Council - Regular Meeting

Couple of things. On the third column here, the third um paragraph, it says that the MBH restricted funds should be moved. And I noticed on this they're still not moved. Okay. They're the ones that are first supposed to be used, right? Restricted. So there's 15 477 and restricted and then local streets 37. There's a minus 27,000 motor vehicle. So the restricting must be moved for sure. Yeah. Okay. And we've both done that last night. Yeah. And the only other mistake I saw was it says baby hanky instead of bad hanky. Okay.

Well, oh yeah, just seeing that's that's the only other I can make a motion. [laughter] I'll make a motion. We got second as is with the change. With the changes with the change. Okay. Second.

You have a second move to Pittsburgh. Well, Paul, do you have something or are you waiting for resolution? Okay. The Pittsburgh tanks. We sent off some of the things that we were wanting to do and she had told us and advised us ahead of time that there would be a change in the price if we changed didn't do it all. So now instead of it being 24,000 for all of it, it's like 44,000.

Yeah. So we have to decide if we want to do because no matter what we do if we have just say okay we just want the dry exterior clean up instead of being it was 4,000 to start with it went up to 9580 it'll go up to 25,000. One thing on that the standill thing that clean out is not on that. No we didn't have a clean out on that. No it's on Hollywood only. That's because on the original one, the only one that had the clean out, dry clean out was home. There wasn't anything on

Yeah. And it was $4,000 the first the first one, but there was none in standup since I guess since it was fairly new. So, I don't know that. What are you guys thoughts on this? I mean, I I don't want to take 44. I don't think I don't think we're ready to move on with we can table it for now. Yeah. And I can just tell her that because she sent a letter back saying, you know, do you have funding in place or do you need to look for funding? Um I said, oh, we have the funding in place for what we were going to do. Not now. But I don't, you know, it's $20,000 difference and I don't know that I'm ready. Nope.

So, we're going to table that. Yep. Let's table it. on the water rate increase. We got an increase notice from P tooken that they will be changing in April of 2026 21 cents to a,000 gallons which for us would be double 2,000 gallon minimum. I mean it still be 28 cents per thousand. Don't ask me to pick it up pretty. Sorry.

Okay. [laughter] And I did call Josh today and I asked him I said I know you're going to add something to it or what or what you gonna do? He said what we're going to do is just pass along 28 cents but by the time they have the law do it and everything you have 31. Who is this? Which one is this? St. Henry. St. Henry. Yeah. So all in all it'll be 31. But this they'll just pass the 28 from maybe add three cents for the lawyer fees. So, but the toka has to be voted on correctly. Yeah. None of this is set yet because April one of 26, this is their proposal. So, I think we [clears throat] ought to kind of get our ducks in roll so we know what we want to do.

And Josh did say in 27 they're going to get another increase after that. So 26 for sure in April 26 they're going to go up or their bill to us would be 31% 31 cents will just be 28 per thousand. So they're actually just adding an extra 3% on healthare instead 28 31. So what are you asking? We want to go ahead and raise it to 31 overall. 31 overall because if we don't, we're going to fall behind and we're doing well now. We fell behind the last time.

So, I think if this is approved on April the 1st of 2026, then we need to send out the notice that we are considering and I don't know how soon ahead of time we need to do that, but due to the fact that token and St. Henry are raising it be actually 28 to 31 cents. It doesn't say on that to one St. Henry's the other. It doesn't say on there that when they were going to approve it, either does it April 1st. It's to be effective. If approved will be effective. Okay. I mean, I don't think we can stay at what we're at. I think we need to at least go with the highest, which would be 31 cent.

Well, if they're going if they're going to start it at April 1st, I think we ought to follow that, too. I do. I mean, I just think we can't we don't want to sit around for six months. 31 cents that I think Scott figured there'd be $1,500 a month that we would lose and I don't want to do that. Yeah. So, let's just plan on the 31. Yeah. Not be an order. That's why I thought if we do it now, we can have her draw it up and have it ready

so that when it goes into effect, then we can do that. I just called in today because I thought now man we we ought to really get on it and be ready. The water loan auto pays been set up. It starts January the 1. It's automatically going to come out of that water operating. That's where the 185 is put in. And Scott is keeping a separate folder of everything that's water project so we know where we're at on that, you know. So it's not just water operating, it's projects. I see two of them come in today.

Yeah. So just Katrina got that all set up. So it's already done. It's already in effect. Um the youth league, we do an electric char. We get an electric charge for them every month. It varies from $11 to 15 $13 somewhere in there. Uh, I'd like to vote that we just stop paying that since they're not using it and they're actually going to change it into a new parking lot. I agree with you there. Drop that. Okay, Mommy, you didn't finish talking about the maintenance fee.

Oh, yeah. I'm glad you brought that up. I asked Josh, I said we would cons I would like to see a maintenance fee on all rules because that's a lot more expensive for us. I've said this for the last 10 years on record that there needs to be a maintenance fee. What they do in St. Henry, they charge so much per meter to read it. And he said they charge I think they charge like 81 or 90 cents per meter to read it. per month per meter

per per meter per month and it's added on their water bill. So, I mean, if we're doing that, we could do that as a little charge, you know, meter reading charge of the dollar. That's what they do for Dale and they also do it for Honeyburg. I mean, they've done it for years. He said we we charge a meter fee. Okay. Makes sense to me. We need to have an ordinance to add that for that, too, won't we? And I would like to go with an even dollar, you know. Well, that will help cover any unexpected raises that we have to do it again. The meters go up every year. I mean, the price goes up,

you know, and all the stuff to go with the setters and all that goes up every time. So, that covers our butt if you know, but that would be rule only, not in town, because in town we're reading them anyway. And that money would go, that rule may could be going into water operating since we're charging it as a meter reading fee. Or do you want to set it up as a maintenance reading or how do you want to set it up?

I mean, if we're going to have it on the bill, I don't know if it automatically separates it out. It does not like on hydr. How do we do this storm water fee? That's on separate, you know, that's that's on the bill. It'd be just like a hydrant fee. Put in that. We would talked about kind of putting it in that line where it says fees instead of hydrant. It would be meter reading fee or ru fee, maintenance fee, whatever fee. Yeah. Comment as the the meter fee. You want to increase the meter fee, why don't you wait till the meter fee until

Well, it's not really a meter fee. What it is is a maintenance fee. It's a maintenance fee to read the rule meters, which is more gas, more time, right? But eventually those meters will be such that the people won't be uh they won't need to come out. You'll just go past it. And we're not well, we are not anywhere close to getting you. I don't I was going to say just wait till that comes in and put on all No, that would be about 100 years from now. No, a million dollar. Yeah. So, it'll be a dollar maintenance fee. So, I put 31 cents for a water rate increase with a $1 maintenance fee on set.

And there's not going to be one for Stendle. Well, the rule rule and Stendle is the same. It would be different. They're two different books. That's why I asked Stendle. It's Stendle and R. That's why when I say should say Stindle and roll then. Yes. Yeah. Because I I was thinking R stand. But yeah, Stendle and R. I think there's like 187,

but it wouldn't be an in town increase, right? So, our bills are going to go up. your 31. Yeah. 31 cents per thousand. You pay for sewer? No. Yeah. I'll burn your ass. But anyway, that's kind of I mean, our water rates are going to go up. So, everybody's water town and town will too.

And it' be a good time to do it. You know, we get the ordinances all together at the same time. The $1 increase for maintenance is just for rule and send. So I actually years ago a dollar more than 10.

Uh Taylor sent me first got cash township contracts. [clears throat] Basically, the first one is for recreation, uh, a contract with the recreation, which is a park, and they will be giving $4,500 a year, which is what they did last year. And then also they have um one for the town for the fire department also, and they get 13,000 13,000 even. That's what Yeah, they increased the fire department last year

to 13,000. And that says on here it also says that they this is to pay for the to the F town fire department. That's for the use of the 4x4 pickup truck and the freight liner in cast now housed in the town garage is hereby for the use in emergencies within said town under the conditions and p provisions and outside of town Holland isn't primary in certain areas like where the St. Henry in here all sections of that that's St. Henry's primary and home secondary. It's basically the same thing.

Coming from them. Yeah. Yeah. This is coming from them. I will leave a motion. Second on that. Yeah. Or all both of them. I'll make a motion that we get into contract on both of them. I f I do want to ask one thing. Do we [clears throat] keep and I I'll have to ask you here. Do we keep separate what's in C Township and what's in Holland runs? I can't answer that. I just want I was curious after I was living there. I thought wonder if we keep them separate.

I'm sure there is a way that it is done but I don't know. I think there's two copies. [clears throat]

Is there two copies of everything? I thought I made two copies, but I wasn't sure. [clears throat] [snorts] So, you get to keep one. The other one will be returned.

There's a stack of stuff over there for J. It's okay. Yeah, I think so. Okay, I have on here this thing. The reason why I brought it up is um this Hender Leader Construction said that the guy up at Shinoco station is wanted to expand their canopy and from what they can tell supposed to be a 50 foot um rideway, but they're not sure that's right. And the existing canopy is over that 50 foot rideway. What they're just going to do is go straight east.

Okay. Want to add on here. So this little section this is existing. So it won't be. Yeah. So they just needed confirmation that this what they are which is already grandfathered in where they are existed at right now is already grandfathered in. Need confirmation that they can go ahead with this setback which is just a little corner over there. It's going to be just like what's there only extending it's going to be a new area right there and put a new one down. So that would be considered grandfathered. We just have to favor

but they are going to tear it down. So they'll have to redo it. So all they need they need confirmation that the 50 foot rideway is okay if they can build on it. Yeah. Like right here cover it. Yeah. Absolutely. I make a motion that we go ahead and confirm that they can do that. I second it. Favor. You brought that down.

I don't know if we're going to have anything Jim Crick. So, first I'll [laughter] get to Taylor O'Brien brought the Hanky Community Commons building ordinance because we have on here new line items for community center maintenance and rentals. There should be just a separate line item either in general. I don't know if you'll be paying it out of general. I would assume because the commons is owned by the town, right?

So you paid it out of the general, but we need a separate line item for maintenance and rentals because when we are able to rent it out, that needs to go in certain lines and you need to have money put back for maintenance of the building eventually. So, she's got on here what she needs an exact amount of the money to name the building and final finalize it. Um, she's got a contract here with it on there. She's going to bring these ordinance with us. An ordinance related to Steve Hanky donation plans for community building. Um, we already have the resolution here. She did add a few provisions to the resolution. say

there are resolutions. What are they? It doesn't say. She didn't send them to us. She has a mockup of the ordinance for Hanky's building. The one I have is the one page one that you already have the one page ordinance for the cross resolution you're talking about. Yeah, I have two pages. I have Oh, no. Second. Sorry. [clears throat]

And mine does not say that something new or is that one you have had before? This is what I had before. I don't know if she's changed something or

it just says here at appendage a I added a few provisions to this resolution to make it more comprehensive encompassing all concerns that have been raised. I plan to get a confidential memorandum out to the council members hopefully this week detailing my thoughts on some of the other proposed ordinances and resolutions that were sent. and she then sent me a text message this morning that she would not be here because she's going to be out and she would get these resolutions to us the first of January. Here it is. She said, "Good morning, Melanie. I was trying to make it to the meeting on through the telephone, but I don't think I'll be able to with her surgery prep. I'll have to do it tonight. It's okay if we can just table the ordinances and resolutions. I was going to introduce you from January that going to work with you John on the line. Well, I guess it has to. name from home. Yeah, I guess I guess we'll have to

I should have had a copy of this letter from Taylor. Yep.

Um so we're going to table that one and there's also an ordinance to go down establishing the motor vehicle inspection to be a separate. So, we'll have to wait for all that morning. Okay. Key fun transfers need to be in by December the 30th. If we're looking at the budget, all minuses need to be right, I guess. on the general to go down through there. There is enough in the fund to cover all of these that are transferred, but we need permission to do that and it has to be written out. I believe this services charges maybe partially that might be the trust.

Or is that all is that all that SS4A that's left? Yes, I think so.

Okay. Anyway, there's some there. I know the truck is taken out of here and here and this one the phone internet. Some of these will be covered by the budget next year, but any of these transfers need to be made by the 30th of December. So, will you get all this [laughter] drink? Now, the water operating those IC operating funds are pretty good there. But in our wastewater, we haven't used any of the bond money or the debt money. there's not been touched.

So on the wastewater transfers which there's a lot of them bond money and the debt money could be used on that. Okay. So they all have to be taken care of out of these the bond money and there's a wastewater improvement fund. There's [clears throat] also the bond and the debt. Neither one of them have been touched. It should be on your utility down here. Bond of interest is 113,000. Uh I mean 19,693 and the wastewater improvement fund is 46,6930. The minus there you know that should take care of minus in the wastire. Also on the uh American Rescue Plan, I guess this was written out of the wrong one. This is salary should have come out of payroll American Rescue Plan. [clears throat]

Yeah, American Rescue Plan.

I don't know what you mean. Well, I think this should have come out of payroll. was your your payroll came out of the American Rescue Plan. I'll give you this copy. I would say it's just came out of the wrong number on it. You know what I mean? The wrong account number because it came out of American Rescue Fund. It should come out of payroll. That's why there's a minus in the American Rescue Fund.

Okay. Yeah, there's a minus,46 in if you notice on the water utility operating that 497,000 that looks really really good but you got to remember 185,000 is long we just

so I mean but 312 is a huge improvement every month we've been going up about 20 because we're doing these I think all these fixes is a lot of it you know fixing our problem area sure Does anybody have any questions on that? And then you'll take care of this all the transfers.

These transfers have to be done by the 30th. By the 30th. Actually, by tomorrow if I need Lisa's help. Yeah. At least you know I'm going to be there tomorrow till 3. Yeah.

Am I having any other questions on the budget? I don't. Well, my my question here is are we going to be able to to get these done by tomorrow? I mean, there wasn't that many, so it should be okay. Well, a lot of the water operating wastewater operating fund comes out of one. That's what I was going to say. Most of it comes out of one, but as far as the ones that we need to ret transfer, this has to be taken out of here and moved around,

right? The only one the only major ones would be the wastewater operating because it doesn't show enough in wastewater operating fund to do it and have to be taken out of the dead bombing. Okay. That's what we want to do during Christmas time, isn't it, Ray? Yeah. Move money.

Well, I mean, you're going to be gone. That's why the [clears throat] 28th because you're going to be gone. Lisa is going to be gone. So, I mean, if there's something that comes in after our meeting and it's done and transferred on the 30th, you know, something that comes in late, we can do transfers then, but we don't want to do any more than we have to in January. Um, and the budget that you estimated, I've got different marks on that. That's all traded within. That doesn't have to be done. So, we need a new line item for community center and maintenance and rentals. We need to add the water one that says maintenance fee. And then we also need a new line item for future grants. So, all those are ordinances or resolutions.

These would be resolutions, but the water one has to be

that's an ordinance. That's an ordinance. That's right. So, I'll get these to her and she can take care of these and we really won't know till all the transfers are done what there is for encumbrances. So, the park will be unfused. I mean, but we spent a lot of money this year, but we got almost everything done. Also, the only other thing I have to add to this, and I know everybody's just dying in their home. Um, I got the uh verification resistant facilities from um INDOT. We're just doing shoulder work on 161. We do have our sewer line that runs on each Mary. Um, so I have to go down through each one of these pages, which is so tiny. I'm going to have to bring the magnifying glass. It just wants it verified that we don't have any structures in the way and let them know that we have a sewer down.

We've done this. Yes, we have done this three times, but we just got another verification because these aren't the final finds. These are the almost final finds. And they're right here so you can look at it. I said have a magnifying glass with you. Get on the computer and you can zoom in and see it. Yeah. I say I think I got the copies from the last. Yeah. Smart Ellie. [laughter] Seriously. We haven't added anything, right? No. Sounds like there might be another last time, but No. Yeah, there's another last final draft after this and he'll have it a final final draft later.

Is it like the fourth final draft, but just wanted to bring that up so that everybody had that. That's all I have on that. Like I said, the main thing was just getting all of our transfers done and talking about the water increasing the maintenance fee. You have anything, Ray? I don't have anything. Uh I guess we can give an update on the cross line situation. Um was really disappointed that we didn't get to do the resolution tonight. Um, but we'll we'll get it done. I promise that.

Well, I I think she was gonna have it done, but with her document. Couldn't get it done. Understood. I just like wasted Holly's time tonight, but that's that's my fault. I'll have to buy you a dinner or something. All right.

Uh, but uh, as far as we're what has been done, Honeyberg really stepped up. Um they did a moratorum on their uh their 240 acres. Is that right? Um that solar panels are going to be in in there due due to and how if I misspe please correct me due to no no uh no no permitting and construction within the two-year agreement. So that's that's that's a good thing. U you know now we we've got that done. county commissioners. Um I think they're be honest with you uh they're about $4 short being where they should have been. Um they did pass a moratorum on on u I don't have that in front of me. future basically future

solar

solar which is going to uh hopefully stop that shamrock um solar that's going in north of Ireland. Um is it going to do anything for us as far as the the Duff project and the crossline project? No, I don't believe it will. But it should put this company on notice that I think they did us wrong. they stood right here and told us that and apologized that they didn't do the right thing by notifying and getting the information out and notifying the public and things like that. So, they right right there is where the guy stood and apologized for all that. But, u still an ongoing fight. Um, we won some battles, but this war is it's a long ways away to get it stopped. just just like a few other things in this county, but we just uh that's where we're at, right, Holly?

Yeah. The town of Holland really can't stop it. All we can do is try to help slow it down until let them know that we're not happy. Yeah. I mean, that's basically what we can do. And the only after that is Huntingburg is is looking at their ordinance, their development ordinance as a whole. So they're looking at solar, but they're also looking at how everything's approved. Maybe it's a wind project, maybe it's they're really looking at their entire development ordinance to say, okay, do we really have this set up how we want to? They realize that's how they got into the pickle in the beginning. You know, batteries. I think they're going to throw batteries. You know, they mentioned they don't want those. That's probably going to be

there's there rumor has it that there's a company that's just wanting to put batteries in Duboce County. No silver, just batteries. Uh which I think was turned away. I don't I'm not 100% sure about that, but um there a lot of things I'm not 100% sure on because of how things are kind of slither in the carpet. [laughter] But um it um like I said, it's still ongoing. We still have our petition online and we also have some of the written ones out on the community that we can still um you know hopefully get enough people in we don't have that many people in this area anyways thousand people to tell them that we don't approve of what they're doing uh for this the point of what we what we're concerned about community safety and that's the number one thing community safety Um, and that's about where we're at, I think. [clears throat]

I mean, I think we fought a good fight and I think we're still fighting the fight. We just there's only so many things that we can do since we don't own the ground outside there. Have something to say to to the state or to whoever, then they're they're missing the the whole idea behind it.

Well, and since this started, I will make the comment. I heard a couple of farmers that were approached to to lease their ground and after they read some of the stuff going on and going out they said no and it was they were going to the money looked and I understand that you know if you got ground to pay taxes on the farming I understand lease agreement it's money going in but after they heard what all was going on this has stopped at least two farmers out of milk

well we're not just like I told the commission commissioners. We're not an HOA. We We don't want to be an HOA. We're not telling the farmers what they can and cannot do with that with their land. What we are saying to this company is do not put that kind of um situation in our laps where if, and you guys know, you've heard me say this before, the whatif monster. If something were to go wrong and we we do have a runaway, a thorough runaway, now we are in trouble. That wind shifts. Oh, we always comes to the west. That wind shifts, which we've seen the wind shift lately. Um, it could be in our in our front doors. So, that's all we're trying to do.

Well, tell them if you don't want it in your backyard, don't put it in ours. I mean, if you literally don't want solar panels in your backyard, don't put it in somebody else's. I mean that it's just a suggestion. So, but it has helped. So, I do believe it has. Scott, do you have anything? Turn. You got anything else to say? Hold on, Vicki. I forgot to tell you. I am having surgery on January 6. Oh, okay. So, I may not be here for the meeting on January 7th. Do we want to?

We'll come to your room. We [laughter] could do that. We could do that. I mean, we can go back a week if it if that works for everybody. January 14th. It'll be 7th is when it's scheduled. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. You want to go back a week to the 14th? Yeah, probably. That'll be enough time. Okay. All right. Yeah. when you get the stuff done, we'll just get the whip across Katrina until we all done tomorrow. Okay. Okay. Anybody have anything else? If not, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn.

I'll make that motion. I'll second it. All in favor? Thanks for coming. I'll leave you all this. This is for you.