Knox Board of Works Approves Proposal to Have Water Towers Cleaned and Inspected

Photo Source: Northwest Indiana Photos

The two elevated water towers in the City of Knox will be cleaned and inspected, following a decision made by Board of Works members Wednesday morning.

Water Department Representative Tim Vogelzang submitted a proposal to the members that called for the cleaning of the water tower located off of East Street and the one that’s in the Industrial Park. Vogelzang said this procedure is recommended every three years, and the towers are going on 5-years without it. Continue reading

Knox City Council Members Approve Revised Employee Handbook

In order to discuss the employee handbook, Knox City Council members held a joint work session with a member of the Board of Public Works last night.

Steve Dodge served as the representative for the BOW. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston explained that the firm HR Unlimited was hired to help revise the current employee handbook.

Houston said a new handbook was needed not only due to changes to state requirements but also because multiple versions of the handbook were floating around. He said over the years, people have amended it for various departmental needs but city officials felt it was time to have a standard for everyone to go by. Continue reading

Knox City Council Members Elect New President Pro Temp and Address Additional Appointments

Knox City Council members re-organized and addressed appointments when they met for the first time this year.

On Tuesday night, Councilwoman Bertha Blue nominated Ron Parker for the position of President Pro Temp and former council president. Parker’s nomination was unanimously approved. A “president pro tempore” serves as the representative for the council members and they would run the meeting if the mayor is ever absent. Continue reading

Public Hearing over 2018 Budget Held During Knox City Council Meeting

Knox City Council held a public hearing over the 2018 budget during their meeting Tuesday night. If you missed it, don’t worry, the budget can be seen online through the Indiana Gateway for Government Units website. Click here to access the 2018 Budget for the City of Knox.

During the hearing, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston went over specific items on the notice to the taxpayer. He explained that the max civil levy is the maximum amount of money that is allowed to be collected from property taxes. The estimated max civil levy is $1,567,438. He also described that the tax cap, the amount of money not allowed to be collected based on the classification of particular properties, is $221,292. The estimated general fund is $1,563,107. Continue reading

Knox City Plan Commission Members Voice Concerns over Dumpster Ordinance

  
 

The Knox City Plan Commission members last night looked at the city council’s proposed ordinance pertaining to the placement of dumpsters and had several concerns.

Steve Dodge made a comment that the definition of dumpster is too broad as it would pertain to all dumpsters in the city and not a specific type of receptacle. In his opinion, recycling containers, trash containers, trash bins, and dumpsters would all qualify as a dumpster per the definition outlined in the document.

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Knox City Council Approves Revised Fee Ordinance

Knox City Council
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council members discussed a revised fee ordinance Tuesday night.

Under Section 1, Article VI, Sec. 4-251. Location improvement permit fees, a commercial/industrial permit for new construction, additions and remodeling will be left at $5,000. In a previous discussion, the members considered an increase to $7,500, but later determined the $5,000 fee was sufficient.

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Knox Board of Public Works Discusses Unsafe Structures

Knox Board of Public Works
Knox Board of Public Works

Steve Dodge came before the Knox Board of Public Works Wednesday morning to advise the board of an unsafe structure.

The property in question is at 409 and 411 W. Lewis Drive in the Parkview Heights area. The duplex is on two lots with two property owners. One side of the building on the property is up-to-date on taxes and the other side was sold in a tax sale.

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Starke County Commissioners Hears Zoning Issue

Starke County Commissioners: Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

Betty Dotlich, of rural Grovertown, appeared before the Starke County Commissioners again this week seeking information and assistance in halting the use of a structure she claims is improperly zoned. Dotlich has sought help several time in having a home owned by Julia Povalitis properly zoned, saying she doesn’t believe it meets minimum residential standards. Dotlich said it appears that it is still being used for housing.

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Starke County Planning Commission Puts Final Touches on Proposed Dog Kennel Ordinance

The Starke County Planning Commission discussed the proposed dog kennel ordinance at their meeting last week.

Dan Bridegroom suggested that a commercial kennel definition in the form of an I.C. code be added to the ordinance. Bruce Williams, Administrator/Building Commissioner, suggested adding the phrase “more than four and less than 20 unaltered female dogs that are at least twelve months of age” to the ordinance under commercial kennel definition. Commission Counsel, Steve Dodge, added that if more than four male or female dogs are at one residence, the homeowner will need a kennel license. The changes were approved by a vote of 5-3 and now the revised ordinance will be sent back to the Commissioners for their approval.

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