The Huntingburg City Council and Utility Board convened on Tuesday evening to discuss the Housing Authority, reports on the gas, electric, and water utilities, and new information on the Centerpoint Energy incident that happened late last week.
Mayor Neil Elkins began the meeting by representing Tina Bromm of the Housing Authority, as she was scheduled to ask the Council for “forgiveness funding” on the expenditure of $9,807.06, that was used to improve apartments that the City manages. The Council approved their forgiveness of this expenditure.
John Reutepohler, Energy Superintendent for Huntingburg, discussed monthly reports for the gas and electric utility. In reviewing various projects, Reutepohler shared the continued efforts to connect gas lines and improve service lines that Huntingburg provides for the town of Ireland. The department’s goal is to provide connected gas services to the West Ireland area. The electric utility has replaced many utility poles throughout town over the past month, preventing the decay of older poles. Reutepohler also boasted about two department members who have been training to obtain their CDL licenses and have also been able to train using City-owned vehicles to obtain driving training hours. These two individuals were sent to take their CDL certification test last week, and both passed on their first attempt. This will broaden the resources and capabilities of the Energy Department immensely.
Jerry Austin, Water Superintendent for Huntingburg, reviewed the progress of the lead and water survey that they are still conducting on various water main lines around town. The Water Department is excited to be integrating GIS Digital Mapping into their management of water main lines, as this will help them keep a record of what type of infrastructure they place, the coordinates to locate these pipe installations, and any type of future excavation or maintenance they may need to perform.
There was discussion on a house that was torn down this week by the City, due to a previous fire that deemed it “uninhabitable” for residents. The question was asked if the Water Department chooses to remove or leave water lines laid previously if a house is removed from a plot, Superintendent Austin specified that if the plot appears as if the current or future owners of the plot would rebuild a residence in that location, the water lines are likely kept in place. If a resident shows no interest in creating a new residential property on top of that land, the Water Department is more likely to remove all water lines in that said piece of land. This is done to prevent surprises for contractors or any other entities later on who may break land to do work on the property.
Mayor Elkins concluded the meeting by updating the Council on a phone call that he received from CenterPoint Energy, where they issued an apology for the unrest in their utility bill delivery to customers and non-customers in the Huntingburg area. This incident, which sparked panic in many non-customers, was an attempt to influence current customers who have failed to respond by phone or email to their outstanding energy utility bills. CenterPoint Energy confessed that of the many hundreds of letters sent to Huntingburg by mail, there are only approximately 50-or-less total customers from within City limits that pay for service with CenterPoint.
The Huntingburg City Council meets on the second Tuesday of the month, and again with the addition of the Utility Board on the fourth Tuesday of every month, beginning at 5:30 PM EST in the City Hall Council Chambers.
