Quance To Serve As Council President, City Approves Budget Reductions

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By Jennifer [email protected]

Diane Quance was elected Monday night to serve as Warsaw City Council president for 2013.
Quance replaces Elaine Call, who nominated Quance. Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins seconded the motion.
“Thank you for allowing me to serve as your president on the council. I enjoyed it very much and it was a great experience,” Call said.
Councilmen Mike Klondaris and Jeff Grose thanked Call for her service as council president.
Quance said she looks forward to serving as council president.
In other business, the council approved lowering the 2013 property tax levy rate to $10,310,318 and set the tax rate for 2013 at 1.17 percent.
The tax levy will not increase and services will not be reduced, Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said.
Thallemer said the Department of Local Government Finance submitted to the city a 1.21 percent tax levy rate to the city, but the city reduced the rate to 1.17 percent.
The city’s final budget needed to be faxed to the state by midnight Monday.
Quance thanked the department heads for their work on reductions to its budget.
Councilman Mike Klondaris thanked Lynne Christiansen, clerk-treasurer, and Jennifer Whitaker, human resources director, for their work on lowering the tax rate.
The council approved reductions of $869,219 to the 2013 budget. Call voted against the reductions and councilman Charlie Smith did not attend the meeting.
Reductions include reducing the general fund by $585,225; aviation fund by $41,000; cemetery fund by $25,000; park and recreation fund by $57,000; and fire territory budget by $160,994.
Taking the biggest cut was the general fund from which $585,225 was eliminated. The Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory was hit the second hardest with $160,994 in cuts. Of that, $87,206 was cut from salaries and wages.
Also cut from the fire department’s budget was $20,615 in pensions, $10,000 from physicals/wellness and $38,200 in health insurance.
During earlier budget hearings, the council agreed to put a hold on the fire department’s proposed hiring of two new firefighters this year.
In addition to the fire department’s health insurance cut, the building and planning, street, police, city council, clerk-treasurer, human resources, mayor, parks, cemetery and aviation budgets also saw reductions in health insurance expenses.
The city had budgeted for a 15 percent increase in health insurance expenses but only saw an actual 4 percent increase, Thallemer said.
Previous to Monday night’s council meeting, the council held a special meeting Monday afternoon to review its 1782 Notice from the Department of Local Government Finance.
The notice provides how much money the city has to operate its budget.
Scott Whitaker, police chief, requested the department purchase five police vehicles.
The council approved the department purchasing the vehicles if the funds can be appropriated.
The department wants to purchase two SUVs and three cars for patrolmen.
The council approved an electronic funds transfer resolution to transfer from the professional service budget $15,000 into salaries and wages; $1,200 into Federal Insurance Contributions; $1,350 into Public Employees Retirement Fund and $9,600 into insurance.
The transfer is for a janitor and maintenance position that was created for the new city hall.
The council also approved a resolution authorizing Christiansen to transact with city’s business with a financial institution through the use of electronic funds transfers.
Also during the meeting, Mike Ragan, Warsaw, suggested the city pave CR 75 inbetween Patterson Road and CR 175E. Ragan said the road is full of pot holes.
Thallemer said he will speak with Lacy Francis, street superintendent, regarding the issue.
Call informed the council she will again serve on the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns legislative committee this year.
The council will meet again Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at city hall as Jan. 21 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.[[In-content Ad]]

Diane Quance was elected Monday night to serve as Warsaw City Council president for 2013.
Quance replaces Elaine Call, who nominated Quance. Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins seconded the motion.
“Thank you for allowing me to serve as your president on the council. I enjoyed it very much and it was a great experience,” Call said.
Councilmen Mike Klondaris and Jeff Grose thanked Call for her service as council president.
Quance said she looks forward to serving as council president.
In other business, the council approved lowering the 2013 property tax levy rate to $10,310,318 and set the tax rate for 2013 at 1.17 percent.
The tax levy will not increase and services will not be reduced, Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said.
Thallemer said the Department of Local Government Finance submitted to the city a 1.21 percent tax levy rate to the city, but the city reduced the rate to 1.17 percent.
The city’s final budget needed to be faxed to the state by midnight Monday.
Quance thanked the department heads for their work on reductions to its budget.
Councilman Mike Klondaris thanked Lynne Christiansen, clerk-treasurer, and Jennifer Whitaker, human resources director, for their work on lowering the tax rate.
The council approved reductions of $869,219 to the 2013 budget. Call voted against the reductions and councilman Charlie Smith did not attend the meeting.
Reductions include reducing the general fund by $585,225; aviation fund by $41,000; cemetery fund by $25,000; park and recreation fund by $57,000; and fire territory budget by $160,994.
Taking the biggest cut was the general fund from which $585,225 was eliminated. The Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory was hit the second hardest with $160,994 in cuts. Of that, $87,206 was cut from salaries and wages.
Also cut from the fire department’s budget was $20,615 in pensions, $10,000 from physicals/wellness and $38,200 in health insurance.
During earlier budget hearings, the council agreed to put a hold on the fire department’s proposed hiring of two new firefighters this year.
In addition to the fire department’s health insurance cut, the building and planning, street, police, city council, clerk-treasurer, human resources, mayor, parks, cemetery and aviation budgets also saw reductions in health insurance expenses.
The city had budgeted for a 15 percent increase in health insurance expenses but only saw an actual 4 percent increase, Thallemer said.
Previous to Monday night’s council meeting, the council held a special meeting Monday afternoon to review its 1782 Notice from the Department of Local Government Finance.
The notice provides how much money the city has to operate its budget.
Scott Whitaker, police chief, requested the department purchase five police vehicles.
The council approved the department purchasing the vehicles if the funds can be appropriated.
The department wants to purchase two SUVs and three cars for patrolmen.
The council approved an electronic funds transfer resolution to transfer from the professional service budget $15,000 into salaries and wages; $1,200 into Federal Insurance Contributions; $1,350 into Public Employees Retirement Fund and $9,600 into insurance.
The transfer is for a janitor and maintenance position that was created for the new city hall.
The council also approved a resolution authorizing Christiansen to transact with city’s business with a financial institution through the use of electronic funds transfers.
Also during the meeting, Mike Ragan, Warsaw, suggested the city pave CR 75 inbetween Patterson Road and CR 175E. Ragan said the road is full of pot holes.
Thallemer said he will speak with Lacy Francis, street superintendent, regarding the issue.
Call informed the council she will again serve on the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns legislative committee this year.
The council will meet again Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at city hall as Jan. 21 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.[[In-content Ad]]
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