Common Council

COMMON COUNCIL CITY OF HARTFORD CITY, INDIANA MARCH 2, 2026 MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER & WELCOME: Mr. Ron Dudelston called to order a meeting of the Common Council of the City of Hartford City at 6:00pm, March 2, 2026. ROLL CALL: Members of the council present were Ron Dudelston, Michael Wolfe, Tracey Witt, Bill Aspy, and Tony Scaggs. City Attorney, Tyler Rotstein and Clerk-Treasurer Dana Whatley were also present. Mayor Dan Eckstein was absent. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Mr. Scaggs made a motion to amend the agenda to add Mr. Bill Bacon with the Water Department to new business item “G.” Mr. Aspy seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Michael Wolfe – AYE, Tracey Witt – AYE, Bill Aspy – AYE, Ron Dudelston – AYE and Tony Scaggs - AYE. The vote to amend was 5-0. Mr. Aspy made a motion to approve the agenda. Mr. Scaggs seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Mr. Wolfe – AYE, Ms. Witt – AYE, Mr. Aspy – AYE, Mr. Dudelston – AYE, Mr. Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 2, 2026: Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve the meeting minutes as submitted. 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. OLD BUSINESS: PARK BOARD UPDATE FOR SATURDAY IN THE PARK: No one from the Park Board was present this evening to give an update. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to table this topic. Mr. Wolfe seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Mr. Wolfe – AYE, Ms. Witt – AYE, Mr. Dudelston – AYE, Mr. Aspy – AYE, Mr. Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. NEW BUSINESS: TERRAZON GROUP – RIGHT OF WAY PROJECT: This project is slated to begin June 30, 2026 and will last an estimated duration of 50 days. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve this R-O-W project. Ms. Witt seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Mr. Wolfe – AYE, Ms. Witt – AYE, Mr. Dudelston – AYE, Mr. Aspy – AYE, Mr. Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. MR. WARREN BROWN – BCEDC 2026 CONTRACT FUNDING: The Board of Works approved the actual contract for calendar year 2026. The council needs to approve the funding for this contract. Clerk- Treasurer, Whatley explained that $35,000 was budgeted for this contract. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve the funding of $35,000 for 2026. Mr. Wolfe seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Mr. Wolfe – AYE, Ms. Witt – AYE, Mr. Dudelston – AYE, Mr. Aspy – AYE, Mr. Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. MR. TRAVIS WILLIAMSON, WWTP – PERMISSION TO SPEND OVER $10,000 – LIFT STATION PUMP REPAIR: Mr. Williamson reported that they had a catastrophic failure of a lift station pump. He stated that it is repairable, and he is seeking quotes from a couple of vendors to do the work. It will run in the range of $12,000 - $13,000. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve the expenditure. Ms. Witt seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Mr. Wolfe – AYE, Ms. Witt – AYE, Mr. Dudelston – AYE, Mr. Aspy – AYE, Mr. Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. MR. TRAVIS WILLIAMSON – HIGHWAY 3 NORTH PROJECT AND SIDEWALK EXTENSION: Mr. Williamson gave an update on the Highway 3 north project scheduled in 2027 which will run from Franklin Street north to Park Avenue. He stated that the total project cost is estimated at $8.9 million dollars. There will be utility relocation happening during this project as well. It will cost approximately $4.5 million. Hartford City received a hardship grant from INDOT to assist with the relocation costs. • The Water Department will receive a $2.5 million dollar grant with a match from the city in the amount of $150,000. • The Wastewater Department will receive a $1.9 million dollar grant with a match from the city in the amount of $252,000. The city has planned an additional sidewalk extension that will travel north from Park Avenue to the Sav- A-Lot parking lot. It will be on the west side of the highway. The city will fund this additional sidewalk extension, and its estimated cost is $70,000. CLERK-TREASURER WHATLEY – ADOPTION OF AN INVESTMENT POLICY: Clerk- Treasurer Whatley explained that during her audit closeout meeting with the State Board of Accounts, she was instructed to have an investment policy adopted by council. This was due to a previous Clerk- Treasurer investing money into an improper type of investment and without council’s approval. This investment has been closed and the money returned to the city. She asked for permission to have the attorney start drafting an ordinance for this policy. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to instruct the attorney to draw up an ordinance for council’s approval. Mr. Wolfe seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Mr. Wolfe – AYE, Ms. Witt – AYE, Mr. Dudelston – AYE, Mr. Aspy – AYE, Mr. Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. CLERK-TREASURER WHATLEY – ADOPTION OF A SALES TAX POLICY: Clerk-Treasurer Whatley stated that this was another directive by the State Board of Accounts to make a policy on how to oversee sales tax, primarily on credit cards. She requested to make individual departments responsible for any sales tax they pay, as the city is tax exempt. Mr. Aspy made a motion to instruct the attorney to draw up an ordinance for council’s approval. Ms. Witt seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Mr. Wolfe – AYE, Ms. Witt – AYE, Mr. Dudelston – AYE, Mr. Aspy – AYE, Mr. Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. MR. BILL BACON, WATER DEPARTMENT – PERMISSION TO SPEND OVER $10,000: Mr. Bacon requested an emergency chlorine shutoff system for the water treatment plant for safety reasons. He stated that the estimated cost from BMK Solutions is $14,425 which may be lower if a bulk purchase is possible. Mr. Scaggs made a motion to approve the expenditure. Mr. Aspy seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Mr. Wolfe – AYE, Ms. Witt – AYE, Mr. Dudelston – AYE, Mr. Aspy – AYE, Mr. Scaggs – AYE. The vote to approve was 5-0. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT UPDATE: • Ms. Cheri Brown stated that Economic Development, Hartford City, Montpelier, Community Foundation, Indiana Farm Bureau, and the Chamber Leadership Academy are joining forces with the Ball Brothers Foundation and launching a new leadership program next month. The Ball Brothers Foundation will fund this endeavor. They will hold meetings on Tuesdays from 11am – 2pm (lunch is provided). She said there will be room for 10 – 20 people in the first round. She stated that more information will be coming soon. • Ms. Brown explained that some of the freshman and sophomores from the high school will be going to Ivy Tech in Marion tomorrow and talking about opportunities here in the community, and career focused opportunities. • The People’s Marketplace will be back in April for a spring run. We are excited. Hopefully, you can stop by and see what they have to offer this time. • Ms. Brown briefly mentioned some grant opportunities she is working on and some departmental needs throughout the city that she will try to help get some grant funding for. There will be more information as these progress. MAYOR’S REPORT: NONE COUNCIL COMMENT: • MR. WOLFE – He asked Mr. Jeff Thomas about something he saw on social media. Constituents are talking about getting notification that if they put out more than two bags of trash there will be an additional charge. Mr. Thomas explained that this stated in the sanitation ordinance. Each utility customer is allowed 2 – 30-gallon trash bags per week. The city offers free recycling and provides at no charge the green recycling trash bags. If someone has more than the two allotted bags of trash in the week, they can purchase stickers for $1.00 each to place on the extra bags of trash. He explained that we also provide a large trash pick up each month where a customer can put out one large item on their designated large item day. The calendar is posted online and in the utility department. • MS. WITT - Ms. Witt explained that she is having problems with her Surface Pro tablet that the city provides council to use. These tablets were purchased in 2020 and are starting to show some wear. She inquired about purchasing new computers for council. Clerk-Treasurer stated that she would like to speak with the mayor about this as this was not a budgeted item in 2026. Ms. Whatley also asked council to come up with an amount they think is appropriate to spend. PUBLIC COMMENT: NONE ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Mr. Scaggs made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 6:34pm. FOLDER 2/REC 45