The North Judson Town Board is looking to the future as they approved a resolution to encumber some money from their paving funds over into the 2013 budget.
Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry explained that in order to save money from a 2012 fund to be used in 2013, the board must encumber the funds, which requires the board to have a proposal and a contract with the vendor. The vendor must guarantee that the price will be the same when the time comes to perform the service, usually in the spring.
The North Judson Town Board approved a number of purchase orders for new equipment for the utility department. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry explained the board approved purchases to replace worn-out tools and other equipment, and they approved the purchase of a set of heavy-duty backhoe forks. Henry said the forks can be mounted on the front bucket of the backhoe to allow it to lift items, making it easy to unload pipes, fire hydrants, or other heavy items that may need hauled.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board this week approved a number of bids during their regular board meeting. Superintendent Lynn Johnson said the board approved bids on two replacement buses, as well as the tax anticipation bids.
Johnson explained the school is on a 12-year replacement cycle for buses, so the school is regularly looking at replacing the vehicles. This year, she said the school had two buses that needed to be replaced as per the rotation, and the board requested several bids from a number of companies.
The tax anticipation bid was required because the school is still financing their gymnasium and fine arts auditorium which was built approximately 13 years ago. She said the school is still financing those new additions until 2017, but once that debt is resolved, she said the corporation will be better equipped to look into additional improvements.
While Knox Community Schools are gearing up to implement the new School Messenger system, North Judson-San Pierre Schools Superintendent Lynn Johnson said their school has already made use of the program.
Johnson said the program allows the school to stay in contact with parents and inform them of anything going on with the school.
The North Judson Town Board will soon grow in size from three members to five, and Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry said the board yesterday announced the two people who will fill those new seats.
Henry explained Josh Brown and Justin Davis, both younger members of the community, will represent the town on the board.
The Connecticut Elementary School shooting has rocked the nation and it’s even hit those in the Kankakee Valley area.
A prayer vigil has been planned for tonight in North Judson where several pastors will lead those in prayer and comfort for the victims and the families of those affected by the shooting.
During an executive session held earlier this week by the North Judson Town Board, the board members reviewed eight qualified candidates for the two soon-to-be-open seats on the board. Since the public question on the General Election ballot as to whether or not the town board should expand to five members passed overwhelmingly, Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry said the board must now choose two candidates to fill the two new seats on the board.
The town of North Judson is working on a number of projects, but Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry said they have just wrapped up the leaf pickup for the town. She said the crew made several sweeps of the town in November to make sure they picked up all loose leaves, and now they’re moving on to other items.
Henry explained the town is now working on fire contracts as they currently have bi-annual agreements with two other townships for fire run coverage. She said the fire department has an annual agreement with Wayne Township to send firetrucks out in response to calls, and they also have contracts with Jackson Township in Starke County and Rich Grove Township in Pulaski County.
The North Judson Town Board this week adopted their new salary ordinance upon its third reading, and the ordinance will soon go to the local newspaper for publication. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry explained the board also held the third reading of the zoning variance request by Osborne Realty, a business wishing to move their real estate office into a single-family residential building.
The Board of Zoning Appeals during their October meeting approved the business’s request, and the town board is now passing an ordinance to confirm the variance. The building will soon be rezoned to general business.
The town of North Judson has met the ever-nearing deadline for the drafting of an ADA compliance plan. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry explained that ADA Coordinator Doug Vessely presented the final draft of the ADA plan that he had developed, with details about what improvements have been made and what work must still be done.
Henry explained that the plan is basically finalized, and just in time – the deadline of Dec. 31 was getting a little too close for comfort.
For the third year in a row, Joe Leszek will be filling the shoes of North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Chief, having been nominated by the 25-member department. Mike Scutchfield remains as the assistant fire chief despite being nominated by Leszek for the chief position, as Scutchfield’s work schedule did not allow enough time for him to handle the additional responsibilities. Fortunately, Leszek said the teamwork between the pair is phenomenal.
“It’s great. Mike Scutchfield is a great assistant chief; I nominated him for chief this year, and with his work schedule, he’s just unable to fulfill some of the responsibilities that the town board has. Hopefully in the near future he’ll be taking over for me!” Leszek said.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation is currently undergoing the process of K-12 accreditation through AdvancED, which Superintendent Lynn Johnson said is a very lengthy ordeal. She explained that prior to this, each school was individually accredited; however, because the corporation contains three schools, the corporation decided to go with K-12 accreditation.
“We decided to go through K-12 accreditation, so it really helps align the whole process as far as our curriculum instruction. So we went through the process of making sure that the conditions were ready that we could meet the criteria through AdvancED and become a candidate for accreditation,” said Johnson. “It’s a good process; it’s a huge learning process.”
The North Judson Town Board this week discussed a number of ordinances, including the cemetery rules and regulations ordinance that had previously been reviewed by Town Attorney Cassandra Hein.
Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry explained that the board had approved a number of small changes to the ordinance as per Hein’s recommendations, and added a section to the ordinance as well. The first and second readings will be held at their next meeting on Dec. 3.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board this week discussed the letter grades they received from the state, and Superintendent Lynn Johnson said they are pleased with the grades but she has her concerns about the validity of the evaluation model.
Formal charges are pending against a North Judson man who allegedly was involved in a domestic battery issue Sunday.
North Judson police responded to a call of a domestic dispute in the 300 block of Franklin Avenue. A woman called police to say she was battered by her husband, Jeffrey Jacobs, in front of a child. She called 911 to report the incident but he took the phone from her and hid.
After an initial investigation by North Judson Police and with the assistance from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and the Knox City Police Department, Jacobs was located and taken into custody. He was arrested on preliminary charges of Domestic Battery, Resisting Law Enforcement and Interfering with the Reporting of a Crime. He was booked in the Starke County Jail.
The North Judson Town Board is continuing their efforts to enact a number of ordinances relating to the town. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry explained that they read the first and second readings of several ordinances, and they are planning to hold the first and second readings of another ordinance at their next meeting.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board this week approved the new teacher evaluation plan for the current school year. Superintendent Lynn Johnson explained that they had been previously evaluating certified staff members “per negotiation,” which she explained separated the teachers into three categories: semi-permanent, tenured, and newly-hired.
A North Judson man was arrested Sunday after allegedly stealing a woman’s purse.
North Judson police received a call late Sunday night from a woman who reported her purse stolen. Clayton E. Hale had left a local establishment with a friend and then he went home. When the woman went home, she noticed her purse was missing.
Officers later found Hale who was in possession of the purse as well as controlled substances and marijuana.
Hale, 26, was arrested on preliminary charges of Theft, and felony counts of Possession of Marijuana and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
A North Judson man was sentenced in Pulaski Circuit Court after pleading guilty to a an amended charge of Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury as a Class A Misdemeanor. The charge was originally filed as a Class C Felony. Continue reading
Two members of the North Judson-San Pierre High School Band were recently chosen to participate in a regional production at Kankakee Valley High School.
Destiny Bennett and Lexie Miller were chosen to participate in the Indiana Bandmasters Association All-Region Band held at Kankakee Valley High School. Though nearly 300 students applied, only approximately 100 band students in grades 7 through 9 from Northwest Indiana were chosen to participate.
Matthew Hibbets was the guest conductor for the IBA All-Region Band held at Elwood Middle School. All-Region Bands were held at 12 sites throughout the state during the weekend of Nov. 17 and 18.
