Continental Village Council met in regular session on September 10, 2019 with Mayor Miller presiding. Members present were Bartley, Varner, Knipp, Streicher, Sullivan and Armey. Also present were Mayor Miller, Administrator Prowant and Fiscal Officer Darby. The meeting opened with the pledge of allegiance.
Council approved the minutes of the previous meeting, approved bills and approved the receipts since the last meeting. Management Reports presented and approved by signature.
OLD BUSINESS:
Council held the third reading for a Resolution Accepting the Amounts and Rates as Determined by the Budget Commission and Authorizing the Necessary Tax levies and Certifying them to the County Auditor.
NEW BUSINESS:
— Building Permits: Council approved two building permits, one to replace a roof on Sixth Street and one to replace shingles, concrete, patio, windows & siding on Second Street.
–Change in Signage on East Rice Street: Mayor Miller reported that the STOP signs have been replaced with YIELD signs and motorists are advised to be cautious in the area as people get used to the changes. He has asked the CPD to increase patrols in the area to draw attention to the changes and to monitor speeding in the area.
–Neighborhood Revitalization Grant: The final wrap-up meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 11, 2019. The project will be considered completed at that point. Mayor Miller thanked council for all their help in the planning of the Street, Sidewalks & Sparling Park project. He stated his favorite outcome of the project is seeing people utilizing the new wider sidewalks.
–Water Meters – Miller informed council that the radio read meters are working great and is really cutting down on the man hours needed to doing the quarterly readings. There are still approximately 250 touch read meters that need to be upgraded with the antenna to make them radio read, it is $100-125 for the antennas. He will be speaking to the maintenance men about every time they have to replace a meter to add the antennas to start chipping away at the number of touch read meters. Mayor Miller also asked council to start thinking about going to monthly reads and billing. With monthly reading, they will be able to find leaks quicker to avoid water wastage and high bills for the residents, it will also help residents with budgeting their own finances. Bartley asked if the Village currently has any auto-pay options and was told at this time residents can set up auto pay at their own banks but the village does not offer this service at this time. Miller stated that is part of the conversation on upgrading the website so that a payment option could be added.
— Miller also informed council that this is the year to redo the Water & Sewer Rate Ordinances. Administrator Prowant has talked to him about possibly raising the Water Cost of Operation (WCOP) fee. This fee has not been raised in many years and could help with infrastructure upgrades to both the water tower and the water lines. The WCOP is currently $29 per quarter and even a small raise of $2 per month multiplied by all the utility billing could raise approximately $12,000 in a year, which would help the beleaguered water department. Sullivan questioned why the waterlines are marked in the East Rice & Eighth Street area and Mayor Miller replied that it is to help the contractor come up with an accurate quote for the waterline extension in that area.
— Darby reminded council that Trevor Leis’ one year anniversary is October 1st.
–Darby also announced that the Fire Department’s request for funding for new particulate blocking hoods and gloves from the Bureau of Workers’ Comp Firefighter Exposure to Environmental Elements Grant (FEEEG) was approved.
–Mayor Miller reminded everyone that the Continental Fall Festival will be held September 20, 21 & 22 and he encouraged everyone to come and enjoy.
— The next council meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 24th at 7 p.m. A Zoning Review Board meeting will be held at 6:15 p.m.
— Meeting adjourned.
Susan Darby,
Fiscal Officer
Village of Continental
