July 9, 2024 Meeting Minutes
- alyssaknepple5
- Jul 9, 2024
- 4 min read
SOUTH WHITLEY TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
TOWN HALL BOARD ROOM
118 E FRONT ST
SOUTH WHITLEY, IN 46787
JULY 9, 2024
6:30 PM
CALL TO ORDER: Council President Randy Cokl called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm. Those present were as follows: Council President Randy Cokl, Vice President Brock Waterson, Councilman Trey Weber, Town Marshal Mikel Vandevender, Town Attorney Greg Hockemeyer, and Deputy Clerk Jenna Reiff filling in for Clerk-Treasurer Alyssa Knepple.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ADJUSTMENTS
NONE
NEW BUSINESS
ED RUCKMAN: AMVETS BIKES & BANDS EVENT- August 17th there will be a bikes and bands fundraiser at the AmVets. Mr. Ruckman is asking the council to close Slater Dr. so they can host the event with food trucks and extra parking from 5-8 pm. Marshal Vandevender said to extend the hours a little for set-up and tear down. Councilman Waterson made a motion to allow Slater Drive to be closed on August 17th from 5 to 10 pm for the bikes and bands event hosted by the AmVets. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.
BRIAN MCCARTY: BUILDINGS UPTOWN FOR SMALL BUSINESS- Him and his wife are business owners from Fort Wayne who own 11 different stores in 4 states. They are running into issues with storage and have experience with remodeling. They are interested in the downtown buildings on State Street. Councilman Waterson will begin working with the McCarty’s to show them the buildings and go over the what the contract would consist of. The council would then have an executive session to discuss.
OLD BUSINESS
SAM POLITANO: SIDEWALK GRANT APPLICATION- Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept the sidewalk application and repay up to $2,000 for the project. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. Once the receipts are turned in and the project has been verified as completed, the Clerk will issue the repayment check.
PUBLIC INPUT
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Made comments about the police department Facebook page being down and how it shows the council and department don’t want to hear what the public has to say on the Augustus matter. He doesn’t understand why the officer felt it was ok to handle this situation. The released statement that was made stated “it was wrong but not a fireable offense.” He asks the council what it would take for a police officer to commit a “fireable” offense and if they still stand by their initial statement. Attorney Hockemeyer stated that since the Augustus’ initiated litigation against the town, they should not comment on the situation. The council stated they all have personal opinions about the situation, and he would like to get those statements after the meeting.
JEN DICKMEYER: She wants the council and the town to be aware of 50 street legal racecars will be driving through town for a drag and drive. They will be stopping at Matt Dickmeyer’s garage since he was voted best engine builder in 2017. There will be drivers and followers, along with possible media. This will take place on August 16th.
KAREN JORDAN: When Craig has been mowing, he has noticed the boat launch being busy with kayakers and fisherman. She looked at the Town’s comprehensive plan that discussed building up that space. Attorney Hockemeyer stated all those plans would have to go through DNR to look into the project. She also asked about painting the old town water tower. Kent has received a few quotes on how much it would cost to paint, and it just isn’t in the budget for this year. It will be something we can look at in the future. She discussed how the comprehensive plan gives ideas for utilizing the apartments above all the downtown buildings for more housing to bring people into town.
MATT SLUSHER: Kent has looked with cameras to see if their sewer issue is due to something the Town would be responsible for and didn’t find anything. This means the issue would be in the lateral, which is the homeowners responsibility. The Slushers have been hearing from all neighbors that they are having the same issues. They had Miller’s come out to look at their lines. They’ve had raw sewage back up into their basement twice, which included sewage that was not theirs.
DEPARTMENT HEADS:
PARK BOARD – DAVE WARNER: Not Present
WASTE WATER/UTILITIES SUPERVISOR – KENT SLATER: Not present
TOWN MARSHAL – MIKEL VANDEVENDER: The SRO has almost finished with K-9 training and will be ready to start school at the beginning of the year with the K-9.
TOWN ATTORNEY – GREGG HOCKEMEYER: Nothing to present
CLERK-TREASURER – ALYSSA KNEPPLE: Nothing to present
APPROVALS:
APPROVAL FOR JUNE 11TH REGULAR MEETING MINUTES: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept meeting minutes from June 11th. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.
APPROVAL FOR JUNE 25TH APV’s TOTALING $418,158.02: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept June 25th APV’s. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.
APPROVAL FOR JULY 9TH APV’S TOTALING $172,378.49: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept July 9th APV’s. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote 3-0.
APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING JUNE 17, 2024, TOTALING $11,042.49: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending June 17th. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.
APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING JUNE 24, 2024 TOTALING $10,709.71: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending June 24th. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.
APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING JULY 1, 2024 TOTALING $10,500.48: Councilman Waterson made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending June 1st. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.
ADJOURN at: Meeting was adjourned at 7:04 pm by Council President Randy Cokl.
APPROVALS:
ATTEST: