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Sewer rates could increase for Warsaw and Winona Lake residents following the presentation of a cost of service study Monday during the Warsaw City Council meeting.
Todd Samuelson, of Umbaugh and Associates, Plymouth, went before the council with a detailed explanation of the service study for Warsaw's municipal sewer works and suggested the city raise its rates for residents and businesses in the Warsaw and Winona Lake areas.
Following the presentation, councilmen opted to move forward on the issue, approving a motion to conduct a public hearing on the matter in July.
The study could help Warsaw and Winona Lake etch out an agreement regarding current and future sewer rate charges.
With Warsaw planning to extend sewer connections north of town, Mayor Ernie Wiggins said the city needs to finalize a deal with Winona Lake before moving forward onto other projects, including a project to connect Leesburg to the sewer system.
"We need to get our ducks in a row," Wiggins said. "We need to resolve our agreement with Winona Lake before we move onto a contract with Leesburg."
In other matters, tax abatements were approved for LRC Products, Symmetry Medical and Little Crow Milling Company.
Each business submitted compliance review forms for the renewal of various 10-year tax abatements. Following favorable reviews from the planning department, the council approved each abatement, one each for Little Crow and LRC, and two for Symmetry Medical.
Rita Baker also went before the council to request $5,614 from the city for the Kosciusko Area Bus Service. The funding, which was approved, will be used to restore the KABS main office.
The board also:
• Approved a transfer of $8,910 from the general fund to the Police Machinery and Equipment fund. The transferred funds recently were received through a reimbursement from the state auditor through a traffic safety equipment grant.
• Approved an ordinance to rezone property inside the Nye-Brandt property from R-3 to C-3. The rezoning previously received a favorable recommendation from the plan commission.
• Approved an amendment to the city zoning ordinance creating a rural residential zoning and reworking the requirements of other residential zones. The project, spearheaded for the last six months by City Planner Jeremy Skinner, also was recommended for approval by the plan commission.
"This will go a long way to provide a helpful tool for both the planning commission and the community as a whole," Councilman and Plan Commission member Joe Thallemer said.
Councilmen are Wiggins, Thallemer, Jerry Patterson, Charlie Smith, Bob Morrison, George Clemens, Jeff Grose and Bill Rhoades.
