TOWN OF HUDSON
115 PARSONAGE STREET
HUDSON, IN 46747
(260) 587-9500
CALL TO ORDER: In the absence of the Town Council President,
Councilman Kathy Kope called the Town Council meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
ROLL CALL: Brian Hayes __ Kathy
Kope _ X_ Steve Smith X Atta “Tatsy” Hayes, Clerk-Treasurer
X Ward Odom, Town Manager _X
_
Attendees: Janice Norman, Dean Norman, Andy
Mast, Ed Miller, Joyce Straley, Bill Ebert, Brenda Mast, Gary Kope
MINUTES:
Motion made by Kathy Kope, second by Steve
Smith to approve the June 26, 2009 minutes.
Motion carried. The minutes of
the July 15, 2009, were also approved.
FIRE
DEPARTMENT
The
Boot Drive for Support Your Fire Department was very successful on July 11th.
The
Fire Department Fun Day in the Park turned out very well. We had about 40 kids
and numerous parents that showed up. We will continue to do this once a year.
The blue Dodge Dakota has been lettered for the Fire Department and is going to
be used primarily for a command vehicle. This vehicle is also equipped with
full medical with the exception of a defibrillator. Tim Reed with ISO did come
and do the survey for our town insurance rating. We should hear something by
November or so to see how we did. One of the recommendations that I know will
be brought to our attention will be a larger supply hose for our trucks. This
is due to the placement of our hydrants in town and how many hydrants we have.
Everything else seemed to go real smooth. The Hudson Fire Department, along
with others, is getting prepared for the 2009 Ashley-Hudson Festival. We will
be having the blue light parade on the night of July 31 and will be serving
breakfast August 1 at 6:00am till 10:00am then heading to the parade. We had 4
total incidents for the month of July so far which is down considerably from
prior years. These runs were:
·
1
Fire- Small brush fire on Collins St. at the railroad crossing.
·
1
Medic assist
·
2
Mutual Aid Medic Assist for the Town Of Ashley
MARSHAL: One warning, five warnings, five incidents,
and two abate notices were issued for the month. The marshal
and deputy will be assisting Orland on July 25th with their
parade. They will also assist with the
Ashley-Hudson Festival, starting with the 5K-10K run on July 31 and Festival on
August 1.
UTILITY DEPARTMENT: Two deaf child signs have been installed for
the residents at 304 West Depot. The
Main Street lighting has been changed from incandescent bulbs to energy saving
bulbs. Drainage work will start July 27,
2009 at Parsonage and Fourth Street.
Work is being done by ACE Construction Inc. It was suggested by the
utility department to discontinue the chatterbox call out system from the
Schenkle lift station to save on the cost of the monthly phone billing. The station already has a warning indicator
light that signals of any problems that arise.
The John Deere tractor loader has acquired a hydraulic problem that may
require the unit to be repaired at a service department.
CLERK‘S REPORT: The budget process for this year has again been
changed and the dates moved to later in the year. The Town Council meeting on August 28 will be
the 2010 public budget meeting. The Town
Council meeting on September 25th will be the adoption of the 2010
budget. The Town Manager and
Clerk-Treasurer attended a DLGF budget meeting on Friday, July 24. To meet the
requirements of the LOIT money, a new fund has to be established by ordinance.
The clerk-treasurer read for adoption, the following ordinance: AN ORDINANCE
OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF HUDSON, INDIANA ESTABLISHING A BUDGET FUND
FOR THE LOCAL OPTION INCOME TAX. Kathy Kope moved to approve and second by
Steve Smith, unanimous approval. It was adopted as ordinance No. 09-01.
TOWN MANAGER: 3 purchase
orders were issued in July (June 22 to to July 19) for $642.61. Total for year
to date is 45 purchase orders for $28,163.49. In June, 2009, there were 4,224
visits for 8,803 pages on the Hudson web site, a 20% decrease in pages and approximately
the same number of visits. Ammonia
through the end of June averaged 36.2/mgl on 7,908,300 gallons of total
flow. Information on a fire territory is being developed in conjunction with
Salem Center Volunteer Fire Department. The County Surveyor has approved the
repair of the drain tile at Ortega’s and the hole in Walker’s field. The town will need to remove a tree at a cost
of $325.00 at 403 W. Depot Street. The residents
have been advised. We have received
notice that the telephone company, Embarq, has merged with CentryTel and a new
company will be rolled out later this year.
A Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for July 28 at the
Town Hall at 6:00 p.m. David Mann,
President of the Planning Commission, attended the comprehensive plan training
session in Indianapolis on July 14th. The Town Manager negotiated options to
purchase from the owners of our “shovel ready” industrial site. Agreements are being prepared and survey
requirements are completed. The Fire Hall (FEMA) grant was completed and filed
on July 10 for $598,425 and a MDT grant (ICJI) completed and filed on July 19
for $11,352.In addition to those, there are three grants that have been
submitted: Rescue Truck - $138,000; Fire
Gear - $51,440; Police Officer - $100,000 ($899,217 total).
OLD BUSINESS: The increase in the water rate was discussed. The increase in the base water rate was
discussed at the July 15, budget workshop meeting. The increase of half of the proposed rate
made in November helped in meeting expenses, but still did not solve the
deficiency. It was decided to be brought
up at the July 24th council meeting to bring the total increase of
the base rate to $17.80. Kathy Kope made
the motion, seconded by Steve Smith to increase the base rate to $17.80 for the
first 2500 gallons and $7.10 for each 1,000 gals over 2500 gallons. The increase will begin on September 1,
2009. Motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS:
Mrs. Janice Norman questioned the increase in city
tax that was on her property tax billing.
She had been told by the Steuben County Assessor that Hudson had an
appropriation. She was told that the town had no knowledge of any additional
appropriations and the Town Manager would check into this billing. Dean Norman had concerns over the budget and
the need to repair streets and the increase of funds needed to operate the
town. It was questioned as to
priorities.
CLAIMS:
Claims
were approved and signed.
ADJOURNMENT: Motion made by Kathy Kope, seconded by Steve
Smith to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at
7:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Atta “Tatsy” Hayes
Clerk-Treasurer
Approved:
Brian Hayes
President, Hudson Town Council