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Cloverdale inspections contingent on county response
CLOVERDALE -- Following the announcement that Cheryl Galloway had resigned as Cloverdale’s clerk-treasurer, the Cloverdale Town Council is faced with challenges concerning wastewater and stability in the town hall.
The council has been keen on letting the county take over local inspections in the wake of former Building Inspector and Town Manager Wayne Galloway’s departure. This topic was one addressed during its regular meeting held last week.
During its special meeting on May 6, the council approved moving forward with hiring contractor Chance Katz as an temporary building inspector. It was indicated that he would likely work one day a week until the county took over regular inspections.
Hofmann opined last Tuesday that the council needed to wait on hiring a part-time inspector until the Putnam County Commissioners considered the move on Monday. In the meantime, County Planner Don Hatfield has looked after emergency inspections.
The council held a special meeting later Monday evening to discuss its options moving forward. More on this meeting will be forthcoming from the Banner Graphic.
The council also heard input from Troy Elless and Bridget Murphy of UMAC with regard to “red flags” at the town’s water treatment facility. Murphy has previously worked with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), which has issued enforcement actions against Cloverdale in the past.
Murphy presented documents which she said detailed an “overall view” of compliance issues found during inspections from about the last three years. She said she was granted a 14-day period to respond to IDEM concerning these issues.
Murphy said she was concerned about what the inspections have found and how the town has responded, and where there may be gaps. As such, she said that questions posed by IDEM needed to be answered to avoid an enforcement action, which could result in a fine.
On the working side, Elless said that if the town’s water employees were trained properly, issues such as overflows could be avoided in the future. Murphy added that most of the red flags are “easily fixed” and mostly center around documentation.
Responding to questions from Stardust Hills developer Don Gedert, Elless said there are multiple wastewater-related issues. Murphy added that the overlying issue for Cloverdale was infiltration, a thing that is “not easy to get rid of” and will remain.
Elless said the focus needed to be on stopping the enforcement actions, which in turn requires proof of improvement. Murphy still stressed consistent documentation, saying the town had 15 overflows from Jan. 19 until around March 27, but that, “magically,” none have been reported since.
The council approved for UMAC and Murphy to move forward with helping the town remain compliant with IDEM. Murphy said that payment could work on an hourly rate per month.
In other business, the council heard more regarding the town’s transition to the Keystone payroll system from Samantha Hinman, who works part-time on the town’s “water side.” Though a full-time student, she said she was now able to help fill in the “in-between” in light of the Galloways’ leaving.
Hinman provided that the town payed around $2,661 for its ADP system in 2019, despite a garnishment that may have been entered incorrectly. Conversely, she said starting up Keystone this year was $3,950, which includes licensing, training and software. After this, it will cost $1,440 a year.
Hinman said that Keystone had already been payed for and uploaded. However, she also emphasized that the transition was budgeted, and that the former clerk-treasurer had legally put it in place. As far as savings are concerned, Hinman said the town would save approximately $1,200 a year.
The council also approved for a letter to be drafted by Hofmann and signed by Fidler allowing Hinman to temporarily take over payroll, claims and other duties. Hinman has not been designated as the clerk-treasurer in and of itself.
The next regular meeting of the Cloverdale Town Council is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9 at 7 p.m. in the Cloverdale Town Hall.
Correction: It was originally written that Murphy was with IDEM. However, she recently began working with UMAC.