Crandall town board approves website reimbursement, sets budget hearing and reviews equipment options

The Crandall Town Board on July 21 approved reimbursement for a newly created town website, set the public hearing and final vote dates for next month’s budget process, and discussed several operational items including a road spreader, reinvesting a maturing certificate of deposit and whether to provide Wi‑Fi at the town facility.

Town Board President Caitlyn Rothro said she purchased a Squarespace site and paid the initial fee herself, asking Acting Treasurer Debbie Jones to reimburse her. “I went ahead and I just paid for it…it's about 250 is what I would think,” Rothro said. She told the board the site will carry small ongoing costs—roughly $16–$20 per month under the plan she chose, plus about $40 per year for the domain name.

The board also set its budget timeline: the presenter said a public hearing will be held at the September meeting and the final vote on the budget will occur at the October meeting. The discussion noted a reduction in the general fund estimate to $2,000 and an increase of $2,000 in projected riverboat revenue to reflect anticipated receipts.

On capital and equipment needs, a member reported contacting Jacob’s about a replacement road spreader. The shop described a fiberglass‑bin model with a starting price near $1,125 and a roughly 500‑pound capacity. Board members discussed durability and fit with town equipment and agreed to consider the purchase and revisit it at a future meeting.

Board members also discussed a maturing CD held at First Savings and agreed to move funds to First Harrison Bank to consolidate accounts, with a 12‑month reinvestment term preferred unless a substantially better rate appears. No detailed interest rates were provided.

Rothro proposed adding a brief mission or resources section to the new website to clarify the board’s limited scope—roads, street lights and referrals to services—and to list nearby community resources such as food banks. The board did not take formal action on website content at the meeting.

The board noted a thank‑you letter from Kyla Wilson for a locally administered scholarship and discussed that the Harrison County Community Foundation appears to manage the fund on Crandall’s behalf.

Members also revisited whether to provide Wi‑Fi at the town facility. One member said the board currently uses a phone hotspot and prefers to continue that approach unless demand—rentals or events—requires a paid internet connection; a cost of about $60 per month for Spectrum was cited as a rough estimate.

A caller who owns a house on Railroad Avenue asked if any ordinance prohibits parking a large dump truck at a residence. The board said it could not recall any prohibition and asked the caller to attend a meeting to discuss neighbors’ concerns; the caller did not appear. A separate resident request to ask the railroad to stop sounding horns at night was acknowledged but attendees said such requests are unlikely to succeed.

Motions brought during the meeting—including approval of minutes, accounts payable vouchers, internal controls, Rothro’s reimbursement request and moving the CD—were seconded and moved forward by consensus; no roll‑call tallies were recorded in the transcript. A motion to adjourn carried and the meeting concluded shortly after the board noted “659.”