Pierceton to Fund Homeowner's Roof Replacement at HOW Request
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By T.R. Smith-
Presenting a list of assets and expenses, she said the woman's house was in great need of the upgrade and that the woman was financially stable enough to pay back the loan.
Re-roofing the house is estimated to cost $15,000, which town funds will pay.
HOW extended its program to Pierceton more than 10 years ago, initially offering property owners a multitude of renovations and repair packages.
The former owner-occupied program offered homeowners a chance to be clear of repayment as long as they lived there for 10 years. A lien was placed against the property until the decade had passed. Several mortgages have been cleared of these liens in the last two years.
The current program is more selective, with a portion or all of the repair money repaid to the town.
"We funded dozens of projects 10 years ago," Libby said. "Now the projects are bigger and approval depends on the payback rate."
Jim Bumbaugh asked citizens to call for tree limb pickup and not to dump branches at the waste-water plant gate.
Town marshal Tim Sammons advised people to keep their vehicles locked as a safety precaution. "We're not having problems here," he said about thieving from cars and trucks, "but other parts of the county are."
He said officers Jeff Owens and Jim Bumbaugh recently completed training in Illinois. Reserve officers continue with field training and will soon qualify for solo patrols.
Councilman Ron Hall asked what could be done about houses or structures that seemed to be beyond repair.
Town Attorney Jim Walmer said the process, basically, was to identify the problems and send a letter to the property owner requiring the problems be fixed within a certain amount of time. Hearings regarding the issues could be established, fees for non compliance set and decisions made about whether or not to demolish the structure.
"We set up a fund to provide for demolition, the process and the hearings," Walmer said. "It's up to you to decide."
"Give us an outline of the process," Hall said, "although I don't know how we'll fund it."
Sammons brought up the issue of junk vehicles again, saying he would like to see the 15 day movement rule eliminated.
Police officers can cite a vehicle if it is not plated. Then, Sammons said, the owner registers the car or truck sticking the license plate in the front window.
An officer can cite the vehicle if it seems to be immobile. The owner pushes the car a few feet, here or there, which still doesn't mean the vehicle is operational, he said.
Walmer said they have to work carefully because property owners do have rights. If the "junk" vehicle is on the street the town has the right to ask that it be removed. If it is in someone's back yard, the grass kept trimmed around it, pest-free and moving every couple weeks, then there is no violation, according to the current ordinance.
Pierceton-Washington Township fire chief Matt Brubaker said all was quiet on the fire station front. The department has several new recruits in the training program.
Pierceton Days organizer Kim Rose attended the meeting to thank everyone for their cooperation and support during this year's August festival. Councilmen thanked her for her work, too.
The board approved a routine agreement with CenturyLink regarding aerial and buried communication equipment.
Town council meetings are the second Monday of every month, starting at 6:30 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]
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Presenting a list of assets and expenses, she said the woman's house was in great need of the upgrade and that the woman was financially stable enough to pay back the loan.
Re-roofing the house is estimated to cost $15,000, which town funds will pay.
HOW extended its program to Pierceton more than 10 years ago, initially offering property owners a multitude of renovations and repair packages.
The former owner-occupied program offered homeowners a chance to be clear of repayment as long as they lived there for 10 years. A lien was placed against the property until the decade had passed. Several mortgages have been cleared of these liens in the last two years.
The current program is more selective, with a portion or all of the repair money repaid to the town.
"We funded dozens of projects 10 years ago," Libby said. "Now the projects are bigger and approval depends on the payback rate."
Jim Bumbaugh asked citizens to call for tree limb pickup and not to dump branches at the waste-water plant gate.
Town marshal Tim Sammons advised people to keep their vehicles locked as a safety precaution. "We're not having problems here," he said about thieving from cars and trucks, "but other parts of the county are."
He said officers Jeff Owens and Jim Bumbaugh recently completed training in Illinois. Reserve officers continue with field training and will soon qualify for solo patrols.
Councilman Ron Hall asked what could be done about houses or structures that seemed to be beyond repair.
Town Attorney Jim Walmer said the process, basically, was to identify the problems and send a letter to the property owner requiring the problems be fixed within a certain amount of time. Hearings regarding the issues could be established, fees for non compliance set and decisions made about whether or not to demolish the structure.
"We set up a fund to provide for demolition, the process and the hearings," Walmer said. "It's up to you to decide."
"Give us an outline of the process," Hall said, "although I don't know how we'll fund it."
Sammons brought up the issue of junk vehicles again, saying he would like to see the 15 day movement rule eliminated.
Police officers can cite a vehicle if it is not plated. Then, Sammons said, the owner registers the car or truck sticking the license plate in the front window.
An officer can cite the vehicle if it seems to be immobile. The owner pushes the car a few feet, here or there, which still doesn't mean the vehicle is operational, he said.
Walmer said they have to work carefully because property owners do have rights. If the "junk" vehicle is on the street the town has the right to ask that it be removed. If it is in someone's back yard, the grass kept trimmed around it, pest-free and moving every couple weeks, then there is no violation, according to the current ordinance.
Pierceton-Washington Township fire chief Matt Brubaker said all was quiet on the fire station front. The department has several new recruits in the training program.
Pierceton Days organizer Kim Rose attended the meeting to thank everyone for their cooperation and support during this year's August festival. Councilmen thanked her for her work, too.
The board approved a routine agreement with CenturyLink regarding aerial and buried communication equipment.
Town council meetings are the second Monday of every month, starting at 6:30 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]
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