Common Council

CITY COMMON COUNCIL OF HARTFORD CITY, INDIANA OCTOBER 7, 2024 MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER & WELCOME: Mayor Eckstein called to order a meeting of the Common Council of the City of Hartford City at 6:00pm, October 7, 2024. ROLL CALL: Members of the council present were Ron Dudelston, Michael Wolfe, Tracey Witt, Tony Scaggs, and Bill Aspy. Mayor Eckstein, Attorney Brandon Murphy, and Clerk-Treasurer Dana Whatley were also present. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Mr. Dudelston made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. Mr. Scaggs seconded the motion. The vote to approve the agenda was 5-0. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: A.) SPECIAL MEETING OF AUGUST 27, 2024: Mr. Aspy made a motion to approve the minutes of the special meeting of August 27, 2024 as submitted. Mr. Dudelston seconded the motion. The vote to approve the minutes of August 27, 2024 was 5-0. B.) REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 3, 2024: Mr. Wolfe made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 3, 2024 meeting as presented. Ms. Witt seconded the motion. The vote to approve the minutes of September 3, 2024 was 5-0. OLD BUSINESS: A.) SEAN CAVANAUGH – CIVIL WAR DAYS UPDATE: Mr. Cavanaugh shared with council that the Civil War Days was successful. They had beautiful weather, high turnout in attendance and in turn had positive financial results. He discussed plans for next year’s Civil War Days event including the date it will be held and the need for more volunteers. B.) 2ND READING OF ORDINANCE 2024-04 – BUDGET FOR YEAR 2025: Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve the second reading of Ordinance 2024-04. Mr. Dudelston seconded the motion. Vote was taken via roll call: Mr. Dudelston – YAY Mr. Aspy - YAY Mr. Scaggs - YAY Ms. Witt - YAY Mr. Wolfe - YAY The vote was 5-0.  C.) 2ND READING OF ORDINANCE 2024-05 – SALARY ORDINANCE FOR YEAR 2025: Mr. Dudelston made a motion to approve the 2nd reading of Salary Ordinance 2024-05. Mr. Scaggs seconded the motion. The vote taken via roll call: Mr. Dudelston – YAY Mr. Aspy - YAY Mr. Scaggs - YAY Ms. Witt - YAY The vote was 5-0 Mr. Wolfe - YAY NEW BUSINESS: A.) MR. JOHNNIE GUSTAFSON – REQUEST FOR A STOP SIGN AT THE CORNER OF MAPLE ST. & ELM ST.: Mr. Gustafson was a no show for tonight’s meeting. No action was taken. B.) MS. CINDY GROSS – ARTS COUNCIL ANNUAL SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN: Ms. Gross discussed the upcoming Trunk or Treat event scheduled for October 25, 2024 detailing the event’s location, activities, and logistical arrangements. C.) CHERI BROWN – BIKE/PEDESTRIAN MASTER PLANNING GRANT: Ms. Brown discussed with council this project and applying for a matching grant from the Indiana Department of Health for a bike and pedestrian plan, including potential funding sources and the need for council approval to move forward. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve moving forward. Mr. Aspy seconded the motion. The vote to approve was 5-0. D.) 1ST READING OF ORDINANCE 2024-06 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CITY CODE WITH REGARD TO RABBITS AND FOWL: Mr. Wolfe made a motion to approve the 1st reading of Ordinance 2024-06. Ms. Witt seconded the motion. The vote to approve the 1st reading of Ordinance 2024-06 was 5-0. The 2nd reading will be held at the regular council meeting on Monday, November 4, 2024. E.) 1ST READING OF ORDINANCE 2024-07 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE 2007-03 ANDF 2019-09 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE HARTFORD CITY CODE CHAPTER 52 SEWAGE TREATMENT: Mr. Dudelston made a motion to approve the 1st reading of Ordinance 2024-07. Mr. Wolfe seconded the motion. The vote to approve the 1st reading of Ordinance 2024-07 was 5-0. The 2nd reading will be held at the regular council meeting on Monday, November 4, 2024. F.) MAYOR ECKSTEIN – GOLF COURSE: Mayor Eckstein stated that the Golf Course in Hartford City is for sale. He explained that the current owner wants to retire by the end of the year. Multiple community members expressed concerns about the potential sale of the golf course and its impact on property values, the community, and the local economy. There was a suggestion to form a consortium or committee to explore options for keeping the golf course operational. Alternative uses for the golf course land were discussed. There were concerns about the land being converted into farm ground or becoming overgrown if not maintained as a golf course. Mr. Scaggs asked if there was anything that City Council could draft that would not allow farm ground within city limits. Ms. Anne Owen stated that the golf course is zoned R-1 which agriculture is allowed. She stated that the council could submit a formal request to the Area Plan Commission to change the ordinance so that agriculture would not be allowed within city limits. She requested this letter be submitted so she can present it at the November APC meeting. Mr. Dudelston made a motion to have Clerk-Treasurer Whatley send a letter to Ms. Owen to be presented to the APC at their meeting on November 12, 2024 at 6pm at the courthouse. Mr. Scaggs seconded the motion. The vote was taken via roll call. Mr. Dudelston – YAY Mr. Aspy - YAY Mr. Scaggs - YAY Ms. Witt - YAY Mr. Wolfe - YAY The vote to approve was 5-0. There was also discussion about the city obtaining two appraisals for the golf course property. Mayor Eckstein asked the council if they would be willing to give a tentative approval to obtain these appraisals at a guesstimated cost of $30,000. Mr. Dudelston made a motion to give a tentative approval. Mr. Scaggs seconded the motion. The vote passed 3-2. G.) TRAVIS WILLIAMSON – REPLACING SEWER JETTER: Mr. Williamson approached the council just as informational in nature at this evening's meeting. He stated that there will be a need to replace the aging sewer jetter vehicle. He outlined the plan to gather quotes and consideration for replacement in 2025. There was no action taken. H.) HCPD – PERMISSION TO SPEND OVER $10,000: 1.) CANINE REPLACEMENT: Captain Joel Allred explained to the council that the department lost canine Hera to an accident and canine Bruno is close to retirement. The Police Department would like to replace 2 canines in the first or second quarters of 2025. The cost runs in a range of $8,000 - $14,000 per dog. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve with moving forward on purchasing two new canines. Ms. Witt seconded the motion. The vote to approve was 5-0.  2.) IN CAR CAMERAS: Captain Allred explained that the current in-car cameras the police department has are developing problems due to the age of the cameras (i.e., inability to record, lack of accountability when it comes to retrieving recordings). He stated that they are looking at new cameras that have interoperability with their current body camera system and its cloud-based video storage. This makes it easier to retrieve and distribute to the prosecutor’s office. The quoted cost for these cameras is $116,215.20. Ms. Witt made a motion to approve the expenditure for the in-car cameras. Mr. Scaggs seconded the motion. The vote to approve was 5-0. 3.) TASERS: Captain Allred stated that the police department’s tasers have a recommended service life of five years. The tasers they are currently using are over six years old. The police department is asking to purchase new tasers for the department at a cost of $62,992.06. Mr. Dudelston made a motion to approve the expenditure for new tasers. Ms. Witt seconded the motion. The vote to approve this expenditure was 5-0. 4.) ERT VEST REPLACEMENT: Captain Allred explained that the ERT Vests (active shooter vests) have a serviceability life of five years from the manufacture date. He stated that at the beginning of 2025 they will be reaching that threshold. The police department is requesting permission to replace these vests at a cost of $32,301.00. Mr. Aspy made a motion to approve this purchase. Mr. Dudelston seconded the motion. The vote to approve this purchase was 5- 0. I.) MS. TRACEY WITT – NOISE ORDINANCE: There was discussion about amending the city’s noise ordinance to allow for quiet hours, especially on school nights. They discussed adding blanket quiet hours. Attorney Murphy stated that if it were the will of council, he could draft an amendment for consideration. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to look at an amendment at the November council meeting. Ms. Witt seconded the motion. The vote to review at the November council meeting was 5-0. J.) MAYOR ECKSTEIN – PROPOSED SIDEWALK ON SR 3 NORTH: Mayor Eckstein explained to council that with the upcoming state road 3 north INDOT project in 2027 he’s proposing putting in a sidewalk on the west side of state road 3 from Park Avenue going in front of Needler’s grocery store and then crossing over into the Save-A-Lot parking lot. The cost to do this will be $69,651.08 and will be at the city’s expense. The mayor explained that we cannot budget for this just yet since the project will not be done until 2027. He is asking for permission to move forward with this and be a part of 2027 project. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to give the mayor permission to move forward with this project. Mr. Dudelston seconded the motion. The vote to approve was 5-0. MAYOR’S COMMENTS: NONE CLERK-TREASURER COMMENTS: NONE COUNCIL COMMENT: NONE PUBLIC COMMENT: A.) MS. ANNE OWEN – CORNUELLE TREE LIGHTING FESTIVAL: Ms. Owen shared that the Cornuelle Tree Lighting Festival will be held on Saturday, November 30, 2024. She gave the street closure requests and asked for trash cans to be placed around the festival area. B.) FALL CARNIVAL – HOSTED BY THE HARTFORD CITY SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE: This carnival will be held at Weiler Plaza on November 9, 2024 from 12pm – 4pm. There will be a chili cook-off, pie bake-off, hayrides, food, vendors, games, and activities. ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Mr. Dudelston made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 7:58pm. FOLDER 2/REC 39