April 9, 2001
The Ellettsville, Indiana, Town Council met in regular session at 7:30 PM, Monday, April 9, 2001. Members present were Jerry Pittsford, President; David Sorokoty, Vice President; Geraldine McIntyre, David Drake, and Mike Cornman. Jerry Pittsford called the meeting to order. Dave Drake led the Pledge of Allegiance. Jerry Pittsford gave the prayer.
Appoint Park and Recreation Board Members:
Jerry
Pittsford announced the Park Board appointments as follows:
L.D.
Axsom, 1-year term
Art
Moyhihan, 2-year term
Pat
Stoffers, 3-year term
Darlene
Sowder, 4-year term
Open bids on 76 Dodge Truck:
Mike
Spencer opened the only bid from Robert Cassidy for the price of $2,250.50.
Geraldine
made the motion to accept the bid from R Cassidy for the 1976 Dodge truck from
the Street Department. Mike Cornman
seconded. Motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Josh
Rector accompanied by two other young men asked if there was any place they
could skateboard since the skate park is not open. A couple of Police Officers had told them they were not allowed
to skate anywhere. They came to ask
permission from the Council for an area to skate.
Jerry
Pittsford replied the Skate Park would be opening soon. We cannot grant permission to skate on any
public property, but we are doing every thing we can to get the Skate Park
open.
OLD BUSINESS
Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation
New Edgewood Primary and Intermediate School-Sewer Connection Fee
Bill
Riggert from Bledsoe, Tapp and Riggert represented the school. Andy Dodd, School Board President and Steve
Kain, Superintendent were also in attendance.
Mr. Riggert requested the Council reconsider the consumption user fee or
the hook-on fee developed by the Utilities.
They offered the following figures:
School Usage - 5,534 gpd/student x 1,200 students = 6,641 gpd
Convert to Equivalent Dwellings Units - 6,641 gpd – 410 gpd/unit = 21.42 units
Cost per Dwelling Unit = $1,000.00 - 21.42 x $1000,00 = $21,420.00
These
calculations are similar to the ones performed by Rick Coppock, Town
Engineer. They are based upon the
combined average water usage over a two-year period at the Elementary and Early
Childhood Center with an anticipated enrollment of 1,000 students. The original
fee was $43,500 using 15 gallons per day per student, which is a prescribed
rate the state uses to size sewer systems in place of the actual consumption
rate.
Andy
Dodds, School Board President
Andy
stated his comments are not reflective of the School Board; he is speaking only
for himself. He expressed his
appreciation of the Council’s consideration of the request. The school had originally requested a wavier
of the fees associated with
the
sewer plant for the two new elementary buildings. He was surprised at the request of $43,500 for the hook on fee.
He assumed the Council would recognize the budgetary restraints of building two
new buildings and do what they could to lessen the impact on our taxpayers of
Richland Bean Blossom Township. In
order to stay within the budget some items were placed on a wish list. Which means if there is money left over at
the end of construction we could put in such things as a baseball field, tennis
courts, soccer field and play yard. The
budget on this project is very tight.
The school Corporation is paying for all the hard cost up to and
including the sewer hook on. Presently
no additional work is required by the town to upgrade their lines or provide
materials or labor in this connection hook up.
They are not a new user and expect the flow in this new building will
only replace the flow used in the old building. No additional burden will be put on the existing facilities. It was reported that the taxpayers of
Ellettsville would be unduly burdened because the sewer is controlled and
serves mostly the town proper and the school serves in the entire two
townships. This essentially is saying
you want to spread the cost of the utility department over the townships. He believes a percentage of the
collections for utilities go to the fund for overhead and maintenance; it is
built into the rate structure. Last
year the school paid $58,807.00 to the Ellettsville Utilities. It is in the school budget and is paid by
the taxpayers of Richland and Bean Blossom Townships. The statement that the town will be setting precedence by
waiving the fee does not make sense.
The school is a public entity just like the town. Most people expect these charges to be
waived. If not it is just taking
dollars from one pocket and putting them into another nothing is gained. The use of a residential fee for a high
volume user such as the school should be given additional review. There is a special rate contract provision
in the town code and this would be an ideal application for it. Nashville, Spencer, and Scottsburg have no
user fees. Bloomington only charges
$1,600. What kind of message are you
sending by charging a school $43,500 for a user fee. In closing he asked the town to take a pragmatic approach to the
request and arrive at a decision that transcends the boundaries of our
individual duties. This is for the
common good of our community. He asked
for the town’s full cooperation in this matter and would again like to request
a full waiver of the fee. He thanked
the Council.
There
was a discussion on the base rate and how the 5.534 gallons per day were
calculated considering the actual uses at the Elementary School.
Rick
Coppock stated the in town rate would save the school about $4,800 per year
over the out of town rate they did pay.
The original connection fee was based on the usage amount the school
submitted to the Board of Health of 18,000 gallons per day, which we based on
three quarters of a year. They also
used the usage from University, Grandview, and Highland Park schools, which are
all new schools. There numbers were
comparable to the numbers Mr. Riggert had presented.
Mr.
Riggert added the new school with all-new plumbing would probably save in
usage.
Mike
Farmer explained that hook on fees were placed in a capacity replacement fund
and used to upgrade or renovate the existing sewer system. It is also intended to accommodate future
needs as the plant reaches it’s capacity, to build out the plant to take on new
customers. Rick added it is used for
any type of work that would prolong the use of the plant and the capacity of
the plant. He gave the example of
repairing pipe that allowed inflow into the system to extend the capacity of
the plant.
Mike
also stated the on site system will be done by a contractor at the school. It will be built to the town’s
specifications. We will do inspections
of the installation. The continued use
of a lift station will be required.
In
response to a question Mike stated if someone purchases the old elementary they
would also transfer ownership of the existing hook on with no additional
charge. In 1975 an 8-inch PVC main was
run to the new site. Three years ago
for future expansion we ran water mains from Louden Road and Reeves Road to
Starnes Road. It was in the master plan
to interconnect all the mains and connect to the Louden water tank so we can
service the complete west side. It will
loop and come back around on 46. We
have run 12 inch main out to Red Hill Road so we are getting close to
connecting all the mains.
David
Drake asked if we decided to make one exception to a public school how critical
is the $43,000 or $21,000 to the system?
Mike answered when we planned the expenditures for this year no connection
fees were considered. We are not
receiving many connection fees right now because we are not one sewer
corporation. There is Eastern Richland,
Northern Richland, and Ellettsville Sewer Corporations. Most of the building is on the outskirts of
town; we are not getting a lot of hook on fees so we do not count them as money
in the bank. Mike said he completely
understands Andy’s comments of having a wish list and running on a very tight
budget. As a manager those hook on fees
are important to utilize the money to keep our infrastructure the way it is
supposed to be. In the past we have
been reactive to situations that come up.
We have been dormant about taking care of our system. Only recently have we been aggressive on the
building of an infrastructure that the town can utilize in the future. It is very important that we get all the
monies that are coming to us hook on fees, proper billing, and making sure all
our consumptions are recorded so that we can go about our business being
aggressive and spending the money where it needs to be spent all the while
staying within our present rates. Is
it critical that we get this money, no, important yes. We will accommodate the Council’s
decision.
David
Drake said he didn’t want to set a precedent that anyone who comes along might
come in and get us to change our mind, but he also really hates for this to be
the one we make our stand on when we could make an exception just for a public
school corporation and probably never have another one in his life time.
Jerry
Pittsford stated Bynum and Fanyo Utilities are paid to accomplish a certain
number of tasks that the town charges them to do. We tell them we want them to update the infrastructure and
maintain the sewer plant to make sure it stays in compliance. Recently we gave them the task of
coordinating with PSI Cinergy, Smithville Telephone, and Insight Communications
to undergo a $4,000,000 project to bury all overhead power and cable lines
along the one-way pairs. The cost of
maintaining their daily labor cost in this project and their daily tasks are
significant. As Mike mentioned they
don’t collect a lot of hook on fees in the town proper. The hook on fees that come through Eastern
or Northern Sewer Districts stay within that district. They use that money as they see the need
to. It is not always clear to us that
they use the money to update their lines.
It is a concern that someday the town will
have
to update the lines that have not been maintained in these other
districts. When Bynum and Fanyo
Utilities took over the management of Ellettsville Utilities there
was
a significant number of problems that had not been addressed for a number of
years. They have worked within the
guidelines of their budget to accomplish those things. In order to continue to update the lines and
maintain the infrastructure seeing that all future developments such as the
elementary school are possible that it would not be in our best interest to
waive the fee. The reduction in the fee
is fair and if we were in a better financial situation we could easily waive
the fee but we are not.
Mike
Cornman moved to approve the amended previous capacity replacement fee for the
new Ellettsville Elementary school buildings to $21,420. Geraldine McIntyre
seconded. Motion carried.
Ordinance 01-5 an ordinance to amend the
Ellettsville Town Code by amending Chapter 355-Unsafe Building Law:
Jerry
stated he would like to entertain a motion to table this until the next
meeting. Geraldine McIntyre so
moved. Mike Cornman seconded. Jerry said there is a motion and a second
to table Ordinance 01-5 an ordinance to amend the Ellettsville Town Code by
amending Chapter 355-Unsafe Building Law.
Motion carried
Utilities lease of excavator (track hoe)
Mike
Spencer explained when this was previously presented to the Council it was
presented as a lease. The excavator is
being financed. The finance company
presented it to us as an installment purchase with monthly payments of about
$2,000 with a final payment of $90,000, which pays for the equipment on the 25th
payment. This allows it to be a
tax-free transaction. We in turn
entered into a contract with Holt Equipment Company, who has agreed to buy the
equipment from us if after the first year at the full option price that is listed
on the schedule of prices and if for any reason the town chooses to not go
through with the transaction they will pick up and buy the equipment. This is a change from the original
agreement. We will still have the
option to purchase it for the balloon price of $90,000 on the 25th
payment or after the first year at the price listed on the schedule. It is called a master lease purchase
agreement. Mike Farmer reiterated this
is a savings over renting the equipment.
Excessive damage to the equipment could affect the selling price, but
normal wear and tear will be covered.
Mike
also said this excavator will accommodate a hammer for rock removal if
needed. The hammer will be
interchangeable with the bucket and we will rent it if needed for $4,000 per month. The money for the track hoe will come out
of operation and maintenance funds.
Jerry
Pittsford read from the document as follows, in order to finance this lease the
town would be entering into an agreement with Public Finance.com Inc. entitled
Master Equipment lease/purchase agreement.
Jerry said he would entertain a motion.
Geraldine McIntyre replied so moved.
David Drake seconded. Jerry
stated there is a motion and a second to approve the Master Equipment
lease/purchase agreement with Public Finance.com Inc. Motion carried.
David
Drake made a motion to approve the agreement between the Town of Ellettsville
and Holt Equipment Company for the purchase of the excavator. Mike Cornman seconded. Jerry stated there is a motion and a second
to approve an agreement with Hold Equipment Company LLC for the purchase of a
John Deer 200 excavator. Motion
carried.
NEW BUSINESS
Personnel
David
Sorokoty moved to table it for now, due to insufficient information at this
time. Geraldine McIntyre seconded. Motion carried.
Senior Citizens concerns on
road access
John Litton
John said he was a senior
citizen and the town has two senior citizen complexes that the new road will go
right by. He offered a solution for
Maple Shades by continuing
Vine Street and making a Y
with the right going into Maple Shades.
This would allow the seniors to come out of the complex without going
out onto the new highway. This could be
one way, allowing them to come out and go down town, but not go back that
way. From the Allen complex there is a
small road between where Freddie Freeman used to live and where Frosty Brown
used to live that connects to Allen Street.
If that is not satisfactory there is another one down the fence line on
John Davis’ property. This would be
more expensive but it could connect to McNeely Road with a 4-way stop. That would be the most desirable and would
keep the seniors away from the new highway.
His last suggestion would
not affect the seniors but would concern the whole neighborhood. Louden Road turns into Sycamore, this is
where the new school will be, it should go all the way to Highway 46. This will help with the bus traffic after
the highway construction is complete.
The Council discussed the
needs and possibilities of these road improvements and federal money that might
be available.
Mike Cornman requested
preliminary cost for road possibilities at the first Council meeting in May.
Ordinance 01-7 an Ordinance
to amend section 725-20 of the Ellettsville Town Code concerning special rules
for determining the quantity of water used
Mike Farmer
Mike gave a summary of
improvements made to help track water usage.
Presently there are no guidelines in the Town Code on the use of special
meters. Recently Becky found a document
outlining the exact procedure we need to regulate the use of the special
meters. I in turn presented it to Mike
Spencer to be incorporated into Town Code.
One of the problems with the meters is the year round use of the
meter. The meters intended use is
during the summer months for outdoor use or water that would not go into the
sewer system. Mike and the Council
discussed the rules outlined in the ordinance.
A notice of the changes will go out to customers who have the special
meters.
Mike Cornman moved that
Ordinance number 01-7 be submitted for the first reading. David Drake seconded. Motion carried.
Mike Cornman moved that
Ordinance number 01-7 be adopted on the same day at which it is
introduced. David Drake seconded. Motion carried.
Mike Cornman moved that
Ordinance number 01-7 be adopted. David
Drake seconded. Motion carried.
Minutes and Account Payable Vouchers
David
Sorokoty made a motion to accept the minutes and accounts payable
vouchers. Geraldine McIntyre
seconded. Motion carried.
Supervisors
Mike Farmer
Mike
introduced Amber Ragle as the new billing clerk. He said she was from the local community, has a college
education, and has experience with Monroe County Government.
Mike
requested permission to hire a temporary full time to use for six to nine
months. He will start them at $11.50
per hour. He also stated he has not
replaced a
full-time
employee who left last year and they may have to fill that position. He
questioned posting the position. After
verifying it in Town Code Mike Spencer told Mike Farmer he would have to post
the position.
Mike
informed the Council the 46 project is getting ready to start and after
reviewing material quotes from three venders it has been decided to use U. S.
Filter. They are local with a branch in
Bloomington.
Jim Davis
Jim
asked permission to send Kevin Patton to training on emergency vehicle
maintenance for fire trucks. It is in
Indianapolis for one week. He will
commute each day. The Council voted to
give Kevin permission to attend the training.
Congress
passed a grant program for fire departments across the nation. It is from FEMA and entitled The Fire
Act. There are various uses including
personnel, personal protection, health and fitness awareness programs, fire
trucks, equipment and buildings. The
maximum we could get is $750,000, which would require a 10% match. It is due by May 1st and will be
rewarded in September. The Council
directed Jim to proceed with the application and submit for their review at the
next meeting.
Ron McGlocklin
Ron McGlocklin verified that
the Council had received the Police Reserves hours.
He
also told the Council the Police Department had been approved for a grant in
the amount of $957 to purchase education pamphlets.
Rick Coppock
Rick
gave a brief history of the sewer plant.
When the town had the old sewer plant it was hydraulically overloaded
and overflowed into the creek. We
worked on a facilities plan to obtain State Revolving Funds. As part of that plan we determined what
would be the average flow to the new plant.
We looked at sharing the cost of the new plant with Eastern and
Northern. We looked at the number of
customers and the customer base roughly if you put Eastern and Northern
together was 51.9% and the other 48.1% was the town contribution to the plant
as far as customers go. The plant
capacity has a certain rating on it so that capacity was
divided
by 310, which gave you the number of hook ons in the plant. These were shared
by the three parties based on their percentage of customers that contributed
flow to the plan. That is why we are
protective of how much we charge for capacity
replacement. The capacity replacement fee directly
affects the plant and the life of the plant.
For example there is a large industry that dumps a lot of sewage into
the
plant you are eating up quite a bit of the capacity for that plant. That capacity will have to be realized by
the customers if you ever have to increase the capacity of the plant. The number that we used to determine the
original connections fee for the school was the number that was given to us by
their engineering firm and it was the number that was in the guide lines to be
used to design schools at 15 gallons per day per student. We talked with them and agreed the fair and
just way to do it was to let them figure what their actual usage would be per
student and it came out to the 5.534 number times the maximum capacity of the
school which is 1,200. We compared it
to other school to insure it was fair and equitable. The plant is designed to last for 20 years, if you keep inflow
down it could last a lot longer.
Sandra Hash
Sandra
told the Council she had called the senate to lobby for HB1925, which would
allow local governments to participate in the State health insurance plan. Senator Vi Simpson have responded with a
letter stating it had passed the Senate 49-0.
David Drake
David attended the
groundbreaking ceremony for the new elementary schools. He is
looking forward to having the new schools in the community it will be a
great addition to the town. He thought
it was very nice the way the school had a representative from each school and
each grade turn a shovel of dirt. It is
something they will always remember. He
realizes the decisions the council made on the new schools were difficult and
he wishes they could have made it easier, but they have to take care of the
town to and unfortunately that is just how it goes sometimes.
Geraldine
McIntyre
As the towns representative on the Monroe County Solid Waste Board she wanted to let everyone know there were going to be changes on what you can take to the dump after April 21, 2001. There will be a charge for disposing of certain items. There will be a $10 charge for computers so they can be forwarded to a prison to be rebuilt.
Jerry Pittsford
Jerry Pittsford applied for the Indiana Rural Development Council for a site visit. We were not chosen as a site so they will not be visiting Ellettsville. Jerry also visited Mrs. Fisher and Mrs. Cowden’s fourth grade class to talk with them about local governments.
Geraldine
McIntyre made a motion to adjourn. Mike Cornman seconded the motion. Motion
passed. Meeting adjourned at 9:17
PM.
_____________________________ __________________________
Jerry Pittsford, President David
Sorokoty, Vice President
_____________________________ __________________________
Mike Cornman David
Drake
_____________________________ __________________________
Geraldine McIntyre Sandra
C. Hash
Clerk-Treasurer