Robbins Announces Resignation from Etna Green Council
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
ETNA GREEN – Jim Robbins announced his resignation from Etna Green Town Council at the end of the meeting Tuesday. Robbins, who was appointed to council to fill a vacancy in June 2008 and later reelected, will resign effective Dec. 15. He told council he plans to relocate to the Indianapolis area. “It has been a privilege to serve in the role of town councilman,” he read from a prepared statement. “In a cooperative effort the town council has improved Etna Green with various projects, brought all our utility funds into a positive cash flow and continued with the clerk-treasurer’s assistance, keeping our overall budget in a positive position.” Robbins also represented the town as a commissioner in the Indiana Municipal Power Agency, the town’s power provider. The Kosciusko County Republican Party is expected to appoint a replacement for the remaining two years of Robbins’ term. Also Tuesday, council introduced the fire hydrant surcharge proposed last month by Umbaugh and Assoc. Council will hold a hearing at next month’s meeting before voting on the change to the town rate ordinance. The surcharge on town water customers would be phased in beginning in January, with a $6.15 monthly charge, growing the next two years to a $9.20 and $12.41 charge. All the income would go into the water utility fund. The offset from the general fund, which currently pays $763 a year each for water used by the town’s 52 fire hydrants, would start at $20,000 next year. So the town would be short that amount without the surcharge, Eric Walsh with Umbaugh told council. “The issue is that this is affecting the 2014 budget. We knew the general fund really needed some help,” Walsh said, later adding that the extra income would also help the town build up capital reserves in the water fund. Council members expressed reservations over the surcharge, asking if they could postpone phasing it in or if Winona Powder Coating, which moved to town in summer, might bring in enough revenue to avoid the need. “I’d hate to increase the rate and find out we didn’t need to do it,” remarked Councilman Keith Claassen. “But we do need to do it,” replied Clerk-Treasurer Laura Baker, who also noted that town revenue has been down 15 percent a year for the past four years. During that time she has not been able to transfer money into water depreciation, despite needs such as the water tower and other aging infrastructure. “Even though I cut, cut, cut, it does not seem to make a difference,” she said. “I’m not a fan of this either, but we have to be fiscally responsible.” Walsh advised council to at least enact phase one of the surcharge, saying they’re more likely to find they won’t need the phase two charge than finding that Winona Powder will be enough to cover the $20,000 shortfall.
