A Knox business owner looking to build a dual-purpose structure will have to complete a few more steps before construction can commence at his Pacific Avenue property.
Owner of Royal Star Builders Tim Miller came before the Planning Commission Tuesday night in order to present his site plan for review. Miller intends to construct a building at 409 Pacific Avenue that will serve as a shop for his construction company and an office for his wife’s bio-medical feedback business. Continue reading
Knox City Council members were informed about some anticipated changes to local circuit breaker tax caps they met last Tuesday.
Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston said that on March 1st, he attended a meeting with the financial advisors at Umbaugh and Associates where they presented information about funding in local government and the analysis of assessed value.
He added that Mayor Dennis Estok, county representatives, local school administrators and other city and town officials were also in attendance at the March meeting. Continue reading
Starke County Community Services recently received a plethora of food donations thanks to the “Bluegrass Jam” event hosted by the City of Knox on March 25th.
At Tuesday night’s Knox City Council meeting Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston mentioned that the entry fee for the event was a food donation. Although he didn’t have an exact number for how much food was collected, he said the event was very well attended. He added that many people also provided compliments about the upgrades to the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center.
During his report, Houston also filled members in on the Starke County Economic Development Foundation Community Retreat that he attended with Mayor Dennis Estok and Councilman Jeff Berg. Continue reading
Nepotism contracts were passed out and signed during Tuesday night’s Knox City Council meeting.
Nepotism contracts are signed to prevent any potential conflicts-of-interest from occurring within a municipality. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston informed the council members that during a meeting he recently attended, he was advised to include this on the agenda even though it is an annual procedure.
Houston said there was one document that was passed out and signed to all the present council members. He added that since Councilman Don Kring recently completed some work for the city police department, there was another document only needed his signature. Continue reading
Knox City Council moved one step closer to acquiring a new fire truck for the Knox-Center Township Fire Department when they met Tuesday evening.
Two ordinances related to the 2018 General Obligation Bonds that will be required for the fire truck purchase were passed on first reading.
The first ordinance authorizes the sale of the bonds while the second one permits the funds to be appropriated once the truck is ready to be purchased. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston explained that the ordinances will need to be advertised before they can be passed on final reading. Continue reading
Ordinances pertaining to the authorization and appropriation of the 2018 General Obligation Bonds will be considered when Knox City Council members meet tonight.
The G.O Bonds are being acquired for the purchase of a fire truck for the Knox-Center Township Fire Department.
Members are also expected to discuss nepotism and contracting certifications. Continue reading
The possibility of installing a digital message board near the entryway into Knox was discussed during last week’s city council meeting. Mayor Dennis Estok told members that a message board could be utilized to notify citizens about upcoming events or any other messages that they may need to convey.
He said after doing a bit of research, he found there are few different options they have to consider. They can get a sign that would be on wheels, similar to what traffic control uses. That would cost approximately $15,000 to $20,000.
The other option they have is a sign that would be placed in the ground. Continue reading
Mayor Dennis Estok informed council members last Tuesday, that the councilman for District 4, Tim Manns, has verbally indicated that he intends to resign from the city council.
Mayor Estok said that Manns sited scheduling conflicts with work and family obligations as the reason for his resignation. Estok added that the verbal notification is not official and Manns will still need to submit a resignation in writing. Continue reading
Mayor Dennis Estok shared some information with Knox City Council members about a mural that will be put up on the wall behind Serenity Gardens located at the corner of Main and Lake Streets in downtown Knox.
At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Estok said that he met with some local talent recently and brainstormed some ideas about how to tackle the project.
“We do have three local artists, Joe Eskridge, Zac Hunter and Ryan Ehresman, they’re all three working together,” Estok explained, “What they’re going to do is basically, they’re going do three different themes and what I want them to do is bring the themes in and invite the public to view them and everything.” Continue reading
Mayor Dennis Estok alerted Knox City Council members of some changes that will be made to procedures for Spring Clean-Up Days this year.
During Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Estok said there were some issues with last year’s event.
“Basically we are changing the format on that,” Estok explained, “last year, we went through a record-high 8 dumpsters at a cost of four thousand some dollars. Probably fifty or sixty percent of the stuff coming in was from out of town residents.” Continue reading
Four plots on West Pacific Avenue in Knox were rezoned from residential to commercial at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.
The owner of Royal Star Builders Timothy Miller came before the Planning Commission in February with a request to rezone a property he purchased at 409 West Pacific Avenue. Miller plans to build a structure there that would serve a dual purpose. Continue reading
An ordinance that remained unchanged for nearly 30 years was amended during last night’s Knox City Council meeting.
The Ordinance Establishing a Curfew for the City of Knox was initially adopted in 1989. Mayor Dennis Estok said he felt an update was necessary as the wording in the original ordinance wasn’t particularly clear. Continue reading
Amendments to the existing curfew ordinance for the City of Knox will be considered during tonight’s city council meeting at 7 p.m.
According to the council packet provided by administrative assistant Peggy Travis, the curfew ordinance currently in place was originally adopted in October of 1989.
City council members are also anticipated to receive a presentation from Starke County Economic Development Foundation Special Projects Coordinator Ron Gifford. As usual, a monthly progress report will be provided. Continue reading
Knox Planning Commission members held a public hearing over a rezoning request when they met Tuesday night.
In February, Timothy Miller came before the commission requesting permission to rezone a piece of property on Pacific Avenue from residential to commercial. At Tuesday’s meeting, he reminded the members of the specifics related to his request. Continue reading
Knox City Council members voted to move forward with establishing an ordinance that would define the official duties of city council members when they met last week.
Up until now, the duties of a council member have been implied but unspecified. This proposed ordinance would establish expectations and responsibilities for council members, including things such as attendance and constituent representation. Continue reading
Knox Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston alerted city council members of a number of outstanding checks that had to be addressed prior to March 1st.
During Tuesday night’s Knox City Council meeting, Clerk-Treasurer Houston explained that state statute requires him to make a list of any checks written by the city that have not been cashed for over 2-years. Continue reading
Knox City Council members appointed Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston to the position of ADA Coordinator when they met Tuesday night. Members also approved an ordinance pertaining to ADA procedures.
Houston informed the council of the seven suggested steps that public entities must take, related to the American’s with Disabilities Act.
The first step is implementation. Houston explained they initially took this step a few years ago when they renovated city sidewalks to be ADA compliant. Continue reading
Knox City Council members are scheduled to discuss an ordinance pertaining to an ADA coordinator and procedures when they meet tonight.
Reports will be delivered from Mayor Dennis Estok and Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston and council members can comment on any additional business they deem necessary. Continue reading
The first Knox Event Planning Committee meeting of the year will be held this week.
At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Dennis Estok announced that the committee will meet to discuss some of the different events scheduled for later this year including movies in the park, community concerts and the fireworks show.
The Mayor encouraged all past volunteers to attend, as well as any other residents interested in providing a helping hand. Continue reading
Absenteeism was a matter of concern discussed at Tuesday night’s Knox City Council meeting. During council items, Councilman Jeff Berg addressed the extended absence of the council member elected to represent District 4. Continue reading
