The regular meeting of Ellettsville Town Council was supposed to be held on Dec. 26, 2012, but was postponed due to the blizzard until Dec. 28. Those present at the Dec. 28 meeting were Vice President Dan Swafford and council members David Drake and Dianna Bastin. President Scott Oldham and Philip Smith were absent.
Ellettsville Street Commissioner Jim Ragle made up the entire audience of the meeting, though he was later dismissed by Bastin due to calls for 3 to 6 inches of snow coming in that night. Drake took the opportunity to commend the street department.
“Even though we already said it, I just want to tell you officially that your guys did a great job. You can definitely tell the difference between how the streets are taken care of in the town and outside of town,” he said.
In accordance with the State Board of Accounts, the Town of Ellettsville must list its various debts and submit them to the town’s permanent record. The debts, which totaled $15,980.63, were as follows and will be carried over into 2013:
- Street Department: $7,278.38.
- Fire Department: $6,376.45.
- Police Department: $1,767.88.
- Motor Vehicle Highway: $357.04.
- Planning Department: $200.88.
“I think a lot of those are due to our snowfall,” Ellettsville Clerk-Treasurer Sandra Hash said. “Thank the expenses we incurred in the last week.”
Before the resolution was approved 3-0, Drake clarified that the debts were because the town had not yet had the opportunity to pay them.
On the recommendation of Town Attorney Darla Brown, the council then moved to pass Ordinance 2012-28 on the first reading. The ordinance amends the boundaries of town wards in Ellettsville based on 2010 data.
The 2013 salary budget, which saw most government employees receive a 1.5% increase in their wages, was approved by the council, 3-0, as was the installation of speed limit, no parking and stop signs on Antler Court and Appomattox Circle.
Resolution 17-2012, designed to bring the Town of Ellettsville into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, was tabled until a later date.
Brown gave an update on Town of Ellettsville v. Cascio. She said a decision was made against Matthew and Lorelei Cascio in the sum of $9,394.28 in October 2011. Matthew Cascio has recently offered to start making payments of $200 per month in the spring after some of Cascio’s other legal issues are settled. The town has not yet received any money toward the debt.
Finally, the town council approved two agreements with Komputrol Software Systems for disaster recovery and annual maintenance.
Hash said if “Town Hall would get blown away,” backups of its files would be readily available as they are taken home at the end of each day, however, Town Hall staff would have to use them at the Komputrol office in Daleville, Indiana.
“I would just like to point out that last year she said if Town Hall was washed away, and this year it was blown away,” Bastin joked.
Despite Brown’s misgivings about a provision in the Komputrol contract stating that it would not be liable for injuries or damages, though she admitted a situation like that is unlikely to occur, the council passed the agreement 3-0.
The meeting closed with Bastin reminding people, when it snows, “do not park in the street. Clear the area for our street department and our utilities. They have a job to do. It’s dangerous enough. Don’t make their job any harder than it already is.”
The next regular meeting of the Ellettsville Town Council will be on Jan. 14 at the Ellettsville Fire Department’s training and conference room.
The days and times for Ellettsville Town Council meetings have changed. They will now be held on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m.
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2013. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.