The Huntingburg Common Council met Monday and:

• Approved using money in the Huntingburg Revolving Loan Fund to provide emergency loans to help small businesses in the city during the COVID-19 outbreak. Through the Huntingburg Emergency Loan Program, or HELP, small businesses can apply for up to $5,000, with an interest rate of 1.5%. Applications for the first round of loans will be due April 30 and will be awarded on May 11. HELP applications are available online here.

• Approved the city’s updated comprehensive plan, called “Your Home-Your Huntingburg.”

• Established the technical committee that will work on the unified development ordinance. The committee includes Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner, Councilman and Planning Commission member Glen Kissling, Street Superintendent Jason Stamm, Code Enforcement Officer Curt Souders, Planning Director Paul Lake, Community Development Director Rachel Steckler, City Attorney Phil Schneider, Sean Werner of the Dubois County Health Department, Brad Eckerle of Brosmer Land Surveying and Nathan Waggner of Cash Waggner & Associates.

• Agreed to pay Washington-based GSES LLC $450 plus $70 interest, which is the appraisal of property owned by the company that the city used when it installed an electrical box for Market Street Park. GSES LLC sued the city, stating that it encroached on its property at 317 E. Fourth St., without permission to install the box. The courts ordered appraisals to be done, and that is the amount that was determined, Schneider told the council. The cost for appraisal services is $4,500, which the city will also cover. GSES LLC must also agree to the appraisal; if the company doesn’t, the matter could still go to trial, Schneider explained.