Special session set in Redkey

REDKEY — A special town council organizational meeting is set for 6 p.m. Thursday in Redkey Town Hall, 20 S. Ash St.
Newly elected Republican town council members Jon G. Davis and David E. Himes will be taking seats on the council at that time. Other council members, all Democrats, include Terri Taylor, Phil Philebaum and Jim Funkhouser.
Debbie James, appointed by Democratic Party leaders in December to fill the unexpired term of Sandy Kirby, is starting her duties as town clerk-treasurer this week.
A town council meeting to conduct 2010 year-end business was held Thursday night.
Both outgoing clerk-treasurer Kirby and former town council member and president Doug Stanley, who chose not to run for re-election in 2010, were thanked for their years of service to the community.
“We want to thank both of you,” Funkhouser said near the end of the meeting.
“Doug was a good mentor to me,” town council president Terri Taylor added.
“Sandy took us from basically bankruptcy to where we’re at today financially,” Funkhouser said, referring to the sad financial status of the town when Kirby took over as clerk-treasurer with numerous water and sewer bill accounts in arrears. Kirby was named to the position in 2005 shortly after the resignation of former clerk-treasurer Brenda Adkins, who eventually pleaded guilty to felony charges of misappropriating more than $30,000 in town and utility funds.
In other business at Thursday night’s year-end meeting, town council members:
•Agreed to write off $19,220 in outstanding utility bills as uncollectible. Kirby said these are old accounts, dating back five years or more, to the time before she took office. Kirby said some of these people have filed bankruptcy and others have moved and cannot be located. Kirby said this figure represents about 19 percent of the outstanding bills from five years ago of which a substantial amount have now been collected.
•Noted that Deputy Marshal Joe Hibbard had graduated from his class in Indiana Law Enforcement Academy training.
•Approved the carryover to 2011 of earned vacation time for Hibbard due to the fact that he could not take all his vacation time in 2010 because he had to attend Police Academy classes.
•Announced that water department superintendent Bill Tressler had just received notice this week that he passed his state certification test as a water plant operator.
•Received a letter of resignation from Gerald Kirby, effective at the end of 2010, asking to be replaced as a member of the Redkey Citizens Advisory Board for the town’s sewer separation project. Kirby said he disagreed with the approach that the town was taking on this issue. Stanley said that the project was ongoing and the town had not yet chosen an engineer to develop a long-term plan for separation of combined sewers in Redkey.
•Approved annual township fire service contracts with Richland Township for $4,603; Knox Township for $1,178; Jefferson Township for $1,675; and Greene Township in Jay County for $215.
A fire service contract between Redkey and Greene Township in Randolph County is still pending. However, Taylor said that the Redkey Volunteer Fire Department will continue to provide service to that area while contract negotiations continue.
•Noted that there appeared to be drainage problems concerning the newly repaired county bridge at High and George Streets. Taylor said Jay County officials will be contacted about this issue.
•Approved the encumbrance of $695 in 2010 park funds to repair vandalism at the Redkey’s Morgan Park once the weather improves in the spring.[[In-content Ad]]