September 27, 2010
The
Ellettsville, Indiana,
Roll Call: Members
present were Phillip Smith, President; Dianna Bastin;
Approval of Minutes
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion for the approval of the minutes for the Regular Meeting
on September 13, 2010. Dianna Bastin so moved. David Drake seconded. Roll Call Vote: Phillip Smith – yes; Dianna Bastin – yes;
Accounts Payable Vouchers
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion for action to pay Accounts Payable Vouchers. Dianna Bastin so moved. David Drake seconded. Roll Call Vote: Phillip Smith – yes; Dianna Bastin – yes;
David Drake – yes; Dan Swafford – yes.
Motion carried 4-0.
Final Adoption of the 2011 Budget
Phillip
Smith confirmed everyone had reviewed the 2011 budget.
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to adopt the 2011 budget. Dianna Bastin so moved. David Drake seconded. Roll Call Vote: Phillip Smith – yes; Dianna Bastin – yes;
David Drake – yes; Dan Swafford – no.
Motion carried 3-1.
Presentation of Certificate –
Jim
Arnold read the Certificate on behalf of the National Society of the Sons of
the American Revolution. The Certificate
of Commendation was presented to the Town of
Resolutions
Resolution 09-10 Petition to Appeal for
an Increase to the Maximum Levy
Dan
Swafford commented he feels it is the wrong time to request the levy. He explained the Town is going through
growing pains. However, he understands the difficult times people are
experiencing. The levy increase would
make almost a .02% tax increase and he thinks this is an inappropriate time to
increase the maximum levy.
David
Drake explained every time the Town doesn’t appeal an increase to the maximum
levy we lose out the next time.
Therefore, the Town cannot afford not to do the appeal. It’s not as if the Town is taking extra money
it is not entitled to. The State put the
process in place for a reason, and since the Town qualifies for the appeal, it
is something that should be done.
Dianna
Bastin asked what the actual cost would be to the individual tax payer. Sandra Hash responded it is a .04% increase
in the tax rate.
Phillip
Smith asked if other appeals had resulted in such a significant increase. Sandra Hash responded the Town has asked for
$60,000 each time. In the calculation, the
growth has to be over 6% to qualify for the levy appeal. The Town has a 6.79% increase. This may be the Town’s last year to qualify
for the levy appeal. Last year, the Town
was over 10% growth.
Ed Bitner agrees with Dan Swafford’s comments regarding the
levy appeal and disagrees with David Drake’s comments. Mr. Bitner believes no matter what the
increase is, eventually it does come back to the tax payers. He asked the Council members to take the
economy in consideration.
David
Drake responded people still want the services their tax dollars pay for and
the money has to come from somewhere.
Phillip
Smith further explained because of the Town’s growth, it actually lowers the
tax rate and, therefore, will not result in a complete tax increase.
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to approve Resolution 09-10 Petition to Appeal for
an Increase to the Maximum Levy. Dianna
Bastin so moved. David Drake
seconded. Roll Call Vote: Phillip Smith – yes; Dianna Bastin – yes;
David Drake – yes; Dan Swafford – no.
Motion carried 3-1.
Ordinances on Second
Ordinance 10-13 to add a new section to
Chapter 93 to the
Jim Ragle, Street Department – explained the Ordinance has been reviewed and a few
changes have been made.
Dianna
Bastin asked if the scheduled dates are the first Monday and Tuesday of the
month. Mr. Ragle responded they are on
the first full week of the month. Ms.
Bastin commented she liked that leaf pickup is October through November.
Dan
Swafford commented on the Town not doing the Christmas tree and wreath
pickup. There are other organizations
who will pick up the trees and dispose of them.
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to adopt Ordinance 10-13 to add a new section to
Chapter 93 to the Ellettsville Town Code concerning Leaf, Tree and Brush
Removal. Dianna Bastin so moved. David Drake seconded. Roll Call Vote: Phillip Smith – yes; Dianna Bastin – yes;
David Drake – yes; Dan Swafford – Yes.
Motion carried 4-0.
Old Business
GRW Proposal for Sanitary Sewer
Evaluation Survey
Darla Brown, Town Attorney – Two Town Council meetings ago, the Council voted on
the proposal submitted by GRW. The
Council voted to approve and retain GRW to do an initial review pursuant to their
proposal. Ms. Brown suggested the
Council now vote on the second half of the proposal which is the sanitary sewer
evaluation survey.
Dan
Swafford advised the Council spoke with the President of Eastern Richland Sewer
Corporation who wants to partner with the Town.
The Council was to have a meeting with the President of Eastern Richland
Sewer Corporation which has not yet taken place. Mr. Swafford made a motion to table this
matter for two weeks so he can meet with Eastern Richland Sewer Corporation. The motion died for lack of a second.
Mike Farmer, Ellettsville Utilities – is uncertain as to the purpose of meeting with Eastern
Richland Sewer Corporation. Mr. Farmer
questioned what a meeting will accomplish and how could it be productive to
share information which the Town and Eastern might use against each other in
court at a future date. The intentions
of Eastern and Northern are to merge and they are now officially on the IURC
docket. Dan Swafford explained Eastern Richland Sewer Corporation would split
the cost and a meeting was to be scheduled to discuss the same. Phillip Smith explained the Town is going to
do the survey and suggested we get the survey started and then we can share the
information with Eastern. Mr. Farmer
explained we cannot televise the system now and get good data due to the dry
weather. Dan Swafford would like for all
parties to know and understand why the Town is proceeding so there will be no
legal ramifications. Mr. Farmer
responded the decision was already made to bring
Further,
Eastern Richland Sewer Corporation has the ability to conduct their own study
and then the Town can compare notes.
David Drake stated he will follow the advice of the Town Attorney and
the information could be shared with Eastern Richland Sewer Corporation at a
later time. Darla Brown, Town Attorney, explained the first part of the survey
is an initial review of the Town’s records.
The sanitary sewer evaluation survey is actually where various segments
are televised and they come to an opinion as to what it is going to take to
repair certain portions of
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to approve the GRW Proposal for Sanitary Sewer
Evaluation Survey, Part II. Dianna
Bastin so moved. Phillip Smith seconded. Roll Call Vote: Phillip Smith – yes; Dianna Bastin – yes;
David Drake – yes; Dan Swafford – no.
Motion carried 3-1.
New Business
Dianna
Bastin does not want to send an employee to the premises not knowing whether or
not there is asbestos present. Before
the Town agrees to spend this money, this is not one continuous piece of
property. Ms. Griffin stated there is a
small parcel located in between the town parking lot and the property. Ms. Bastin is not interested in purchasing
this property.
Darla Brown, Town Attorney – has reviewed the contract and the scope of the
project is very limited and they are not agreeing to remove anything at this
time. Ms. Griffin responded this is
correct, the contract is for an inspection only. Ms. Brown had previously forwarded copies of
the Administrative Code to the Council which discusses the Town’s obligations
if it purchases a property and if there is going to be a demolition it has to
test for asbestos.
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to have an asbestos inspection at
Agreement between the Town of
Jim Davis, Fire Chief – explained this is an annual agreement between the
Town and
Ed Bitner inquired as to how many runs the ambulance made in
2010. Chief Davis responded it made
between 150 and 200 runs.
Dan
Swafford commented
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to approve the Agreement between the Town of
Agreement between the Town of
Phillip
Smith confirmed Council members had reviewed the Agreement with Darla Brown for
legal services.
Dianna
Bastin thanked Darla Brown for her services and commented she has learned a
lot.
Dan
Swafford thanked Darla Brown for a great job.
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to approve the agreement between the Town of
Agreement between the Town of
Ellettsville and Northern Richland Sewer Corporation concerning the cost of
billing and collection
Darla Brown, Town Attorney – it is her understanding that Ms. Elkins from
Northern Richland Sewer Corporation brought a contract to the Clerk’s office
for signature. This is the second
contract titled “Amendment to Sewage Treatment Purchase Contract” drafted by
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to table the Agreement between the Northern Richland
Sewer Corporation concerning the cost of billing and collection. Dianna Bastin so moved. David Drake seconded. Roll Call Vote: Phillip Smith – yes; Dianna Bastin – yes;
David Drake – yes; Dan Swafford – yes.
Motion carried 4-0.
Supervisor Comments
Replacement of part-time employees –
Fire Department
Jim Davis, Fire Chief – last council meeting he explained the Fire
Department needed to replace part-time personnel. Interviews for replacements were conducted by
David Drake, Council Representative, both officers and firefighters. Five
people were chosen to move from volunteer status to part-time status and two
people were placed on a waiting list for one year. The volunteers who Chief Davis would like to move
from volunteer to part-time status are as follows:
·
Tyler Andis: Currently on the Fire Department and has
firefighter 1, firefighter 2 and first responder qualifications. He has been a volunteer with the Department
for one year and three months.
·
Charles Belden,
Jr.: Has been with Van Buren and White
River Township Fire Departments for two years.
He has firefighter 1, firefighter 2 and EMT qualifications.
·
Tania
Daffron: Has been employed by
Bloomington City Fire Department for eight years and eight months. Officer Daffron has worked for the
Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Service for 16 years. She has firefighter 1, firefighter 2,
paramedic and instructor qualifications.
·
Randy
Roudebush: Has been a Perry Clear Creek
Fire Fighter for thirteen years. Officer
Roudebush has firefighter 1 and paramedic qualifications.
·
Josh Tapp: Has been with the Van Buren Fire Department
for seven months. Officer Tapp has
firefighter 1, firefighter 2 and EMT qualifications.
Currently,
they are down to 15 part-time employees and they normally like to have 21
part-time employees. David Drake stated
moving the five individuals to part-time status does not result in a budget
increase. This allows the fire
department to do more efficient scheduling of its personnel. The Town is lucky they are able to find
experienced firefighters. Chief Davis
advised this is correct. Currently, they
are having a difficult time getting day time help. Dianna Bastin asked how many applications
they received. Chief Davis stated they
had received 14 or 15 applications. Dan
Swafford asked how many volunteers they try to keep at the Department. Chief Davis explained it is difficult to get
volunteers. One person is a part-time
employee who works four different jobs and has been with the Fire Department
for 13 years.
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to hire Tyler Andis, Charles Belden, Jr., Tania
Daffron, Randy Roudebush and Josh Tapp as part-time firefighters. David Drake so moved. Dianna Bastin seconded. Roll Call Vote: Phillip Smith – yes; Dianna Bastin – yes;
David Drake – yes; Dan Swafford – yes.
Motion carried 4-0.
Chief
Davis noted Mike Davis and Deanna Henry have been placed on a waiting list for
a period of one year should one or more of the five individuals previously
mentioned leave the Fire Department.
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to place Mike Davis and Deanna Henry on a waiting
list of one year for a part-time position.
David Drake so moved. Dianna
Bastin seconded. Roll Call Vote: Phillip Smith – yes; Dianna Bastin – yes;
David Drake – yes; Dan Swafford – yes.
Motion carried 4-0.
Planning Department Update -
Area 10 Rural Transit locations. Ms.
Griffin has two council members who have emailed suggestions or approval of the
two proposed Town locations. It was
suggested that the Transit locations be spread out to possibly include
Commercial annexations. Ms.
Griffin provided a worksheet which outlines the tax information for each of the
eleven commercial properties. Ms.
Griffin would like to meet with supervisors for the comments before providing a
draft of the letter to the property owners regarding annexation.
Lenzy Hayes. The
Planning Department has been conducting inspections. The health department does not enforce the
conditions of the homes which are occupied.
The State has unsafe building structure laws and she has been in contact
with the State Health Department and the City of Angola, who has been
successful in cleaning up their trailer parks and/or closing them. At this time, Lenzy Hayes is negligent in
their license because it has not been renewed since 2004. Ms. Griffin is requesting permission to
submit her case file on this property to the Town Attorney. Dan Swafford asked how often a permit has to
be renewed. Ms. Griffin stated a permit
is good for four years. Mr. Swafford
asked why Lenzy Hayes isn’t able to get their permit renewed. Ms. Griffin responded the State Board of
Health is understaffed and is backlogged.
At this time, there are code enforcement issues that the State is
working on such things as the trash. At
the local level, enforcement can be started in our jurisdiction. Phillip Smith stated perhaps the Hayes needed
to start enforcement with their renters.
Ms. Griffin stated the Hayes need to provide safe structures for
occupation. The Hayes have cleaned up a
lot of the trash since the last inspection. However, there are structures that
are unsafe. Dan Swafford asked if
enforcement will require a lot of time.
Darla Brown doesn’t think there will be a lot of hours but some time
will be necessary to draft the complaint.
Dan Swafford confirmed the owners have been informed of the code
violations.
Phillip
Smith entertained a motion to turn the code violations and enforcement at
Ellettsville Utilities Update by Jeff
Farmer
Ellettsville
Utilities are back in Richland Manor working and Mr. Farmer thanked the
residents for their patience.
Personally,
Mr. Farmer wanted to thank his employees for helping with the parade and the
Fall Festival. In addition, he
recognized the fire department and police department for their work during the
Fall Festival. Lastly, he thanked Jim
Ragle and his employees for also working at the Fall Festival. Mr. Farmer reminded people to volunteer for
the Fall Festival and that it reflects highly on our Town.
Sandra Hash, Clerk-Treasurer. A couple of
months ago, a group wanted to audit the Town’s telephone bills. Ms. Hash has looked at the telephone bills
and has found some savings. She was able
to reduce the web domain fee for the Clerk from $25 to $15 a month. In Planning, a dial up internet connection
and an off premises line was removed saving $31 a month. In the utilities billing office a dial up
internet connection and email were removed along with a $60 monthly charge on
the phone system. The telephone company
refunded $2,700 for the phone system.
The utilities billing office saved $82.95 a month. This results in a savings of $1,487
annually.
Council Comments
Dan Swafford was at the Fall Festival most of the time in the
commercial tent. It’s amazing to see
everyone, volunteers and Town people, to put on such an extravagant ordeal that
does bring pleasure and a lot of fun.
Thanks to Jim Ragle, Amber Ragle, Town Marshal Tony Bowlen, Chief Jim
Davis, Mike Farmer, Jeff Farmer, Sandy Hash and anyone he may have left out for
all of their hard work.
Phillip Smith has been asked to remind everyone about the bulky
item drop off days on October 8, 2010 and October 9, 2010, from 8:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. at the Fair Grounds. There are
two groups also collecting decent furniture.
Privilege of the Floor
Ed Bitner noticed Dan Swafford, as well as other Council
members, asking several questions and appreciated them doing so. He further commented it is the duty and a
responsibility of a Council member to find out all of the information they can
before making a decision. It is also a
duty and a responsibility to answer questions of the public. Mr. Bitner noted a lack of attendance for a
League of Women Voters’ forum. Dan
Swafford noted point of order as the meeting was not a political forum.
Adjournment
Dianna
Bastin made a motion to adjourn. Dan
Swafford seconded. Motion carried. Phillip Smith adjourned the meeting at 8:41
p.m.