Mentone Town Council Approves Sidewalk Sign Ordinance
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Some of the businesses that have sidewalk signs include Council President Tim Croy’s business, the bank, the barbershop and the book store.
Gross said all of those businesses take in their signs except the barbershop. Since the sign doesn’t get moved, the sidewalk around the sign doesn’t get shoveled.
With that in mind, Gross said she asked town attorney Larry Beeson to come up with an ordinance regarding sidewalk signs for the council to vote on.
Councilwoman Shelly Krueger asked if they had to specify a sign size. Croy said he didn’t think so. “When your business closes, you have to take the sign in,” he said.
Croy suggested they send a letter to all the town’s businesses about the sign ordinance, and Gross and Krueger agreed.
“Once everyone receives a letter, they’re going to know,” Gross stated.
The ordinance should be effective immediately, Croy said, but not enforced until all the businesses receive the letter.
Croy made the motion to approve the ordinance, and it was unanimously passed.
The ordinance states a sidewalk sign is only allowed in front of a business and displayed only when the business is open to the public. A sign may not be on the sidewalk when the business is closed, and it may not be of a size that impedes normal flow of pedestrians on the sidewalk.
Mentone Police Department officers may issue a citation to the business for violating the ordinance. The first violation is $50; the second is $75; the third and subsequent violations are $200. Each day of non-compliance of the ordinance is a separate offense.
On another matter, Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd reported he emailed Kosciusko County Emergency Management Director Ed Rock with all the town’s snow plowing and town employee overtime hours from the recent snowstorm. He said he and Mervin Jones both had 30 hours of overtime.
If the town gets reimbursed because of the emergency declaration, Shepherd asked the town to pay him and Jones because he didn’t know how they would use that much compensation time.
Gross asked when they would know if the town is going to get reimbursed. Shepherd said he didn’t know. Clerk-Treasurer Barb Ross said it probably will take some time.
Croy made the motion that if the town gets reimbursed, Shepherd and Jones would get paid for the overtime. If the town doesn’t get reimbursed, the matter would come back before the town board. The motion was approved unanimously.
The council told Shepherd he and Jones did an excellent job with snow removal.
In other business, the council:
• Heard from Shepherd that he ended up getting a dump truck through Rice Ford, which offered the lowest bid. Hopefully, he said, it will be delivered in February.
At the December meeting, the council approved the encumbrance of $20,000 from the new equipment fund for Shepherd to purchase a new dump truck this year. It replaces the 2002 truck.
• Scheduled an executive session for Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. to discuss personnel matters with Town Marshal Jim Eads.
• Heard from Eads that his department is applying for a grant of up to $4,000 through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
Eads said with the school shootings around the country lately, the grant would provide for ballistic shields if Mentone should ever have a school shooting. “We feel we’d be the first on the scene,” he said.
• Heard from Shepherd that he met with a contractor regarding the demolition of the Richard Surface building at 123 E. Main St.
“He’s supposed to be getting me a price on tearing it down,” Shepherd said.
The contractor was leary of tearing it down, he noted.
Shepherd said the building is in very bad condition and it made him nervous to be in the basement of it. Many of the bricks are now just powder, and Shepherd said it houses a lot of raccoons.
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Some of the businesses that have sidewalk signs include Council President Tim Croy’s business, the bank, the barbershop and the book store.
Gross said all of those businesses take in their signs except the barbershop. Since the sign doesn’t get moved, the sidewalk around the sign doesn’t get shoveled.
With that in mind, Gross said she asked town attorney Larry Beeson to come up with an ordinance regarding sidewalk signs for the council to vote on.
Councilwoman Shelly Krueger asked if they had to specify a sign size. Croy said he didn’t think so. “When your business closes, you have to take the sign in,” he said.
Croy suggested they send a letter to all the town’s businesses about the sign ordinance, and Gross and Krueger agreed.
“Once everyone receives a letter, they’re going to know,” Gross stated.
The ordinance should be effective immediately, Croy said, but not enforced until all the businesses receive the letter.
Croy made the motion to approve the ordinance, and it was unanimously passed.
The ordinance states a sidewalk sign is only allowed in front of a business and displayed only when the business is open to the public. A sign may not be on the sidewalk when the business is closed, and it may not be of a size that impedes normal flow of pedestrians on the sidewalk.
Mentone Police Department officers may issue a citation to the business for violating the ordinance. The first violation is $50; the second is $75; the third and subsequent violations are $200. Each day of non-compliance of the ordinance is a separate offense.
On another matter, Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd reported he emailed Kosciusko County Emergency Management Director Ed Rock with all the town’s snow plowing and town employee overtime hours from the recent snowstorm. He said he and Mervin Jones both had 30 hours of overtime.
If the town gets reimbursed because of the emergency declaration, Shepherd asked the town to pay him and Jones because he didn’t know how they would use that much compensation time.
Gross asked when they would know if the town is going to get reimbursed. Shepherd said he didn’t know. Clerk-Treasurer Barb Ross said it probably will take some time.
Croy made the motion that if the town gets reimbursed, Shepherd and Jones would get paid for the overtime. If the town doesn’t get reimbursed, the matter would come back before the town board. The motion was approved unanimously.
The council told Shepherd he and Jones did an excellent job with snow removal.
In other business, the council:
• Heard from Shepherd that he ended up getting a dump truck through Rice Ford, which offered the lowest bid. Hopefully, he said, it will be delivered in February.
At the December meeting, the council approved the encumbrance of $20,000 from the new equipment fund for Shepherd to purchase a new dump truck this year. It replaces the 2002 truck.
• Scheduled an executive session for Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. to discuss personnel matters with Town Marshal Jim Eads.
• Heard from Eads that his department is applying for a grant of up to $4,000 through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
Eads said with the school shootings around the country lately, the grant would provide for ballistic shields if Mentone should ever have a school shooting. “We feel we’d be the first on the scene,” he said.
• Heard from Shepherd that he met with a contractor regarding the demolition of the Richard Surface building at 123 E. Main St.
“He’s supposed to be getting me a price on tearing it down,” Shepherd said.
The contractor was leary of tearing it down, he noted.
Shepherd said the building is in very bad condition and it made him nervous to be in the basement of it. Many of the bricks are now just powder, and Shepherd said it houses a lot of raccoons.
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