Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Taxes next year will be lower for Kosciusko County residents.
Solid waste district taxes, that is.
According to Kosciusko County Solid Waste Manage-ment District Director Marsha Eikenberry, the district will need to take in only $55,526 next year. Based on last year's assessed valuation, the tax rate collected by the district will be possibly less than $0.0067, 21 percent less than last year, if approved by the Indiana State Board of Accounts.
The district will increase its budget by 10 percent but decrease its taxes by 20 percent.
The public hearing is set for the district's regular meeting at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 24. Adoption will be Sept. 7.
Eikenberry said she is working on developing new bid specs for the county's recycling contract.
Under the new bid specs, the contract will be for three years with two one-year renewable periods. She will specify the need for a permanent drop-off facility located within two miles of downtown Warsaw. The site would be open at least five days per week and would accept tires, appliances, mixed paper, junk mail, magazines, hardback books, seed bags and other materials.
The entire facility would be totally contracted out to the private sector. Eikenberry said she will accept alternate bids in the bid specs. Bid specs also will include servicing the satellite stations.
A permanent operation would eliminate the one-day events in the county and add an enormous amount of convenience to county residents who need to dispose of unwanted items, according to Eikenberry.
"It would make it really easy for communities in the county to curbside recycle," she said.
The solid district board also approved a resolution establishing a fixed asset account group and establishing a dollar value for property that will be registered. Governmental bodies in Indiana are required by state law to establish a fixed asset account group if they have assets whose value exceeds $5,000.
Eikenberry also told the board the district will give new digital thermometers away to people who bring in their old ones.
