In a brief meeting held Monday night, the Starke County Council members approved the budgets for Starke County, Starke County Airport, North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation, Solid Waste, and the Koontz Lake Conservancy District.
The proposed county budget is just over $12.2 million while the proposed levy is about $5.8 million. As previously mentioned, the council will assess the three percent pay raise, depending on when the budget comes back from the state.
The Starke County Airport’s budget is around $1.7 million. The board plans to replace a card reading system for all fueling facilities in 2019 and there are plans to apply for federal grant funds to triple the size of the aircraft apron. The grant money would require no match from the county. An FAA grant was already signed to complete the runway extension project in 2019.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation is moving ahead with a $12.1 million budget. The Solid Waste Department’s budget of about $219,000 includes an increase in the recycling line item to include the construction of a building and bins at the county highway garage to help curb illegal dumping.
The newly-formed Koontz Lake Conservancy District will have an initial budget of $203,000 which will not exceed 16.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. It’s a new taxing entity created by Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall. The district’s purpose is to improve conditions in and around Koontz Lake.
