The Ferdinand Town Council met for their monthly meeting on Tuesday night. The meeting began as normal with monthly reports from several town departments. New Chief of Police Rob Randle was in attendance as Tuesday was his first official day as the new Chief after being sworn in Tuesday morning at City Hall. Randle brought before the Council a request to hire four new full time police officer: Xander Poole, Winston Glenn, Alfred Braunecker, and Chase Snider. All four were approved for hire by the town pending the passing of all physicals, evaluations, and requirements. Chief Randle also gave an update on the police vehicle discussion from last month’s meeting where sealed bids were read from both Sternbergs and John Jones Police vehicles for a new 2025 Dodge Durango for the Police Departments. Both bids came with several different bids based on trade in or no trade in, a stock vehicle, or decked out with all tools and equipment that police vehicles require. Randle stated they had traded in a 2013 and 2014 model Dodge Chargers for the new 2025 Dodge Durango that would be outfitted with all the equipment and delivered sometime in the near future.
Reports were given by the Fire Departments, Electric, and Water Departments. Fire Chief John Hoppenjans reported the Ferdinand Fire Department participated in the annual Fire Prevention Day at the grade school which was well received. Hoppenjans recommended the Council hire Dakota Wiltbank upon completion of a drug test so he could start as the Fireman effective January 1st, 2025. The Council approved the new hire. The annual pump test went well with no glaring issues according to Department Reports. The Electric Department had nothing worth nothing in their monthly report, as did the Water/Wastewater Department. The Street Department Head Tom Lueken’s monthly report stated now is the time to start checking and running the winter equipment like the plows and spreaders to make sure everything is good to go.
Ben Brinkman, the Department Head for the Water/Wastewater, spoke on the Water Tower Maintenance project. The Water Tower Maintenance Project, something that has been tabled on and off for several months, was discussed last as two bids came in from Pittsburg Tank and Tower Group and MaGuire Water out of Rockport in neighboring Spencer County. Both Contractor bids featured several differently priced bids based on how and when the work was completed. Brinkman took the month to take the bids under advisement. He recommended to the Town Council to accept the bid for the Water Tower on the West Side for $328K for Pittsburg Tank and Tower Group. Chapel Hill tank, close to the Monastery, was awarded to MaGuire Water for a $113K bid. The Council approved both bids.
The Council again discussed the 2018 Ford Taurus that was formerly the Town Manager car. The car, which has 67,000 original miles, still has not been sold because bids coming in on the car are significantly under the value of the vehicle. Bids were originally submitted back in June but held over the last few months to try and get a fair value for the vehicle. The Council discussed at this point calls were going to be made to local dealerships to see what kind of deal they can get on the automobile. It was decided tonight to remove the item from the agenda going forward as many training sessions for various town employees coming up would require an additional vehicle for travel. The Council agreed to look into potentially trying to sell the car again after the Spring of 2025.
Town Council President Ken Sicard discussed a mailer that had been sent out in the local area that listed something called the “Ferdinand Commons” and gave a dot com of the same name. Sicard stated this was NOT a Town Council initiative. Ferdinand has been selected as one of only two cities in the United States for the pilot program of The Commons, a platform designed to serve as a community hub for residents. This initiative connects neighbors and fosters collaboration on various projects, from organizing events to sharing resources and offering mutual support. The Commons promotes a culture of neighborly assistance, allowing residents to share rides, tools, skills, and provide help when needed. A key feature of Ferdinand Commons is its ride-sharing tool, which encourages sustainable transportation options and helps reduce the community’s carbon footprint. With no public transit available in small rural towns, this program offers a creative solution for residents to connect, save money, and protect the natural beauty of the Southern Indiana landscape. By coordinating carpools for trips to nearby cities like Jasper, Louisville, and Evansville, members can cut travel costs and strengthen their ties to one another, all while embracing the shared values of sustainability and community support. The Council agreed if it was something that would help the town, they saw no issue with it.
Clerk Treasurer for the Town of Ferdinand, Tammy Miller, was pleased to report the renovation of the Ferdinand Senior Center was completed. Numerous pieces of furniture: Tables, chairs, and an old bar were bought at an online auction from Sultan’s Run Golf Course during their massive clubhouse renovation. Miller stated that with the Senior Center completed it was time for a renaming and rebranding because the town only used the name “Senior Center” because it was located near the senior retirement communities. Anyone interested in helping are encouraged to send their choice for a new name to Miller who can be connected at the Ferdinand Town Hall.
A Letter of Support was read by Town Council President Sicard on behalf of the Sisters of St. Benedict who is applying for a $19M grant. The Sisters were initially turned down on their grant application because they had no support from a municipality. This grant is in partnership with the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement and the Southwestern Indiana Citizens for Quality of Life or SICQL. Sicard stated that the town would not be required to send any money or be tied into any obligations for supporting the Sisters. This grant would essentially establish hubs for sustainability in the surrounding counties and areas such as: Dubois, Daviess, Orange, Crawford, Perry, Spencer, Warrick, Pike and Gibson. Some college programs would be put together as part of this grant that would feature renewable energy certifications would also be part of this grant to help with Indiana clean energy, agricultural improvements in the local areas, small business development to help improve fruit and vegetable crops and related things. The Sisters planned to use some of this grant money to transform some of the outbuildings on their properties to be transformed into offices and meeting spaces for a new venture they were calling the Southern Indiana Resilience Network. The Sisters would use some of their agricultural land they owned to help with this, including some solar panels in places and battery collection areas to help decrease their electrical costs. The Council approved the letter of support.
The biggest discussion of the night was the revisiting of last month’s discussion of an ordinance about electric rates. This was based on a recent study the Council stated. The Town of Ferdinand’s current agreement with their electrical services expires in June 2026. At this time their current vendor has informed them that a significant rise in costs and fees can be expected. The Town opted for the survey to figure out a way to alleviate and avoid a “sticker shock” to residents by seeing a huge percentage increase in their monthly utility bill. After speaking on the phone with their consultant contact Robert Reynolds from London Witte, LLP, the town agreed to move forward with an 8% increase. The 8% increase translated to about $6.55 a month on each town resident’s monthly bill for now but the cost would go up more at later dates. The town agreed to do a study/survey on a yearly or bi-yearly basis to revisit this but even with the beginning 8% increase they would still be one the lower electric rates in the southern Indiana area. This change will take effect on the January 10, 2025 bill.
The next Ferdinand Town Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 17th at 6:30 PM. Be sure to follow the Town of Ferdinand on Facebook to stay updated throughout the month of all the happenings in the town.
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