Council OKs bonds, grant application

One city project will be funded via bonds. Local officials hope to get a grant for another.

Portland City Council on Monday approved an ordinance to issue up to $3.251 million in bonds for upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant and an application for a $30,000 downtown revitalization planning grant.

It also OK’d a one-time stipend for full-time city employees, decided to set up a committee to review the city’s payroll ordinance over the course of the coming year and tabled an ordinance that would have shifted money to the general fund from the non-reverting fire equipment fund.

Kim Blanchet of Barnes and Thornburg, an Indianapolis law firm, presented the ordinance for the bonds, which will be issued through Indiana’s State Revolving Loan Fund. The city plans to issue $2.945 million in bonds — the maximum is intentionally set higher to allow some wiggle room — for work that will include installing new final clarifiers and pumps as well as other improvements to its wastewater treatment plant. The project also anticipates $600,000 in funds from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and $306,000 from the city.

Portland Board of Works last month opened bids for the work, with Jutte Excavating of Fort Recovery coming in lowest at $2.88 million for the construction work.

The bonds will be repaid from sewer income over a 20-year period. City council at its July 18 meeting approved sewer rate increases of $5.25 this year and each of the next three years — in the long run, rates will go up by 67 percent — to raise money to pay for those improvements and others.

The application for the downtown revitalization grant is the next step in a process that began last year in partnership with Ball State University.

Proposals coming out of that effort included adding new signs at the city limits, changing Meridian Street traffic patterns and encouraging facade restoration.

The grant the city is now seeking would fund the development of the City of Portland Downtown Revitalization Plan, which is necessary to qualify for state grants.

“The Ball State study was great. It was … a great springboard for this,” said Jay County director of community development Ami Huffman in presenting the grant application to council. “This study, it will be done to OCRA’s standards, which is a list of criteria … and it gives more detail as to how to move forward and how to hone in on those ideas …”

The grant requires a $6,000 local match, with the Portland Redevelopment Commission providing that money.

In order to request the federal funds, council had to declare the targeted area — the Meridian Street corridor (one block to the east and two blocks to the west) from the Arch Bridge to North Street, excluding residential properties — as “slum and blight.”

Council members Bill Gibson, Judy Aker, Judy Hedges, Janet Powers, Kent McClung and Don Gillespie, with Michele Brewster absent, decided on a one-time stipend as opposed to raises this year, with the exception of the city court clerk position.

On a suggestion from Gibson, council approved giving all full-time city employees a one-time stipend of $435 on July 1, 2018. He pointed out that $435 is the average of what each employee would receive for a 2-percent raise across the board.

It also bumped the city court clerk’s wage to $18.04 per hour from its current $14.40 to bring it in line with that of other clerks working for the city.

In addition, council members decided to create a committee to do a full review of the city’s payroll ordinance and compare local wages to those of employees in cities of comparable sizes. The committee, which has not yet been formed, will then make recommendations for changes to the payroll ordinance.

Council tabled an ordinance that would have shifted money the city receives for fire contracts with townships to the general fund instead of a non-reverting fire equipment fund, which is used to save for long-term needs like new firetrucks.

The change was suggested in an effort to help the general fund in anticipation of lost tax revenue over the next few years because of changes to how agricultural land will be assessed. But several council members expressed concern that taking that money — it was nearly $72,000 last year — from the non-reverting fund could leave the department, and the city, unable to make necessary equipment purchases in the future.

Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman also welcomed visitors to the Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association Show, which officially begins Wednesday. Powers offered a reminder that golf carts, which are prevalent during show week, are not permitted on state highways, and Gibson encouraged everyone to be safe while driving this week.

In other business, council:

•Got an update from redevelopment commission president Mark Clemens, who reported that the group has a balance of $610,264.24. Those funds are to be used to help “create more assessed value” within the district, he said. Gibson questioned some of the previous uses of the funds, saying he believes all of the commission’s money should go toward helping solve downtown flooding issues.

•Heard Powers thank Huffman for helping the city secure an 80/20 grant for $630,100 in construction projects for paving Blaine Pike from Water Street to Bittersweet Lane and adding a sidewalk in that area as well as replacing sidewalks on High Street between Middle and Meridian streets. “That’s a huge thing,” she said. “I’m very pleased.” Portland Board of Works at its Aug. 3 meeting tabled a decision on committing funds to the project, questioning whether Indiana Department of Transportation would pay for a portion of engineering and design costs.

•Heard Hedges ask that council be provided with minutes from board of works meetings in an effort to stay informed about city projects. Geesaman said he would provide them.

•Heard the following from Geesaman: congratulations to the Portland Rockets, who made their second trip to the National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series this year and went 2-1 in pool play before falling in the quarterfinal of the single-elimination tournament to finish 35-12; paving for Industrial Park Drive, Wayne Street and a handful of other streets is still expected to be completed this summer; and county crews plan to begin dredging the Salamonie River between the railroad bridge and the eastern city limits this week, weather permitting. He also asked for input from council members on whether or not the city should move forward with pursuing an Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study for mitigation of flooding in the city.

•Transferred $500,000 to the water depreciation fund from the water operating fund.

•Approved closing the alley south of Pit’s Cocktail Lounge from noon to 10 p.m. Sept. 9 for a cornhole tournament.