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- June 11, 2024 Meeting Minutes
SOUTH WHITLEY TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING AGENDA TOWN HALL BOARD ROOM 118 E FRONT ST SOUTH WHITLEY, IN 46787 JUNE 11, 2024 6:30 PM CALL TO ORDER: Meeting was called to order by Council President Randy Cokl at 6:30 pm. Members present are as follows: Council President Randy Cokl, Vice President Brock Waterson, Councilman Trey Weber, Town Marshal Mikel Vandevender, Utility Supervisor Kent Slater, Town Attorney Greg Hockemeyer, and Clerk-Treasurer Alyssa Knepple. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ADJUSTMENTS KATHY JOHNSON $ 272.54 Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the adjustment in the amount of $272.54. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. CHRISTINA WATSON $ 109.70 Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the adjustment in the amount of $109.70. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH $ 205.69 Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the adjustment in the amount of $205.69. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. NEW BUSINESS SAM POLITANO: Sam Politano’s father was present to speak on behalf of himself, Domenic Politano, and his son. They have recently purchased the house and property on 204 S Main St. They have been remodeling and through that process had to dig up the sewer line to replace it. The line went through the sidewalk, which was already uprooted and unlevel due to surrounding tree roots. Domenic has been a contractor for over 40 years and is wondering if he can be added to the list of approved contractors for the 50/50 sidewalk program. The Politano’s are wanting to do their own concrete work and then apply for the 50/50 sidewalk grant. Mr. Politano stated he has called the other approved contractors and one of them hasn’t returned their calls for a quote. Councilman Waterson said he knows the family and they do really good remodeling and construction work so he made a motion to accept Quality Carpentry as an approved contractor for the 50/50 sidewalk program. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. OLD BUSINESS HAGEN PARK LIMB PILE: Councilman Waterson discussed the usability of the chipper stored out by the water tower. Kent stated it hasn’t run for a couple years, but they can try to get it running or use it to trade in for a new one. The council is in discussions on how to move forward with limb pick-up for residents and how to handle the current limb pile at Hagen Park. Chipping is the best option, so Kent is going to work on getting the chipper up and running. DOWNTOWN LIGHTING: The light poles have all been delivered and are currently being wired. They should be ready for instillation within the next three weeks. PUBLIC INPUT THOMPSON’S: The Thompson’s live at 503 S Line St. There is a rotting tree on the side of their property that is going to fall very soon. They stated the tree sways in the wind during storms and a limb has already fallen that caused damage to one of their vehicles. The Thompson’s supplied pictures of the tree to the council. The council discussed how to handle the tree when there is an ordinance stating that the tree would be the responsibility of the homeowner, but however, because of the severity of the rot and safety issues, the council will be looking into tree services that can provide quotes. Kent said he has a tree service coming to trim around secondary electrical lines. He will have them look into the safety concerns of the tree and what it would cost to take it down. DEPARTMENT HEADS: PARK BOARD – DAVE WARNER: Not present WASTE WATER/UTILITIES SUPERVISOR – KENT SLATER: · June 17 - Hydrocorp will begin installing new remote reading water meters. Residents who need to allow access to their home for the instillation will receive a letter and make an appointment to get it installed. · B & D’s Tree service has been hired to trim around secondary power lines. This will cost the town $4500. · The Wastewater plant has been having issues with one of the pumps and needs to be replaced. The maintenance isn’t an issue, but the second pump will be out for a while, making the other pump work twice as hard. Kent is requesting the approval from the Council to purchase a backup pump for these types of situations. Then he can just switch them out to allow for maintenance. Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the purchase of a wastewater pump at the cost of $23,125. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. · Water Operator Position Candidate: Kent is recommending Diana Welsh for the water operator position. The council has met with the candidate and Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the hiring of Diana Welsh for the water operator position. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. TOWN MARSHAL – MIKEL VANDEVENDER: · Whitko School Corporation would like to purchase and cover all costs of a K-9 for the SRO. The town would only need to add the K-9 to their insurance policy. Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the addition of the K-9 to the insurance policy not exceeding $350. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. TOWN ATTORNEY – GREGG HOCKEMEYER: · Greg has finished and sent out the response letter to IDEM regarding the Hagan Park limb pile and burning of limbs. · He is also seeking a motion for the council to accept the settlement for Officer Schimmel, contingent on all other party’s approval of the settlement. He would also like to appoint Councilman Randy Cokl to have authorization to sign settlement document on behalf of the Town. Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the settlement agreement contingent on all other party’s approval and authorizing Councilman Cokl to have signing authority of the settlement document on behalf of the Town. Councilman Weber seconded the motion. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. CLERK-TREASURER – ALYSSA KNEPPLE: · There will be a text sent out to residents giving them the link to sign up and pay their utility bill online. The response from residents has been very positive and many have also signed up for paperless billing. · The Clerk will be attending ILMCT conference during the next meeting on June 25th. Deputy Clerk Jenna Reiff will be attending in the Clerks’ place. Jenna is also aware of her required attendance to the meeting. APPROVALS: APPROVAL FOR MAY 14TH REGULAR MEETING MINUTES: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the regular meeting minutes for May 14th, 2024. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION MINUTES: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept all executive session minutes from 2023 and to current date in 2024. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR FEBURARY 2024 BANK RECONCILIATIONS: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the February 2024 bank reconciliations. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR APV’s TOTALING $ 370,188.35: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept APV’s totaling $370,188.35. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING MAY 20, 2024, TOTALING $10,454.08: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending May 20. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING MAY 27, 2024, TOTALING $10,853.78: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending May 27. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING JUNE 3, 2024, TOTALING $ 10,515.64: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending June 3. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APRROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING JUNE 10, 2024, TOTALING $ 10,597.30: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending June 10. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. ADJOURN at: Meeting was adjourned at 7:04 pm by Council President Randy Cokl. · Meeting was reconvened at 7:04 pm because of Town Trustee Jim Yeager wanting to discuss the fire department conducting a feasibility survey to help decide if the Cleveland Township Fire Department will participate in a fire territory with surrounding townships. Trustee Yeager would like to share the cost of the survey with the Town, which would not exceed $9,000. Councilman Weber made a motion to allow the Town to pay half of the cost of the survey with the cost not exceeding $9,000. Councilman Waterson seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. · Meeting was adjourned for the second time at 7:17 pm by Council President Randy Cokl. APPROVALS: ATTEST:
- March 26, 2024 Meeting Minutes
SOUTH WHITLEY TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING AGENDA TOWN HALL BOARD ROOM 118 E FRONT ST SOUTH WHITLEY, IN 46787 MARCH 26, 2024 6:30 PM CALL TO ORDER: Meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Council President Randy Cokl. Members present were as follows: Council President Randy Cokl, Vice President Brock Waterson, Councilman Trey Weber, Utility Supervisor Kent Slater, Town Marshal Mikel Vandevender, Town Attorney PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ADJUSTMENTS NEW BUSINESS Kris Shoemaker (Maple Street resident) is concerned about his sprinkler system being damaged during the construction of Maple Street. A couple of the sprinklers come out in the tree lawn that will be redone during construction. Kent informed the council that they can bring up the concern during the pre-construction meeting. Also, it is the property owner’s responsibility to locate the sprinklers and lines before construction begins. Mike Sands was concerned about a blue couch sitting on the side of the road on Columbia Street. With trash pickup day coming in May, Borden has said that if there are smaller things properly wrapped and ready to go into the trash, they will pick them up. Otherwise, they will stay out and are the property owner’s responsibility after town trash day. Marshal Vandevender stated that address was on his list of ordinance violations to take care of. OLD BUSINESS IMPA SERVICE AGREEMENT: Attorney Hockemeyer read over the service agreement and said it was a standard contract for services. The council went through the contract and agreed there wasn’t anything concerning. Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the 2024 IMPA service agreement. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. 206 & 208 PROPERTY: Brent Reed has not been able to do what he had expected with the properties. Attorney Hockemeyer said it would be a simple signing of paperwork to get the properties back into the Town’s ownership. He will get started on the quick-claim deed. The green parrot has also been discussed but is still in talks. Councilman Waterson would like to make a motion to acquire the properties back and move forward. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. · Councilman Waterson clarified that the Reed’s could take the buildings from their insurance beginning May 1, 2024. The Clerk will get the insurance switched back under the Town effective May 1, 2024. ROSS WALKER: Councilman Waterson discussed the fire escape construction with Mr. Walker and came to an agreement that the council will only approve this change if the hole is covered with a grate that will be flush with the sidewalk. Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept Ross Walker’s building improvements ONLY based on the owner covering the hole with an approved grate that is flush with the sidewalk. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. PUBLIC INPUT Kiwanis Breakfast at the Press Room on March 30th 9:30 am – 11:30 am. Town Easter Egg Hunt will begin at Noon on March 30th. There were 8 bikes and many prizes donated from businesses and residents in town. Over 2,000 eggs will be hidden in the South Whitley Youth League Baseball diamonds. Businesses around town will also have activity tables and coloring pages for kids while they wait for the hunt to begin. DEPARTMENT HEADS: PARK BOARD – DAVE WARNER: · The swing set has arrived and the Parks Department will be getting that installed soon. · Town Park will get re-mulched over the summer. The council wants the park board to look into getting black rubber mulch or something that might last a little longer than a couple seasons. WASTE WATER/UTILITIES SUPERVISOR – KENT SLATER: HydroCorp has given a quote for water meter replacements. The price includes resident letters and setting up appointments, getting meters programmed into TUNet, and installation. The project would replace all non-radio read meters in town, which is around 700. Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the quote with HydroCorp in the amount of $57,160.00. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. TOWN MARSHAL – MIKEL VANDEVENDER: Nothing to report TOWN ATTORNEY – GREGG HOCKEMEYER: Nothing to report CLERK-TREASURER – ALYSSA KNEPPLE: · CONSULTING CONTRACT- Attorney Hockemeyer looked over the contract and stated he saw no issues. The Council would like to put a cap on the cost at $8,000. Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the contract with Clarity Capital Consulting up to the amount of $8,000. Councilman Weber seconded the motion. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVALS: APPROVAL FOR MARCH 12TH REGULAR MEETING MINUTES: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept regular meeting minutes for March 12th. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR APV’s TOTALING $ 333,954.91: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept APV’s totaling $333,954.91. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING MARCH 18, 2024, TOTALING $ 10,607.52: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending March 18th. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING MARCH 25, 2024, TOTALING $ 8,881.35: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending March 25th. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. ADJOURN at: Meeting was adjourned at 7:07 pm by President Randy Cokl.
- March 12, 2024 Meeting Minutes
SOUTH WHITLEY TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TOWN HALL BOARD ROOM 118 E FRONT ST SOUTH WHITLEY, IN 46787 MARCH 12, 2024 6:30 PM CALL TO ORDER: Meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Council President Randy Cokl. Members present were as follows: Council President Randy Cokl, Vice President Brock Waterson, Councilman Trey Weber, Utility Supervisor Kent Slater, Town Marshal Mikel Vandevender, and Clerk-Treasurer Alyssa Knepple. Town Attorney Greg Hockemeyer was not present. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ADJUSTMENTS NEW BUSINESS IMPA SERVICE AGREEMENT: IMPA is wanting a new signed service agreement from the newly elected council. The council decided to have the town attorney look over the agreement to check for any changes made before signing. The agreement signing has been tabled for the next meeting. OLD BUSINESS DOWNTOWN LIGHTS: Lights should start being delivered in the next 6 weeks. STATE STREET PROPERTY: Councilman Waterson made a motion to approve another $2,000 for Prolong Services to continue cleaning up the property. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. PUBLIC INPUT UPCOMING EVENTS: · Easter Egg Hunt will be on March 30th beginning at the noon bell. There is also a Kiwana’s breakfast fundraiser from 9:30 to 11:30 on March 30th. Residents are encouraged to come to breakfast and then head over to the egg hunt. The Sunshine club from Whitko Jr/Sr High School will have crafts, coloring pages, and other activities for the kids while they wait for the hunt to begin. There are 4 different age groups: up to 2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. Any children older than 8 will be placed in the 7-8 group. The egg hunt will take place at the South Whitley Youth League ball diamonds. · There will be a fundraiser dinner for Randy Slusher’s family on April 6th from 3-6. Randy is currently in the hospital on life support. This fundraiser will help support the family through this difficult time. · April 20th from 6-8, the Pressroom Event Center will be hosting a daddy/daughter dance. · Town wide Garage Sales will be April 26th & 27th. Vendors can sign up at the Clerks Office. There will also be a map put together this year that shows the addresses of sales around town limits. DEPARTMENT HEADS: PARK BOARD – DAVE WARNER: Not present WASTE WATER/UTILITIES SUPERVISOR – KENT SLATER: There is electrical work that will be started late spring to early summer that will help with the overloading of a couple transformers around Clerks’ office. There is also a pole rotted at the bottom which needs to be replaced. TOWN MARSHAL – MIKEL VANDEVENDER: Shop with a cop fundraiser will begin next week. Tickets can be purchased for $10. There will be four prizes raffled off: a 36’ blackstone, $100 gift certificate to Sugar Creek with a basket of seasonings, and two different master BBQ gift baskets. Winners will be drawn at a council meeting. Date is to be determined. TOWN ATTORNEY – GREGG HOCKEMEYER: Not present CLERK-TREASURER – ALYSSA KNEPPLE: The Clerk has received three different quote for capital asset services. The company she recommends going with is Clarity Capital Consulting. The owner worked for SBOA in the last year and his price would include trainings on different procedures and how to maintain records to stay in compliance with SBOA when audited. The council would like the Town Attorney to go over the contract before they sign. APPROVALS: APPROVAL FOR FEBRUARY 27TH REGULAR MEETING MINUTES: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the meeting minutes from February 27. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR APV’s TOTALING $ 460,719.99: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the APV’s totaling $460,719.99. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING MARCH 4, 2024, TOTALING $ 9,932.83: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending March 4th. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING MARCH 11, 2024 TOTALING $ 9,657.77: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending March 11. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. ADJOURN at: Meeting was adjourned at 6:52 pm by Council President Randy Cokl.
- February 27, 2024 Meeting Minutes
SOUTH WHITLEY TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TOWN HALL BOARD ROOM 118 E FRONT ST SOUTH WHITLEY, IN 46787 FEBRUARY 27, 2024 6:30 PM CALL TO ORDER: Meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Council President Randy Cokl. All members present were as follows: Council President Randy Cokl, Vice President Brock Waterson, Councilman Trey Weber, Town Attorney Greg Hockemeyer, and Clerk Treasurer Alyssa Knepple. Town Marshal Mikel Vandevender and Utility Supervisor Kent Slater were not in attendance. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ADJUSTMENTS NEW BUSINESS 2023 CCMG CONTRACT SIGNING: Mike Duffy from DLZ was in attendance to have the Councilmen sign off on the CCMG 2023-2 project. This project is a $1.3 million project that will cover a complete reconstruction and some surface work on five different streets in town. Councilman Waterson made a motion to allow Council President Randy Cokl to sign any other documents for the 2023-2 project alone. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. OLD BUSINESS GARAGE SALE DATES 2024: Town wide garage sales have been scheduled for April 26th and April 27th. The Clerks’ office is getting the porta-pots for the sale. DOWNTOWN LIGHTING: The poles have started to come in and when Cory Schipper started removing some of the older poles, he noticed there was a different bolt pattern on some of the existing poles. He went and ordered 12 poles that have a smaller bolt pattern. The poles should be delivered between the beginning of April to the second week in May. SOUTH STATE PROPERTY: Matt Long has sent his second invoice for the work that has been done on the property. Once he is finished, the council can continue to move forward with making walking trails and maybe some parking on the property. There is a vacancy in the planning commission and redevelopment commission. The council will need to appoint a new representative at the next meeting. PUBLIC INPUT KAREN JORDAN: Karen brought in some different examples of murals that her husband has seen in other small towns. She suggested having a mural contest or the Whitko senior class do the mural on the side of the Subway building if the owner would approve it. ANDY BOWERS: He would like to plan a fall festival/ chili cook-off for small businesses and residents to come together for block party. The council told him to put something together with his ideas and they can look it over and approve it. CAMPER ZONING ISSUE: Marshal Vandevender has been working with Nathan Bilger of the Planning and Building Department to find out exactly if there is an issue and how it can be enforced. He should have an update at the next council meeting. DEPARTMENT HEADS: PARK BOARD – DAVE WARNER: Not present. WASTE WATER/UTILITIES SUPERVISOR – KENT SLATER: Not present due to medical leave. · ROSS WALKER: Councilmen discussed the request from Ross Walker to cut into the sidewalk to make a fire escape for the apartment he is wanting to put in the basement of the old laundromat. The council would like Mr. Walker to come to a meeting and explain exactly what he is planning to do to cover the holes. The council is also going to reach out to Nathan Bilger at Planning and Building to see if they have any concerns with the project. TOWN MARSHAL – MIKEL VANDEVENDER: Not present due to being on vacation. TOWN ATTORNEY – GREGG HOCKEMEYER: Filed a letter to the EEOC stating the Town’s stance on the discrimination lawsuit. CLERK-TREASURER – ALYSSA KNEPPLE: · CAPITAL ASSET LEDGER: Looking into a few different companies and financial advisors that will help the Town get their Capital Asset Ledger put together and be approved by the SBOA. · Working on getting registered to take a notary class. Greg is going to investigate whether that is a necessity or if the Clerk can hold two different “offices” since she holds enough power just as the Clerk. · The Clerk will be out of the office March 18 through March 21 for ILMCT Institute and Academy training in Plainfield. · Working with Text-My-Gov to advertise a promotion to encourage residents to sign up for Town wide updates and alerts. More information to come! APPROVALS: APPROVAL FOR FEBRUARY 13, 2024 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the regular meeting minutes for February 13. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR APV’s TOTALING $25, 650.33: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept APV’s in the amount of $25,650.33. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 19, 2024, TOTALING $11,226.84: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending February 19 in the amount of $11,226.84. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 26, 2024, TOTALING $9,405.76: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending February 26 in the amount of $9,405.76. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. ADJOURN at: Meeting was adjourned at 7:03 pm by Council President Randy Cokl.
- February 13, 2024 Meeting Minutes
SOUTH WHITLEY TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TOWN HALL BOARD ROOM 118 E FRONT ST SOUTH WHITLEY, IN 46787 FEBRUARY 13, 2024 6:30 PM CALL TO ORDER: Meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Council President Randy Cokl. Members present were as follows: Council President Randy Cokl, Vice President Brock Waterson, Councilman Trey Weber, Town Marshal Mikel Vandevender, Utility Supervisor Kent Slater, Town Attorney Greg Hockemeyer, and Clerk-Treasurer Alyssa Knepple. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ADJUSTMENTS NEW BUSINESS WHITLEY COUNTY HUMANE SHELTER 2024 CONTRACT: Councilman Weber made a motion to accept the WCHS 2024 contract in the amount of $3,000. Councilman Waterson seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. OLD BUSINESS CHRISTMAS LIGHTING CONTEST WINNERS: Winners were not present. Item was not discussed. 206 & 208 PROPERTY: Brent Reed and Councilman Waterson have been in discussions about the Town taking possession back on the properties. Councilman Waterson said at this point, Mr. Reed is asking for $5,000 for the Parrot and grass lot. STATE STREET PROPERTY: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept another $2,000 worth of clean up work to be done by Matt Long. Councilman Weber seconded the motion. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. Karen Jordan asked what exactly the Council had planned for the property and Councilman Waterson said it is still being discussed among the Councilman because they all have different visions. OLD SHINDIGZ BUILDING: Councilman Waterson asked about any updates about the purchasing of the old Shindigz building. Utility Supervisor Kent Slater said he hasn’t heard anything since IMPA came to look at the electrical issues. IMPA said it was an update that would be possible, they just need more information to get products and services lined up to begin the work. PUBLIC INPUT KAREN JORDAN: · Mrs. Jordan asked about the camper ordinance and Town Marshal Vandevender said he has found an ordinance that states campers cannot be parked off-street. He is looking more into the ordinance and what it all entails. · She has been looking into signs that can be posted around town that instructed residents to pick up after their dogs and the signs would include bags for disposal. She said they are about $500 a piece but would be nice to have them in different locations around town, especially the parks and walking trails. · Mrs. Jordan asked about the autopay program the Clerk had mentioned a couple meetings ago. Clerk Knepple informed her the office staff is currently in training and working with InvoiceCloud to have the program available by May of 2024. · She also asked the council if they would be willing to talk with the owner of Subway to get a mural painted on the side of the building since it is one of the first things to be seen when driving into town. There was some discussion on other locations that could also benefit from a mural. · She also expressed her concerns about the amount of trash and recycling bins that are on the sides of the street throughout the week. She asked the council to send something to residents asking them not to leave the toters out all the time and bring them in when not being serviced. It would make the town look cleaner and not so junky. Clerk Knepple stated she would include a message on the memo line of the March utility bills to please be considerate and bring your cans in when not in use. DEPARTMENT HEADS: PARK BOARD – DAVE WARNER: A wind screen has been purchased for the pickleball court that will have the logo of Whitley County Community Foundation. The Foundation was one of the main donators to the pickleball court. The park board has also looked into purchasing a swing set that will cost about $6,000 for White Rock Park. Clerk Knepple brought up the concern about the park being so close to the railroad tracks and her worry about kids running onto those tracks. The council suggested looking into getting some more trees to help create a natural boundary between the park and the tracks. WASTEWATER/UTILITIES SUPERVISOR – KENT SLATER: · ROSS WALKER PERMIT APPLICATION: Mr. Walker would like to put fire exit windows in for the apartment he is putting in below the laundromat. The council would like more information about how he plans to keep the hole covered to help pedestrians not fall in the hole. Topic was tabled for a future meeting. ADA compliance was also a concern. · RLM/SURF NET: Fiber is almost ready for installation. RLM is finishing up a couple of streets and then Surf Net will be in to put in the actual fiber to get residents/customers up and running. · IDEM: They are giving the Town a couple more months of monitoring before they decide on Phase B of the wastewater project. They are specifically looking for overflowing due to increased rain and weather. IDEM will be reevaluating the plant in August of 2024. · CJV: This is a new machine shop in town that purchased the old DNC Construction Company and their current building needs more expandable power. Kent will be working with IMPA to get this updated, but Kent wanted to know if the Town was okay with paying for the upgrade. TOWN MARSHAL – MIKEL VANDEVENDER: · BODY CAMERAS: The police department would like to purchase new body cameras. The current ones have been used for the last 8 years and are now starting to malfunction. There have been cases where having the body cameras working correctly would have helped with the outcome and Marshal Vandevender talked to three of the better priced companies and received quotes. o Motorola would allow the town to pay annually for 5 years and will replace the equipment after 3 years. They also have a good warranty on their products. The price was slightly higher than Marshal Vandevender wanted to pay with a total of $26,478.00. o ProVision was the cheapest option, but they wanted all of the cost upfront, didn’t have the best warranty, nor did the cost include the software to blur out faces in the background. The price for ProVision was $23,955.00. o Axon is the manufacturer the department currently uses for body cameras and the officers were happy with them until they started malfunctioning because of their age. The cost from AXON would be $24,110 split into 5 annual payments. AXON will also replace the equipment in year three at no extra cost. The price also includes the software to blur and a significant amount of Cloud storage. · Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the quote and purchase body cameras and equipment from AXON in the amount of $24,110. Councilman Weber seconded the motion. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. · SRO CONTRACT: Officer Thomas has expressed some concern about using his comp time for all snow days. He earns comp time when he works school events and then can use that time for time off instead of earning overtime. Marshal Vandevender thinks this policy needs to be looked over again and reevaluated. He would like to give the SRO position 3 snow days before they must use comp time. The school gets three free snow days, so it makes sense that the SRO should receive 3 free days as well. Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the new policy of 3 snow days for the SRO to use only when school is closed. This will also be retroactive as of 1/1/2024. Councilman Weber seconded the motion. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. TOWN ATTORNEY – GREGG HOCKEMEYER: Filled out and voted yes on a class action claims. He is also working on the EEOC discrimination suit against the town regarding a previous employee. CLERK-TREASURER – ALYSSA KNEPPLE: Nothing to bring up at this time. APPROVALS: APPROVAL FOR JANUARY 9, 2024, REGULAR MEETING MINUTES: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept meeting minutes from January 9, 2024. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR BANK RECONCILIATIONS SEPTEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER 2023: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept bank reconciliations from September 2023 through December 2023. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR APV’s TOTALING $ 400,910.03: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept APV’s totaling $400,910.03. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING JANUARY 15, 2024, TOTALING $11,123.59: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for $11,123.59. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING JANUARY 22, 2024, TOTALING $9,988.03: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for $9,988.03. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING JANUARY 29, 2024, TOTALING $9,562.28: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for $9,562.28. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 5, 2024, TOTALING $8,643.05: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for $8,643.05. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 12, 2024, TOTALING $ 9,221.98: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for $9,221.98. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. ADJOURN at: Meeting was adjourned at 7:32 pm by Council President Randy Cokl. APPROVALS: ATTEST:
- January 9, 2024 Meeting Minutes
SOUTH WHITLEY TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TOWN HALL BOARD ROOM 118 E FRONT ST SOUTH WHITLEY, IN 46787 JANUARY 9, 2024 6:30 PM CALL TO ORDER: Meeting was called to order by Councilman Randy Cokl at 6:30 pm. Members present were as follows: Councilman Brock Waterson, Councilman Trey Weber, Town Marshal Mikel Vandevender, Town Attorney Greg Hockemeyer, and Clerk-Treasurer Alyssa Knepple. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE NEW BUSINESS DESIGNATION OF COUNCIL POSITIONS: · Councilman Weber made a motion to appoint Randy Cokl as President for the year 2024. Councilman Waterson seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. · Councilman Weber made a motion to appoint Brock Waterson as Vice President for the year 2024. Councilman Cokl seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. REGION 3A APPOINTEE: Councilman Waterson made a motion to appoint Councilman Weber as the Region 3A representative for the year 2024. Councilman Cokl seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. REDEVELOPMENT REPRESENTATIVE APPOINTEE: Councilman Cokl made a motion to appoint Councilman Waterson as the Redevelopment Representative for the year 2024. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. · Councilman Waterson made a motion to reappointed Teresa Carrano, Karen Jordan, Ryan Noll, and Bryan Rose to serve on the Redevelopment Commission for the year 2024. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. 2024 INSURANCE: Tonya Warner with The Hilb Group came to discuss the changes in insurance for the year 2024. There have been some cost changes, and she is going to be looking around at other workman’s compensation companies in the year 2025 to help with the rising costs. Councilman Waterson made a motion to approve the insurance package for the year 2024. Councilman Weber seconded the motion. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. ADJUSTMENTS OLD BUSINESS DOWNTOWN STREETLIGHTS: Cory Schipper has ordered the streetlights and said they will take about 8-10 weeks to arrive. TOWN COMPLAINTS: There have been many complaints from people in town about the campers being parked off-street and how it makes the town look. The council is going to hold off on issuing an ordinance against camper off-street parking and readdress at a different meeting. 206 & 208 PROPERTIES: Brent Reed purchased the buildings from the Town with a lien attached. Since it has now been over a year since the closing, and the council is wanting to meet with Brent to discuss taking the properties back to remodeling them. This would also include the green parrot building and lawn space on the side. The council will have a real estate executive session with Brent Reed on a to be determined date. PUBLIC INPUT JENNIFER KRIDER: With the old hotel being torn down, she would like to see that property used for something in the community. It’s a great location for a splash pad or a destination for people to come to South Whitley. DEPARTMENT HEADS: PARK BOARD – DAVE WARNER: The park board is working on getting a slide and swing set for White Rock Park. This is the park off Calhoun Street. WASTEWATER/UTILITIES SUPERVISOR – KENT SLATER: Not present at meeting. · Stouder sent over the invoice for the upgrades and maintenance costs needed for the water plant. The amount about $17,500. Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the invoice and expenses for maintenance and upgrades. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. TOWN MARSHAL – MIKEL VANDEVENDER: Working towards getting Lake Park Estates some repairs and upgrades. Filing ordinance violations as needed and working with Greg on how to better manage the complaints and issues. TOWN ATTORNEY – GREGG HOCKEMEYER: CLERK-TREASURER – ALYSSA KNEPPLE: · Gage Fannin has been approved to have his son added to his insurance for the year 2024, but they are asking the Town to help with some of the bills accrued in the last couple of months. The council said to bring copies of the bills to the next meeting with the total and they will vote on it then. · Resolution 2024-1-9 to extend the amount of time a part-time officer must work to receive a year-end bonus. Also, adding the part-time custodian position to receive the bonus as well. Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the resolution. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVALS: APPROVAL FOR DECEMBER 21, 2023 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES: Councilman Waterson made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from December 21, 2023. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR JANUARY 9, 2024 APV’S TOTALING $ 995,676.13: Councilman Waterson made a motion to approve PAV’s totaling $995,676.13. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 25, 2023 TOTALING $ 9,263.54: Councilman Waterson made a motion to approve payroll for the week ending December 25. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING JANUARY 1, 2024 TOTALING $ 9,777.93: Councilman Waterson made a motion to approve payroll for the week ending January 1. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. APRROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING JANUARY 8, 2024 TOTALING $ 8,897.05: Councilman Waterson made a motion to approve payroll for the week ending January 8. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. ADJOURN at: Meeting was adjourned at 7:20 pm by Council President Randy Cokl.
