Town attorney steps down in Russellville

RUSSELLVILE -- Town attorney Jim Ensley informed Russellville Town Council Monday of his intention to step down from the position as of June.

Ensley has been Russellville's town attorney since July 2009, he also acts as the county attorney, attorney for Bainbridge and deputy prosecutor in Putnam County.

Ensley's decision to step down was based on him holding too many positions and not being able to accommodate all of them. Ensley will bring recommendations to the council for a replacement in the upcoming month.

The town council also awarded the water superintendent contract to Mike Varvel for another year.

Varvel has been the water superintendent in Russellville for the past seven years and beat out the bid from Utility Management and Construction to supervise the water facilities in Russellville.

"Stick with Mike," town council member Norma Gross said during discussion of the two candidates. "He's been with us through thick or thin."

Varvel's new contract will start June 1 and end May 31, 2014.

In other business, the town council approved the payment to Spear Corp. for wellhouse repairs. The repairs were due to a piece of the chlorinator exploding when Varvel went to make a repair on the equipment. Varvel was slightly injured in the mishap but is doing fine now. The repairs cost $638.93.

The town also has received several complaints about dogs running loose in town. The owner of the dogs has been notified. The same property owner will be given three days to clean up the property before a citation is issued.

Town council President Don Reddish brought up the issue of dual office holding that affects town council member Cathy Jones.

Reddish commented that the town might be breaking the law and didn't know if what was happening was legal or not. He went on to state that this would be the last time that he will visit the subject.

Reddish wanted to make sure that the town was covered in case the dual-holding issue would become a problem in the future. Ensley commented that any decisions made by the council before the issue came to light should not be affected, but was uncertain about the decisions made after.

This issue came to light at last month's meeting when Jones informed the town council what was going on and that Ensley had suggested that she step down from her position as town council member.

Jones holds a town council position and is a member of the Little Raccoon Sewage Board. Holding both positions goes against Indiana State Law on dual office holding.

The next Russellville Town Council meeting is set for 7 p.m. Monday, June 24.