Long-term efforts by the City of Knox to buy up available land in Parkview Heights took a step forward Tuesday. The city council authorized the purchase of a tax lien certificate, at the request of Mayor Dennis Estok. “It’s a property down in Parkview Heights that went through the tax sale,” he explained. “Nobody bought it. It’s a burned-out house. We did get the owners of that to clean the house up. They did leave the foundation and all that. They have no intentions of redeeming the property through the tax sale, and that’s where the county can transfer it. We can buy it for $35 off the certificate sale.”
Ongoing Code Violations at Ostrander Court Residence Addressed by Knox Board of Works
Knox Board of Works members held a public hearing on Wednesday morning to go over a handful of rental properties that have been a topic of discussion for months.
Building Administrator Kenny Pfost has issued several orders against Melvin Zeiters for properties with code violations, starting back in March. He also informed members in the past that none of the properties have been registered for 2018.
The property owner was present at the hearing. When addressed about the registration and inspection fees not being turned in for the year, Zeiters told the members that he did fill out and mail in the paperwork and it must have been lost somehow. Continue reading
Knox Board of Works Receives Update on Main Street Property
Knox Board of Works members have to play the waiting game now that a small claims case has been brought against a non-compliant property owner. At their meeting on Wednesday, members received an update about the property owned by Pete Milev, located at 1 and 3 North Main Street.
Milev previously received a one-month extension from the board, but after he didn’t make all the repairs that were promised, members asked City Attorney Leslie Baker to take further action. That’s when she filed a complaint with the court. Continue reading
Knox BOW Addresses Non-compliance on Main Street Property
Members of the Knox Board of Works discussed a non-compliance issue with a Main Street property owner when they met this week. Continue reading
Resolution Passed to Prepare Bill of Impeachment For District 4 Knox City Councilman
Knox City Council members took another step to address the consistent absence of the Councilman for District 4 when they met on Thursday.
City council members have been discussing the continuous absence of Councilman Tim Manns for several months. Because Manns is an elected official he continues to be paid per meeting, despite missing 20 out of 24 meetings in 2017 and failing to attend a single meeting in 2018 so far.
According to an Employee Compensation Report through IndianaGateway, Manns raked in about $4,000 in 2017, making approximately $333 per month. Continue reading
Business Owner Submits Site Plan to Knox Planning Commission for Review, Faces Issue with Rear-Yard Setback Requirement
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
Fire Truck Bid Opened at Knox BOW Meeting Comes in about $20,660 Less Than Anticipated
Knox Board of Works members approved a bid from the fire apparatus manufacturer Toyne, Inc when they met Wednesday morning.
Toyne was the only company to submit a bid on time and their proposal listed a cost of $579,334.71 for an available pumper truck. The bid came in about $20,665 less than the expected price of $600,000. Continue reading
Knox Board of Works Members Approve Bid for Pearl Street Blight Elimination
The blighted structure at 202 N Pearl Street in Knox is one step closer to being eliminated. Knox Board of Works members approved a demolition bid from Jackson Trucking and Excavating when they met in special session Monday morning.
Initially, members opened bids in February, but due to some confusion over bid specifications, members voted to re-bid for the project with requirements more clearly specified. This time only one bid was received from Harvey Jackson with Jackson Trucking and Excavating for a total of $10,000 for demolition and asbestos testing. Continue reading
Knox Code Enforcement Efforts Stall
Code enforcement efforts by the City of Knox have hit a bit of a snag. Building inspector Bruce Williams has had no success contacting the owner of the house at 202 N. Pearl Street. During their June 22nd meeting, the Knox Board of Works gave him a maximum of 60 days to make significant interior and exterior repairs to the property. Continue reading
