MENTONE – A petition to vacate a public way or street in Mentone was tabled Monday night by the town board to let Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd check for utilities on the property. Shepherd said he was pretty sure there were none. If that turns out to be true, the board will sign the ordinance permitting the vacation at its Feb. 2 meeting. Tippecanoe Valley School Corp., represented by attorney Steve Harris, made the petition. Harris presented the board with proof of publication and notice to adjoining land owners. Valley owns 5.83 acres of land north of Mentone Elementary School. Between that piece of property and Jackson Street are homes. The homeowners have been mowing strips of Valley’s property and requested the school corporation sell the strips to them to square off their property. Part of the property between the home and Valley’s property is an unimproved street that runs parallel to Jackson Street and which has to be vacated before Valley can sell it to the homeowners, Harris said. Valley will still have access to its property should the corporation decide what to do with that land. Tim Croy, board president, asked Shepherd if there were any utilities in the area. Shepherd said he didn’t know at that moment because he didn’t know where they were talking about. “Were you planning to make a decision tonight or do I have an opportunity to look at it?” Shepherd asked. Harris said he was hoping the board would make a decision last night. Even if the street was vacated, board member Shelley Krueger asked if it would matter if there was sewer or water there. Shepherd said if there was, the town would need something written giving it a right of way to that utility. Town attorney Larry Beeson said if there was a utility there, he thought there already would be an easement. “I would think so,” Harris agreed. Croy said they needed to have Shepherd check the property out to make sure. Beeson told Shepherd to let him know what he finds out and then he could let Harris know. “Vacating doesn’t get rid of an easement if one’s already there,” Harris said. “I don’t think there’s any utility there, but I’d hate to make a decision in two minutes,” Shepherd said. The street is only behind 1-1/2 lots, Croy indicated. He made a motion to table the vacation until February to let Shepherd look at the property. If there’s no issue, the board then will sign the ordinance at its next meeting. Croy told Harris that Beeson would let him know so he didn’t have to come back to next month’s meeting. In other business, the board: • Approved an ordinance to transfer funds at the end of 2014, per Clerk-Treasurer Barb Ross’s request. • Heard from Ross that each month the town transfers $3,000 from the water department to the water depreciation fund. The fund currently has over $100,000 in it. Ross requested that for 2015, the town not transfer that money and keep it in the water department. The request was approved. • Signed the amended 2015 salary ordinance. The ordinance changes part-time employee pay from a range of $7.25 per hour to $10, to a range of $7.25 per hour to $12 per hour. Shepherd requested the salary ordinance change at the December meeting. • Heard from Shepherd that he had some pricing on paving work his department was going to do at the end of 2014, but didn’t get it done. He requested the board encumber the money from last year so the work could be done this year. The request is for approximately $25,000, and was approved. • Voted not to belong to the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. The town dues would have been $1,037, but every year the board declines to join. • Signed annual nepotism agreements as required by state law. • Approved Shepherd’s request for him and his employee to attend the American Water Works Association conference in Indianapolis Feb. 10-12. The cost would be in the “$500 range,” he said. If the weather isn’t bad, he said he probably wouldn’t go. “I haven’t been in two years,” he said. The board approved the request at his discretion. Croy concluded the meeting by stating that all the town employees and council should think of what they could do to save money. Town Marshal Jim Eads said not spending budgeted dollars was not saving tax dollars. “It’s not like it’s going to be refunded to taxpayers,” he said. Ross told Eads that Croy was just saying that everyone should stay within their budgets. “I agree with that,” Eads responded.
