Minutes 2/6/19

Meeting Minutes- February 6, 2019

The Churubusco Town Council met for the regular meeting on February 6, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall. Members present were Council Members Mark Pepple, Bruce Johnson, and Nathan Van Horn; and Clerk- Treasurer, Madalyn Sade-Bartl. Also in attendance was area resident Pat Liggett; David & Brittany Murphy and Kathy Gray, Turtle Days Association; Chad Salzbrenner, DLZ; Nicole Minier, Churubusco News; Jeremy Hart, Town Supervisor; Bob Gray, Wastewater Superintendent; Rick Krider, Park Superintendent; and Marshal Mike Engle.

President Pepple called the meeting to order, welcomed visitors, and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll was called by the Clerk-Treasurer. All members were present.

PUBLIC HEARING: CUMULATIVE CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT FUND ESTABLISHMENT

President Pepple opened the public hearing for Ordinance 2019-02. Hearing no public comments for the ordinance, he closed the public hearing.

Approval of December 19, 2018 and January 16, 2019 meeting minutes:

Mr. Johnson made a motion to accept the minutes from December 19, 2018. Mr. Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 2-0 with Mr. Van Horn abstaining. Mr. Van Horn made a motion to approve the minutes from January 16, 2019. President Pepple seconded, and the motion carried 2-0 with Mr. Johnson abstaining.

Approval of Claims and Payroll Vouchers:

Claims Vouchers dated for February 6, 2019 in the amount of $281,842.14 were presented and approved.

Public Comment:

There were no public comments.

Old Business:

1. 1.       South Street Preliminary Plans- DLZ Engineering: Chad Salzbrenner from DLZ Engineering was present to present and discuss the preliminary plans for the South Street project. He explained the improvements for the street would include full depth repaving, curbs on both sides, inlets, improving the storm system, widening the intersection at 205 and adding turn lanes at the intersection, and more. The Council asked several questions concerning coordination with the school. Mr. Salzbrenner, Mr. Hart, and Ms. Bartl stated they had several meetings with school personnel, and they had reviewed the plans and were happy with the proposed changes. President Pepple asked what the timeline for the project was. Mr. Salzbrenner stated that if the Council approved the plans, advertising for bids would begin next week with the second advertisement occurring 7 days after that. Bids would be due on March 5^th, with opening to occur on March 6^th and a contract to be awarded following the bids being reviewed. He also stated that it was in the bid specs that construction was to start after May 28 (the last day of school) and had to be finished by August 14 (first day of school). The contractors would have to pay heavy fines if construction was not complete by that date. Ms. Bartl added that they were planning on extending West Street for at least the duration of the project so South Street could be shut down completely. Shutting down the entire street during the project would hopefully allow bids to come in lower and the project done faster as the contractors did not have to worry about keeping access open and worry about traffic control. Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve the preliminary plans and put the South Street project out to bid. Mr. Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 3-0.

President Pepple then jumped to new business to allow Turtle Days a chance to speak.  

New Business:

1. 1.       Turtle Days Association Contract: David and Brittany Murphy and Kath Gray from the Turtle Days Association were present to give the Council an update on the 2018 festival and a preview of changes made for the 2019 festival. Mr. Murphy stated the 2018 festival was great and was unaware of any issues occurring at the Park or throughout Town during the event. He stated that since last summer, there had been some changes on the Board of Directors as well as some changes to the festival itself, with the major change being the parade time. The previous couple years had the parade starting at 4 p.m. This was during the hottest part of the day and had caused declining attendance at night because Saturday was such a packed day for everyone. The Turtle Days Board had agreed to move the parade to 11 a.m. and move the Turtle Races to Friday at 6 p.m. Murphy also stated they were changing the company who was doing the fireworks show. They were using a local company from Avilla who also did Chain o’ Lakes Festival and Avilla Freedom Festival. Since they were using a local vendor, Murphy said there was going to be less overhead and travel costs and more money could be spent on the fireworks themselves. Murphy explained to the Council that they were hoping to continue a partnership with the Town with funding the fireworks because it was such a huge community event. In the past, the Town has contributed $1500 for the show. President Pepple asked how much Turtle Days usually raised for the fireworks show. Mr. Murphy stated that in past years, Dick & Sara Conrow had contributed a lot to the fireworks, but not all. He also stated that since there was no way to really recognize a fireworks sponsor, it was hard to get sponsors for fireworks. Ms. Bartl stated that she could allocate $2500 for the fireworks if the Council so chose for her to do so. Mr. Johnson made a motion to contribute $2500 to the Turtle Days firework show. Mr. Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 3-0.

The second order of business concerning Turtle Days was signing a park use contract. President Pepple asked why the contract was only for two years. Ms. Bartl stated that it was the same contract as previous years, just with the dates changed and that two years had been what the Council and Turtle Days had been signing for the past several years. Mr. Murphy stated he was ok with the contract only being for two years due to the Turtle Days Board changing from year to year. It may be difficult for new boards to keep track of when the contract was up or what the terms of the contract were if it was for longer than two years. Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve the Turtle Days contract for 2019 & 2020. Mr. Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 3-0

President Pepple commended the Turtle Days Association and thanked them for their dedication to continue the festival. He stated that the relationship between the Town and Turtle Days had greatly improved over the last few years and hoped that it would continue to improve.

President Pepple then jumped back to old business.

Old Business:

1. 2.       2019-02: Cumulative Capital Development Fund Establishment: Ms. Bartl presented Ordinance 2019-02- An Ordinance Establishing a Cumulative Capital Development Fund. Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve the ordinance. Mr. Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 3-0.  
2. 3.       204 N. Line Street Quotes: Ms. Bartl had previously approached the Council with the request to move her present office from 530 S. Main Street to a vacant, town-owned office space at the old fire station, 204 N. Line Street. The Council had directed her to get quotes of what the move would cost. She had obtained quotes for several items (alarm & security system, ADA accessible door, drop box, etc.) and the costs would roughly be $16,500. Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve the move and cap the expenses at $16,500. Mr. Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 3-0. Ms. Bartl thanked the Council and stated she hoped to be in there by April 1, 2019. 
3. 4.       Blue Lake Easement Assignment: Ron Felger and Blue Lake Conservancy District attorney, Andrew Grossnickle, had compiled a list of walking easements that were currently in the Town’s name that needed to be assigned to BLCD. Mr. Johnson made a motion to assign the easements to BLCD. Mr. Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 3-0.

New Business:

1. 2.       2019-03: Sewer Rate Ordinance: Ms. Bartl presented Ordinance 2019-03- An Ordinance to Amend the Sewer and Stormwater Rates and Charges for the use of the Services Rendered by the Town of Churubusco. She stated the wholesale rate would be increased from $3.56 to $7.25 effective June 1, 2019 with a 2% increase biennially until 2023, which was consistent with the 2018 rate study. Residential rates would increase by 1% beginning January 1, 2020 with an annual 1% increase until 2022 at which time another rate study would have to be done and rates adjusted accordingly. She added the proposed rates were lower than what the sewer rate ordinance had suggested. Mr. Johnson made a motion to introduce Ordinance 2019-03. Mr. Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 3-0. Ms. Bartl stated the public hearing would probably be March 6, 2019.   

Department Reports:

Jeremy Hart, Town Supervisor

Mr. Hart was not present but left the attached report. President Pepple remarked on how well the street department did on plowing, especially compared to how other neighboring entities plowed.

Bob Gray, Waste Water Treatment Plant Supervisor

Mr. Gray said all reports were in and he was obtaining bids to convert the lighting at the plant to LED and wanted to lower some meters in the ditch to lower energy costs.

Michael Engle, Town Marshal:

Marshal Engle had nothing to report.

Rick Krider, Park Supervisor:

Mr. Krider stated the Scout Building turned out nice and Jim Millikan from St. James Construction had a few loose ends to tie up before the project was complete. He also stated he had raised almost $41,000 for the tennis courts and was trying to raise another $4500 for the basketball courts.

Ron Felger, Town Attorney:

Mr. Felger was not present

Council Reports:

President Mark Pepple:

President Pepple reported he felt the Regional Sewer District had a lot more issues than just Churubusco’s concerns.

Bruce Johnson:

Mr. Johnson stated he had met with Lana from the RSD and he had relayed that he would like the RSD to expand further south on 33.

Nathan Van Horn:

Mr. Van Horn stated he was setting up a meeting with Lana within the next couple of weeks.

Madalyn Sade-Bartl:

Ms. Sade-Bartl presented the attached report.

Having no other business and after all proper papers were signed, President Pepple adjourned the meeting.