Florence City Council November 11
All City Council members and Mayor Julie Metzger Aubuchon were present.
Video available at City of Florence YouTube channel
Items numbers below correspond to the published agenda.
#4 – SWEARING-IN OF NEW POLICE OFFICERS
Police Chief Tom Mallery swore in two new officers, both U.S. Marine Corps veterans: Nicholas Labella (29, Union, Ky, former machine gunner) and Braden Show (24, Taylor Mill, Ky, former motor transport operator). Both officers begin online training immediately, followed by 18 weeks in-person at the Department of Criminal Justice Training Center in Richmond, Ky. Chief Mallery said, “Perfect timing on Veterans Day to swear in two Marine Corps veterans.” Mayor and audience gave extended applause.
#5 – VETERANS DAY RECOGNITION AND COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Mayor recognized Veterans Day events (Witness Tree ceremony, Honor Run, Saturday service). All veterans in attendance (including city employees) asked to stand and were applauded.
- Ongoing announcements:
- Leaf collection continues through December 18, 2025.
- Food drive for Collins Elementary Family Resource Centers (drop-off by November 14).
- Police “No Shave November” fundraiser for Cincinnati Children’s Cancer Unit (goal $2,500).
- Holiday card contest entries due November 17.
- Christmas Tree Lighting December 2, 5–7 PM at Government Center.
#7 – OTHER
A. CODE ENFORCEMENT UPDATE (Public Services Director Eric Hall)
Presentation addressing recent social-media criticism and misinformation.
- Key statistics (Jan–Oct 2025): 2,500 cases; 63% proactive, 37% complaint-driven.
- City divided into six routes (380 streets, ~9,200 locations); each route inspected every 2 months.
- Codes are set by City Council, publicly posted, unchanged since 2003. No targeting based on politics or personal beliefs. Courtesy notices are redacted public records; no “secret checklists.”
- Director Hall warned about harmful effects of misinformation on staff morale and community trust.
- Encouraged residents to call or visit office with questions instead of posting online.
B. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD (five speakers)
- Joe Berkshire: Praised code update; complained about mall decline, library safety and lack of Sunday availability, invasive plants; announced council candidacy and pledged to donate salary to public safety.
- Jim Leach (veteran): Strongly objected to holding meeting on Veterans Day; frustrated by denied FOI request for code enforcement checklists; cited personal inconsistent enforcement experiences, mentioning how his backyard was disaster when he bought the property and how it took him nearly eight years to clean up the issues personally, but not once did the city cite him for the same issues as it has others.
- Naomi Leapson: Also offended by Veterans Day scheduling; supports ethics code but warned against silencing dissent. (time stamp 41:09 on video)
- Jonathan Andrews: Began by questioning why the council defaults to “always done it this way.” Accused council of not being transparent (Aquatic Center sale attempt, land donations, salary increases); noted that focus on council ethics gives the appearance of silencing since the topic emerged after negative critique from new council member. He thus demanded independent ethics board with enactment via public referendum. (time stamp 43:02 on video)
- Brad Cable: Spoke about how he has had three different code inspectors come by and cite his property weeks apart, not every two months as Mr. Hall indicated, for different things. Mr. Cable was very professional but felt the city was being very heavy handed with enforcement of his property and stated it seems like he is being targeted. (Note: Mr. Cable is the spouse of Councilwoman Cable)
- Sarah Baker: (new resident): Struggled with brush pickup rules; mentioned how her property was cited for issues it had before she even moved in and yet her family were the ones told to clean up the mess seemingly immediately when they moved into the property; requested Boys & Girls Club; praised ethics efforts and live-streaming suggestion.
At the end, Mayor Aubuchon seemed to be in a hurry to close the meeting and ignored further public comment requests by Joe Berkshire.
Mr. Berkshire, who publicly announced his candidacy during public comment, and Mr. Leach were the only members of the public in attendance interested in running for council in November 2026.