March 10, 2025 Meeting Minutes

SOUTH WHITLEY TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING AGENDA

TOWN HALL BOARD ROOM

118 E FRONT ST

SOUTH WHITLEY, IN  46787

MARCH 10, 2025

6:30 PM

CALL TO ORDER: Meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM by Council President Brock Waterson. Members present were as follows: Council President Brock Waterson, Vice President Trey Weber, Councilman Randy Cokl, Town Attorney Greg Hockemeyer, Town Marshal Mikel Vandevender, and Clerk-Treasurer Alyssa Knepple. Utility Supervisor Kent Slater was not present.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ADJUSTMENTS

BARBRA FULK (509 S JACKSON ST)	$ 665.70	Councilman Cokl made a motion to accept the adjustment in the amount of $ 665.70. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.
ALEXIS SMITH (102.5 S STATE ST APT # 1)	$ 744.90	Councilman Cokl made a motion to accept the adjustment in the amount of $ 744.90. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.
AMANDA WOOD (102.5 S STATE ST APT #2)	$ 210.77	Councilman Cokl made a motion to accept the adjustment in the amount of $ 210.77. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.
ROSS WALKER (102 S STATE ST)	$ 1675.61	The council has denied the adjustment at this time. They would like to speak with the property owner about some of the complaints they have received and get the water meter equipment switched out and updated. The council has yet to receive any form of communication from the property owner regarding their concerns. Adjustment has been tabled for a future meeting.
SETH CLARK (908 SARA ST)	$ 119.90	Councilman Cokl made a motion to accept the adjustment in the amount of $ 119.90. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.

NEW BUSINESS

CCMG AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT: The Town of South Whitley was approved and awarded $ 1.4 million for the 2025-1 CCMG cycle. The roads included are Elm Street, Wayne Street, and Main Street. This project will most likely start in early 2026.

TOWN-WIDE GARAGE SALE DATES: South Whitley Town Wide garage sales will be April 25th – April 26th, 2025. The Clerks’ Office will get the porta-potties ordered from Kent Coble and handle vendor applications. 

TORNADO SIREN TEST: The test happened on March 10th before the meeting. The test was a success.

50/50 WATER LINE APPLICATION: Joe Grant’s business, GFH, LLC would like to apply for the 50/50 water replacement grant. The work has been finished by Mike Wilcoxson and checked by the Clerk. Councilman Weber made a motion to accept the replacement application for reimbursement in total of $500.00. Councilman Cokl seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0. Mrs. Knepple said she will inform the homeowner and get the check out to him this week. 

OLD BUSINESS

206 & 208 S State Street Properties update: Mr. McCarty has been working on repairing the hole in the back of the building. When he is finished, Tim Moyer will begin demolishing the back of the building that is severely damaged.

The Town will be purchasing 104 S State Street from Lynn and Renee Duggins. Councilman Cokl would like Mr. Hockemeyer to give Tom Pugh, the title company, a bump to get the process finished soon.

COUNCILMAN TOPICS

Mr. and Mrs. Andy Bower own the old Lancaster building at 105 E Market. They have put a lot of work into the property, and they have an insurance company coming in to use it as office space.

PUBLIC INPUT

JEN DICKMEYER: Mrs. Dickmeyer would like the town to come and clear some of the overgrown grass and dirt from the alleys surrounding her house. She tried to remove some of it by hand, but she stated it took a lot of work, and she didn’t get very far. Mrs. Dickmeyer also stated that if the utility guys could do the scraping with the Kobota, she would handle the clean up since they would like some of that dirt and grass to fill in holes in their yard. Councilman Waterson said he would talk to the utility supervisor and get that done soon.

DEPARTMENT HEADS:

PARK BOARD – RANDY SIMPSON: New Park board had their first meeting. Randy Simpson was appointed as the park board president. Everyone has great ideas, and they are excited to start making improvements.

WASTE WATER/UTILITIES SUPERVISOR – KENT SLATER: not present

TOWN MARSHAL – MIKEL VANDEVENDER: The state health inspector has been working at Lake Park Estates to get their sewer and water line issues resolved. There have been discussions as to whether the Town was supposed to be signing off on permit inspections when there has never been communication with the Planning and Building Department on permits needing signed off and finalized by the Town. 

TOWN ATTORNEY – GREGG HOCKEMEYER: Mr. Hockemeyer stated he will talk with Tom Pugh to get the closing scheduled for the 104 S State Street property. He will also investigate the issues with Lake Park Estates and what the town’s responsibility is regarding the issues residents are facing. 

CLERK-TREASURER – ALYSSA KNEPPLE:

·        Mrs. Knepple is requesting the council to make some changes to the SRO comp time policy. There has been an issue with many comp sheets being turned in at a time, which makes keeping track difficult. She would also like to request the signature of the school Athletic Director or Superintendent, along with the Marshal, to verify the time the SRO spent at a school activity. This could be an issue during the next audit since the State requires the employee and supervisor to sign off on timecards, overtime, etc. It is the same for comp time and because the school requests its presence at events, they should also be signing off as confirmation for comp time. Councilman Cokl made a motion to change the comp time policy for the SRO to require a school officials’ signature, in addition to the Marshals for time to be approved. Also, comp sheets need to be turned in during the same pay period as the comp time took place. Councilman Weber seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.

·        Spring banners for downtown have been ordered and should be delivered in the next couple of weeks. Whitko School spirit banners are still being designed but should be ordered in time for Fall sports and homecoming week.

APPROVALS:

APPROVAL FOR FEBRUARY 25TH REGULAR MEETING MINUTES: Councilman Weber made a motion to accept the February 25th regular meeting minutes. Councilman Cokl seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.

APPROVAL FOR MARCH 10TH, 2025 APV’s TOTALING $ 201,448.40: Councilman Weber made a motion to accept the March 10th APV’s totaling $201,448.40. Councilman Cokl seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.

APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING MARCH 3RD, 2025, TOTALING $ 12,949.93: Councilman Weber made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending March 3rd, 2025, totaling $ 12,949.93. Councilman Cokl seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.

APPROVAL FOR PAYROLL WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 24TH, 2025, TOTALING $ 12,103.28: Councilman Weber made a motion to accept payroll for the week ending February 24th, 2025, totaling $ 12,103.28. Councilman Cokl seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 3-0.

ADJOURN at: Meeting was adjourned at 7:06 pm by Council President Brock Waterson.

APPROVALS:

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