Investment in infrastructure is critical in order to see future growth in Starke County. That’s the assessment Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver shared with the county commissioners last night. He and Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler jointly presented a five-year strategic infrastructure plan to the body. It includes an overview and timeline of bridge and road projects and justification for plans still on the drawing board. Continue reading
Sheriff Looks for Funds to Cover Drug Counseling Costs
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin wants to charge inmates a fee to cover the cost of drug counseling services at the jail. He presented his idea to the county commissioners Monday evening. Continue reading
Highway Superintended Makes Case for Position Reallocation
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says the request to create employee budget positions was misunderstood by the county commissioners at their last meeting. Neither Ritzler nor Commissioner Kathy Norem were there, and the other two commissioners denied the request citing a top-heavy management structure within the department. Continue reading
Starke County Council Mulls Ambulance Purchase
The Starke County Council wants input from the commissioners before proceeding with the purchase of a new ambulance. EMS Director Keith Emigh is looking to replace the 2009 Ford truck based at Grovertown due to extensive mechanical issues. Continue reading
Starke County Council to Consider Ambulance Purchase
Starke County EMS Director Keith Emigh will present three quotes for a replacement ambulance to the county council when they meet this evening. He told the county commissioners two weeks ago the rig at the Grovertown base recently underwent significant repairs and has since lost a cylinder. The county purchased the 2009 Ford truck used. Emigh is also looking into repair costs for the rig. Continue reading
Broken Diesel Pump Proves Costly for Starke County EMS
Starke County EMS has been paying retail diesel fuel prices for the past several weeks due to a problem with the pump at the county highway garage. They haven’t been able to use it due to an issue with the system that keeps track of which fuel goes to which account for billing purposes. Continue reading
Starke County Officials Pricing Ambulances
Starke County EMS spent nearly $2,000 last month to keep its fleet on the road. Director Keith Emigh told the commissioners Monday night most of that money went toward the truck at the Grovertown base. He says repairs at the county highway garage cost $1,764.10. Additionally an air conditioning problem on the rig based at Knox and a blower motor problem on the North Judson truck had to be fixed. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Act on Salary Requests
The Starke County Commissioners are recommending the county council increase the emergency medical services director’s salary by $4,000. That would bump Keith Emigh’s annual pay to $45,000, pending council approval. Continue reading
Council Approves Funds for Additional Jail Officers
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin can hire two additional full-time jail officers after action Monday night by the Starke County Council.
Starke County Council Establishes Employee Longevity Pay Scale
Employees who make a career of working for Starke County government will be rewarded under a new longevity pay scale adopted Monday night by the county council. After a lengthy discussion they approved a salary ordinance for 2016 with 1 percent pay raises for all employees, regardless of their length of service. Continue reading
County Commissioners May Hire IT Director Tonight
The Starke County Commissioners are poised to hire a new information technology director for the county when they meet tonight. They interviewed prospective candidates to replace longtime director Joe Short during an executive session meeting last week. Short is leaving the county to take a job in South Bend. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Recommend Additional Jail Hires
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin has the blessing of the Starke County Commissioners to hire two additional full-time jail officers. First the county council must appropriate the money to do so. Indications are it will come from the tax money collected to pay for the jail project. Continue reading
North Judson-San Pierre Presents Bare-Bones Budget
The proposed North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation budget has been slashed considerably over the past several years. Corporation business manager and treasurer Guy Richie told the county council during last week’s budget hearing that revenue continues to decline due to changes in state funding and drops in enrollment. Continue reading
Starke County Officials Name Redevelopment Commission
Starke County once again has a populated county redevelopment commission board. The volunteer body was established by the commissioners in 2006 and set up a tax increment financing, or TIF, district near the intersection of U.S. 30 and U.S. 35 in Hamlet. It allows property tax money generated in a specific area to be recaptured for infrastructure improvements in the area. By doing so, the land becomes more attractive to other potential business and industrial tenants. The five parcels of land in the Sysco TIF district have generated $15,427.71 for the county. That money is receipted by the auditor and parked in a special account. Continue reading
IU Health Starke Hospital President Updates Council, Commissioners
IU Health Starke Hospital intends to renew its lease with the county for the current facility. President Craig Felty told the council and commissioners Monday a formal notice will be forthcoming in 30 to 60 days. Right now due diligence is continuing in the proposed acquisition of IU Health Starke and LaPorte Hospitals by Community Health Systems. Continue reading
Starke County Council to Consider Salary Ordinance Ranges
The Starke County Council will consider salary ordinance ranges for county employees when they meet this evening. Their agenda indicates proposed 1, 2 and 3 percent increases will be discussed, along with an adjustment to the state’s mileage rate. Continue reading
Senator Decries Legislature’s “Education Session”
A local lawmaker says the recently completed session of the Indiana General Assembly was the most trying and most contentious of his nine-year legislative career. Gov. Mike Pence touted it as the education session. Sen. Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte, agrees this year’s 2.2 percent increase in school funding and next year’s 2.5 percent hike are the largest increases in education funding in history.
“It sounds very good. The downside of that is that the vast majority of our increased money now is going to vouchers and going to charter schools, not going to public school systems,” Arnold recently told the Starke County Council and Commissioners. “The big winners of this are going to be the urban schools. The rural schools such as Knox are going to be the big losers.” Continue reading
Starke County Officials Seeking Redevelopment Commission Candidates
Starke County officials are looking for members to serve on the long-dormant county redevelopment commission by appointing new members. It was established in 2006 to oversee a tax increment financing district set up by the county as part of the effort to bring Sysco to Hamlet. Continue reading
Starke County Council Outlines Budget Timeline
The Starke County Council will soon begin work on budgets for the upcoming year. They’ve scheduled workshops with department heads and elected officials on Monday, Aug. 3rd to review spending proposals. Continue reading
County Council Sets Sanitarian Salary, Defers Building Inspector Request
Starke County’s new sanitarian will earn considerably less per hour than his predecessor after action last night by the county council. Health nurse Frank Lynch asked the council to lower the wage for the position from $20.28 per hour to $18.50 to start. After 90 days and a successful performance evaluation it will go up to $19.00 and top out at $19.50. Lynch says this is consistent with what other counties pay for the same position and addresses the salary discrepancy between that job and his as head of the health department.
