Hobart City Council tabled action on a proposed climate-controlled storage facility with outdoor storage near 73rd Avenue and Grand Boulevard, saying there are issues that need to be resolved.

Mitre Kutanovski had received Board of Zoning Appeals approval for his project on a 4-0 vote, contingent upon his site plan being approved by the plan commission.

But Councilman Mark Kopil, D-1st, requested that the matter be tabled at the Wednesday meeting, saying there are issues that need to be addressed, including drainage.

Councilman Dave Vinzant, D-4th, who sits on the plan commission, said the council would be approving the project “somewhat blindly” if it did so without seeing a site plan.

Vinzant said there would need to be adequate screening to block the view of the boats and RVs the owner wants parked in the lot.

While the 2-acre parcel under consideration for the storage facility is zoned for business, the surrounding area is residential and there are homes located right next to the parcel and across the street.

In other matters, the council approved the city’s first two credit cards, one of which will go to the mayor and one to the clerk-treasurer positions.

Clerk-Treasurer Deborah Longer said at a previous ordinance committee meeting that it’s becoming more important for the city to have a credit card as more and more companies are requiring them for payment. She said one has been needed to conduct the meeting by Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor Brian Snedecor has been using his personal credit card and getting reimbursed monthly for the city charges, which she said is not an ideal situation.

Councilman Chris Wells, D-5th, asked who would be overseeing the credit cards and if there would be a backup person.

“I don’t want to see Hobart end up like Portage,” Wells said, referring to a former Portage clerk-treasurer being charged with using city funds to pay for services that weren’t authorized.

Longer said the card is designed to be used by the mayor and clerk-treasurer, whoever they are. Snedecor added that the Board of Public Works and Safety would need to see and approve all transactions.

“This would save money on postage and time,” Councilman Josh Huddlestun, D-2nd, said.

The council also approved two additional holidays for all city employees, beginning in 2021, and four additional personal days for sworn police officers and Teamsters union members of the Public Works department only.

While the two extra holidays — Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the day after Thanksgiving — will continue every year, the extra personal days are for 2021 only.

The council granted the extra days off in lieu of pay raises in 2021. Snedecor said a $2,500 pay raise in 2021 that was previously offered to the police officers was never set in stone. He said it was contingent upon the city being financially able to provide a raise at that time.

“Now we know where we are financially and it’s a tough financial place,” Snedecor said.

Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.