PIERCETON — Moving forward, the Pierceton Town Council will have new procedures in place for future meetings.
During Monday’s meeting, Council President Glenn Hall read the new rules aloud and said they would be posted at the Pierceton Community Building door before each meeting.
These changes stem from a nearly two-hour-long May council meeting, with over 40 minutes of discussion focused on the town's sidewalk project on Third, School and Catholic streets. Several residents are in opposition of the project moving forward, with concerns including trees being cut down, drainage issues and the sidewalk's overall usage by pedestrians.
"It is still the majority opinion of this current town council that our previous town council selected an appropriate project with opportunity for community input," said Hall about the sidewalk project. "At this point forward, we will no longer be taking comments or questions about the history of this (sidewalk project) prior to this meeting."
Hall said he reviewed council meeting minutes from the last two years, as well as Michiana Area Council of Governments and Office of Community and Rural Affairs documents, regarding the project.
"I have found no reason to believe that any action was taken inappropriately or without opportunity for community involvement," said Hall.
With the procedural changes, council members will not answer citizens' questions during the public comment section of a meeting in order to not be placed on the spot for answers they may be unable to provide at that point in time. There will be 30 minutes maximum set aside for public comments at the end of each council meeting, with three minutes allotted per individual.
Any attendee or official who is disruptive during a meeting will be given a maximum of three verbal warnings. After the third warning, the individual will be asked to leave the meeting. If they refuse to do so, law enforcement will be asked to escort the individual from the meeting for misconduct.
During the public comment section of the meeting, resident Annie Espinoza referenced Hall's statement and asked Hall, Council Member Matt Brubaker and Clerk-Treasurer Myra Mast to resign.
"You're not representing the people here, so I'd like you all to step down from your office," said Espinoza.
In other business, Town Marshal Jim Bumbaugh reported that officer James Hastings was involved in a rear-end vehicle accident on U.S. 30 on May 31. Hastings was at an accident scene when his police vehicle was rear-ended, resulting in the vehicle being totaled. Hastings was uninjured.
Bumbaugh received permission from the council to replace the vehicle as soon as possible.
Bumbaugh also said he gave a list of 25 properties in violation of town ordinances to Mast, who will prepare a letter to send out to those property owners. He emphasized the importance of enforcing those violations to beautify the town. Hall said remedying the issues is a big priority for the council.
The council also heard from Doug Gregory with the Pierceton School Alumni Association about the potential to create a space within Pierceton to store town memorabilia. Gregory said the association has about $20,000 in cash assets and wants to be more integral within the community.
Council also:
• Heard from Town Superintendent Casey Boggs that a leak on Ind. 13 was fixed.
• Approved the removal of four parking spaces from the Market Street and Ind. 13 intersection.
• Approved the closure of Ind. 13 from noon Aug. 2 to midnight Aug. 3 for Pierceton Days.
• Approved using a one-year free trial of REACH Alert, a notification system which would send e-mails or text messages to residents with reminders and emergency information.
• Learned the clerk-treasurer's office will be closed from June 24 to 26.
Pierceton Council's next regular meeting is at 6:30 p.m. July 8. The next Pierceton Redevelopment Commission meeting is at 5:30 p.m. July 25.