Macon Reporter

Village of Bethany Board of Trustee met June 13.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The regular board meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by President Jon Book. The following Trustees were present; Dave Doty, Jeannie Ruppert, Greg McLain, Raven Russell, and Brian Gill.

A motion was made by Trustee Ruppert to approve the minutes from the May 9, 2019 regular meeting with the noted corrections, seconded by Trustee Russell. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

A motion was made by Trustee Doty to approve the special meeting minutes from May 30, 2019, seconded by Trustee McLain. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

A motion was made by Trustee McLain to approve the “Statement of Income and Expenses”, seconded by Trustee Doty. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried. Trustee Ruppert has arrived.

A motion was made by Trustee Gill to approve the “Banks and Checks Journal”, seconded by Trustee Doty. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

President Book recommended to the Board to appoint Michael Jennings to the vacant Trustee seat. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to approve the appointment of Michael Jennings to the vacant Trustee seat, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried. Michael Jennings was then sworn in as Village Trustee.

Public - Tom Rucker - Approached the Board with his Operation Fire Hydrant idea. This deals with the condition of the hydrants in the Village. Sam Scott & Terry Gaither - Representing the Legion asking the Board to give them a license to sell alcohol including hard liquor.

Repair/Replace Front Door - the bid received from Luke Standerfer construction was for $3968. This door will be ADA compliant with a steel frame. The bid includes installation and labor. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to accept the bid and go forward with Standerfer Construction for $3968, seconded by Trustee Doty. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Trustee Compensation for Committee Meetings - a Trustee must be re-elected to receive this. The Board will gather information and check with other communities before acting on this topic.

Action on Current Liquor Ordinance - Trustee McLain explained how our current liquor ordinance is written, how there is only one Class E license, his appreciation for what the Legion has done for the community, and gave background on how the liquor ordinance was created. After discussion a motion was made by Trustee Russell to increase the number of Class E liquor licenses from 1 (one) to 2 (two), seconded by Trustee Gill. Roll call taken: McLain-no; Russell- yes; Gill-yes; Doty-yes; Ruppert-no; Jennings-yes; motion carried. A motion was made by Trustee Ruppert to reduce the number of Class B licenses to 0 (zero), seconded by Trustee Doty. Roll call taken: Russell-no; Gill-yes; Doty-yes; Ruppert-yes; Jennings-yes; McLain-yes; motion carried. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to change the wording on the Restaurant, Class C license to the following: at least 70% of the sales must come from food, hours to sell beer, wine and spirits will be Sunday - Saturday from 10am to 10pm, seconded by Trustee Doty. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Action on 4-wheeler Ordinance - Code 24-2-9 concerning 4-wheeler the Police Committee would like to change the wording to state that 4-wheelers are no longer permitted on the streets in the Village. A motion was made Trustee McLain to approve amending Ordinance #19- 767 amending code 24-2-9 dealing with 4-wheelers, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Approve 2019 Sidewalk Plan - Trustee Doty presented the plan for Sidewalks from the Street/Alleys Committee. The current plan would cost $12,115.00 to come from the MFT fund. After discussion a motion was made by Trustee Doty to approve $15,000 from the MFT fund for sidewalk repairs, to be completed by Ryherd Excavating, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Action on a New Copier Lease Agreement - The office needs a new copier. Shannon met with the Watts Copier rep and has two options for the Board to consider. Option 1: Certified (refurbished), 5 years old, does not have many of the newer features, 60 month lease at $95/month with a $1 buy out at the end of the lease. Option 2: brand new, more features like stapler, whole puncher, 60 month lease at $159/month with a $1 buy out at the end of the lease. Shannon recommends going with the new copier. It will save on purchasing toner for the printer in the office and paper already whole punched. A motion was made by Trustee Russell to go with the new copier, option 2 at $159/month for a 60 month lease, seconded by Trustee Jennings. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Purchase of New Computer for Main Office - A new computer is needed for the Treasurer to use. The current one is very old and starting to have issues. President Book specked out the last computer purchased by the Village. He will get with Village Treasurer Jessica Henderson and what features are needed. He will bring in a bid for approval next month.

Hire Person to Clean the Village Hall - Our current janitor, Cheryl Kidwell can no longer clean for the Village. It was discussed to talk with Penny Holthaus who currently cleans the Bank. Currently the pay is $100 every two weeks. Board gave approval for this to be put out on the Village Facebook page and website. This will be revisited at next month’s meeting.

Action on Hiring Someone to Mow Delinquent Yards - The Village has had a couple of yards recently that needed to be mowed. Chief Nichols called Powell Lawn Care as he was unsure who to call. The Village will put this out for bids. The bid must be in by July 8th and discussed/approved at the July 11th meeting. It will be advertised in the local paper asking for a two year contract.

Letter to Send to Mr. Mashaw for Ordinance Violations - The Village Attorney, Jack Kiley, has already sent out the letter.

Utility Ordinance Concerning Recycling Fee Penalty - The Ordinance needs to be updated to include recycling fees. Shannon suggested changing it to a “municipal tax”. This would not exceed 50 cents on anyone’s utility bill. It would be based on the minimum water usage amount.

Committee Member Changes - President Book made changes to the current committees. The Committees are as follows:

Police: Greg McLain - Chair, Mike Jennings, Dave Doty Utilities: Raven Russell - Chair, Greg McLain, Jeannie Ruppert Streets/Alley: Dave Doty - Chair, Jeannie Ruppert, Brian Gill Finance: Brian Gill - Chair, Raven Russell, Mike Jennings

Reports - were given from; Shannon Risley, TIF Committee, Police Committee, Streets/Alleys Committee and Chief Nichols.

Correspondence - an email was received concerning what the Village should do about the grocery store closing. President Book will respond to the email.

Meeting Before the Next Meeting - None

With no other business to discuss a motion to adjourn was made by Trustee Ruppert and seconded by Trustee Russell. Voice vote taken, all ayes, motion carried. Meeting was adjourned.

https://www.villageofbethany.com/documents/116/6-13-19_min.pdf