Common Council - Regular Meeting

Yes.

Good evening and welcome to the Monday, January 12th, 2026 meeting of the Martinsville Common Council. Meeting is hereby called to order. This time I would like to invite Pastor Jeff Lloyd from number one church to come forward tonight for our invocation. So if you would please stand and remain standing for our pledge of allegiance. Our precious heavenly father, we thank you for a new year. We know that your word says there's a time and a place for every everything under the sun. We thank you for the past year. Um we thank you for all you've done. We thank you for the new year and what you have planned. We thank you for new beginnings, new chapters, new positions. And so we trust you. Thank you for the city council. We ask that each member here will be able to hear your voice. We'll trust you and we'll lean into you on what you have planned for Martinsville in this upcoming year. We're excited. We're enthused about what you've done, but we're so u looking forward to this new year and new things in our community. Continue to keep your hand of protection on all of our frontline workers, um the police department, the sheriff's department, uh fire, everything. Lord, keep them safe and bless this meeting. Let it be a special night. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 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, Jeff, and thank you for bringing your lovely wife with me this evening. Uh, prior to tonight's meeting, uh, you were given the minutes from the Monday, December 8th meeting. Can you roll call? Okay, let's do roll call. Go ahead, Ben. John Badger, present. Susie Libs, present. Ben May, [clears throat] present. Josh Farren, present. Ann Miller, present. Second, present.

We have a quorum and now I can have the meeting. Okay. Uh, now then I I can't remember where I was even at now. No. Uh, prior to tonight's meeting, you were given minutes from the Monday, December 8th meeting. Are there any additions or corrections to those minutes? I make a motion we accept the December 8, 2025 meeting minutes as presented. Second. It's been a motion made and seconded to approve the minutes from the December 8th meeting. All in favor say I. I. Oppos? No. Motion carry.

You're also uh minutes from the Monday December 29th meeting. Uh Mac, I've got a question about that. We didn't have any minutes from that meeting. The the actions of the meeting need to be the actions of the meeting. Okay. So, are there any additions or corrections to those? I move to accept those minutes. Second. It's been a motion made and second to approve the minutes from the December 29th meeting. All in favor say I. I.

Oppose. No. Motion carries. Again, tonight before we get started, I'd like to welcome the youth and leadership club from John R. Wooden. They were here earlier. Uh Mr. Porter took him around city hall. They were here for a border works meeting and they've stayed here this evening to watch our common council. So again, thank you for being here and make sure Mrs. Perky gives you those 20 extra bonus points. Um we have a special evening tonight. We are going to swear in a new police chief and a new deputy chief. So we'll do the chief's position first.

[clears throat]

I want I want Ryan,

I will support the Constitution of the United States. Stone building. [applause] [applause]

[applause]

Sure. You may keep [applause] [applause]

[clears throat]

Come on. Raise your right hand. Isha Brown I Josh Brown hereby swear do not hereby swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States I will support the Constitution of the United States the constitution of the state of Indiana constitution of the state of Indiana ordinances policies and resolutions ordinances policies and resolutions of the city of Marsville the city of I will partially uphold and partially uphold and discharge my duties

and discharge my duties responsibilities and responsibilities as deputy chief as deputy chief for the city of Martinsville Police Department the city of Martinsville Police Department to best my skill ability to best my skill and ability according to law

according to law [applause] [applause] Thank you. [clears throat] How about this for you and Josh? This will be your picture.

I assume you're all going to stay for our council meeting. We do approve the budget. Remember, [applause]

if you guys want to go ahead and leave, we'll give you five minutes or just a few minutes before we go. weird. Yeah,

he's behind me. You give me a hug, too. I get a hug, too. Where you going? Where are you going? Okay, as we move forward in tonight's agenda, uh Dan, I understand you want to postpone any comments or any on your report. Yes, please. T table that table that until next meeting. Yes. Okay. Mr. Porter, you make sure that'll get on the agenda. Then

uh under new business, we need to elect our president promp of the council. U this is something we do each year first meeting. So I will open up nominations. I'd like to nominate Phil Deckard for President Pro Tim of the city council. I second it. There's a motion made. Are there any is let's Okay. All in favor of

Mr. Porter I want to refer to you. How should we should we close nominations then take the vote? It doesn't matter. Doesn't really matter, does it? Just look at page eight in the green section. Okay. So, let's go ahead. It's been we'll close the nominations. It's been a first and seconded that Phil Decker and the second be the present pro Tim. All in favor say I. I. Oppose. No. Motion carries. Congratulations.

Thank you, council. I take great honor and your confidence in me. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. We've got a couple other appointments that we need to do. Each year, the council needs to name its appointments to various boards and commissions. Uh tonight we look need to look at representing for the planning commission, the redevelopment commission and the Morgan County Economic Development Corporation board of directors and police board and police report. I'd like to move and for planning commission.

There's a motion to ask Councilwoman Miller for plan commission. Sir, you can all the the appointments. Let me do a general motion to accept those those appointments. Okay. So, plan commission and are you good? Yes. Redevelopment commission. I'd like to make the motion that John Badger serve as the redevelopment commission representative. John, are you good with that? Yes. the police merit board. Right now, Eric Anderson is currently the council's appointee and he is willing to continue to serve there. Is that I'd like to move in there? Yes.

Okay. And how about the economic development corporation? I'd like to nominate Ben Mayan for that position. Are you good with that, Ben? It's fine. Okay. So, our slate of officers we're going to look at uh mayor, do we have one for the fire? That term is not it's different from the 27. Okay. Thank you. Different rotation. Okay. Thank you.

So, we have Ann for the planning commission, John for the redevelopment commission. Uh, we'll keep Eric Anderson on the merit board and Ben Mayan for the economic development. Do I have a motion for those positions? I make a motion that the slate of positions be approved. I second it. Been a motion made and second to approve the slate of positions. All in favor say I. I.

Oppos? No. Motion carries. Congratulations, Mr. Coffee. consent to encroach. Council will remember we talked about this last year, several months ago that last year. Uh this was a property that is next to a parcel of real estate the city owns uh on Center Street, I'm sorry, Cross Street. Uh our property we acquired we believe probably because there is a culvert that runs across that for drainage. But any regard um these folks have their portion of their fence that encroaches upon the city's lot and they did reach out to their title company. Didn't get a lot of relief from that. Uh there's a issue right now. they they are trying to obtain a loan and they're unable to do so because they do not have a legal right to access their property. So, uh a consent to encroach will give them that legal right. Uh so what you have is is a proposed consent to encroach in your packet this evening. Um as you notice, we've tried best we can to alleviate any kind of liability we have. also to alleviate any uh if if there's a need for us to go on our lot, we have to remove the fence. We have to do something on our lot, we, you know, interfere with their drive. They all understand that's at their own peril. Uh but as long as we possibly help them out, I think the council's uh mindset was to try to do that if we could. So, that's what you have in your packet this evening. Be happy to answer any questions you might have. How does this work if the encroach

encroach the encroachment motion that we that we approve the consent to encroach. Second motion made I I oppose. No. Motion carries.

The rediscover Martinsville for the great um Then puts I think it was a very festive. It made it made the town very looking wonderful thing that you know people could just go from business to business and get a cookie and I believe it. So um Ron Stanhouse and Laura Elliott I know spearheaded that plus a cookie contest. Um,

mayor, I have two things. I want to double check tonight's board of works. What was the position we decided to advertise for with Gary and unforeseen retirement? That that was the city planner. Okay. And and it's going to be filled with Well, we're looking at filling either a city planner or a compliance officer. One or the two. Okay. one or the other, not two different people. Okay. I I would just

So, we're in the process of advertising that and then we'll interview and see which is the best candidate. We are, you know, we could have this other route, especially with the governor's tax bill. looming over us.

Okay. If if you would, I would just like you to take in consideration. I'd still like to see a city engineer. And the reason being the city planner normally is administering zoning ordinances, analysis of the land use. I mean, Gary did a great job with that and petitions to the BCA and your planning commissions where the engineer, he's going to oversee the infrastructure, the projects and oversees uh the works. And in the years past, I I know it takes more engineers, but when you have a certified engineer, he knows I I kind of refer back to like a doctor. Um, praise the Lord and shout out Dr. Steve Hart who's retiring after 60 plus years I'd say of being here uh servicing the families here that project oversight, but that's just my thoughts and I just I just want to throw that out there. I felt like I wouldn't do my due diligence if I didn't say that.

What's the state statute on having a city engineer? Is it required or is it only required when certain certain projects and we have HWC or something like that come in and approve it? What's the Well, we we do have we do have we don't have one person engineer, but we do that right now by contract. So, we contract with an engineering company right now that provides an engineer for us. Uh so, that will fulfill what you need to fulfill as far as requirements for state law. Okay. [snorts] Any other comments?

And then I have one other. Again, my apologies that u last week was a bad week and uh I got here late at the end, but I saw the service the city did for dad and I want to say thank you very much for the uh respect and love you show my father throughout his career here in the city of Martinsville in the county of Morgan. Um, I wasn't prepared to take over the uh things of the family duties. I feel like my father now and trying to take care of things and uh shoes that I can never fill and wasn't ready to try to step in there. It's great responsibility, but I just want to say thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart and from our family. I appreciate everything. You're quite welcome, Phil. Thank you. Any comments from the public this evening? If not, all city offices and services would be closed uh on Monday, January the 19th in observance of Martin Luther King Day and also the National Inauguration Day. For those who normally have their trash picked up on Monday, it's going to be picked up on Tuesday the 20th. Additionally, the utility office and the transfer station will be closed on Saturday, January 17th. The next meeting of the common council will be on Monday, January 26th. We are ajourned. I appreciate. Thank