Redkey to set $ priorities (8/16/05)

REDKEY — Financial concerns are continuing to plague town council members here.

Council members plan to meet with clerk-treasurer Brenda Adkins and department heads or their representatives Thursday evening in a budget workshop meeting. Adkins recommended holding the meeting as a way to set some spending priorities in light of the town’s financial woes.

Following Thursday’s workshop session, a public hearing on the town’s 2006 budget will be set, and then a vote to adopt the new budget will be scheduled for sometime in September.

Adkins said that Thursday’s meeting will start at 6 p.m. in town hall. Town attorney John Brooke said he would try to attend the meeting to assist the clerk-treasurer and council members.

Brooke also said the session will be open to the public.

One issue that will certainly be discussed Thursday night will be the need to increase trash collection rates for residents. Town council president Violet Erlenbush said Monday that property owners were currently paying $6.50 per household a month for once a week refuse collection by BestWay Disposal Co. However, the firm’s contract with the town calls for BestWay to receive $7.50 a month per household. “(The town is) paying a dollar more than the people,” Erlenbush said.

Brooke said he would check over the three-year BestWay contract, and then recommend an appropriate increase in the refuse collection fees.

The attorney and Councilwoman Dottie Quakenbush also pointed out that they are investigating options regarding the use of computer equipment and the necessary software for the clerk-treasurer’s department to keep better track of water and sewer bill payments.

Former Redkey town councilman Clayton Phillips, present at Monday’s meeting, said he thought there was already functioning computer equipment at town hall. However, Erlenbush and Adkins disagreed, saying special software programs were needed as well as basic computer equipment.

Redkey resident Terri Taylor questioned how long the town would continue to have to make large sewer bond payments. Adkins said the bonds are not scheduled to be paid off until 2008.

“I’m just asking,” Taylor said. “What scares me is everything will be so high (once trash, water and sewer rates are increased as projected), our property won’t be worth squat. People won’t want to move in here.”

Brooke said that the town and its consulting engineer, Chad Ducy, were trying to work on securing some grant funding for the needed water and sewer improvements.

Meanwhile, Redkey resident Charlie Noble asked if Brooke or the town council members had ever received a report from Adkins about which property owners were behind in their water and sewer bill payments and the amounts of money involved.

Brooke replied, “No.”

Adkins said that she had talked privately with three town council members, a majority of the board, who she said didn’t seem to want her to release any names with the delinquent accounts. Brooke said he really wasn’t interested in seeing any names, but he would like to see how much money is owed to the town. Erlenbush said that these people with delinquent water and sewer bills are “our friends and neighbors.”

However, Adkins said she would supply some figures without naming any names at the next regular council session on Monday, Sept. 19.

“I’ll start on that again. I wasn’t being stubborn,” Adkins told Brooke.

Noble said if parents don’t pay their child’s textbook fees to the Jay School Corporation, the school officials will take the parents to court and their names are published in a legal notice in the local newspaper. Brooke said such a policy was not in effect in Redkey, and water shut-off regulations had not been enforced in the past.

Erlenbush said the town has now adopted a new procedure whereby property owners have to pay their current water bills and can make payments over a 12-month period on past-due accounts. But if they don’t pay the current bills, their water will be shut off, Erlenbush said.

Several audience members then questioned if the town knew how many water and sewer bills were delinquent or had an overall monetary total. Adkins said that she would get that information for the next council meeting. Redkey resident Jim Barrett asked, “Don’t you even have a ballpark figure?”

“No. I honestly don’t know, Jim,” Adkins replied.

In other business at Monday night’s meeting, council members:

•Voted to accept the resignation of Rick Current as town marshal. In a short letter of resignation, Current said that he took the position on a temporary basis, and he now felt it was time to resign.

He asked that his resignation should become effective on Aug. 26, and he receive three weeks of vacation pay. However, council members said they weren’t sure he had three weeks of vacation pay coming, and they wanted to check on that further.

Current’s last day on duty was Aug. 5, Erlenbush said.

Erlenbush said that four people had submitted applications for the marshal’s position, and interviews would be set up shortly.

•Listened to an offer from Barrett to help establish a memorial monument concerning the former Redkey High School. Barrett said Redkey area resident Joe Champ had also volunteered to assist with this project.

•Noted that volunteers were still needed to serve on a committee about separating combined storm and sanitary sewers in the community.

For more information about serving on the committee, individuals may contact Adkins.[[In-content Ad]]