Common Council - Regular Meeting

All right, I think we're good. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the regular meeting of the city of Charlestown Common Council. Today is July 6th, 2026. It is 6.30 p.m. This meeting is being live streamed by Under Production Multimedia. We'll begin our meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. If everyone could please join.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands,

with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you all. Tonight, our invocation will be by the FCA Sports Director for Southeast Indiana, Donnie Roark, who is also a member of our community. It's good to see you, Donnie. Good to see you all. That's great.

Father, thank you for this evening. Thank you for the opportunity, just as we celebrated this weekend, to call ourselves a free nation for 250 years now and just what that means. Let us not forget that. Let us not forget why. Our country was established and the core principles that we were founded upon and the Constitution and just all the things that make our country just such a great place to live. And so thank you. This is a representation of it that's before us today. The opportunity that we have to have our elected government officials helping run and navigate our city. So we just ask that you just strengthen them, guide them, and help them make decisions that are going to help our incredible community just continue to grow and thrive. and prosper as we have been over the last several years. And I thank you for each of their individual service to our community and just what they mean. Each person that's sitting before me today, they just mean so much to so many people, so many families in our city. And so we just thank you for the time that they devote to it. It goes far beyond just attending these meetings, all the work that's done behind the scenes. They devote a lot of additional time that nobody sees. And on top of working additional jobs. So I'm just thankful for them and just want to express that gratitude, Father. And just as they have this agenda before them, may their decisions just be guided with the right parts in mind. And just continue to just bless our city as new opportunities come for us. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Thank you. Thank you.

All right, we'll have our roll call. Ronnie Blevins. Here. Shannon Elder. Here. Brian Hester. Here. Chuck Eaton. Here. Let the record show Mayor Hodges is present as well as Deputy Clerk Treasurer Deborah Miles and the City Attorney Perry McCall. You have an agenda that's been provided. Entertain a motion to approve. I make a motion. Motion made by Ronnie Blevins. Is there a second? Second. Second by Shannon Elder. Any edits or questions? Hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That passes unanimously. You have your standing business, which includes the approval of your minutes from June 3rd, current claims, and the payroll allowance docket from May 25th to June 28th. Do you need a motion to approve?

I'll make a motion.

Motion by Ronnie Blevins. Second. Second by Shannon Elder. Any questions or discussion on that? Hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That's unanimous. Is anyone signed up for public comment tonight? I didn't see anyone signed up. No? Okay. Our legislative youth advisor is done with her term. I am in the process of, I'll go ahead into Mayor's comments, I am in the process of reviewing applications for this coming, for the new legislative youth advisor since first AD graduated. I actually had more applications this time than we've ever had for that. So it's very difficult because they're all, all the applications are just stellar students with great recommendations and excellent GPAs and interests, so it's been tough. But I'm in the process of doing the interviews for that right now. As far as other updates for me, budget prep. It is July. We are in the process of getting the budget draft ready for you. We'll be working on that this month with our supervisors. And as usual, I hope to have a draft for you for your August 3rd meeting. That will just be a draft for you to look over for the whole month. You can schedule time with me or Donna or Deborah or any of us to make any recommendations, ask questions over that month. We will have our first official reading of the budget in September. We did have to move that council meeting, though, because it would have fallen on Labor Day. And so with the changes from the legislature this year, Deborah had to advertise that and fill out a form much earlier than usual. And so the date is the Wednesday. Is that correct? So it will be the council meeting in September will happen. Sorry, I have to pull up my calendar. instead of September 7th, which is Labor Day, it would be September 9th. And that, it has to happen that day because that was the day that we were required to give them for the DLGF to advertise that. Now that is not the adoption, that is just the first reading, but we did have to give them that date. And then in October for your regular meeting, that's when we have it scheduled to do the reading. So you've got August to look over it, first reading in September, still have a month to make any changes that we might need to make, and then adoption of it we have set for the meeting in October. And that's well ahead of the November deadline because starting this year, correct, the hearing, starting this year, if we increase our levy at all, we have to have a special public hearing special called meeting and the only item on that agenda has to be that topic nothing else can be discussed so in order for us to adopt on time we have to squeeze in that extra public meeting okay and we'll work out all that date as we get there so that's the budget process this year it's a little different than usual um but that's what the new that was with part of the senate bill one that was adopted in 2025. all right any updates from council members

I just want to give a big shout out of the Community Days, Founder Days, whatever we call it now. I don't know what we call it. Founder's Day. It was absolutely fabulous. I thought the way it was set up, where the stage is set up and the tents and the booths, and we had more booths this year because it went down Main Cross. I thought it was fabulous. The city workers did an amazing job.

They did. They worked really hard, so it was great.

And the weather was perfect. The weather was perfect. The bands were good. A lot of fun.

um so it was a great event that the city put on well and mark your calendars because right now it looks like we are going to be able to have the grand opening of commons on august 28th there's a music in the park that's the food truck challenge night um so it looks like that's going to be the grand opening of the commons area that's the permanent stage i'm sure brian do it all up fancy and send it to you but don't tell them to touch you in advance any other comments from council

I'll just kind of go off what Brian said. Everything was great. I was able to make it up both nights. I know all departments were involved. I think I've seen Tubby, the back of Tubby's head about 50,000 times. And every officer was up here at some point. So thank you to all departments. Also, there's been a lot of heat. And I just want to say that if anybody is out there and got air conditioning, I hope they reach out to the city. know if there's a way we can help them, especially some of the elderly and senior citizens in our community. I mean, if there's a way we can help, if they need water, I'll come up, I'll go buy a case, whatever we need to do. But it's been pretty hot lately, so.

Yeah, it's been bad. It's been bad. We also have... Our crew carrying around extra water, extra coolant towels in case they see someone out in the community in need. Either out just walking or...

I was seeing something the other day. Kids were out playing and stopped at somebody's house. Yes. Or a couple waters, you know what I mean? So, if anybody's having trouble, just reach out. Yep. Thank you. Any other questions?

All right, we have one item of old business, which is the second reading of ordinance 2026 OR 10, amending the salary ordinance. That was from the addition of the admin staff out in the wastewater plant, if you recall. So with that, this will be the second and final reading. I need a motion to approve. I'll make a motion. Motion by Chuck Deaton. Second. Second by Ronnie Blevins. Any questions on that one? Hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? And that one is unanimous. And then we have one item of new business tonight. I love council meetings that are efficient, but I also love ones where we get to recognize members of the community. I was contacted on June 1st, actually, so about a month ago, by a woman named Barbara Cardin, who I believe is here tonight.

Serious.

It's serious. She won't get involved in this conversation. So Barbara reached out to me, and she sent me this message. She said, yesterday at our neighborhood pool, a child nearly drowned. If it weren't for the quick thinking of a neighbor at the pool who jumped in, pulled the child out, removed their goggles, and turned them on their side to help expel water before emergency medical services could arrive, I'm sure that his quick action saved her life. And she asked if there was any way that we could acknowledge this hero. Because while EMS certainly did their job, if not for his quick action, it could have gone in a much more tragic direction. And so I think a large portion of the people you see here tonight are probably here for this reason. And I would like to call forward and formally recognize Luis Castro. Luis, if you want to come forward, that would be amazing. So we have a certificate for you that just says in recognition of community service and life-saving response to save a child, but I also have for you a challenge coin. On the back of all of our challenge coins, it says, this challenge coin recognizes outstanding contributions to the city of Charlestown. And so we appreciate your service there. And if you don't mind, I'd like to get counsel, if I could come down here and get a group photo. Everybody squeeze in like you like each other. Chuck, you know you're not supposed to stand on that back step.

All right, everybody smile at Lloyd. Happy birthday, Louise. All right, thank you so much.

We appreciate you. We truly have a great community, and I think nobody would argue with that. And it's wonderful that he was able to step up and take great action, keep cool head, and take care of that child in the community. So good neighbors make the world go round. We appreciate you, Liz. And Barbara, of course, for giving us the knowledge that he had done that and giving him some great action. All right, and that is all of the items we had on the good note tonight. That was all the items we have on our agenda. So we just need a motion to adjourn. Second. Second. Second by Shannon Hilder. All in favor say aye. Aye. We are adjourned. Please sign whatever before you leave.