No water, no occupation

The Encampment Town Council met Thursday in what one member called “record time,” where it quickly disposed of routine matters before making ordinance changes and extending Christmas bonuses.

During the 12-minute meeting, the council held a public hearing to discuss a proposed change to town ordinance to make it illegal for anyone to occupy a dwelling with no water or sewer service, and voted to extend Christmas bonuses to town employees and committee members. The board also bid farewell to council member Gary Stull who did not run for re-election to the council.

Last month, the town council proposed the ordinance change and voted to hold a public hearing on the matter. At the December meeting, the public hearing was opened but there were no members of the public in attendance, and the council quickly voted to pass the resolution.

The resolution makes it illegal for anyone to occupy a structure with no water or sewer service after a 14-day grace period. According to the resolution, the law applies whether the utility has been shut off, or if the water or sewage systems within the building are inoperable. The ordinance is intended to prevent risks to public health, according to the ordinance.

The resolution passed unanimously.

After the public hearing, the council members quickly worked through routine matters such as paying the bills and hearing committee reports. The council then voted to release a lien on a property the town was considering foreclosing on. The property had sold, town clerk Doreen Harvey said, and the lien had been satisfied.

The council voted unanimously to release the lien.

The council then discussed bringing a bit of extra holiday cheer to the families of town employees and committee members, voting unanimously to give Christmas bonuses of $350 to town employees, and $50 to committee members.

In closing, the committee expressed thanks to Steve Reichert for his service as an Encampment Town Council Member. Stull said he decided not to run since his wife would soon be retiring and the couple may decide to retire to a warmer place.

“Thank you very much, Steve, for your four years of service,” Mayor Greg Salisbury said. “I enjoyed it, it’s been a lot of up-and-down, but I think we got a lot of things done; Thank you for your service.”

“I’ve enjoyed sitting next you,” council member Gary Stull told Reichert.

“I’ve enjoyed harassing you,” Reichert replied with a laugh.

The next regular meeting of the Town of Encampment Town Council will be held at 7 p.m., Jan. 7, 2017 at Encampment Town Building.