The Fleming Town Council met for their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 9 at the Fleming Community Center. The meeting was called to order by Sue Einspahr at 6 p.m. The following council members were present: Stefan Betley, DeeAnn Christopher, Nancy Glaspie, John Stone and Ken MacCrone. Guests included: Sandy Kinzie (arrived at 6:02 p.m. and left at 6:20 p.m.), Levi Lowe (arrived at 6:19 p.m.) and Matt Salvador joined by ZOOM at 6:10 p.m.

Additions/corrections to the agenda: A motion was made and seconded to approve the agenda, all voted and the motion passed.

Public Comment: MacCrone, a volunteer fireman, asked for a donation of $500 for fireworks for the Fleming Fire Department. A motion was made and seconded to donate $500 for the fourth of July fireworks to the Fleming Fire Department, all voted and the motion passed.

Beck appreciated the assistance he received from Jeff Mekelburg and Jeff Harms during the storm.

The Council recognized Rick Unrein for helping with weed control.

Kinzie informed the Council the summer reading program will take place at the North Park starting June 16 and running through July 16, the hours will be from 9-11 a.m. The summer reading party will be July 27. Patron hours will be Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library’s direct phone number is (970) 265-2046.

Consent Agenda: A motion was made and seconded to approve the consent agenda, all voted and the motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report: Gorman stated the General Fund contains $108,882.94, Electric Fund $57,563.22, Water Fund $66,849.67, Sewer Fund $-10,324.06 for a NOW account total of $222,971.77. The MMA balance is $2,537.92 and the CTF balance is $8,757.11 for a total of $234,266.80 in all accounts. He told the Council that there are two more payments to be made on the sewer project and then funds will be placed back into the town CD. A motion was made and seconded to approve the Treasurer’s Report, all voted and the motion passed.

The Council discussed purchasing a town website. A motion was made and seconded to go ahead with the town website, all voted and the motion passed.

Clerk’s Report: Asfeld asked the Council for guidance on which wording of the questions they would like to see on the November ballot concerning the elimination of term limits and publishing ordinances by title only.

Electric Report: A motion was made and seconded to give the town maintenance workers each $50 as a thank you for the extra work they did during the storm, all voted and the motion passed.

There will be occasional blackouts in the town as poles are replaced because of the storm damage. Lowe talked about the electric system having a current in the lines when the power is out. He asked if the Town could find out where the electricity is coming from so it can be stopped during blackouts.

Water Report: In Beck’s water report he addressed the ongoing issue of the skunk that got into the transformer at the well. Gorman will contact CIRSA to see if the transformer and pump are covered by insurance.

Sewer Report: Velocity will be out to work on the door at the sewer building later this week. The Council talked about adding water to the ponds to help keep the liners in place. Beck will be contacted concerning the ability to do so.

Streets: Christopher asked if the pothole on Logan Avenue could be filled so no further damage is caused due to water increasing the size of the pothole. Einspahr will talk to Beck about the problem.

Health and Safety: Einspahr talked to the Council about the Code Enforcement Officer. The Town will send the first letter concerning violations. If nothing is done, the Code Enforcement Officer would proceed with issuing the citation through court procedures. The Council will start reviewing ordinances and updating outdated ordinances. The Code Enforcement Officer will be on probation for one year. A motion was made and seconded to hire a Code Enforcement Officer, all voted and the motion passed.

Parks and Recreation: The Fleming Fall Festival committee canceled the fall festival for 2020.

Action Items: A motion was made and seconded to appoint Levi Lowe as a council member, all voted and the motion passed. Lowe was sworn in as a council member.

The Council re-organized their committees. Stone will chair the Streets Committee; MacCrone will chair the Health and Safety Committee; Christopher will chair the Recreation Committee; Betley will chair the Utilities Committee; Glaspie will chair the Parks and Cemetery Committee; and Stone will chair the Personnel Committee.

A motion was made and seconded to accept Resolution #2-2020 concerning the completion of the Sewer Project, all voted and the motion passed.

Discussion Items: The Council briefly discussed Ordinance #1-1993 pertaining to trees. Einspahr asked to table this ordinance until the July council meeting.

A motion was made and seconded to pay the Logan County Chamber of Commerce invoice, all voted and the motion passed.

Council Concerns: Fleming will sign-up for the Cares Act. The Town doesn’t qualify for any assistance under the Cares Act pertaining to COVID-19 but Einspahr is hoping the funds may be eligible for Logan County.

Betley will be the Official CML Representative for the Town of Fleming.

Stone asked for someone to be the Town’s representative for the roundtable discussions.

Einspahr and Betley talked to the wind tower spokespersons about using donated funds and labor for updating the playground area.

MacCrone asked if it was permissible for the fire department to burn the ditch that runs parallel to Railway Street. The Council gave its approval.

Executive Session: none.

Workshops: none.

Adjournment: A motion was made and seconded to adjourn at 8:20 p.m., all voted and the motion passed.