Macon Reporter

Village of Bethany Board of Trustees met Oct. 12.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

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

A motion was made by Trustee Doty to approve the minutes from the September 14, 2023, regular meeting, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

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

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

Public – David O’Rourke, owner of Cardinal Street Apartments and two other houses in town since 2005. He has had two issues dealing with sewer. He stated that he was told if he brought in his insurance policy the Village would reimburse him for the costs involved. He is asking for his deductible, $1500 the first time and $2500 the second time. President Book stated that nothing can be done in terms of reimbursement because it was not on the agenda.

Greg Gustafson Water Improvement Project Update - We have received performance and insurance bonds from two companies. He has the notice to proceed letters for the President to sign. All three projects, water mains, detention tank, and water treatment plant electrical, are stand-alone projects and have no bearing on each other. Mr. Gustafson handed out the two notices to proceed. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to direct the Village President to sign the “Notice to Proceed” as issued by Berns and Clancy, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried. The Village has received a letter approving the additional monies for the replacement of the water meters. First anniversary inspection of the water tower has been moved into November. The Village also needs to approve the two loan resolutions to update the increase in the loan and the money for the water meters. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to approve loan Resolution #23-504 with RD for $328,000, second by Trustee Doty. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried. A motion was made by Trustee Allen to approve loan Resolution #23-505 with RD for $2,900,000, seconded by Trustee Doty. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Residential Handicap Parking at 214 E. Main St. - Trustee Doty handed out information regarding the residential parking spot being discussed on 214 E Main St. Trustee Doty explained the situation to the new Village Attorney, Mr. Flynn. The Board discussed issues concerning assigning parking to residents along Main St. Trustee Allen suggested sending a “formal findings letter” to this resident explaining what the Board has decided. It was the consensus of the Board to not take any action on this matter.

Appointing Village Treasurer per Village Ordinances - Treasurer Jessica Henderson discovered this while looking through the Ordinance. President Book suggested making the change to state “the treasurer serves at the pleasure of the Board.” He will work with Mr. Flynn to fix this issue.

Replace Blower at Sewer Plant - Manager Shannon Risley shared that the main blower bearings had been replaced awhile back. This blower blows 365 days, 24 hours a day. He would like to schedule a Finance Committee meeting to address the cost of this blower. Manager Risley would like to get this repaired so he can alternate between the blowers to help save the life on them. He would like to have the control panel looked at to help switch between the two blowers.

Windows for the Village Hall - The only two windows that currently work are the two directly in front of the Treasurer desk. Treasurer Henderson would like to get some quotes on replacement. The Board suggested for her to start the bid process.

Annual Tax Levy - At the current rate, if the Village stays at the 5%, we would be maxed out on the current levy. Treasurer Henderson mentioned looking into levying for insurance in the Tort part of the levy. This will be further discussed in the Finance Committee meeting. Mr. Flynn explained how the Village might be able to levy for the parts that have no limit on the levy.

Reports – Manager Shannon Risley, and Chief Nichols

Correspondence – None

Committee Meeting Dates - There will be a Finance meeting soon.

Trustee Allen made a motion to go into Executive Session to discuss personnel and possible litigation, seconded by Trustee McLain. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Mr. Ed Flynn, new Village Attorney, wanted to address the Board concerning certain issues and thank them for hiring him. The Board and Police Chief ask Mr. Flynn questions concerning processes the Village currently follows; agenda items, ordinance fines, and local hearings.

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

https://www.villageofbethany.com/documents/116/MINUTES_10-12-2023.pdf