The Huntingburg Common Council voted to table a decision on adopting Civify, a $10,000 annual communication platform designed to notify residents about city projects and emergencies.

The decision was made during the regular meeting on Tuesday, following extensive discussion of the platform’s capabilities and potential challenges.

The platform would allow residents to subscribe to notifications via email, text message, or automated phone calls about road closures, utility work, emergencies, and other city projects. The quoted package includes 10,000 emails and 500 text messages or voice credits per month, with additional charges for exceeding those limits. Residents can customize their notification preferences by subscribing to specific topics like road closures, utility issues, or development projects. The platform also supports 104 languages for visual translation and eight languages for delivered messages.

Council members expressed concerns about the cost, potential underutilization, and the system’s ability to effectively reach all residents. Questions arose about how many residents would actually sign up and whether the platform would meet legal notification requirements for emergencies such as boil orders or gas leaks.

“I just don’t want it to be underutilized,” Councilwoman Pam Bolte said. “I would like to see the website get into a fantastic place that we can click on it and have recent news. And then after that, and I’m not saying that I’m totally vetoing this, I’m just saying I would like to let the website shake out and see what happens.”

Mayor Neil Elkins advocated for the platform, citing frustrations with current communication methods. During the meeting, he described the difficulties of trying to determine what was happening on a street project involving multiple contractors, when a simple update in the system could have provided immediate clarity.

“I spent two and a half hours chasing this job down that day, where three minutes or four minutes from a contractor putting a note in there, we all would have been on the same page,” Elkins said.

Councilman Jeff Bounds questioned whether the city can effectively drive resident engagement and whether department heads would consistently use the system.

“Conceptually, I love it, but I’m still struggling with implementing it and paying for it,” Bounds said.

He acknowledged that social media was not an effective channel for delivering important information to residents.

Civify President James Reitz, who attended the meeting virtually, emphasized that adoption rates depend heavily on city marketing efforts and staff commitment to using the system consistently.

Councilman Tim Wehr worried about placing additional responsibilities on superintendents during emergencies. “You’re asking these employees to do this while there’s an emergency going on,” he said.

Reitz explained that a successful implementation would need to include a firm stance on its use and assign roles for those who will be responsible for updates shared through the platform.

After a long discussion, Councilman Steve McPherron suggested they needed more time to investigate implementation details. “What I’m hearing is we haven’t investigated this in depth enough and found out whether or not it’s going to be applicable to our situation or not,” he said before making a motion to table the decision.

The council voted unanimously to table the decision until after the city’s new website is fully implemented and evaluated. Community Development and Engagement Director Kenlee Steffe is currently working on site mapping for the redesigned website, which features improved navigation and user-friendly content management.

The new website will include an enhanced calendar with tabs allowing users to filter events by category, such as city meetings or community events. It will have an emergency alert banner for urgent notifications and a “Recent City News” section for updates. The platform is more user-friendly than the previous system, making it easier for multiple staff members to update content. The annual cost is similar to or less expensive than the previous website, though there is a $10,000 setup fee spread over five years.

Police Department Reserve Officer Appointments

Police Chief Brad Kramer requested approval to appoint four new reserve officers: Stacia Landstrom, Patrick Sierra, Jose Calderon, and Brody Kramer. Reserve officers are volunteers who receive the same training and equipment as full-time officers, including firearms, vests, and radios. They work events like basketball games and city festivals, with organizations sometimes paying them directly rather than through the city. The reserve program serves as a recruitment pipeline for full-time positions and helps identify candidates who work well with the department. The city has a capacity of 15 reserve officers and currently has six, so these four appointments would bring the total to 10. The department has a fund to outfit new reserves without impacting the regular budget. The council unanimously approved all four appointments.

Gas and Electric Department Updates

Energy Superintendent John Reutepohler reported that the gas department has replaced approximately 3,600 of 3,900 gas meters and requested approval to purchase 127 additional meters for $60,427.87 to complete the project. The request was approved unanimously.

He also reported the new antenna installation in the Ireland area has dramatically improved meter communication, reducing non-communicating meters from 40-50 to just 4-5.

The electric department has completed the installation of 250th-anniversary banners and veteran banners along Veterans Parkway.

Poplar Ridge Phase One is electrically complete with all meters installed in both buildings. The department also replaced old poles near the car dealership south of town while the salvage yard was cleared.

A three-phase transformer costing $20,240 is needed for an industrial customer’s production line rearrangement, with the customer reimbursing all costs. The council approved the purchase.

Bid opening for a new 60-foot bucket truck is scheduled for June 18, 2026, with delivery expected in approximately three years.

Water Department Operations and Projects

Water Superintendent Jerry Austin reported multiple service line repairs on Wilson Circle, where copper pipes are deteriorating from the outside. The department uses a hydro excavator for meter pit replacements, minimizing yard damage.

A valve at 7th and Chestnut was repaired during spring flushing.

The department worked with Reynolds Construction to relocate a water main for the wastewater project.

Four truckloads of lake mud from the drying beds were hauled to an IDEM-approved bio center.

Three fire hydrants were replaced at City Park due to the pickleball court installation and two others that failed during flushing; one at 8th and Shelby and the other at First and Geiger, with the latter requiring replacement of two valves as well. The department notified residents of planned outages through letters and door-knocking, keeping water off for as short a time as possible.

He also reported about a problematic water main on Hickory and Maple Street, which required two repairs and is scheduled for replacement next year.

The department has completed over 200 lead and copper inventory assessments and acquired new GIS equipment rated accurate to four inches.