Huntingburg Common Council meeting notes
The City of Huntingburg is applying for a Community Focus Fund Grant to help pay for a Water System Improvement project. The project would replace just under 3,000 lateral feet of 16-inch ductile iron pipe that makes up the primary connection between the City and Patoka Lake Regional Water and Sewer District.
The pipes age and corrosion contributed to the need to replace the pipe. Leaks in the line have led to losses of The water line is important because the City is under contract to purchase 425,000 gallons per day from the line and cannot exceed 637,000 gallons per day. A 2010 break in one of the sections proposed for replacement caused a loss of 560,000 gallons of water.
The city gets 70 percent of the daily water usage from that line with the rest coming from a second Patoka connection known as the phase 5 connection. According to Utility Superintendent Tony Traylor in July and August the city is using 100% of the available water from the two lines plus all the water produced at the Huntingburg Water Plant while it runs 24 hours a day.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $583,250.00, but according to Region 15 representative Mike Cummins the amount available in the grant has dropped from $600,000 to to $500,000.00. The City will have to pick up the cost on the overage, along with a local match of 10%. The Council passed a resolution to approve the project as presented and to authorize Cummins to get the paperwork started for the grant.
The council approved an additional appropriation of $40,000 to the Huntingburg Police Department budget. $10,000 salary for retirement of Chief and $10,000 Detective Wampler, and $20,000 for overtime pay resulting from the loss of three officers earlier this year.
In other actions during the meeting, the Council approved a listing of surplus items to be sold June 23rd in an auction held at the Huntingburg Park Shelter House and the Street Department. An appropriation of $500.00 was approved to pay BH Premiere Realty and Auction, LLC, as the auctioneer.
The City also introduced an ordinance to increase the round trip fares on the Huntingburg Transit Van from $1.00 to $2.00. The one-way fares will remain the same at $1.00. Mayor Denny Spinner reports that they have not had a fare increase since 2005. The rising price of fuel in addition to the popularity of the transit system contributed to the rise in fares. A survey conducted among riders indicated the majority were not adverse to the price increase.
The City approved ordinances to be presented in the June meeting to increase fines and administrative fees for unmowed lawns. The city will also be presented with an ordinance lowering the allowable height of weeds and grass. (Full story here)
