Town Council - Regular Meeting

All right, bent over to the camera.

Okay, it is 6 o'clocking. Before we get started, I'd like to remind everyone that this meeting is being recorded and your participation is your consent to be recorded and broadcast on the town of Akran's YouTube channel. Roll call. Jeff Ser here. Rich Solano here. Tony Ramirez here. Pledge of Allegiance. All right, stand, please. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you.

We'll call the meeting to order. And first order of business is the minutes for the Aken Town Council regular meeting June 16th of 2025. We have a motion to approve the minutes as presented. So moved. Second. All in favor? I. Uh next is the Akran Council special meeting June 24th of 2025. Do I have a motion to accept the minutes as presented? So moved. I'll second it. All in favor? I

and uh under business we have an adjustment request from Mr. Hardy and you have the data log report in front of you on his consumption. Can you He was to be present here to make this request. So his absence would indicate he was not interested in I just drove by. There was about 40 goats out but I didn't see so I would just move along and if he would like to the next council meeting to this you could

we'll just uh go on then. Uh next is insurance discussion. I provided uh some email information that I had received from Creative Benefit Solutions. We're currently um a member of the Indiana Chamber and through that we had our health insurance. Um the chamber and Anthem did not come to an agreement on the renewal. So they're switching healthc care providers. So in turn right now, Becky and her team are working on obtaining quotes on the open market for our renewal. that's October 1st. So, I just wanted to bring that information to the council so they were aware um that not to worry. She's got us taken care of. So, I just know that that was a huge savings to us. So, just hope our premiums aren't

Are there other good options out there that he's investigating?

I assume so. I've not seen them. She just reassured me not to have panicked when we got the emails from chambering of them. Okay, thank you. Uh, next item is the welcome sign landscape quotes and we have one. First one is from Joe Dirt Landscaping. I think you're out of Wall Bash. And I guess my question here is they have a total of 145564. Is that per sign? That's per signing. But on that um is for mulch. On the email that I shared, I went back and asked him because the other quote was for putting rock around the base. And

so for Joe Dirt, it was $2,000 per sign for the landscaping with rock. You want to do mulch, they do mulch. And there's two quotes I did send out to a third um local and I never got a response back and they had over 30 days to respond with a quote if they were interested. So expensive per sign. Well, per sign. It doesn't surprise me. I mean I was in a $1,000 range

for each sign. wouldn't surprise me with materials and labor, but um you know the rock would be more attractive. It would last longer. Um definitely, you know, so it's it is more. Comparing apples to apples, the M&D lawn care would be less. Um, well, if you're comparing apples to apples and you put the stone, no, the stone is $2,000 per sign and they're addition, right? No, no. And it doesn't say No, it doesn't say in addition. The price for River Rock as opposed to mulch is going to be around $2,000 per sign.

All right. Okay. Um, so you know, one of my main concerns, well, now is just the time of year, you know, to try to put plants in the ground in August. Be pretty tough to keep them alive. Unless you guys have a way to water them, come up with a way to water them without blasting them out of the ground with your Um, so that was one concern. The other thing is just size of the plants, you know, and I kind of sent my ideas to you, Rebecca.

I ordered one, too. You know, he's quoted nine bark, which can grow 5 feet to 9 feet tall. You know, they just have to commit to trimming them manually because they would get big. I think the idea at least on some of that was trying to find something to mask just the plain back of the signage uh the tide all in on certain areas.

Yeah. Um, I don't I'm not a good landscaper, so I'd have to rely on um on all of you to come up with good solutions on is that is that our deal to come up with the plants or is that Joe Dirt's deal or whatever kind of landscaper you picked? And I'm sure in communication. Yeah, they supply all the plants. Okay. Whatever materials, you kind of know what

I'd be happy to talk to them. Um you know uh the the other visibility of course you know especially over by the part uh by the ACC where folks are concerned about that visibility. So anything on the east side would have to s be small. We don't want to put anything else there that would obstruct well. Uh and then the other one. Yeah. Thanks that much. Yes. Um and the other one with the one by Sonokco with the water project going on. Is the water new water line going to be going through that area?

It'll definitely be in that area. But if it's directly under it, is it are they boring that or are they digging? I think they're planning on open digging it. Well, that's another thing we need to find out for sure because I'd hate to spend two grand on flowers and stuff just to have it dug up next year. Even if we put it off and said, you know, let's do all the other signs except for this one, I'm sure he would agree to do that. So, five signs, we're talking about $10,000. Yeah. Somewhere in there. 10,000.

Okay. which which again that would surprise me, you know, to get the professional out here to do it right and make it look good. There's a lot of money invested already in the signs. So, you know, to finish them out, I mean, this was a plan and discussion before we even installed them that this was the final phase, too. So, yeah, I' I've had people, you know, ask when it's going to get done. You know, I I would I didn't know, but I'd like to see it done definitely before winter, but I'm not good to plants. I I don't know what's going to survive and what's not going to survive. I I don't know.

Well, we just need to be committed to watering, you know, especially to get it through this first season till September. It is hot. Is this something that we should pursue now or can we can we wait or do you want to pursue it now? I'm ready to move forward if you guys think this is reasonable and we have someplace from the budget to take it from needs to be done.

I noticed ND along with their estimate that you talked about maintenance at a certain set price. Is that something that we would look at with Joe Dirt also to come in once or twice a year and and do some upkeep to it? something. Did I read on here where it said it's that's up to us? I just know on the M and one it was not included in that. Yeah, I don't think Joe put it out there that we can we'll come back right $55 an hour. Yeah. To to do to maintain. Okay. At our convenience.

That's something we can look at in the future. You know, the first year might look okay. the second year, you probably need to think about the first year. But I mean, not speaking for both of us, but we're no landscaping experts. Well, I'm pretty sure I killed a few days. So, with it with it being a prominent area of the town and stuff, I think professional will be better suited to now the watering part. Yes. So it's something that we need to to to keep them watered to get them going till they you know their natural cycle or whatever you know. So what we need to do is find out what they would as far as maintenance what they would do. Sure. Come in and

I know a lot of them it's not a lot of flowers or anything. It's mostly original stuff coming back and right and so it's it's kind of a low maintenance type of stuff anyway. But Right. And if you use a stone then it'd be even less maintenance. Deal with moisture. So yeah, mulch is and that's a separate conversation too. It's something we can take up at another time. Okay. I mean we So as you read it, his his quote is 2,000 for stone. Okay, that makes more sense. And that's what we we want the stone. I would prefer stone.

I would I think they'll look at that. I mean in your pock mulch unless it's going to be that glued down stuff that's going to blow and it's you know let's do it right. Okay. You want to go and make a motion? Sure. Okay. All right. So, I'm going to make a motion that we go proceed with the landscaping for uh five welcome to Akran signs that we've installed uh from uh Joe Dirt Landscaping. Um it's $2,000 per signs five, that's $10,000 or somewhere in there.

Second that motion. All in favor? Hi

Justin, it's your turn. The answer important to you for the month of June. Um, fourth of July went really really well. Both the uh morning traffic and the evening traffic from the fireworks. Uh, we changed some things up a little bit. And uh that seemed to help with the flow. The only issue we had I think Jake going to bring up Yeah.

Um kind of the crowd barricade tape up and it's a joke every year um trying to keep people out of there especially when they're trying to do the fireworks. So, um Jake came up a good idea that I'm all and you team me.

Um getting ready to send out another round of ordinance letters this week. Everything's going pretty good well with the ordinance letters. I'm pleasantly surprised. Stop and talk to one young lady and she got her car moved before she even got a letter. So, um it's nice to see that most are at least making an attempt or contacting us and saying, "Hey, I have another week or or whatever." But, um and even the tall grass with the exception of of uh one property and their defense, they've been getting it mowed before it gets too bad. So, um all in all, everything's going fairly well. Um, I had someone talk to me today about two incidences with kids on bicycles. They're running on the sidewalks up town. People coming out of dillies and they almost got randled by two uh kids on bikes. Uh, our QBS driver about got taken out by two kids on bikes. And I knew at one time long time ago we had painted on the sidewalks. Um,

we've got a stencil. I need to get up there sometime with some high visibility paint and get that done in the evening. But yeah, we can do that. I did it once before and over the years it's just stay on top of it. Yeah. I just wanted you to be aware of that that and I did see some people riding Saturday. A lady and her sons were riding on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Normally if I see them, I'll tell them to get off and on to the uh roadway, but there again I'm not. Okay, just so you're aware of it. Yep. Yep. We can get that done. Okay. Anything else?

That's all I got. You guys have anything? So, all right. Thanks, Justin. Thank you,

Jake. Uh you should also have my report in front of you. Um it's a pretty bland one. Um, the major things are I didn't even put on here, but we meet with the engineer regarding the air raators and stuff out at the lagoons on Wednesday. Um, yeah, that's pretty much major one. Um, fourth of Fourth of July came without any issues other than the barricades and barriers like Dad was talking about. Um, we are looking into some temporary like chain link fence and snow fence. Is that what it's called? Like construction fence.

Um, and we'd be able to use it for the fourth and whatever else we want to use it for. Um, so we're working on getting prices around for that. So Jake, how far then would you extend the fence towards uh the apartments?

It so it needs blocked off from Groners Field to those apartments there from those apartments from garden apartments to Green Law apartments. It needs blocked off in between the garden apartments needs blocked off from the garden or from the Yeah. garden apartments to the bathrooms all the way down to the community center. They need that whole area in there roped off and blocked off. And we've done it with tape and barricades every year. And it just it gets worse every year. The only reason it wasn't it was a little better this year is because they we got complaints about cars driving through there, moving the barricades and driving through on Rural Street. And I went down and retaped it. And then I went to the barn and got two of the town trucks and parked them across the road.

Mhm. And it was a little better than foot traffic. It was still I They literally You were sitting right there for the fireworks. They just walked right over the caution tape. Yeah. So yeah, we're looking into some temporary fencing and six foot. Yeah. 12 feet long. So the temporary fence fencing the six foot would set on the roads. It would block off rural street and you use the snow fencing store the other other stuff to kind of block it off. Okay. That stuff gets to be rolled back up and stored. And

so you're saying to block off that area. I did have um an individual stop in after the 4th. Um and I forgot to ask you Justin. Um they want us to stay away from on the ground of fireworks. There was a lot of concern about um power whatever those glider things are. There was three of them flying over the fireworks area. Um there was some feedback, not that they didn't enjoy the show, but there was concern if there's a setback, why is there not an aerial that keeps them um back away from that as well? And I said, I don't know. I will pass that along. I would think those those concerns will come from your team that's doing the fireworks. And they very well may have had a concern. shared it with the Yeah.

They don't know how you're going to police that. Um go to these individuals and say, "Hey, yeah, just I'm sure what you're saying like I I think it was not so much like we don't want you to do it." I think it was a what happens when something accidentally goes off or something and they're and then there was concern that there was three this year and there was a few times at least their observation of where they were standing over in that area that they seemed very close and they just were scared that somebody I I think Joe would understand too I enjoyed it. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying there was that that's super cool until the test happens. Well, that's everything though.

Um, but other than that, yeah, I don't I don't have much, but we got to get out front of this or it's going to come to the eventually the way I understand it, they do everything electronically out there. Mhm. And with the way this stuff is and everybody in the brother having electronic devices, the closer they get, there's a potential that they could get something. And uh we've had that once in my lifetime here and we don't need that again. I think I think we definitely need to do something.

You're looking at materials, what it would cost. We we've altered it and stuff. It'll be under the $5,000 threshold. So, and like the nice thing is we can use it for whatever. Like we don't have any temporary fencing right now. We have barricades that are Yeah. 10 pounds. And we've already had a situation. You just didn't when everything happened with the opera house. Yeah, that's true. That was that was on the Mford building. Yeah. That fell out into the road. Both of those were on us. I mean, if something were to happen, um, so it would be nice to have something stored somewhere that if we did have situational rice,

I don't know how much space that takes. Where would you store it? Yeah, okay. That's galvanized fencing, so I mean it Yeah, it could take a little bit of weather. We thought about putting a lean two up in one of the buildings and keeping it out of the sun and even the shipping container out there. We'll figure something out. We got face. Yeah. Okay. So, well, sounds like any other ideas. I'm open to ideas. I don't know. That's just the best that we can come up with. Razor wire maybe. Just kidding. Um,

it's unbelievable. I mean, until you you're the one out there. I mean, I was within 50 foot of two gentlemen on bicycles that drove right around the tape and we're going right down and coming to me. And I said, "The caution tape wasn't a giveaway, guys." They just kind of looked at me and turned around. It's like we can't even believe like we did extra this year with it and they still went around. Well, I could I could not imagine going to the Blueberry Festival and seeing barricades and thinking, "Ah, it that doesn't apply to me." Just a suggestion. I just couldn't imagine doing that. Correct.

So, yeah, that's where Yeah. Um I think Mark Sullivan was going to get back with the person that had the quote for some of the work, the water plant work. Yeah. Did did that get resolved? Yes. Um yeah, all three notice of awards have been signed. They had to be signed at that full amount for the base bid and then the extra add-on of one, two, and three.

And he's kind of already had that discussion. There might be some modifications on that, but it had to go out at that full amount for okra. Um, and then it could always come in under um but yeah, that's on my report, but on um Jim did come in today and sign all three division notice of awards today. So, they're back at Mark and Shannon and um we're looking at potentially the 28th of July for the um preconstruction meeting. So, great. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Getting closer. Yeah. Any nerves? All right. Well, very good. Thanks for your reports, guys.

Um, Andy, uh, just a couple things mostly having to do with, uh, new laws in Indiana. just be aware of uh they've expanded under the uh public records uh I'm sorry under the access to public records and open door they have expanded on the ODL the uh reasons for executive session so you have a few more uh things like didn't used to be able to do like you could have an executive session to review the handbook employee handbook

and other has to do with uh if if you're evaluating a health care plan in particular exclusions like the health the proposal comes back and says we want to exclude this this and this you can have a a executive session for that. I think probably the feedback they got was there were municipalities that were struggling to do some of these things in a public session in a way that didn't seem like they were referencing particular employees. Uh and and and probably the general assembly said, "Yeah, I get it. If you're in a small town and the you know, you you want to put this thing in the handbook. You don't want everybody saying, "Oh, yeah, it happened to Charlie or whatever." You know, um the other thing is uh uh there was also a change. I remember we we talked before and I I think uh years ago I sent over a draft that would uh be a private agreement between a new hire under the marshall's office about reimbursement of education that would allow us to hire someone and say, "Hey, if you don't work for us for three years and we pay to put you through the uh uh um academy, then um uh you'll have to pay us some of that education cost back." Well, now they've come in and they've actually uh created a a cause of action if they are hired out at their Indiana municipality. So, if we train someone, let's say uh uh and put them through the academy and we incur that cost and then, you know, six weeks later they get hired by Warsaw, not only can we still have the agreement, we can sue the city of Warsaw and say, "You need to pay us back." Um, and now I think hopefully that's more of a uh discouragement uh uh and and a deterrence from them doing that and some of that will will get tamped down, but I didn't know they worked on that, but it

was an interesting change. Um the other thing is uh I think for the first time if if this definition ever existed in Indiana law before maybe it was in the criminal code somewhere but Indiana Indiana has defined a squatter and basically now has a new remedy. It doesn't replace evictions or things. So basically, if I own a property and uh someone is squatting, if that person, if I sign an affidavit that says certain things and it has to say this person is not a tenant, has never been a tenant, can't use it for a holdover tenant, and I uh uh give that affidavit to law enforcement, then basically law enforcement has 48 hours to remove the person, and it protects law enforcement from any civil liability. So, uh, under the right circumstances, that could really be helpful to a frustrated owner. I haven't seen too much of that, uh, in this area, but I know in some areas it become big. You know, those are just a a few of the the new laws that may may come up in the future. So, be aware of that.

Very good. Yeah. Anything else, Andy? Thank you. Appreciate it. Uh Rebecca.

Okay. Few different things. Um update on the water main easements. Um Andy provided me with the revisions for Snowco and Pike Lumber. They were distributed today. Pike Lumbers I will pick up um tomorrow on my way into work. Um Snowco has forwarded them on to their attorney for review. Um we have one property owner that lives out of state. Um he has received the documents. I spoke with him on Thursday. he was working on getting them notorized and back to me. So once we have all of those back, I will record them all at one time over at the recorder's office. But um make sure because I I was just recording some uh easements on a different topic. Uh and make sure there's a sentence on there and I may not include your death simply says what the grant's address is. Obviously, the town of A is the grantee, but if you don't put grantees address is then put your address, the recorders office is going to send that send that back. So, I realize it's kind of a obvious add-on to say, well, they're all the town back and I I I since I know what I base those drafts on and I probably wouldn't bother to include that. So, you just write at the bottom before you

I will. Okay. Um the other thing um the INDOT street sweeping contract um the last contract ended June 30th of 2025. Um Jim signed the renewal um and that's been sent back to INDOT. Um the 2026 budget meeting discussion. We usually have a special meeting to discuss that.

Um I don't know. I have a couple days the first week of August. Then I will be out at the ILMCT conference and then we're back for council meeting on the 18th. So I don't know if we want to have a extended meeting on the 18th and just include budget discussion at that time. I would like to have it done before then because I meet with my DLG upre on the 20th. So I don't know. We could um the first week of August is not good for me. Um but anytime um you just need one of the council members there. Generally speaking, it's been collectively everybody in attendance at that meeting. So and it's a public meeting.

So the second week you're available. So what? No, I'm not. I'm gone. You're gone. So the first week is um what the August the 2nd. August 1st. Fourth is Monday. Wednesday. Yeah. Oh man, I think there's something. I think I got I know the fifths out. Um August 1st. I am out of the Okay. Why don't we We're out August 6th. Yes. All right. Let's do Let's try the fourth. I think I'm good. August 4th. Okay.

What time on August 4 would you like to meet? That's a Monday. 10 a.m. Uh, no. No, because my friend is out that I probably Okay. You pick a time. Um, Jim, what time you get off? 12. So I can, you know, 1 1:30, 1:00, 2 o'clock. I want you to have enough time to get home. 2:00. This appointment's at 8:15. I'll be home by probably 10. Oh, okay.

So that's fine. I don't care what time. Me, too. Tony, I'm good. Tony doesn't know. I don't 100 p.m. I'm fine on the 4th. Yep.

Okay. The other thing I want just noted um so when you'll see this stuff come through the ILCT conference that I'm going to in French lit um I am doing a book study on that Sunday which is part of the criteria for me to get another certification. And when I went to book my hotel through French lick, they gave me the group rate through um Sunday through um Wednesday or Thursday, but if I was coming in on Saturday for me to be able to do the book study that started at 8 a.m. I was going to have to pay over $400 for that Saturday. So I went on Airbnb and found a place that was actually cheaper to reserve it for the five days. Um and it's 4/10 of a mile from the facility. So, I just want you guys to know I try to be fiscally responsible with my schooling.

Appreciate that. Um, so we'll see how that goes on my um a neighboring clerk, she does that routinely because she has found it to be cheaper than staying at the resort. So, but other than that, that is all the information I have for today. Thanks, Rebecca. Let's move on. Um, ordinance 07-21-2025, an ordinance amending the rates of the town of Akran Municipal Sewage Utility.

Sorry, this is part of our conversation with Eric. Yeah. Last month. Yeah. You you just need introduce this. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. you you you can consider reading the title of first reading because your your uh uh town ordinances do not require anything more formal. Okay. You don't need to read it in its entire you can if you want. I just I just read the amendment the title and that's good enough for now introduced.

All right. I will put a public notice in the Rochester Sentinel for the next meeting and it would be taken into potential consideration. Adoption of the first phase, if approved, would not take an effect until October um of 2025. There will be a public hearing at the next meeting before you vote.

That's August the 18th, correct? Okay. Moving on to dockets. Um 15 150,1853 I notice on where's it all um page at the bottom of page one um 79374 is that we collected that. No, that was payment for attorney fees for that.

Okay, that's brand. Okay, I thought maybe we might have got something back. No, there's not been any payment towards that judgment that I received. All right, that's all. I was hoping. So, what's the process now? So, we won judgment.

And the time you want, I can It's more than 40 days old now. So I can uh I can uh request what's called a proceeding supplemental on that which basically sets it for hearing orders her to appear and then I can ask questions about how that judgment is going to get paid. Uh I can al also use that that proceeding supplemental process generally if we know of a potential employer uh I can send them uh ask the judge to order them to answer questions uh for the purpose of a wage garnishment or a bank. I usually start hearing itself uh just because uh uh that for judgments this size that usually uh uh can get things moving. Um, and I'm happy to do that.

There's been no communication since Not since we walked out of the courtroom. I'd say move on to the next step. Absolutely. Yep. Might be a net zero game here. We're playing, but what happens? We're going to go through the motion, too. Good point. All right. Uh motion to approve dockets of 100 150,1 [Music] 184 03. Have a second. I'll second it.

All in favor? I. And the payroll docket of 25,9650 and that was June and July 25,38625. Motion to approve as presented. Second. All in favor? I. Do we have any other business to bring it up? Nothing. Any questions? Any? All right. I'll make a motion that uh during a second. All in

favor? I I Thank you. Guys, guys, look at split. Shut down. Ch down.