Council Meeting - July 21, 2026

Attendance and Call to Order

Regular meeting, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 5:00 p.m.

Present at the meeting were Tammy Wilhoit, Chris Kuhn, Holley Rose, Bill Roberts, Lynn Fledderman, Jeff French, Sue French, Jessica Beach, Owen Menchhofer, Steven Gimmer, Jim Busteed, Michael Norman, Brian Wood, Susan Black, Ron Greco, Stephanie Narwold, Erin Thomas, Alex Wilhelm, and John Newhart.

Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call: all present.

Approval of Minutes

Motion to waive the reading and adopt the pre-read minutes. Holley 1st, Bill 2nd. 3 ayes.

Lifetime Resources Funding Request

Erin with Lifetime Resources gave a presentation and requested funding from our 2027 budget.

Motion to approve Lifetime Resource's request for $1,500. Holley 1st, Bill 2nd. 3 ayes.

Commonwealth Engineers Project Update Memo

2025 CCMG Project

The 2025 CCMG project is complete. All invoices have been submitted to Osgood.

CCMG close out efforts are underway including the completion of forms required by INDOT.

Motion to approve Commonwealth's claim of $24,251.44 for Survey/Data Collection, Construction Engineering, and RPR. Bill 1st, Holley 2nd. 3 ayes.

2026 CCMG Project

Work continues with the 2026 CCMG project focusing on the northern portion of the project (Maple Street, Cherry Street, and Beech Street). Most of the storm piping is complete for these streets. Concrete work is progressing with more sidewalks and curb and gutter placed.

This project is scheduled to be completed by Labor Day.

Motion to approve Dave O'Mara Contractor's pay app #1 for $325,643.53 with $36,182.61 to retainage. Bill 1st, Holley 2nd. 3 ayes.

Motion to approve Commonwealth's claim of $28,330.18 for Construction Engineering and RPR. Holley 1st, Bill 2nd. 3 ayes.

Motion to approve Lee Supply Corp's claim of $39,243.75 for 13 12-foot street light poles. Holley 1st, Bill 2nd. 3 ayes.

2027 CCMG Project

Preliminary Design for the project has begun.

The 2027 project will include the following streets:

• Sycamore St (from Cherry St to Railroad Ave), 1,665 LF
• Cherry St (from Sycamore St to Maple St), 315 LF
• Beech St (from Sycamore St to Maple St), 325 LF
• Cravens St (from Sycamore St to Maple St), 330 LF
• Western Ave (from Sycamore St to Maple St), 330 LF
• Railroad Ave (from Sycamore St to Maple St), 450 LF

Wastewater Utility Preliminary Engineering Report and Asset Management Plan

The PER has been submitted to SRF and placed on the Draft Project Priority List for funding consideration. We have obtained the SRF Scoring Sheet and will be reviewing it for any additional points that can be added to the project score for better funding package consideration.

CEI is meeting with the Town on July 21st to discuss project options and various financial scenarios.

Water Loss Audit

Commonwealth has completed the Osgood Water Utility Water Loss Audit for 2025 data and Validation was shared with the Town on 7/2/26. A meeting to review the findings will be scheduled with the Town. This will need to be validated every two years.

Water Improvements and Lead Service Line Projects

Construction has begun on both water projects. Construction progress in the past 30 days is as follows:

• Potholing of service lines has begun to confirm service line materials prior to replacement
• Galvanized service lines have begun being replaced throughout town. 9 lines have been replaced.
• Hydrants and valves have been continued to be replaced throughout town
• Filter media has been replaced in the first filter tank
• The north clarifier has been rehabilitated and is back online

Expected to begin the coming weeks:

• Filter media replacement in filter #2
• South clarifier rehabilitation and cleaning

Cortney Smith is now the RPR for both water projects. Her resume has been shared with the Town.

The emergency repair on US 421 was completed on June 29th. The final cost has been submitted via Procore and will be included on a future change order.

Toric Engineering met with CEI and the Town on July 9th to discuss coordination for the instrumentation and controls of the WTP project.

At the May construction meeting, Commonwealth and the Contractor were provided with an updated list of work performed by the Town which significantly reduces conflicts with the scope of work as awarded to Holman. Commonwealth is continuing to verify work performed and addresses to be added into the project or removed from the project. We would like to have a meeting with the Contractor and the Town to discuss the implications of this reduced scope to the project.

The next construction meeting for this project has been scheduled for July 22nd at the Town Hall at 9:00 a.m.

Items to present:

• PPA #1 (for WTP project). Payment to Contractor: $296,947.00. Payment to Retainage: $9,184.00.
• PPA #2 (for LSL project). Payment to Contractor: $179,739.00. Payment to Retainage: $5,214.00.

Motion to approve Holman's Pay App #1 and Pay App #2. Holley 1st, Bill 2nd. 3 ayes.

Motion to approve Commonwealth Engineers claim of $4,928.00 for Construction and Commissioning, Legal/Financial Assistance, and BABA Compliance on the Water Utility Improvements Project. Bill 1st, Holley 2nd. 3 ayes.

Motion to approve Commonwealth Engineers claim of $16,010.92 for Construction and Commissioning, RPR, Regulatory Assistance, Legal/Financial Assistance, Field Investigation/Survey, and Service Line Evaluation on the LSLR Project. Holley 1st, Bill 2nd. 3 ayes.

Project Expenditure Tracking

Note: Table updated through IFA Disbursement form #11.

Interlocal Agreement, Area Plan Commission Executive Director Salary

Lynn Fledderman discussed the Interlocal Agreement for Contribution to Salary for Area Plan Commission Executive Director, between:

• Ripley County Council
• Board of Commissioners of Ripley County, Indiana
• Town of Holton, Indiana ($887)
• Town of Milan, Indiana ($3,809)
• Town of Napoleon, Indiana ($495)
• Town of Osgood, Indiana ($3,317)
• Town of Sunman, Indiana ($1,940)
• Town of Versailles, Indiana ($4,553)

Motion to ratify retroactive to July 20, 2026 and approve the Interlocal Agreement. Holley 1st, Bill 2nd. 3 ayes.

Area Plan Commission Rezoning Recommendations

The Ripley County Area Plan Commission offers you the following reports on the applications of:

Ordinance 2026-8, Shawn and Molly Negangard, 150 E Beech

Shawn/Molly Negangard, 150 E Beech, rezone from I-1 Enclosed Industrial to GB General Business. The Commission's recommendation of the petition of the applicant is Favorable (Vote 7-0).

Motion to adopt Ordinance 2026-8: Amending the unified zoning ordinance of Ripley County. Holley 1st, Bill 2nd. 3 ayes.

Ordinance 2026-9, David Mullikin, 930 S Buckeye

David Mullikin, 930 S Buckeye, rezone from LB Local Business to GB General Business. The Commission's recommendation on the petition of the applicant is Favorable (Vote 7-0).

Motion to adopt Ordinance 2026-9: Amending the unified zoning ordinance of Ripley County. Bill 1st, Holley 2nd. 3 ayes.

Appointments

Redevelopment Commission

Three (3) are appointed by the Town Council President:

• Chris Kuhn
• Holley Rose
• Bill Roberts

Two (2) are appointed by the Town Council:

• Mike Hughes
• Jason L. Hughes

School Board non-voting member: Debbie Roberts.

Motion to approve the appointments for the Town's Redevelopment Commission. Bill 1st, Holley 2nd. 3 ayes.

Economic Development Commission

Two (2) are appointed by the Town Council President:

• Dustin Payne
• Dalton Garnett

One (1) is appointed by the County Council. Council would like to submit Gary Norman's name for County Council appointment.

Motion to approve the appointments for the Osgood Economic Development Commission. Bill 1st, Holley 2nd. 3 ayes.

Personnel

Motion to hire Eric Amy for the Deputy Marshal position. Holley 1st, Bill 2nd. 3 ayes.

Department Reports

Police Department

Alex Wilhelm turned in monthly schedule and report before the meeting. He also informed Council that he addressed the issue with Hometown Auto parking on sidewalk.

Eric Amy will start the first Monday of August.

Proposed Zoning Ordinance Revisions

Public Comment

Council opened the floor for public comment regarding the proposed zoning ordinance revisions currently under consideration by the Area Plan Commission.

Sue French presented research expressing concerns that first-floor commercial restrictions could negatively impact property values, investment, and downtown occupancy. She encouraged the Council to conduct additional research and consider the experiences of other communities before adopting the proposed changes.

Jim Busteed expressed concerns regarding private property rights, potential financial impacts to property owners, and the overall direction of the proposed ordinance. Council President Chris Kuhn explained that the ordinance remains under review and has already been revised based on public input, including the removal of the proposed deed restrictions.

Owen Menchhofer expressed concerns regarding economic growth, private property rights, and the public notification process while voicing opposition to additional zoning restrictions.

Jessica Beach expressed concerns regarding the proposed vacancy timeline, future enforcement of the ordinance, and the overall review process. Council members discussed recent revisions to the proposal and explained that additional modifications remain under consideration based on comments received during the public review process.

Steve Gimmer expressed concerns regarding private property rights, government regulation, and the potential impact the proposed ordinance could have on future commercial investment within the Town.

Ron Greco stated that uncertainty surrounding the proposed ordinance has affected his decision regarding future investment in his Osgood property and encouraged the Council to carefully consider the impact of its final decision.

Brian Wood expressed concerns regarding the economic impact of the proposed ordinance on commercial property owners and future redevelopment opportunities. Questions were also raised regarding the role of the Area Plan Commission and administration of the proposed ordinance.

Council Discussion

Council members reiterated that the proposed ordinance remains a working document and that revisions have already been made in response to public feedback. It was explained that additional modifications may be considered before any final action is taken and that each participating community may ultimately adopt an ordinance tailored to its individual needs.

Conclusion

Council thanked those in attendance for their comments and stated that all public input would be taken into consideration as the ordinance review process continues.

Adjournment and Executive Session

Motion was made to adjourn the public meeting to go into an executive session. Bill 1st, Holley 2nd. 3 ayes.

Claims were signed.

Grant Agreement 26-611 with Reynolds Foundation was signed.

Executive Session immediately followed. RE: IC 5-14-1.5-6 (b) (4).

Signatures

Clerk-Treasurer

President

Member

Member