Amberley Village, OH

Amberley Village has been long held a high standard of creating a cost-saving culture. This is partly due to the environment created when the tax reciprocity credit was first introduced in 2011. Fifteen years ago, the Village projected that it would need to develop an additional income stream. The 2011 Council proposed reducing the tax reciprocity to 1% with the knowledge and foresight that it would be necessary to long-term sustainability.

Unfortunately, that Council was unable to reach concensus, and tabled the proposed Ordinance 2011-##. Since then, staff has worked to maximize Village income tax dollars, which remain our primary source of revenue. But capital improvements can only be delayed for so long before they reach the point of diminishing returns.

Below is an overview of some of the many creative ways Village staff has worked to stretch our limited resources:

Joint Purchase of a Boom Arm Mower with Symmes Township

Amberley Village staff has produced video to demonstrate how the use of a borrowed boom arm mower saves costs and assists Maintenance Crews in trimming rights-of-way and hard to reach areas. The Village had been borrowing a 20-year-old boom arm across several jurisdictions, making it frequently unavailable either because it was in use or being repaired.

In February 2022, the Village entered into an innovative and cost-saving partnership with Symmes Township to acquire a boom arm mower that is available exclusively to both organizations, and is stored here in the Village. Council passed legislation in January to allow for the purchase, and the new tractor and mower equipment became available in the fall of 2022.

Coordination of Street Improvements with Greater Cincinnati Water Works

Undergrounding to Improve Electric Service Delivery at No Cost to Residents

Sponsorships Offset Cost of Annual Ice Cream Social

Shared Services Among Police, Fire & Maintenance Departments

Multijurisdictional Salt Conveyor Saves Village $70,000

Amberley Village recently shared in the purchase of a salt conveyor for the delivery of rock salt to the Village salt barn. And while June might seem a bit early to be thinking about rock salt, Village Maintenance must plan ahead to get the best price to treat the roads during winter storm events. But the cost of the salt alone doesn't account for the cost. Transporting it can also be an expensive endeavor.

As part of its commitment to innovative cost-saving measures, Amberley Village entered into an agreement with Anderson Township, the City of Madeira, Miami Township, the City of Springdale, Sycamore Township, Symmes Township and Deerfield Township to purchase the shared salt conveyor at a cost savings of nearly $70,000. The conveyor, which is only needed by each municipality once or twice a year, ensures that salt can be moved and stored when needed without additional cost to the Village. Thanks to our Maintenance Team for coordinating and executing this project with our residents in mind!

Internal Rebuild of Chipper Box: $5,000

Equipment Loan for Winter Pothole Repairs

Amberley Village Maintenance Crews were spotted mid-February of 2024 filling potholes along Galbraith and Ridge, as well as a number of residential streets where potholes were forming. What residents may not have realized, however, is that repairs during cold weather had previously been too challenging to handle internally, so they were either been contracted or have had to wait until spring.

That year, an equipment loan from Mt. Healthy changed all that. A device called a hot box was loaned to the Village and enabled Maintenance Crews to apply hot asphalt to portions of the roadway, which more effectively filled the potholes than the cold patch remedy used in the spring.

Dog Waste Bag Initiative at Amberley Green: $1,000 Annually

The Village has been utilizing recycled plastic grocery bags for dog waste since Spring 2024, and asks residents and visitors to Amberley Green to bring their plastic grocery bags to the Kiosk in the AG parking lot for use as dog waste bags. This initiative provides an opportunity for plastic bag reuse and saves taxpayer dollars.

A green barrel has also been placed inside the Municipal Building lobby, and is accessible 24/7 for bag drop-off.

Additional savings was realized when our talented Maintenance Crew for designed and built the new bag dispensers at Amberley Green, as well as the collection barrel used at the Municipal Building.

Dog Waste Bag Signage - Need One Take One, Have One Leave One