North Judson will soon be the host of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns quarterly roundtable.
Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says she and town board president Wendy Hoppe had attended the previous roundtable in Demotte in August, and she says each roundtable has a different topic. The August roundtable was focused on budgets, and Henry says she asked the organization if the North Judson Town Board could hold one of the upcoming roundtables in North Judson.
North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry said that an elderly citizen had contacted the North Judson Town Hall and stated that she had been contacted numerous times by someone claiming to represent the U.S. Census Bureau and requested information for the American Community Survey. The woman said she was concerned that it was a fraudulent phone call.
Fortunately, Henry contacted the U.S. Census Bureau and discovered that the organization was, indeed, performing the survey. However, no news outlets were notified of the survey, causing those who were contacted to be slightly suspicious.
The North Judson Town Board this week discussed an audit report from the State Board of Accounts for the audit that had been performed for the town in January and February. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says the report is available online at www.in.gov/sboa, and an official record is available in her office.
Henry says the meeting included some discussion over the audit, which identified financial discrepancies totaling $74,408.67 with the majority of discrepancies in the cemetery lot sales category. Based on the information posted in the cemetery book, and the confirmations that were returned with receipts, the examiners determined that $40,350 was collected for cemetery lots sales but that amount was not receipted to the records. Former Clerk-Treasurer Connie Miller was requested to reimburse the town for this amount, but in a letter to the state board of accounts, Miller wrote that she “strenuously objected to any allegations or suggestions” that she had “done any wrong for personal gain.”
The North Judson Town Board passed two resolutions at its meeting this week. The first resolution concerned modifications to the grant received by the board from the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission for the State Road 39 project. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says she received an email from a KIRPC representative who informed her that the board needed to pass a resolution concerning modifications to the grant.
The board also passed a resolution concerning the town’s anti-nepotism policy, which Henry says is included in the handbook, but a revision was required. She says although their current policy is more stringent than the state-mandated policy, the state requires that the policy address step-relatives. The handbook was revised to include the required content.
A surveyor gave the board an estimate on the cost to plot, measure, and place markers in the Highland Cemetery’s 13th section, which was never properly surveyed. She says the estimate came in at $2200, but it is a very rough estimate and will likely change. The board voted to go ahead with the plotting.
The North Judson Town Board this week heard a report from Town Marshall Doug Vessely, who informed them that he will need to replace one part-time officer. He says the officer is retiring from the force, and he will need to hire at least one part-time employee – though he would like to hire two. Vessely says another employee has requested some time off, and he will need to hire an additional officer to take their place.
Vessely also provided the board with a map depicting barricade locations for the Mint Fest.
Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says the town has received the spring distribution of property taxes from the Starke County auditor in the amount of $268,406. She says these funds will be distributed to individual departments that are budgeted to receive funds from property taxes.
The North Judson Town Board held a second public hearing this week – this time regarding their new salary ordinance. The third reading of the ordinance was conducted at the recent meeting of the board and no public comment was made, allowing the board to pass the ordinance as written. The ordinance allows a $.50 raise per hour for employees of the town that receive a license for the application of pesticide, and Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry said that only one employee currently qualifies for the raise.
The board also discussed the town’s anti-tobacco policy which prohibits the use of tobacco in public buildings. Henry says the town’s policy is more stringent than the statewide policy which will take effect July 1 and only covers smoking, while she says the town’s policy covers tobacco use as a whole. The board plans to draft an ordinance regulating fines for violations of the policy.
The upcoming Mint Fest has been taking precedence over many town projects, including the replacement of street signs with newer, more reflective signs. Town Superintendent Marshall Horstman says they have gotten the new signs but the replacement has been delayed until after the festival.
The North Judson Town Board this week held a public hearing regarding the modification of a grant for the State Road 39 sewer project. Shawn Cain from the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission was present and explained the issue.
According to Cain, the original grant application included two additional extensions on the sewer project. The grant was approved, but the council, town superintendent, and the engineering company expected the bids to come in higher than they could afford, so they removed the two extensions from the bid. Surprisingly, the bids came in far lower than they had been expecting. The town council then contacted KIRPC and received approval to add them back into the bid. The work was later completed, including the two extensions.
North Judson Town Marshall Doug Vessely presented an estimate to the North Judson Town Board this week for a new squad car. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says that no contracts have been signed, but Vessely wanted to give the board an idea on how much a new squad car would cost because of some repairs that are needed on a 2005 squad car. Henry says the board will likely have the squad car repaired for now, and may set aside money in their 2013 budget for a new squad car after Vessely returns with quotes from dealerships.
The decision regarding the transition of the North Judson Town Board from a three-member board to a five-member board will go to the voters in November. According to Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry, a resolution was approved at their previous meeting to place the question on the ballot, and that resolution was recently certified by Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski. The question will appear on the ballot in November.
The board also had further discussion regarding Highland Cemetery. The newest and largest of plot sections in the cemetery, Section 13, was never surveyed and properly plotted. As a result, several grave plots are not square and do not match up with other plots. Every other section in the cemetery was surveyed and carefully plotted, squaring up the graves evenly.
The board discussed the possibility of having the Starke County surveyor give his recommendation on what to do regarding the uneven plots.
The North Judson Town Board heard a public presentation by Starke County Economic Development Foundation Representative Larry Wickert regarding the industrial park located on Oak Wood Street. Wickert explained that there has not been much activity in the way of looking for industry in the area, and he says that could be attributed to one primary issue.
Wickert says that from the beginning of the industrial park, there has always been a problem regarding street access because of a lack of direct access to State Roads 10 and 39. He also said that there may be an issue regarding water pressure, and told the board that he just wanted to touch base and find out whether or not the board had any suggestions or ideas to bring industry into the area.
An additional salary ordinance for the town of North Judson is in the works. The ordinance would qualify town employees that earn a pesticide applicator license for an additional $.50 raise per hour.
That license was previously not included in the set of three licenses that would qualify an employee for a raise, but a number of workers took the class and qualified for the test. One hourly-paid employee took the class, passed the test, and will soon receive his license– but if the town council wanted to consider increasing his hourly rate by $.50, they would need to pass this ordinance.
The first and second readings of the ordinance were passed on Monday night, and a notice will be sent out to local papers publishing the ordinance. A third reading is expected to take place at the first meeting of the council in June.
The North Judson Town Board’s plan to increase the size of the board from three members to five will be presented to the public for their approval in November on the general ballot. According to Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry, voters will be asked if they support the referendum to increase the board’s size after the Starke County Election Board ensures it gets on the ballot.
The North Judson Railroad Committee is currently working on gathering funding for repairs on the U.S. 30 railroad crossing. Because a lot of truck traffic goes over the railroad, it has recently fallen into a minor state of disrepair — and with an expected increase in traffic passing over that crossing, the repairs are important.
Unfortunately, the repairs are not expected to be cheap. The committee is working on finding grants to fund the repairs, but the total cost is yet unknown.
Mowing season is finally here, and that means grass needs to be kept under four inches in the town of North Judson. If property is left unattended and the grass gets out of hand, the property owner will be notified to get the lawn mowed. If that notice goes unheeded, a fee can be imposed and, if necessary, a lien made on the property. This ordinance has been in place in the town of North Judson for several years.
The Highland Cemetery was discussed once again at the recent meeting of the North Judson Town Board. The board discussed the possibility of adding an additional entrance to the cemetery, but it was mentioned that a second entrance already exists on County Road 300. That entrance has not been used in a very long time, and it has become overgrown and is in a state of disrepair. The board is looking into what expenses they can expect to get the entrance re-opened and cleaned up.
The public meeting regarding the transition of the North Judson Town Board from a three-member board to a five-member board was held Thursday, providing information regarding the transition to all those in attendance. Council President Wendy Hoppe and Councilman Tim Cummins were present, along with Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry, Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski, IACT Field Services Manager Tim Bredeweg, and a number of community members were present as well.
The North Judson Town Board will be taking public comments concerning expanding the current board from three to five members this Thursday, April 12th.
A representative from the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns will be at the meeting to explain the process of moving forward and to answer any questions on the possible move. All of the Board members will also be present to discuss the reasons why they are looking to increase the number of members on the board.
The North Judson Town Board received an update regarding the transition from a three-member board to a five-member board this week. A public meeting regarding the possibility has been scheduled for Thursday, April 12th at 5:00 p.m. CT. The meeting, which will likely take place at the Civic Center, will feature a representative from the Indiana Association of Clerk-Treasurers, and will give an idea of what requirements must be met in order to make the transition.
The North Judson Town Board discussed the new key policy at their recent meeting. There is a new key log for all employees and all keys will be accounted for for all buildings and employees.
Town Superintendent Marshall Horstman reported to the board that a position with the utility department has been filled pending a drug test.
The Town of North Judson has a new Facebook page. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry and Billing Clerk, Jennifer Vanek, have been reworking the site and they post town information as well as board minutes, which will be posted as they are approved.
North Judson Town Marshal Doug Vessely told the Town Board this week that he is asking residents to call the Police Department and notify them if they will be going out of town so officers can perform routine patrols around that property.
You may call 772-5914 and tell Vessely about your vacation and he and the other officers will check your residence to make sure no crimes have been committed. If there happens to be a break-in or other type of criminal activity at your house, he will notify you and an investigation will take place.
