Six appointments and two fund transfers were the bulk of the business before the City of Warsaw Common Council Monday night. Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said the majority of the appointments were “statutorily prescribed” with “very specific” requirements. The only appointment of the six not required was for the Warsaw Community Development Corp. and that appointment comes from WCDC’s bylaws. The council chose Dan Smith to fulfill the last year of Jack Wilhite’s term on the Board of Zoning Appeals, beginning Jan. 1. Wilhite won election to the city council in November and an elected official can not serve on the BZA. Councilman Mike Klondaris recommended Smith and told the council, “I think Dan would make a great member. I think he has an interest and would do a good job.” Smith also got praise from council members Jeff Grose, Diane Quance and Cindy Dobbins. Dan Robinson was reappointed to the Economic Development Commission. Thallemer said the EDC is a committee that only meets in very specific situations, and estimated the last time it met was three to four years ago. The mayor has one appointment, which is Tom Allen; the county has one, which is Bob Sanders; and Robinson’s is the council’s appointment, which is for two years. “When there’s specific bond issues that come up, the Commission has to meet,” Thallemer explained. The Plan Commission is expanding from seven to nine members in 2016, including five citizens. The other appointments come from the Parks Board (to be made at its Dec. 15 meeting), city engineer (James Emans), Board of Public Works and Safety (Grose) and the city council. The council appointed Quance to the commission, replacing Klondaris who currently serves on the Commission. Her four-year term begins Jan. 1. The expansion is required “statutorily,” according to Thallemer, because the city has a full-time engineer and a parks board. Two one-year appointments for the Redevelopment Commission come from the city council, which chose Klondaris to replace Jeff Johnson and reappointed Rick Snodgrass. The mayor has three appointments to the board and the school board has a non-voting representative on the board. Thallemer’s nominations for 2016 are Jeff Grose, Tim Meyer and George Clemens. The school board will approve its appointment at its upcoming meeting. The council reappointed Dobbins for a three-year term on the WCDC. Thallemer told the council, “I’ve still got some board and commission slots to fill with political balance. I’ve got some non-Republican slots that need to be filled, and the local Democrat caucus has given me some names, but I don’t have any of those filled yet. I will announce those at the last meeting of the year as well as the commission and board appointments for all the council members.” The first transfer, approved unanimously on first and second reading, was for the Warsaw Police Department, transferring $14,500 from utility services to salaries and $2,500 from other supplies into machinery and equipment. Chief of Police Scott Whitaker said it was close to the end of the year and he was just trying to make sure they get through the end of the year with salaries. “We were a little under budgeted. We’ve had a little more overtime this year than what I anticipated. This will replenish and actually pay just a few thousand that we’ll be short for the base salary, and then a few thousand toward overtime that we can bring those hours down to a hundred hours so that we aren’t carrying too many hours into the year,” Whitaker explained. The $2,500 will help his department finish out closing its bills for this year. The second transfer approved unanimously on first and second reading was for the Warsaw-Way Fire Territory, transferring a total of $35,000 from professional services, yearly physicals, communication and transportation and utility services appropriations to the operating fund for salaries and wages. Fire Chief Michael D. Wilson said like Whitaker’s request, it was getting close to the end of the year and he was trying to make sure “things were covered.” “Our salaries and overtime are going to be real close to what we’re transferring,” with a little bit of cushion just in case, Wilson said. The council also approved the Nov. 16 meeting minutes and reviewed the November fund report.
