Town of Osgood Minutes

Regular Meeting
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
7:00 P.M.

Present at the meeting were Tammy Wilhoit, Steve Wilhoit, Norman Kappes, Toby Church, Arlene Knudson, Shawn Negangard, Eric Roush, Jerry Burton, John Ertel, DeDee Holliday, Tony Wood, Charlie Swinney, and Carl Moore.

Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call - Holley Rose was not present.

Motion was made to waive the reading and adopt the pre-read minutes. DeDee 1^st, Norman 2^nd

2 - ayes

John Ertel did the introduction and 1^st reading of Ordinance 2016-7, An Ordinance Amending and Establishing Rates and Charges for Customers of the Town of Osgood Water Utility. Holton Water Corporation has ceased to purchase water from the Town’s utility, which has impacted the rate structure for the residents and wholesale customers of the Town of Osgood. Present rates per Ordinance 2010-4, and Interim rates and charges include a 22% increase over present rates and charges.

Old Business:

Trailer at Fairview Village - John Ertel has spoken with Rick Johnson and he has stated that it is his trailer and that he has been working on gutting the inside. He will continue working on it and hopes to be finished by December 20^th, if it’s not completed Council will pursue enforcement.

223 N. Elm Street - sold on a tax sale. John Ertel will obtain the information of the purchaser and will pursue further with current owners and purchaser.

206 N. Elm Street - the owners paid enough on the taxes to keep it off the sale. John Ertel will proceed with paperwork.

Claims for the S. Buckeye Street Sidewalk, Drainage, and Lighting Project were presented:

Change Order #1 - final unit price quantity adjustment for the completed project, results in a decrease of $7,367.28 to the total contract price.

Johannigman Excavating partial pay estimate #4 - release of retainage for $10,526.94.

Commonwealth Engineers - Residential Project Representative and Construction/Commissioning for services through September 30^th - $9,737.08.

Motion to approve Change Order #1, Johannigman claim, and Commonwealth claim. DeDee 1^st, Norman 2^nd

2 - ayes

Commonwealth Engineers - Toby Church was present and stated that the Emergency Response Plan for the Water Department has been completed and they are still working on other documents for the Water Project. The Preliminary Engineers report is under final review. Everything is moving along well to get the chemical savings. For the Stormwater grant, the 1^st round funding ran out, we are now on the list for the 2^nd round. Its $38,750 for the preliminary engineering report, $25,000 from USDA, $6,875 from the Reynolds Foundation, and $6,875 from the Town. Toby is requesting Council to sign the agreement to apply for the grant from USDA. The funds will not be needed from the Town or the Reynolds Foundation until the USDA grant has been approved. For the next sidewalk project, there were requirements that the Town had to meet to go after state and federal funding. A road inventory had to be completed, the Town must adopt procedures for ADA compliance, and someone had to be certified ERC Coordinator. Steve Wilhoit has already completed and passed the ERC course through INDOT University. We are currently looking at an INDOT 50/50 Grant to look at ADA issues and roads. Amanda from Commonwealth has submitted a letter of commitment to INDOT and is preparing the application for the grant. The Reynolds Foundation has also been contacting for matching funds.

Motion was made to approve the updated Personnel Policy and Procedural Manual that was prepared by HR Unlimited Resources. DeDee 1^st, Norman 2^nd

2 - ayes

The Town will be accepting applications until November 17^th for the Deputy Clerk-Treasurer / Utilities Clerk Position. This is a full time position with 33.5 hours a week and benefits.

Motion was made to hire William Wallace for the Police Department position. DeDee 1^st, Norman 2^nd

2 - ayes

Street Department - Steve Wilhoit stated we are still receiving complaints on 226 N Elm that had been burnt. He asked John Ertel if that house has to set another year before something is done. John stated that it doesn’t stop or prevent the current owners from being responsible. He will also notify the person who purchased on tax sale, so they are aware of what is going on. Still looking at 206 N. Elm and the condemnation from the County and what can be done.

Sewer Department - Tony Wood stated they are closing out 2016, it’s been a good year. They have had no violations on their permit and compliance schedule is current. The fertilizer is out and they are on budget. He has submitted a grant for an AED at the Town Hall to the Ripley County Community Foundation and after some research has discovered that there had probably been around 10,000 people who have come through the Town Hall. Toby Church stated that Commonwealth would like to contribute toward the purchase as well.

Police Department - Eric Roush wanted to thank Council for the long tough process of hiring a new police officer, but feels it was the best process. He is still working with the Spillman Program and trying to get the report to Council more user friendly. He reported that there are some scams that are going around and he wants the public to be aware: a resident received a letter and check from Continental Bank of an Official Reward Notice, Duke Energy has someone calling threatening to shut off service if they don’t pay with credit card over the phone, and Humana is calling wanting to update prescriptions for $50. If anyone receives these they should refer them to the Attorney General’s Office and fill out a complaint form.

Fire Department - Shawn Negangard stated they will be at the stoplight on December 17^th and Santa will be at the Firehouse on December 19^th. He gave the monthly statistical report: 1 mutual aid, 2 fires, 15 first response, and 1 landing zone.

Jerry Burton was present wanted to discuss his water usage from May through November 2016. He had new renters move in in June and the water usage increased. The Water Department had been there several times checking for leaks and none were found. He believed the meter was bad, so he requested it be changed out. He is questioning if the meter was faulty. As explained by Town employees and the engineer, the meters don’t speed up, they slow down and stop registering, which is good for the customer and bad for the Town. Mr. Burton requested the meter to be sent off and tested for accuracy. Council assured him that they would have the meter sent to a qualified tester.

Charlie Swinney was present stating his concern for the house that was burnt on N. Elm and the attention that is needed. He has purchased some property around him trying to get things cleaned up. He is glad to see that N. Elm is being worked on. He also wanted to thank the Town for the dirt.

Carl Moore was present and was requesting to be at the stoplight on December 3^rd for the Salvation Army. The only funds they have available are the funds they receive from the kettles. These funds are used to assist people on a weekly basis, it helps with electric bills, groceries, and gas. The checks are made out to the vendors, not the individual person.

DeDee Holliday wanted to congratulate David Bultman on winning the election for the Town Council position.

Claims signed

Meeting adjourned

Osgood Town Hall	Osgood Street Utilities	Osgood Water Plant	Ripley Co. Sheriff
Monday - Friday	Monday - Friday		24/7/365
8:30 am - 12:00 pm	7:30 am - 11:30 am	812-689-4324	Emergencies - 911
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm	12:00 pm - 4:00 pm		Non Emergencies:
812-689-4240	812-689-3839		812-689-5555
After 4 PM Leave Message	After 4 PM Leave Message		Street Department will be Dispatched Out

Osgood Utilities can now be reached 24-7-365, after hours and weekends for gas leaks, water leaks, sewer backups, etc. Simply call 812-689-0178 for a live dispatcher to get the service you need.