Minutes 10/7/20

Meeting Minutes – October 7, 2020

The Churubusco Town Council met on October 7, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in the Scout Building. Members present were Council Members Bruce Johnson and Nathan Van Horn; and Clerk-Treasurer, Madalyn Sade-Bartl. Also in attendance were area residents Pat Liggett and Kelvin Ramsey; Nicole Minier, Churubusco News; Town Marshal, Dustin Papenbrock; Park Superintendent, Rick Krider; and Town Supervisor, Jeremy Hart.

Council President, Nathan Van Horn, called the meeting to order and led the pledge. Roll was called by the Clerk. Member Mark Pepple was absent.

PUBLIC HEARING: 2021 Budget:

Ms. Bartl presented the 2021 Budget. She explained the projected increase for EDIT, Public Safety LIT, and Certified Shares and suggested EDIT be increased prior to adopting the 2021 budget. She stated if it was not increased prior to adoption, the Town could still apply for an additional appropriation next year, but it was a lot easier just to increase it through this process. She stated the increase to that fund would help pay for improvements on Main Street and could be used as part of a match for CCMG if needed. Other than the increase to EDIT, which would not impact the tax rate, no other changes were suggested. The proposed tax rate was $.009 less than last year’s due in large part to Churubusco’s increasing assessed value. Hearing no other comments, President Van Horn closed the public hearing.

Approval of Claims and Payroll Vouchers:

Claims Vouchers dated October 7, 2020 in the amount of $188,209.39 were presented and approved.

Public Comment:

Kelvin Ramsey approached the Council about vacating the alley next to 227 W. Pleasant Street. Ms. Bartl stated she had sent Mr. Ramsey the requirements for vacating the alley and Mr. Hart stated the only issue that he saw with vacating it is a possible old storm tile or field tile. The Council agreed to consider the request and told Mr. Ramsey to start the process.

Old Business:

1. 1.       CCMG Application: Ms. Bartl presented the proposed cost estimate for the Line Street CCMG project. She stated the Town’s match for CCMG would be $125,000, but anticipated engineering costs would be around $55,000. Those costs would not be eligible for matching funds. Mr. Johnson asked if this project would help with the infiltration. Both Ms. Bartl and Mr. Hart stated there were no guarantees it would fix the infiltration issue, but it also would not hurt the issue. Mr. Johnson made a motion to apply for CCMG funds for Line Street improvements. President Van Horn seconded, and the motion carried 2-0.
2. Crossing Guard: Marshal Papenbrock informed the Council that after months of searching for a replacement for the crossing guard, there had been no suitable applicants and the position needed to be cut permanently. He stated the police department could no longer perform those duties as there had been several occasions where they could not respond to other calls because they were performing crossing guard duties and because children and parents were expecting the police to be there, the officer did not feel comfortable leaving the crossing guard post without notice. Papenbrock suggested the Town and school both give adequate notice to parents by passing out flyers to children who cross there notifying them of the change and utilizing the school and Town’s notification services. President Van Horn stated he felt comfortable with stopping the duty following fall break. Mr. Johnson agreed that timeline would give parents and students plenty of time to make other arrangements. Marshal Papenbrock was also no opposed to purchasing something to be put in the street to notify people to slow down but felt the school should be responsible for putting it out every day, not the town. He stated he would discuss that option with Dr. Hile.

New Business:

There was no new business.

Department Reports:

Jeremy Hart, Town Supervisor:

Mr. Hart stated the Sewer Plant was waiting to land apply after the crops were down and the phosphorus seemed to be under control. The Plant had lost its primary blower and they were diverting to the secondary, but it needed replaced as soon as possible.

Bob Gray, Wastewater Treatment Plant Supervisor

Mr. Gray was not present.

Dustin Papenbrock, Town Marshal:

Marshal Papenbrock informed the Council he would have quotes for a new car at the next meeting. He also reported he had met with the ASG technicians and had placed all but one camera. He wanted to wait to see what type of coverage the others would give prior to placing the last one. He updated the Council the new radios should be in within the next couple of weeks. The County had been having issues with VHF and they were currently only communicating via 800 which was an issue for the department because they only had one 800 radio and they were all sharing it. Finally, Marshal Papenbrock praised Officer Garry Jones and the chaplain program he started. Papenbrock stated the pastors from Churubusco all helped in dealing with the tragedy that occurred at the school the previous week and he felt it was due in large part to Jones’s continued outreach and communication.

Rick Krider, Park Supervisor:

Mr. Krider stated there was more vandalism at the Park which resulted in the Diamond 1 restrooms needing repainted.

Ron Felger, Town Attorney:

Mr. Felger was not present.

Council Reports:

Mark Pepple:

Mr. Pepple was not present.

Bruce Johnson:

Mr. Johnson had nothing to report.

Nathan Van Horn:

Mr. Van Horn had nothing to report.

Madalyn Sade-Bartl:

Ms. Sade-Bartl mentioned another community was interested in purchasing a used police car and felt that this may be a perfect opportunity to sell the Charger she was currently using and use those funds towards something more practical such as a small SUV. She stated while she appreciated the ability to use the Charger, it did not provide the space needed to get supplies, transport items to and from events, or transport more than three people to trainings. The Council agreed and asked Ms. Bartl to pursue the opportunity.

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