City Council

Village of Arcanum Council Meeting November 26, 2019 7:00 p.m. Call to Order: B. Millard opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance along with all present members of council. Roll Call: Council Members present include Jerry Boolman, Bonnie Millard, Tim Philpot, Rick Genovesi and Eric VanHoose. Also present were Nicole Pohlman, Bill Kessler, Toni Stanley, Marcus Ballinger, Beth Royer-DeLong, Bruce Shank and Mike Bruns. A motion was made by J. Boolman to excuse Blaine Vencill’s absence. E. VanHoose seconded. All present voted no. Motion not passed. Minutes – Corrections and Approvals: T. Stanley asked council to amend minutes from the October 29, 2019 to include the word “designee” as Mary Stephens was attending a records retention training as T. Stanley’s designee; however, the word “designee” was not in the minutes. A motion was made by T. Philpot to amend the minutes from October 29, 2019 and specify “T. Stanley’s designee”. Jerry Boolman seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. A motion was made by J. Boolman to approve the minutes from November 12, 2019. Eric VanHoose seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. A motion was made by J. Boolman to approve the voucher register dated through November 26, 2019. T. Philpot seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. Amendments to Agenda: Solicitor N. Pohlman asked to add an executive session after new business to discuss property acquisition. Comments from the Public: B. Millard asked for comments from the public. There were not comments. Administrative Reports: B. Millard: December 10, 2019 will be the date to swear in R. Genovesi and Jacob Banks as council members. B. Millard asked for a resolution for next year’s organizational and council meetings. Until last year, meetings were held the first day after the New Year. Last year, they were held at 6:30pm, but B. Millard asked for the meeting to be at 6:45pm during the second Tuesday of the New Year regular council for organizational purposes. Legislation will be ready at the December 10, 2019 meeting. Village Solicitor: There was nothing to report. Village Administrator: B. Kessler noted that the North Street project continues to move forward. They are trying to add a drain behind the curbs. If it is not installed soon, they will miss the opportunity to add. Kessler has been meeting with Keith and hopes to have the contractor add holes to add a corrugated 6-inch line. R. Baker met with the contractor and at this time, the contractor is too busy to add all of the drains. Per Kessler, they will hold off on adding drains due to time constraints on the contractor’s end. If they run into difficulties later, then they will deal with it at that time. There are drains on both sides currently. He does not want to risk ruining what is already in place to add something that may or may not be necessary. There are a few change-orders, but nothing substantial. They include pipe changes, catch basins, fire hydrant move and another cap. The project is on track. The contractor wants to add up to the final layer of pavement, but we are not allowing. A first layer is ok, but it is too cold to be that aggressive. The concern of the drain issue is that a drain may be connected to a home’s sump pump. The contractors only cut the drains that they were able to see and camera. There is a drain from Smith to Harvest Field Way that is not disturbed and deep enough to be out of the project scope. Drainage issues will be handled case by case. They do not want to risk damages to the catch basins. The change order amounts total approximately $7,000 due to undiscovered piping, leaded valves and other disclosures. Homes and properties will not be at risk. A construction meeting was held for the new building. The project is on track; however, there is an issue with the delivery of the generator. It may potentially push the occupancy date back, but Bill is working with Caterpillar and the contractor. They have come up with some solutions to have power so that the project can keep moving forward. Kessler will update as he has more information. The delay Vi l l a ge o f A r c a n u m R e gu l a r C o u n c i l M e e t i n g November 12, 2019 7:00 p.m. Page |2 could potentially be another two or three months. They are building the generator. The generator is necessary because all of the exit lighting relies on the generator instead of battery and is necessary for occupancy. Fiscal Officer: T. Stanley reported an incident with electric conversion. B. Kessler noted the process of converting from 2400 to 7200. All of South High Street and South Main Street on the west side has been converted. They now have switches that move from 2400 to 7200. One of the switches did not engage. On one phase, a lot of voltage was sent down the line. Most homes were ok. Minor damages on three homes, but one home was more damaged. We will cover approximately $3,000 for the microwaves and other electronics that were blown. Per T. Stanley, receipts totaling approximately $400 have been received so far to replace microwaves, coffee makers and other small household items. More receipts are expected. Receipts have been received for 608 and 606 South Main Street. Receipts totaling $106.18 for 606 South Main Street and $355 for 608 South Main Street. A motion was made by T. Philpot to the pay mentioned bills. E. VanHoose seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. Committee Reports: Safety Committee: There was nothing to report from the committee. Chief Ballinger reported that he went to Chief training and should be receiving his certificate soon. Officers are now able to validate reports via Spielman. Statistic reporting is necessary in order to receive state and federal grant funding. If data is pulled before reports are validated, it could be detrimental. Chief is working to complete validating reports. If we do not receive this grant, there is another grant opportunity available in March. Chief Ballinger and Sergeant Zellers will continue validating reports moving forward. Chief wants to complete the body camera policy. He will send to the Solicitor and then allow the Safety Committee to report. Utility Committee: Chairperson E. VanHoose noted that there is nothing to report at this time. B. Kessler announced that Carson, the new utility employee quit Monday November 25, 2019. An exit interview is scheduled with him on Wednesday. Waste Water Treatment Plant – there are three punch list items left. The plant is running well. Some different ideas are being looked at for the lagoons. More details and costs to come at a later time. Finance Committee: B. Millard met with the finance meeting on November 13, 2019 and balanced the budget. Some general fund line item adjustments were made to correct the police pension to a $12,000 increase. Some underground projects on the north end were removed and will be added once a better estimate of cost is available and appropriate accordingly. Estimated revenue from the electric tax was budgeted at $65,000 which shows a reduction of $5,000 for a more realistic budgeted amount per previous years. B. Kessler is looking into changing suppliers to save costs. Century Link, Cintas and Domestic Uniforms will all be less starting in January. Phelan was in on Friday. No other options were offered. HSA and HRA options were discussed and those details will be discussed soon. The bank investment to book reconciliation is being worked on. The fund report discrepancy with tax information is being evaluated to try to streamline daily functions. The water fund was discussed. The balance is $215,000. $100,000 of those funds are designated to the water tower replacement. $76,000 was transferred to pay for their portion of the new building. $38,000 remains for routine expenses and B. Kessler is looking into very closely. General Fund - $200,000 is designated for the ¼%. Only $329,000 remains for operating wages, etc. Public records – B. Millard spoke with Mary Stephens about training. 2020 dates have not been posted yet. She recommended they wait until Jacob is on council before a motion is made to add a designee to attend training in place of members who are not able to attend. That will be looked at again in January. Insurance – There is a risk factor with HRA. The total amount is approximately $134,000. Currently, with the risk factored in, the HRA is more than what the village is currently paying. It does not appear to be a good fit nor fiscally responsible. Each month, employees will have to search for the cheapest medications. It allows employees to have more control. According to Phelan, the $45,000 risk exposure typically runs $20,000, but it is unpredictable. Looking into keeping Anthem and absorbing the 20% increase. Roughly the new cost is $114,000 where the current rate is $105,000. Comparing 30/70 with 20% increase (a 5% employee difference), the overall cost will be $11,240 more than what the village is currently paying per year. The village and the employees will see an increase. Per T. Vi l l a ge o f A r c a n u m R e gu l a r C o u n c i l M e e t i n g November 12, 2019 7:00 p.m. Page |3 Stanley, checking into a consortium that helps small municipalities. Submitting information to see what they can offer as another option. Minimum wage went up to $8.70 starting January 1, 2020. The new minimum wage is reflected as well as the 30/70 insurance adjustment (pending approval and evaluating all options) in the 2020 budget. All-American rental was increased $10,000. Council members received the balanced budget pending any insurance decisions. Service & Leisure Committee: T. Philpot had nothing to report at this time. T. Philpot made a motion to reapply for the CDBG grant for the drainage project for approximately $60,000-$70,000. E. VanHoose seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. Personnel Committee: There was nothing to report. Chief Ballinger is evaluating the policy, specifically looking at tardiness. Chief would like a more gradual disciplinary system to allow for more leeway, but that is also clearly outlined. He would like it to be a more usable document. Planning Committee: There was nothing to report. Old Business: Unfinished Business: Ordinance 2019-52 – An Ordinance Providing For Wages For The Village Of Arcanum Employees Calendar Year 2020. This is the first reading. Exhibit A. New Business: Ordinance 2019-53 – An Ordinance Providing For An Amendment To The 2019 Appropriations For Current Expenses And Other Expenditures Of The Village Of Arcanum, Darke County, Ohio And Declaring An Emergency (Fire Fund And General Fund). A motion was made by T. Philpot to waive the three-reading rule for Ordinance 2019-53. E. VanHoose seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. A motion was made by T. Philpot to adopt Ordinance 2019-53. E. VanHoose seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. A motion was made by T. Philpot to declare an emergency on Ordinance 2019-53. E. VanHoose seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. Ordinance 2019-54 – An Ordinance Providing For The Adoption Of A New Job Description For The Village Utility Foreman. This is the first reading. A motion was made by B. Millard to amend the job description to read “non-exempt”. T. Philpot seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. I motion was made by T. Philpot to waive the three-reading rule for Ordinance 2019-54, as amended. E. VanHoose seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. A motion was made by T. Philpot to adopt Ordinance 2019-54, as amended. E. VanHoose seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. Ordinance 2019-55 – Ordinance 2019-55 – An Ordinance Confirming The Appointment Of Village Fiscal Officer. This is the 1st Reading. A motion was made by E. VanHoose to waive the three-reading rule for Ordinance 2019-55. T. Philpot seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. A motion was made by E. VanHoose to adopt Ordinance 2019-55. T. Philpot seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. Ordinance 2019-56 – An Ordinance Confirming The Appointment Of A Village Administrator. This is the 1st Reading. A motion was made by E. VanHoose to waive the three-reading rule for Ordinance 2019-56. T. Philpot seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. A motion was made by E. VanHoose to adopt Ordinance 2019-56. T. Philpot seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. A motion was made by J. Boolman to move into executive session at 7:57pm to discuss property acquisition. T. Philpot seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. At 8:06, J. Boolman motioned to move out of executive session. T. Philpot seconded. All present voted yea. Motion passed. Vi l l a ge o f A r c a n u m R e gu l a r C o u n c i l M e e t i n g November 12, 2019 7:00 p.m. Page |4 Announcements: None at this time. Adjournment: J. Boolman made a motion to adjourn. R. Genovesi seconded. Meeting adjourned.