Meeting Minutes- October 2, 2013
The Churubusco Town Council met on October 2, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall. Members present were President Frank Kessler, Council Members Alan Malcolm & Mark Pepple, and Clerk-Treasurer, Madalyn Sade-Bartl. Also in attendance were area residents Pat Liggett, Jean Haynes, Pat & Tonya Stanford; Katie Wagner, reporter for the Churubusco News; Christie Barkley, editor of the Post & Mail; Craig Wagner, Whitley County Building Inspector; Town Marshal, Mike Engle; Park Supervisor, Rick Krider; and Town Supervisor, Jeremy Hart.
Council President Frank Kessler called the meeting to order, welcomed visitors and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll was called by the Clerk. All Council members were present.
Public Hearing: ERA Resolution
A public hearing was held concerning Resolution 2013-11, A Declaratory Resolution Designating Certain Real Estate within Churubusco as an Economic Revitalization Area (ERA) Pursuant to IC 6-1.1-12.1 Et Seq. There were no public comments or questions concerning the Resolution, so President Kessler closed the meeting.
Public Hearing: Ordinance 2013-10
A public hearing was held concerning Ordinance 2013-10, An Ordinance Regulation the Growth of Weeds, Grass, and Other Environmental Nuisances. Pat Stanford inquired about the definition of vegetation detrimental to one’s health. He stated he was severely allergic to grass. President Kessler stated that the definitions were defined per the state statute. He also questioned the amount of the fine. Ms. Bartl stated nothing had been changed about the amount of the fine from the old ordinance to the new ordinance. President Kessler added that the ordinance is meant as a deterrent so people will take care of their lawns and the fine schedule is a very big incentive for one to mow and weed their yards. Having no other public comments, the hearing was closed.
Approval of September 18, 2013 meeting minutes:
Mr. Malcolm made a motion to approve the minutes for the meetings of September 18, 2013. Mr. Pepple seconded and the minutes were approved, 3-0.
Approval of Claims and Payroll Vouchers:
Payroll Docket #20 and Claims Vouchers dated for October 2, 2013 in the amount of $155,605.59 were approved.
Public Comment:
Pat Stanford asked why the agenda was not posted on the website in a more timely fashion. Ms. Bartl apologized for this and stated she would try to do a better job of getting the agenda and minutes up on the website.
Pat Liggett commented that she was pleased with the garage sale weekend. President Kessler stated that it was a very good, busy weekend and appreciated the effort Ms. Bartl put into organizing the event.
Old Business:
The 2014 Budget was brought up again for discussion. President Kessler asked the Council if any other amendments or adjustments needed made. There were none. Mr. Malcolm made a motion to adopt the 2014 Budget as outlined in Ordinance 2013-12. Mr. Pepple seconded and the motion carried 3-0.
New Business:
Craig Wagner from the Whitley County Building Department undated Council on some properties he was requested by the Town to inspect. He stated he inspects and addresses the complaints throughout the county and tries to get the owners to voluntarily address the issues as the costs will then not have to be covered by the Town. He reported on several addresses as outlined below:
• 426 N. Mulberry- no violation. Asked the tenant to try to secure the garage door
• 615 W. Whitley- the garage will be down by 12/1/13
• 308 S. Mulberry- the garage needs to be down or fixed by 11/26/13
• 235 Depot- the porch has been fixed, file closed
• 408 S. Washington- foreclosure, the door is open, needs secured
• 215 East St. – Property in bankruptcy. Does not like to get into legal action. However, sent letter to the bank who is in the process of owning the property stating they need to repair said property
• 449 Mill St. – property was partially demolished. Is now in process of being completely demolished
Mr. Wagner also wanted to alert Council of a property on Line St. that did not have a permit. The property owners built the garage too close to the power line and AEP has been notified.
Department Reports:
Jeremy Hart, Town Supervisor:
Mr. Hart stated that a sewer tap had recently been added to a house north of Thresher’s Ridge. He was also going to be adding a 1 inch tap at the school to be used for landscaping. Other issues were addressed in the attached report.
Michael Engle, Town Marshal:
Marshal Engle reported that Adam’s car was in service although they were still waiting to get graphics put on it. He also stated there had been no issues with the garage sales.
Rick Krider, Park Supervisor:
Mr. Krider stated that they finished the soccer field up themselves. They would be planting grass within a couple weeks. He also stated that the matching funds for the new park restrooms should all be collected by the end of the month and construction should begin by mid-November. Mr. Pepple commented that the Park looked wonderful for the Chamber vs. Fire Dept. Softball game.
Ron Felger, Town Attorney:
Mr. Felger was not present at the meeting.
Council Reports:
President Frank Kessler:
President Kessler reported that he had attended the Main Street Community Exchange in Ossian earlier that day. He stated they came out of the meeting with a lot of good ideas.
Alan Malcolm:
Mr. Malcolm had nothing to report.
Mark Pepple:
Mr. Pepple stated that he had an EMA meeting coming up. President Kessler asked what the status was of the Strategic Planning Committee. Mr. Pepple answered that they were finalizing meeting times, but they would be meeting very soon.
Madalyn Sade-Bartl, Clerk-Treasurer:
Ms. Bartl reported that INDOT had announced a call for projects for 2017 and 2018 and that she and Mark Jesse would be meeting to discuss what types of projects ‘Busco would be interested in applying for. She also stated the garage sale was a huge success and believed everyone had a good turnout.
Having no other business and after all proper papers were signed, President Kessler adjourned the regular meeting.
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Council President, Frank Kessler
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Council Member, Alan Malcolm
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Council Member, Mark Pepple
ATTEST:
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Madalyn Sade-Bartl/Clerk-Treasurer
