New Buffalo City Council awards beach concession contract, approves purchase of new police department equipment

Local Government Meetings

New Buffalo Times

Democracy Requires Transparency

CITY OF NEW BUFFALO JOHN HUMPHREY, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL LOU O’DONNELL, IV. MARK ROBERTSON, JOHN HUMPHREY, ROGER LIJESKI, BRIAN FLANAGAN City Council meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30PM CITY OF NEW BUFFALO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETINGS to be determined NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP BOARD PETE RAHM, MICHELLE HEIT, JUDY H. ZABICKI, PATTY IAZZETTO, JACK ROGERS Board meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 7PM NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION Meets on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 6:30PM

NEW BUFFALO AREA SCHOOLS BOARD CHUCK HEIT, PRESIDENT HEATHER BLACK, VICE PRESIDENT JOHN HASKINS, TREASURER LISA WERNER, SECRETARY JOYCE LANTZ, TRUSTEE FRANK MARGRO, TRUSTEE PATRICIA NEWSTON, TRUSTEE CHIKAMING TOWNSHIP CHIKAMING TOWNSHIP BOARD DAVID BUNTE, PAULA DUDIAK, LIZ RETTIG, RICHARD SULLIVAN, BILL MARSKE Chikaming Board meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30PM CHIKAMING TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION Meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 6:30PM THREE OAKS THREE OAKS TOWNSHIP BOARD Meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7PM VILLAGE OF THREE OAKS BOARD Meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7PM GRAND BEACH VILLAGE OF GRAND BEACH COUNCIL Meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7PM MICHIANA VILLAGE OF MICHIANA COUNCIL Meets on the 2nd Friday of each month at 1PM

New Buffalo City Council awards beach concession contract, approves purchase of new police department equipment

BY THERESE DONNELLY

The New Buffalo City Council’s first meeting of 2022 was brief with no old business and very little new business to discuss. “

This month’s meeting was Tuesday, January 18 due to city offices being closed Jan. 17 in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

New Buffalo City Manager Darwin Watson presented two separate items regarding city staff to the council. In the first, he explained the city must annually renew a resolution regarding its compliance with Public Act 152.

Watson explained the act, enacted in 2011, caps the amount a public employer contributes to employee medical benefits plans. The council voted to renew its current cost split of 80-20.

The council also approved a motion to allow city employees to carry over unused personal time accrued in 2021. Watson explained that staffing shortages and issues related to Covid-19 had prevented employees from using up their time. Ordinarily, those unused hours do not rollover to the new calendar year, but the council approved an extension until March 31, 2022.

Watson explained to the council that the move was a short-term fix and a more sustainable solution would require discussion with the two employee unions. In preparation for the summer, the council awarded the two-year beach concession contract to Kona Dunes Leasing, Inc. Under the terms of the bid, Kona will pay $2,500 for the first year, $3,500 the second year and $4,000 for a third year. The concession will operate from Memorial Day weekend to Aug. 14 and Kona has the discretion to operate weekends in May and through September.

The New Buffalo Police Department’s dashboard and body cameras have reached the end of their useful life and are no longer supported by manufacturers. Police Chief Rich Killips requested approval to purchase new equipment from Midwest Public Safety LLC for $10,544. Killips told the council the new system will incorporate the department’s body cameras, in-car cameras and in-car computers. Councilmember Mark Robertson noted that technology can quickly become obsolete. Killips agreed and said the new purchase will bring the system current. In his written report to the council,

The council also Killips announced that Dave Capron approved a motion to has been hired to the department full allow city employees time. A veteran of the Buchanan Police to carry over unused Department, Capron will join New personal time accrued Buffalo Feb. 7. in 2021. Watson During the public comment period, explained that staffing resident Carrie O’Donnell stated shortages and issues through recent court rulings she related to Covid-19 had had copies of emails between New prevented employees Buffalo Mayor John Humphrey from using up their and Watson. She said the emails time. Ordinarily, those unused hours do not rollover to the new calendar year, but the council approved an extension until March disparaged property owner Edan Gelt and expressed a desire to “publicly humiliate” her. Later in the meeting, Humphrey said if such emails existed, they were after one of “numerous 31, 2022. instances” where Gelt slandered himself or his family.

Resident Sean Callahan asked the council if the city offered an interactive map of short-term rental properties. Humphrey said there is a map but it’s not currently interactive. In response to a separate question raised by Callahan, Humphrey said the Planning Commission will discuss marijuana ordinances at its Feb. 1 meeting.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. — Martin Luther King, Jr.