The Starke County Commissioners welcomed comments from the public Tuesday night on how to spend $4.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds from the federal government.
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The historic bridge in Wythogan Park could soon be getting a facelift. Starke County Bridge No. 39, a Warren Pony Truss bridge dating back to 1915, was moved to the park entrance in 1992, from its previous location at County Road 1100 East at the Yellow River. But little has been done to it since then.
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Members of the Knox Board of Works approved the 2019 Holiday Schedule when they met Wednesday morning.
The only question about the document came from member Steve Dodge who asked if there were city elections next year. Mayor Dennis Estok and Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston confirmed that local elections will be held in 2019. Continue reading
The two elevated water towers in the City of Knox will be cleaned and inspected, following a decision made by Board of Works members Wednesday morning.
Water Department Representative Tim Vogelzang submitted a proposal to the members that called for the cleaning of the water tower located off of East Street and the one that’s in the Industrial Park. Vogelzang said this procedure is recommended every three years, and the towers are going on 5-years without it. Continue reading
The owner of 6 N. Pearl Street in Knox appeared before the Knox Board of Public Works members on Wednesday morning to bring them up to speed on renovation efforts at the home.
In order to discuss the employee handbook, Knox City Council members held a joint work session with a member of the Board of Public Works last night.
Steve Dodge served as the representative for the BOW. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston explained that the firm HR Unlimited was hired to help revise the current employee handbook.
Houston said a new handbook was needed not only due to changes to state requirements but also because multiple versions of the handbook were floating around. He said over the years, people have amended it for various departmental needs but city officials felt it was time to have a standard for everyone to go by. Continue reading
Knox City Council members re-organized and addressed appointments when they met for the first time this year.
On Tuesday night, Councilwoman Bertha Blue nominated Ron Parker for the position of President Pro Temp and former council president. Parker’s nomination was unanimously approved. A “president pro tempore” serves as the representative for the council members and they would run the meeting if the mayor is ever absent. Continue reading
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
A longtime law enforcement officer will soon be in charge of code enforcement for the City of Knox. Kenny Pfost has been appointed as the city’s director of building and code compliance by Mayor Dennis Estok. Pfost will also serve as planning administrator, following action by the Knox Plan Commission Tuesday.
The owner of a dilapidated house in downtown Knox has six months to make extensive repairs to the property. The vacant structure at 6 North Pearl Street was previously slated for demolition after the Knox Board of Works upheld an order last June to tear it down. Continue reading
The Knox City Plan Commission members last night looked at the city council’s proposed ordinance pertaining to the placement of dumpsters and had several concerns.
Steve Dodge made a comment that the definition of dumpster is too broad as it would pertain to all dumpsters in the city and not a specific type of receptacle. In his opinion, recycling containers, trash containers, trash bins, and dumpsters would all qualify as a dumpster per the definition outlined in the document.
The Knox City Council members discussed a revised fee ordinance Tuesday night.
Under Section 1, Article VI, Sec. 4-251. Location improvement permit fees, a commercial/industrial permit for new construction, additions and remodeling will be left at $5,000. In a previous discussion, the members considered an increase to $7,500, but later determined the $5,000 fee was sufficient.
Steve Dodge came before the Knox Board of Public Works Wednesday morning to advise the board of an unsafe structure.
The property in question is at 409 and 411 W. Lewis Drive in the Parkview Heights area. The duplex is on two lots with two property owners. One side of the building on the property is up-to-date on taxes and the other side was sold in a tax sale.
Betty Dotlich, of rural Grovertown, appeared before the Starke County Commissioners again this week seeking information and assistance in halting the use of a structure she claims is improperly zoned. Dotlich has sought help several time in having a home owned by Julia Povalitis properly zoned, saying she doesn’t believe it meets minimum residential standards. Dotlich said it appears that it is still being used for housing.
The Starke County Planning Commission discussed the proposed dog kennel ordinance at their meeting last week.
Dan Bridegroom suggested that a commercial kennel definition in the form of an I.C. code be added to the ordinance. Bruce Williams, Administrator/Building Commissioner, suggested adding the phrase “more than four and less than 20 unaltered female dogs that are at least twelve months of age” to the ordinance under commercial kennel definition. Commission Counsel, Steve Dodge, added that if more than four male or female dogs are at one residence, the homeowner will need a kennel license. The changes were approved by a vote of 5-3 and now the revised ordinance will be sent back to the Commissioners for their approval.
