Letters of Interest for the Open Knox City Council Seat Must be Submitted by Tomorrow

Time is running out to apply for the open seat on the Knox City Council. Individuals who reside in District 4 and are registered Democrats have until Friday to submit their letter of interest for consideration. Any letters that come in after the deadline will not be eligible

Letters must be delivered to Starke County Democrat Chairman Kenny Wallace. They can be sent by mail to his Knox residence located at 5175 East 200 South. Continue reading

SCEDF Helps Knox Officials Get to the Bottom of a CEDIT Account Deficit

Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver spoke with Knox City Council members about an estimated deficit in the city’s CEDIT account at their meeting last Tuesday.

Back in October, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston mentioned that he received a notification from the Department of Local Government Finance indicating that there would be a projected loss of revenue of $34,908 for next year. He told members that sometimes those figures can be off but also assured them that the SCEDF was working with representatives from Umbaugh to get to the bottom of it.

At the most recent council meeting, Weaver informed members that after speaking with the city’s financial advisor Todd Samuelson of Umbaugh and Associates, he had a better understanding of why next year’s numbers are lower than the figures from  2017. Continue reading

Knox City Council Meets Tonight

No specific action or discussion items are listed on the agenda for the Knox City Council meeting being held tonight at 7 p.m. in Knox City Hall.

The council will hear reports from Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston and Mayor Dennis Estok. There will be time allotted toward the end of the meeting for citizen’s comments and council items.

In recent meetings, council items included the potential striping of Culver Road and an ordinance pertaining to parking downtown. There is a possibility these items will be revisited tonight but they are not specifically listed on the agenda.

Fire Protection Agreements Approved by Knox City Council

The 2018 fire protection agreements between the City of Knox and Center and Jackson Townships were up for approval at the Knox City Council meeting Tuesday evening.

Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston stated that the proposed agreements are essentially the same as past years except they did one year rather than two year agreements this year. He said that decision was made because an election will be coming up and incoming groups can not be legally bound to an agreement. Continue reading

Knox City Council 2018 Salary Ordinance includes 3% Pay Increase, Raise for Part-time Police

The Knox City Council held the first reading of the 2018 salary ordinance during their meeting Tuesday evening. A three percent increase is being proposed across the board, with the exception of part-time police, which had a specific raise amount recommend by the Chief of Police.

Mayor Dennis Estok explained the three percent increase is being proposed across the board because of a recent insurance policy change. Continue reading

Final Salary Ordinance Approval on Knox Council Agenda

City_of_Knox_LogoThe Knox City Council has a meeting scheduled for tonight at 7 pm in City Hall. The Council will have their final reading of the 2016 Salary Ordinance. Treasurer Jeff Houston said this is in preparation for an upcoming budget hearing, “We have a budget meeting with the field representative from the Department of Local Government Finance on the 27th of July.” he said. Continue reading