Walk work on hold

The addition of a sidewalk along a Portland street will have to wait.
On Monday, members of the Portland City Council briefly discussed adding a sidewalk along the north side of West Votaw Street.
Council president Bill Gibson brought up the idea, stating that pedestrians recently asked him if one could be added to give them a way to safely walk to the Walmart Supercenter.
Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier reminded Gibson that the matter has been discussed by the council before, and that Indiana Department of Transportation officials recommended the city not add the sidewalk yet.
INDOT officials have said the new sidewalk could be in the path of a proposed widening of Votaw Street (Ind. 67) that is scheduled to begin in 2015.
 “You don’t want to put something in if it’s just going to be torn up,” said councilmember Kent McClung.
“Maybe, someday, we can get it done,” Gibson said.
Also Monday, council members approved 1.5 percent pay increases for all city employees and elected officials.
In 2011, the mayor’s pay will increase to $46,189 from $45,506.24. Also, the clerk-treasurer’s salary will jump to $45,375.46 from $44,704.92.
The street and park department superintendent, fire chief, police chief, wastewater treatment plant superintendent and water department superintendent will each make $43,624.36 per year.
Neither city officials nor city employees received pay raises this year, due to the state of the economy.
In other business, council members voted to remove a land acquisition appropriation from the airport’s 2011 budget.
In the 2010 budget, $100,000 was included to purchase land needed for the runway and taxiway extension project. The land was never purchased.
City clerk-treasurer Randy Geesaman said Monday that removing the fund from the airport’s 2011 budget would lower the tax rate. If the city needs to purchase land for the airport in 2011, $978,376 in cumulative capital development funds are available, he said.[[In-content Ad]]