Burns Harbor council adopts fee changes, budget transfers and multiple contracts in July meeting

The Burns Harbor Town Council voted on a package of ordinances, resolutions and contract payments at its July meeting, approving an amended building-fee ordinance, a slate of budget transfers, multiple contractor payments and a new town fund for unsafe‑building expenses.

Council members adopted ordinance 325-2025 amending the town's building department fee table and approved Resolution 2025-04, which moved budgeted amounts among police-related line items. The council also approved payments tied to town capital projects and contracts, including a Milestone invoice for the 2024 CCMG road paving project and two pay applications for the salt-dome construction.

The actions affect the town's permitting revenue rules, routine department budgets and near‑term capital payments. Council members said these votes were intended to align fees with administrative costs and ensure contracted work could proceed on schedule.

The ordinance amending the building-fee table was moved to a second reading and approved after the council suspended the rules to allow a second reading at the same meeting. Council members discussed timing for the ordinance's effective date; the adopted ordinance will not take effect for 90 days as permitted under local procedures.

On budgeting, Resolution 2025-04 reallocated police payroll and benefit line items to align staffing costs with current personnel assignments. Council members moved multiple small transfers among deputy marshal, sergeant and benefits accounts and approved the resolution by roll call.

Contract and payment approvals included: - A Milestone invoice tied to the 2024 CCMG road paving project, with the town’s portion listed in meeting materials as $160,721.79 of the total bid; the council voted to pay the invoice and related retainage per the purchase order attachments. - Two pay applications for the town’s salt-dome project (pay application No. 1: $180,972.00; pay application No. 2: $90,828.00), with a remaining retention payment of $30,000 after punch-list completion; the council approved the payments from the ARC miscellaneous fund. - Authorization to accept the Lakeland Park Drive plat as a town street and to allow the president to sign associated state filing documents. - Approval to accept a Lakeside Home Inspection proposal to supplement building‑department inspections at $200 per hour with a $45 per-inspection billing arrangement.

The council also approved a motion to create an “unsafe building” fund, to be seeded by penalties and fees collected under the town’s nuisance/unsafe‑building code; staff were directed to set up the fund so future liens, penalties and remediation costs can be tracked there. Council members discussed that penalties and collections would feed the fund and that additional penalty hearings could be scheduled if property owners did not comply.

Other administrative items — including approval of a repair claim of $1,585.73 for a fire truck air-conditioning repair and several routine approvals of vouchers and purchase orders — were adopted by roll call in the meeting’s consent and claims sections.

Votes at a glance - Ordinance 325-2025 (amend building fee table): Motion to adopt on second reading after suspending rules; approved; effective in 90 days. - Resolution 2025-04 (appropriation transfers): Motion to approve; approved by roll call. - Resolution 2025-03 (adopt safety action plan / Safe Streets and Roads for All grant): Motion to adopt; approved. - Milestone invoice for 2024 CCMG paving (invoice 258029-01): Motion to pay; approved. - Salt-dome pay applications (No. 1 $180,972.00; No. 2 $90,828.00): Motion to pay from ARC miscellaneous fund; approved. $30,000 retention remains pending punch-list completion. - Lakeside Home Inspection proposal (contract approval): Motion to accept proposal; approved. - Motion to accept Lakeland Park Drive as a town street and authorize president to sign related documents: Motion made and approved. - Motion to create unsafe-building fund: Motion made and approved; staff directed to establish fund and track penalty collections there. - Claim ST20652 (fire truck AC repair, $1,585.73): Motion to approve; approved.

No item in this package created a new long-term program commitment beyond items described above; several votes implemented one-time payments or administrative changes to how fees and penalties are recorded and used. The council left follow-up items and implementation steps to town staff, including publication of ordinance fee changes where required and recordkeeping steps for the new unsafe-building fund.

The council scheduled additional staff follow-up and committee work on budget and staffing items for the August meetings.