Milford Town Council members Ken Long and Bob Cockburn listen to a presentation during a meeting of the council on July 8, 2019.

MILFORD —  The seat on the left side of the Milford Town Council table was occupied by its third different member in the past eight months on Monday night. Although Ken Long has joined his fellow council members for budget meetings since his election by caucus last month, last night was his first regular meeting as a part of the town’s government. Long replaced former member Joellen Free, who submitted her resignation earlier this spring because she was relocating out of the community. Free had been elected to the post last November to fill the seat vacated by Dan Cochran, who chose not to run for reelection.

During last night’s meeting, the council heard from Ann Schlabach, representing Harvest Coffee. Schlabach asked the council to approve Harvest Coffee’s plans for its third annual Block Party, which is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28. This year, the event plans to include a “touch a truck” event, which will allow kids to get a hands-on experience with a variety of vehicles, including fire trucks, construction equipment, police cars and more. The council agreed to Schalbach’s request to close Main Street from the alley north of what is now PNC Bank to Catherine Street from 2-8 p.m. to accommodate the event.

Resident Lamar Bost addressed the council inquiring about the possible subdivision of a residential lot within the town limits. Bost said he had been approached by a family member of the lot’s owner inquiring of his interest in purchasing the property. The council referred him to the county zoning board to get that body’s ruling before they could consider the request.

The council heard from Mike Loveless of ONI Risk Partners who proposed a review of the town’s current insurance policies. In a unanimous decision, the council agreed to allow the company to perform the free service and offer a proposal prior to the town’s current insurance renewal date of Aug. 18.

Rodney Bray addressed the council in regards to outstanding water and sewer charges at a rental property. The charges were unpaid after his renters vacated the premises. Bray was not asking for relief, but rather for a review of how the town might better protect landlords from renters leaving with balances in arrears.

Town attorney Jay Rigdon noted in his report that Milford has officially acquired equipment to accurately measure sound in terms of decibels. It was purchased to enforce a proposed town noise ordinance. Accordingly, the council approved ordinance 2019-6 to regulate noise within the town limits.

In his fire report, Fire Chief Todd Haines thanked The Papers, Inc. for paying to resurface the blacktop around the fire station during the past weekend. He also noted that all of the department’s fire hoses and ladders would be going through recertification tests this Thursday in the parking lot at Milford School.

Town Marshal Derek Kreider requested and received permission to purchase a tablet computer for the soon-to-be delivered new squad car at a cost of $2,894. The tablet will work together with the department’s body cameras and in-car camera.

In his report to the council, Superintendent Stephen Marquart noted that there is a great deal of patchwork on Milford’s streets as the street department works on water lines and hydrants. He said a more permanent fix will be in place once all the projects are completed. The council approved cost overage charges of $167 for street work done on West Street and of $396.05 for work performed on old SR 15.

The council also approved a request from Marquart for $13,810 to purchase and install a valve for a fire hydrant located near the intersection of Catherine and Maple streets, as well as $3,023 to install a valve on a hydrant as part of the James-Syracuse-Smith streets project.

As part of a recommendation by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the council approved $4,175 to purchase and instal 185 feet of fencing to protect the town’s wellfield near the recycling area south of town. Marquart said that, if left unprotected, the wellheads in the area could be unwittingly damaged by vehicles, which would result in much higher costs and problems.

The council also approved a request by Marquart to adjust the hours the concession stand at Waubee Lake to better accommodate busy days, such as the recently concluded holiday weekend.

A decision to send council member Long to a leadership summit in Bloomington Aug. 1-2 was approved, including lodging, meals and travel expenses. The event will be held by the Alliance of Indiana Rural Water.

Finally, a total of $1,668.86 was approved by the council to pay for air conditioner repair work at the Milford Community Building.