Sidney Discusses 2021 Budget; Burning In Town Limits
September 15, 2020 at 8:33 p.m.
By Jackie Gorski-
The total proposed budget is $81,150. The general fund is $47,050 of that, and the rainy day fund is $3,500.
The 2020 budget did not have a rainy day budget and the town’s budget had a rainy day fund in prior years, but the last year the fund was in the budget was not given.
Council President Sharon Rancourt said it would be good to have a rainy day fund in case a big project comes up.
It was decided the council members’ and Clerk-Treasurer Lisa Parrett’s salaries would remain the same next year as they are this year. Parrett will be paid $3,100, and each council member will be paid $1,600 a year.
Other line items of note included the council added a petty cash account of $75 so if someone came into the town office, change would be made. Other line items included snow removal, $3,500; mosquito spraying, $2,500; repairs/maintenance, $1,650; rent for office, $3,000; postage, $600; and mowing, $500.
Rancourt said the council president had to submit the proposed budget after the meeting Tuesday. The budget will be adopted during the council’s October meeting.
There will be a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to finish discussions on new business that the council did not discuss Monday. Rancourt said people can address any concerns about the budget then.
Councilman Brandon Allen brought up the topic of burning. He said the Indiana Department of Environmental Management had 30 complaints of open fires and open burns in Sidney in the last month.
Allen said IDEM preferred town officials investigate those claims instead of having them go through IDEM. Allen said IDEM only wants complaints from town council members.
Rancourt said people should be going through IDEM, noting council members are not state officials and aren’t responsible for enforcing state laws.
“You can’t tell people not to call them ...,” Rancourt said. People can call or e-mail them or go online and fill out a form online. “And the more people that do that, the better.”
She noted nowhere on IDEM’s website does it state only town council officials can report complaints.
Allen said the council isn’t trying to stop having campfires or something similar – it’s when people are burning chemicals or similar things that are an issue. He did investigate one of the calls that was received and it was a resident burning computer parts.
Rancourt said her personal stance is that people should be going through IDEM. She asked Allen for the person’s information at IDEM that he most recently talked to.
Rancourt said radar signs were supposed to arrive Wednesday and put on Ind. 13 to try to slow down traffic. Sgt. Chris Francis, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office public information officer, would be the one installing the radar signs.
The council has a meeting with Pierceton Police Chief Tim Sammons “later on in the month to get some information” on types of police coverage available and what grant money is available for public safety.
“That’s our next project to be started,” Rancourt said.
The council will also have the town’s trees trimmed.
“We have a one-time tree trimming service coming through sometime late October,” Rancourt said.
There will be three big trees that will be coming down, and all trees will be topped off that are at powerline level and taking everything back in the alleys.
Rancourt said if council could do it earlier, “great,” but the storm that came through in August pushed the tree-trimming service back. On top of that, the council wanted to wait until the leaves fell.
Rancourt said all town ordinances were sent to American Legal Publishing for codification and the work will be done “sometime fourth quarter.”
The total proposed budget is $81,150. The general fund is $47,050 of that, and the rainy day fund is $3,500.
The 2020 budget did not have a rainy day budget and the town’s budget had a rainy day fund in prior years, but the last year the fund was in the budget was not given.
Council President Sharon Rancourt said it would be good to have a rainy day fund in case a big project comes up.
It was decided the council members’ and Clerk-Treasurer Lisa Parrett’s salaries would remain the same next year as they are this year. Parrett will be paid $3,100, and each council member will be paid $1,600 a year.
Other line items of note included the council added a petty cash account of $75 so if someone came into the town office, change would be made. Other line items included snow removal, $3,500; mosquito spraying, $2,500; repairs/maintenance, $1,650; rent for office, $3,000; postage, $600; and mowing, $500.
Rancourt said the council president had to submit the proposed budget after the meeting Tuesday. The budget will be adopted during the council’s October meeting.
There will be a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to finish discussions on new business that the council did not discuss Monday. Rancourt said people can address any concerns about the budget then.
Councilman Brandon Allen brought up the topic of burning. He said the Indiana Department of Environmental Management had 30 complaints of open fires and open burns in Sidney in the last month.
Allen said IDEM preferred town officials investigate those claims instead of having them go through IDEM. Allen said IDEM only wants complaints from town council members.
Rancourt said people should be going through IDEM, noting council members are not state officials and aren’t responsible for enforcing state laws.
“You can’t tell people not to call them ...,” Rancourt said. People can call or e-mail them or go online and fill out a form online. “And the more people that do that, the better.”
She noted nowhere on IDEM’s website does it state only town council officials can report complaints.
Allen said the council isn’t trying to stop having campfires or something similar – it’s when people are burning chemicals or similar things that are an issue. He did investigate one of the calls that was received and it was a resident burning computer parts.
Rancourt said her personal stance is that people should be going through IDEM. She asked Allen for the person’s information at IDEM that he most recently talked to.
Rancourt said radar signs were supposed to arrive Wednesday and put on Ind. 13 to try to slow down traffic. Sgt. Chris Francis, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office public information officer, would be the one installing the radar signs.
The council has a meeting with Pierceton Police Chief Tim Sammons “later on in the month to get some information” on types of police coverage available and what grant money is available for public safety.
“That’s our next project to be started,” Rancourt said.
The council will also have the town’s trees trimmed.
“We have a one-time tree trimming service coming through sometime late October,” Rancourt said.
There will be three big trees that will be coming down, and all trees will be topped off that are at powerline level and taking everything back in the alleys.
Rancourt said if council could do it earlier, “great,” but the storm that came through in August pushed the tree-trimming service back. On top of that, the council wanted to wait until the leaves fell.
Rancourt said all town ordinances were sent to American Legal Publishing for codification and the work will be done “sometime fourth quarter.”
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