The meeting began with the approval of the May 13th meeting minutes.
The board approved the request made by Chris Ramey concerning the road closures for the Decatur County 4-H Fair Parade. The parade is on July 13, 2025.
Mike McNealy, Police Chief received approval to purchase a vehicle including light and siren package. This was a planned expense in the budget. Chief McNealy stated that they will be receiving a third K-9, and he was approved to purchase the K-9 equipment to outfit a vehicle that is already owned. These funds would come out of K-9 donation funds that the department has received.
Nate Stoermer, Fire Chief received approval to promote Captain David Eckstein to the position of Assistant Fire Chief as of 6/10/25 at 6:00am. Nate requested and received approval to have a third-party hose testing service. The estimate of hose to be tested is 13,500 feet of hose.
Amy Borns, City Clerk Treasurer and Chris Stephen, Attorney opened the bids that were received for the vehicles that were up for bid since the May meeting. The highest bidders were approved.
Sarah Hamer, Building Commissioner presented the third-party building inspection and plan review contract. This is to help with commercial projects only and does not affect residential inspections or builds. This contract is for as a pay per hour agreement The board approved this request.
Mark Klosterkemper, Street Commissioner received approval to enter into the INDOT lighting agreement for Main Street. This is a 22-million-dollar contract; however, the city is looking at under 1 million in their share, the RDC has also agreed to commit half of the cost of the 1-million-dollar share. This project is scheduled for 2027. Mark received approval to replace a 2012 Chevrolet pickup with a 2025 Chevrolet. This vehicle has damage from salt and has become unsafe to drive. Mark provided an update on the heavy trash pickup.
Public Projects Update by Zach Wirrig
Zach Wirrig, Public Projects Director, presented several updates:
- Washington Street Change Order #1: This change order involves improvements to the city- and Baptist Church-owned parking lot, including drainage, curbs, and other upgrades. The city approved the change order, contingent on a finalized agreement with the church.
- Rebekah Park Trail: Zach proposed a change order to re-pave the circular area near the restrooms. The project will cost approximately $13,000, to be funded from the city’s generalized capital improvements budget. The board approved the expenditure.
- 4th Street Sidewalk Engineering: Zach discussed preliminary engineering for a basic sidewalk design on 4th Street, part of a broader project involving three streets. The city will fund the engineering for 4th Street, while the City RDC will support the other two. The board authorized Zach to proceed with obtaining bids.
Additional Updates:
Downtown square improvements are progressing well.
The Park Road project website has officially launched.
