Common Council

CITY COMMON COUNCIL OF HARTFORD CITY, INDIANA MAY 5, 2025 MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER & WELCOME: Council President, Ron Dudelston called to order a meeting of the Common Council of the City of Hartford City at 6:00pm, May 5, 2025 ROLL CALL: Members of the council present were Ron Dudelston, Michael Wolfe, Tracey Witt, Tony Scaggs, and Bill Aspy. Mayor Eckstein, City Attorney Aubrey Crist, and Clerk-Treasurer Dana Whatley were also present. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Ms. Witt made a motion to approve the agenda as submitted. Mr. Aspy seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: 1.) REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 7, 2025: Mr. Wolfe made a motion to approve the minutes of the April 7, 2025 meeting as presented. Mr. Scaggs seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. 2.) SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 22, 2025: Mr. Aspy made a motion to approve the minutes of the special meeting on April 22, 2025 as submitted. Mr. Scaggs seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. OLD BUSINESS: 1.) 2nd READING OF ORDINANCE 2025-03 AMENDING HARTFORD CITY CODE CHAPTER 92 – ANIMALS: Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve the 2nd reading of Ordinance 2025-03. Mr. Dudelston seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. 2.) REVIEW OF HERITAGE DAYS RESOLUTIONS 2014-02 AND 2019-07: Mr. Scaggs made a motion to table this topic indefinitely. Mr. Aspy seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. NEW BUSINESS: 1.) AE COM – STATE ROAD 3 PAVEMENT PROJECT (IN 2027) – PIT STOP DRIVE: There was discussion about the upcoming paving project for State Road 3 North in 2027 and how this will affect the Pit Stop. The Pit Stop is asking to abandon the alleyway behind the business to use it as an entrance while the project is going on. Mayor Eckstein explained that he has a meeting with INDOT, and he wants council’s permission to move forward in this direction. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve for the mayor to move forward. Ms. Witt seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. 2.) RESOLUTION 2025-08 – TRU-FORM STEEL & WIRE – CF-1/PP: Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve Resolution 2025-08. Mr. Wolfe seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. 3.) RESOLUTION 2025-09 – APPROVING TRANSFER OF REAL ESTATE TO BLACKFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS: Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve Resolution 2025-09. Ms. Witt seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT UPDATE: 1.) REVIEW EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK – STATUS UPDATE: Ms. Brown explained that the committee continues to amend the handbook. 2.) BIKE TRAIL @ WILDERNESS PARK: Ms. Brown stated that the bike trail is progressing well, with visible improvements and increased use by both local and out-of- county visitors. The trail blends naturally into the environment, and ongoing work is being recognized. 3.) SENIOR CITIZENS OPEN HOUSE: The Senior Center will host an Open House on May 21st to celebrate completed renovations, including new flooring and painting. Lunch will be served, and the band Sweet Sounds will perform at 12:30pm. The event is open to the community. 4.) INDIANA YOUTH INSTITUTE CONFERENCE: The Indiana Youth Institute is hosting a national conference on child well-being on May 6th. The city will stream two sessions at city hall: one on youth loneliness (11:20am – 12:20pm) and one on social media use (2-3pm). Flyers and information are available on the city website and social media. MAYOR’S COMMENTS: 1.) PARK BOARD FUNDING REQUEST OVER $10,000: Mr. Ron Parrott from the Park’s Board requested permission to spend over $10,000 to replace mulch in all the city parks. They will be replacing traditional mulch with rubber mulch. He explained that the rubber mulch has a 20-year life span where traditional mulch must be replaced every 3 or so years. The total bill will be $70,000 and the park board will pay $49,000 in 2025 and the remainder will be purchased in 2026. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve the purchase. Mr. Aspy seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to donate $12,500 from the city’s funds towards this project. Mr. Aspy seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5- 0. 2.) GOLF COURSE: Mayor Eckstein stated that all negotiations for the purchase of the golf course have ended, and it will not continue to be a golf course, at this time. CLERK-TREASURER COMMENTS: NONE COUNCIL COMMENT: 1.) MR. RON DUDELSTON: A.) The council received an ordinance from Attorney Drew Hall to ban agriculture within city limits. Mr. Hall is coordinating with the Area Plan Commission, and the process is pending any further feedback and scheduling. The council plans to attend the APC meeting. B.) Mr. Dudelston explained the proposed redistricting changes will move district #4 two streets south, from Franklin to Grant St., affecting Councilor Witt’s district boundaries as well as his own. The city is awaiting updated maps from the state. PUBLIC COMMENT: 1.) MR. BILL SMITH – BLACKFORD COUNTY EMA: Mr. Smith explained that Norfolk/Southern Railroad will present “Emergencies 101” at the Montpelier Fire Department on June 5, 2025 from 6-8pm. The event is open to the public and aims to educate about train wreck emergencies.  2.) MS. ANNE OWEN – REZONING REQUEST MR. JOHN JOHNSON: Ms. Owen explained that the Area Plan Commission gave a favorable recommendation (8-0) to rezone two parcels owned by Mr. John Johnson (d/b/a REI Revolution) from I-1 to R-2 for residential development. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to accept the request for rezoning. Mr. Aspy seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE, Tony Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. 3.) RESIDENT, MR. DOUG HUTSON: Mr. Hutson addressed council and presented a signed petition of the residents of East Commercial St and East Chestnut St. These residents share an alley (Reed Lane). He explained that this is the only place these residents can utilize to park their vehicles and have access to their garages. There is no parking available on either of these streets in front of their homes. He stated that there are noticeably big potholes in the alley. They are requesting to have it paved. They have come before council before in 2019 and 2023 with the same issues. In 2023 the street department filled all the holes with patching material. Mr. Jeff Thomas, DPW Superintendent stated that he would come down and walk the alley and make an assessment and would continue to cold patch the rough spots. Due to financial constraints no more permanent resolution was reached. ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Mr. Scaggs made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 6:42pm. FOLDER 2/REC 46