The Ellettsville, Indiana, Town Council met in
regular session at 7:30 p.m., Monday, June 12, 2000. Members present were
Geraldine McIntyre, President; John Dailey, and Jerry Pittsford. Members not
present were Gina Hawkins, Vice President; and Dave Sorokoty. Mrs. McIntyre
called the meeting to order. John Dailey gave the prayer. Jerry Pittsford led
the Pledge of Allegiance.
COMMENTS:
Geraldine announced Dave Sorokoty was unable to
attend; he is representing the Town Council at the Richland-Bean Blossom School
Corporation meeting, which is the same time as the Town Council meeting. Gina
Hawkins is having car trouble and cannot make the meeting.
MINUTES AND CLAIMS:
Jerry Pittsford made the motion to accept the
minutes and claims. John Dailey seconded. Motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS
ORDINANCE 00-14: an ordinance to amend Chapter
854 Subdivision Regulations required improvement of the Ellettsville Town Code:
John Dailey read the ordinance as follows:
BE IT ORDAINED AND ADOPTED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL
OF ELLETTSVILLE, INDIANA:
Chapter 854 of the Ellettsville Town Code is
amended by adding the following Section 854-40, which reads as follows:
SECTION 1. 854-40 Burying of Utilities. All
utility lines, including but not limited to gas, sewer, electric power,
telephone, and CATV, shall be located underground throughout the subdivision.
Wherever existing lines are located above ground, except on public roads and
rights-of-way, they shall be removed and placed underground. Underground
service connections to the street property line of each platted lot shall be
installed at the Sub divider’s expense. At the discretion of the Plan
Commission, the requirement for service connections to each lot may be waived
in the case of adjoining lots that are to be retained in single ownership and
that are to be developed for the same primary use.
Jerry Pittsford made the motion to accept
Ordinance 00-14: An ordinance to amend Chapter 854 Subdivision Regulations
required improvements of the Ellettsville Town Code for the first reading. John
Dailey seconded. Motion carried.
ORDINANCE 00-15: An ordinance to amend Section
812-60 of the Ellettsville Town Code concerning garage and yard sales:
Geraldine requested this ordinance tabled.
ORDINANCE 00-16: An ordinance to amend Chapter
715 of the Ellettsville Town Code concerning water rates and charges:
Jerry Pittsford read the Ordinance as follows:
BE IT ORDAINED AND ADOPTED by the Ellettsville
Town Council:
Section 1. Sections 715-55(a) and (b) of the
Ellettsville Town Code are amended by setting the wholesale water cost tracking
factor to $.08 per 1,000 gallons of water used. This tracking factor shall
apply to all charges that were specified in Ordinance 98-5 as being subject to
wholesale water cost tracking adjustment.
Section 2. This ordinance takes effect upon
passage.
John Dailey made the motion to adopt Ordinance
00-16: An ordinance concerning water rates and charges for the first reading.
Jerry Pittsford seconded. Motion carried.
An attempt was made to pass Ordinance 00-16 on
the first reading. The membership requirement was met therefore the Ordinance
was passed for the first reading only.
Mike Farmer explained to the audience the
increase was due to increase in water rates from the City of Bloomington.
Ellettsville purchases water from Bloomington. The increase is 8 cents per
thousand gallons. For the 3,000 gallon minimum billing it would increase the
charge by 24 cents.
RESOLUTION 7-00: Transfer of Funds:
John Dailey read the resolution as follows:
WHEREAS, it has been determined that more money
is needed than is currently available in certain funds and appropriations:
THEREFORE, be it resolved that the following
transfers or temporary loans are hereby authorized:
FROM: Parks-116 Part-Time Labor $ 2500.00
TO: Parks-231 Materials $ 2500.00
FROM: MVH-112 Street Employees $ 2500.00
TO: MVH-391 Miscellaneous $ 2500.00
John Dailey made the motion to accept Resolution
7-00. Jerry Pittsford seconded. Motion carried.
Special Meters: Mike Farmer
Mike explained a special meter is used for sewer
charges reduction. A water meter measures both the water and sewer. You can
have a special meter hooked to your garden hose to water lawns or wash cars.
That water does not go down the drain so you can get a deduction by subtracting
the gallonage used through the special meter. This procedure was in place when
Bynum Fanyo Utilities started with the Town. The Ellettsville Town code tells
how to get them and how to use them, but not how to control them. There are
about 400 special meters, 75 of those are outside the town limits. Some of
these meters have been in use for 10 years.
Bloomington gives an across the
board deduction from May through September during the growing season. Mike
asked Dennis Fisher, a past Council member, if the meters were intended for
year round use? The last reading is done in October and they start the readings
again in April if there has been any usage during the winter they receive a
deduction to their bill in the spring. There is nothing in writing. Dennis felt
the special meter was to be used during the summer for filling pools and
watering lawns. These meters create extra work and when the number reaches
1,000 we need some better guidelines in place.
Jerry Pittsford requested the information pertaining
to special meters within the Town Code. Mike Farmer referenced Ordinance 85-7,
which is in the Town Code as follows:
Ellettsville Town Code 725-20 (c) Special Rules
for Determining the Quantity of Water Used.
In order that domestic and residential users not
be penalized for water usage other than that being discharged into the
municipal sanitary sewage system, it is hereby provided that upon satisfactory
evidence being furnished to the town that such water usage will not enter into
the sanitary sewage system, such user may purchase from the Town and install an
additional metering device to measure water usage not entering the sanitary
sewage system, and such metered water shall not be subject to the sewer rates
provided for in this chapter. Such additional meter for the above purpose shall
be obtainable from the Town sewer utility upon written application and at the
expense of the lot owner, resident, or other interest party.
Mike would like the users to manually bring in
the special meters two times per year to verify the readings. Presently we use
an honor system. The user of the special meter sends in a card by the fifth of
the month with the reading on it. The sewer deduction is then applied to the
current months usage.
Mike agreed to prepare a proposal on better
guidelines to special meters use and submit it in writing to the Council.
Opting out of the IURC: Mike Farmer
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
oversees how we set our rates and charges. The water utility is in the IURC the
sewer utility is not. Bynum Fanyo Utilities feel we should withdraw from the
IURC. They feel we would be better served by local control of our utilities.
When the IURC holds a public hearing on rates and charges it is held in
Indianapolis. That makes it very difficult for our ratepayers to attend. If we
have a local public hearing then the people affected can attend the meeting.
The local Council is more in tune to our needs. Mike furnished a list of Cities
and Town who have withdrawn from the IURC and a list of advantages for doing
so. The list was obtained from H.J. Umbaugh.
Recently we went to the IURC for the water rate
increase. We wanted to address some other issues concerning connections fees.
Their ideas were really outdated. We wanted to set a standard on new
connections. We wanted to gauge the charge by the work and distance of the
service with excavations as a separate amount. This allows for different types
of installations. Some connections could be as simple as subdivision
development and others as complicated as going through solid rock and street
cuts. IURC wanted to do a uniform charge, charging a flat fee to each new
connection without consideration of the requirements. We feel this would be
unfair.
Jerry Pittsford stated the IURC creates a third
party that substantiates any rate increases. When you do not have that third
party then the Council would have to substantiate. He feels the way the Council
is set up they could easily substantiate the rate increase decisions.
Mike Farmer also said the State Board of
Accounts also oversees the Towns proceedings.
The Council requested Mike Spencer to prepare
the required Ordinance to proceed with the withdrawal from the IURC.
Foresight Development Corporation presentation:
Donna Anderson
Donna wanted to introduce herself and her
business to the Council. The name of the company is Kenna Consulting &
Management Group. They assist small communities in acquiring grants. Steve
Saulters, from State Board of Accounts suggested they come visit Ellettsville.
She gave handouts and told the history of their business. They have been in
business for 20 years. They are located in Indianapolis. They write and
administer grants for small communities with no cost up front. If they are
successful in getting a grant funded for the town there is a fee included in
the grant for grant administration. If we do not get the grant there is no
money due. We charge the allowed amount permitted by the grant with either the
grant or a local match.
She asked if we had applied for the Community
Focus grant for Main Street. Geraldine replied Gina Kapczynski was handling
that and they were working with someone in Indianapolis.
Public Parking Lot Committee:
Geraldine appointed a committee to better inform
the public of the Town’s public parking areas. They committee will be made up
of Lease Farkas, Jerry Pittsford, and Jim Ragle.
SUPERVISORS:
Ron McGlocklin
They will be going to preview the Police dog in
Michigan on June 14, 2000.
Mike Farmer
The 2000 Water Quality Report is complete and
ready to be mailed to all our water users. Ellettsville water again surpasses
all requirements. Ellettsville had excellent drinking water again in 1999. No
violations of federal, state or local regulations were detected. Copies will be
available at the Ellettsville Branch of The Monroe County Library, The
Endwright Center, Town Hall, and the web site containing the minutes.
Mike requested the six-month salary increase for
the Utility Office Manager, Becky Wines. The salary range is from $13.00 per
hour to $15.00 per hour. Becky’s starting salary was $14.50 and we would like
to raise her to $15.00 per hour.
Mike requested the six-month salary increase for
the Billing Clerk, Diana Evans. The salary range is form $12.50 to $13.20.
Diana started working for Utilities in December at $12.31 per hour. We would
like to raise her to $13.20 per hour.
Jerry Pittsford made the motion to approve the
pay increase for Becky Wines from $14.50 per hour to $15.00 per hour. John Dailey
seconded. Motion carried.
Clerk-Treasurer Sandra Hash brought to the
attention of the Council, Ellettsville Town Code 255-21 (b) stating After six
month of employment, an employee would be eligible for an increase in salary,
which will not exceed 50% of the difference between starting pay and the
maximum pay for the position. After twelve months, the employee will be
eligible for an increase up to the maximum pay for the position.
It was decided that Ms Wine’s increase would
comply with the code, but Ms. Evans increase would not.
Mike Farmer feels the reason there is a range on
salary is to enable the pay to be applicable to the experience level.
Jeff Farmer stated Diana was an elected official
before. She is a new employee now and on probationary status.
Jerry Pittsford made a motion that Diana Evans
hourly rate be moved from $12.50 to $12.85 per hour in recognition of moving
beyond her 6-month probationary period. John Dailey seconded. Motion carried.
Rick Coppock
We have received the plans for the one-way pair
through town. The state will have a field check on July 13th. This
is the first time we have seen the final set of plans. We have been working on
where to put the sewer and water. We will still need to meet with the state on
the reimbursement for those items. We have to have them back into the state
sometime during July. The plans show a stoplight at the intersection of Sale
and Main, and a stoplight at 46 and Hartstraight.
Sandra Hash
At the State Board of Account conference the
subject was brought up about including on call pay in the overtime computation.
Also if an employee holds two jobs within the same municipality, both pays are
used to computate overtime. This would affect the utility on call pay and the
building inspectors pay. Edie McCullough from the Fair Labor Standards covered
this at the conference.
Mike Farmer requested the information be
forwarded to Mike Spencer for review and an opinion.
Geraldine McIntyre
The park playground equipment was dedicated on
June 10th. Geraldine thanked Jim Ragle for all the work they have
done. Thanks to Leasa Farkas and the new park board for planting flowers and
mulching the trees. Mary Ann Williams attended. She was the one who worked on
getting grants and donations for the park equipment. Thank to all the local
business that donated.
Ellettsville Area Economic Development group
discussed the new highway at their last meeting. They suggested Sale Street be
one-way North and Matthews be one-way South. Geraldine threw that out at the
last Highway meeting and they said they would look into it.
ADJOURNMENT:
Jerry Pittsford made the motion to adjourn. John
Dailey seconded. Motion carried.
____________________________
D. Geraldine McIntyre, President
__________________________
Gina Hawkins, Vice President
__________________________
John Dailey
__________________________
Jerry Pittsford
__________________________
David Sorokoty
Attest:
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Sandra C. Hash, Clerk-Treasurer