PHOTO BY BRIANNA BALOGH / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
POWER PURCHASE … Village Manager Jason Rockey details the megawatt purchase as Mayor Steve Yagelski reviews the data.
By: Brianna Balogh
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
Montpelier Village Council met at 6pm on Monday, December 16th. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Steve Yagelski at 6:01pm. Roll call was taken with all members in attendance, Council President Kevin Motter, Melissa Ewers, Heather Freese, Chris Kannel, Nathan Thompson and Don Schlosser.
Also attending were Clerk of Council Molly Collert, Village Manager Jason Rockey and Director of Finance Nikki Uribes.
Starting with a prayer, then the Pledge of Allegiance. The first item of approval was agenda for the meeting, motion by Freese and seconded by Schlosser.
Moving along to the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting, held on November 25th. A small name correction was made then approved by all members. Uribes provided the financial reports.
Uribes clarified under the general fund that miscellaneous revenue is interest earned, refunds, and other items after Thompson questioned. The motion to approve was made by Freese and approved by all.
With no audience comments, the meeting moved on to committee reports. Freese explained she requested a copy of email etiquette and guidelines to be included.
Pointing out the email avoids tone and to be mindful. Explaining that most emails are public record they need to be professional.
Village Manager Rockey followed by presenting the approval of the updated park fee schedule, which had been discussed by the economic development committee.
The first item of discussion was how to address business wanting one of the parks for commercial events, excluding for retail sales. For example, a local business wanted to hand out free ice cream in the park as a promotional event. This required an update to the park policy.
The second part is to set the fees for rental of the pavilion and pool. Currently the fees do not cover the cost. It was recommended to raise the fees to cover the employees required to clean and maintain the facilities.
Kannel commented that when the park committee looked at it, there are much more restrictive and lenient communities, falling somewhere in the middle. Thompson added that it can be changed and adjusted as needed. The motion was made by Motter and seconded by Kannel, approved by all.
Next item was the 2025 electric cash reserve policy, presented by Uribes. Uribes explained the different percentages going in and that the fund was on target for the end of 2025 projection. Freese motioned to approve with Thompson seconding.
Following was the approval of the Superior Township 2025 fire contract. With no discussion, approval was quickly motioned by Schlosser and approved by all.
Another contract followed for law services through Rupp, Hagans and Bohmer. Council joked about the law director not being present and possibly owing some treats to them. The motion to approve was made by Ewers and seconded by Kannel, with all members approving.
Rockey followed with Resolution 1411 to approve fixed volume energy supply with AMP, requiring a suspend and pass vote. A detailed graph was provided to the council in support of the resolution.
The purchase would be 1 megawatt of electricity at a pre ordered fixed price. Rockey explained 5×16 meant it was 5 days a week 16 hours per day, which would be peak power.
Rockey went into detail on the information provided in the graph. He explained the difference in some accounts that the village is part owner of and others that are PPA, short term contracts.
Rockey discussed some of the other purchasing options that in the near future could go down in price. Future plans could include AMP, American Municipal Power, building hydroelectric generation facilities.
AMP has assisted the village in purchasing from various power sources and programs. One such PPA contract will expire at the end of 2025, facilitating the need for the resolution.
The estimated purchase rate is $56 per megawatt hour. The resolution, to suspend the rules and to pass, was approved by all members.
Resolution 1412 was next, approving the amended appropriations. Uribes explained the changes were small, around $1550.
The motion to suspend the rules was made by Freese and approved by all. The motion to pass was made by Motter and seconded by Thompson.
Uribes continued with the income tax report. The last two years’ numbers were provided, with the current year being down by only 0.28%.
Rockey followed with the village manager’s report. He started with updates to the Iron Horse trail, which is still not quite complete.
A few small items still need to be finished before the final cost is known, which should be under budget. He spoke next about the county GIS system which is currently used by the water and sewer department.
The system can track different items, like fire hydrants or stop signs, and keep all associated data tied to that GPS point.
Mayor Yagelski added that at a breakout session he attended, they detailed a major disaster that had happened and how helpful this system can be.
The final point was some information from the county commissioners meeting. The discussion at the meeting was about transferring 911 communications from the commissioner to the sheriff’s department.
Rockey expressed some concerns around this move and how it may affect other departments who use central dispatch, like electric department emergency calls.
A motion was made but not seconded in the commissioners meeting. With no discussion, several people have voiced concerns. Rockey was going to attend the next commissioners meeting and provide any updates.
Rockey closed with an offer to provide more detail on the AMP discussion or to have AMP come out and discuss the portfolio with the council.
Prior to adjourning, Kannel asked Rockey to speak a little about the presentation they provided to the school board.
At the last school board meeting, Rockey, Yagelski, Kannel, and Thompson informed the school board of the plan for the Safe Route to School path. The presentation detailed safety issues such as the blind turn on Manor Drive, especially dangerous when activities let out after dark.
The grant maximum is $500,000. The last time it was applied for the project was over budget, but the limit had been raised by $100,000.
A hindrance last time was getting an easement, which Rockey had already started pursuing before applying in March. The route is not set in stone and may be adjusted several times.
Mayor Yagelski complimented Kannel on his presentation to the school board. Mayor Yagelski wished everyone a Merry Christmas before adjoining at 6:48pm.
