NORTH WEBSTER - Two-thirds of the North Webster Town Council formed a quorum for the body’s year-end meeting Friday inside the town’s annex building.
Council President Dan Thystrup and member Lisa Strombeck were present, but member Dave Waliczek was not in attendance.
The meeting was punctuated by a report from Mike Wyrick, representing the Webster Lake Conservation Association. Wyrick briefed the council and several members of the public on an ongoing dispute between the WLCA and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources regarding the repair of the Webster Dam.
Wyrick provided background on the WCLA, which was formed in the 1950s to purchase the decaying Webster Dam. At that time, it restored the dam thanks to financial contributions from lake property owners, local residents, business owners, service organizations and churches in the North Webster community.
He further explained that the dam is not just the metal weir gate structures, located off the southern part of Webster Lake, but also includes the gates and the surrounding earthen embankment that holds the water in the lake, and upon which several houses are located.
Prior to 2017, the dam was classified as a “Significant Hazard” dam and as such was inspected on a regular basis by the DNR, with a portion of the inspection cost passed on to the WLCA.
In 1996, the DNR made an agreement with the WLCA under which the DNR assumed the “responsibility for the reconstruction or repair of the outlet control structure,” aka the dam.
In 2009, a DNR engineering inspection rated the dam and the land dams as “deficient and conditionally poor.” With prompting from WLCA, the DNR made repairs to the dam in 2012, but omitted correcting certain deficiencies previously noted in the 2009 inspection report. The DNR made no repairs to the land dams during this project.
In 2017, the DNR completed another engineering inspection and reclassified the dam and land dams as “High Hazard” and rated them as “Deficient and conditionally poor” due to a previously existing void under the main spillway that was left unrepaired during the 2012 reconstruction and because of an enlargement of the inundation area below the dam as determined by a 2015 remapping of the flood plain.
In 2018, the DNR suggested that it was WLCA’s responsibility to repair the dam and land dams, even though the 1996 agreement was still in force.
Wyrick went on to explain that the WLCA is currently engaged in litigation with the DNR over the financial responsibility for making the necessary repairs to the dam. He is advocating for the creation of a Webster Dam conservancy foundation to deal with the potential costs, which could be into the seven-figure range to be completed. However, the timeline of creating a conservancy foundation takes a few years to develop and fund.
Wyrick said the WLCA is looking into numerous options should the DNR not be required to uphold their end of the agreement. He noted that none of the options are necessarily good. He agreed to keep the council informed throughout the coming year of the status of the dam and its needed repairs.
In other year-end business, the council:
• Passed resolution 2023-12-29-1 for end-of-year transfers. Because a police car, which was intended for trade-in, was totaled in an accident and a separate unforeseen accident with a deer in another police vehicle, Clerk-Treasurer Leigh Anne Jessop requested the transfer of $3,179.08 from the police equipment fund to the police car repair fund.
The council also approved the transfer of $2,882.25 from equipment purchase fund to the police car fund.
Additionally, $50 was moved from the insurance fund to the encumbrance insurance fund. A total of $800.18 was transferred from the garage supply fund to the street sign replacement fund. The council also approved $150.80 be moved from the regular part-time employment fund to the encumbered part-time employee fund.
• Heard from Jessop on Resolution 2023-12-29-2, encumbrances. Jessop requested the encumbrance of $25,000 out of the radios and computers police fund to go toward the purchase of the new police car, which is to be delivered in 2024. She also requested the encumbrance of $45,000 out of the 2023 equipment fund and $40,000 out of the 2023 truck fund to be used in 2024 for a new street department truck, which will be purchased from Rice Ford.
Ordinances 2023-12-19-1 and 2023-12-19-2, salary benefits and compensation and pay schedule, respectively, were approved by the council. The ordinances themselves were previously approved by the council. The first ordinance finalizes a 3% pay increase for all town employees, while the second agrees upon a 26-pay period year for employees in 2024.
The first meeting in 2024 of the North Webster Town Council will take place at 6 p.m. Jan. 23 in the North Webster Community Center.