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Batesville officials report on police, public works and fire department activity
Summary
City officials reported on lower police call volumes, cross‑training of officers, progress on a water treatment plant and park project, 132 water-leak repairs in 2024, and a fire crew’s response that saved an airplane and hangar.
City officials used the council meeting to update residents on public safety and infrastructure work.
The Police Chief reported a drop in calls for December, gave recent arrest and incident counts, and said the department has started a cross‑training program that will rotate two officers into investigative work for 30 days to improve prosecution support and investigative skills. “We started cross training our officers with the investigators,” the Police Chief said, describing the 30‑day rotation plan.
Public Works Engineer Damon Johnson said the water treatment plant project is moving forward despite weather-related delays, that a groundbreaking ceremony is planned for February (date not yet set), and that the park project is at about 90% design pending a final pricing exercise. Johnson said crews repaired 132 water leaks in 2024 and that the city is negotiating a current water-purchase agreement with a neighboring system to address unpaid balances.
Fire Chief Martin recounted responding to an aircraft-hangar fire that morning, saying crews saved the hangar and the airplane inside and describing the blaze as a magnesium engine fire that required care to extinguish: “We saved the hanger and the airplane inside,” Chief Martin said. He also summarized annual readiness work (ladder, pump and hose tests), a smoke-detector installation program (12 homes in 2024 and one so far this month), and year-to-date call volumes.
Council members offered brief praise for the departments’ work; no new budget requests or formal actions were recorded during these reports. The meeting then moved into routine ordinances and procurement discussion.
