Huntingburg Council approves proposed land sale for new restaurant, more

The Huntingburg Common Council approved the sale of two lots on Veterans Parkway for $174,095 to make way for a new locally-owned restaurant during its September meeting.

The property, located directly west of the existing Arby’s location, will be sold to a real estate firm from Indianapolis, which represents the restaurant owner. The sale price exceeds the average of two required appraisals and includes reimbursement for the appraisal costs.

Mayor Neil Elkins said they did not have the liberty to reveal information on the proposed restaurant.

“It will be a locally-owned restaurant,” he assured the council. “It will be somebody that presently operates a restaurant in Dubois County.”

The buyer will also be responsible for paying for a sewer line installation, minus a three-year credit for projected usage. The estimated cost of running the sewer line completely across the property is approximately $28,000, with the buyer receiving a credit of approximately $11,000 based on projected usage calculations.

The council adopted Resolution 2025-21, which determines the city’s interest in investigating the sale. A public hearing on the advisability of the sale will be held on October 14, before the final authorization can be approved.

The property is part of the Main Street Economic Development Area, which was created five years ago. Under the statute for municipal real estate sales, the abbreviated process requires two licensed appraisals and that the city receive at least the average of those appraisals.

In other business, the council approved a purchase order for new playground equipment at Huntingburg City Park. The equipment, costing approximately $39,000 after a $17,600 discount, will replace aging playground structures in the main park area. The purchase is funded by local income taxes and budget funds allocated to the Parks Department.

Mayor Elkins said the existing equipment includes items that no longer have replacement parts available. The new equipment will create one large unit with sections for different age groups on the north side of the park.

“It’ll be real impressive, let’s just put it that way,” Elkins said. “I think it’d be something that no other park around us would have this type of equipment.”

The project represents the first phase of a larger park reconfiguration plan. Elkins said there are discussions about relocating some equipment and potentially adding a playground closer to the baseball fields to improve safety and supervision.

The council also approved salary increases for city employees and elected officials. After a discussion about keeping pace with inflation, council members approved a 3.5% increase to the salary ranges for hourly employees and the same percentage increase for elected officials.

Council member Jeff Bounds noted that the inflation rate from July 2024 to July 2025 was 2.9%, making a 3% increase roughly equivalent to maintaining current purchasing power.

“I don’t think it’s a raise if the rate of inflation is 3% and we increase their salary by 3%,” added council member Pam Bolte. “We’re making the exact same thing in next year’s dollars that we’re making in today’s dollars.”

Bolte added that if the city wanted to actually consider giving someone a raise, they needed to make the range higher than 3%.

She recommended a 3.5 percent range be approved for 2026. It was approved unanimously.

The council emphasized that the 3.5% figure represents an increase to the high end of salary ranges, meaning individual employees may receive varying increases depending on their current position within their pay scale.

During the meeting, the utility departments reported on several infrastructure projects and improvements. The water department received approval for a $19,074 quote from Utility Supply to replace a problematic 10-inch water main on Van Buren Street between 7th and 8th streets.

Water Superintendent Jerry Austin said the section has experienced multiple breaks and is “full of repair clamps.” The replacement will coincide with the planned repaving of 7th Street.

The water department also received authorization to borrow up to $600,000 from the electric department’s cash reserves at an interest rate of 2.5% over a five-year period for the rehabilitation of Filters 5 and 7 at the water treatment plant. The project has a tentative start date of Oct. 12 with Kiefer Brothers Construction, with completion expected in the first few months of 2025.

The council also approved a $69,682 quote for gas utility antenna and base station equipment to improve meter reading coverage in the Ireland and Jasper areas. Gas Superintendent John Reutepohler said the system is about 85% complete in converting to new census meters, but signal coverage issues require additional infrastructure.

“Right now when we read our meters, there’s probably 40, 50 it’s not picking up, but then we got to go over manually and get the reads,” he told the council.

Mayor Neil Elkins proclaimed September 17-23 as Constitution Week at the request of the Daughters of the American Revolution, marking the 238th anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution.

The council also approved an ordinance allowing the clerk-treasurer to transfer appropriations between budget classifications within the same fund or department without exceeding total budgeted amounts. Council members requested reporting on significant transfers to maintain oversight of budget adjustments.

The meeting concluded with an announcement about the upcoming Herbstfest softball tournament, featuring 14 teams from five states competing Saturday at League Stadium, with games running from 8 a.m. to approximately 11 p.m.