Winamac Town Manager Delivers Fireworks Update to Council Members

Winamac Town Manager Brad Zellers assured council members on Monday that the money for this year’s fireworks display has been raised and the location has been set.

He explained that the $5,500 for the contract charge with the fireworks company was raised. He added that the display will be held on the school grounds, to the southeast of the football field near the baseball diamond. Continue reading

Request to Vacate Alley in Winamac Moves onto Next Phase

An alley in the town of Winamac will be vacated in the near future following a decision made by town council members Wednesday.

Town Manager Brad Zellers provided the council with an update about the request, which was initially submitted on behalf of Frain LLC and neighboring property owners Deborah Worrell and Mike and Peggy Vasa at the last town council meeting in May. Continue reading

Ordinance to Regulate Public Nuisances on Private Property Addressed at Winamac Town Council Meeting

The ordinance book for the Town of Winamac has been updated and council members considered a quote for the upgrades submitted by the company American Legal Publishing during their meeting on Monday.

Clerk-Treasurer Melanie Berger said the company updated the book to include ordinances spanning from July 16th, 2016 through December 31st, 2017. The quote provided by American Legal was for $1,985. Members voted unanimously to approve the quote.

Additionally, Winamac’s Town Council members are anticipated to consider an ordinance pertaining to public nuisances on private property in the near future. Continue reading

Winamac Town Council Considers Adding More Reserve Officers to Police Force

First Sergeant Mark Hoffman with the Winamac Police Department submitted a request to add more officers to the Reserve Program during last Monday’s town council meeting.

Sergeant Hoffman explained that a few people who work for the Police Department are looking to switch positions.

“We recently had three jailers express interest in being reserves.” Hoffman went on, “I would like the board’s permission to move forward with them. It will cost the town $100 per person for insurance and probably another $100 [each] to get them outfitted.” Continue reading

Winamac Departments Commended for Addressing Citizen Concerns

Some of the efforts that various Winamac departments have put forth recently to address certain citizen concerns were acknowledged during Monday night’s Town Council meeting.

Earlier this month, Park Board President Courtney Poor called attention to the fact that the parking lot at the Winamac Wellness Center was in need of repairs. He came before the town council this week to express his gratitude for how quickly the matter was addressed. Continue reading

Winamac Town Council Approved Truck Purchase for Water Department

The Winamac Water Department will be getting a new truck after town council members approved one of the quotes presented to them during their Monday evening meeting.

Water Department Superintendent Jeremy Beckner presented the quotes. Council President Tom Murray asked for the year of the current vehicle and Beckner answered that it is a 2005. Town Manager Brad Zellers mentioned that it is in the department’s 5-year plan to replace the truck this year. Continue reading

Winamac Town Council Acknowledges Generous Donation from Mooi Family

Winamac town officials expressed gratitude toward the Mooi family when members met Monday night.

Clerk-Treasurer Melanie Berger explained that two departments will soon receive some funds as the result of a generous posthumous donation from a local couple who passed away last year.

Berger told members, “The Winamac Volunteer Fire Department, along with the Winamac Police Department, they were beneficiaries to the Henry Mooi and Alice Mooi revocable trust.” Continue reading

Donations Still Needed for Winamac Fireworks Display, Location Change Discussed

Donations are still be collected for the Winamac Fireworks Display, as officials are still more than $2,800 away from their goal with the June deadline approaching.

Additionally, officials with the Town of Winamac are reassessing fireworks display plans, after the distributor alerted Town Manager Brad Zellers that the park will not be an acceptable location. Continue reading

Winamac Town Council Meets Tonight

Winamac Town Council members are expected to discuss the status of the Local Income Tax (LIT) Issue with the county when they meet tonight at 6 p.m. ET.

The council will also consider a quote for the updated ordinance book and Town Attorney Justin Schramm will discuss arbitrage correspondence. The Jefferson Township fire contract will be up for approval and two ordinances will be considered. Continue reading

Pool Project Won’t Be Included in Winamac Park Board’s Grant Application This Year

Rendering of rebuilt Winamac pool.

The Winamac Park Board reiterated Thursday that it will not apply for a grant for the town’s swimming pool project this year. The town has put the project on hold, due to concerns that money wouldn’t be available to run the pool if it’s built. The Winamac Pool Committee has proposed a cheaper option, but so far, it hasn’t gotten the official support of the town council.

Continue reading

Winamac Town Council Opens Bids for Community Crossings Grant Projects

Paving bids for Community Crossings Grant projects were opened during last week’s Winamac Town Council meeting. Members opened bids from the companies Walsh and Kelly, E&B Paving, Central Paving and Reith Riley when they met last Monday.

E&B Paving’s bid was the highest with a $146,865 total bid. Reith Riley’s provided the next highest with a total bid of about $159,239. Walsh and Kelly submitted the second lowest total bid at $139.993 and Central Paving’s total bid was the least expensive at about $121,537. All total bids included the company’s base bid plus an alternative bid. Continue reading

Winamac Clerk-Treasurer Shares Findings From Umbaugh’s Utilities Analysis

Winamac Clerk-Treasurer Melanie Berger reviewed the findings from Umbaugh’s budget report when town council members met last Monday.

The town’s financial advisors at Umbaugh looked at the current rates for the electric, water and wastewater utilities and then provided a projection of whether or not current rates will be able to sustain the accounts over the next five years. They also indicated whether or not the utility would see a positive or negative cash flow. Continue reading

Winamac Town Council Discusses Parking Concerns Downtown

Parking issues at a Winamac establishment were addressed when town council members met last Monday.Councilman Alvin Parish asked about addressing an issue with regular vehicles parking in the spots designated for motorcycles and golf carts at a downtown restaurant on Market Street.

Council President Tom Murray said he believed the police should be ticketing the vehicles but said they are currently unable to do so since there isn’t a specific town ordinance prohibiting the parking. Continue reading

Winamac Town Council Considers Adopting Amended Employee Handbook Ordinance

The 2018 employee handbook ordinance was up for adoption at the Winamac Town Council meeting Monday night.

At a meeting in March, council members found some inconsistencies with the document so they decided to send it back to the company New Focus for amendments before considering it for adoption. The inconsistency they discovered was related to grievance procedures. Continue reading

Town Attorney Informs Winamac Officials They Will Have to Wait to Re-Certify the Town’s Districts

Winamac Town Council members were alerted about an overlooked law that took effect in 2012 regarding small town primary elections and districts when they met Monday night. Town Attorney Justin Schramm explained that the law requires towns under a population of 3,500 to pass an ordinance recertifying their districts two years after a decennial census is conducted. The last census took place in 2010.

Schramm stated, “Between 2012 and 2017 there had to have been some type of ordinance or resolution recertifying the districts within the Town of Winamac.” Continue reading

Winamac Town Council Considers Moving Fireworks Display Due to Debris Concerns

The location for the Town of Winamac’s fireworks display was discussed during Monday night’s town council meeting. Town Manager Brad Zellers explained that last year when the event was held at the school, there was an issue with the wind blowing debris onto cars at a neighboring dealership.

Town Council President Tom Murray added that since the school corporation will be conducting paving work this summer, they should have an alternate site planned anyway. He suggested moving the event back over to the big baseball diamond at the town park. Continue reading