Continental Village Council met in regular session on October 24, 2023 in the fire station meeting room with Mayor Miller presiding. Members present were: Knipp, Varner, Bartley, Armey, Sullivan & Streicher. Also present were Mayor Miller, Administrator Prowant, Fiscal Officer Darby, Police Chief Hardy & Solicitor Welch. Visitors were: Toby Sullivan, Jeanne Tegenkamp, Sam Brainnard, Peyavali Hashipala, Jennifer Momenee, and Steve Clementz.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Varner made a motion and Streicher seconded to approve minutes of previous meeting, six yeas, motion carried. Streicher made a motion to pay all the bills and Knipp seconded, six yeas, motion carried. Mayor explained that we are no longer using Alloway as our contractor for water testing as they were not getting the results back to us in a timely fashion so we are now using Bojhun for both water & sewer testing. Armey made a motion and Knipp seconded to approve the receipts since the last meeting, six yeas, motion carried. Then & Now Purchase Orders over $3,000: VS Beck Insurance for Provident policy for the firemen for $3599, Streicher made a motion to approve and Armey seconded, five yeas and one abstain by Sullivan. Motion carried.
OLD BUSINESS:
Pending Litigation Update: No update at this time.
Personnel Policy on Vacation Carry Over: Policy states that an employee can carry over up to five days of vacation into the next year or with Mayor’s approval they can carry over more. Mayor asked if council wanted a say in this issue and they said the Policy manual was clear and allowed the Mayor to make the decision.
Trailer Ordinance Question: A resident purchased the property at 103 S. Fourth St. and has been cleaning it up and removing a house trailer. He has run into issues with moving water & sewer lines and getting the state approval for his cement runners. He asked for a time extension since the time allotted per the ordinance to replace with a different trailer is approaching. Armey made a motion to grant an extension in good faith that the resident will continue his progress on the project and Bartley seconded. Six yeas, motion carried.
Amend Estimated Resources: Darby provided council with a list of accounts within the General Fund that needed to be adjusted. We received more than anticipated in the Municipal Income Tax, Local Government Assistance, State Restricted for the Fire Dept and in Interest. We received less than expected in the Fire Contract and Health insurance reimbursement lines (due to the insurance costs less). Armey made a motion to adjust the General Fund and Streicher seconded. Six yeas, motion carried.
Income Tax Ordinance: Due to House Bill 33, the Village needs to update the Income Tax Ordinance. The language is slightly confusing so the Solicitor Welch will contact someone at RITA for some clarification. In the meantime, Armey made a motion to accept the first reading of the ordinance and Sullivan seconded. Six yeas, motion carried.
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Zoning Board Met: The zoning board met prior to the meeting to discuss the percentage of a lot that can be covered by buildings and how many outbuildings can be on a single lot. This was tabled pending more research. Representatives of the solar company, Sam Brainnard and Peyavali Hashipala, and stated that the permit from AEP has not been approved yet.
Aggregation on the Ballot: Aggregation will be on the ballot on November 7 and Mayor Miller will be putting information on what it is and how it can benefit the residents of the Village by pooling the total wattage all the residents use to negotiate a better price on their electric bills on the Village’s Facebook page. He will also make himself available for a Q & A Session on this topic.
Police Fund Transfer: Mayor let council know that we will be transferring money into the police fund at the next meeting.
Trick-or-Treat: Trick-or-Treat will be held on Thursday, October 26th, with the Costume Judging following at 7 p.m. at the HS Gym. Drivers are urged to use extreme caution while traveling through the Village.
Election: The election will be held on Tuesday, November 7. Residents are urged to get out and vote.
OPWC Project Review: The Village’s OWC project will be reviewed at the District level on November 14th.
ARPA Money Usage: Mayor Miller updated council on a possible use for the remaining ARPA money. The Village would like to replace some of the iron valves and some hydrants to help with our ongoing water infrastructure updates.
Next Council meeting: Tuesday, November 14 at 7 p.m. in the fire station meeting room.
Bartley made a motion to adjourn with no further business; Armey seconded it. Six yeas. Meeting adjourned.
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