Mentone Police Vehicle Damaged; Town Looks To Buy Truck For Street Dept.

MENTONE - Vehicle repairs, possible acquisition and special use were among the topics discussed during Monday's Mentone Town Council meeting.

Town Marshal Jim Eads offered repair estimates for the Dodge Durango after the department's K-9 took the vehicle for a drive into a building recently.

The dog's lead apparently was tangled around the gearshift of the running vehicle when the animal somehow pulled the lever into "drive." The vehicle then struck the Burgess Motorsports building on South Morgan Street in Mentone.

The town's liability insurance will cover 100 percent of the repairs for the building, and there is a $250 deductible for the police vehicle. A firm price for the repairs at Burgess Motorsports hasn't been tallied and the council opted to have Jerry's Body Shop in Mentone complete the vehicle repair at a cost of $297.59. The only other quote for repair, from Petro's GM Showplace, was for $546.73.

The council continues to gather information regarding the purchase of a new truck for the street department. The cost for the chassis is for $26,820.28, plus $8,675 for an 8-foot dump bed and a snow plow.

Council members asked street superintendent Darrel Miller to check on a trade-in value for the current truck and to meet with clerk-treasurer Jim Tibbets to determine what funds the money could come from to pay for the vehicle. A portion of the cost may have to come from this year's budget, with the remainder being paid from the 2002 budget.

The council gave permission for Eads to take the marked Chevrolet Tahoe to New York to participate in a Nov. 18 memorial. Three men from Mentone (Eads and two firefighters) and another from Milford will take part in the ceremony to remember fallen firefighters, police officers and emergency medical service personnel. The vehicle will be gone from town for four days for the trip.

The men will pay for their own gas and hotel.

In other business, the council:

• Was invited to attend a presentation today in Indianapolis, where officials from Bell Memorial Library will accept a $500,000 Community Focus Fund grant from the Indiana Department of Commerce.

• Adopted the 2002 salary ordinance as follows (2001 salaries are in parentheses): council president, $1,960 ($1,900); council members, $1,860 ($1,800); clerk-treasurer, $24,250 ($23,530); town marshal, $31,930 ($31,000); deputy marshal, up to $26,300 at the discretion of the town marshal ($25,500); utilities superintendent, $34,785 ($33,770); street superintendent, $33,930 ($32,900); and hourly employees, $6.50 to $9.50 ($6.25 to $9).

Also, employee insurance is available at $1 per year.

• Approved allowing Miller and utilities superintendent Brian Reed to attend a Rural Water Association conference in December in Columbus for continuing education credits to maintain their certifications.

• Voted to pay $405 for advertising in the annual Kosciusko County Vacation Planner distributed by the Kosciusko County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

• Signed on for another year's membership in the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns at a cost of $731.

The council meets at 7 p.m. the first Monday of each month in the town hall. Council members are Ed Rock, Ed Lamar and Mike Diemer.