Sellersburg council approves ordinances, maintenance contracts and service payments; other items deferred

Sellersburg Town Council approved several ordinances, service agreements and maintenance payments during its March 10 regular meeting while deferring further action on a fire/intrusion monitoring proposal.

The council unanimously approved the first reading of ordinance 2025-OR-007 creating a Sellersburg Redevelopment Authority and later adopted ordinance 2025-OR-008, a corrective measure to prior surplus-property ordinances that clarifies which town vehicles remain in service. Council members also approved a facility-use agreement allowing Silver Creek School Corporation continued use of the old Sellersburg Elementary gym and certain rooms; authorized an HVAC/air-compressor repair at the former elementary building for $6,415; approved a consulting contract for Stacy Franklin after removing a proposed $3,000 retainer; and awarded the town's 2025 lawn-mowing work to J and C Lawn Landscaping. A proposal from ATS Integrated Solutions for intrusion/fire monitoring at the elementary was discussed but sent back to staff for additional information before approval.

Why it matters: The redevelopment-authority ordinance adds a funding and financing tool the town and redevelopment commission can use for capital projects. The facility agreements and repair payments affect an existing town-owned property being used by a school district and carry short-term operating and maintenance costs. The consulting contract's change limits an upfront payment and keeps work billed at hourly rates.

Key actions taken - Ordinance 2025-OR-007 (creation of redevelopment authority): first reading approved by motion (mover: Terry; second: Scott). Second reading scheduled at a future meeting. - Ordinance 2025-OR-008 (correction/cleanup of prior surplus-property ordinances): council approved and waived second reading; ordinance adopted. - Facility lease: approved authorizing Silver Creek School Corporation continued use of Sellersburg Elementary gym, classroom and incidental storage/bathroom access (motion by Scott, second by Matt; no money changes hands). - HVAC repair at old Sellersburg Elementary: approved $6,415 to ACCO Incorporated to replace/repair the air-compressor/boiler system. - Consulting agreement: approved contract for Stacy Franklin with the $3,000 retainer removed; contract retains prior hourly rates (motion by Matt; second by Terry). - ATS Integrated Solutions (security/intrusion/fire monitoring): discussed; staff will invite ATS to present detailed scope and clarify whether the proposal includes fire tie-ins or intrusion-only monitoring. Council did not finalize approval and asked staff to return with more information. - Lawn-mowing contracts for 2025: awarded to J and C Lawn Landscaping after the council reviewed two bids and asked staff to confirm allocation of specific properties between departments.

What council said: Council discussion on several items focused on documentation and accounting'for example ensuring trade-in and inventory records matched previously adopted ordinances, that Silver Creek provided certificates of insurance for the facility use, and that invoices or hourly breakdowns for outside legal/consulting work be available for fiscal oversight.

Next steps: Staff will return with the ATS monitoring vendor to answer questions about monitoring scope and fire-system integration. The redevelopment-authority ordinance will return for a second reading at a subsequent meeting.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting): motions passed by voice vote with no roll-call tallies read aloud; the meeting transcript records unanimous vocal approval (aye) for the motions noted above.