Article submitted by James Master, The Pilot News Managing Editor
ARGOS – At the start of Wednesday’s Argos Town Council meeting, there were several comments and issues brought up by members of the community.
The first issue was that of a large number of feral felines roaming around town. The resident that brought up the matter stated that he had set a trap for them. He wasn’t sure if the cats would fall for the trap.
“This morning, my wife came out the back door and the black cat was right there. Luckily my dog was in the house,” said the resident. He said that his dog doesn’t mix well with cats.
“Well, I’ve seen these feral cats. I ride right down the park…I agree with you, there must be four or five right in that area,” said Town Council President Charles Randy Snead.
The resident stated that there are far more than just four or five. “There are at least 13 back there.”
Another issue that was brought up was in regard to the railroad crossing east on S.R. 10. The council informed those in attendance that the crossing was owned by the State of Indiana and not the town.
“Unfortunately, S.R. is a state highway,” Snead said. He went on to say that the railroad crossing is owned by the railroad, and he wasn’t sure if there was anything they could do to make them fix that crossing.
“INDOT (Indiana Department of Transportation) has to contact them,” Clerk-Treasurer Lisa Mullaney said.
Vice President Shawn Harley agreed, adding that the crossing north of town was also in bad shape. Argos Economic Director Mark VanDerWeele told the council that he would send an email to his contact at INDOT.
A dog park was requested. Ed Barcus, Park Board president, informed the resident that when a survey was taken by the Parks Department, a dog park was one of the last items on the list. However, when the Park Department has to update their 5-Year Plan next year, that resident will have the chance to add that request in that next survey.
Another resident asked the council about how the convenience fees work when the town takes payments.
“So, we do not get that convenience fee. That is not charged by us,” said Mullaney. She explained that a governmental agency cannot charge for taking payments. “We cannot charge, and we don’t. If you want to pay us in cash, check, whatever. We take it all, except for credit cards. And credit cards, we have to run them through a vendor. That vendor can charge whatever fee they so choose.”
Mullaney said that the town was able to negotiate down to 3% percent.
“They won’t go any lower because of our volume of payments,” she said.
The resident that had brought up the matter asked Mullaney how much it would be for the town to purchase equipment.
“We would still have a fee because the banks charge it,” Mullaney said.
“If we owned the equipment in house right here, we still don’t have the authority or the access to the actual transaction between the two banks,” said Harley.
Mullaney said that if you wanted to pay your bill without the convenience fee, one way to do so is to pay via ACH service which is free. “We do try to provide lots of ways for people to pay their bills without fees.”
Finally, the resident said that he was having a golf cart converted to become road worthy. He asked if, when it was completed, he would need to have it inspected. The council informed him that, yes, you have to have it inspected by the Argos Police Chief to make sure it meets all the requirements.
