Etna Green Discusses Having Processes For Town Employees
August 12, 2020 at 2:44 a.m.
By Jackie [email protected]
Councilman Jason Hanes said the problem he sees is, if the town doesn’t have a process “that’s set in stone” to follow, things won’t get fixed. He thought there should be a procedure Wastewater/Street Superintendent Andy Cook has when he sends out a notification to go to a certain location and give the owner a yes or no of whether the problem is alleviated.
Hanes said he realizes that’s more work for Andy, but doesn’t feel the town is helping the residents who keep their properties “clean.”
He wants to the procedures to be set in stone so there’s no issues for when Andy can say “no these are the procedures and this is how it’s handled.”
Town attorney Jay Rigdon said if Hanes wanted to write a new ordinance, someone has to write up the policy and bring it before the council to discuss it. Another option is to have a policy.
“You’ve got the right to enforce it, but someone has to do it,” Rigdon said.
Hanes said he’d rather have a policy. He’d rather just have it be consistent for everyone.
The council approved giving Council President Keith Claassen the ability to sign paperwork for a line of credit they agreed to last year.
“Last year, the council approved as acting as a passthrough for lending from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to Winona Powder,” Rigdon said.
Hanes said the line of credit will allow Winona Powder to add 16 to 20 jobs.
The town will have to sign a line of credit between the town and the USDA for the line of credit. Winona Powder will then have to sign a line of credit between the business and the town to cover the debt, Rigdon said. The line of credit was for $1 million.
Winona Powder is picking up all the cost for the loan, making it a zero cost for the town, which will end up strengthening the town, Rigdon said.
The line of credit is to say the town of Etna Green is secure and if something should happen - like Winona Powder going under – the town would pay the debt, Rigdon said. “Not that any of that would actually happen.”
Claassen said the reason the town agreed to the agreement was because the chance of the town having to pay the debt was so remote.
“The idea is you’re in the exact same position financially,” Rigdon said. He said if such a thing would happen, the town is secured and has collateral, which is owned by Winona Powder, such as their equipment.
The council also approved Clerk-Treasurer Patti Cook and Hanes to go to the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office today with a contract for policing.
The contract the council looked at during Tuesday’s meeting was not permanent, Hanes said. KCSO still has to pass it through its legal department. Changes also may be made on KCSO’s part.
Hanes said he’d like to have a vote on the contract after KCSO has had a chance to look at it during the council’s September meeting.
Claassen said he didn’t have any problems with the contract and would be interested to see if there’s any changes to it.
Hanes said the residents have been asking for more policing. “This is what they want,” he said.
The council approved a resident the ability to hook the house he’s looking to build up to the lift station.
Pat Riewoldt said he owns the west gravel pit and he’s looking to build a house on it. When he went to the county to get a permit, he was told he would need to get approval from the town to hook up to the lift station south of town. Once the approval was given, he was told he could proceed with the permit.
Hanes said the town has been wanting more houses to be built in that area.
Claassen said that’s why the lift station was put out there, so that area could be built up. He said he’s been disappointed that more houses haven’t been built up in that area.
Councilman Jason Hanes said the problem he sees is, if the town doesn’t have a process “that’s set in stone” to follow, things won’t get fixed. He thought there should be a procedure Wastewater/Street Superintendent Andy Cook has when he sends out a notification to go to a certain location and give the owner a yes or no of whether the problem is alleviated.
Hanes said he realizes that’s more work for Andy, but doesn’t feel the town is helping the residents who keep their properties “clean.”
He wants to the procedures to be set in stone so there’s no issues for when Andy can say “no these are the procedures and this is how it’s handled.”
Town attorney Jay Rigdon said if Hanes wanted to write a new ordinance, someone has to write up the policy and bring it before the council to discuss it. Another option is to have a policy.
“You’ve got the right to enforce it, but someone has to do it,” Rigdon said.
Hanes said he’d rather have a policy. He’d rather just have it be consistent for everyone.
The council approved giving Council President Keith Claassen the ability to sign paperwork for a line of credit they agreed to last year.
“Last year, the council approved as acting as a passthrough for lending from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to Winona Powder,” Rigdon said.
Hanes said the line of credit will allow Winona Powder to add 16 to 20 jobs.
The town will have to sign a line of credit between the town and the USDA for the line of credit. Winona Powder will then have to sign a line of credit between the business and the town to cover the debt, Rigdon said. The line of credit was for $1 million.
Winona Powder is picking up all the cost for the loan, making it a zero cost for the town, which will end up strengthening the town, Rigdon said.
The line of credit is to say the town of Etna Green is secure and if something should happen - like Winona Powder going under – the town would pay the debt, Rigdon said. “Not that any of that would actually happen.”
Claassen said the reason the town agreed to the agreement was because the chance of the town having to pay the debt was so remote.
“The idea is you’re in the exact same position financially,” Rigdon said. He said if such a thing would happen, the town is secured and has collateral, which is owned by Winona Powder, such as their equipment.
The council also approved Clerk-Treasurer Patti Cook and Hanes to go to the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office today with a contract for policing.
The contract the council looked at during Tuesday’s meeting was not permanent, Hanes said. KCSO still has to pass it through its legal department. Changes also may be made on KCSO’s part.
Hanes said he’d like to have a vote on the contract after KCSO has had a chance to look at it during the council’s September meeting.
Claassen said he didn’t have any problems with the contract and would be interested to see if there’s any changes to it.
Hanes said the residents have been asking for more policing. “This is what they want,” he said.
The council approved a resident the ability to hook the house he’s looking to build up to the lift station.
Pat Riewoldt said he owns the west gravel pit and he’s looking to build a house on it. When he went to the county to get a permit, he was told he would need to get approval from the town to hook up to the lift station south of town. Once the approval was given, he was told he could proceed with the permit.
Hanes said the town has been wanting more houses to be built in that area.
Claassen said that’s why the lift station was put out there, so that area could be built up. He said he’s been disappointed that more houses haven’t been built up in that area.
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