Minutes 8/19/2020

Meeting Minutes – August 19, 2020

The Churubusco Town Council met on August 19, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in the Scout Building. Members present were Council Members Mark Pepple, Bruce Johnson, and Nathan Van Horn; and Clerk-Treasurer, Madalyn Sade-Bartl. Also in attendance was resident Kathy Gray; Commissioner-Elect Theresa Green; Town Supervisor, Jeremy Hart; Town Marshal, Dustin Papenbrock; and Wastewater Superintendent, Bob Gray.

Council President, Nathan Van Horn, called the meeting to order and led the pledge. Roll was called by the Clerk. All members were present.

Approval of Meeting Minutes for July 29, 2020:

Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from July 29, 2020 as presented. Mr. Pepple seconded, and the motion carried 2-0 with Mr. Pepple abstaining.

Approval of Meeting Minutes for August 5, 2020:

Mr. Pepple made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from August 5, 2020 as presented. Mr. Johnson seconded, and the motion carried 3-0.

Approval of Meeting Minutes for August 13, 2020:

Mr. Pepple made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from August 13, 2020 as presented. Mr. Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 2-0 with Mr. Johnson abstaining.

Approval of Claims and Payroll Vouchers:

Claims Vouchers dated August 19, 2020 in the amount of $162,120.96 were presented and approved.

Public Comment:

There were no public comments.

Old Business:

1. 1.       Crossing Guard: Marshal Papenbrock stated Angie Taylor, the crossing guard hired last school year, had resigned effective Monday for personal reasons. While the position had be open, no suitable applicants had been received. Marshal Papenbrock had hoped employees of the school would apply for the position, but that was not the case. Papenbrock wished to eliminate the position. He stated his employees were not able to cover the duties. Mr. Johnson asked Mr. Hart if any other employees would be able to do the job. Mr. Hart replied there were no utility employees who could cover those duties. President Van Horn voiced that this has been an ongoing issue and agreed with Papenbrock’s views on eliminating the position. Mr. Pepple agreed that he was also not opposed to eliminating the position. President Van Horn asked Papenbrock to reach out to the school once again, and if they do not have any candidates by Labor Day, the position would not be filled.   
2. 2.       Deputy Marshal Pay: Marshal Papenbrock approached Council with a request to allow new hire, Scott Geist, to receive Class 1 deputy marshal pay. Papenbrock stated Geist would still be a probationary employee per Town policy but given his years of experience and ability to begin working the road upon hire, he should receive the same pay as the other marshals. Mr. Pepple made a motion to pay Scott Geist Class 1 Deputy Marshal pay upon hire. President Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 3-0.
3. 3.       SRO Contract: Marshal Papenbrock stated Ms. Bartl had forwarded a copy of the SRO Agreement to the Council for review. The agreement had also been reviewed by attorney, Ron Felger, and he had no issues with the document. President Van Horn made a motion to approve the agreement as presented and forward it to the School for their approval. Mr. Johnson seconded, and the motion carried 3-0.
4. 4.       DLZ Letter: Ms. Bartl reminded Council that during the July 29 meeting, they had given permission to DLZ to approach IDEM about the possibility of changing the Sewer Plant’s current permit to allow for more capacity. DLZ had drafted a letter to send to IDEM and it needed Council approval. Mr. Gray looked at the letter and gave his blessing. The Council agreed to forward the letter to IDEM by consensus.

New Business:

1. 1.       Facade Grant: Ms. Bartl had forwarded a Façade Grant application received from Magic Wand for window repairs to the Council, Chamber, and Main Street. She stated the Chamber had given their approval for the project, but she had not heard anything from Main Street. Mr. Pepple made a motion to approve Magic Wand’s request of a match of $400. Mr. Johnson seconded, and the motion carried 3-0.
2. 2.       Vac Truck discussion: Mr. Hart and Ms. Bartl had visited Greenfield, Indiana the previous day to look at a vac truck they were selling. Mr. Hart stated the truck was in great shape but did not feel it would be big enough for our operations. Mr. Gray agreed that, from the pictures, it appeared much smaller than our current truck. Mr. Hart said we may possibly be able to modify the truck, but that would be an additional expense. Hart was also going to be visiting Brown Equipment the next day to look at a truck they had for sale, however due to Greenfield only accepting bids until Tuesday at 9:30, he and Ms. Bartl would like the ability to bid on Greenfield’s truck should the one tomorrow not be what we want. Discussion was had about a reasonable bid for Greenfield’s truck. Mr. Pepple made a motion to bid $25,000 on Greenfield’s Vactor should Mr. Hart feel it appropriate after meeting with Brown Equipment. President Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 3-0.

Department Reports:

Jeremy Hart, Town Supervisor:

Mr. Hart was presented the attached report.

Bob Gray, Wastewater Treatment Plant Supervisor

Mr. Gray reported state testing was ongoing. He also had quotes for the roof and lights and would like those done by the fall. Ms. Bartl asked Mr. Gray to forward those again so they could be considered at the next meeting.

Dustin Papenbrock, Town Marshal:

Marshal Papenbrock stated he had another item of new business he forgot to bring up. Tyler Halpern had submitted his resignation on Tuesday. President Van Horn made a motion to accept the resignation of Tyler Halpern. Mr. Johnson seconded, and the motion carried 3-0. Papenbrock stated, at this point, he was going to re-evaluate before hiring anyone to fill the position.

Rick Krider, Park Supervisor:

Mr. Krider was not present.

Ron Felger, Town Attorney:

Mr. Felger was not present.

Council Reports:

Mark Pepple:

Mr. Pepple wished to start talking about meeting dates for the Sewer Plant. The Council had originally decided on Wednesday August 26 at 3, but due to scheduling conflicts, moved the meeting to Thursday, August 27 at 3. This change was done prior to advertising.

Bruce Johnson:

Mr. Johnson had attended the Solid Waste meeting but had nothing to report.

Nathan Van Horn:

Mr. Van Horn had nothing to report. He asked if anyone from the county had made contact regarding the Rapp Ditch. Mr. Hart and Mr. Gray stated they had both been contacted and Mr. Hart would be meeting with Brandon Forrester soon.

Madalyn Sade-Bartl:

Ms. Sade-Bartl reviewed her attached report. She stated the RSD had decided at their meeting the previous night to begin the design phase for their project so they would be eligible for SRF funding by March 31, 2021. She alerted the RSD Board our sewer project was nowhere near that point, but the RSD board stated they would proceed with caution and change their scope if needed.

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