Russellville holds comp plan, budget hearings

RUSSELLVILLE — The bulk of a longer-than-usual meeting, the Russellville Town Council held two public hearings last Wednesday concerning the county’s comprehensive plan and the town’s budget for 2024.

Regarding the comprehensive plan, County Planning Director Lisa Zeiner reiterated that the council previously signed a letter of intent to adopt it after review. The town would follow the county’s land use provisions, rather than have a sub-area section with specific requirements.

The town would also adopt a unified development ordinance (UDO) along with the plan. This will combine the county’s updated zoning and subdivision control ordinances into one document.

The Town of Cloverdale is the only municipality that has approved the plan as it is. Meanwhile, the county’s plan commission favorably recommended it to the Putnam County Commissioners in August.

The latter is anticipated to review and approve the plan at its Oct. 16 meeting. This said, the participating municipalities have flexibility on when they could adopt it. The council agreed to table its approval until later.

As to the budget, the council reviewed it and did not relate any changes as being major. However, it also broached the town’s contract with the Russellville Volunteer Fire Department.

Compared to 2023, the Casino/Riverboat and Cumulative Capital Improvement funds would remain at $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. While the General Fund would increase to $134,795 from $120,075, the Local Street and Road Fund would decrease from $9,000 this year to $4,500.

The town’s compensation to the fire department for 2024 is planned at $20,000, compared to the $12,000 that was budgeted for this year. Council President Cary McGaughey made a caveat of this being contingent on the budget standing as it does now.

Broadly speaking to the department’s needs, McGaughey said the increase is geared toward new equipment, including radios. While its turnout gear is or is near being outdated, the department, he related, is active in recruiting.

“It (gear) has gotta be updated every so many years, and they barely have enough now to fund for everybody,” McGaughey said, providing that equipment and training overall costs $25,000 per volunteer. Self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) alone can cost $6,000 each.

Ultimately, the contract for next year still has to be approved and signed. As such, McGaughey said, nothing is “set in stone” with what the department’s actual compensation could be.

“In my part, my house has burned down, I don’t want them not to be able to come get it because they don’t have the turnout gear,” McGaughey said.

“I just want to say ‘Thank you’ for raising that, being a proactive town council,” Utility Management and Construction’s Troy Elless commented, giving kudos to the department and Fire Chief Darrick Wiatt pursuing grants. “There’s not a lot of funding out there for these guys.”

The department recently purchased new medical equipment, per an approximate $7,465 grant from the Putnam County Community Foundation. It provided that said equipment is in all of its apparatuses and in members’ personal vehicles.

The budget is to be approved at the council’s regular meeting next month.

In other business:

• Though no vote was officially taken, the council acted on an offer from Oliver and Kingerey for $6,500 to cut down eight trees near the Russellville Community Center. McGaughey noted that there were originally 10 trees, but two were deemed too close to the property line.

One other offer came from Miller Veneers, Indianapolis, for $5,800, while another company did not respond. Clerk-Treasurer Martha Mandleco suggested Oliver and Kingerey’s offer to be tabled, providing that higher ones could be had. McGaughey responded that it was agreed on previously, as long as three total were pursued.

• With agreement from Town Marshal Matt Biggs, the council approved for a new security system to be installed, not to exceed $700. Biggs said the system would include a new firewall, while the price would include labor.

• The council approved Elless undertaking cleaning up the town’s water treatment plant. He stated that the work would generally include washing the facility down and painting its walls and floor.

With Councilwoman Cathy Jones and Deputy Clerk-Treasurer Teresa Ciulla attending the nearly one-hour meeting, Councilman Tony Riggen, Street Supt. John Boller and Town Attorney Stu Weliever were absent.

The next regular meeting of the Russellville Town Council is set Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at the community center.

Clarification: Zeiner later clarified that the UDO's adoption is separate from the comprehensive plan, as it is to be approved by the Putnam County Commissioners after the latter. While the UDO, which governs land use and development, is to be publicly presented on Oct. 24, it is not slated to go to the commissioners until December.