Cost sharing policy for curb repair, escalating capital costs facing Police, Fire and EMS
By Andy Chappell-Dick
There were no expiring terms among Bluffton's six Council members, so the rancorous midterm elections last week brought no changes to our local government. This meeting's agenda contained no less than ten committee reports, seven articles of legislation, the usual items from administration and safety services, plus public comment. Citizens should know that our representatives dealt with the business before them quickly, respectfully and unanimously. The only thing failing in this democracy is the town's decrepit leaf collection machine, and they've got a bipartisan plan for that. (Forty pages of supporting documents for this meeting are attached. The agenda is pages 1-2; an index is listed below.)
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mayor Rich Johnson began by opening the floor to public comment and one resident was on hand to express concerns about pedestrian safety. He observed that even with the new signs and street markings--or maybe because of them--there seems to always be confusion amongst pedestrians and drivers, leading to close calls. The pedestrian safety features have always been carefully deliberated, but the mayor acknowledged that the Streets committee should continue talking about this.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Tree Commission:
Councilman Ben Stahl reported on the Tree Commission's work around town. He called out one cluster of plantings scheduled by years' end for the Jared Circle neighborhood; Councilman Talavinia, who lives over that way, interjected that it had already been done.
Pathways Board:
Stahl followed with a report from the Bike and Pedestrian Pathways Board. Their main work now is fundraising for the enhancements coming in the spring along County Line Road. Much of the funding has been through grants, but a portion remains to be raised privately.
Parks and Recreation:
Stahl’s third report was from Parks and Recreation; they are working through the 2023 budget for the swimming pool, mowing and pathway maintenance.
Streets, Alleys, Sidewalks:
Councilman Joe Sehlhorst reported that the Streets Committee has worked to establish a policy for curb repair. When street maintenance occurs, it is standard practice that property owners are responsible for curb repair. But there is precedent for the town subsidizing this cost, and with next year's paving of Main Street involving many curb repairs, it was time to establish a set policy. Briefly, if a property needs more than ten feet of curb repair, the Village intends to assess the homeowner for 50% of the cost. For repairs of less than ten feet, the Village will pay the entire cost. Study continues for major pedestrian improvements on Jackson Street by the schools, and the initial estimates exceeding $300,000 are being drastically reduced by careful planning.
Safety Services:
Councilman Phil Talavinia spoke for the Safety Services Committee, which met to consider the escalating capital costs facing Police, Fire and EMS departments. The vehicles and equipment needed by these agencies are funded through a ten-year budget process, and it is plain that increases are required to keep up.
RESOLUTIONS
Mayor Johnson guided Council through seven Resolutions. Four dealt with urgent but routine budget matters and were passed by emergency. Of the other three, one was the second reading of a gas aggregation deal that will be placed before Bluffton voters next spring; another was the first reading of a rate increase for buying water from Ottawa; the third establishes the curb policy described earlier for the Main Street work. All seven passed 5-0, as Councilman Mitch Kingsley was not present.
ADMINISTRATION REPORTS
Village Administrator:
Jesse Blackburn told the sorry tale of the leaf collection machine. Both it and the old dump truck that totes it around had numerous mechanical problems this season. Heroic repairs were made by the Village crew, but in the end it will likely be replaced next year with a brand new unit. For now, if residents have some alternate method of getting their leaves to the brush dump, that would not be wasted effort.
In other news, water main replacement on Lawn and Jackson streets will begin in early December, and the long-anticipated rebuild of the Bentley/Main intersection is now scheduled for March.
Blackburn reported that close to half of households have now received at least one letter explaining the "Sanitary Compliance Inspection" requirement for making sure that sump pumps do not discharge into the sewer. Most have responded, but if a homeowner has not contacted the Village after four letters, they will be levied a fine of $200 on their water bill. Again, the net effect is that sewer rates for all of us are kept down if the sewer plant does not have to handle storm water.
Mayor's comments:
Mayor Johnson noted that Vine Street will be closed for the entire weekend of the Blaze of Lights, since a tent will be erected there on Friday for the new "Blaze After Lighting" event, and it will not be removed until Monday morning.
Police Department
Lt. Matt Oglesbee filed the Police Department's monthly incident breakdown, then explained that it is "No-Shave November," in which officers are allowed to grow shaggy in exchange for a donation to charity. This year, funds are going to the Fallen Officer Fund.
At about 8:00 p.m. council entered an executive session with no action expected.
The attached packet includes:
Agenda, p. 1-2
Minutes of the Oct. 24, 2022 Regular Meeting, p. 3
Voucher report, p. 4-5.
Minutes of the Nov. 7 Insurance Committee meeting, p. 6.
Minutes of the Nov. 7 Safety Services Committee meeting, p. 7
Minutes of the Nov. 7 Streets Committee meeting, p. 8
Letter from Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce director Jim Enneking regarding the use of Vine St. after the Blaze of Lights on November 26 for the location of a heated tent with entertainment and refreshments, p. 9-10
SR 103 Curb repair information, p. 11-12
Minutes of the Nov. 8 Utilities Committee meeting, p. 13.
Minutes of the Nov. 9 Personnel Committee meeting, p. 14-15
Minutes of the Nov. 10 Parks & Rec Committee meeting, p. 16
Minutes of the Oct. 25 Tree Committee meeting, p. 17
Minutes of the Nov. 3 Pathway Board meeting, p. 18
Ordinance 4-2022, p. 19
Resolution 27-2022, p. 20-21
Resolution 28-2022, p. 22
Resolution 29-2022, p. 23
Resolution 30-2022, p. 24
Resolution 31-2022, p. 25-26
Resolution 32-2022, p. 27
Contract for Safety Services Dispatching, p. 28-29
Village Administrator’s Report, p. 30
Sample of Sanitary Compliance letter, p. 31
Police Activity Summary, p. 32
Police Incident Breakdown, p. 33-34
Ticketing Statistics, p. 35-36
Application for Special Event: Blaze of Lights, p. 37-38
Application for Special Event: Christmas at the Houshower House on December 4, p. 39-40
