April town mtg. for Milan held via Facebook Live
The format for the meeting of the Milan Town Council was a little different in April as they practiced social distancing. Council members held a Facebook Live meeting, with three of the members sitting six feet apart and another joining the meeting from home, but business was conducted as usual.
After the pledge of allegiance, Deb Shumate, town council president, began the meeting with a public service announcement stating they are following state guidelines, and their essential staff are still available. Town Manager John Ingram and his crew continue to work on current projects, mow, and manage water and sewer conditions; Town Marshal Terry Wilson and First Deputy Travis Day continue to patrol and take emergency calls; Doug Price is still managing the sewer plant; and Town Clerk Debra Fugate Hackman will remain in the office, but can only take payments that are placed in the drop-off box or called in. Shumate added as a reminder that all playgrounds were closed. The Milan Park is open for walking, but all restrooms are closed.
The board discussed placing piers for lights along Main Street during the same time as the sidewalk project. The lights will be funded by the Milan ’54 Hoosiers Basketball Museum, once available. It was voted to approve up to $9,000 to place these piers. For safety and aesthetic purposes, the piers will be covered by flower pots until the funds have been raised for the lights.
Ingram requested the purchase of additional water meters to replace the old ones. They have currently replaced half of the old meters within the past two years. The council voted to purchase 100 additional meters. The council also reminded the town about the ordinances regarding mowing and junk. Please keep grass mowed, don’t blow grass cuttings onto the streets, and keep your yard free of junk. The town will be diligent on issuing tickets when not complying with these ordinances.
Due to the current COVID-19 mandates, Best Way is not providing heavy trash pickup for the safety of their employees. Many council members have been questioned about refunds for this time period. It was recommended by Shumate to instead request a couple of dumpsters at no charge for the town to dispose of their heavy trash. Ingram is going to look into this with Best Way.
Drew Olman, on behalf of Town Marshal Terry Wilson reported that in the month of March there were 21 calls for service, three assists to other agencies, five assists by other agencies, one assist to Fire/EMS, two property damage accidents, one warrant arrest, one theft report, one ordinance violation, one domestic call, five traffic violations, and one accident with injury. The reserve officers had a total of 22 hours.
In new business, the council discussed the issue of police not being seen in town. It was noted that the police cars in Milan are not marked, which could lead to some of the misconception. It was recommended that the police get their vehicles marked, and the town would like this started as quickly as possible, knowing that this is a timely process. The board felt people of the community will feel safer if they can see the police cars.
It was also noted that there is limited parking in front of town hall for people who need to pay their bills and handle town business. It was decided to place a parking sign in front of the building designating it as limited parking for official town business only on Monday – Friday during business hours.
The next regular meeting of the Milan Town Council will be held Monday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. For updated information on the status of this meeting, you can follow them on Facebook at the Official Town of Milan Indiana Page or visit the website at milan-in-gov.net.
