Redkey limits semis, farm vehicles

REDKEY — Semis and farm equipment will no longer be allowed on town streets.

Redkey Town Council on Thursday voted to change its ordinance to prohibit heavy machinery from driving in town. Semis that are making deliveries and businesses that operate within the town limits will be exempted.

The vote came after a complaint from Redkey resident Tracy Gilbert, who asked council to change the ordinance after running into issues with semis parking on Union Street.

“The ordinance makes sense to a point, they have to have time to deliver a product or pick up,” Gilbert said. “But if this semi has no reason to be on any street, he’s not even from this state, I think it needs to be put in there something like, ‘Only if you’re delivering.’”

Council member Gary Gardner agreed, and also added that farm machinery should be prohibited from town streets. He pointed out that the large vehicles could damage the roads, many of which are repaved or will be paved through Indiana Department of Transportation’s Community Crossings grant.

“We are spending a lot of money getting these streets fixed,” Gardner said.

The new ordinance, passed by a 4-1 vote, states that semis will not be allowed on town streets unless they are making deliveries and farm equipment is not allowed on town streets. Council member Randy May dissented.

Also on Thursday, council discussed changing its water ordinance to give homebuyers a grace period to make updates to their utility systems.

According to the water ordinance, all homes should have a shut-off valve.

May proposed giving homeowners a 60-day period to install a valve and make other repairs as needed.

“A person buying a home in Redkey would be given 60 days to comply with that ordinance,” May read from his proposed updated ordinance. “Upon deposit, a new customer should be given this extra time to get a shut-off valve installed and new repairs made to the plumbing.”

May also proposed that homeowners and certified plumbers should be allowed to access their water meter pits during these two months in order to save town employees from having to keep turning the water off and on.

While other council members agreed with the grace period and allowing certified plumbers to enter the water meter pit during the 60 days, they opposed allowing homeowners in.

“We cannot let everybody in these water pits,” said council president Dottie Quakenbush. “They cost a lot of money.”

The ordinance change was tabled until June’s meeting so that it could be re-written to only allow certified plumbers or town representatives to enter the water meter pits.

In other business, council members John Pierce, Erik Hammers, May, Gardner and Quakenbush:

•Gave police officers two additional paid vacation days to make up for the holidays they work. Now all town employees receive nine paid holidays per year.

•Approved changes to the sewage rate, which will go into effect in July, to make up for a calculation error. The minimum charge will go up to $45.80 from the current $40.50.

•Learned that a sensor meter for the sewage department was replaced for $1,600 after it was damaged in a recent storm.

•Approved replacing the transmission in the police department’s Chevrolet Impala with a used transmission for $1,343. Maximum Overdrive Transmission will complete the work.

•Agreed to do preventative maintenance on the generators at the water and wastewater treatment plants. EVAPAR will do the work for $1,258.

•Approved continuing Fisher Packing’s 10-year tax abatement.

•Accepted a bid from Bay Ridge Motors in Staten Island, New York, to buy the police department’s 2013 Ford Explorer. It was the only bid for the vehicle, which had a minimum bid amount of $1,000.

•Decided to re-open the bidding process to remove a dead tree at the corner of Railroad and High streets, as the only person who bid on removing the tree was not insured to do so.

•Agreed to let Sam Mauller, who was recently hired as a police officer and has previous grant-writing experience, write a grant for a police car from the Homeland Security Foundation.

•Discussed how to get traffic to slow down on Union Street, where children are frequently playing. Police officers have been patrolling the area more, and council will think about other options, including a speed bump.

•Paid claims of $129,093.57.