January 22, 2001
The Ellettsville Town Council met in regular session
on January 22 2001, at 7:30 PM. Members
present were Jerry Pittsford, President; David Sorokoty, Vice President; Mike
Cornman, David Drake, and Geraldine McIntyre.
Sandra Hash, Clerk-Treasurer and Mike Spencer, Town Attorney was also
present. Jerry Pittsford gave the
prayer and David Sorokoty led the pledge of allegiance.
NEW
BUSINESS
Federal
Excise Tax Refund on Fuel
Sandra Hash reported to the Council the Town was not
eligible to apply for the Federal Excise Tax refund. Sandra had filed for a refund about 5 years ago when the Town
purchased fuel from Johnson Oil. Since
that time she has audited the Mullis fuel bills for Federal tax and Indiana
sales tax. When it appeared on the
invoice she contacted the company and requested a refund. She told this to Municipal Tax Consulting
and Management when they called. They
insisted a refund was due. At the
direction of the Council and with the help of Mr. Phil Jones, IRS Excise Agent;
Sandra examined the receipts provided by Ron McGlocklin, Town Marshall; from
Shell and Sunoco for fuel purchased at the pump. At the end of each statement there was a credit for Federal
Excise Tax and Indiana Sales Tax along with a disclaimer stating we agreed not
to file for a refund due to the credit or lack of the fuel tax applied to our
bill.
Ordinance
01-01 an Ordinance to amend Chapter 315 Public Health Nuisances of the
Ellettsville Town Code:
David Drake read Ordinance 01-01 by the
above-mentioned title, therefore introducing the Ordinance.
Meeting
Dates for 2001:
The following meeting dates are changed due to
holidays:
May 28, 2001 meeting changed to May 29,2001
October 8, 2001 meeting changed to October 9, 2001
December 24, 2001 meeting changed to December 27,
2001
The regular meetings will be the second and forth
Monday of each month at 7:30 PM.
The Plan Commission will meet on the first Thursday
of each month at 7:00 PM.
The Board of Zoning Appeals will meet on demand.
Proclamation
for The Red Cross:
Jerry Pittsford read the Proclamation as follows:
WHEREAS, The Monroe County Chapter of
the American Red Cross has served
the Citizens of Ellettsville
with compassion and integrity since
inception in 1917,
and
WHEREAS, The American Red Cross
encourages and inspires individuals to
dedicate their time and resources toward
humanitarian service on a
local, national, and international level:
and
WHEREAS, Everyday, our local chapter
of the American Red Cross continues to
teach our citizens emergency prevention and
preparedness, aid them
in times of crisis, provide them with
transportation to vital medical
appointments, and maintain a safe blood
supply; and
NOW, THEREFORE, The Ellettsville Town
Council, Ellettsville, Indiana does
AMERICAN RED CROSS MONTH
and to urge all our citizens
to continue their generous support of
our local Monroe County Chapter.
Mike Cornman made the motion to approve the
proclamation for the American Red Cross.
Geraldine McIntyre seconded.
Motion carried.
West State
Road 46 Corridor Study:
Mr. Cullen McCarty, President of The Ellettsville
Area Economic Development Corporation requested the support of the Council to
do a State Road 46 corridor study west of Ellettsville. The committee recognizes the potential for
tax revenue in this area. Mr. McCarty
met with the Monroe County Commissioners and received positive feed back in
regards to the study. He has also met
with the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation and their Product
Development Committee regarding the corridor study on North 37 last year. A letter of intent has been sent to the
Department of Commerce for a committee planning fund grant up to a maximun
amount of $10,000.00. The goal of this
plan is to identify employment centers for the area west of Ellettsville. The proposal is from the Strategic
Development Group in Bloomington. The SDG worked with EAEDC in the past on the
NW Monroe County Planning Grant. There
are a number of funding resources available from the county and the state. The projected cost is $17,775 for the entire
study; it is a three-month process.
Copies of the proposal are available, which outlines everything in
detail, it would allow for the creation of a steering committee made up of
members from Ellettsville and the county to put together a plan of how we want
to shape this area. It is not in direct
jurisdiction of the town however; it is in the direct interest of the town. We
are here to ask if the Town of Ellettsville would like to participate in this
corridor study. The proposal has been given to Bill Land, he feels it is very
complimentary to what the comprehensive plan task force is doing in the Town of
Ellettsville, and Kevin Farris is also familiar with the plan and feels the
same way. We are all on the same
page. With the impending opening of the
Ellettsville Elementary Schools opening in the fall of next year, when new
schools are built, houses follow. That
area is close to the industrial over lay, we would like to see a mixture of
residential and a lot of industrial employment centers in this area, to bring
and keep quality jobs here. As
mentioned in the proposal we are working with the Owen County Commissioners, we
would like to follow through with a four-lane highway to the county line. The Strategic Development Group is a company
based in Bloomington that works with Municipalities and Economic Development
Corporations through out the region, they sponsor projects like this through
out southern and central Indiana and rural areas where funding resources are
not available to do planning. The plan
also encompasses things such as infrastructure and effects of future highways
like I-69. Mr. Mc Carty requested an official commitment from the Town of
Ellettsville.
Mike Cornman stated this
is important for the Town. We should
consider it is not always the town
limits, it is the utility jurisdiction that we must be concerned about. It is also an area that will be annexed in
the years to come and we need to have some direction as to what it will be. It
is important that the council members support this, we are in control and we
need to maintain control as well as provide direction for the growth of the
area, especially west of Ellettsville. We should be the principal partners. Mike strongly recommends the Council be in
favor of this.
David Sorokoty agrees with Mike. This area will affect Ellettsville proper. Our citizens could work in the area if it is developed. We need as many studies as possible of I-69 going through the area. It would also be a benefit to us in our future planning.
Geraldine McIntyre said this is the area of the county designated for industrial growth and if we do not do this now we will be sorry later.
David Drake agrees we should be involved with the industrial possibilities between Ellettsville and Spencer for the next 20 years. If we don’t start planning for it now we are going to be behind.
Jerry Pittsford appointed Mike Cornman as the liaison to Ellettsville Economic Development on the Corridor Study. Mike has history with this part of the county and what is going on there.
Minutes and
Claims:
Geraldine McIntyre moved to accept the minutes and claims. David Sorokoty seconded. Motion carried.
Supervisors
Jeff Farmer thanked the Police reserves for their
presence at the High School basketball games.
They do an excellent job of keeping things under control.
Mike Farmer informed the Council they are gearing up
for the next phase of Highway 46. All
of the utilities attended a meeting at Smithville Telephone. If all goes well the utility crews could
start working in 6 to 8 weeks. We need
to get our equipment in order to complete the project. We will be putting in water, sewer, and
underground cables for Cinergy, Insight, and possibly even Smithville
Telephone. We need to purchase a tamper
to insure the excavation goes back into the trench properly per INDOT
specs. The cost will be approximately
$2,350. We will also need to purchase
an air compressor for boring, pipefitting and various other things. We have one now but we need two to equip
both crews. A new one cost $10,000 to
$15,000. A local vender is willing to
sell one in their rental fleet for $5,200.
We have used it in the past and it is in good condition. The crews will also need a track hoe. We have a couple of backhoes in our fleet
that we used in the construction of the last phase and day-to-day
operations. For the big pipe installations
we have been using an excavator, which we rented. The next phase will be taking at least two years. If we rent the equipment it will be $6,000
per month rental. The rental increases
to over $10,000 per month if it is big enough to break rock. We need to have access to an excavator all
the time. We need to be prepared to break
rock. We will be responsible for
opening all trenches. Based on the
rental fees and the length of time needed per year we believe a lease purchase
option would be the best choice. The
cost will be $130,000 plus for an excavator.
If the project would go over two years or if we would have another
project to complete we may take the option to purchase the equipment. A cost analysis shows the equipment, after a
2-year lease, will be worth as much or more than we will pay for it with
ballooning. If the project is over
and is clean and we decide to
relinquish control of it we will just pay the lease on it. A twelve-month lease would cost the same as
six-month rental. Mike requested
permission to obtain bids or quotes as directed after discussing the requirements
with Mike Spencer. He also would like
permission to purchase the tamper and air compressor. He added the lease purchase for the excavator would fall under
the rental agreement with the project.
There are monies allocated so some of the lease agreement payment will
come out of the rental reimbursement.
This purchase will not put any burden on the operating account.
Jerry Pittsford stated he would entertain a motion
to purchase a tamper and air compressor.
Geraldine McIntyre replied so moved.
David Drake seconded. Motion
carried.
Responding to a question Mike Farmer said the
equipment had been budgeted prior to the negotiations to do our own
installations from capital improvements for Highway 46.
There was more discussion on the need for a tamper
that would hook onto a backhoe to allow speedier trenching on installations.
Mike Cornman made the motion to investigate the
possible lease purchase for a track hoe.
David Drake seconded. Motion
carried.
Mike Farmer added the Indiana Department of
Transportation has very specific guidelines on tamping excavation to insure
there will be no cave ins when the project is complete.
Ron McGlocklin
Ron said Officer Bohall and Officer Mobley would be
going to Breathalyzer school at the Plainfield Academy on January 24th
and 25th. Indiana Department
of Toxicology is providing the training.
Ron read the following presentation:
On January 11, 2001 at approximately 1:10AM, Officer
Alva Bohall EV6, while on duty for the Town of Ellettsville, heard radio
traffic dispatching county officers to 1934 Ridgeway Drive in reference to a
female having been shot by her husband.
Officer Bohall, although on duty without backup, responded to the scene
in an effort to prevent further injury and/or loss of life. Upon officer Bohall’s arrival he ordered
suspect out at gunpoint and held same for Sheriff’s Deputies. It was later determined that the suspect had
shot his wife two times, once inside the marital residence and fired at her
twice at a neighbor’s residence. Striking her once. The two firearms were later recovered outside the residence. The victim survived her injuries. The suspect was arrested and booked on
charges of attempted murder.
Officer Bohall began his career with the
Ellettsville police Department as an unpaid Reserve officer in January
1996. He was hired as a part-time
officer in June 1997. Officer Bohall
was then hired as a full-time officer for the Town of Ellettsville in January
1998. In the year 2000, he received the
officer of the year Award from the Ellettsville Exchange Club.
Due to the aforementioned incident and officer
Bohall’s selfless devotion to protect and serve, The Ellettsville Police
Department proudly awards this 22nd day of January 2001 a medal for
Meritorious Service to Officer Alva L. Bohall.
The audience and council acknowledged the award with
a round of applause and Jerry Pittsford added the town also commends Officer
Bohall for his heroic intervention. His
heroic actions were reflected not only in his devotion to his duty but also in
the wisdom of his approach. Officer
Bohall was alone when he responded to this call. This was a good opportunity for a young officer to make a big
mistake. He didn't do that. We can be proud of both his bravery and his
wisdom in his approach to the situation.
We do appreciate the fact that he approached it wisely so we could give
this to him instead of his wife. Thank
You
David Sorokoty
David reported he attended a meeting at the Monroe
County Public Library where they voted on the agreement to start broadcasting
the Ellettsville Town Meetings on Bloomington Access Television. The contract will be from July through
December of this year. The money has
been budgeted for the contract. The
approval was unanimous. The contract will
be forwarded to the Town Council for approval.
David also said as Health Officer he has responded
to 100 of 120 complaints. He thanked
David Drake for his contribution on revising town code concerning the
maintaining of refuse.
Jerry
Pittsford
Jerry Pittsford gave a State of the Town Address by
saying we pay our bills. We pay them on
time. With money we planned to
use. We managed to give acceptable pay
increases to our employees within the confines of our budgetary increase. We are meeting the needs of the citizens of
Ellettsville through all our departments as they grow every year. Ellettsville is a town that is growing
economically, by population and area.
There are so many things going on that we do well to watch our
finances. Most of us know it is the
time of growth when you can get into the most trouble with your finances. The Council itself is starting to
solidify. The town is being served by
five people who are giving a lot of attention to the service of this town. Who are very much concerned about positive
growth and the positive image of this town.
We are able to enjoy the services of a fine Police Department, with
members like Alva Bohall whom we recognized this evening. We rest secure in our Fire Department as it
continues to update and improve its equipment, as have our other
departments. We have planned for those
improvements, many of which were planned before I was on the board. We will continue to make plans so we can
grow smartly. Ellettsville is doing
well. God willing we will continue to
do well as long as we grow cautiously but certainly because grow we must. We are fortunate to have the services of
many volunteer organizations developing the growth of Ellettsville, The Ellettsville
Main Street Committee, The Ellettsville Area Economic Development Commission,
The Chamber of Commerce, and The Exchange Club, all these bodies encouraging
and anticipating the growth of Ellettsville.
We are blessed to have them.
Yes, Ellettsville is fine, thanks for asking.
David Sorokoty moved to adjourn. Geraldine McIntyre seconded. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 PM.
________________________________ _____________________________
Jerry Pittsford, President David Sorokoty, Vice President
________________________________ _____________________________
Mike Cornman David Drake
________________________________ _____________________________
Geraldine McIntyre Sandra C. Hash, Clerk-Treasurer