Indiana



BATTLE GROUNDCONSERVANCY DISTRICT MEETINGNovember 18, 2020Attendance: Chairman Andrea Agree, Vice Chairman Ron Holladay, Philip Baer, Steve Hancook, Joe Kline, Rick Oliver, and Carol Watson. Also present: Dan Gemmecke (Superintendent), Georgia Jones (Financial Clerk). Guests: Bill Jones, Steve EglyChairman CommentsThe closing for the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) lease agreement was October 27th. On that date the rate was locked at 2.49% for the Tower 2 project including the new build, generator, Main Street pipe upgrade, and refinancing of the Tower 1 project. Andrea attended the November 9 Town Council meeting to discuss the District Plan amendment. The council passed ORD#2020-588 to include Shawnee Ridge into the CONS. The municipal petition will be presented to the court to amend the District Plan. We hope that by the end of Q1 2021, all documents will be ready for that step. All assets, improvements and objectives will be included in the plan. We are also working to reach out to those isolated, single customers outside the District to see if they want to join with their own petition. Customer Service ReportFor the water utility, there were 7 customer service tickets total for the month of October; four were expressing concerns for high consumption and three were for water quality (rusty / sediment). Two of the water quality concerns were active (one on the south side of the 600N hill and one in the historic part of town). The remaining ticket was considered general feedback. Neither of the two rusty water observations were concurrent with the October hydrant flush. One of the tickets is still open; Dan is planning on flushing the line soon. The service log has enough information now to send closure letters to verify that service is considered completed. After a service request is made, the superintendent will leave two voice mail messages for customers to arrange an appointment time. If there is no response, a letter will be sent to indicate the request is considered closed due to no response. This will make sure there is no misunderstanding due to invalid phone number or other miscommunication. Water Superintendent ReportDan anticipates that Tower #1 will be inspected in early December, and this information will be communicated to customers so they can try to avoid high water consumption while the system is operating on pump pressure. There were five accounts shut off for non-payment. One of the accounts was found to have tampered with the meter pit and turned their own service back on, which by ordinance has a $500.00 fine. Joe Kline asked if the shut-off notice lists the fine. Dan could print the information on the back of the door tag. Greg Martz reported that GM Development is under contract with tower construction vendors with the exception of the tower, which will be finalized soon. There is potential to complete the foundation this fall. Pipe is ordered and the price is locked in, and the generator is ordered. Financial ClerkMotion by Steve Hancook to approve minutes of the October 21 meeting. Second of Carol Watson, motion carried by unanimous vote. Motion by Rick Oliver to approve the register of claims October 22 to November 18, $57, 260.97. Second of Ron Holladay, motion carried by unanimous vote. The entry for Horizon Bank paid the Tower 1 loan interest payoff as of the refinance date. Directors reviewed and discussed the 2021 Salary Ordinance which has the addition of employee bonus.Motion by Joe Kline to adopt ORD 2020-08 An Ordinance Fixing the Maximum Annual Salaries for All Employees of the Battle Ground Conservancy District, Tippecanoe County, Indiana for the Year 2021. Second of Rick Oliver, motion carried by unanimous vote.The Conservancy District applied to have its own account with the Indiana Public Retirement System. Part of the requirement is approving an ordinance specific to the Conservancy. Motion by Steve Hancook to adopt RES 20-29 Resolution Electing to Join the Public Employees’ Retirement Fund as Administered by the Indiana Public Retirement System. Second of Joe Kline, motion carried by unanimous vote. As part of the process to update the Employment Handbook, the purchasing controls guidelines including use of credit cards were reviewed and also updated. Motion by Carol Watson to adopt RES 20-30 A Resolution Establishing Purchasing Policies. Second of Ron Holladay, motion carried with unanimous vote. Old BusinessLand Transfer – Colin Dale will submit final documents from Butler Fairman and Seufert to Brooks-Mayfield attorneys for Tom Brooks to review. Employee Handbook – After one last update to provide for an annual employee bonus, the completed document was reviewed by all directors. It will be effective as of January 1, 2021.Motion by Steve Hancook to accept the handbook as presented. Second of Ron Holladay, motion carried with unanimous vote. Billing Software – The Town of Battle Ground voted to share the expense of a new billing software that will incorporate online customer account information/payments and work order tracking capability, if the Conservancy wishes to make the move. Dan Gemmecke and Rick Oliver will talk to Lynn Beck, who purchased Muni Link for the Stockwell sewer utility and could give an opinion of startup and tech support experiences. Decision is tabled pending their report. Annual Meeting – Information about annual meeting will be sent to all freeholders in late December as a reminder. If absentee ballots are necessary, the information will be included.Motion by Steve Hancook to adopt RES 20-31 A Resolution Establishing Annual Meeting and Director Election Process. Second of Carol Watson, motion carried by unanimous vote. New BusinessSteve Hancook complimented Andrea Agree on her work to develop the letter which was sent recently to all freeholders. Guest Comment – noneMotion to adjourn at 8:09 p.m. by Philip Baer. Georgia Jones, Financial ClerkAndrea Agree, Chairman of the Board ................
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