By Jesse Murphy

Following a closed session for personnel, the Rock Port Board of Aldermen held their regular meeting last week, first addressing the issue of power outages and the overgrown trees that contribute to the problem.

Mayor J.R. Chaney opened the meeting to speak with guests concerning estimates for city projects in the near future.

The bid to update the power grid will include better substations and line fuses, coming in at $49,920. That number is for labor and does not include materials. City Superintendent Jarod Hudson said that the city currently has quite a bit of the needed materials in stock.

There is $40,000 in the budget for the work, and there are other funds that could be used with council approval. No vote was taken concerning the bid.

The utility budget was set for what they need, roughly $20,000 per week. This would include pole replacement, transformer and substation upgrades. Some of the work will require a few outages, but most will not.

Hudson mentioned during the discussion that trees are basically 90 percent of outages, and that the line loss is about 20-25 percent.

Ty Bewley of Poor Boy Tree Service spoke to the aldermen about taking care of the trees that are currently or could cause problems in the future.

“Vegetation is an ongoing issue with everybody,” Bewley said. “You guys have an abundance of it . . . but your biggest problem is lack of tree maintenance, let’s be frank about it.”

It was asked if pruning would damage trees. Bewley said some trees don’t prune well, leaving a chance that some will die. He also stated that ash trees will die eventually because of the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. Bewley said that he did not notice many in town, but that they will get here eventually.

Former Mayor Amy Thomas asked if property owners should be responsible to pay for the maintenance of their own trees.

Chaney responded that the aldermen are looking at alternatives to the current ordinance regarding this issue.

“The thing we’re starting with right now is the main (problem trees),” Chaney said. “We went out today and there’s a lot of trees touching a lot of lines, some have burn spots.”

When asked how to prioritize the issues to prevent regrowth, Bewley said that herbicide is the cheapest way to go, but once a tree gets to a certain height it becomes ineffective. He also stated that the longer unwanted vegetation is allowed to grow, the more it costs to remove.

“You decide when you want to do it,” Bewley said. “The cost is only going to exaggerate with time. The things we could’ve controlled for you 10 years ago for a penny, now we’re talking a dollar, five, 10 dollars.”

He mentioned that while there are a lot of areas in town that are challenging to reach, his company has equipment to make it work.

Chaney asked for a specific estimate for the work that includes how much his crew can get done in a set period of time. Bewley guessed it would be around $200,000 to take care of everything that needs to be done, but that was not an official estimate.

“There is a lot of power being wasted,” Alderman Michael Graves said. “At some point we have to get something done. We’re gonna have a tree fall down and it’s going to fall down on us.”

No action was taken. Aldermen will discuss and reach out once a decision is made. It was also stated that Poor Boy’s team will speak with residents and show them the lines and what cuts need to be made.

After guests left, Chaney said that there are three delinquent properties in town that will go up for auction next month if taxes aren’t paid, including the former Rock Port Market.

In other news, Utility Office Manager Becky Oxner attended her first meeting in her new position. Monthly tax revenue is up $250,000 from what came in June 2024. Lauber Law has been named the new City Attorney. The firm has two assigned attorneys and paralegals to help cover the city’s needs on a tiered payment system.

Aldermen agreed to start fundraising for an extra large American flag to fly on a large pole with the city’s flag underneath it at the Memorial Building. The estimated cost of the project will take about $7,000 in donations.

There will also be banners featuring local veterans along poles on Main Street. This is already paid for by Chaney’s private fundraising.

“It would look amazing to go down Main and see the flags,” Chaney said. “I think it would look gorgeous and be a great honor, and I really wanted to do it.”

The issue of electric scooters in town was brought up, with several in the room sharing stories of near-accidents involving minors riding the devices in town. Chaney mentioned he has got nine complaints from people who reported almost hitting kids on scooters.

It was made clear that this can be enforced with tickets going to parents. Scooters are already banned from Main Street and all sidewalks, but aldermen are going to look at current ordinances. It was suggested to require helmets and residents will not be allowed to operate between sunset and 6:00 a.m.

Chaney said that a company had reached out concerning buying or leasing land for a data center on city property near the lagoons. He also mentioned that land can be sold or leased for solar farms, all bringing revenue for the city that could be added to the utility budget for upgrades. Both options would also bring jobs to the community.

Chaney then mentioned that there is about $1 million in utility funding, including emergency funds, but some of that can be moved with a resolution. Those monies would have to be used for specific capital gain projects like new substations, anything that improves the quality of service. This could increase the interest in new businesses coming to town.

The official golf cart ordinance will be voted on next month, the main changes being limiting drivers to 16 years old with a valid driver’s license and obeying all state traffic laws, a minimal ordinance.

“We can’t make it any friendlier because that’s the state law,” Chaney said. “This cuts out all the fluff.”

The city can not file an insurance claim on the scoreboard because it was not listed as an asset. It was stated that the list of assets needs to be updated and to ensure all future assets are added to the coverage. No action towards a new scoreboard was taken at this time.

Aldermen talked about Rock Port’s 175th birthday on April 11, 2026. Mayor Chaney is looking at getting a promotion team to have a concert possibly on the football field, along with a carnival on Main. He mentioned that the city plans to put together a time capsule to mark the date.

Artists being considered to play include Lisa Loeb and Flyleaf, along with several local musicians. This would bring an estimated 5,000 people to town, with the possibility of more depending on advertising budget. Chaney said he would work with committees and aldermen in the future to continue hashing out details.

“This is something big, let’s swing for the fences,” Chaney said. “We’re going to get something done.”

A mural is to be painted at the intersection of Cass and Main Streets with directions to the park, pool, ballfields and more. The total cost of $7,000 from the general fund was approved pending aldermen seeing the final design before work begins.

Chief of Police Derek Morriss requested monies for body cameras, in-car cameras and tasers that include training and set-up. The cost would be either $13,000 annually or $70,000 upfront. This includes replacements when tasers are deployed. No action was taken after a brief discussion on the price.

Aldermen adjourned to go into executive session for personnel. Their next meeting will be at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 20. All meetings are now streamed live via the city’s Facebook page.