The Knox City Council and the Board of Public Works will hold a joint work session to discuss the employee handbook tonight. It will be held at 6 p.m., prior to their regular session.
The regular session will commence at 7 p.m. where the approval of the new employee handbook will be up for consideration.
Additionally, members will consider a KIRPC Grant Administration Agreement and John Julien with Umbaugh will be discussing bonding for a fire truck. Continue reading
The Knox City Council members amended their meeting agenda to include a proposal for enhancements to IT infrastructure, when they met last Wednesday.
Mayor Dennis Estok informed council members that the City of Knox is not currently equipped with any “off-site backup”, which is a state-mandated requirement. He said that means that all city documentation, emails and additional information would be unsaved if their main system was to experience any major problems. Continue reading
Mayor Dennis Estok addressed a couple of reminders during his report at this week’s Knox City Council meeting. Mayor Estok announced that pick-up for live Christmas trees will begin on Tuesday, January 2nd.
He stated, “Basically, you dispose of them the same way you do with brush, you know front of the curb, front of the house, where we would routinely pick up brush during the summer.” Mayor Estok specified that the trees should not be bagged and they must be bare.
Additionally, the mayor issued a reminder about winter pet safety at Wednesday night’s meeting. He wants Knox residents to be aware that the city has ordinance that allows officials to enforce the humane treatment of animals. Continue reading
Knox City Council members held the first reading over the amended ordinance regulating obstruction of sidewalks, streets and railroad crossings for the City of Knox when they met Wednesday evening. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston mentioned that the ordinance was created by taking their existing sidewalk obstruction ordinance and combining it with additional specifications that are addressed in state statute.
The majority of feed back from council members was specifically about the section regarding placement of vehicles. Certain members were seeking clarification about the section which indicates that vehicles cannot be within fifty feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing. Continue reading
The Knox City Council members are anticipated to act on the agreement between the Starke County Humane Society and the City of Knox when they meet in City Hall at 7 p.m. tonight.
The agreement states that the Starke County Humane Society is the official housing center for the city’s stray animals. Mayor Dennis Estok explained that there has been a verbal understanding between the city and the Humane Society for quite some time, but this agreement puts all expectations and responsibilities into writing.
Council members will also discuss amendments to the city’s existing sidewalk obstruction ordinance. The ordinance will be amended to address vehicles more specifically. Continue reading
Salvation Army Bell Ringers are still needed in Starke County! Starke County Bell Ringer coordinator Joe Lopez stressed the fact that funds collected at the local collection centers remain in the area.
Lopez explained, “The money does not go out of the county, all the money collected is spent here in Starke County and it helps a lot of people that need help during the holiday so we really appreciate any help we can get.”
The two Starke County Bell Ringer locations are Bailey’s Discount Center in North Judson and Five Star in Knox. Lopez mentioned that there is a special perk to working these spots.
“I know that a lot of people watch the Salvation Army Bell Ringers out in the cold,” he said, “we’re fortunate to have Bailey’s indoors and Five Star also indoors so you’re not standing out in the weather freezing.” Continue reading
Knox Mayor Dennis Estok will be holding several meetings today as a part of the process for amending and renewing the 5-year Parks Master Plan.
The purpose of today’s meetings is to gather community input about the various concerns and any recommendations that people have about the parks in Knox.
The first meetings will be conducted with stakeholders. Mayor Estok said that at 1:30 p.m. he will meet with Starke County Youth Club representatives. Then starting around 4:30 p.m. representatives from Moving Starke County Forward, the Starke County Chamber of Commerce and the Young Professionals Group will meet with the mayor to discuss individual group concerns.
At 6 p.m. a public hearing will be held at City Hall, where community members can weigh in on what they’d like to see at Wythogan Park, Sandy Acres and Heritage Park. Everyone is encouraged to attend to have their voice heard and their suggestions considered. Continue reading
Tomorrow morning, get into the giving spirit with some of Kankakee Valley Broadcasting’s best and brightest. This Friday, from 9 a.m. until noon (CT), members of the KVB staff will be stationed in Starke and Pulaski County, collecting food items and monetary donations.
WKVI’s Morning Show Host Charlie Adams is teaming up with MAX’s Morning Show host and sportscaster Tony Ross for a remote broadcast at Five-Star in Knox. They will be there collecting donations for Community Services of Starke County.
Meanwhile, WKVI’s father-son sports broadcast duo, Nathan and Harold Welter will be at Sanders Foods in Winamac collecting donations for Human Services of Pulaski County. Continue reading
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
The agreement between the Humane Society and the City of Knox is nearly complete, according to Mayor Dennis Estok.
In an October meeting, Mayor Estok informed members that steps were being taken to deal with the stray animal population within the city. This agreement designates the humane society as the place to house the those animals.
During last week’s Knox City Council meeting, Mayor Estok told members that a few additions need to be made to the contract before it is finalized. He added that he will bring the agreement before the council at their next meeting since there is currently no line item for this purpose. Continue reading
Mayor Dennis Estok acknowledged the winners of this year’s “What Christmas Means to Me” essay contest at Tuesday night’s Knox City Council meeting.
He said there were approximately 120 essays submitted from 6th graders and about 280 from 4th and 5th grade students. Ten essays were chosen from each grade, resulting in thirty essays being reviewed to find the contest winners. Out of those essays, 1 grand prize winner and 9 finalists were selected.
All of the essay winners have a chance to play a part in the Peppermint Parade this weekend. Continue reading
Knox officials are working to update and renew the city’s 5-year Park Master Plan.
At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Dennis Estok announced that a public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, December 7 at 6 p.m. in Knox City Hall. Community members will have a chance to provide their input about what they’d like to see implemented at the parks over the next few years. Continue reading
This weekend, there are few different ways you and your family can kick-off the Christmas season with various local holiday events in Culver, North Judson and Knox.
On Friday, December 1st, the Culver Academies Community Service Club, the Cavs Club and the Culver Youth Community Organization will sponsor a Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the Train Depot in Culver Park. Light refreshments will be served at 6:15 p.m. ET and the tree lighting will be at 6:30 p.m.
Another part of Culver’s Christmas celebration will be the Holiday Hop which will run from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Citizens can visit participating businesses on Lake Shore Drive and Main Street to get in some early Christmas shopping and for a chance to win a $300 shopping spree. Carolers will sing throughout town during the Holiday Hop and will also be at Millers Merry Manor.
The Town of North Judson will also hold their holiday celebration on Friday, with their event taking place in Norwayne Field. Continue reading
The Knox City Council members are anticipating an update from a representative with the Starke County Economic Development Foundation when they meet tonight.
The agenda for tonight’s meeting is pretty light but Mayor Dennis Estok said during his report he will touch on a few items that have been discussed in the past such as the city’s contract with the humane society and the new bulb installation on Main Street.
Mayor Estok said he’ll also be talking to the council members about the renewal of the Parks and Recreation Department 5-year Master Plan. Continue reading
WorkOne is working hard this holiday season to show their continuous commitment to our communities.
Aside from the educational and occupational assistance they provide year round, during the month of November, the Knox and Winamac locations have been hosting kids’ coat drives to collect winter apparel to help local children in need this time of year.
When the Knox City Council met earlier this week, Mayor Dennis Estok alerted members that the blight elimination program is back on track.
He said he recently completed the appropriate paperwork to resume the program. Two houses were included in the approved structures in the last grant that was received by the city.
Mayor Estok said contractors first started working on an eyesore at 420 Maple Street. According to the mayor, the structure previously had a fire and had been up for about a year and half. Continue reading
WorkOne in Pulaski County and Starke County are working together to host a kids’ coat drive this month. Their goal is to assist local children who may not have the proper apparel for the approaching winter months.
Youth Business Engagement Specialist Kathi Holem said this is the first year that WorkOne has held a coat drive. She said that although they will mainly be collecting coats for small children, they are open to donations of other kids’ winter wear as well. Continue reading
A previously considered council item was visited once again at the Knox City Council meeting on Tuesday. Council member Bertha Blue asked Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston what he found regarding the city’s rules about vehicles obstructing sidewalks.
Houston said while researching, he was unable to locate a local ordinance but he did find a state statute that specifies parking is prohibited on sidewalks. He said while that would technically be enforceable, he thought the terms were not realistic for Knox.
“If you use the state statute,” Houston explained, “you’re looking at real big fines and stuff so we probably want to write a new one for the city.” Continue reading
Mayor Dennis Estok informed Knox City Council members this week that he is looking into funding options to replace a vehicle for Kenny Pfost, the city’s Planning Administrator and Director of Building and Code Compliance.
Pfost told the council members that he’s been utilizing his personal vehicle for about three weeks after the city issued vehicle quit running and. Mayor Estok said the vehicle was provided as a hand-me-down from the police department and has been repaired a few times in the past. The projected cost of current repairs was around $16,000. Continue reading
On Tuesday evening, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston alerted Knox City Council members that he received a notification from the state about the way the city of Knox administers payroll to city employees. Continue reading
