New year, new start for Fillmore Town Council

FILLMORE -- With a pair of new councilors and a clerk-treasurer still learning the ropes, the Fillmore Town Council kicked off 2016 with its Thursday, Jan. 7 meeting.

Joining veteran Ward 1 Councilman Curt Leonard are newcomers Robin Duncan, who won the Ward 3 seat in the November election, and C.J. Huller, who was appointed by his fellow councilors to the unfilled Ward 2 seat.

The seat was vacant after Tom Gilson resigned it last month to remain the town's clerk-treasurer.

After unanimously electing Leonard the 2016 board president, the council members got to work on some of the same issues the old board dealt with in previous months.

Among these was voting into law changes to the town's water and sewer policies.

First and foremost, the late fee for utility bills was lowered from 20 percent to 10 percent.

Secondly, wording was changed so that the town is not obligated to charge two $50 fees -- one for turn-off and one for turn-on -- when service is disconnected and reconnected. By changing the word "will" to "may," the town has more leeway.

The agreed upon plan between the council, Gilson and Utility Manager Joe Cash is to charge only for shut-off.

In another utility issue, the council accepted a $2,400 bid from Joe Custis Excavating to replace a pipe that runs under Westwood Road.

The old 12-inch pipe has broken down and is sometimes not enough to handle water flow in the area. It will be replaced by an 18-inch pipe.

Gilson also reported that he has been working on a list of 26 shut-off for those who owe unpaid utility balances. The clerk will be working with Town Attorney Mary Russell to take offenders to court.

"If people owe Fillmore money, they need to get in here (Town Hall) in the next week and make arrangements with Tom," Leonard said.

In a non-utility matter, Town Marshal Darrel Bunten discussed the need for training for police department reserves.

A law that went into effect in July 2015 requires reserve officers to complete the same 24-hour training as paid officers.

The expense of this initial training as well as continuing education can be prohibitive for small departments such as Fillmore.

To this end, Bunten had with him Mike Clark, who serves as both the Cloverdale town marshal and the president of the Indiana Marshals Association. Bunten is looking into the possibility of himself, Officer Nick Eastham and the four reserve officers all joining the association.

Clark said it's good that reserves are required to train more extensively, but it can be difficult for small departments and officers.

"It's a great thing. It's long overdue," Clark said. "But it's difficult for these guys, most of whom have full-time jobs, to get off of work 15, 20 times a year."

Clark explained that the annual cost to join the association is $35 per officer. Additionally, the association hosts two conferences each year at a cost for attendance of $30 per person.

The conferences are where the training for the officers would occur.

"We are probably the least expensive training you will ever do," Clark said.

Clark added that the training will be of assistance if the town is ever sued over police action.

Other benefits include a $10,000 accidental death insurance policy for each member, as well as assistance in seeking possible grants.

No action was taken, but the council advised Bunten to look at the department training budget to see if the town can afford membership.