Knox City Council Continues Conversation over Downtown Parking Problems

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A previously considered council item was visited once again at the Knox City Council meeting on Tuesday. Council member Bertha Blue asked Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston what he found regarding the city’s rules about vehicles obstructing sidewalks.

Houston said while researching, he was unable to locate a local ordinance but he did find a state statute that specifies parking is prohibited on sidewalks. He said while that would technically be enforceable, he thought the terms were not realistic for Knox.

“If you use the state statute,” Houston explained,  “you’re looking at real big fines and stuff so we probably want to write a new one for the city.” Continue reading →

Mayor Estok Starts Discussion With Knox City Council About Vehicle Replacement

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Mayor Dennis Estok informed Knox City Council members this week that he is looking into funding options to replace a vehicle for Kenny Pfost, the city’s Planning Administrator and Director of Building and Code Compliance.

Pfost told the council members that he’s been utilizing his personal vehicle for about three weeks after the city issued vehicle quit running and. Mayor Estok said the vehicle was provided as a hand-me-down from the police department and has been repaired a few times in the past. The projected cost of current repairs was around $16,000. Continue reading →

Knox City Council Votes to Shed Some Light on Reported Darkness Downtown

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The downtown area in Knox will be getting a little bit brighter thanks to a decision made by the Knox City Council last night. The council members voted unanimously to approve Mayor Dennis Estok’s request to replace 10 bulbs in the downtown area with new LED bulbs.

Mayor Estok started looking into new lighting options after receiving continuous complaints about the darkness downtown. He has been working with a representative from Herrman and Goetz, discussing the best route to take.

Estok started by installing one bulb on Main Street to have council members weigh in with their opinions. They all agreed that there was a noticeable difference. Estok said now that they know the bulbs are brighter, he wants to test out more in order to see how multiple bulbs would illuminate the area. Continue reading →

Knox City Council Meets Tonight

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Knox City Council meets tonight, where members will discuss the replacement of downtown streetlights.

This topic has been talked about during meetings in the past. Mayor Dennis Estok had one experimental bulb installed and has been asking for council feedback about it over the last few months. Council members reported seeing a significant difference in brightness between the old lights and the new bulb.

The council will also hear from Ron Gifford with the Starke County Economic Development Foundation.

The council members will meet in Knox City Hall at 7 p.m. tonight.

Knox Residents in Need of Fall Lawn Care Assistance Can Call the Mayor’s Office for Help

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

As the fall season is upon us, leaves will start to scatter across yards all over town. Knox residents who are unable to tend to their lawns due to advanced age or physical disability are able to submit a request for assistance to the Mayor’s Office.

Mayor Dennis Estok announced the start of the call out for the fall leaf pick-up program at the Knox City Council meeting earlier this week. He informed council members that the Mayor’s Office works in conjunction with the SCILL Center to get the leaves raked. The program is carried out on a first come, first serve basis and they’re able to attend to up to 15 properties. Continue reading →

Update About Upgrades to Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

An update about ongoing renovations to the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center was provided by Mayor Dennis Estok during last night’s brief Knox City Council meeting.

Mayor Estok told council members that work being done to the heating and air conditioning systems is nearly complete. He said only one compressor still needs to be installed. He went on to say that roofers will be commencing their work this week, possibly as soon as today. Continue reading →

Knox City Council Meets Tonight

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

No specific action or discussion items are listed on the agenda for the Knox City Council meeting being held tonight at 7 p.m. in Knox City Hall.

The council will hear reports from Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston and Mayor Dennis Estok. There will be time allotted toward the end of the meeting for citizen’s comments and council items.

In recent meetings, council items included the potential striping of Culver Road and an ordinance pertaining to parking downtown. There is a possibility these items will be revisited tonight but they are not specifically listed on the agenda.

Knox City Council Unofficially Discusses Potential New Lighting Downtown

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Mayor Dennis Estok has been discussing the possibility of replacing the lights in the downtown area during the last few Knox City Council meetings. They have been experimenting with a new kind of bulb. When they first met in September, he suggested that the council members take a little time after the meeting was adjourned to see the change and provide their input.

At their meeting last Tuesday, Mayor Estok said the experiment bulb was moved from its initial placement due to an obstruction from a near by tree. However, even with the tree covering the original spot, many council members said they could see a definite difference in brightness. Continue reading →

Knox Police Department Taser Fundraiser Less Than $400 Away from Goal

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The Knox Police Department has been seeking funds for taser replacement. At the Knox City Council meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Dennis Estok announced that the goal of $6,000 has nearly been reached.

Police Chief Harold Smith has said in the past that the tasers that are currently available to the department are more than 14 years old and in a state beyond repair. Due to budget restrictions, the Knox PD asked for community assistance to replace the tasers. They had a crowd-funding account where people could donate online and they also received check and cash donations. Continue reading →

Public Hearing over 2018 Budget Held During Knox City Council Meeting

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Knox City Council held a public hearing over the 2018 budget during their meeting Tuesday night. If you missed it, don’t worry, the budget can be seen online through the Indiana Gateway for Government Units website. Click here to access the 2018 Budget for the City of Knox.

During the hearing, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston went over specific items on the notice to the taxpayer. He explained that the max civil levy is the maximum amount of money that is allowed to be collected from property taxes. The estimated max civil levy is $1,567,438. He also described that the tax cap, the amount of money not allowed to be collected based on the classification of particular properties, is $221,292. The estimated general fund is $1,563,107. Continue reading →

Knox City Council 2018 Salary Ordinance includes 3% Pay Increase, Raise for Part-time Police

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The Knox City Council held the first reading of the 2018 salary ordinance during their meeting Tuesday evening. A three percent increase is being proposed across the board, with the exception of part-time police, which had a specific raise amount recommend by the Chief of Police.

Mayor Dennis Estok explained the three percent increase is being proposed across the board because of a recent insurance policy change. Continue reading →

Knox City Council Votes to Increase Volunteer Fire Department Pay

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan
 

During the Knox City Council meeting last night, members considered a change to the Fire Protection Agreement between the City and the Knox-Center Township Volunteer Fire Department.

As things were, volunteer firefighters would receive $10 per call, regardless of the time spent at a location. Mayor Dennis Estok said that whether they’re there for five minutes or five hours and they would still only receive $10. After attending a meeting recently Mayor Estok saw a need for an adjustment. Continue reading →

Highway Superintendent Completes ADA Audits of County Buildings

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler reported to the Starke County Commissioners Monday night that the county buildings fared pretty well during a recent ADA audit.

Ritzler said only minor issues were found.

“I did an initial ADA audit of the courthouse, annex building, annex 2 with Jim Coad, I did the highway garage myself, and did the justice center with Tony Mildice,” explained Ritzler. “There were no deficiencies found at the justice center. Three were found in the new annex building, four in the courthouse, three in the annex and two at the garage. Most of those were just minor things like signage and counter height. The only major one that we had there was no curb cut at the new annex building in the front.”

Continue reading →