The Knox City Council last night discussed a proposed burn permit to clear timber from the Industrial Park in Knox for expansion purposes.
Bob Aloi from Territorial Engineering explained the process of the air curtain that will be used at the site so smoke won’t be an issue. He said the contractor, Thomas Excavating, will dig a hole that will not exceed ten feet wide and an apparatus will be used to help circulate the air so the particles and smoke will not be seen so permeate into the air.
The Knox City Council will meet in regular session tonight at Knox City Hall.
The council members are expected to discuss a burn permit for the purpose of ridding timber in the Knox Industrial Park. The approval was tabled at the last meeting as the council members wanted to hear about the project from the contractor, Thomas Excavating, and get more public input on the issue.
Knox Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston told the city council last week that the budget was approved, but with the circuit breaker, they will be receiving $218,000 less so cuts will need to be made wherever possible.
Property tax caps are cutting funds available to the city and county. Houston noted that while the property owners are seeing relief in their taxes, it’s causing severe belt tightening at the local level which hurts services. There’s only a few ways the city can collect money by the city and raising taxes is not in the best interest of the council.
The Knox City Council received an update on the 300 East construction project in the Industrial Park.
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Director Charlie Weaver said that bids were opened in March for the reconstruction of the intersection of State Road 8 and County Road 300 East. The southern part of the intersection will be reconstructed.
The Knox City Council tabled burn permit request from IDEM and the Starke County Economic Development Foundation (SCEDF).
SCEDF Director Charlie Weaver explained that several trees need to be felled in three sites covering 32.8 acres in the industrial park and in order to economically rid the area of the timber debris it would be burned. The area left would be seeded with a portion left for greenspace and the other for economic development. Plans to expand industry and to create jobs is in the future thinking of the development foundation.
The Knox City Council will meet in regular session tonight.
Senator Jim Arnold will have a legislative update, Charles Weaver from the Starke County Economic Development Foundation will discuss the 300 East construction project, and Brian Trappe will have a Toll Brothers tax abatement update.
The Starke County Building Corporation may have been able to save $29,000 had the water line extension from Henry Drive east to the new Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center been finished by its April 1 deadline.
The existing water lines to the building on State Road 8 at County Road 550 East are not wide enough to provide enough pressure should the building catch on fire. The county and city opted last fall to run new lines to the facility and contract the work out. The Knox City Council accepted a bid from Mark Milo Enterprises to do the work.
The Knox City Council members were given a proposed street paving list when they met last week.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers noted that he received the list from Street Superintendent Jeff Borg and the council is expected to review the list and approve it at a future meeting.
The Knox City Council members approved a transfer to help cover the cost of snow removal.
Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston told the city council that the street department did what they could, but they have gone over budget in the snow removal line item. The contractor that removes snow in the downtown area also worked harder this season and charged a little more.
The Knox City Council members discussed a revised fee ordinance Tuesday night.
Under Section 1, Article VI, Sec. 4-251. Location improvement permit fees, a commercial/industrial permit for new construction, additions and remodeling will be left at $5,000. In a previous discussion, the members considered an increase to $7,500, but later determined the $5,000 fee was sufficient.
An ordinance amendment will be going back to the drawing board as the Knox City Council members failed to pass it on final action.
Discussion concerning an amendment to ordinance #1142 regarding outdoor storage and the setback distance for displays was the issue that hung up the approval of the ordinance.
After raising the city’s workers’ compensation benefits in January, the Knox City Council held an executive session Tuesday night prior to their regularly scheduled meeting to discuss the possibility of back-pay for an injured Knox fireman who was out of work after suffering an injury while investigating a fire.
The Starke County Historical Society has hit another roadblock as they seek to relocate their museum. The Knox City Council this week refused to give the Historical Society permission to lease the city’s railroad right-of-way on U.S. 35, across from the visitor’s center, but Marvin McLaughlin with the Historical Society said this won’t necessarily stop them from establishing the new building.
With the cold temperatures this March, it doesn’t quite feel like spring. That’s especially true for five homes in Knox that still suffer from frozen pipes after the harsh winter, and one resident approached the city council this week asking for some kind of solution to her ice-clogged pipes.
The Knox City Council will meet Tuesday night with a full agenda.
Prior to the 7 p.m. regular meeting, the council members will hold an executive session to discuss the fireman’s insurance benefits.
The Knox City Council approved an ordinance revising fees for the Planning Commission this week on its second reading, leaving just one more reading to be approved for the ordinance to take effect. Mayor Rick Chambers told the city council that he recently met with Charles Weaver, executive director of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, to discuss the proposed maximum commercial permit fee of up to $7500.
The Starke County Historical Society is looking to relocate their museum to the area across from the visitor’s center in Knox on U.S. 35, but they’ll need the city’s cooperation in order to do so. Marvin McLaughlin with the Historical Society approached the city council at their meeting Tuesday night with a proposal for a new building to house the museum, but he wasn’t asking for money; rather, McLaughlin said the Historical Society would like to lease the railroad right-of-way.
The Knox City Council last night had a difficult time explaining the desired effect of an amendment to the zoning ordinance regarding outdoor displays. When the owner of Smith Farm Stores in Knox approached the council asking about a portion of the amendment that indicates outdoor displays can only display items that are “in season,” such as jack o’ lanterns in fall or Christmas items in the winter, the question of how items that are not explicitly seasonal would be classified.
The clerk-treasurer in the city of Knox has announced they will soon be going to a new billing system that uses full-size paper rather than postcards, saving roughly $540 per year because, according to Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston, sending postcards is more expensive. Houston said the new bills will be sent out soon, so don’t be alarmed if your bill from the city is different!
