July 20, 2022 at 3:58 p.m.
Town Council Meeting 07/19
The meeting opened with a reminder to silence all mobile devices, followed by the opening prayer and the pledge of allegiance.
The first item on the agenda was the approval of minutes from the 06/21/22 meeting. Ed Johnson made a motion to approve them, and John Walstad seconded it. It passed 5 – 0.
Next was the approval of the claims. John made a motion to approve, with Ed seconding it. It passed 5 – 0.
Council then moved on to old business with an update on Norman Park. Jason Eckart reported David Clouse had gotten sand down for the volleyball court. He is waiting on a price for a new net. Duke has been sent a check for the new pole and electrical wiring. Within two weeks of receiving it, they will perform the installation. Eckart expects to be able to hold a grand opening by the end of August. JP Electric has gotten the new meter installed and the security camera box installed. They have been inspected and signed off on. Josh Kroot of the Kroot Corporation has donated a tetherball pole. John Walstad has donated a tetherball and cord. The new sidewalks look good. Jerry Bragg confirmed it looked good. Ed felt like it needed a boundary fence on the border with the neighbor’s property. Eckart remarked he was going to get with Shawn Price to see if kids from the school would like to help paint markers on the basketball court. He would like to see a Jets logo in the center free throw circle.
Steve Robertson then presented a CCMG (Community Crossing Matching Grant). Globe Asphalt has completed the 2021-02 project. He presented a pay application and noted the project came in under budget at a total cost of $93,260.66. He needed a motion to approve and pay Globe. Clyde Compton made the motion and John seconded it. Ohmer commented they had exceeded his expectations. They had done a good job on his driveway and with bringing in fill dirt for certain areas. The motion passed 5 – 0.
Robertson then moved on to the approaching opening for the 2022-02 CCMG. Council needs to decide which streets they want paved and submitted for application. They had been provided with a list of streets previously discussed. Town Manager Jason Eckart recommended Union Street and Hauser Drive. He recommended waiting on West Street until CCMG round two so it doesn’t get cut up when Jackson Street is repaved. Steve Robertson agreed this was a good idea. Council discussed how West Street had been paved so semis could get out after making deliveries to Deckard’s. Robertson remarked we had a new INDOT contact and council needed to make sure to submit in plenty of time to be sure the deadline was met. Jerry Bragg wanted to follow Jason’s recommendation. Clyde felt West Street should be done as well. Ohmer asked if all of West Street would be paved. It would only be paved from Washington to Jackson, the rest was considered an ally. Jason Eckart remarked the totals were on the second page. Clyde made a motion for Union Street and Hauser Drive with no sidewalks. John seconded it. It passed 5 – 0.
Jason Eckart then presented the Wentworth property. Matt Galbraith had reported they were taking steps to clean up the property on their own. Eckart felt they should be given a chance to clean up on their own with an August deadline. Clyde asked if the vehicles had been tagged. They had. It would take twenty days before they could be removed unless there was a court order to haul them off. Then they could be removed in seven days.
Eckart then moved on the nuisance ordinance. It gave clean definitions of fines and how to collect. He asked for an approval on the first reading. Then it could be installed on the second reading next month. Clyde felt it was well written but asked about who would be doing the removal and the cost of removal. He asked how much the fines would be. He did not see them listed. He also did not like the landlord / and or tenant language. He wanted it clearer whose responsibility it was when the property was trashed, the tenant or the landlord? Compton felt like both needed to be held responsible. He asked the and / or be removed and it just read landlord and tenant. Eckart responded Scott Andrews had read and approved it. Clyde still wanted the amount listed along with the tenant and landlord language. Clyde also remarked the utilities department should not be responsible for cleanup. Eckart responded a third party would be called in for cleanup. Ohmer asked who they would use to clean up. Eckart responded he would amend the language. Clyde motioned to pass it with corrections. John Walstad seconded the motion. It passed 5 – 0.
Council then moved on to new business. Matt Lee appeared before council. He stated he would not be resigning but would be staying on until January 1st. He then requested a change to the town square event for August 20th. He wanted to change the collaboration with Rushville and Greensburg to a Jeep cruise-in as one of the collaborators had resigned. He stated a few vendors would be present and asked to close down three sides of the square. The north, south and east would be closed. The event was to be held from 1:00 – 4:00 and the square would be closed at 11:00. Oddz Are would be the possible band. Insurance will already cover the event. There will also be a canned food drive. Participants would receive a rubber duck with a donation to Main Street. David Clouse asked if that was a Saturday as the north side of the square gets a lot of traffic. Jason felt like at the minimum the inside portion of the square should be shut down. Ed felt it was okay to close Washington and Harrison, but Jackson should be open until 1:00 as the market was open until 6:00. Ohmer asked if WiLLow LeaVes had an event. They did, but their doors did not open until 5:30. Matt Tallent suggested closing Harrison and Washington but leaving Jackson alone. Clyde suggested using the church parking lots for overflow. It was also suggested closing Washington to the alley instead of closing Jackson and their businesses. Ohmer stated we need to consider the business. It was decided Jackson would not close. The east side and the south side would close at 11:00. Matt Galbraith will ask the Baptist church about overflow parking. Clyde made a motion, and Ed seconded it. It passed 5 – 0.
Lee then moved on to a possible wrestling event with Emerge Wrestling on October 21st. It would start at 6:00 on the east side of the square for ring and vendor set up. Lee asked to close Harrison at 4:00. Dave Miller is allowing the Library Annex to be used for a dressing room. It would also be used at the entrance to the ring. The ring would be set up in the center of the street with chairs around it. The other side of the street would be food and merchandise vendors. The event would be free to the public. Emerge has their own insurance to cover the event. They also do lots of fundraisers like FFY, the Red Cross, American Cancer Society and others. Ohmer asked if the speaker and his bearded buddy would be wresting. He responded no they were the owners. Ed asked about security. There would be four security personnel one on each corner of the ring. John Walstad asked what time the event would start and how long it would last. It starts at 6 p.m. with wresting beginning at 6:30 p.m.. It would last a few hours. Ohmer asked if they had women and midget wrestlers. Women, yes, but no on the midgets. Ohmer also asked if they would have “ring girls.” The organizers answered no as they were family friendly and those girls could be pretty scantily dressed. Clyde felt like it was a new exciting event, and the free cost was a bonus. Ed motioned to accept the event with John seconding the motion. Jason Eckart asked about a rain plan. The event will be held at the Fire Department if it rains. Matt Tallent suggested the organizers use the HSP bleachers instead of setting up chairs. The motion passed 5 -0.
Online Utility Service Invoice Cloud service was then presented by Gretchen Schmitt and Diane Burton. Schmitt started by saying council had a copy of the proposal. Customers can pay their bills electronically by any form the wish in sixty seconds or less. Phones and tablets will be able to make payments as well as computers. There will be a paperless e-bill option or automatic payment option. Paying by check will still be accepted as well. Customers will also be able to schedule text reminders for their bills with a link to pay directly. The service runs off the cloud and is available 24/7/365. Clyde asked what it cost. There is a monthly access fee of $375 per month for the first year, $275 a month for the second year, and $175 a month for the third year. Credit card chargeback fees would be $15. The paperless billing fee of $0.40 was waived. There would be a four percent fee for using a credit card, PayPal or Venmo. There is a $2.95 fee for paying by check. Pay by phone costs $1.50. Diane went to New Whiteland to talk to them about the service. They are very happy with theirs. Diane felt it is the best company that works with our meters. Ohmer asked how much it would cost to write a check. It would not cost to write a check as people have always done. Customers would not have to pay online if they did not want. Ohmer said the residents want it, but it will cost the town $375 per month. He asked for the $125 a month fee initially. Jerry felt we need it. Clyde also said it was needed and there is always a fee. Clyde motioned to accept the proposal. Walstad seconded it. It passed 5 – 0.
Eckart then moved on to the storm water sidewalk project. It would be a key travel way for kids at Hauser an Hope Elementary to get to the town. It would start at David’s shop on Maple Street, cross at Floline, and Joe’s auto repair, then go into the school. It could be used to get to the Community Center as well. The storm water drains would have to be redone on Maple Street. Utilities will also need to be moved. Pricing from Strand is in process. Ed suggested the school help out with funding and help light the back way as it is currently very dark.
Matt Galbraith then presented a planning and zoning request. Josh Warner of 606 Jackson Street who wanted to have an interior lot line removed on lots 67 & 68 in order to build a garage on the property. Clyde made a motion to approve. Ed seconded it. It passed unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned.
