting the treatment they need, and then getting locked up again and again because of that illness," David said.

Certificate of Rehabilitation

The other initiative approved was to adopt a national "best practice" in facilitating offenders' reentry into the community, called a certificate of rehabilitation. Using model legislation adopted in other states, the CJC Reentry Committee will design a certificate of rehabilitation program with specific requirements, and upon completion of the program, offenders will receive a document certifying they have been rehabilitated. States with these programs have found them very helpful when ex offenders apply for jobs, job training programs, licenses, and other programs that require criminal background
checks.

County Becomes a "Cool County"

Joined by Commissioner Todd Portune, David signed the Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Agreement, making Hamilton County one of the first counties in the nation committing to combating global warming while creating good jobs and growing the economy.  The signing took place at Aiken University High School, which offers Cincinnati's first environmental education program.  By signing the Cool Counties agreement, the county commitments to reduce global warming emissions 80 percent below current levels by 2050, an average annual reduction of 2 percent.  Additionally, the County will explore local clean energy solutions such as energy efficiency, cleaner vehicles, renewable power, public transportation and smart growth land use planning.  The Cool Counties Agreement is modeled after the Cool Cities Agreement, which over 650 cities have signed, including Cincinnati.

The Cool Counties Agreement has the endorsement of the Blue Green Alliance, a formal alliance between the United Steel Workers and the Sierra Club dedicated to creating good jobs and job security through renewable energy and energy efficiency.  David remarked at the signing, "This is the challenge of our day.  This is an exciting partnership that helps achieve that goal as well as creating good jobs and a growing economic sector for our region."

County Endorses Bike Trail Expansion

As part of a unanimous vote by the Hamilton County Transportation Improvement District, David voted yes on a resolution endorsing a temporary bike path extending the Loveland Bike Trail from Lunken Airport to downtown Cincinnati.  The bike path will run along the currently-unused Oasis rail line. The resolution passed is the result of months of negotiations between avid cyclists, elected officials, transportation experts, and developers.  The path could be in place in the next two years.  The City of Cincinnati is working on plans for a permanent bike path, but that will take longer.

David is a strong supporter of both the temporary and permanent bike paths and thanked all those involved in the negotiation process.  He also expressed his excitement for the plan: "If you visit Loveland on the weekend, you'll see the city comes alive because of the bike trail.  It's become a destination.  By extending the trail, we can have that same energy and excitement from the border of the County all the way to downtown."