Town Council - Regular Meeting

January 5th, 2026. Wow. 2026 at 6 p.m. What do you want to go first? You want to do the minutes? We can do the minutes and or we have to do the reorganization before you do anything else. Yeah, I forgot. We need to do reorganization of the board. I am just going to put forward that I would like to state as vice president. Okay. And my opinion is Lori president. Agree. You agree? Uh I guess we take a vote. All those in favor?

I are we good now? Is that all we need? Now you can [laughter] act on things. Now I can act on things as the vice president. Okay, we're going to go with we're going to Okay, the minutes for December 29th, 2025. I need a motion to approve the minutes. I make I second the motion. All those in favor? I

[clears throat and cough]

Now we move on to the APVs. APVs are $33,986. [sighs] How do I get so big in a week? Well, we had and we had some filter maintenance going on and some valve repair stuff. Yeah. Oh, the taxes were due. All the wonderful tax stuff. So, um I need to ask for a motion to pay the bills. I will make that motion.

I'll second. All those in favor? Okay. [clears throat] And you signed your nepotism letter, right, already? Did you get one of those? Did you get [clears throat] one? So you should have something in here that we just do here somewhere. Yep. Right here. So we just sign this over here. It says we didn't break any nepotism laws. I already turned mine in. Here's the [clears throat] Do you want to do DLZ now or you want to wait how to move those through? We can do it now. [laughter] [clears throat]

Randy is sick. That's why not here. Okay. So, we have contractor's application for payment number 18. Okay. You want me to FaceTime Andy? Try. Okay. And that's Phoenix. Yes. So, uh, 18 and 19 should be out there. 18 hasn't already been signed. 19, I believe, was sent sometime in December. Yes. But, and yeah, but if 18's not been signed yet, then needs to be. Uh, that one should be already sent 19. So, this is 19.

There's no place on here. We need to sign for anything or no, right? So, we're talking about 19, you said, right? Yes.

Okay. So, um I need a motion to go ahead and pay the application for number 19, which is $59,800. Yep. There's a 5% retainage. So, the amount due to contractor this application is $56,810. Make that motion. I have a second. All those in favor? All right. This is the other one I got today. [clears throat and snorts] So, here's the invoice for DLZ. Okay, right here. And that's what this is for. This is just for DLZ right here. It's okay. I just have to sign this and send that back.

You approve this this remaining amount, right? Yeah. And that adds up to this bill. Yep. Right here. 123. Okay. Yep. So, um I'm going to ask for a motion to pay DLC 123, beyond $50. Any questions? Motion. I second. All those in favor? All right. So, here's that one. [clears throat] All right. Andy's on face, too. Well, we've got more of

that. So, basically what this is, just I'll let them go into more detail, but basically all of our projects have come in under budget, right? So, we have quite a bit of money that's there. Okay. Uh that we can utilize on we need to do work in our filter plant, update some stuff in there and then do a couple other projects in town. So we kind of put a number to those.

This is just information tonight. We have to re reapply basically to the SRF to get their approval to use that money. So we can the what we've come up with the projects are higher than the amount that we have. So we don't this is not locking. We can do one, we can do two. We don't have to do any if you guys don't want to. Okay. We're just in the steps now of getting the SRF to give us approval to use that money. Got it. Okay. So I'll kind of let them.

And generally speaking, if you don't use it for this kind of thing, you usually have to use it to pay off other stuff pay off the the debt that was incurred. Yes. So, right now, uh the water main project is fully closed out. Okay. Uh where we're looking at as far as remaining funds for the water tower project and then also uh with other remaining funds, we're looking to be about $900,000 under budget. So, so what we're looking at is six potential projects that the town utilized. Okay.

Um, and this is kind of a somewhat similar process. Uh, I wasn't around during this, but for the wastewater loan in 2021, right? I believe there's uh under budget on that as well. And so, what we did was we applied to SRF to Yes, I do remember that. Yeah. So, in that instance, SRF was not part of the process. We didn't have to ask them for anything, right? So, this is a little significantly different in that respect. A little different. Yes. Yeah. So, um talking with Joe, there are six uh big needs for the town that we're looking at utilizing these funds. Okay.

And based off our initial cost estimate, which it's very rough, so don't take this number to heart, but right now it's looking if we do all six projects, it could be up to 1.29 million. Okay? which would mean we wouldn't do all six, but we're proposing all these just in case a the contractor is under budget or b uh there's some changes that we can save money here and there. Okay. So, like for example, like one of the projects we're looking at doing some valve replacements in the water treatment building,

uh doing some updates to the SCADA systems and then uh replacing hydrants that are very outdated. Okay. And then just some general box where the water man needs to be replaced. Okay. Um so right now there's not anything we need to board to act on this but take it home and read it basically or it's just if SRF approves this then we go to the next step. So okay sign and permitting and you guys are taking care of all of that part of it right you'll contact them and do everything that needs to be done to ask about that. Okay.

Yeah. So this was sent on to or the amendment letter and then a lot of this is like backup documentation that SRF requires. So this was sent on to them on December 18th. Obviously with the holidays, we're probably going to get a little bit of a delayed response. Okay. Back, but as of right now, this is an SRF score. What I remember from the last time is we had to pass either a resolution or an ordinance every time we wanted to spend to do something on a particular project. Yes. So I think once SRF gives a just like general okay to the whole list that would be the point I think when the town could start saying okay we want to do this one now we want to do this and then we would have to do that. I remember we had to state each time that it was the funds from such and such. I do

it was like this project was originally budgeted for this. It was we got this much money. This is how much money is left. This is what we would like to do with it. Okay. Yeah. Thank you very much for being thorough like that too. It would be good to go through and see exactly that actually helps us too understand what's happening everywhere. So do you have like a preliminary like order of operations what what what would be best to do first and so I believe we did list it out like I think one through six one was I believe highest priority plant. Okay. So basically right now our filter plant is it's a a package plant, basically a skid unit, right? So if one filter's down, they're all down.

Okay. So we're we're going to try to do some valving to either separate two at a time. So if we have an issue, we can have two out of service and still be filtering some water. Okay? To which right now we [clears throat] cannot. Okay? if we if we have an issue. Uh, another one I don't know what the order was ska is we're just trying to get the uh right now we're paying a ska system for our lift stations and a different one for our wellhouse. So, we would like to put the two lift stations so we're paying one and alls I get is alerts for one thing and we don't have two that we have to keep

maintain. Okay. Uh the hydrants. Yeah, it was hydrants just for really updated hydrants. Yeah, we're trying to get them. So, basically, it's going to be easier for the fire department. Okay. Is what is what we're trying to do there. We still got some real old ones that are you got to have different fittings for and it'll it'll streamline their process. Okay.

Uh and then we have a couple water manes that uh that we put in. There's a there's a plastic main that I didn't know about on Lake Street that we found in the Patterson. So, it's only runs for a block. And then there's a we have two mains or well, they're copper lines that run up alleys that feed houses. They're not actually they're just off of an inch and a quarter. So, we're looking at running something down possibly Lake Street and Grand Street all the way to to Washington. Okay. uh and get get those inch and a quarter lines out of use.

Okay, I see that. Okay, thank you very much. Joe, I got a question. Do you uh how much discharge do we have do we get on the ponds? Do you know as discharge of the water off the ponds? Well, you mean what our capacity? Yeah, our capacity is 130. it uh I would have to look at my basically it it fluctuates so much it you know one one month I could be we're at 30% capacity to where we we've got plenty now if we have a month that uh big snow melt or heavy rains I could be up to 70% capacity

well what I was [clears throat] my thought is how how much are are we up to now we can discharge up to 89 90,000 we're discharging right now do you know I I can discharge as long as I meet my limits. I can discharge whatever, however much. Well, cuz I think, you know, I remember Dan used to say we're only we can [clears throat] only discharge so much off our ponds. I think it was 130,000. That's before we fixed the bowels. Okay. And we could only dis discharge out of one. At that time, the town capacity was like 89,000 and and Morning Side now is almost full. So, I was just curious what

now since we've redone our valving and stuff, I can get the ponds lower now than we used to be able to. So, uh I just wonder how much you if we put another housing unit or something like that, it's not going to put us over the I don't believe so. Not for what I see every month on my reports. Okay. Just thinking ahead. Okay. Is Andy here? Can he hear us? You should have been on the Sorry to hear that you're sick. Do you have anything to add or anything that you would like us to know?

No, I I think they covered it. Um, you know, it's good news. We we're under budget. The projects have come in well. Um, the, you know, the loan is 0% interest. So, if we give that back to the SRF, we're really kind of we're not we're not gaining anything. We're not if we pay down principal, we're not really gaining anything because we're not saving on interest payments because there's there's no interest on it. So, right,

um, similar to the the wastewater project, I think it it's it's in the best interest of the town to try to take care of these other items that that we know we're going to have to fix at some point here in the in the near future. Right. Okay. Thanks for your input. I don't know if you can hear me or not, but [laughter] Okay. Thank you. Get better. Do you have anything else? You did your stuff. I guess Joe can go on if we're done with that section.

All right. Anybody got any other questions? No. Thank you for the information. I mean, just feel free to email me or Andy if you guys have any further questions and we'll obviously keep you guys updated if SRF has anything. Okay. Uh, thanks. Let us know. I'm here. Yep. Thank you so much. Have a good night. You, too. Thank you. Okay. Uh, back when it uh, what was that? Just after Thanksgiving when we got all that snow, uh, the red drunk truck broke down.

So, luckily, we didn't the power steering unit went out on it was leaking everywhere. So luckily uh I forget what the company or international up on Western I forget what the they were able to get us in that day. No, not wears. It'sing Was it that one? Yes. They were able to to get the truck in and get it right back to us the next morning. They had people on it. So

we were only without [clears throat] it for a couple hours which uh which helped. Uh, also, um, Mike Wy had stopped a few weeks ago. Um, Lakeville Fire, Inc. gave me a check for $51623. Oh, wow. That was what was left in their Christmas light fund. Okay. So, they gave it to us to put it in our Christmas light fund for repairs and everything. Nice. So, that, like you said, that was the incorporated part, the volunteers. Okay. And then Sunday we will be hanging Christmas lights down. Okay.

Can you get them take the lights off the tree? Uh we're Yes, we're we're going to work on the lower one sometime this week and we'll get in there and say at least get the top bottom if we can get the top if we can. Okay. And I think next year we're going to try to hire somebody. Yeah. Yeah. There's a guy in the past I think that [clears throat] [laughter] this business type thing. Yeah, we're going to at least price it, see what what the deal was with it. It it worked out that you know everybody's heart was in the right place. Just uh it went as all first things go. That's basically how that went. Um thank thank you guys for doing the

Yes. Thank you for Yeah, it was a lot. I know. And a very busy time frame, too. So, thank you.

And I thank everybody for helping with that. Everybody that took their time out to hang Christmas lights when they didn't have to and do all that. So, thank you. And hopefully next year I'd like to look into more like donations to maybe help a little bit. I don't want to donate the heck out of everybody in town, but maybe see if we can send out letters and see if we can get anybody to help. Uh, Lakeville Lines was gracious enough to give us $150 and we thank them for that um to help start it off something to help towards what we did put a little bit into it. So, yeah, we're we we're appreciative of that. They couldn't do it. They couldn't be there physically, but we had lots of people that are from the church and it was a nice little night. It was very cold.

[laughter] It was very cold, but um it was we had a nice hour, hour and a half, so it was nice. Yeah. Okay. And we kind of we didn't get into it last Thursday's meeting, but we had opened the bid for the community crossings grant, but just so everybody knows, we did not get chosen for the community crossings grant. Uh

first time in a very long time. what uh INDOT had reached out to Jacqueline and they wanted us to still put this out for bid because when the communities that get it the when they put it out for bid from what your estimation when you fill out your grant always comes in less. So they will be having money come back in and the communities that are ready to sign a contract will be able to get some of that money. Now it's still going to be about four months or so. I was going to say, did you get like a commitment from the biders that the the bids will still be good? Yes, I talked to them when we did it. It is what it was going to be. So,

we put the bids out. Everything's on our but yeah that told them that some money and we did I did let her know when Jacqueline sent a email to her today that she has posted that we are ready to sign a contract so it's documented with them for that. Okay. Uh tomorrow morning I talked to Terry. Uh we're having fire extinguishers checked, fox fires coming in and they looked at their records and said even your uh

system down there needs to be checked for the year. So they are going to do that and I let Terry know. So he will let them in and do your extinguishers. And Patrick, if you've got extinguishers that you need to take them there. They're coming to the maintenance garage at 11:00 between 11 and 11:30 to do all of ours and then they will go to the barn to Okay. Do they check out the extinguishers on the other? Yeah.

Yeah, we have two here. Yeah. Yeah. I will grab those garage. Do we have Yes. Yeah. There's one at the back door and one by the front door. You just pass them every day and now they notice it. I don't uh the BP lift station got service today, so I didn't hear anything. Went down and talked to them. Everything must be fine because they didn't uh call me and say there was any issues or Okay. So, we should be good there for another year. And any questions on tower progress? When are they switching? [laughter] No, we probably should.

Yeah, I know. I was going to ask him were loose here, but uh basically it could be up to 12 weeks yet because they put [cough and clears throat] not Americanmade parts in the valve rooms and stuff and now they can't get the parts for they're extended out. So electricians are there wiring and that kind of stuff but nothing is the pipes are not hooked together in the tower yet. So, [cough and clears throat] I'm so sorry.

Are they in the penalty period in front of them? Uh, they're we I talked with uh Andy, but they're they're still talk basically. Uh, I'm going to try I'm thinking it was in October. They were still going to have the tower online by the end of November. Now, end of November was supposed to be everything was supposed to be done. Tower was supposed to be online the end of October.

So, they still said they could get the tower online. We just wouldn't get everything else done until spring, like the site work and that kind of stuff, right? So DLZ kind of worked with them and said if you can get it online by the end of November, we will kind of wave the well now we're way past the end of November. So uh I talked to Andy about it. They're still kind of trying to formulate a a plan. [cough] Okay. And as soon as we Yeah. get more information, I'll keep you up to date as Okay. as much as I can when I find out.

So the the estimate of what's what's coming under budget does not include the the penalty that may be correct. Okay. Yes. Okay. [clears throat] So we we've had storage issues. I mean we've had I found electrical parts out there laying in the snow piled up. The boxes finally deteriorated and they came and and took those off site. What a waste. So, it's just And I marked them so I know they won't come back cuz I know where the marks are at. Yeah. Good for you. So, okay. Yep.

Good. Thank you. It's just one of those I I wish I knew what to say, but I We just keep trucking along until it gets done, right? We we just don't they're not let them cut corners or anything. So that that's the good thing. Yeah. Okay. Thank you for the info. That's all I have. All right. Thank you. Uh Patrick.

Okay. So our activity for December 2025, we had a total of 119 calls for service. Of that we had 12 assists to St. Joe County Police. Crash at 31 and new crash on Riley Road. Death investigation on Lake Trail. 911 hangup on Lynen Road. Uh assisted fire at 931 in Madison. A vandalism on Kingsway Court. A building check Juniper Road. Medical assist on Roy Crop Road. Burg burglary in progress Sunundale Avenue. One crash on Miami Road. Uh semi-truck light off US 31 and new alarm on Kennallorth's road. Had a total of three reports. had a one traffic investigation, one crash report, and one death investigation, uh, one ticket written for the month, and one local ordinance violation. Uh, we did assist at Newton Park for their annual Christmas in the park, and we also assisted the Lakeville Lions Club with toys for Todds for their toy distribution this year. So,

very nice. Um, this isn't as bad as what I would have assumed maybe during Christmas time, right? So this is kind of low actually. Don't you think it actually is? Yeah. Yeah. We had a lot of majority of the crashes that we did have were just a lot of them were just slide offs and where we weren't doing reports but um not near as bad of really bad stuff either which we've seen in past. So that's a good thing actually. Yeah. Okay. Anything else that you can think are wrong? [clears throat]

Not yet. Okay. Okay, RDC. Well, I don't have a lot to report, but I do need I have a request from Jacqueline. I need a year end report so I can see [clears throat] what we paid for bills we for the for the barn community center mostly. Do you want more for RHC? Yeah, that would be fine. Um, but yeah, I just I want to know exactly how much money we brought in, what we pay now for expenses, and yeah, because people have been telling me to raise prices, and I really don't want to, but

if we should, we should. I don't know. It's We are booked every Saturday for next for this year and almost every Sunday. have some late Sundays in November that are open, but I had eight calls today just all morning. I'm texting people. I've turned a lot of people away because they want dates for this year. So, but I'm booking in 27. So, anyway, which is which is good. But, yes, I don't know if we raise prices if we lose some of those people or not, but maybe a slow gradual where it's slow. Well, and it may be just

tolerable maybe just for weddings when they book a full day kind of thing or something. I don't know. You know, I got to take it to my committee to see if we or see where we're at and how much we make. Might have some competition with the conservation club. Yeah, we actually one of the people that's the treasurer over there asked me for information what we do at our barn. I gave her a little bit, but I thought, well, they can pay their own lawyer. they can pay their own. My question is, is that conservation club allowing them on the property too by the lake? I I don't know. She I'm curious about that.

She said that they were going to rent to their uh members, but they have what over 400 members. So So I don't know. I just I gave her our uh list of barn rules, you know, what we expect and what we you know totally fine because you know Yeah. I shared you know a building. Um so and you know enough of those people have rented the barn for me that already should know the prices that we charge. But anyway, um that's basically I just need a list from you, Jack, if you can get that to me sometime soon. We might as well do one for the EDC, too. No. Yeah. Can I get donuts

while you're thinking about it? Um and I have a request to have the skids or pallets removed. They're still there because Yeah, I know. The snow hit and all that. And if they weren't so heavy, Denny and I probably could have tried to get them out, but but we can't lift them. Um, we thought about dragging them off, [clears throat] [laughter] but there I mean, I know all the information on them is pass. So, um,

yeah, I'll bring my trailer up tomorrow and we can get them on there. Um, and um, I do need I know in the utility barn, that space that was created for office space, I need a place to put my RDC notes. I have two boxes full of RDC notes. I think I could probably get rid of some of the stuff, but um, I might need to move some of the stuff around. Would you rather go the filing cabinet in here where it's actually um, whatever works. It just I say at least here it's heated.

It just uh I probably don't need a space to work in as much as I just need to store it somewhere other than my [laughter] Yeah. Um so whatever works. Um

and I have another request as far as the ordinances in town. My neighbors still have a camper sitting in their yard and it's getting worse and worse. It's They also have about seven or eight totes sitting on the porch and half of them fall off the porch and then all the stuff's in the yard and I took pictures. [laughter] I'm just, you know, I've been pretty relaxed about it. It's been two months now it's been sitting there and so I don't know. I think two or three weeks is the most our ordinances read to be able to set a trailer in your to live in it. Yeah. Yeah. And and I'm not sure what the situation is there, but there's always a TV or a light on in there

and then you see the middle of the winter that the door's wide open and I don't know. [laughter] So, I don't know exactly what's happening there, but it's starting to make the neighborhood look really bad. So, I just know that it's hard to approach people [laughter] that are kind of desperate, but it just it's Yeah. Do you approach the people that live there or do you approach the owner? Home owner. That's what I wondered. So, and he should know better. Yeah. Because I always just hand deliver any time for the notices. So, it's just getting Yeah. Yeah. Not good. Bad. Yeah. And sad for them if there is someone living. Yeah. And I, you know, and I very difficult,

most of us, you know, that live on the street and we kind of take it with a grain of salt a little bit, but I thought about it even yesterday when I had a friend come pick somebody up from South Bend and I thought, you know, that probably looks really crappy for our neighborhood. You know, the impression that we give other people that don't live here in town all the time. I just thought something needs to be done. I don't know. They move in and out of that house pretty quickly. [clears throat] But so anyway, that's just okay. That's all I got. EDC, I don't have anything really. Uh wait for spring, see what the world looks like down here. Um and really excited about maybe trying to create a little park down there. I think it'd be cool.

Be nice if people can get food and go over there and eat. Yeah, it looks it looks really nice. I mean, people's made comments about they can see live. They didn't really was there half the time, you know. Yeah, it does look better just the way it is without all the stuff that once you get things growing in there looking nicer

and they cut the slope real they cost a little bit more because we decided we had to bring in about 3 foot of fill in that one section there so it wouldn't be so slopey and if we had to mow it you can mow it pretty easy. So, no, it looks nice and like I said was planted with ry grass and white clover which only grows don't have to mow it very often. So, and then we'll still work on that fence down there that have you heard anything from that Joe Greymore yet? No, you're probably not going to hear anything from him either until something else happens again. Yeah, the bad pen.

Yeah. So, other than that, I'm looking for springtime. Yep. Okay. Fire department, you're here. Yeah, that's nice. Thanks for having the fire truck there, by the way. That's cool. Yeah, it was very nice. [clears throat] So, during that last snowstorm we had, we did like 18 or 19 calls in that three or four days. Wow. just for slide offs, accidents, and some medical. Yeah, I think our medical calls for last year was about 300 medical calls. Most of [clears throat] them were in town limits. Mhm. So,

okay. You know, total calls over 400 all together. Oh, that's a lot. [clears throat and cough] Have anything else to share with us? I do appreciate that knowing that stuff too. So, yeah. Not right now. No, we're always here. You're welcome anytime. We would love to see you. So, I was appointed the assistant chief last month. Okay. Congratulations. Well, we would love to see you more. Sounds like you had a lot, huh? It So, the very end of the month, you know, it was busy. Yeah. I mean, I mean, it's a lot busier than normal. It's a lot.

Bad weather brings bad things. So that accident that Patrick was talking about, I think our guys are up there for two hours. Oh wow. And then a county cop car got hit on that as well. I saw that. So people wonder why we take so many trucks out to help everybody else. That makes sense. Yep. As bad as the rooms and stuff get I [clears throat] have a question. [laughter] Can you enlighten us at all about what tomorrow night's meeting is all about? The fire territory or I don't know.

I think it's just a regular meeting. Regular territory meeting. Mhm. There must be more rumors going around about it. There's a lot of rumors going around. So the best thing to do that's and I told them that yeah everybody's welcome to come to Okay. What time is it tomorrow? I think six o'clock. So you're still on the board, right? But you can't be there.

So can somebody sit in for Lori or Why not? I mean, she's inexposed. I mean, she gets you have to have another another member voted in. Yeah, it would have to be. And then you Yeah. There wouldn't be even enough to have a quorum because I won't be there and Lory's not going to be there. So, yeah. And I didn't tomorrow's date because the dates I was given was tonight, which is kind of board meeting, and then Wednesday. And Wednesday, I'm in training in Michigan City. Wouldn't make it back in time. And I know Loriy's not available that day either. Those were the only two dates I was given. I know they're scheduling meetings without you guys. I say I haven't heard I haven't heard any other communication.

Well, I was told there was a meeting tomorrow night at the fire station. I think that's just a regular fire. I think that's a township meeting, I believe. I believe so. Yeah, it's just the township. It's not It's not the territory board. Okay. Yeah. Well, the rumors I heard is that Lori Lori just commented that tomorrow's night is a township meeting, not a territory meeting. So, it's not true that they're trying to get North Liberty and Green Township to go together. And us No. Okay. So, that's always good to know.

Yeah, communication is the key, right? We're just going to keep communication. So we are not talking with anybody to merge with anybody. Okay. I just wondered, you know, because wondered what the purpose of it would be or what the benefit would be. There are other townships talking with those two, but it's not us. Good enough. See, we put a put a damper on the horrors. Well, if you don't know, I mean, yeah, the person I heard it from was pretty close to the situation, so I didn't know. Cuz we're waiting and see. through the meetings. Hopefully you guys will be able to get together pretty soon. I know Lori's [clears throat] I don't know how many days it's been now. Last week, last Tuesday was like 20 days.

Mhm. So we're at 27 days. Mhm. That she's been in the hospital, which has put a lot of hindrance on that kind of stuff with with her being Yeah. But hopefully that changes soon for her. I hope. I think she's doing a little better. So I'm glad that you're here. So Whenever I'm not whenever I'm not working my other job, I will be. Okay, good. [laughter] Glad to hear that. Um, is that all? Is there anything else? Okay. Uh, do we have anything else that anybody want to talk about?

See, we did have a comment from uh uh Gregory Garrett just said, "I hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year and looking forward to events in Lakeville, Indiana for 2020." Happy New Year, Gregory. [laughter] He follows he's our He follows us all the time. Patrick got you got a code number for St. Joe County code enforcement. Uh yes. Everything's online now for the Yeah. But that's for young people. [laughter] Don't work as good as a telephone. Have you talked plan recently because it's the same office. I'm look at the cars up here north of the church in the county and they getting so many cars up there much trash.

Yeah, it does look really good. And so I'm going to try to go sol and see but I say it's in the county you need to talk to Sean Klein. If it's in the city, you'd have to talk to them. But Tom Klein, Sean Klein, how Sean Klein, the same guy from the enforcement area plan like kind of code enforcement and area plan are like both under Sean as the area plan director because he took over for Abby. He was like her second in command and so when she left, you probably talked to him before. K I N or C O E I N I Nice. [laughter] All of them. Let's see if somebody informed me that. [laughter]

Anybody have any other new business they want to talk about? Anything? But yeah, if if it ends up with needing legal help, he'll call me for that, too. So, to the end of the year, Ricard, I'd like to see what our balances are and everything. So, Sean Sean is area. Yeah, he's the area where we're at starting out. He's over the coin enforcers too for the county. All right. One thing I got to real quick. Uh have we gotten anywhere? I know we were supposed to start putting money in a for future for future

that's already started. I don't think it did. I thought it was I don't you mean for the water for infrastructure from the infrastructure for future water towers it had to the the fund I think is set up to receive money but it can only do so if everything else is like there's like extra I thought it went on a water bill yeah I thought it was a water well you raised your fund you raised your rate to include before that we did a $ Just a $5 just for infrastructure before that ever took place.

Yeah. We can take money from the excess that were Yeah. jump start the rate. Yeah. But that was that was rate changes. This was a whole different $5 not correct. And this was before we started rate. No, this was the first rate. That was the first I thought they put it on the water bills. to one under capital improvement. No, you go towards that. It was part it was built into the rate increases as so it's not separated. It's not a separate charge. How come? Because we couldn't do it that way. You couldn't separate it. You couldn't put You couldn't start a cabin improvement fund and put on a water bill or the I thought we already did that.

I thought we did too. I I don't think it's I don't think it's there's a fund set up for it. Okay. Because there's a formula we have money after other things. Correct. There is a formula we consulted with what was his name? Jim somebody on how the best way to handle that so that you didn't accidentally short change yourselves. Yes. Right. And that was how he advised it be set up was that it gets money after everything else gets what they need. I don't know why I was thinking that. So I I think we need we need to get with Jim Higgins or uh then we need to start the other one. We had another one too. I don't know.

I forget what his name was. He uh Louise Jim Jim Higgins we need to get with and make sure that is going. So we are putting money for if there is a situation where money is able to be put in there under the terms that was in that ordinance. It should be well then you separate it out. Can she separate it out and put it into the fund? What do you mean by separated out?

Well, if you had money for capital approved, but you couldn't do it that way. So, it all comes at all at once. If you decide $5 per person, take $5 out, put it in another fund. We talked to Jim Higgins about that when it was first discussed and his advice was to absolutely not do something like that because you could screw yourselves over if you come in in a situation where you don't get as much in a month coming in as you expected and you forced it. So you had to put that money in there. His advice is as the accounting professional was is you set up you set it up so that you have the minimum amount that goes in for operation expenses. It goes into the operations expenses operation and put it into a fund.

No, you put the minimum amount that is required for operations into the operation expenses. Then you put it into I think there's a second. Well, that don't do any good for a capital improvement. And whatever's left goes into this capital improvement. It has to be transferred. Basically, that's what I I think we have to have like three times uh three months worth of our payment to the to the bank and then anything over that three months, say if it's let's use a number of $10,000 a month. If we have over 30,000, say we got 30, we can transfer 5,000 into that that account. So, but we always have to maintain three months worth of

But would you gain anything over the years and over the years? Yeah, you should. Wouldn't do you any good if you spent the money? You could be used for anything. And if you had like like our water main break across 31, you know, that one cost us almost $80,000. But it is set up now so that there is a fund. Yes, the fund is set up. I know that for certain, but we just need to make sure that it is going in there. we are putting money into action. We need to check and make sure you need to check and see if the conditions under that are being met that the funds are actually going into that new fund

because they're not going there just automatically. They have to be put into that fund. We have to okay the approval of the transfer is what you're saying to me from this fund to that fund. Is that how that works? I would say we need to call Jim Higgins and he can explain. I don't know the mechanics of how it's actually coming in. I think it all comes in at once and you're supposed to just put it in this much and this and this much and this and then this much and this but I don't know that for sure. I don't know how Yeah, we want to make sure because that was two years ago and I want to make sure and that's why I was thinking like I thought we already took care of that was passed. It's fun to set up and this is how we determine how much money is allowed to go into it.

That was about two years ago. I'll have to look back on my stuff, but I'm pretty sure it was too I think I think you need to call Jim Higgins tomorrow and see if see if he can make sure that is in process working the way it should be because I'm pretty sure we have to transfer the money over. It's It's not an automatic thing. I think that's what it said in the ordinance, but I'm not sure. I I think so. I think it says you're supposed to make your distributions like you normally do and then if there's money left then you're supposed to transit that money over but and if that's the if that's how it says in the ordinance that it would be an automatic thing you would just approve the accounts like you do every

like always righteally I don't think okay we'll fill you in some more that ordinance and then just see what has been happening in the utilities. I believe Cindy was Did we call it the water tower fund? I swear we did. I don't think so. I think it was called like future improvements or something. What's it called? It was something like future improvements. I Yeah. Well, that's Yeah. Yeah. But if you because we don't want to be stuck in the middle of what happened with us this time ever again. At least a starting amount of money. It may not be a lot of money, but it's something when we walked in here knowing

if you're allowed to use it, then you're not needing anything. Knowing 10 years ago that this was coming, it was a headache for us, knowing that we were the ones that were going to have to buckle down and do what needed to be done to do it when it could have been fixed decades and decades when they put it in. And I think if I remember right, Jim Higgins said that he did not think it would start acrewing funds in there for quite a period of time because of the raising the money for the water tower, right? That but that because that rate increase was at some point it would start doing it but he did not expect it to be soon.

So it just needs to be checked. So I just need to get a formula for them. Yes, because we don't want to mess that one up because it should be just write it. The ordinance says in there exactly how it's supposed to work. Right. It says something like you're right. It's like there's three months of expenses in the operating. I remember when we talked to him the one time. Yeah. He said it was I think two or three months. It's been so long now that I can't I just assumed that it was I just want it to do. It would only be doing that if it was actually approving more than That's true. Yeah. And I I do believe from our conversations with him, he said he did not think that would happen soon. It would happen at some point, but see I wasn't here when I was

I know. So it was kind of I know this water tower thing and water tower fund is a lot of years. It was kind of I know this water tower thing and water tower fund is a lot of years in the making. I mean a lot of discussions and a lot of worries about how we're going to do that because it's a necessity. I know a lot of people don't understand it's [clears throat] a necessity. They just don't get it afterwards. They just don't understand that literally our water tower is in its last days. Yeah.

And before we have a disaster because we hear people complain all the time about the fancy new water tower. Well, that's what water towers cost and that's what they look like now. So, there's not a lot you can do. the old one. Why we need a water tower so big? Well, because we've already grown. You know what? Our water crushers tell us a little bit about some of the stuff. You know, get that toner down. [laughter]

Although, this was a lot better than the benches. So, we're we're a step up on that. But they need to understand that people don't give us money for that. We have to do it all on our own. And people just don't understand that the federal government or the state isn't giving us money to fix all our infrastructure. So [clears throat] we did get a lot of help

and we planned it for two three years before we even started anything really heavily talking about it and sent out stuff for people to know what was happening and having hearings. People say they didn't have any idea. It's unfortunate, but we we got to do what we got to do. So, I'm excited for when the day comes where we can this see what happens. I want to shine lights on the water. Maybe [laughter] someday. And Chris Brown wanted to paint it orange. She see a lot of up north.

It is pretty the spotlights. [clears throat] All the spotlight shine up on the tower. It's gorgeous at night. It's beautiful. Yeah, but I asked Andy about that. She got a million dollars. [laughter] That's crazy. I think Chris said, "Yes, there has to be a way though. We could do it for a cheaper." Yeah, that's tie some flashlights. [laughter] Yeah. Oh my goodness. And of course that picture looks way bigger than what it looks like though. Like it looks way bigger than what it really is. But it does look nice. It is an adjustment. It'll be sad when the other one comes down because it's very landmark like but

you put lights down and then the lights so it's too bright at night. That's true. But I'm just glad we're getting closer. Hopefully by up and down you can see it like from everywhere. the water tower from the yard. I can see the other one from our yard, too. We can see it. We're up on that hill just right that you can see all the way across right through to it. But [snorts]

yeah, it's nice. It looks very nice and it's it'll be nice for you guys to not be in the weather. That was my Okay. So, anybody else have anything? Okay. Well, [clears throat] I'm going to close our first meeting of 2026 at 6:52. Okay. I'm best [clears throat]