3Former City Council member Barry Kilburn addressed City Council on the deplorable condition of a home on Madison St. across from the old school.

“The house has been vacant for years,” said Kilburn. “A tree fell on the house a couple of years ago and damaged the roof.”

Kilburn said that over time, the roof over the kitchen has caved in, exposing it to the elements.

“The plumbing and electric wiring has been ripped out and animals have been living there,” he said.

City Manager Randy Bridge said that he sent the Code Officer to that home a month ago when Kilburn brought it to his attention.

“The city is doing everything possible,” said Bridge, “but there are procedures that we legally have to follow, and they take time.”

“This is not your usual abatement,” he said.

Council member Rick Lowrey asked if the city could get the health department involved. Bridge responded that the time limits will expire soon and the city will be able to move at that time.

Council also passed an ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with Time Warner to upgrade the internet service at the Sheriff’s substation.

“The problem we’re having is with the deputies’ body cameras,” said Bridge. “With our current service, it would take days and days to send the information from the cameras to the Sheriff’s office downtown.”

The upgraded service is priced at $250 per month. The current service is between $70 and $80 per month.

“The only other alternative is for a deputy to physically take the information to the Sheriff’s office,” said Bridge, “and I don’t want to take a deputy off of the streets for that amount of time.”

Council also passed an ordinance authorizing Digital Graphics to do updates to the city’s website. “Our website has issues,” said Bridge, “and it’s not appealing to visitors looking to relocate here.”

“Scott [Green, the owner of Digital Graphics] does good work and his price is reasonable,” said Council member Bill McIntire. “And he is local and buys from local businesses.”

To close the meeting, council congratulated local resident Dewey Brosey on his 95th birthday. Brosey attends nearly every city council meeting is active in community affairs.

The next New Carlisle City Council meeting will be held on Monday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Smith Park Shelter House. The public is invited to attend.

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