Knox City Clerk-Treasurer, Jeff Houston, discussed the numbers from the Water Department with the City Council members at their recent meeting.
“This year we have a small loss of $54,000 in this utility,” said Houston. “It might come to a little bit less, but that’s what it’s projected to be, but that also includes $66,765 in depreciation.”
Houston said the projection is for the Water Department to lose less money next year.
The Knox City Council has decided to refinance the remaining payments on the Knox Community Center. John Julien, from Umbaugh and Associates, appeared before the council to announce that re-bonding rates would go from 5.6% to 2.5%, and the city could realize savings from $14,000 to $25,000 over the course of the payments.
Knox’s big August festival might be in jeopardy following an announcement last night that the Friends of the Park Organization would be dropping its sponsorship of the Harvest Days Festival. The organization had been in charge of the three day event for the past six years. Friends of the Park President, Tony Radkiewicz, explained the organization’s decision.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers recently received the new Waste Management contract and presented it to the Knox City Council. Waste Management is the City’s contracted waste hauler for household trash and recycling. According to Mayor Chambers, he is working with Attorney David Matsey on the legalities of extending that contract without rebidding.
Workers for the City of Knox are being forewarned that their uniforms that they wear at work might be taxed as a fringe benefit in the near future.
Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston told Mayor Rick Chambers and City Council members of the possibility at the most recent City Council meeting.
“That looks like the way that the Department of Revenue says that we may be going,” said Houston. “There may be a way around that. We might have to pass an ordinance saying that that’s required for the city employees and they may have to take those uniforms off at work.”
In a surprise move, the Knox City Council voted against giving themselves a raise in 2012. Councilwoman Linda Berndt said, “We’re not in this for the money, and I think we have to draw the line somewhere!”
Berndt went on to say that the hours devoted to the job and the sleepless nights she agonized over votes would never be enough if salary was the sole consideration. The council members make $3,500.00 a year for serving on the board. The raise would have added $70.00 a year to their salary.
What’s ahead for downtown Knox? That was the question Candice Bernier, representing both the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, and Indiana Downtown, attempted to answer at the Knox City Council meeting Wednesday night.
Bernier told the building owners, city officials, and other interested persons who attended the meeting that a five year game plan is needed to correct the deficiencies in the downtown.
Trying to build on the enthusiasm generated by last week’s meeting to discuss downtown Knox, the Knox City Council will hear from Candice Bernier, a Downtown Planning Project Coordinator for the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, who will be at tonight’s Knox City Council meeting.
The Knox City Council will welcome a special speaker during their regular meeting this week.
Candice Bernier, Special Projects Coordinator for the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, will focus on planning for the future of downtown Knox.
The Knox City Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 9th at 7:00 p.m. CT at the Knox Community Center and you are invited to attend the presentation to hear those ideas and suggest ideas during the meeting. Other agenda items include the first reading of a salary ordinance for elected officials, the second reading of the change of fees and fines for the animal ordinance, and a resolution for the rebonding of the Knox Community Center.
The topic of fireworks came up again at the most recent meeting of the Knox City Council. Even though it’s billed as the Starke County Fireworks celebration, Mayor Rick Chambers explained to the Council that the City has been on the losing end monetarily while trying to support the effort.
“A fireworks contract was sent to me…what do we want to do with the fireworks?” Mayor Chambers asked the City Council. “We took quite a beating on that this year really because of the weather. We didn’t collect what we had collected in the past. Starke County didn’t donate like they’ve donated in the past. We got stuck with $4,700 which was the City’s cost this year. Last year, it cost us $640. We hustled, we worked, we got donations, and this year it sort of fell through with the economy and the bad weather that night.”
A public hearing will be held tonight from 5:00-6:30 p.m. CT at the Knox Community Center to discuss the condition of downtown Knox.
The hearing was called by Mayor Rick Chambers in response to an appearance by Gene Blastic before the City Council who represented the Starke County Economic Development Foundation. Blastic detailed options for the 114-year-old building that houses the offices of the Development Foundation. It was built in 1897 to house a drug store. More recently, there was an attempt to open a movie theater in the corner building that is located at the intersection Lake and Main Streets.
Blastic said the building might be rehabilitated or it might be demolished.
In the course of Blastic’s presentation, he suggested the City and the Development Foundation form a partnership to consider a Master Plan for downtown Knox.
The initial meeting will include the Downtown Redevelopment Committee, city officials, and others in the community who might be interested in helping to craft that plan.
Knox City Council President Ed Blue will be stepping down from his council seat at the end of the year. Republican Thom Morin and Democrat Donald Kring are vying for the District 1 seat in the November 8th election.
Republican Morin was asked why he decided to run for the position.
“When you love a city and you see the things that you don’t feel are right, you want to do something,” said Morin. “We have a growing drug problem in the City of Knox and there are so many other areas of the city that need to be fixed and need attention. We have a growing senior citizen population in this city so we need to be able to address those issues. That’s why I’m running for City Council because I feel that’s where I can help and be a value to my community.”
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers and the Knox Redevelopment Committee will be holding a public hearing on Wednesday, November 2nd, to discuss the future of the the building at the corner of Lake and Main Streets which was home to Everett’s Drug Store and the downtown theatre.
The Knox City Council learned this week that the General Fund does not have enough money to pay the health premiums through the end of the year. The Council members had to allow a $70,500 transfer from the city’s EDIT fund into the General Fund.
Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston talked about one of the reasons the premium costs have escalated.
“We’ve added several new members to the plan and just by adding one employee and a spouse results in an almost $18,000 increase per year,” reported Houston.
Residents in Knox are being asked to do a better job of recycling. Kevin Boyce, of Waste Management, appeared before the Knox City Council this week to talk about a new five year contract. In the course of the presentation, Boyce talked about landfill tons collected, in comparison to recycle tons.
Boyce said he would like to see more people participating in recycling, hopefully getting the percentage of landfill waste to recycle items to around 30%.
The Knox City Council meeting began last night with a heated exchange initiated by Republican City Council candidate, Thom Morin. Morin charged impropriety in his opponent being able to campaign at the Knox Center-Township Volunteer Fire Department annual pancake breakfast Sunday morning.
Donald Kring, the Democrat candidate, said following the meeting that he only did what has traditionally been done at community events in the past when he placed campaign material on the tables. He said he asked for permission before the breakfast began and was informed that all candidates could avail themselves of the opportunity if they so desired.
Dogs in the city limits of Knox can be a problem for many reasons. Even though a dog may be gentle and kind to its owners, it might be vicious to others.
Vicious dogs was a topic of discussion last week at the Knox City Council meeting. It all came about when several people who received citations for offenses were just walking away from ownership. Not only was the fine for a vicious dog $250.00, but other lesser offenses were, too.
It was discussed at a past meeting that the fines should be reduced for the lesser offenses, but the $250.00 fine should remain for vicious dogs. One woman owed $750.00 in fines for lesser offenses. In this case, she said that she was going to give up ownership of the dog because she couldn’t afford the fines.
The Knox City Council recently discussed abolishing Knox City Court. Even though the court takes away almost $100,000 from the City’s General Fund, Mayor Rick Chambers says there’s no opportunity to abolish it until 2014.
“State statute states during 2006 and every fourth year after that, a second or third class town, or city may, by ordinance, establish or abolish a city or town court,” said Chambers. “So, we can’t just snap our fingers and say no more City Court next year. By state statute, every fourth year you have to do an ordinance.”
The Knox-Center Township and North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Departments have agreed to a swap of equipment. In the swap, North Judson would receive a 1980 Ford Pumper truck with a 750 gallon tank and Knox would receive an air bag system that is approximately six to seven years old.
Knox-Center Township Volunteer Fire Chief, Ken Pfost, explained to the City Council members that the air bag system new would cost approximately $10,000.
The General Manager of Sabre Manufacturing was at the most recent meeting of the Knox City Council to discuss upcoming plans for the company. Jason Riese told the Council that with the acquisition of property east of the plant, they can expand the facility and add a new product line.
