Continental Village Council met in regular session on March 10, 2026 with Mayor Miller officiating. Members present were: Rau, LaRue, Armey, Sullivan, & Keck. Also present were Administrator Leis & Fiscal Officer Troyer. Absent Parliamentarian Welch, Councilman Smith & Chief Weller. Visitors: Jeff Vance, Jeanie Tegenkamp & Derrick McDougle. The meeting opened with the pledge of allegiance.
Management Reports: Management reports were circulated and approved by signatures.
02/17/26 Minutes: Rau motioned to approve & Sullivan seconded. Five yeas, motion carried.
Bills: Armey motioned to approve & Rau seconded. Five yeas, motion carried.
Then & Now PO Over $3000: None
Receipts: Armey motioned to approve & LaRue seconded. Five yeas, motion carried.
Zoning Update: Zoning met last Tuesday to discuss a possible variance located at a home on Main St. in which they would like to put a building up behind the home. Zoning did not see a problem with the variance. The only problem that the homeowner may face is the where the sewer runs out from the home. This house is actually up for sale so they met to discuss this for the current home owner. Once the house is sold, Zoning will need to reconvene to pass the variance for the new homeowner.
Continental Trailer Park: The trailer park officially has new owners. We hope to be in contact with them soon to set up the account and contact information.
Water Bill Reduction: A resident located at 203 N. 8th St. has written a letter requesting a one-time reduction on their water bill for a water leak that has since been fixed. Admin Leis agreed the leak has been taken care of and Troyer recommended crediting their account $1794 to bring their account to a balance of $233, which is an average bill for the residence. A motion to approve the reduction was made by LaRue and seconded by Rau. Five yeas, motion carried.
Sunshine Law: Troyer provided a list of dates & times that are available on the auditors’ website for those who need to get their Certificate for the Sunshine Law.
HEARING OF THE PUBLIC
Jeff Vance: Mr. Vance, who is running for Putnam County Commissioner, introduced himself and gave an overview of his family, his many achievements, and his hopes for the future. Running for Putnam County Commissioner, he wants to help grow services for the residents of Putnam County.
Derrick McDougle: Requested a meet with Zoning about the location on 1st St. he is purchasing. He would like to inquire if it would be approved to rebuild the new house in the same spot that the current one is located, which is 30’ away from the road. After a small discussion, it was noted as long as it was 25’ back from the road, it would be fine according to the zoning ordinance. McDougle also inquired about his property located at 2nd St. & Elm St. where he intends to put two duplexes. He previously brought it before Zoning and just wanted to have it noted in the minutes that it was approved.
Building Permits: Lifewise Academy, located at 106 E. Forrest St., would be replacing a 14×20 storage building with a 20×24 storage building. This would include a new concrete pad as well. A 13 ft variance from the alley was approved by Zoning. A motion to approve the permit was made by Armey and seconded by LaRue. Five yeas, motion carried.
Maintenance Updates: Admin Leis informed council that the 2025 non-revenue water loss is down to 28% from last year’s 48%. Leis then informed council that they had 12 or 13 interviews for the maintenance position and that he had a top three that he felt would be a good fit.
LaRue made motion to go into executive session to discuss potential employment opportunities. The motion was seconded by Armey. Roll call: Rau – Yea; LaRue – Yea; Armey – Yea; Sullivan – Yea; Keck – Yea. Smith – Absent. Five yeas, motion carried. A motion to come out of executive session was made by LaRue and seconded by Sullivan. Five yeas, motion carried. Let the record show no action was taken.
With the increase responsibilities, discussion took place on giving Carson Etter a raise in pay. A motion to suspend the rules requiring three reads to pass a resolution was made by LaRue and seconded by Sullivan. Roll call: Rau – Yea; LaRue – Yea; Armey – Yea; Sullivan – Yea; Keck – Yea; Smith – Absent. Five yeas, motion carried. A motion to pass a resolution to increase Carson Etters pay rate to $20.00 per an hour effective the next full pay period was made by Armey and seconded by Keck. Roll call: Rau – Yea; LaRue – Yea; Armey – Yea; Sullivan – Yea; Keck – Yea; Smith – Absent. Five yeas, motion carried.
Putnam County Sheriff’s Dept App: Mayor Miller informed council and all that Code Red is going away and encouraged everyone to download the new PC Sheriff’s app on their phones for weather related warnings. A flyer has been posted on the front door of the Village to help spread the news of the new app and its features. For future reference, Continental’s Emergency Plan, during inclement weather, does open the Fire Station as well as the school for those seeking shelter.
District Advisory Council: Mayor Miller briefed council on the annual District Advisory Council meeting he attended.
Paulding Putnam Meeting: The Finance & Tech Committee’s will be meeting with Pauling Putnam on Tuesday, March 24th at 6:00pm to discuss potentially installing fiber on the south side of town.
State Disaster Emergency: The state sent out reimbursement packets for the snow storm that happened a few weeks ago. Trevor will take a look at it.
Permanent Appropriations: A motion to suspend the rules requiring three reads to pass an ordinance was made by Armey and seconded by Sullivan. Roll call: Rau – Yea; LaRue – Yea; Armey – Yea; Sullivan – Yea; Keck – Yea; Smith – Absent. Five yeas, motion carried. A motion to pass the annual permanent appropriations ordinance as presented was made by Rau and seconded by Keck. Roll call: Rau – Yea; LaRue – Yea; Armey – Yea; Sullivan – Yea; Keck – Yea; Smith – Absent. Five yeas, motion carried.
With no other business for the good of the village, LaRue made a motion to adjourn and Sullivan seconded. Five yeas, motion carried.
Next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 7:00PM.
