Cloverdale council holds first of two special session meetings

Thursday, October 25, 2012

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale Town Council held a special session on Tuesday evening to adopt the 2012 budget and also to address several issues including parking ordinances and the food and beverage tax.

Keeping with the strict schedule that must be followed with having a budget passed, the Cloverdale Town Council moved to adopt its budget for 2013.

However, with a vote against adopting the budget from Gary Bennington, the adoption will have to wait yet another week.

"There's too many things I don't quite understand," said Bennington. "I'm still confused on one was proposed and then another one was proposed."

As Bennington pointed out to the council, two funds were cut significantly while others were raised. Clerk Treasurer Cheryl Galloway did not have a proper answer as to why theriverboat fund and rainy day fund were decreased.

A possible explanation from Galloway stated that the original advertisement may have been wrong and funds were moved from those funds to make up for the mistake.

Galloway plans on speaking to Paula Walker of O.W. Khron and Associates to receive a better explanation for the second upcoming special session to adopt the budget on Monday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.

Although, the council had discussed the food and beverage tax prior to the special session, it failed to actually pass the resolution. The board went back and approved the resolution 2012-4, which will allow for letters to be sent out asking for Cloverdale to enforce a food and beverage tax.

It is the hope of the town that the food and beverage tax will be passed in order to lower the surcharges on the recently increased sewer and water bills.

Town Attorney Allan Yackey once again came before the council with an updated version of the Parking Ordinance 2012-7. The ordinance was created due to a yellow truck, which as created several safety issues for drivers.

"This was all due to the yellow truck and some other stuff that went on," explained council vice president Dennis Padgett. "We've identified some stop signs, painted some yellow curbs and identified handicapped parking spots."

Within the new ordinance all stop signs and parking restrictions are accounted for throughout the town.

Yackey came before the council with what he considered to be a complete parking ordinance, which included everything in the main ordinance. Council members were asked to look at the ordinance once more, look for changes and come back next meeting.

Another ordinance was created by Yackey, which addressed the stop signs. Before the ordinance was created, there was nothing in place, so technically there are currently no stop signs around.

The draft Yackey created included all stop signs around the town of Cloverdale, in an effort to make them legally exist.

Finally, Yackey distributed an ordinance relating to truck parking in front of 5 S. Main St.

"There seems to be some lack of understanding whether there will be a no parking zone or no truck parking," said Yackey. "To make the ordinance effective there must be a penalty with it."

It was decided by the council that the area in front of 5 S. Main St. would become an area of no truck or camper parking.

Utility Manager Rich Saucerman will be ordering a special sign for the zone that will be put up within the coming weeks. Violators seen parking in the area will be ticketed to an amount up to $100 to be paid to the town.

As the ordinance 2012-8 was only introduced during the special session, the council will make its official approval at next month's town council meeting.

Former town council president Cathy Tipton came before the board to speak on the issue of Hyett Palma and the Downtown Revitalization Project.

The project, which was originally started up by the council back in 2011 was recently put on hold following a recommendation from council President Don Sublett, who wanted the town's money back.

"Don had indicated that he didn't want to go on with the contact between the town, Hyett Palma and IACT," said Yackey. "He had indicated originally that he wanted the money to come back to the town."

A total of $15,000 had already been invested by the town along with $15,000 from ICAT to fund a study, which would give the town a plan on what should be done within the next five years.

"I started the project back when I was president of the council and I was told to stop when Don Sublett decided he did not want to go forward with the $15,000," said Tipton. "A lot of the work has been done. There's been a lot of work that no one had any idea that I have done. I'm more than willing to go forward, but when he said to stop it I stopped."

Main Street has contacted the town saying that they are willing to finish completing the study, as a lot of preparation and work has already been done.

The only cost that has transpired has only been phone conversations. Neither IACT nor Hyett Palma has come to Cloverdale at this time. However, the town was informed that money has already been spent.

"Things were going fine and Cathy was doing the work," explained Padgett. "Everything was going as plan, as this board planned it. When she left the board Don said, we'll just get the money back. The work has been going it. It's not like nothing has been done. Don has done this on his own. For what reason I do not know."

The next step in the project would be contacting the residents of Cloverdale to see what they do in town and what they would envision. Tipton did say that the surveys that were already completed did not have a lot of positive response.

The issue was tabled until the next meeting, when all council members were present. However, Padgett voiced his opinion to finish the project up.

In other business, Galloway came before the board stating that she has started a fund, with her own money, to help the residents who are having trouble with making their bills.

"I've been taking the school bus money that I've been getting and opened up a fund," explained Galloway. "This will help offset some of these costs."

Galloway requested approval and received approval to send out letters to merchants in the town in hopes of receiving donations to help with the high water and sewer bills.

Once again the town has gone to court for the Smyser properties. In total Smyser now owes the town $2,625 along with $765 in fees racked up from June through August.

The town decided to offer Smyser a deal that if he pays the $2,625 they will walk away from the other fines. If not, they will be going back to court.

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  • I am all for Ms. Galloway opening a fund to help people, but I do not think that it should be in anyway connected with the town and her job. This should be a private interest and if she wants to send letters to local merchants, that should be done on her time and her money. This project in no way should be entertwined with the Clerk position. Also, when are you going to get back the majority of the hotel and motel tax that currently goes to Greencastle? Someone from the Council should be attending the County Council meetings and requesting that money back to Cloverdale because we have the majority of inns in our community. That money could go a long way to help the residents here.

    -- Posted by Cloverinterest on Thu, Oct 25, 2012, at 11:17 AM
  • The stop signs are covered by Indiana Uniform Traffic Code. DUH Mr Yackey! Does he not know this stuff or is he creating more billing hours on things that are not necessary?

    Clerk treasurer..ARE YOU KIDDING ME? She received approval from the council to contact business owners to help fund water and sewer bills. Why don't we just have a bake sell??

    -- Posted by captain crunch on Fri, Oct 26, 2012, at 1:43 PM
  • "Requesting that money back to Cloverdale", when did you ever have it? As stated before, Cloverdale is part of PUTNAM COUNTY!!!!!!!!!!That money does not just go to Greencastle. Can you say, PUTNAM COUNTY?

    -- Posted by putcocvb on Mon, Oct 29, 2012, at 8:43 AM
  • Thank you Cloverinterest and captain crunch. It is absolutely ridiculous that merchants would be requested by the Town to make donations to help people with their utility bills. Cloverdale has so few merchants and there are so many legitimate requests: supporting youth and recreational sports teams, donating to golf outings held by the fire dept and school sports teams, the high school year book....

    -- Posted by letspulltogether on Mon, Oct 29, 2012, at 4:33 PM
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