Knox Clerk-Treasurer Discusses Impact that Circuit Breaker Tax Caps Have on the City’s Budget

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Knox City Council members were informed about some anticipated changes to local circuit breaker tax caps they met last Tuesday.

Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston said that on March 1st, he attended a meeting with the financial advisors at Umbaugh and Associates where they presented information about funding in local government and the analysis of assessed value.

He added that Mayor Dennis Estok, county representatives, local school administrators and other city and town officials were also in attendance at the March meeting.  Continue reading →

City of Knox Leaf Pick-Up Starts Monday

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Spring leaf pick-up will be starting soon in the City of Knox.

The Mayor’s Office recently sent out a notice, announcing that the leaf pick-up will begin on April 2nd and run until April 6th. Pick-ups will take place again from April 30th through May 4th.

Branches and limbs will be picked up the Knox Street Department each Thursday.

Residents should place all leaves in front of their residence in a long row next to the curb on the street, not by the alley. Also be sure to clear any trash out of your piles so the vacuum will be able to pick up the leaves. Continue reading →

District 4 Knox City Councilman Submits Verbal Notification of Resignation, Members to Proceed with Official Duties Ordinance

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Mayor Dennis Estok informed council members last Tuesday, that the councilman for District 4, Tim Manns, has verbally indicated that he intends to resign from the city council.

Mayor Estok said that Manns sited scheduling conflicts with work and family obligations as the reason for his resignation. Estok added that the verbal notification is not official and Manns will still need to submit a resignation in writing. Continue reading →

Local Artists to Collaborate on Mural for Serenity Gardens in Knox

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Mayor Dennis Estok shared some information with Knox City Council members about a mural that will be put up on the wall behind Serenity Gardens located at the corner of Main and Lake Streets in downtown Knox.

At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Estok said that he met with some local talent recently and brainstormed some ideas about how to tackle the project.

“We do have three local artists, Joe Eskridge, Zac Hunter and Ryan Ehresman, they’re all three working together,” Estok explained, “What they’re going to do is basically, they’re going do three different themes and what I want them to do is bring the themes in and invite the public to view them and everything.” Continue reading →

Check-In Procedure to Be Added to Knox Spring Clean-Up Days

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Mayor Dennis Estok alerted Knox City Council members of some changes that will be made to procedures for Spring Clean-Up Days this year.

During Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Estok said there were some issues with last year’s event.

“Basically we are changing the format on that,” Estok explained, “last year, we went through a record-high 8 dumpsters at a cost of four thousand some dollars. Probably fifty or sixty percent of the stuff coming in was from out of town residents.” Continue reading →

Knox Board of Works Members Approve Bid for Pearl Street Blight Elimination

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

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 →

New Member Welcomed to Knox Planning Commission Tuesday Night

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The Knox Planning Commission welcomed a new member during their meeting Tuesday night.

Mayor Dennis Estok appointed Jim Strong to the commission and he is filling Steve Dodge’s seat. His term will end on December 31st, 2019.

Commission President Greg Matt said that Strong resigned from the BZA to be on the Planning Commission, leaving a vacancy on that board. Mayor Estok explained that with Strong switching over to the Planning Commission, there are now two open seats on the Board of Zoning Appeals. Continue reading →

Knox City Council Votes to Establish Ordinance Defining the Official Duties of Council Members

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Knox City Council members voted to move forward with establishing an ordinance that would define the official duties of city council members when they met last week.

Up until now, the duties of a council member have been implied but unspecified. This proposed ordinance would establish expectations and responsibilities for council members, including things such as attendance and constituent representation. Continue reading →

City of Knox to Hold One of the First Events of 2018 Later this Month

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

There are a plethora of events planned in Knox for 2018 and the city is scheduled to kick off their string of celebrations with a charitable music show later this month.

On Friday, March 23rd, local music lovers are invited to attend the Bluegrass Jam at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m.

The admission for the show will be non-perishable food donations for the Starke County Food Pantry. The event description says that all musicians are welcome but country music, gospel and bluegrass will be featured. Continue reading →

Knox Mayor Thanks Residents Who Pitched in During this Weekend’s Emergency Situation

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Over the weekend, there were many Knox residents who pitched in to help keep flood waters at bay and Mayor Dennis Estok extended his gratitude to those dedicated individuals during Tuesday night’s city council meeting.

The mayor said, “That just goes to show us that we might be a small community, but we’re a strong community when people need help and that was very evident Saturday night, if you would have seen the operation it was something to see, so I want to thank everybody for helping us out.” Continue reading →

Citizens Encouraged to Attend Public Hearing Over Knox Parks 5-Year Master Plan Tonight

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A public hearing over the Knox Parks 5-Year Master Plan will be held tonight at 6 p.m. in City Hall.

The draft plan had to be submitted to the DNR by January 15th in order for the city to be eligible for potential funding for proposed park plans. Mayor Dennis Estok reported that it was turned in on time and it will be discussed during the hearing tonight.

Additionally, Troyer Group representative will discuss the results from the online survey that was conducted. Mayor Estok mentioned that more than 250 surveys were received. Continue reading →

Knox Wastewater Concerns Continue

Posted on Author Michael Gallenberger

The City of Knox is urging residents to take precautions for possible sewage backups. As of Friday morning, the Knox Wastewater Treatment Plant is running above capacity, according to Mayor Dennis Estok. He’s still asking residents and businesses to reduce consumption and use of water and make sure basement and bathroom floor drains are plugged.

Continue reading →

Knox Event Planning Committee to Meet this Week, Calling all Volunteers!

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The first Knox Event Planning Committee meeting of the year will be held this week.

At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Dennis Estok announced that the committee will meet to discuss some of the different events scheduled for later this year including movies in the park, community concerts and the fireworks show.

The Mayor encouraged all past volunteers to attend, as well as any other residents interested in providing a helping hand. Continue reading →

Knox Citizen Voices Concern Over Heavy Trucks on Henry Drive

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A member of the public voiced her concern about large trucks traveling on Henry Drive during the citizen’s comments portion of Tuesday night’s Knox City Council Meeting.

The resident said she understands that there are certain larger city vehicles that must come down that way, but she feels heavier semis that frequent the street are contributing to a road issue.

The resident of Henry Drive stated, “I noticed there is a huge crack that’s getting bigger and bigger and bigger from the big trucks going down. And I know that the garbage truck has to go down the street but there are big semis and delivery trucks, so why can’t they go on 8?” Continue reading →

Knox City Council Approves Fire Truck Purchase

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The Knox City Council members voted unanimously to move forward with the purchase of a pumper truck for the Knox-Center Township Fire Department.

With the motion, members also permitted city officials to communicate with Umbaugh about obtaining a bond for the purchase of the fire truck. Mayor Dennis Estok said that Shawn Cain from KIRPC informed him that no grants are available at this time, so financing for this purchase will come the bond. Continue reading →