By MARGARET L. WILLIS

As of Feb. 5, the town had finally received 100 percent of 2007’s tax revenue, clerk-treasurer Jane Jordan reported at Wednesday’s town council meeting, and a little more.

“It may be an overpayment, it may reflect excess levy,” she noted, which would be paid back to the county if the former is true or if the latter, held by the town and figured in to 2009’s budget.

No TIF funds have been received as of yet, Jordan said. She has met with County Auditor Jim Kopp, who informed her the numbers are being worked on and will be forwarded to and approved by the state DLGF within four to six weeks.

BH March Meeting Change

The Burns Harbor Town Council will meet next month on March 5, the first Wednesday of the month rather than the second; one week earlier than usual.

The rescheduling is due to Jordan’s attendance at the Indiana League of Municipal Clerk-Treasurers’ training sessions at Ball State University over that institution’s spring break, when the computer systems are available.

The council agreed the department heads should hold regular meetings to allow developers to attend and have questions answered on submitted plat plans before they are forwarded to the Plan Commission.

Attorney Welsh told the council that an itemized list of actions needed at the Moneypenney property has been developed by Building Commissioner Randall Lopez and has been forwarded to the property owner’s attorney. “We await their agreement,” he said.

In other business, the council gave final approval of the 2008 salary ordinance for the park department, previously approved in its first reading.

Also approved was a transfer of funds within the Street Department of $7,200, from snow removal to insurance. The transfer reflects an increase in insurance fees, council member Mike Perrine noted, not any error in budgeting.

The council also approved a set of guidelines for employee use of town credit cards.

Jordan announced she has filed a disclosure of conflict to be sure it is widely known that she also serves as the secretary to the Town Scholarship Committee.

The council unanimously agreed to develop a written CEDIT plan to submit to the county, outlining the plans to use the County Economic Development Income Tax, estimated at $48,000 per year for the town, for Information Technology upgrades in 2008 and for the fire truck lease payment in 2009. Present were Council president Jim McGee and embers Toni Biancardi, Cliff Fleming and Mike Perrine. Council member Louis Bain continues to be on active duty with the Marine Reserves in Iraq.

Council members also agreed unanimously to allow employees to decide for themselves, pending department head approval, how to take compensation for overtime; overtime pay or time off.

A Police Department handbook of rules and regulations is to be reviewed by town attorney Bob Welsh, with an eye toward compliance with state Safety Board rules.

The council declined to renew the Haas engineering contract, deciding to continue under last year’s, until the issue of how payments for services rendered by the engineer on behalf of the town shall be paid for. Council members did not want to set up a situation where the engineering firm is left to seek repayment on its own. An agreement of responsibility is to be drafted by town attorney Welsh for the council to consider at next month’s meeting.

Posted 2/15/2008