Current returns as marshal

REDKEY — Rick Current is returning to a familiar post here — town marshal.

Redkey Town Council members Monday night announced the appointment of Current, 49, who retired from the Redkey Police Department about a year and a half ago, after serving as town marshal as well as interim town marshal.

He held the marshal’s job for about two years after serving on the department for 22 years. Most of that time he was the chief deputy under Marshal Randy May who retired from the force for health reasons.

Current also serves as a volunteer on the Redkey Fire Department.

Also introduced at Monday’s meeting was the department’s new full-time deputy — Matthew Arnold, 27, of Dunkirk. He is a graduate of Jay County High School, and he served with the U.S. Army in Korea and Afghanistan, and is a member of the Army National Guard. He and his wife, Megan, were both in attendance at the meeting.

Council president Violet Erlenbush said there were about 20 applications for the police officer’s position, and about five prominent applications for the marshal’s post.

“We’re pleased to welcome Rick back as town marshal. We do appreciate his willingness to return to the force,” Erlenbush said after the meeting.

Current declined to issue any formal statement, but said that he was happy to be back as marshal.

The council voted 4-0 to approve both appointments. However, former marshal Brenda Collett, who resigned from that post earlier this month but continues to serve on the town council, did not participate in either of those votes.

In other business Monday night, town council members approved the appointment of Eric Young as president of the Redkey Park Cabin Committee, replacing Danny Turpen who resigned from the committee. Young was elected by the remaining cabin committee members to serve as president.

Another topic of discussion at the meeting was the need to make some major repairs to the town’s water and sewer department facilities.

Erlenbush said about 400 of the community’s 500 water meters should be replaced. She said that the vast majority are not working properly, and it was not fair to charge some residents for accurate water usage readings, while water billing amounts at other homes and businesses were routinely estimated due to malfunctioning meters.

“People with broken meters are paying minimum rates. That’s not fair to those residents and businesses who have meters that work,” Erlenbush said.

Also she said that bids need to be taken on updating computer equipment and software for the water billing operations of the town’s clerk-treasurer Brenda Adkins.

Erlenbush described the town’s current status as being in the “dinosaur age” of computer technology.

In other business Monday, council members:

•Approved spending $3,200 with Peerless Midwest to clean and service one of the three sets of filters at the water plant. This should eliminate a lot of rust and improve the quality of the town’s water, Erlenbush said. However, she noted that the other two sets of filters should also receive similar servicing in future years.

•Agreed to reimburse Roger Clay for the cost of two appraisals on property near Redkey Park which the town had considered purchasing. However, on the advice of town attorney John Brooke, council members declined Clay’s request for the town to share in the cost of doing the survey work on the land, too.

Clay said that the appraisals had cost about $300 each, while the bill for the survey work was $2,500. Town officials said the proposal fell through because the town was not able to obtain the necessary funds to complete the purchase.

•Agreed to extend the town’s workman’s compensation and liability insurance coverage for another year through the Barnum-Brown Insurance Agency of Dunkirk.

•Approved a contribution of $200 toward purchase of a lap-top computer for Jay County community developer Wayne Bailey who assists the town with grant applications and other projects.

•Designated new town employee Greg McIlwain’s job title as street and maintenance superintendent.

•Agreed to begin the process of selecting an engineering firm to work with the community on water plant and wastewater facility improvements which are being recommended by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Grants and loans may be involved in this process eventually, Brooke said.

•Heard an update on the town’s efforts to adopt zoning regulations. Erlenbush said discussions are under way to have the town adopt its own zoning code and then have the county agree to administer and enforce it. She said another option appears to be having the town come under the jurisdiction of the county zoning code.[[In-content Ad]]