Cloverdale council OKs shut-off notices

CLOVERDALE -- As the hopeful date comes for business in Indiana to reopen completely, the Cloverdale Town Council is looking to get the town office back to its pre-COVID-19 procedures.

The council addressed two of those procedures, that of handling utility shut-offs and late fees, during its regular meeting held a week ago.

Town Attorney Daniel Hofmann first provided to the council that the deadline for municipalities to resume shut-offs for nonpayment is June 30. He said notices can be sent out to customers letting them know that the town would be reinstating them.

The council needed to approve this, as Hofmann added that there was an extra charge to provide that notice to the town’s billing company. While Samantha Hinman said a message would be included on a customer’s bill, it was the schedule for returning to shut-offs that needed clarification.

The council approved to allow a 30-day grace period for payments after restrictions would be lifted. As such, Hinman said late fees and disconnect letters would be sent out the Thursday after this period (which would be Aug. 6). She provided that the normal disconnect day would be Aug. 10.

Ultimately, Hinman urged customers to contact the utility office before the disconnect day. This is encouraged especially if they would want to make payment arrangements. The council approved for the notices to be sent out.

The council also found itself having to address the town’s employee health insurance. Hofmann said he had been contacted by the town’s insurance company three days prior about whether it would keep or switch its policy.

The recommendation by the independent agency was that it was not advantageous to change the town’s plan. The issue, though, was that the effective date for it was July 1, meaning a decision could not be pushed back until the council’s next meeting.

Council President Larry Fidler asked Hofmann if the decision had to be made presently, to which he said a special meeting could be convened if wanted. Hofmann also emphasized that the renewal was annual.

The council agreed that the town needed to renew the insurance to prevent a lapse in coverage, but yet had to consider other options in the future. They then approved a motion to retain it.

In other business:

• Hofmann also spoke on where the town stands with building inspections, with it “moving forward with some progress” without any agreement having been finalized with the county.

Hofmann said he had been in contact with County Attorney Jim Ensley, and that the town would still control its zoning rules and planning commission if Cloverdale and the Putnam County Commissioners came to an agreement. He added that the town would also still enforce its unsafe building law.

• Bill Mentgen of Energy Conservation Solutions asked the council for guidance with progress being made on the train depot’s restoration. He first said that drainage was in place, with siding and trim being finished.

The council decided that the color of the depot would be an off-white with a green roof, and to install an industrial railing with balusters to make it period-correct. The council also stuck with a period front door that has glass toward the top.

• In his comments to the council, Town Marshal Steve Hibler praised Deputy Marshal Levi App for his police work. He said App and Officer James Collings had recently made six arrests between them, with one being a bust for methamphetamine.

Hibler also relayed that two protesters had recently stood at the corner of Market and Main streets. He said that residents “voiced their displeasure” with them, and that the protesters stayed for about two-and-a-half hours.

• The council also approved bids to reseal the parking lot at the Cloverdale Town Park, as well as to repair and repaint the bathroom facility there.

In the same vein, board member Rick Dearwester brought up that residents were confused about the playground not being taped off. He inferred when the council approved for the community to use the walking trail and Wi-Fi last April, but to close the playground.

Hibler said he would contact Cloverdale’s street department to resolve the issue.

The next regular meeting of the Cloverdale Town Council is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14 at 7 p.m. in the Cloverdale Town Hall.