NJ Town Council Members to Discuss Cemetery Mowing Ad and Amended Salary Ordinance Tonight

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

North Judson Town Council members will discuss the cemetery mowing advertisement when they meeting tonight.

Members will also hold the second reading over an amended salary ordinance. At the final meeting in February, members held the first reading over a salary ordinance that would not include a 3 percent raise for the town council members.

At the beginning of the year, members signed off on a salary ordinance that essentially gave a 3 percent raise across the board. However, Town Attorney Justin Schramm explained that since the salary ordinance was approved in January of 2018, the members couldn’t approve a raise for themselves since it wouldn’t look good to the State Board of Accounts to approve a raise in the same year it is given. Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Decides on Potential Dates for SCEDF Workday

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

North Judson Town Council members decided on a few potential dates to recommend for a SCEDF workday when they met Monday night.

Starke County Economic Development Foundation liaison James Young reminded council members that Executive Director Larry Wickert is attempting to set up a session of some kind so members can brainstorm some ideas for potential development. Continue reading →

Amended Salary Ordinance Fails to Pass on First Reading at NJ Town Council Meeting

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

An ordinance amending the approved 2018 salary ordinance was considered on first reading during Monday night’s North Judson Town Council meeting.

When the town council members passed the salary ordinance back in January, it included a 3 percent raise across the board, except for Town Marshal Kelly Fisher who forfeited her raise to supplement the raises of her officers.

In the initial ordinance, town council members were included in the individuals who would receive the raise. However, Town Attorney Justin Schramm said that due to when the ordinance was passed, that raise could potentially be seen as questionable by state officials. Continue reading →

North Judson Police Department Welcomes K9 Jimy to the Force

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan
NJPD K9 Jimy

The highly anticipated addition to the North Judson Police Department is finally here.

Yesterday, Officer Rico Simpson picked his K9 partner out of more than 300 dogs at Vohne Liche Kennels. The dual-purpose K9 that he chose is named Jimy.

As a dual-purpose dog, Jimy will be able to assist with patrol work such as narcotics detection and apprehension, as well as tracking. Town Marshall Kelly Fisher previously reported that the tracking capabilities could not only help with finding criminals, but they could also come in handy for missing persons cases. Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Members Discuss Advertisement for Cemetery Mowing and Additional Duties

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan
Pioneer Cemetery  in North Judson. Photo courtesy of findagrave.com.

North Judson Town Council members considered the advertisement for cemetery mowing when they met Monday night.

Individuals applying for this job would be bidding on lawn care, leaf clean up and debris removal for both Highland and Pioneer Cemeteries. They would be expected to provide all labor, equipment and fuel.

Members noted that the proposed advertisement was the same as last year’s. However, since they experienced some problems with last year’s service, they wanted to avoid any potential confusion by clearly stating what is expected of the bidder. Continue reading →

North Judson Police Department Plans Future Events

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The North Judson Town Council members heard some future event suggestions from Town Marshal Kelly Fisher during their meeting last week.

Fisher said they’re considering a “Canine Mud Run” as a potential summertime fundraiser. She said it would be like any other mud run but they would invite individuals to bring their dogs along.

She said the police department plans to team up with the park board to have community-centered events every month. Continue reading →

NJ Town Marshal Updates Town Council on Department Renovations

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Renovations to the North Judson Police Department are underway. The town council members recently approved Town Marshall Kelly Fisher’s request to convert the conference room into a training area.

At Monday night’s town council meeting, Marshal Fisher informed members that two old radiators were recently removed with the help of the utility department.  Continue reading →

Benefit Breakfast for North Judson Fire Chaplain Scheduled for Tomorrow

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Department is holding a benefit breakfast for Chaplain Paul Newcomer at 7 a.m. on Saturday.

At Monday night’s town council meeting Fire Chief Joe Leszek explained that Newcomer was diagnosed with prostate cancer and recently underwent a successful surgery. They are holding this at-will donation benefit as a way to raise funds to help cover his medical expenses. Continue reading →

Public Hearing Over OCRA Grant Application Held During NJ Town Council Meeting

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A public hearing over a proposed grant application was held during the North Judson Town Council meeting earlier this week.

On Monday, KIRPC Executive Director Edwin Buswell explained that the grant application requesting a $550,000 wastewater/drinking water grant is due to the Office of Community and Rural Affairs on Friday. Buswell said the local match is for $1,268,000 which will come in the form of an SRF Loan. Continue reading →

Norwayne Field Amphitheater Was Delivered and is Being Stored Temporarily

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The amphitheater for Norwayne Field in North Judson has been delivered and its size called for alternative storage options to be utilized.

Initially, the plan was to temporarily store it in the park garage, but at Monday’s town council meeting, Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe stated that it was a bit too big for that. Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann said they were able to store part of it where they originally planned and another portion is being stored in a building out on Railroad Street. Continue reading →

North Judson Residents Wish Officer Beishuizen and K9 Gunner a Happy Retirement

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan
Scott Beishuizen and Gunner
Photo Credit: NJ Town Photographer Peggy Bohac

At Monday night’s North Judson Town Council meeting, members of the community and the council wished Reserve Officer Scott Beishuizen and his K-9 Gunner farewell.

Town Marshal Kelly Fisher presented the team with a plaque and thanked them both for their service with the department and their commitment to the community. The town council shook hands with Officer Beishuizen and he issued a statement expressing his gratitude. Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council to Hold Public Hearing Tonight

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

North Judson Town Council members will hold a public hearing regarding the KIRPC water project during their regularly scheduled meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m.

In a past meeting, Town Superintendent Marshal Horstmann stated that needed improvements include rehabilitating four wells and bringing both water towers back up to OSHA standards with internal and external painting, repairs and sandblasting. Continue reading →

NJ Town Council Members Invited to Attend K9 Pick-Up at Vohne Liche Kennels

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

On Monday night, North Judson Town Marshal Kelly Fisher invited council members to tag along with NPJD as they venture to Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Indiana on Tuesday, February 20th.

Marshal Fisher mentioned that Officer Rico Simpson will have over 300 dogs to choose from. The chosen animal will then go home with Officer Simpson for a week in order for them to bond and get familiarized.

After the week is complete, Simpson will attend six weeks worth of training, five days a week at the Vohne Liche facility. Continue reading →

House Bill That Would Affect Bidding Process Faces Opposition from NJ Town Council

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A proposed House Bill was brought to the attention of North Judson Town Council members during a special meeting Monday night.

Council President Wendy Hoppe informed council members that House Bill 1313 is currently being considered by the House of Representatives. She explained that if enacted, it would affect the bidding process.

Hoppe said, “What the state is trying to say is the bidder can bid it and we have no way that we can check their background; who they are, what they are, what their work is. Where now we do have that [capability] and that in a nutshell is what that bill is about.” Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Approves Purchase of K9 Vehicle for Police Department

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

During a special meeting Monday night, North Judson Town Council members permitted Town Marshal Kelly Fisher to proceed with the purchase of a vehicle for the Police Department.

The vehicle is for Officer Rico Simpson and the police dog that he will be picking up next month. Members approved the purchase of a black 2014 Ford Explorer, with all-wheel drive that was requested by the town marshal. Marshal Fisher explained that it’s had routine maintenance so it is in very good condition. Continue reading →

NJ Town Council to Hold Special Meeting to Consider K9 Vehicle Purchase Tonight

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A special meeting to consider the purchase of a K9 vehicle will be held by the North Judson Town Council tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Town Marshal Kelly Fisher initially proposed the purchase when town council members met on Monday, January 15th.Fisher explained that the department has $10,000 worth of funds available that was initially intended to buy a mode of transportation for the town’s code enforcement officer.

However, rather than purchasing a new vehicle for that purpose, she suggested handing down Officer Rico Simpson’s current car so they can utilize the money for something that could be equipped with the K9 travel kennel. Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Members Include 3% Raise in Amended Salary Ordinance

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The North Judson Town Council members met for a special session to discuss the town salary ordinance prior to their regular meeting last week.

Members approved three percent raises across the board for the council, clerk-treasurer and department heads. The only position that remained unchanged was the park caretaker position.

Town Marshal Kelly Fisher requested forgoing her raise and giving it to her full-time officers. Continue reading →

NJ Town Council Discusses Potential Changes to Holiday Decoration Procedure

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

North Judson Town Council members will be looking into alternative holiday decoration options after there was collective council dissatisfaction and a few citizen complaints about how lights and decorations were handled in 2017.

As a portion of his report, Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe presented a purchase order from HAP Industries for $5,796 for their decoration assistance last year. Though the members voted to pay the P.O., Councilman John Rowe suggested revisiting the deal with HAP and potentially purchasing decorations rather than renting them. Continue reading →

North Judson Police Department to Convert Boardroom into Training Area

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

North Judson Police Officers will be tacking a renovation project soon, following a decision made by town council members on Monday.

At the first town council meeting of the year, Town Marshal Kelly Fisher requested permission to convert a scarcely used boardroom in the police department into a training area. She said that many of the officers have instructor qualifications so they could open the space up to host training classes for other local officers and to bring in some money for the department.

Council Members thought it was a good idea, but they wanted to ensure that the individuals who use the room for meetings wouldn’t feel ousted. Continue reading →