Minutes
Village of Michiana
Regular Council Meeting
March 10th, 2008
The regular meeting of the Council of the Village of Michiana was called to order at 7:00 p.m. (EDT) by President Pro-Tem Sheila Stein.
Present were Hillary Herbst, John Llewellyn, Sheila Stein, and Patricia Carpenter.
Motion by J. Llewellyn and seconded by P. Carpenter to accept the minutes of the February 11th, 2008 regular meeting and the minutes of the February 11th, 2008 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting as printed to be filed. Motion carried, 3-0, with H. Herbst abstaining.
Motion by J. Llewellyn and seconded by P. Carpenter to accept the minutes of the February 28th, 2008 special meeting as printed to be filed. Motion carried, 3-0, with H. Herbst abstaining.
Personnel and Commissioner’s Reports:
Treasurer’s Report: Nothing additional to report.
Police Chief Report: Nothing additional to report. Resident Michael Wolf requested the council inform the residents that cellular 911 calls may end up going through Indiana; Wolf stated he had used his cell phone to call 911 from various locations to see where the calls would end up.
Building Inspector’s Report: Nothing additional to report.
Tree/Fence Inspector Report: Not in attendance.
Superintendent Report:
MSVFD Report: Chief Imes gave his report; upon council request, Imes stated the MSVFD operated on an annual budget of approximately $56,000, and served only the communities of Michiana Shores, Indiana, and the Village of Michiana.
Water Authority Report: Superintendent Reitz informed the council that Southwest Transport should be starting on the Lake Shore Drive project soon, and the actual cost for the repairs to the pump house was approximately $7,000 less than what was originally quoted and also included a new pump instead of rebuilding the existing pump.
Clerk’s Report: M. Nallenweg stated that under compliance measures for the NPDES permit, the council would have to start scheduling public comments on the NPDES plan on the agenda, no less than quarterly. The council requested information be placed in the newsletter regarding cellular 911 calls.
Motion by J. Llewellyn and seconded by H. Herbst to accept the Personnel and Commissioner’s Reports, and approve the bills for payment. Motion carried, 4-0.
Committee Reports:
Finance/Insurance: The committee met earlier in the day to discuss the MERS quote; additional information will be submitted in order to obtain a firm quote. The committee would like to change the plan year to match the Village’s fiscal year.
Human Resources: The personnel policy has been updated with the change in policy regarding sick time; employee signature pages are being collected.
Communications: The website is continuously being updated with ordinances and information.
Motion by J. Llewellyn and seconded by H. Herbst to accept the committee reports. Motion carried, 4-0.
Old Business:
Motion by H. Herbst and seconded by J. Llewellyn to enter into the new contract with the Women’s Club. Motion carried, 4-0.
Ordinance Number 2008-01, the Nuisance Ordinance, was read for the second time, by title only.
Motion by P. Carpenter and seconded by J. Llewellyn to adopt Ordinance Number 2008-01. Motion carried, 4-0.
The list to be submitted to the Pokagon Fund was reviewed; Nallenweg and Reitz gave updates on quotes.
New Business:
Nallenweg stated the Able Disposal contract for refuse removal expires on June 30th, 2008.
Motion by J. Llewellyn and seconded by H. Herbst to go out for bid on the refuse and recycling services provided to the Village hall and residents. Motion carried, 4-0.
Nallenweg stated the annual maintenance contract for rugs, uniforms, and shop towels expires on March 31st, 2008.
Motion by J. Llewellyn and seconded by H. Herbst to accept the new maintenance contract with Aramark Uniform Services. Motion carried, 4-0.
MDEQ is now requiring all municipal public works to register their compost heaps at a registration fee of $600 for three years.
Motion by H. Herbst and seconded by J. Llewellyn to approve to pay the $600 registration fee in compliance with MDEQ regulations. Motion carried, 4-0.
After much discussion, it was decided that the Village would not install any deer crossing signs due to only two known deer-auto related accidents in the past 20 years.
After much discussion, it was decided that speed bumps in the Village would create too much liability, and that the police department would have to be more vigilant and aggressive with respect to speeding vehicles.
Public Comment:
Michael Wolf of 3916 Ponchartrain requested a lightbar be placed on top of the decoy police car, and also that ten additional council packets be made up for the meetings for residents who would like to participate.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. EDT by President Pro-Tem S. Stein.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Jo Nallenweg
Village Clerk
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