Minutes: February 2, 2026

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Place: Remington Town Hall/13 E. South Railroad Street/Remington, Indiana 47977

Members Present

Susan Flickner, President; Dana Pampel, Vice President; James Stewart; Alan Schambach, Dalton Justice

Others Present

Cindy Goodwin, Barb Harper, Rachel Harper, Wendy Schwab, Sandy Miller, Kerry Miller, Katie Black, Kathleen Gross, Charles Watts, Bill Northup, Alexis Northup, Connor Northup, Emily DeBlase, Doug McGill, Rein Bontreger, Samantha Lawson, Madalyn Cleefman, Dale Budde, Mark Jones, Joshua Longest, Donald Schuh, Rebecca Goddard, Jonathan Cripe, and Terri Budde.

President Flickner opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Council President Flickner addressed the Tri-County Seniors in attendance and welcomed them to the meeting.

Minutes of the January 5, 2026 Council Meeting and the January 5, 2026 Police Workshop reviewed. Council Member Stewart made a motion to approve the Council and Police Workshop minutes. Council Member Schambach seconded the motion. Motion to approve the minutes passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.

BOARD APPOINTMENTS –

Council Member Schambach moved to appoint Joe Klaus to the Remington Plan Commission. Vice President Pampel seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.

CITIZEN COMMENTS

• A concerned citizen informed all parties present that there will be a meeting with the Indiana Regulatory Commission regarding NIPSCO and the increase of their rates.

• A citizen thanked the Street Department and Town Employees for cleaning/clearing the roads this winter.

• An employee of IFF appeared to inform Council that IFF will become Bunge in the near future. They are not anticipating any work or employee changes with this switch.

• Charles Watts, President of the Wolcott Summer Country & Gospel Music Series, appeared and requested a donation from Town of Remington for this music concert. Discussion heard. Council Member Justice moved to approve a donation of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) to the Wolcott Summer Country & Gospel Music Series. Vice President Pampel seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.

DEPARTMENT REPORTS:

PARK – Dale Budde reported:

• The west side tennis court is now set up for pickle ball.

• He is plowing lots of snow this winter!

  
  

POLICE – Marshal Schuetzenhofer reported:

• Monthly report distributed to Council. A copy of said report is on file in the Clerk-Treasurer’s Office.

• The new radar solar speed signs have been ordered, but he does not have a date when the signs will be shipped.

FIRE: (No report)

UTILITY – Joshua Longest reported:

• Donald Schuh and Joshua Longest started wastewater classes last week. This set of classes are being held at Remington Town Hall.

Mark Jones reported:

• Donald Schuh is training with Mark at the wastewater plant, learning the lab and procedures.

• It’s been hard to keep things thawed out due to the winter weather.

• Reported that a fire hydrant had been replaced at US 24 and Ohio Street, abandoning the water line that has been leaking on US 24.

STREETS – Don Schuh reported:

• Has been doing lots of snowplowing.

• Has replaced a few street signs.

TOWN MANAGER – Jonathan Cripe reported:

• Presented a contract amendment with HWC Engineering to initiate the full design process for the new playground, including: Survey, Design, Construction documents, Bidding, Construction administration. The total contract cost is One Hundred Fifty-five Thousand Dollars ( $155,000.00). It was noted this is consistent with an earlier estimate of approximately $157,000 for these services. Council Member Stewart moved to approve the contract amendment with HWC Engineering to initiate the full design process for the new playground at a cost of One Hundred Fifty-five Thousand Dollars ($155,000.00). Vice President Pampel seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.

• Brought forward an ordinance to vacate an alley near what has been referred to as the old Gillenwater property. The alley has structures/buildings encroaching across it. Ordinance identified as Ordinance 2026-02-02-00. Council Member Justice moved to adopt Ordinance 2026-02-02-001, vacating the alley adjacent to the Gillenwater property. Council Member Schambach seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.

• Reported a Zoom meeting with Patronicity regarding a Fifty Thousand Dollar ($50,000.00) crowdfunding campaign with a matching grant, potentially yielding One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) total for the playground. The next steps are to update the Patronicity web page over the next 2–3 months and target post–Memorial Day for rollout of the campaign.

• Initial comprehensive plan meetings have started. There will be stakeholder meetings planned for later this month or in March.

• Regarding the Water/Sewer Master Plan Grant, Jon, Mark, and Josh met with KIRPC about leveraging the town’s income study. They plan to apply for a Water/Sewer Master Plan grant to identify weak points in the system, determine when upgrades to the sewage plant and water plant will be needed, and prioritize projects going forward.

• Noted certain annexed county roads in town (e.g., County Road 1730 S, County Road 630, etc.) still carry county road designations while being within the town inventory.

• Town Manager Cripe suggested renaming these roads to standard town street names for better identity and to support future development. This item is to remain on staff’s radar for process and right-of-way considerations (including possible 60-foot right-of-way issues).

• Reported on Indiana Senate Bill 179, proposing an additional $75 million for Community Crossings projects. If passed, the bill would provide another round of community crossing funding and prioritize communities that applied previously and were not funded, which may benefit both Jasper County and the Town of Remington.

TOWN ATTORNEY – Rebecca Goddard

• Presented a draft ordinance establishing reserve police officers. Councill will review the draft. This issue was tabled to the March Council meeting.

• Is working with Town Manager Cripe on nuisance properties and related title and inspection procedures.

• Has provided Town Manager Cripe with sample documents for inspection warrants related to unsafe buildings when owners are uncooperative.

  
  

NEW BUSINESS

• Council President Flickner brought up the issue of purchasing more Christmas lights for the Remington downtown area. Wendy Schwab and Sandy Miller presented ideas to the Council for further holiday activities and which Christmas decorations they would like to see purchased. Discussion heard. Council Member Schambach moved to approve the purchase of a 14’ panel tree extender at a cost of Four Thousand Three Hundred Nine Dollars Fifty Cents ($4,309.50); a Golden Sled with Garland Display at a cost of Six Thousand Six Hundred Fifty-six Dollars ($6,656.00); a standing reindeer at a cost of Five Thousand Six Hundred Sixteen Dollars ($5,616.00); and a leaping reindeer at a cost of Five Thousand Three Hundred Twenty-eight Dollars ($5,328.00). Council Member Stewart seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.

• Council Member Stewart reported a house is being demolished across from their residence and a new house is to be built. A neighbor raised concerns about potential asbestos. The contractor was contacted and voluntarily had the material tested, which came back negative for asbestos. The town does not appear to have a specific ordinance requiring asbestos clearance/testing documentation prior to demolition. Attorney Goddard will review current town ordinances and the International Building Code (IBC) provisions and determine what requirements (including asbestos) already apply and whether a new local ordinance or codified procedure is needed.

OLD BUSINESS

• Council President Flickner and Mark Jones provided a detailed historical overview of the town’s stormwater system. The town completed a major sewer separation project in the 1990s. The newer subdivisions have better storm infrastructure, but much of the older core still relies on antiquated tile and undersized mains. The IMI area (concrete plant / south end of town) is identified as currently the worst chronic problem area for standing water and flooding. The Central Soya/IFF detention pond (installed in the 1990s) helped prevent even worse flooding by slowly releasing stormwater. The engineering estimates for a comprehensive stormwater system upgrade will cost approximately $7.5–$8 million for full buildout. Discussion heard. Town Manager Cripe explained that to pursue major stormwater projects and be eligible for OCRA and other grants, the town must establish a stormwater utility and implement user fees dedicated to stormwater. It was determined that an initial stormwater utility study would be approximately Sixty Thousand Dollars ($60,000.00). It was determined that this cost would be considered for the 2027 budget.

CLERK-TREASURER

• Presented a list of Cancellation of Warrants. No discussion heard. Vice President Pampel moved to approve the cancellation of warrants list. Council Member Justice seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.

• Presented the January 2026 Combined Appropriation/Revenue Detail History by Fund. No discussion heard. Council Member Stewart moved to approve the Combine Appropriation/Revenue Detail History by Fund for January 2026. Council Member Schambach seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.

• Presented the January 2026 Hours Detail Report. Council Member Schambach moved to approve the Hours Detail Report for January 2026. Council Member Justice seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.

• Council Member Stewart made a motion to approve the claims as presented. Vice President Pampel seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 ayes and 0 nays.

Meeting adjourned at 7:38 p.m.