Argos Town Council: Bob Byers, Charles Randy Snead, Shawn Harley, Erica Partin, and Ed Barcus
ARGOS — The beginning of the new year brings reorganization for each of the municipal boards in the county. The Argos Town Council started off their first meeting of 2025 last week with election of officers. There were no changes in the Council’s members this year, those members are Charles Randy Snead, Robert Byers, Shawn Harley, Erica Partin, and Ed Barcus.
Charles Randy Snead made a motion to nominate Shawn Harley for the position of Council President. Byers made a motion to nominate Barcus for the same position. Town Attorney Derek Jones advised that the first nomination be dealt with prior to nominating another council member. No one seconded the nomination for Harley. Partin seconded the motion made by Byers. The motion to have Barcus serve as Council President passed with a vote of 4-1, with Snead voting against.
Snead made a motion to nominate Harley for the position of Council Vice President. This time, the motion was seconded by Byers. The vote came to 2-2-1. Byers and Snead voted for the motion while Partin and Barcus voted against the motion. Harley abstained from voting.
Harley explained why he abstained. “I’m not going to vote for myself because I don’t think I should vote for my own position.”
With the vote resulting in a tie, normally it would fall to the Town Clerk-Treasurer to break it. However, Clerk-Treasurer Lisa Mullaney stated that she cannot vote in this particular matter. “I cannot break a tie of their membership. They have to pick their own leadership.”
Snead contended that it wasn’t a tie and that Barcus, Byers, and himself voted for the motion. Barcus stated that he had voted against the motion.
“Randy, I do believe that I heard two votes in favor, two votes against, and then one abstention,” Jones confirmed.
With that motion failing, Barcus made a motion to nominate Partin as Council Vice President. Byers seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 3-1-1 with Snead voting against and Partin abstaining.
During citizen’s input, President of the Argos Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) Rob Hurford addressed the council about a matter concerning his appointment.
“I came tonight, I was notified that an employee of the Town of Argos is spreading misinformation and lies about me and came to the council, apparently, last meeting asking to have me removed from the BZA. This comes back to a person who was trying to put a cement plant in the town. I received a couple phone calls from citizens concerned about it. I hadn’t even heard about it yet. I told them that. I had a conversation with the person who was trying to put this in and I asked him a few questions. I told him that the way it looked on the zoning, he would have to come in front of you, the Plan Commission or the BZA, and have that approved. And that with already having complaints before it ever went anywhere, that it would not be a cakewalk. Never did I tell him it wouldn’t be approved or anything like that,” said Hurford. “He said that he was dealing with the development director and that he was told it would be no problem. I said, well he doesn’t control either board I just mentioned so I don’t believe he can guarantee that.”
Hurford went on to say that what he told the person was not out of line as his position as BZA President.
Barcus stated that he had spoken to the party that was applying to put the cement plant in. “That is what he had relayed to me as well, that you had told him that it wasn’t going to happen, that it wasn’t going to come in.”
Hurford replied that in his office, all phone calls are recorded and that he has the transcripts of the conversations. “So if I need to prove it, I’ll be happy to do that. But, if I have to go down that road, it’s going to get a helluva lot uglier.”
Barcus stated that it wasn’t a matter or removing a person, but it was reappointing or not reappointing a person. Hurford replied that reappointment wasn’t listed in the ordinance that states the town council has the authority to do that. Development Director Mark VanDerWeele stated that it was a state statute and not an ordinance and is a four-year term.
Jones stated that prior to tonight he hadn’t looked into when Hurford’s appointment started and when it’s due to end. “But if it has expired, then it’s expired and then it would be up to the appointing authority, whoever that may be, to reappoint you or whoever that may be.”
Hurford stated that he believed that he has been serving on the board for eight years and hasn’t been reappointed during that time.
“You probably have, but just didn’t know it,” VanDerWeele offered.
Jones did confirm that the appointment does last for four years and was due to expire on Dec. 31, 2024 and is now up for reappointment.
The following appointments were approved by the council:
• Utility Clerk – Lisa Mullaney
• Development Director – Mark VanDerWeele
• Fire Territory Board – Ed Barcus
• Unsafe Board – Ed Barcus
• BZA – Rob Hurford
• Park Board – Val Harley
• Plan Commission – Val Harley
• Redevelopment Commission – Erica Partin and Mark VanDerWeele
The following appointments were made by Barcus as Council President appointments:
• Police Commission liaison – Shawn Harley
• Park Board liaison – Charles Randy Snead
• Utility Department liaison – Erica Partin
• Redevelopment liaison – Robert Byers
• Plan and Development liaison – Shawn Harley
• Redevelopment Commission – Scott Samuels and Paul Stearns. There is an open position still available.
The council approved the 2025 meeting schedule. Town Council Meetings will be the second and fourth Wednesdays at 7 p.m. ET except for November and December. During those two months, the meetings will be on the first and third Wednesdays at 7 p.m. ET to accommodate for the holidays.
