Redkey looking to change ordinances

REDKEY — Chickens may be allowed in town starting early next year.

Redkey Town Council introduced a draft of an amended animal ordinance Thursday.

Also Thursday, during a nearly two-hour meeting, council introduced plans to amend the town’s ordinance regarding tampering with water meters and agreed to spend the town’s remaining $6,000 American Rescue Plan Act dollars on installation of the new water meter antenna.

Redkey town attorney Maura Hoff noted the amended animal ordinance draft includes rules for owning hens. (Per the ordinance, roosters are still not allowed.)

“Female chickens shall be allowed to be kept within the town of Redkey with all of the following requirements and restrictions,” read Hoff. 

Rules stipulate there may be no more than six hens on any parcel of land within town limits. Hens must be completely and securely enclosed in a coop or a securely fenced area no larger than 100 feet. The coop must be kept sanitary and in the rear of the yard.

Also, dead chickens must be immediately removed.

Answering a question from council, Hoff and officer Jon Cave explained the rules regarding chickens are modeled after similar ordinances in other municipalities.

Hoff noted she also made a few minor changes while reviewing the animal ordinance to avoid conflicts with state and federal law.

Council agreed — absent Gavin Grady — to introduce the ordinance Thursday, with Hoff noting the amended legislation will need to be advertised and will go up for approval next month.

She said the ordinance will be on file at the clerk-treasurer’s office for residents to read the details and suggest amendments if desired.

Council also agreed Thursday to introduce an amendment to the water ordinance addressing unauthorized access to water meters.

The new ordinance, which will need to be advertised and reviewed for approval next month, outlines penalties for residents who tamper with their water meters.

Council member Dave Dudelston questioned if the town has had the issue come up. Beaty noted there have been residents who, after their water is turned off by the town because their water bills are not paid, manually turned their water back on.

Currently, residents are not allowed to be in their water pits, with access limited to town employees and designated officials.

Hoff pointed out the amendment gives the town “more teeth” when dealing with residents violating the ordinance. 

Per the draft amendment residents who tamper with their water meters will be fined as follows: first offense, $150; second offense, $300; and third offense, $400. Answering a question from Dudelston, Hoff noted fines are not to exceed $500, but there are exceptions to the minimum fines.

“If it’s a first offense and it’s egregious, you can go up to $500, but the minimum is $150,” she explained.

Dudelston suggested amending the cost of the fine to $500, but his amendment failed on a split vote.

Hoff noted the fines may be adjusted in the next month before council approves the ordinance, noting Thursday’s decision was solely on whether to consider the amendment next month. Council then agreed to introduce the ordinance.

Also Thursday, council OK’d spending the town’s remaining $6,000 in American Rescue Plan Act dollars on installing the new antenna for the town’s water meters onto the water tower.

Council spent most of its ARPA funds over the last few years on replacing the town’s meters with lead-free water meters and related equipment. In November, Beaty said the town had about $60,000 in remaining funds left. Council agreed at that time to purchase a $20,000 antenna from Utility Supply Company to connect with the meters. Plans are to install the antenna about 75 feet above ground on the water tower. It should flag problems in the system, such as potential leaks at homes.

Beaty noted the town also purchased a new vehicle with ARPA funds. (Last month, she shared a quote for a 2022 Ford F-250 priced at $39,500.)

She explained Thursday the original $20,000 quote for the antenna did not include installation fees, which could range anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000. Council then agreed to spend the remaining $6,000 on the installation.

In related business, Beaty noted the light that shines on the water tower is not working. She contacted the tower’s maintenance representative, who she said informed her the tower was struck by lightning and that it will take two to three weeks to get the necessary parts to repair the light.

Also, utility worker Ted Kolodka explained he is working with Indiana Financing Authority to look into grants for utility improvements, specifically funding to help meet a requirement imposed by Indiana Department of Environmental Management regarding two combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in town. 

Beaty noted the town needs to have a plan for addressing the IDEM violation by Dec. 31. If it doesn’t, IDEM could place a water ban on Redkey, meaning it wouldn’t allow new hookups to the system until the issue is addressed. 

In other business, council members Floyd Life, Jim Phillips, Beaty and Dudelston, absent Grady:

•Approved a three-year contract with Bill Tressler Backhoe and Trenching at a 3% increase each year.

•Suspended the rules to approve and adopt the 2025 salary ordinance, which includes 3% raises for town employees — that excludes the utility worker, who instead will jump from $18 an hour to $20 an hour to meet requirements for training reimbursement through Alliance of Indiana Rural Water — and council members.

•Voted, with Beaty dissenting, not to pay a $175 claim for a locksmith opening the door to the old fire station. The decision came after a heated discussion about Phillips hiring a locksmith to gain access to the building owned by the town, with council members and others in the crowd disagreeing on whether it was legal to do so. (The building has been used in recent years as storage for Redkey Fire Department, which previously occupied the space.) Phillips agreed for the town not to reimburse him for the cost, saying he would consider it a “Christmas present to the town.”

•Decided on a split vote not to pay a $27.48 claim for pavers Life purchased and installed at Trudy Kauffman’s home on Bell Avenue. Life and Dudelston explained water stands on Kauffman’s sidewalk, making it difficult for her to get out of her home. A community member in the crowd asked if council would pay for installing pavers at other folks’ homes. Life and Dudelston voted in favor, with Beaty and Phillips dissenting. Clerk-treasurer Gloria May also dissented.

•Asked Hoff to look into whether Indiana law supersedes a town ordinance that says town residents may not live in campers on their properties.

•Approved $219,230.25 in other claims.