Village of Constantine

Regular Council Meeting
January 5, 2009
Council Room, 7:30 PM

President Weiss called the Regular August 17, 2009 Meeting of the Constantine Village Council to order at 8:00PM at the Village Hall.

ROLL CALL
Present at Roll Call: Trustees Brown, Brewer, Harder, LaFluer, Mathers, Moore and President Weiss. Also present: Manager Honeysett, Treasurer Strawser, Police Chief Bedell, Administrative Assistant Lammott and Clerk Strawser. The pledge of allegiance followed Roll Call.

MINUTES
Motion by Brewer, Seconded by Harder, to approve the Regular August 3, 2009 Meeting minutes as presented. Motion passed by affirmation 5 – 1. Voting YES: Brewer, Harder, LaFluer, Mathers and Moore. Voting NO: Brown. ABSTAIN: Weiss.

PAYMENT OF THE BILLS
Treasurer Strawser asked the reimbursable expenses listed under Marcus Donker be corrected to include Officer Dahl. In response to questions raised, the Three Rivers Clean water bill consisted of two parts, usage and water tests; 12 new water meters were purchased with accompanying hardware; Morris Excavating for tree removal was for limbs and tree down at the bridge; Sturgis Community Pool costs are reimbursable by Parks and Recreation and participating families.

Motion by Mathers, Seconded by Brewer, to pay the bills and make the necessary transfers totaling $82,521.16. Motion passed by Roll Call 7 – 0.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Four students responsible for vandalism at the Constantine schools read apologies for their actions: Joe Young, 635 Centreville Road, Matt Bowers, 365 Canaris Street, Devan Frederick, 165 Birch Street, Jared McBride, 390 Florence Road. Trustee Harder personally congratulated them for their courage in admitting their crimes. President Weiss and other council members applauded their acts of contrition.

Debbie Painter, 885 S. Washington Street, asked if funds could be appropriated from the surplus for a 24-hour police patrol and asked why residents are not notified during bouts of break-ins. Manager Honeysett said there is no surplus of funds or time, explained the prohibitive costs of 24-hour police coverage, explained the use of staggered shifts, and said there have been sporadic break-ins. Chief Bedell said he plans to occasionally have officers working night duty, officers will enforce the curfew law and park rules, and he will have an informational column in the Village newsletter. President Weiss said that cuts in revenue sharing have affected police coverage. All encouraged the precautionary locking of cars and homes.

CONSENT AGENDA
Manager Honeysett read the list of meeting he attended in July 2009.

Police Commissioner Brewer gave a synopsis of the July 2009 Police Department report. There was an approximately 30% ticket increase. Radar training will result in all officers being radar certified by the end of September. Trustee Brown praised the department for moving in a positive direction.

DPW Commissioner Harder gave a synopsis of the July 2008 DPW report. Trees were down at 180 W 4 th, 200 E Water, 515 Canaris, 125 Race, 415 White Pigeon Streets and 333 Riverside Drive as well as under the Water Street bridge.

Fire Commissioner Moore gave a synopsis of the July 2009 Fire Department report. The department was grateful for the live fire training at the live burn of a house on Birch Street.

Motion by Brewer, Seconded by Brown, to accept and file the Manager’s and Commissioners’ reports as presented. Motion passed by affirmation 7 – 0.

UNSAFE BUILDING – 557 OSBORN STREET
Manager Honeysett reported that nothing has changed regarding the planned demolition of the house and outbuildings at 557 Osborn Street; bid requests will be circulated during the next week.

HARVEST FESTIVAL 2009
Manager Honeysett reported on the plans for the Harvest Festival. Cool Cities Committee chairman Hagey said he came seeking approval for the beer tent and the Texas Hold ‘em Tournament, with the American Legion paying for the license and then profiting from the beer tent while the Harvest Festival Committee would do likewise for the Texas Hold ‘em Tournament. In response to questions, Mr. Hagey said that last year both events were profitable following expenses. He also said the Cool Cities Committee would reimburse the Village for the $500 added insurance charge for the beer tent. The committee was thanked for their hard work.

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
Diana Lammott said that there were approximately 200 people participating, with many police and fire departments involved, all costs being covered by donations. Manager Honeysett said the event was such a success that other participating departments wished to take turns hosting the event. He also said that Diana Lammott’s brother received a small stipend for doing most of the cooking of the donated food, something he has also done for Mayor’s Exchange Day. Trustee LaFluer praised the family-friendly events and hands-on interaction with the participating departments.

NEWSLETTER MINUTES
Manager Honeysett said that Attorney Bush said that since the newsletter is the Council’s, it could choose how much information to put in as long as it includes the minimally required information. Clerk Strawser requested a written legal opinion from Village Attorney Bush on each part of the motion. Manager Honeysett said that he had a written opinion and would be happy to give it to her [after the meeting]. The Clerk also asked for the written legal opinion on the motion itself. Treasurer Strawser said that she thought the proposed action would shortchange the people of the village.

Motion by Brewer, Seconded by Moore, that the clerk prepare minutes for printing in the Village newsletter which adhere exactly to those requirements in the Village’s Rules of Procedure and the Open Meetings Act – namely: 1. A statement of time, date and place of meeting. 2. The council members present as well as absent and the names and times of arrival of council members who may arrive after the call to order and the names and departure times of any council members who may leave prior to adjournment of any particular meeting, 3. The minutes shall include all official actions of the council with respect to Ordinance, Resolutions, and Motions. Additionally, the minutes shall include the name of the seconder of any Ordinance, Resolution, or Motion and the vote of the council on the issue. Furthermore, the minutes shall include if the vote was by roll call, and if so the Yeas, Nays, or Abstentions for each council member. These minutes shall be subject to Council approval prior to printing. Should the clerk choose to prepare another set of minutes, not for publication in the newsletter, these minutes must be clearly marked “Proposed but NOT approved”. Motion passed by Roll Call 6 – 1. Votes YES: Brown, Brewer, Harder, Mathers, Moore and Weiss. Voting NO: LaFluer.

HARVEST FESTIVAL BEER TENT & LIQUOR LICENSE
The Cool Cities Committee proposes to pay for the liquor license application and the insurance rider for the event. Manager Honeysett said that last year there were absolutely no problems with the beer tent.

Motion by Brewer, Seconded by Weiss, to approve the liquor license application. Motion passed by Roll Call 4 – 3. Voting YES: Brewer, Brown, Moore and Weiss Voting NO: Harder, LaFluer and Mathers.

ENERGY AUDIT
Trustee Brown raised discussion of following up on his earlier request for an energy audit. Manager Honeysett said he has been talking with the Sturgis City Manager, who is in the process of such an audit. Treasurer Strawser did a breakdown analysis of some of the unchallengeable monthly energy expenses. All agreed there are options for Manager Honeysett to look into including possible grant money for such audits.

UNITED WAY 2010 KICKOFF – DONUT DRIVE
President Weiss announced that the St. Joseph County United Way will give away donuts at the corner of US-131 and 6th Street on Tuesday, August 25 th from 7:30-9:00AM , as a kick-off to their 2010 fundraising campaign.

President Weis reminded everyone that the first Council meeting in September falls on Tuesday, September 8 th at 8:00PM .

Meeting adjourned at 8:51PM .

Ruth Strawser
Village Clerk

Included in the packet, but not discussed: Poster for the 9/11 Memorial Steak Dinner at the American Legion, poster for the 2009 Harvest Festival Decorate a Scarecrow contest, poster for the September 23 rd Community Night Out sponsored by the Merchants of Constantine, Deb Painter’s letter to the editor of the (8-11-09) Three Rivers Commercial-News.