OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Clarksville Town Council Meeting and Work Session - July 15, 2025

Town Council & Commissions — Tuesday, July 15, 2025
BodyClarksville, Indiana
SessionTown Council & Commissions
DateTuesday, July 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:29:08

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

July 15th, regularly scheduled meeting.

0:02

If you would please stand and join us in saying the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:13

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:16

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

0:26

We have two individuals who have signed up to make public comment this evening.

0:31

First, we'd like to invite forward a Mr.

0:32

Jim McCowski.

0:42

And then Jim, if you would uh please state your address for public record, and then you'll have two minutes to to speak to the council.

0:50

So just two.

0:52

Okay.

0:52

I'll try to make it quick.

0:54

I'm glad to see Rook's got his own nameplate over here.

0:58

Um last year myself and several veterans submitted an application to have a banner placed and made.

1:07

Well, these were done and they were hung.

1:11

But I didn't know it, so I'd called Mr.

1:14

Ramsey.

1:16

Where are our banners?

1:18

He said, Well, they're already up.

1:20

I said, Well, where are they?

1:22

Main Street, I think you said, wasn't it?

1:24

Yeah.

1:25

Well, I didn't know where Main Street was.

1:27

So I got in my truck and I drove all around the new area down there.

1:31

So I finally found it.

1:33

And I started driving down the street and I couldn't see any banners except for a few.

1:38

So I went to the end of the street, got out, walked up both sides of the street.

1:45

Almost all the banners were hung on a light post right in the middle of trees where nobody could see them.

1:53

Now there were a few hung on, is it Gibson, the street that's perpendicular, mine included, where they were very visible.

2:05

And I was just very upset that these banners were hidden.

2:10

What was the old saying?

2:12

Underneath a mistletoe or underneath a bush or whatever the term goes.

2:16

So I called uh well, I came over here and I talked to the officer in charge.

2:22

I asked him who it was, and he said, Well, you need to go to public service.

2:25

I said, Well, here we go.

2:26

So I called public service, talked to a wonderful young lady, she gave me the name of somebody over here.

2:32

I called that somebody.

2:34

Well, I'm out of my office.

2:36

I left my name and number and what I was calling about.

2:39

Well, she called the lady, I guess it's with the historical society, and this lady calls me back, and I explained what I was upset about.

2:50

She gave me every reason why they didn't do it.

2:53

She was very nice, wonderful person.

2:56

I really enjoyed talking to her, but everything she said to me did not hold an ounce of water.

3:02

One of the things she said was that the banners required two uh hangers.

3:11

And I said, uh well, why couldn't you hang them on Eastern Boulevard?

3:19

And she gave me that reason.

3:20

Then she says that uh the light post, you had to get special light posts to hang those seconds.

3:27

Oh come on.

3:29

So I'm very upset about that as a veteran.

3:32

And I think they should be displayed on Eastern Boulevard along with everybody else.

3:38

They put the high school cheerleaders and the high school athletics up, which is fine.

3:42

I don't mind that, but there's nothing hanging there right now.

3:46

I told her, I said, why didn't you hang those up there when the American flags were up?

3:51

Well, they would swing in the breeze.

3:53

So what?

3:54

I couldn't think of a better time for these banners to be put up underneath the American flag.

4:02

Well, that thank you.

4:04

And both myself and councilwoman Henderson, we serve on the Historic Preservation Commission, so we can take your feedback back to the group.

4:12

We certainly will.

4:13

So could I say something positive?

4:17

Sure.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Fiscal Sustainability█████████████████████████████29%
Budget Equity Analysis███████████████15%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Fire Code███████████11%
Public Safety█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Tax Increment Financing█████5%
Veterans Affairs████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Clarksville Town Council Meeting and Work Session - July 15, 2025

The Clarksville Town Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on July 15, 2025, followed by a work session. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, public comments, and approval of the consent agenda. New business included several resolutions and ordinances, all passed unanimously. The work session featured a detailed financial presentation by the Clerk-Treasurer on the town's fiscal health, the impact of Senate Enrolled Act 1, and options for mitigating future revenue losses.

Public Comments

  • Jim McCowski (address given) expressed frustration that veteran banners he helped create were hung on light poles obscured by trees on Main Street, making them nearly invisible. He requested that future banners be placed on Eastern Boulevard, where they would be more visible. He also thanked the town for the annual American flag display, the Memorial Day program, and praised the professionalism of the fire department after they responded to his wife's accident.
  • Cassandra Ross (Potters resident) addressed ongoing issues with the town's stormwater improvement project, alleging damage to her property, trespassing beyond the right-of-way, and repeated ignored complaints. She accused town leadership of narcissistic behavior, gaslighting, and public inaction. She asserted that she has been mischaracterized and blackballed for speaking up, and reminded the council of their accountability to all citizens.

Consent Calendar

  • The council approved the consent agenda unanimously, including minutes from previous meetings, claims (current and pre-written), and acceptance of minutes from various boards and commissions.

New Business

  • Resolution 2025-R19 – In support of River Heritage Conservancy's application for a $250,000 Clark Floyd County Tourism Grant for the Origin Park Welcome Event Center (expected completion late 2026). The resolution pledges the town's support and bonding authority. Passed unanimously.
  • Item 7.2 – Pulled from the agenda; will appear on the August 4th agenda.
  • Ordinance 2025-S05 – Amending the 2025 salary ordinance to add a Building Commissioner in Training position, as Building Commissioner Rick Barr plans to retire on January 9, 2026. Councilman McHugh requested a written resignation letter from Mr. Barr, which was not yet received, but the ordinance passed unanimously on first and second readings.
  • Ordinance 2025-S06 – Amending the 2025 salary ordinance regarding job classifications and salary ranges, adding the SAM 3 category. Passed unanimously on first and second readings.
  • Ordinance 2025-G18 – Creating a non-reverting fund for the Arts Commission to collect revenues from art events and donations, separate from the general fund. Passed unanimously on first and second readings.

Clerk-Treasurer Report

  • Clerk-Treasurer Stone Cipher reported the execution of $6 million in bond payments, stronger-than-expected June property tax deposits, and a telecom audit that will save approximately $20,000 annually. The State Board of Accounts released a clean audit finding, with only a minor issue regarding missing six-month CDs on the investment list. Cipher praised his deputies.

Council Comments

  • Multiple council members thanked Rick Barr for his service to the town.
  • Councilwoman Voiner reminded residents that school starts July 31 and urged caution. She also promoted the upcoming concert (The Skinny and The Crashers) on July 19 at 6 p.m. at Bolton Tie, with a weather watch for possible cancellation.
  • Councilman Stotz noted he personally raised over $25,000 for the concert series.
  • Councilman McEwen urged the council to prioritize finishing the police contract in the third quarter to maintain morale and stability.

Work Session: Fire Code Update Presentation

  • Fire Chief Brandon Skaggs and Major Brent Wilson introduced a draft update to the local fire code, which had not been comprehensively reviewed since the late 1980s. The update aims to remove contradictions with state rules, streamline language, and make the code more user-friendly for businesses. The code is predominantly business-oriented, not single-family residential. A digital draft will be distributed to council members for input before legal review and adoption. Councilman Stotz suggested a regular review cycle (e.g., every 2–3 years) to keep the code current, which the department agreed to consider.

Work Session: Financial Presentation by Clerk-Treasurer Stone Cipher

  • Cipher presented a detailed overview of the town's finances, including:
    • Cash flow snapshot: $32.5 million in total funds across 51 accounts, with most banking local (First Savings Bank, Center Credit Union). The town's rainy day fund is essentially a cash buffer reported to the state; there is no segregated account.
    • Revenue sources: Property taxes now provide only about 30% of general fund revenue, with the rest from income taxes, gas taxes, excise taxes, and other sources. Circuit breaker caps have clawed back a record 30% of levied property taxes.
    • Senate Enrolled Act 1 impact: Projected cuts to the general fund of $8.2 million by 2032 (60% reduction from current levels), largely due to the elimination of Lloyd and edit funds. Even with a municipal lit tax (1.2%) and a wheel tax, the town would still face significant shortfalls.
    • Police budget: Currently $11 million (45% of general fund plus Lloyd funds). Under the act, the police budget could face a 55% cut by 2032, dropping to $4.9 million.
    • Options discussed: Passing a municipal lit tax (requires annual vote), a wheel tax (estimated $670,000/year), and passing on the fire hydrant rental fee to sewer bills. Councilwoman Schiller stated she would not vote for new taxes until internal cuts are explored first.

Key Outcomes

  • All resolutions and ordinances (R19, S05, S06, G18) were approved unanimously.
  • The fire code draft will be distributed to council members for review; a future adoption vote is expected.
  • The Clerk-Treasurer's financial presentation is intended to inform budget discussions and encourage council and residents to lobby state legislators to amend Senate Enrolled Act 1.
  • The council will hold an executive session following the work session.

Meeting Transcript

July 15th, regularly scheduled meeting. If you would please stand and join us in saying the Pledge of Allegiance. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We have two individuals who have signed up to make public comment this evening. First, we'd like to invite forward a Mr. Jim McCowski. And then Jim, if you would uh please state your address for public record, and then you'll have two minutes to to speak to the council. So just two. Okay. I'll try to make it quick. I'm glad to see Rook's got his own nameplate over here. Um last year myself and several veterans submitted an application to have a banner placed and made. Well, these were done and they were hung. But I didn't know it, so I'd called Mr. Ramsey. Where are our banners? He said, Well, they're already up. I said, Well, where are they? Main Street, I think you said, wasn't it? Yeah. Well, I didn't know where Main Street was. So I got in my truck and I drove all around the new area down there. So I finally found it. And I started driving down the street and I couldn't see any banners except for a few. So I went to the end of the street, got out, walked up both sides of the street. Almost all the banners were hung on a light post right in the middle of trees where nobody could see them. Now there were a few hung on, is it Gibson, the street that's perpendicular, mine included, where they were very visible. And I was just very upset that these banners were hidden. What was the old saying? Underneath a mistletoe or underneath a bush or whatever the term goes. So I called uh well, I came over here and I talked to the officer in charge. I asked him who it was, and he said, Well, you need to go to public service. I said, Well, here we go. So I called public service, talked to a wonderful young lady, she gave me the name of somebody over here. I called that somebody. Well, I'm out of my office. I left my name and number and what I was calling about. Well, she called the lady, I guess it's with the historical society, and this lady calls me back, and I explained what I was upset about. She gave me every reason why they didn't do it. She was very nice, wonderful person. I really enjoyed talking to her, but everything she said to me did not hold an ounce of water. One of the things she said was that the banners required two uh hangers. And I said, uh well, why couldn't you hang them on Eastern Boulevard? And she gave me that reason. Then she says that uh the light post, you had to get special light posts to hang those seconds. Oh come on. So I'm very upset about that as a veteran. And I think they should be displayed on Eastern Boulevard along with everybody else. They put the high school cheerleaders and the high school athletics up, which is fine.

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