A public hearing was held over water rate adjustments prior to last night’s Winamac Town Council meeting.
The adjustments to the water raters are being proposed as a way to cover the town’s water project. Eric Walsh from Umbaugh and Associates was present and provided some details about the $1.6 million water project.
He explained that the town has been planning for this project for many years, which assisted them in receiving a grant from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs in the amount of $550,000. He added that the remainder of the project will be covered by borrowing from the electric utility at 1% interest rate. He said this will cause water rates to rise slightly.
Walsh said, “It is resulting in about a 9 percent, little less than 9 percent increase on your water bills. So to an average residential customer [using] about 5,000 gallons a month, that’s a $3 a month of an increase.”
Walsh said if the town hadn’t pre-planned or received the OCRA grant, rates could have increased by about 20 percent, costing the average customer to pay $6 to $7 more. He said no one likes to increase rates, but he commended the council members for the proactive steps they took to keep the increases from being doubled. Continue reading
The City of Knox should have money in hand by early June to replace the roof and HVAC system at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center. 
The Knox City Council will get more information tonight about how to pay for improvements to the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center. The HVAC system and roof both need to be replaced. So does the carpeting. 
The North Judson Town Council will soon consider increasing water and sewer rates for the first time since 2008. CPA Eric Walsh with Umbaugh and Associates says the current rates are not adequate to cover operating costs, which has forced the town to dip into its reserves. 
