Meeting Minutes- October 6, 2016
The Churubusco Town Council met on October 6, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall. Members present were President Frank Kessler, Council Members Mark Pepple and Bruce Johnson, and Clerk- Treasurer, Madalyn Sade-Bartl. Also in attendance was area residents Pat Liggett and Wayne Yager; Craig Wagner, Whitley County Building Department; and Park Superintendent, Rick Krider.
Council President Kessler called the meeting to order, welcomed visitors and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll was called by the Clerk-Treasurer. All members were present.
Approval of September 21, 2016 meeting minutes:
Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve the minutes for the meeting of September 21, 2016. Mr. Pepple seconded and the motion carried 3-0.
Approval of Claims and Payroll Vouchers:
Claims Vouchers dated for October 6, 2016 in the amount of $97,010.24 were approved.
Public Comment:
Mr. Krider had questions concerning the proposed playground the Churubusco Youth Foundation was seeking funding to construct. He stated he had not been involved with the project. Ms. Bartl, who is a member of the Youth Foundation Board of Directors stated there were no finalized plans concerning the playground and the marking that had been done was just to get a rough estimate of square footage for the grant applications. All meetings the Youth Foundation has had concerning design, Mr. Krider had either attended or been made aware. President Kessler suggested Krider, himself, and the Youth Foundation Board sit down to discuss any concerns Krider had with the proposed playground.
Old Business:
1. 2017 Budget Ordinance: The 2017 budget had been introduced at the previous meeting. There were no public comments concerning the ordinance. The advertised tax rate was .9020 with a tax levy of $449,183. Mr. Pepple made a motion to adopt Ordinance 2016-20. Mr. Johnson seconded and the motion passed 3-0.
New Business:
1. Demolition Bid Opening- 308 N. Mulberry: Craig Wagner from Whitley County Planning and Building stated they had notified the owner of 308 N. Mulberry that the property needed fixed or demolished and had not received any remedy from the owner of the property. A RFP was advertised and the Building Department had received two bids to demolish the property. The Council opened the sealed bids. Wigent Excavating presented a bid for $11,000 and Global Contractors for $22,800. Mr. Pepple made a motion to approve Wigent Excavating to complete demolition of the property for $11,000. Mr. Johnson seconded and the motion carried 3-0.
Mr. Pepple asked Mr. Wagner about the next steps in this process. Wagner stated once the contractor was notified, they would have 30 days to demolish the property. The Town would invoice the owner and they would have 15 days to pay the invoice. If payment is not made, a lien would be filed on the property.
2. OCRA grant letter of commitment: Ms. Bartl had recently asked the Council for a letter of support for an OCRA grant she had submitted on behalf of the Churubusco Youth Foundation. Mr. Johnson made a motion to formally commit to the terms outlined in the submitted letter. Mr. Pepple seconded and the motion carried 3-0.
Department Reports:
Jeremy Hart, Town Supervisor
Mr. Hart was not present.
Bob Gray, Waste Water Treatment Plant Supervisor
Mr. Gray was not present.
Michael Engle, Town Marshal:
Marshal Engle was not present, but left a report.
Rick Krider, Park Supervisor:
Mr. Krider stated they were busy redoing the Diamond 1 dugouts.
Ron Felger, Town Attorney:
Mr. Felger was not present.
Council Reports:
President Frank Kessler:
President Kessler had nothing to report.
Bruce Johnson:
Mr. Johnson had nothing to report.
Mark Pepple:
Mr. Pepple had nothing to report.
Madalyn Sade-Bartl:
Ms. Sade-Bartl reported she and Mr. Hart had just gotten back from the IACT Annual Conference. They would also be planting trees the following week back at the Park with the third grade. The DNR replanting grant was open again and she would be requesting funds for that at the next meeting. Last year, the Town received $4000 from the DNR to assist in replanting 35 trees along Main, Pleasant, and Mulberry Streets.
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, Bruce Johnson
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Council Member, Mark Pepple
