Monday night’s Mentone Town Council meeting saw apologies made for the heated exchange that occurred during March’s meeting (see: Heated Exchange Fuels Mentone Town Council Meeting).

Council Member Jill Gross started the meeting by stating, “Last month’s meeting got out of hand and was embarrassing to the whole town and to the council. I am not saying who is right or wrong.” Gross later stated, “We are here to represent the town, not the people in this room.” She finished her address with, “The whole thing was very embarrassing, I have heard people say they need to come to the town council meetings but they didn’t want to be a part of it.” Mentone Town Marshal Jim Eads then remarked, “I apologize for my part in it.”

Council Member Shelly Krueger handed Eads a revised version of the Mentone Police Department Code of Conduct, the document that caused the disagreement at the March meeting. Krueger stated that she needed notification of any desired alterations to the document in the near future.

Krueger announced that the Mentone Farmer’s Market will be opening the weekend of May 9. She stated that the hours of the market will be from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and that there is no setup cost. Krueger stated that the farmer’s market will be open during this year’s Egg Festival and will be set up on the empty lot at the northwest corner of Main and Morgan streets, across from the Allen’s Country Market. Any new vendors should contact Krueger at (574) 606-7549.

Mentone Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd made a request for funds to purchase new trail cameras and a piece of equipment made by Stihl called the Powersweep. Shepherd stated that around $200 would be needed for the purchase of the cameras, while the quote he had received for the Powersweep was for $511. The council unanimously approved both requests.

Council President Tim Croy reminded everyone that Wednesday, May 13, will be spring cleanup trash day for residents to dispose of large items.

Gross asked how Mentone Deputy Terry Engstrand’s training had gone. Engstrand traveled to Virginia Beach, Va., for  training. Engstrand replied, “It was very good, we are having a police department meeting to go over what I learned.” After Engstrand noted that the weather in Virginia Beach had not been much better than it had been in Mentone, Eads smiled and informed those present that next year’s training would be in Las Vegas.

The meeting lasted approximately 18 minutes.