MENTONE – If you’re past due on your water bill in Mentone, don’t look for the green tags to warn you anymore of being disconnected. They won’t be there. Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd told the town council Monday night that he’s eliminated the green tags. Residents can just use the date on their disconnect notice as their warning. The green tags take up a lot of time and are a hassle, he said, and other utility companies like NIPSCO don’t provide them. “If you get a disconnect notice, you better pay attention to the date,” council President Tim Croy emphasized. Shelly Krueger, councilwoman, asked how long it takes before someone’s water is usually turned off. Clerk-Treasurer Barb Ross said about two months, but some people “push it as much as they can.” Ross, Croy said, works with residents as much as she can, but people often wait as long as possible to pay the bill. In other business, after receiving the 1782 Notice from the state, Ross told the council it had to make two cuts to its 2013 budget. Ross said the board had to reduce $3,091 from the town’s general fund, and $3,824 from its Motor Vehicle Highway Fund. According to the H.J. Umbaugh & Associates website, “The Department of Local Government Finance is required annually to provide taxing units with a Notice of Final Budget Recommendation (the 1782 Notice). The 1782 Notice is a preliminary budget determination and not a final budget certification. Taxing units are required to respond to the 1782 Notice by the deadline stated on the Notice. ... current law allows taxing units 10 calendar days to review the Notice and make budget revisions in its written response.” In the general fund, Ross said it made logical sense to take the money out of the new equipment account. For MVH, she recommended the money come out of the street account because it has the most money. “The rest of the budget is pretty much tight,” Ross said. The council approved the recommended cuts. Town Marshal Jim Eads said the police department’s grant request to Kosciusko Coalition On Drug Education for money for new Tasers® was denied because stun guns don’t fall under KCODE’s scope of money to give out. However, Eads said he applied for grant money from the county prosecutor’s office and his department was awarded $2,500 for stun guns. “Now we have enough Tasers® for everyone,” Eads said. Shepherd also told the council they needed to sign the contract with Emmans Engineering. Emmans will serve as the town engineer. In return, the town will pay Emmans $90 per hour for up to 48 hours, not to exceed $4,320 per year without prior approval. During the Feb. 4 meeting, the council will hold a public hearing on Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines for sidewalks as required by the state. Sidewalks at intersections must be made handicapped-accessible within the next 20 years.
