Webster Council Hears About Wawasee Tax Referendum
Resident airs grievance about town service
October 21, 2020 at 1:59 a.m.
By Deb McAuliffe Sprong-
Dr. Tom Edington says the current tax rate is 55.56 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The referendum proposes to add “up to 28.5 cents” to the tax rate.
Edington said the increase would help the school system maintain three priorities: safe kids, high achievement and building a better community through career training.
Edington said that while the state pays for the education of the students, the local tax rate is responsible for buses, buildings, sports and technology. Some funding supporting programs in these areas is no longer available.
For instance, a Lilly Grant has paid for an extra counselor for students and their families for four years. Students and families were able to talk to the counselor outside of school hours at no cost to themselves. The grant paying for this position has ended, he said.
Edington believes programs for nontraditional learners have contributed to an increase in the graduation rate - from 85% when the programs began five years ago to 96%. These programs include courses such as geometry and construction, where student projects included building trailers at Pick A Spot campground; and career training in areas such as nursing, cosmetology, welding, EMT and computer science. The grant for these programs has also run out, he said.
The safe kids priority appears to line up with community desires. “When you survey parents in today’s world, safety is No. 1,” he said.
Initiatives Edington would like to implement include cameras on the stop-arms of school buses which could be used to identify people who disregard the stop sign and drive around the bus. He cited the accident two years ago in which three students in the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. were killed when a driver passed a stopped school bus. Edington said it would cost $4,000 per bus to retrofit them for cameras, with 25 buses being upgraded.
He would also like to see security increased on the exterior doors of all school buildings with the installation of sensors and other technology.
Edington said Wawasee has the lowest tax rate out of 291 Indiana school districts. “We’ve been good stewards,” he said, citing the addition of solar panels at corporation schools which generate $600,000 a year for the operations budget, as well as changing all lights inside and out within the corporation, creating a savings of $250,000 a year.
He also mentioned the academic impact of COVID-19 on students. “Kids have lost some learning this year,” he said. “We want to get them caught up.”
Also during the meeting, resident Jay Rigdon complained to the town council about poor service and a lack of communication in trying to get the service issue resolved.
Rigdon, who lives at 406 N. Ward Lane, North Webster, said he piled branches for pickup at the beginning of August. More branches came down after a storm Aug. 10, Rigdon said, and the first pile of branches hadn’t been picked up. He said his wife called the town clerk, who said she should call the street department.
The Rigdons then went out of town; a month later, the branches were still there. He said he called and left a message again on Sept. 30, and when no one called back he called and left a message Oct. 1.
He said he got a call on Oct. 2 saying, “Just got your message” and was told his street was not in the town’s jurisdiction. After some discussion, Rigdon and Jayne Alger, the utilities manager, realized there was confusion about the street Rigdon lived on. Rigdon lives on Ward Lane, which is in town, and Alger was thinking of Wade Lane, which is not.
Rigdon told Alger he was going to come to the town council meeting and complain, and “lo and behold, the branches were picked up.”
Rigdon said a neighbor immediately south of him didn’t have his branches picked up either. He said when part of Ward Lane was vacated five or six years ago, he was promised services would not be affected.
“What is the council going to do?” he asked.
Alger said Tuesday that the Oct. 1 message was the first one she received, and it’s possible others working in the office heard Rigdon’s prior messages but neglected to give Alger the information.
Rigdon also said he left messages with a council member twice – saying he wouldn’t say who - and the council member didn’t call him back. All three council members said they did not have any messages from Rigdon. Rigdon then said he left the messages with Councilman Dan Thystrup, who wanted to know which number Rigdon called.
Rigdon said he called Thystrup’s home phone. Thystrup said this phone line is only for Internet; it does not have any phone service. “If I’d’ve know (the message) was there, I would’ve reacted,” he said.
He said he would give Rigdon his business card so he would have a good number to call.
Each council member assured Rigdon that he can call any of them with any future issues “and we will make sure it’s taken care of,” said Council President Lisa Strombeck.
Strombeck also asked Alger to be sure that all of her employees know the streets in North Webster.
In other business:
• Alger reported the sewer was “back up and running” Monday after parts of town were without service for five days. She said they had to add a valve and replace a broken valve, as well as replace a piece of obsolete line. Clerk-treasurer Betsy Luce suggested the town give credit to residents of EMS 24, 25 and 26 for the days they were without service. Council approved the credit of $1.60 a day.
• East Washington Street will be closed from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 21 for the tree lighting.
• The town will purchase a paint striper for $1,925 from Sherwin-Williams in Warsaw.
• The 2021 budget of $1,685,514 was approved. Luce said the tax rate is 81.85 cents but it will be lower once it’s certified.
The next town council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 17.
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Dr. Tom Edington says the current tax rate is 55.56 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The referendum proposes to add “up to 28.5 cents” to the tax rate.
Edington said the increase would help the school system maintain three priorities: safe kids, high achievement and building a better community through career training.
Edington said that while the state pays for the education of the students, the local tax rate is responsible for buses, buildings, sports and technology. Some funding supporting programs in these areas is no longer available.
For instance, a Lilly Grant has paid for an extra counselor for students and their families for four years. Students and families were able to talk to the counselor outside of school hours at no cost to themselves. The grant paying for this position has ended, he said.
Edington believes programs for nontraditional learners have contributed to an increase in the graduation rate - from 85% when the programs began five years ago to 96%. These programs include courses such as geometry and construction, where student projects included building trailers at Pick A Spot campground; and career training in areas such as nursing, cosmetology, welding, EMT and computer science. The grant for these programs has also run out, he said.
The safe kids priority appears to line up with community desires. “When you survey parents in today’s world, safety is No. 1,” he said.
Initiatives Edington would like to implement include cameras on the stop-arms of school buses which could be used to identify people who disregard the stop sign and drive around the bus. He cited the accident two years ago in which three students in the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. were killed when a driver passed a stopped school bus. Edington said it would cost $4,000 per bus to retrofit them for cameras, with 25 buses being upgraded.
He would also like to see security increased on the exterior doors of all school buildings with the installation of sensors and other technology.
Edington said Wawasee has the lowest tax rate out of 291 Indiana school districts. “We’ve been good stewards,” he said, citing the addition of solar panels at corporation schools which generate $600,000 a year for the operations budget, as well as changing all lights inside and out within the corporation, creating a savings of $250,000 a year.
He also mentioned the academic impact of COVID-19 on students. “Kids have lost some learning this year,” he said. “We want to get them caught up.”
Also during the meeting, resident Jay Rigdon complained to the town council about poor service and a lack of communication in trying to get the service issue resolved.
Rigdon, who lives at 406 N. Ward Lane, North Webster, said he piled branches for pickup at the beginning of August. More branches came down after a storm Aug. 10, Rigdon said, and the first pile of branches hadn’t been picked up. He said his wife called the town clerk, who said she should call the street department.
The Rigdons then went out of town; a month later, the branches were still there. He said he called and left a message again on Sept. 30, and when no one called back he called and left a message Oct. 1.
He said he got a call on Oct. 2 saying, “Just got your message” and was told his street was not in the town’s jurisdiction. After some discussion, Rigdon and Jayne Alger, the utilities manager, realized there was confusion about the street Rigdon lived on. Rigdon lives on Ward Lane, which is in town, and Alger was thinking of Wade Lane, which is not.
Rigdon told Alger he was going to come to the town council meeting and complain, and “lo and behold, the branches were picked up.”
Rigdon said a neighbor immediately south of him didn’t have his branches picked up either. He said when part of Ward Lane was vacated five or six years ago, he was promised services would not be affected.
“What is the council going to do?” he asked.
Alger said Tuesday that the Oct. 1 message was the first one she received, and it’s possible others working in the office heard Rigdon’s prior messages but neglected to give Alger the information.
Rigdon also said he left messages with a council member twice – saying he wouldn’t say who - and the council member didn’t call him back. All three council members said they did not have any messages from Rigdon. Rigdon then said he left the messages with Councilman Dan Thystrup, who wanted to know which number Rigdon called.
Rigdon said he called Thystrup’s home phone. Thystrup said this phone line is only for Internet; it does not have any phone service. “If I’d’ve know (the message) was there, I would’ve reacted,” he said.
He said he would give Rigdon his business card so he would have a good number to call.
Each council member assured Rigdon that he can call any of them with any future issues “and we will make sure it’s taken care of,” said Council President Lisa Strombeck.
Strombeck also asked Alger to be sure that all of her employees know the streets in North Webster.
In other business:
• Alger reported the sewer was “back up and running” Monday after parts of town were without service for five days. She said they had to add a valve and replace a broken valve, as well as replace a piece of obsolete line. Clerk-treasurer Betsy Luce suggested the town give credit to residents of EMS 24, 25 and 26 for the days they were without service. Council approved the credit of $1.60 a day.
• East Washington Street will be closed from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 21 for the tree lighting.
• The town will purchase a paint striper for $1,925 from Sherwin-Williams in Warsaw.
• The 2021 budget of $1,685,514 was approved. Luce said the tax rate is 81.85 cents but it will be lower once it’s certified.
The next town council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 17.
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