Town Council - Regular Meeting

I didn't know. You know what day that's going to be? [laughter] I want to plan 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. Call the meeting of the town council. Um, town council meeting minutes from December 16th. Any changes or questions for Sarah? I make a motion to approve the December 16th, 2025 town council meeting minutes as written.

I'll second. All those in favor say I. I. All opposed nominations of the town council. I would like to nominate Mandy S as president. Again, I will second that. All those in favor say I. I. All oppose. I would like to nominate Nick Shear as vice president again. All those in favor say I. I. All opposed.

Okay. For liaison. Um police department is going to be Brian Humphre. Fire department is going to be Terry Edmonston. Um park Mandy Sands. Utility will be Tanisha Welt. And library is going to be next year. Dave Metler, it's your turn. Sorry. Got a little itchy getting up here. You need to sit. You can sit. No. [ __ ] Right. Don't mind. [clears throat] Start taking over your desk a little bit out there. I'm good.

Do me good. I've been sitting around enough there. You know what? There's absolutely nothing good on daytime TV. This is the longest I've ever been off work in my life. A whole month off without work and sitting there at home staring at the TV going, "This is stupid." Anyways, well, so good to see everybody. Everybody had a good Christmas season and holidays and all that fun stuff. Uh again, just getting back in to the office and obviously my staff working do diligently for me while I'm out and getting some of this put together, but they're kind of light on stuff. I've just been getting back in the last couple days, about half day. So, can't sit very long or I can't stand very long either. So, it's kind of a mixed bag. Uh if we're looking at we're looking at the all the renewal of uh coming up here on the 15th for basically all your liabilities and properties and everything uh that goes with all the automobiles, your public officials, you know, your cyers and police reserves coverage, you know, kind of the whole shoot match if you will. Um during this process uh work with with Senator and Aaron on you know going through all the um equipment list, the vehicle list, drivers list, you know, all those fun things uh that you know we kind of look at. We did make make some changes and we found, you know, stuff that was on the list on the equipment list that we could it didn't make sense to have on there because the duck bolt there was some stuff on there was like $500 and it's got $1,000 duct. So, we did away with those and and and just kind of clean clean that up a little bit um on that. But everything else, I believe checked out and you know, we got got that all handled. Uh we also obviously looked at the property values of the replacement cost estimates. Um taking you know your

your percentage increases in and I did put a um the statement values in your packet there um so you can look at that and make sure you know again somebody else's eyes on it but it never hurts um you know making sure that we have all the locations that we you know that we need on there. And I know we're starting I'm not sure. We've kind of talked to Sarah [clears throat] with the uh the sewer treatment plants and stuff like that. I mean, if we're expanding, if we're doing any of those kind of things or you know, I know we're getting across the road out there. If we're putting other, you know, the backup generators and lift stations, any of those kind of things that, you know, you see like the ones out by Heights and, you know, all those kind of things, you know, those are probably things that obviously we want to make sure that we're getting covered. those out in the open kind of uh scenario. So if you you know it's as the town's expanding obviously so does so does your infrastructure and everything that goes along with it. So just just be mindful of that. I've been at other meetings and and find out where things are being done and luckily I stayed around and heard them talk about them because they hadn't told me about them. So I can't insure them unless I know about them. You know I try to keep up on it. I do have um gal in my office that lives here and kind of you know we try to keep up on what's going on. Um so obviously the the [clears throat] market's still not uh not there the last couple years. Obviously we've seen some increases. I'm hopeful. Uh we are starting to maybe see getting rumblings I guess I should say. Man, I'm not sure what you're seeing on your side. Some of this the some of it leveling out a little bit if you will. Work comps definitely they're I know that some of the work comp is uh definitely getting a little bit more uh

ch I mean coming down a little bit. There's companies opening up and that's what we're seeing is where the companies weren't quoting anything or any of those kind of things in this market. The companies I'm seeing is the companies are opening up and starting to look at things all the way down from, you know, your [clears throat] commercial lines all the way down to your personal lines. You know, the homes and all that. Companies are open back up and, oh, okay, yeah, we're going to write a home that's a model line versus have to have bottle home together or, you know, roofs that are older than 10 years. They weren't writing those for quite a long. So, you're you're slowly seeing that market take place, you know, clean up a little bit. over kind of hoping back up. It does because the last four or five years have been no fun to be in the insurance business uh with with that situation. [clears throat] So, I would entertain any questions that anybody has on on this um on any of those things. And I again I apologize little light on stuff. Just didn't uh get everything that I needed. Uh usually I try to put a little more stuff there for you to review. But um [clears throat] I just that's but that's what we're looking at on the renewable.

Quick question others may know. What's inland marine? That would be your all your mobile equipment. Okay. Yeah. Your bobcats and tractors and all that kind of mobile equipment type stuff. Mhm. Do you remember what the increase was last year? Not off the top of my head, but I can I can look it up. I was just curious. It was it was in that it was it was in this neighborhood. It was in that neighborhood somewhere in there. Is the Whitten Bridge on here? Is that the one from Pine Street to that goes across? Yes. Yes.

Yep. I just ask members questions. Okay. Sure. Um I'm going to make a motion to move forward with the insurance is presented in the amount of $76,36. I'll second. All those in favor say I. I. All

statement of values. If you guys looking through that see feel free to call me fairly easy I guess back you know yeah I'm looking for I started physical therapy next week and bad I should do stupid things like helping my wife get on Sunday just put Christmas lights away sitting but I kept reaching over and not taking bing over pick them up off the floor and I paid for that yesterday.

I was so stupid things like that and really that frustrate me because I don't like to just sit still. [laughter] Thank you. Thanks. Citizens comments.

How Tim [clears throat] McCoy um here representing the Rono baseball league. So, we're a newly formed entity. Um, last year baseball and kind of soccer was ran under the run of youth sports, [clears throat] but the leadership of that kind of didn't want to do it, so they tried to pass it on to a couple different entities. And there's a group of us that decided to take up. So, there's still baseball and Ron Oak. Um, in our research, Ronok Sports as an entity wasn't wasn't still an active entity. So, that's where we created a a new one. So, Rono Baseball League Incorporated is what's going to be in Ron Oak for the next month, hopefully foreseeable future. Um, we don't have any affiliation with soccer or continue to keep that up with uh the Fort Wayne soccer club, which has done a fantastic job with all that and that's well outside of my competency because it's too much running. So, um, I'm here requesting a little bit of leniency with the field rental agreement. um particularly two portions of it, the certificate of insurance and the field rental fees. So the and it's really not a leniency with the fees themselves, just the timing of it. So we're a new entity. Startup funds are not there. Nothing got passed on from the previous leagues. So we're starting from scratch. So there's an insurance policy. Um we have to carry a million dollar liability to schedule the games and do all that stuff for the the agreement. Um, and we want to be able to provide that, but it's just going to take us through registration in order to grab those funds to be able to to do that. So, um, couple of the dates we're looking at is I'd like to also start to turn in schedules, uh, to Sarah so we can kind of lock in the fields for Ron Oak kids use uh, by the end of January. So, the agreement was kind of it didn't really specify exactly when the certificate of insurance was to be

turned in and all that. So, I wanted to just ask the questions so that way we're all on the same page and that we know how to plan for us. So, we wanted to turn in the schedule before the end of January. Um hopefully have a certificate of insurance to you by March 9th, which is a week after we're expecting the registration to close. And then, um first half of the game field rental scheduled prior to opening day, which is scheduled for April 18th. [clears throat] And then the balance would be before the end of May, which would cover us through the end of the season, which we're expecting to be June 27th, no later than that. So the rental fees are going to pay half on the April 18th [clears throat] and the other half in May.

Yes. For the scheduled games. And there's a possibility we can do it sooner than that. We just want to make sure that we've given ourselves enough time to collect funds, pay for everything to get the league started, and then continue to have um the funds to be able to get to the rest of the um rest of the field rentals. And part of that's also going to be rain outs and some of those other things, especially through the first part of the season, is always it's always hit or miss on how much rain we're going to get. And so, how many of those games are going to get rescheduled to the to the kind of the second half of the season? When is your how when does your season normally go?

So registration is going to start February 2nd and run through March 2nd. So they'll have a full full four weeks there. That gives the league about two weeks to turn in um to get coaches and kids to sign teams and all that stuff. And we're expecting to hand out rosters. I think March 16th is when we expect that to go out. Opening day will be April 18th. So it's a four-week time period. And they're going to lose a week for spring break or a little bit more than a week for spring break. So, [clears throat] April 18th, we expect to be opening day, which is a Saturday, and then the season's going to end June 27th. So, we're wrapped up prior to the Fourth of July holiday. When will practices start?

Practices would start before or March, no earlier than March 16th. So, we would have a certificate of insurance a week ahead of that. And so, there's no um no option for practices to go because coaches won't even have rosters at that point. I mean, I'm fine as long as the certificate of insurance is in before the practices are done. You have to provide and I'm also from this year comfortable with Thank you for taking it up. Thank you. Any other comments, questions, concerns?

Would anybody like to sponsor [laughter] Like and share the page on Facebook. Police Department. I don't have anything to bring up at all. Thank you. Superintendent of Operations.

Uh you guys got the contract for HP pass. The executive director Steel retired in October. got a candidate that we're negotiating with now hopefully maybe in the next month or so of the board to go ahead change last year the same thing. So, we need to approve the agreement for the amount of $3,000 first payment $1,500 at the end of June, I believe, or last payment in December. And then

also somebody to represent the county. I think I encountered this every year ask the same question of what do we get for that $3,000? And it's always well the county gets kind of that's where I always struggle with that. And um you know I want to start seeing some dollars come right here to the town of Ron Oak rather than always just the county.

So that was one of the requests when they started the search was from a couple of small communities having this executive director more involved small business. So very small business around a bunch of different on that residential housing is much development. Um so I'll nominate Terry to be our liaison to the board and I'll make a motion to agree.

I will second the nomination and second the agreement. All those in favor say I. I. All opposed. I did. We got a new director coming in. So, it's not just the new director. What's that? No, I agreed. I said I'll give him one more year. And I will say the only reason why I agreed is because they're completely restructuring how it's done. So, I'm with you.

Come back here. Uh, the other thing I have is it's time to get solicitors for mowing. I'd like to try to do a two-year thing this time around. You guys okay with that? Yeah. It just be the park year. Just the park and then the ditches. Yep. One one lump zone price. Did we have any issues with the Did they contract it out this year? So, the guy that got the bid contracted and we didn't have any issues with just want to make sure we're board on a contract situation.

And I'm going to do it like I did last year and do it as a per mode item instead of just one lump sum for the entire season. So, okay. I'll get that out later this week. I have Oh, no. That's not [laughter] We have questions. Yes. the park branch. Uh we had a public hearing in December. Um they did give us until February 12th, 19th. 19th. Yeah.

If we wanted to come up with a plan. Um I had a meeting with lock me over today. They are more than willing to come up with a plan and give us a contract for this scope of work and what it would cost to raise it. It's more or less raise it or it's coming out. Come up with a plan to raise it. Um give you an idea on what it would we'd have to pay them to come up with a plan. Probably5 to $7,000 I assume too. wouldn't consider just like walking down and looking at it and saying it's not worth it or

I mean it's not not what I want to do but I don't want to keep throwing good money after and after speaking with a couple different individuals the drainage board can do whatever they want and um I just hate I mean I don't want to see the bridge go either but I don't want to keep throwing money after it and we could throw money after this study and then still have to remove the bridge my concern so Which bridge? The old the old walking bridge. The concrete metal bridge and the park. It has the ramp and the steps. Anybody? We measured the elevation between the road and that bridge.

They're saying it's a foot below grade and that it's going to come out and the drainage board has final authority over it. Uh, and I I hate Wait, were they even sure they had final that they had that it was their jurisdiction or with the D? They were pretty adamant that and I like I said I I I don't want to remove it and I know most of us in the town don't want to remove it but on the flip side I don't want to keep throwing money after something that we going to probably ultimately lose that anyway and um let's let's spend that money elsewhere.

Well I think in years past there's been discussion of replacement eventually to match the other two. So, you know, curling money to raise it. I guess my only thing would be to make sure we get locked into the $5,000 cost. They wrote it down. They quoted it. So, and that

I did reach out because from what was reported to me after that meeting, the drainage board wasn't sure it was their jurisdiction because it's a flood retention area. I could be wrong, but that's what I was told. So I reached out to Andy Zay and just kind of let him know everything that happened and he was going to pass all that along to he's friends with the head of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. So he was going to pass that along, but I know how slow state organizations move. I wouldn't hold our breath that we're going to get anything out of that. I haven't heard anything yet.

At the meeting, uh Jerry had said that he had put in a call to the someone at the DNR and still had no response. So, um, we weren't real hopeful that there would be any help there. We don't have to come up with a plan till February 19th. So, we could table this till the next meeting. Yes. In February, but to me, I just I don't think I want to spend the money to have a a study done on

raising the bridge and stuff. At this point, I said I don't want to remove it, but uh I don't want to keep throwing that money away. And we had an individual with a question out there. I don't want to see it removed either, but [clears throat] that thought came. Uh, has any mention been made about the structural integrity of that bridge? Oh, no. They did no analysis whatsoever. None. Well, there's been no hydraulic studies other than that there's nothing wrong with the pedestrian bridge. They're just saying it's shorter than the other two, so it needs to go. Well, is there somebody who says there's nothing wrong with it? I'm sorry. Who's saying that there's nothing wrong with it?

Oh, no one has said there is anything wrong with it. Well, the thing I uh the thing was made by Mace White concrete products about 40 years ago and it's a roof truss and roof trusses are made to be underneath the roof obviously so it wouldn't be subject to water. But the thing is uh I the story I heard was they use rebar to uh structural members and so there's poor concrete around rebar.

So being it's outdoors it's been outdoors for 40 years I don't know what the condition of that rebar is you know I doubt if it was manufactured with any kind of a coating to add a corrosion so I don't know how anybody would prove that it's good or bad. No the reason they're asking it to be removed is because It's what a foot foot and a half shorter. Yeah, I understand. I I understand that. But it could be a blessing if it comes out if it's it's a hazard. But but the thing I guess who can who's going to say this a hazard? I said my my recommendation would be to table it till the next meeting. Yeah.

But um I I don't personally think I want to spend the money myself to have black Miller do a study on it and Nick maybe by then we might hear something from DNR or whatever. it [clears throat] not. If not, then we can make a decision at the next meeting. Was there ever a real estimate on actual removal? Not just a guess, but actually on actual removal. I don't trust that. Well, that's what I'm saying. We'd have to, you know, look to do it. I know. I don't trust I don't You can't get a contractor to show up for $5,000 for just about anything, right? He put it in writing. So, he put it in writing, but he didn't justify or say where it came from.

But when Mandy and Aaron and I met with two commissioners that night before that meeting, they told us they had two bids for removal. One was the 5,000 and one was over $100,000, like $160,000. And I questioned that, well, are you concerned about this being $5,000 because that's way cheaper. And Tom Wall's response was, no, the other guy just doesn't want the job, so we bid it high. So they weren't questions too to get it frame in there and everything else to pull that out. They used to track it. It was it was Amore that had the $5,000. Okay.

I don't remember the the other company was over $100,000 but it was a more 5,000. I said that's table, but uh with in the back of my mind, like I said, I just personally don't want to spend the money on a on a study on it myself, but I mean that's I'm just one of it'd be nice if we could get a hold of somebody's qualified to make an analysis on on Well, well, we can, but it's going to cost us $57,000 to do that. I'll second the motion to table it. I don't think we have a vote on that, do we? to table it. There was no requirement in making a decision time. Okay. So, we'll just table it. Okay.

Personally, I'd like to thank Tom Wall. He did help us. Yeah. He actually tried to get us more of an extension than February. He tried to get us till after the fall festival, but yeah, the other Range Forge members said no. Just remember who said no. Next year's election year. Actually, that's this year. Oh, yeah. It's 26. Yeah. [laughter] Now that's all I have. Thank you. Have you heard anything on the project? They applied for an extension on that. Correct.

We got the extension. Uh we are SM wrapping up a letter um to do an amendment to the closure plan for the debris pile. Okay.

Thanks Aaron. Counciloman Tanisha. good and bad news. So, I finally have a meeting with the RDA, myself, Aaron Lo Mueller, and Commissioner Rob Miller. And big thank you to him for turning on a dime and agreeing to meet today. We're meeting at 9:00 a.m. on a Friday. That's the good news. Bad news is money is drying up from the ready 2.0 funding. So, we're just hoping still to get some funding to help insulate us from some of that rate increase. Thanks, Councilwoman Terry Edmson. I have nothing. Council member Ryan Humphre.

Um I just have one thing. Um and I don't want us to vote or anything on it tonight, but the U beautifification foundation is as you know, we agreed to let them take out the trees and plant new trees. And while doing that, most of the electrical boxes have been broken downtown. And so they're looking putting in new electrical. Um the labor and parts are going to be about $40,000. They are not asking us to help with that, but I would like for us to consider doing something as it is our infrastructure. Uh it's also going to be a patronicity grant project, so it's dollar fordoll match. So they really only need to raise about 20,000. Um I just wanted to bring it up tonight so you guys can all think about it and we can discuss it maybe at the next meeting. I [clears throat] don't want to do anything. That's fine. But I feel like we all benefit from it. I'd like to see us do something here.

That's all I have. Thank you, Vice President. Make sure nothing at this time. Thank you. The only thing I have is um we need to do our annual [clears throat] appointment for the region 3A and I am going to make a motion to appoint Nick Sheer again this year. I'll second that. All those in favor say I. All oppose. Okay, that's all I have. Sarah, sorry I didn't say your name. [laughter]

Um, I have given you guys a outstanding checklist uh older than two years. Just need permission to write those checks off. Basically, put the money back into the account. I will make a motion um that Sarah can put the outstanding checks that are older than two years back into the account. Second. All those in favor say I. All opposed. Well, the only other thing that I have is the special events application. Are there any changes for 2026? I thought maybe Fisher would be here at the first meeting in January. And so I just want to make sure that I assume he'll be at the next meeting that um there's no changes for the applications.

I don't think anything has come up that concerns about. Jim, any anything from a uh the special events the application wise need to be changed from a place standpoint? No, I don't think so. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Um business um presentation of bills and utility adjustments. I will make a motion to pay the bills as presented. I'll second. All those in favor say I. I. All opposed. I'll make a motion to adjourn the meeting. Second. All those in favor say I. I. All opposed.