Knox City Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston appeared before the Starke County Council members Monday night asking for a resolution to a claim the city received for expenses toward the city’s Primary Municipal Election.
Houston asked the county to waive the cost of $8,700 of the election because the city council did not include it in the 2019 budget. He said the city wasn’t billed for the election in the past three Municipal Election cycles and didn’t anticipate this invoice.
Council President Dave Pearman argued that it’s state statute that the city be charged for the election. Houston countered that the city did not appropriate the money and a lot of money is tied up for grant commitments for the Knox Wastewater Project and work at the Sandy Acres Park. Houston also noted that the city gives the county breaks on a lot of other items the city normally charges to keep the fluid relationship between the city and the county. Pearman also agreed that the county does a lot to help the city and maintained that it’s a state statute that the city be charged to pay for costs incurred during their Municipal Election cycle.
Councilman Freddie Baker made a motion to forgive the invoice, but stressed that the city should have the money budgeted in four years for the next Municipal Election cycle. When the vote was taken, Pearman said that the record should reflect all in favor of the motion.
