Luce Resigning As North Webster Clerk-Treasurer
September 21, 2022 at 1:08 a.m.
Luce Resigning As North Webster Clerk-Treasurer
By David [email protected]
Betsy Luce announced she is resigning as clerk-treasurer for the town of North Webster at the end of this year. She did not give a reason.
She said the Democrat Party is in the process of finding her replacement. She has been with the town for 19 years.
Council President Dan Thystrup told her she has done a good job. Councilman Dave Waliczek told her they will miss her.
“She’s going to be hard to replace,” Councilwoman Lisa Strombeck said. “Not looking forward to it.”
When Thystrup asked how soon the Democrats will know who her replacement is, Luce said she didn’t know but hoped it would be by the next meeting (Oct. 18).
Earlier in the meeting, James Hastings, who was appointed as deputy marshal to the North Webster Police Department in December, spoke up.
He said he was a police officer in North Webster “roughly a month ago.” He said he spent four months at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, and previous to that, he spent a year at the NWPD.
“I put a lot of time and effort into this Academy. I was 1.2 points away from graduating with honors. Then, the last week of the Academy, I had a kidney stone. I was able to pass the kidney stone, but unfortunately I was not able to finish the only thing - sit-ups, I had 60 seconds to do sit-ups - I was in so much pain I couldn’t do it,” Hastings said.
He said he did everything else but the sit-ups.
He said he wasn’t at the Council meeting to bash the NWPD or Town Marshal Greg Church.
“The week before this happened, I passed my exit standards and I need the town of North Webster to know I didn’t just go and fail. I was in shape. I still am,” Hastings said. “... I’m not here to ask for anything, other than I want my name cleared because an officer that gets fired for any reason - it’s never good.”
He said, according to why he was fired from NWPD, it was because he didn’t complete ILEA because of the kidney stone.
“When I asked Greg if he was terminating me because of this, he said because I was no longer able to be a cop in Indiana,” Hastings said. “I still have two more chances to be a police officer.”
He said he has to drive 2-1/2 hours for a minute of sit-ups.
“I needed you to know I didn’t quit North Webster. I did not quit on North Webster. I did not quit on the Webster Police Department. I didn’t quit on you (officer) Dave (May). I worked my ass off,” Hastings said.
He said he was let go and he doesn’t feel he was given the opportunity to go back and finish at the Academy.
The Council made no comments.
For the next 10 minutes, the Council heard from Jennifer Weaver and Scott Kuhn about overgrown weeds, abandoned cars and other nuisances in the town.
Weaver said she lives on Washington Street and in the alley between Washington and Mulberry, there are weeds growing further and further into the alley. May said the town marshal hands out the town’s ordinance violations and he wasn’t ignoring her after he talked with her.
Mike Noe, Inframark project manager, said he has a chemical to spray it and will get it done this week.
Kuhn said throughout the town there are issues with weeds and abandoned vehicles, and they’ve been overlooked for several years and they need to be taken care of. He said there’s tall weeds and trash behind the karate building in town.
“It’s just letting our town get ran down and look bad,” he said.
After discussion about the town’s current ordinance violation process, including Strombeck saying she doesn’t like to see weeds, town attorney Jack Birch said he will look into ordinances regarding the town taking care of the mowing of overgrown weeds and grass and then charging the property owner.
In other business, the Council:
• Had a public hearing for the 2023 budget, but there were no remonstrators or questions.
The overall total budget estimate is $2,104,589; maximum estimated funds to be raised are $453,450, about $50,000 under the town’s maximum levy; and the current tax levy is $464,852.
“So, really hoping to keep the tax rate pretty much right where it was last year,” Luce said.
The Council approved the budget, with the final adoption set for the Oct. 18 Council meeting at 6 p.m. at the North Webster Community Center.
• Heard trick-or-treating will be 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31.
• Approved for Noe to order a spare lift station pump.
They also approved an estimate from G Squared Development LLC for $8,700 to make a swale with a manhole over by Lake Lube Auto Repair, as Noe requested.
He also will purchase a gearbox for the clarifier for $4,555.53, but it’s not expected to come in for 12 to 14 weeks. Noe said the town probably won’t have to pay for it until it comes in, which he expected would be around January.
• Heard from Leann Hubbs, Park Board president, that they decided “we are tired of buying used tractors that go kaput” and she and her husband are “forever messing with it, Dave’s out there forever messing with it.”
They want a permanent structure to house a decent tractor. Hubbs said they recently got a storage barn for a good deal and it was delivered at no cost with a ramp at no cost.
She said the next project is to look for either a tractor or a four-wheeler and it will be kept out of the weather, and hopefully it will last for at least 10 years. It has to be heavy duty.
Hubbs also town the Council they have two trees that are compromised: one is at the south end of the pavilion and the other is in the playground closest to the mailboxes. She said hopefully they will be removed within the next six weeks.
She expects everything at the parks to be closed up by Oct. 15.
• Approved an ordinance to rezone the empty lot directly behind Lake Lube & Car Wash from residential to commercial.
Hubbs brought the rezoning to the Council about a year ago and there was no objection to it, but Luce said it didn’t go any further than that.
• Reviewed the NWPD statistics for August 2022.
Officers worked 752.5 hours. There were 4,037 miles driven and 301.4 gallons of fuel used.
They had 286 calls for service, including 99 traffic-related calls; 16, battery, fight and/or domestic battery; and 21 citizen assist/lockouts. There were one criminal mischief call, nine for theft/fraud, one drug-related, two alcohol-related, seven for accidents/vehicles in ditch and six for other agency assist.
• Approved the five-year recertification process for a side program of the flood program that the county participates in, as presented by Matt Sandy, Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission. This is a voluntary program through the community rating system. The side program, through activities the county does, provides a discounted rate for anyone who carries flood insurance in the county. The discount currently is 5%.
Betsy Luce announced she is resigning as clerk-treasurer for the town of North Webster at the end of this year. She did not give a reason.
She said the Democrat Party is in the process of finding her replacement. She has been with the town for 19 years.
Council President Dan Thystrup told her she has done a good job. Councilman Dave Waliczek told her they will miss her.
“She’s going to be hard to replace,” Councilwoman Lisa Strombeck said. “Not looking forward to it.”
When Thystrup asked how soon the Democrats will know who her replacement is, Luce said she didn’t know but hoped it would be by the next meeting (Oct. 18).
Earlier in the meeting, James Hastings, who was appointed as deputy marshal to the North Webster Police Department in December, spoke up.
He said he was a police officer in North Webster “roughly a month ago.” He said he spent four months at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, and previous to that, he spent a year at the NWPD.
“I put a lot of time and effort into this Academy. I was 1.2 points away from graduating with honors. Then, the last week of the Academy, I had a kidney stone. I was able to pass the kidney stone, but unfortunately I was not able to finish the only thing - sit-ups, I had 60 seconds to do sit-ups - I was in so much pain I couldn’t do it,” Hastings said.
He said he did everything else but the sit-ups.
He said he wasn’t at the Council meeting to bash the NWPD or Town Marshal Greg Church.
“The week before this happened, I passed my exit standards and I need the town of North Webster to know I didn’t just go and fail. I was in shape. I still am,” Hastings said. “... I’m not here to ask for anything, other than I want my name cleared because an officer that gets fired for any reason - it’s never good.”
He said, according to why he was fired from NWPD, it was because he didn’t complete ILEA because of the kidney stone.
“When I asked Greg if he was terminating me because of this, he said because I was no longer able to be a cop in Indiana,” Hastings said. “I still have two more chances to be a police officer.”
He said he has to drive 2-1/2 hours for a minute of sit-ups.
“I needed you to know I didn’t quit North Webster. I did not quit on North Webster. I did not quit on the Webster Police Department. I didn’t quit on you (officer) Dave (May). I worked my ass off,” Hastings said.
He said he was let go and he doesn’t feel he was given the opportunity to go back and finish at the Academy.
The Council made no comments.
For the next 10 minutes, the Council heard from Jennifer Weaver and Scott Kuhn about overgrown weeds, abandoned cars and other nuisances in the town.
Weaver said she lives on Washington Street and in the alley between Washington and Mulberry, there are weeds growing further and further into the alley. May said the town marshal hands out the town’s ordinance violations and he wasn’t ignoring her after he talked with her.
Mike Noe, Inframark project manager, said he has a chemical to spray it and will get it done this week.
Kuhn said throughout the town there are issues with weeds and abandoned vehicles, and they’ve been overlooked for several years and they need to be taken care of. He said there’s tall weeds and trash behind the karate building in town.
“It’s just letting our town get ran down and look bad,” he said.
After discussion about the town’s current ordinance violation process, including Strombeck saying she doesn’t like to see weeds, town attorney Jack Birch said he will look into ordinances regarding the town taking care of the mowing of overgrown weeds and grass and then charging the property owner.
In other business, the Council:
• Had a public hearing for the 2023 budget, but there were no remonstrators or questions.
The overall total budget estimate is $2,104,589; maximum estimated funds to be raised are $453,450, about $50,000 under the town’s maximum levy; and the current tax levy is $464,852.
“So, really hoping to keep the tax rate pretty much right where it was last year,” Luce said.
The Council approved the budget, with the final adoption set for the Oct. 18 Council meeting at 6 p.m. at the North Webster Community Center.
• Heard trick-or-treating will be 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31.
• Approved for Noe to order a spare lift station pump.
They also approved an estimate from G Squared Development LLC for $8,700 to make a swale with a manhole over by Lake Lube Auto Repair, as Noe requested.
He also will purchase a gearbox for the clarifier for $4,555.53, but it’s not expected to come in for 12 to 14 weeks. Noe said the town probably won’t have to pay for it until it comes in, which he expected would be around January.
• Heard from Leann Hubbs, Park Board president, that they decided “we are tired of buying used tractors that go kaput” and she and her husband are “forever messing with it, Dave’s out there forever messing with it.”
They want a permanent structure to house a decent tractor. Hubbs said they recently got a storage barn for a good deal and it was delivered at no cost with a ramp at no cost.
She said the next project is to look for either a tractor or a four-wheeler and it will be kept out of the weather, and hopefully it will last for at least 10 years. It has to be heavy duty.
Hubbs also town the Council they have two trees that are compromised: one is at the south end of the pavilion and the other is in the playground closest to the mailboxes. She said hopefully they will be removed within the next six weeks.
She expects everything at the parks to be closed up by Oct. 15.
• Approved an ordinance to rezone the empty lot directly behind Lake Lube & Car Wash from residential to commercial.
Hubbs brought the rezoning to the Council about a year ago and there was no objection to it, but Luce said it didn’t go any further than that.
• Reviewed the NWPD statistics for August 2022.
Officers worked 752.5 hours. There were 4,037 miles driven and 301.4 gallons of fuel used.
They had 286 calls for service, including 99 traffic-related calls; 16, battery, fight and/or domestic battery; and 21 citizen assist/lockouts. There were one criminal mischief call, nine for theft/fraud, one drug-related, two alcohol-related, seven for accidents/vehicles in ditch and six for other agency assist.
• Approved the five-year recertification process for a side program of the flood program that the county participates in, as presented by Matt Sandy, Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission. This is a voluntary program through the community rating system. The side program, through activities the county does, provides a discounted rate for anyone who carries flood insurance in the county. The discount currently is 5%.
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