Huntingburg Council meeting minutes for June 28, 2016

The Huntingburg Common Council met for the regular meeting and took the following actions:

-Approved an ordinance to create a special Local Option Income Tax fund to distribute Senate Bill 67 money to street, sidewalk and infrastructure projects. The city received $438,011.12 and is creating a plan to submit an application for the matching grants being provided through House Bill 1001.

-Approved the City Healthcare and Insurance plan presented by Safety Director Don Foerster. He reported the there would be a 10- to 12-percent increase but the extra costs would be covered by the savings fund Foerster has been able to accumulate due to the prevention programs the city has adopted. Councilman Jeff Bounds commented that the plan the city provides for its employees is exemplary. He complimented Foerster for his efforts to keep the employees healthy and well-covered while keeping costs low for the city. Foerster reported that five years ago the city was paying more than $100,000 for prescriptions and that cost is now down to around $60,000 annually.

-Approved the purchase of a service truck for the Water Department from Uebelhor and Sons for $48,707.51.

-Approved paying Fer-Pal $466,429.59 for relining, replacing hydrants, pipe and new valves installed in the intersections. The invoice included a change-order for work that could not be completed. Some materials included in the contract were not needed and the last minute addition of relining a line under the railroad that the city requested could not be completed which reduced the bill by about $92,394.21. The total paid for the project to Fer-Pal was $648,580.79. A 10 percent retainer for the project remains to be paid upon completion of cleanup.

-Approved paying Midwestern Engineers $19,161.23 for construction inspection fees associated with overseeing the water main project. Along with the original contract, the council approved an adendum to the contract for an additional $2,000 for the extra meetings and planning the firm completed for additional portions of the project.

-Heard the waterline project was nearly complete and water pressure was turned back on the newly-lined water main on Fourth Street. The contractors are completing the clean up on Fourth Street now. Interim Water Superintendent Gary Meyerholtz was very complimentary of Van Hoy and Sons and Fer-Pal, the contractors working on the project. He recommended the city consider them for relining a water main on Main Street. The project took one week longer than the city expected.

-Heard the Fourth Street Water Main project could be nominated and receive the Trenchless Technology Magazine project of the year designation.

-Heard the gas department had added five services; replaced a gas main on Chestnut Street; replaced some taps and relined a line while working on a storm sewer near the Old Town Hall; completed the gas main replacement project near Friendship Village.

-Heard the electric department had added three new services; updated poles near a new business being put in at 17th and U.S. 231 (it is a new dentist’s office); and began two new underground conversion projects on Leland Drive and Sycamore Street in the past month.

-Heard all the solar panels are up at the solar panel park and power should be connected by August.

-Approved adopting the supplemental ordinances passed by the council over the past year.