Landlord disagrees with Flora town policy
Comet staff report

Local landlord Darrell Yoder asked the Flora Town Council to reconsider the town's requirement that landlords be responsible for their tenant's unpaid utility bills, over and above the deposit. He made the request at the council's Dec. 3 meeting.

"The difficulty is that the utilities stay with the property and not the tenant," said Yoder, who requires his tenants to contract individually with the town for its services. "It's too easy to just collect from the landlord."

"We do all we can to collect all we can," said clerk-treasurer Joretta Tinsman. "The only protection we have is to go after the landlords.

Yoder said in his mind it was an issue of right and wrong. "If my name was on it, it would be my responsibility."

Yoder has brought the topic up before and was told that the council has done some checking into how other small towns handle situations such as this. Burlington and Camden both have similar ordinances requiring unpaid bills to be paid by the landlord.

Council president Josh Ayres reminded Yoder that a solution might be to increase meter deposits, but that could make it more difficult for his tenants to come up with all the monies needed to rent an apartment or house.

Yoder said he would just like the council to vote so that he knows where each of them stands individually on the matter. He said that he has spoken with other landlords in town and they feel the same way he does about the town's policy.

Keith O'Brien of TBIRD Design Services, Lafayette, was present to answer questions regarding a report his firm submitted to the council. He has compiled all the information the town has submitted to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) over the past seven years. He said he is now ready to meet with IDEM and believes there is a good chance the town can get part of the agreed order lifted.

Several terms expire on town appointed committees - plan commission, park board, economic development, and aviation board. They will be contacted to see if they wish to remain on these committees before replacements are named.

Roger Daugherty will fill the unexpired term of Vince Seward on the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Fire contracts were approved for Carrollton Township in the amount of $1,700 and Monroe Township, $4,000. Tinsman said that these fee agreements cover the cost of insurance and fuel and have not been raised in several years.

All the bids are in now for the fire station planning. They will be reviewed.

The plan commission issued one permit in November to Ed Rogers for a shed.

Fire chief Scott Sisson reported an unusually busy November for his department with several structure fires. He said that in one of those instances a smoke alarm saved the lives of the occupants. In that particular case firemen were on the scene within six minutes of being dispatched at 2:43 a.m.

The VFD was given permission to use a residence on West Columbia Street for training on Dec. 8. Dispatch will be notified about the training exercise.

Sisson, also a member of the park board, said that all the utilities have been shut off at the park and pipes have been drained.

Police Chief Paul Redmon said that there have been several burglaries around the county. He reminded business owners and homeowners to make it difficult for criminals to break in by having security lights and security systems in place and keeping doors and windows locked.

The police department's report for November included 7 arrests/misdemeanors, 3 felonies, 26 citations, 141 warnings, 105 calls for service, 7 accidents, and 3 warrants.

Bill McCarty, wastewater superintendent, recently attended a three-day IMEA Conference. Wastewater employee Rob Buttice also attended safety meetings.

Health insurance premiums for the town will be going up 12% for 2008.

The 2008 holiday schedule, including 11 paid holidays, was approved.

Council meetings will continue to be held on the first Monday night of each month at 6 p.m. with the exception of September and that meeting will be held the second Monday due to the Labor Day holiday.

Town office will be closed all day Dec. 24, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

The council will hold a yearend meeting at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 26. The next regular meeting will be Jan. 7 at 6 p.m.