Joel Lauer, a member of the Hamilton City Council, updated the Hamilton City Schools Board of Education on ongoing city efforts to support housing and small-business growth and said the city is coordinating with schools to improve recruitment and retention.

"This is important. It's important for the communication, of our city and our schools," Lauer said as he opened his remarks, noting cooperation between the city and the district on housing and other projects.

Lauer said work on the YWCA building was starting "at this point today or possibly early tomorrow," describing the structure as a 42-unit facility and saying the city expects it to provide housing that will help attract teachers to Hamilton City. He said the project will retain the gymnasium as an amenity for residents. A board member asked when the renovated units would be available; Lauer replied he had been told demolition/renovation would begin immediately and that the owner planned an aggressive timeline to have units occupied “within a less than a year.”

Lauer also listed new and incoming businesses in German Village and downtown that he said contribute to the city’s appeal, including a new breakfast restaurant called Early Birds, an Italian restaurant called Casa Nona Piccolo on Third Street, a sushi and ramen business on Main Street, and a new transportation option described as a local-motive system that the city expects to help access nearby developments such as Spooky Nook. He credited staff hires—Taylor Stone Welch and Cassandra Maslin—for promoting those businesses.

Why it matters: Lauer framed the housing work and small-business openings as part of a strategy to make Hamilton City more attractive to families and teachers, which he and school officials linked to student and school improvement.

Board members thanked Lauer and the city for the updates and for their partnership with the district. The board exchange included a request from a board member that the city pass along appreciation to Mayor Mueller and other council members for the collaboration.

Clarifying details from the meeting: Joel Lauer described the YWCA as a 42-unit facility and said rents "start at $9.50" as stated at the meeting; the board did not provide documentary pricing during the presentation. Lauer said the owner expects occupancy in less than a year but did not provide a specific completion date. Lauer also said the city is pursuing a separate housing initiative in Jefferson with a goal of three completed units by the end of this year and a total of 12 by next summer; he said a longer-term target was to reach 100 units by 02/1930 (as stated in the meeting transcript). Those timeline and numeric details were reported by Lauer in the presentation and appear in the transcript as presented.