Both motions carried without objections.

Milford police lieutenant Travis Marsh, present to discuss his work on the town’s emergency preparedness plan, was also named acting town marshal while Rich Miotto undergoes knee surgery.

Marsh has been working on the plan since last spring, when the Valentine’s Day storm saw more than 30 travelers stranded in the town’s community building. He stated the plan has “not gone as quickly as I’d like” but tornado plans and levels two and three are “ready to go.” There was also a Kinder Morgan Inc.-sponsored “table-top exercise,” which ran through several emergency scenarios. Finally, Marsh has consulted the CSX Railroad respond program and its dial-in information on evacuation zones and contacts for businesses within the zone. He is working to complete a list of after hours contacts for those businesses.

The most pressing problem, Marsh told the council, is the lack of a “mechanism to activate the plan,” receiving timely permission to open the proposed warming and command centers, the community building and town hall respectively. “The big piece is communication,” stated Cochran. Ruch agreed, saying “I’d hate to see an emergency prolonged because we can’t make a decision.” To address this problem, the council named Marsh emergency management director.

The council also chose not to wait on the mere possibility of grant funds to help pay for the generators necessary to power the community building and town hall in the case of an emergency, which Marsh stated would not be available until August or September. After reviewing quotes collected by utilities superintendent Randy Veach, it chose to allocate $30,454 from the cumulative emergency fund for the purchase of two generators. Milford Redevelopment Commission may also vote to assist with the expense.

Other agenda items were as follows:

• Milford building inspector Ken Brower was on hand to report improvements to several properties on the town’s action list. The building commissioner also held the first hearing on a property at 209 N. West St. Ruch was present and said it went “really well” and has “been a long time coming.” Town attorney Jay Rigdon said, “Game plans are in place for the remaining properties.”
• The council adopted a motion allowing the old parsonage at 111 W. 4th St. to be rezoned residential for remodeling.
  In attorney reports, Rigdon informed the council his research indicated the town’s ordinance forbidding obstruction of sidewalks regardless of the presence of a driveway is appropriate. The town can’t tow but can fine offending parties.
• The council also reinstituted a revised version of ordinance 2016-2, which will require all solicitors to obtain a license in Milford.
• Rigdon also met with John Julian of Umbaugh and Associates to investigate ways of refinancing Milford’s roughly $900,000 sewer system debt, possibly saving the town several thousand dollars per year.
• In clerk reports, the council passed a motion to advertise a public hearing on the reestablishment of the cumulative sewer, capital development and capital improvement funds to the highest allowed tax rate.