The City of Knox is asking downtown business owners for their help in getting a Main Street designation. Mayor Dennis Estok told the city council last week that while the city wants to pursue the designation, it can’t do it alone.
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The Knox City Police Department will soon be adding to its force. Police Chief Harold Smith told the board of works Wednesday that his department is currently down three officers. Mayor Dennis Estok added that officers are getting burned out and wouldn’t be able to use their vacation time, due to the shortage.
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Knox city employees are getting a one-percent pay raise next year. The city council gave its final approval to the 2021 salary ordinance Tuesday. Pay levels for elected officials, appointed board members, and the city’s attorneys will stay the same.
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A proposed one-percent pay raise for Knox City employees will be up for the city council’s final approval tonight. The 2021 salary ordinance will be up for final reading.
Continue readingThe Knox City Council passed a resolution last week allowing CARES Act funding to be used to reimburse public safety payroll costs. Mayor Dennis Estok reminded council members that the city got almost $115,000 to spend on COVID-19-related expenses, but said the guidelines for spending it had changed.
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Knox Mayor Dennis Estok continues exploring the possibility of tearing down the former Moose Lodge. He told the redevelopment commission last week that to keep the building, the roof would need to be replaced, and making the building ADA-compliant would take a lot of money.
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Leaf pickup is starting in many local communities, if it hasn’t already. The City of Knox starts picking up leaves today. “Make sure everybody puts their leaves out by the curbs,” Mayor Dennis Estok told the city council last week. “No sticks or limbs or anything like that can be in it.”
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Social distancing guidelines may even apply to Santa Claus. Knox Mayor Dennis Estok told the city council Tuesday that he still hasn’t decided whether or not to hold this year’s Peppermint Parade.
Continue readingThe Knox City Council will consider a resolution tonight that would allow CARES Act funding to be used to reimburse public safety payroll costs. Mayor Dennis Estok told council members last month that the city’s share of the federal funding was almost $115,000.
Continue readingThe Knox City Council is taking aim at hunting in the city limits. Mayor Dennis Estok recently told council members that while the use of firearms is prohibited, there’s nothing in the city’s ordinances banning hunting in general.
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The City of Knox is moving ahead with trick-or-treating but is urging residents to take precautions against COVID-19. Mayor Dennis Estok announced Thursday that trick-or-treat hours will be Saturday, October 31 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. But the costume judging normally held at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center sponsored by Starke County A.B.A.T.E. has been canceled.
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The Knox City Council adopted the 2021 budget last week. It totals just over $3 million, with almost $1.6 million of that being the General Fund. While those are slight decreases from this year’s budget, Mayor Dennis Estok previously noted that the amount of revenue should be slightly higher.
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Completion of the Knox Wastewater Treatment Plant project has been delayed yet again. The board of works Wednesday reluctantly agreed to extend substantial completion to the week of October 12 and final completion to November 12.
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The Knox City Council Tuesday approved a new traffic pattern for the intersection of Carlson Drive and Pine Street. Traffic on Pine Street will now have to stop, while Carlson Drive traffic will have the right of way.
Continue readingThe 2021 budget will be up for adoption during tonight’s Knox City Council meeting. The total proposed budget is just over $3 million, with almost $1.6 million of that being the General Fund.
Continue readingWhether to allow trick-or-treating during a global pandemic is a question being faced by many local communities. Knox Mayor Dennis Estok told the city council last week that he was still waiting for guidance.
Continue readingWork is picking up at the Knox Wastewater Treatment Plant. That’s according to Engineer Steve Henschen with Jones Petrie Rafinski. He told the board of works last week that the building shell is up, and the building is almost completely enclosed. Henschen added that work inside the building was proceeding at a “rapid pace.”
Continue readingAs the Knox Board of Zoning Appeals prepares to make a decision on a proposed homeless shelter, an effort to add a new member to the board was unsuccessful. During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Council President Jeff Berg made a motion to appoint Monica Miller to fill a longstanding vacancy on the BZA.
Continue readingThe City of Knox is moving closer to revitalizing a dilapidated downtown building. The city has been trying to take possession of 8 South Main Street, after a portion of the roof collapsed and the owner failed to pay most of the fine.
Continue readingThe former Knox Moose Lodge will not be offered as a potential site for a homeless shelter, according to Mayor Dennis Estok. “That building was bought for future land use, to help revitalize the downtown area, whatever it’s going to be,” Estok said during Tuesday’s city council meeting. “It was not offered for the homeless shelter, and it won’t be. That is not the original plan for that building. That’s not why we bought it. So that is off the table, as far as I’m concerned.”
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