We're going to call to order this evening's meeting of the Ellensville Town Council. Sorry, I started
that before you were ready. All right, we'll begin with the prayer. Chief. Our Heavenly Father, we come
before you this evening. Again, we thank you so much for the many blessings you've bestowed. We thank
you for the meeting we just had. We just pray for the guidance you would give us to this consolidation
and reorganization that we have. Be with us tonight as they make the decisions that affect the town.
Again, we thank you so much for the pleasure to be here. We ask you to say in Jesus' name, amen. Amen.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, whenever you're ready to
roll, roll call. Pamela Samples.
William Ellis. Here. Scott Oldham. Here. Dan Swafford. Here. Trevor Sager. Action to pay accounts, payable
vouchers, and payroll. So moved. Second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstaining?
Action to approve minutes for the December 8th, 2025 meeting. So moved. Second. Motion to second. All
those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Any abstaining?
Two resolutions this evening. The first is resolution 44-2025, transfer for fire from volunteer fireman
insurance to gas and oil. This was a standard request from the fire department. The amount that was
remaining in the volunteer fireman insurance was for $1,098.30 to be transferred into their gas and
oil line. Questions from council? Routine movement of money, we see.
Actions from Council. I'll make a motion to approve resolution 44-2025, transfer for fire for volunteer
firemen insurance to gas and oil. Second. Motion second, roll call please. Pam Samples? Yes.
William Ellis? Yes. Scott Oldham? Yes. Dan Swaffer? Yes. Motion passes. Another routine housekeeping
measure is resolution 45-2025, encumbrances for 2025.
Yes, so these are from all the different departments to encumber money. They came with an invoice and
a quote to use 2025 monies to be paid at the beginning of 2026. Okay, questions from council. More of
a comment or actually a request for you. Towards the end of the year, is there any way, maybe the first
meeting or the second meeting, you can let us know how much
money was turned back in on each account? Yes, I was gonna ask if that was the council's pleasure for
me to do a financial report. Ideally, if we could push it until the first meeting in February would
be the best. That's fine. Just to get all the encumbrances tied up and at the end of the year stuff.
That's fine for me. Okay, any further questions? Any actions for council?
I move we approve resolution 40-2025 in cumbersome for 2025. Second. Motion second, roll call please.
Pam Samples? Yes. William Ellis? Yes. Scott Oldham? Yes. Dan Swaffer? Yes. Motion passes. There are
no ordinances on first reading, no ordinances on second reading, there is no hold business. Under new
business this evening is approval of 2026 meeting dates.
So if the council will remember at the last meeting, I asked if there was any changes that needed to
be done for the town council meeting dates, and with none, then all of the other boards submitted their
annual meetings. On the first page of that, you'll see the public notices. Any changes are because of
holidays that may fall on those days, and there's a list of those. This will go on the website, and
it'll also be posted outside. Okay, again, pretty standard.
questions from council. Just a notification for the public. This does not include the reorganization
committee because that's not part of the town's committees, correct? Correct. Make sure that's okay.
So if people see that and say, that's not on there. Well, when we just decided tonight, but okay. Is
there a motion from council to accept these dates as so moved to accept second.
second roll call please. Pam Samples? Yes. William Ellis? Yes. Scott Oldham? Yes. Dan Swafford? Yes.
Motion passes. Next is the memorandum of understanding between Richland Township Town of Ellisville
Rogers Group for a new fire station. I believe this was discussed before the Town Council later this
summer or earlier this fall. You will recall that the Richland Township Trustee is willing to
finance a new fire department for the town of Ellitsville to replace the Curry Pike building. And the
proposed spot for the new fire station is a four acre parcel at the corner of West Vernal Pike and North
Heart Straight Road, which is owned by North American Minerals. They subleased to Rogers Group and Rogers
Group and North American Minerals are willing to sublease to Richland Township
for the purpose of building the fire station. So the last time this came before the council, I think
the issue was what happens if the legislature does away with townships? And so I had inserted a new
section eight, which states that the landowner and the township agreed that the township shall enter
into a sublease agreement with the town for the land located at North Hart Street Road.
for the project on the same terms and conditions as the sub lease agreement. And so upon further
consideration, further discussion with the township trustees attorney, he is concerned that if the bond
company sees that in there that they will not approve the bond, that they'll have some concern with
that. And I'm not sure that you can do an agreement whereby
Rogers subleases to both the town and the township because then that means the town is on the hook so
to speak for the debt and it also affects the town's borrowing limits and their constitutional debt
limit. So I suggest this is a memorandum of understanding. It's an agreement to agree. We can hammer
out the details later. My suggestion to the council is to take out the section I put back in.
or put in, take that out, pass it as amended because as soon as it's passed and approved by the Township
Board, Mr. Cook will go ahead and start conferring with bond counsel. So he's been conferring with bond
counsel, a gentleman by the name of Dennis Otten, who's at Barnes and Thornburg, I believe, and so they've
already had some discussions about what the Township can do. So as soon as this is passed,
the discussions will be more in depth and detailed about what can be done financially in terms of building
the new building, so. Questions from Council? So you're saying that if something would happen to the
township or whatever happens that Ellensville would still be on the, say, on the hook for this town
or this money or the land, sorry?
No, the concern, I think, at the previous town council meetings when this was discussed was
if the legislature does away with township governments, the town may lose the building. And so the way
this works, as I understand it, is if township governments are done away with and the county takes over
fire protection, all the assets are going to be moved anyway, if that makes sense.
So it's going to depend, obviously, on the debt, right? I mean, I'm not clear on that. So we're not
incurring any debt. You're not incurring the debt. It's just the township that's incurring the debt.
It will depend on what that, if it's passed, and I have been told that, well, never mind. It would depend
on what the legislation looked like, I guess, what the terms of that legislation are, if it passes.
Okay. So when are we, when is this plan on being built or trying to start or start date for it? Probably
the day after we okay it. Because that's to go to their board. Again, remember, in the long run, and
this sounds negative, and I don't mean it to be that way, we're not on the hook for this money, the
township is. So if the township were to cease to exist, then the county would be responsible for it, not us.
This bill never comes back to us. Again, my personal feeling, my personal hope is that consolidation
takes care of all this. Because this one didn't lie within the borders of the newly created Elwoodsville
or whatever it's called. And if it doesn't, we're still not on any money as the town. And we'll have
to fight that fight if and when we get to that point. So the only lost, not really a lost, because it
would be any money that we get from the
the Curry Pike Station. Correct. Yeah. Okay. Um, with the aggressive move by the commissioners to decide
to start making a public notice, assuming that Ellisville and Richland are going to be into the fire
district or of some sort, would that have any effect on this as written or would we have to go back
and protect our interests?
I don't think it's going to have any effect on this document as it's written. Okay. Further questions?
Any questions or comments from the public? No one rises in chambers, we're online. Back to the council,
is there a motion? I'll make a motion to approve
Memorandum of understanding between Richland Township and town of Ellisville and the Rogers group for
new fire station striking out section eight correct. Yes correct. So amending it by striking out section
eight. So motion second when you're ready. Pam samples. Yes. William Ellis. Yes. Scott Oldham. Yes.
Dan Swafford. Yes. Motion passes. Moving out of privilege of the floor anyone having business for the
council that has not been part of our normal
daily agenda. Seeing no one coming forward, we now move to supervisor comments beginning with the town
manager. Streets? Council comments? Just like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, enjoy
the family and your friends, and we'll see you next year.
We do this one more time for the years over. I tried. Actually, no. No, we don't. I didn't think we
did. You weren't paying attention anyway, so it doesn't matter. Yeah, I'm sitting there trying to figure
out. Well, I know everybody wants to get home with their families, but I've got to bring this up. For
the public and everybody, the Monroe County Commissioners posted a notice that
their intentions are to expand the fire territory or fire district. And in that notice, it mentioned
Richland Township and the town of Ellisville and discussions of the town of Ellisville and the Richland
Township forming their own fire district, I guess with their approval. I want to make it clear, those
discussions, us forming our own fire district, none of us on the council have ever had discussions of
that. There is no intention of that.
And I think it's very irresponsible for the commissioners to give us a three-day notice that they were
even going to discuss this over the weekend and say, oh, by the way, there's no other way to say it.
This is trying to be a hostile takeover of what we're doing and to put a roadblock in for reorganization.
Well, guess what? It's not going to stop us. It's just going to make us double down because we are not
Ellitsville that can be kicked around anymore. You may be used to that, but it's not going to happen
anymore. And I am very tired of the county commissioners thinking they can just run roughshod over our
town. And Richland Township residents, I want you to listen carefully to what they want. They're telling
you right now that if this reorganization doesn't pass, they are going to, without a public vote, take
over your fire protection.
Compare that to what we're doing, having tons of meetings, almost an hour and a half meeting today,
getting public input and having it on the ballot passed by two councils. It's a tale of two cities and
Ellisville is the one actually looking out for your interest. I don't know what interest the commissioners
are looking out for, but it definitely is not Richland Township residents and it's definitely not Ellisville.
And I'm sorry I sound hot about that, but I think it needs to be said.
And I have to have to thank the County Council for actually stopping some of this overreach
by the commissioners, but they can only do so much. They have statutory duties and they have to stay
in their lane. But this is make no make no mistake. This is a shot across the bow scheduling meeting
for the same time as our realization meeting. Same date, same time. And I want everybody having Merry
Christmas, but I want them to know that
If you think any tax implications from reorganization is gonna be increased, wait till you get the bill
for a fire district. And you won't get any extra services. So anyway, that's my tirade. I'm sorry I'm
so hot on the collar. It's the most wonderful time of year, as somebody likes to say. But I just, and
I do wish everybody a Merry Christmas. Santa on Sale Street was phenomenal.
I want to thank everybody for that. My grandchildren loved it. Even the snow made it perfect because
it just started as Santa came in. But I mean, those are the things and the reason we want to do this
reorganization, because I want my grandchildren to be able to come back to Sale Street. I want them
to come back to Ellisville. I want them to live here and to work here. And I don't want somebody from
Monroe County that does not represent our interest. And none of those three members in that board live
in Richland Township.
yet they're telling you what's best. And this has gotta stop. That's my say. I don't know if anybody
else wants to chime in. I'll chime in just a little bit to wish the people of Meadblasting Township
the best. Because at this point in time they are, something's being served to them that they chose not
to vote for. And I've heard from, at this point, 10 to 15,
trying to figure out how they can annex themselves into Ellisville. Don't know that's possible,
but again, we're not gonna shut the door on anybody. It's just an unfortunate circumstance that they've
been kind of left out in the wind because somebody sees them potentially as the easiest target, particularly
after Ellisville extended what I think is a very good offer
to continue the same degree of fire protection that we have been giving them for years. The unfortunate
circumstances, it's just gonna be expensive for a lot of people who are struggling already. And I wish
them the best. And at least from this council person, I don't speak for the entire council. I would
be more than happy to consider anyone who wants to annex. If it's a voluntary annexation and you can
get there, my word to you is that we will absolutely consider it as fast as what we personally can.
It's just unfortunate that this is going on, and particularly at this time of year. Anyone else? Having
no further business, the council stands adjourned.