Huntingburg Council meeting: October 10

The Huntingburg Council met for their regular meeting on Thursday and did the following.

-Approved the 2014 budget of $9,120,432 with the addition of $25,000 to the unsafe building fund including $1.2671 per $100 assessed value.

-Approved the new salary ordinance for 2014.

-Approved a contract to develop a downtown plan with Development Concepts, Inc. The plan will be paid for with the $40,000 grant from the Office of Rural Community Affairs. The firm will be meeting with the Main Street committee on October 23. They also plan on meeting with stakeholders and citizens to hear ideas for the area. The Downtown Plan will be integrated with the Huntingburg Comprehensive Plan. Commonwealth Engineers will also be working on the project to create a plan to repair the aged Fourth Street water main.

-Approved a resolution to purchase six acres near Niehaus Park for $30,000. The average of two appraisals was higher than the owner’s asking price for the property. The property could be used to expand the walking trail.

-The council heard from Jerry Tackitt concerning a cat problem on Second Street. Tackitt said he and the neighbors have noticed the feral cat population in about a two block area on Second Street has grown considerably. He has been in contact with the code enforcement officer but was told the city doesn’t have an ordinance concerning feral cats. Mayor Denny Spinner told Tackitt the Board of Public Works and Safety has a contract with an animal control group for dogs. He would inquire with them about the cats.