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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-09-25 MINUTES OF COUNCIL SEPTEMBER 25, 2012 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on September 25, at 5:30 PM at the Municipal Building. Mayor Elumbaugh called the meeting to order. Mr. Nick Baxter gave the invocation. Upon roll call, the following council answered present; Tommy Bryant, Margarett Henley, Paige Hubbard, Davy Insell, Fred Krug, Douglas Matthews, Chris Poole, and David Shetron. Also present were the City Clerk and the City Attorney. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. Councilmember Henley seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the prepared agenda. Councilmember Insell seconded and all voted for. CITIZENS COMMENTS None UNFINISHED BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS A) INTRODUCE THE LADY SCOTS VOLLEYBALL TEAM Mayor Elumbaugh introduced Coach Kevin Jenkins, Lyon College Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach. Coach Jenkins spoke briefly and said in January 2012, they joined a new athletic conference. The Scots are now a part of the America Mid-West Conference. He gave the council a few upcoming dates and encouraged everyone to come out and support the Scots. Mayor Elumbaugh then introduced Ladies Volleyball Coach Ray Green. Coach Green introduced his coaching staff and each member of the volleyball team gave their school classification and home town. B) PUBLIC HEARING ON COUNTRY CLUB PROPERTY Mayor Elumbaugh opened the Public Hearing regarding the Country Club property at 5:45 PM. The Mayor opened with clarifying the article in the Batesville Guard. The property has been appraised for 2.2 million and he made a tentative offer of$350,000 which was declined. The property consists of 72 acres, a club house, 9 hole golf course, swimming pool and tennis courts. The golf course is overgrown with weeds and hasn't been used in two years. The Mayor said the club house and pool are old and outdated and probably a liability. He said the tennis courts could probably be used as could the golf course. The Mayor said he has been approached by several of the stock holders who said they would like for the City to own the property. Questions from the audience included how would the City pay for the property and what would it be used for. The Mayor responded that until an offer and acceptance was complete, he would not know exactly how the property would be paid for. The City has authority to finance for a 5 year period but a lease to purchase is also an option. He also said several things have been suggested for the use of the property but nothing has been decided. Several people spoke in favor of the City purchasing the property. Mr. Jerry Kemp said "you are sitting on a gem. I don't know how you can afford not to buy the property". Councilmember Bryant said during 2007 the City held several Charettes to help develop a "Comprehensive Plan" for the City. He said one of the issues discussed was building a road from Myer's Street through the Country Club property and connecting to Harrison Street. Councilmember Krug asked Mr. David Blair, who is a stockholder of the Country Club, what their time schedule was. Mr. Blair said they were definitely going to sell the property and the sooner the better. He also said he would like the City to own the property and said a few weeks for the council to discuss the purchase was reasonable. Mr. Blair also said they have been offered $600,000 but the stockholders turned it down. He also said he would notify the Mayor if they got any additional legitimate offers. Mayor Elumbaugh closed the public hearing at 6:20 PM. C: ENGINEER'S REPORT City Engineer Damon Johnson addressed the council. Mr. Johnson said the base rock was being laid today for phase 2 of the Greenway Trail and the advertisement for bids has been placed. He said they were also working on the curb and guttering on the new portion of Myer's Street and should be ready for paving soon. Mr. Johnson said the construction department would be starting a large sewer rehab project on Baker and Elsie Streets next week. He said both streets would be closed for an extended period of time. Mr. Johnson said he had hoped to be able to purchase a trench compactor through the state purchasing program but was unable to find one. He said he received three quotes with one being considerably less expensive than the other two. He said he would like the council to consider waiving competitive bidding so they could get the machine as soon as possible. He said he would have an ordinance for consideration at the next meeting. MAYOR COMMENTS Mr. Nick Baxter, Utility Office Manager, addressed the council regarding online utility bill payments. He said when a utility customer pays their bill using online bill payments, it usually takes several days for the utility to receive the check. He said most customers think the payment is immediate but in fact, the bill payment company actually prints and mails a check on their behalf. If the checks are not received by 5:00 PM on the 20th of each month, or the first working day after the 20th, a late fee penalty is automatically added to the account. He said they have mailed letters to their customers regarding this matter and are asking the media to also help in spreading the word. LIAISON REPORTS None COUNCIL COMMENTS None ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Councilmember Matthews moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Bryant seconded and all voted for. RICK ELUMBAUGH, MAYOR DENISE M. JOHNSTON, CITY CLERK