Syracuse Discusses Fire Pact, Housing Grant, Skateboard Ordinance
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By John DeGroff-
The creation of a fire protection territory was the first main item of the evening. This is an interlocal cooperation agreement between the town of Syracuse and Turkey Creek Township.[[In-content Ad]]Syracuse Fire Chief Mickey Scott said a fire territory differs from what is called a fire district. A fire territory is a cooperative agreement between two governmental entities, while a fire district would be a larger area such as a county.
The purpose of developing such an agreement between the town and the township is primarily for the purpose of pooling available resources to offer more coverage.
"This opens it up to be able to get what is needed as far as equipment and personnel," said Scott. "Dispatch would also be more localized. We're already close to being a fire territory as it is, but we need this agreement."
By combining fire departments of the town and the township into one entity, a uniform tax rate can be set to offset costs. Funds can be established to maintain and replace equipment, pay salaries and expenses, and enter into necessary contracts.
The administration of the new fire territory would be handled by an executive board, consisting of five members. Two members will be from the township, one member from the town, and each entity will appoint one member. The appointees must be a taxpayer of the territory. Each member of the executive board will serve a one-year term, which will expire on Dec. 31 of that year.
The resolutions from the Turkey Creek Township and Syracuse needed to enter into the interlocal agreement have yet to be adopted. Both documents are rough drafts at the moment, and they will not be acted upon until after the first of the year. There is another public meeting on the agreement scheduled for Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.
The need for such an arrangement was addressed by Ronald Sims, a resident of the Enchanted Hills area. He discussed a fire call in the area where the response time was longer than expected. Although it was pointed out that on the day in question there had also been an earlier ambulance call that resulted in a transport to Warsaw, thus creating a staffing shortage, the need for manpower and perhaps even another station was made clear.
"Our number one goal is to provide enough financial support to eventually accomplish this," said council member Brian Woody.
Pam Kennedy, Housing Opportunities of Warsaw, updated the council on the low-income housing renovation grant that had been applied for by the town. According to Kennedy, of the $150,000 asked for, Syracuse had received $75,000 for this grant cycle. Initially, it was hoped that 10 houses could have been brought into the program, but with the money that was awarded, five low-income homeowners have already been pre-qualified.
Kennedy walked the council through the lengthy process that takes a homeowner from application through actual renovation. The council approved the first of the applicants, which then allows them to begin talking to contractors. These contractors are from a list provided by Housing Opportunities.
Kennedy said she intends to have the town reapply for the rest of the money, and will probably have more applicants ready for council's approval by next meeting.
Mark Bumgartner, co-chair of the Train Depot Committee, gave a brief overview of the group's efforts to date. Public relations and some fundraising activities have been varied and are an ongoing process, he said. However, the main concern is that CSX Railroad, the owner of the old depot, has not yet agreed to turn the property over to the town. Bumgartner mentioned that in similar circumstances involving depots in Nappanee and Bremen, CSX took up to two years to respond to requests.
The Train Depot Committee is concerned about the preservation of the building as a historical site and plan to continue their efforts regardless. Anyone wishing to contribute may do so by contacting the Syracuse Town Hall.
A skateboard ordinance was presented again in draft form by Town Marshall Tony Ciriello. The ordinance had been originally presented last month, but was not approved because it was felt that restricted areas for skateboarding had to be better delineated.
The proposed restricted area in the new draft is defined as the alley west of Huntington Street, east to Harrison; and Washington to Pearl. The penalties for violations are: first offense, written warning; second offense, $25 fine; third offense, $50 fine and confiscation of skateboard.
Ciriello said the ordinance will include this statement: "Violations shall be enforced at the discretion of Syracuse Police Department." The restricted area will have signs posted and final wording of the ordinance will be presented at the December meeting.
The council approved an additional appropriation ordinance. This allows for $32,000 to be appropriated from the police department general fund for the purchasing of new police equipment.
In other business, the council:
n Approved $3,243.99 for maintenance work on waste water generators to Cummins Crosspoint of Elkhart.
n Agreed to write a letter to the state requesting that the Syracuse town library not be considered as "under performing," and therefore not be considered for closure as part of a state-wide cost-cutting measure.
n Paid claims for November totaling $530,417.17.
n Heard from the Parks Department that the annual Breakfast With Santa will be Dec. 8 from 7 to 10 a.m. at the Community Center.
Syracuse Town Council members are Larry Siegel, Bill Musser, Cassie Cowan, Brian Woody and Paul Stoelting.
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The creation of a fire protection territory was the first main item of the evening. This is an interlocal cooperation agreement between the town of Syracuse and Turkey Creek Township.[[In-content Ad]]Syracuse Fire Chief Mickey Scott said a fire territory differs from what is called a fire district. A fire territory is a cooperative agreement between two governmental entities, while a fire district would be a larger area such as a county.
The purpose of developing such an agreement between the town and the township is primarily for the purpose of pooling available resources to offer more coverage.
"This opens it up to be able to get what is needed as far as equipment and personnel," said Scott. "Dispatch would also be more localized. We're already close to being a fire territory as it is, but we need this agreement."
By combining fire departments of the town and the township into one entity, a uniform tax rate can be set to offset costs. Funds can be established to maintain and replace equipment, pay salaries and expenses, and enter into necessary contracts.
The administration of the new fire territory would be handled by an executive board, consisting of five members. Two members will be from the township, one member from the town, and each entity will appoint one member. The appointees must be a taxpayer of the territory. Each member of the executive board will serve a one-year term, which will expire on Dec. 31 of that year.
The resolutions from the Turkey Creek Township and Syracuse needed to enter into the interlocal agreement have yet to be adopted. Both documents are rough drafts at the moment, and they will not be acted upon until after the first of the year. There is another public meeting on the agreement scheduled for Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.
The need for such an arrangement was addressed by Ronald Sims, a resident of the Enchanted Hills area. He discussed a fire call in the area where the response time was longer than expected. Although it was pointed out that on the day in question there had also been an earlier ambulance call that resulted in a transport to Warsaw, thus creating a staffing shortage, the need for manpower and perhaps even another station was made clear.
"Our number one goal is to provide enough financial support to eventually accomplish this," said council member Brian Woody.
Pam Kennedy, Housing Opportunities of Warsaw, updated the council on the low-income housing renovation grant that had been applied for by the town. According to Kennedy, of the $150,000 asked for, Syracuse had received $75,000 for this grant cycle. Initially, it was hoped that 10 houses could have been brought into the program, but with the money that was awarded, five low-income homeowners have already been pre-qualified.
Kennedy walked the council through the lengthy process that takes a homeowner from application through actual renovation. The council approved the first of the applicants, which then allows them to begin talking to contractors. These contractors are from a list provided by Housing Opportunities.
Kennedy said she intends to have the town reapply for the rest of the money, and will probably have more applicants ready for council's approval by next meeting.
Mark Bumgartner, co-chair of the Train Depot Committee, gave a brief overview of the group's efforts to date. Public relations and some fundraising activities have been varied and are an ongoing process, he said. However, the main concern is that CSX Railroad, the owner of the old depot, has not yet agreed to turn the property over to the town. Bumgartner mentioned that in similar circumstances involving depots in Nappanee and Bremen, CSX took up to two years to respond to requests.
The Train Depot Committee is concerned about the preservation of the building as a historical site and plan to continue their efforts regardless. Anyone wishing to contribute may do so by contacting the Syracuse Town Hall.
A skateboard ordinance was presented again in draft form by Town Marshall Tony Ciriello. The ordinance had been originally presented last month, but was not approved because it was felt that restricted areas for skateboarding had to be better delineated.
The proposed restricted area in the new draft is defined as the alley west of Huntington Street, east to Harrison; and Washington to Pearl. The penalties for violations are: first offense, written warning; second offense, $25 fine; third offense, $50 fine and confiscation of skateboard.
Ciriello said the ordinance will include this statement: "Violations shall be enforced at the discretion of Syracuse Police Department." The restricted area will have signs posted and final wording of the ordinance will be presented at the December meeting.
The council approved an additional appropriation ordinance. This allows for $32,000 to be appropriated from the police department general fund for the purchasing of new police equipment.
In other business, the council:
n Approved $3,243.99 for maintenance work on waste water generators to Cummins Crosspoint of Elkhart.
n Agreed to write a letter to the state requesting that the Syracuse town library not be considered as "under performing," and therefore not be considered for closure as part of a state-wide cost-cutting measure.
n Paid claims for November totaling $530,417.17.
n Heard from the Parks Department that the annual Breakfast With Santa will be Dec. 8 from 7 to 10 a.m. at the Community Center.
Syracuse Town Council members are Larry Siegel, Bill Musser, Cassie Cowan, Brian Woody and Paul Stoelting.
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