By PAULENE POPARAD

The Porter Town Council dispatched year-end business Thursday, looked back on the accomplishments of its past four years and offered best wishes to the incoming council that will be sworn in Saturday.

State Rep. Ed Soliday will do the honors at 2 p.m. at the town hall and the public is invited to attend. No business will be conducted. The new council won’t convene until the regularly scheduled Jan. 8 meeting.

President Bill Sexton is the only council holdover. New members are David Babcock, Micheal Genger, Jon Granat and Michele Bollinger. All are Republicans.

Sexton closed Thursday’s meeting, rescheduled from Dec. 25, by observing that the town is in much better shape than it was four years ago when the current all-GOP council turned out the Democratic majority. “It certainly makes life easier the next four years.”

As accomplishments Sexton pointed to hammering out a new contract with Chesterton Utilities for sewage treatment and purchasing more sewage capacity for Porter as well as settling with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management on a plan to upgrade Porter’s long-neglected sewer collection system that’s led, among other projects, to relining the Porter Avenue and Beam Street sewers with more improvements yet to come.

Additional positive things, said Sexton, were creating a town Stormwater Management Board, moving toward groundbreaking in 2008 on two hike/bike trails, eliminating town-funded cell phones for council members to save money, and purchasing new vehicles for town departments despite inheriting a financial crisis.

Sexton noted Porter is one of only a few government units that didn’t have to resort to outside loans with interest to fund operations this year. “This group deserves a big pat on the back for making sure that didn’t happen.” Porter County tax bills were sent out eight months late delaying payments to municipalities, libraries and schools.

He also commended Porter department heads and employees for watching their expenditures, and Clerk-treasurer Carol Pomeroy for greatly improving the operations of that office and its accessibility to the public. Sexton expressed hope that the new council will be able to have as big a positive impact on Porter as the current council has had.

Hugs and handshakes took place after the meeting adjourned. Outgoing council members are Jennifer Granat closing her second term, Sandi Snyder, Lorri Wickberg and Paul Childress.

During public comment resident Bill Cantrell, who lost to Sexton in the general election, commended the council. “You always let me say my two cents and I appreciated that.”

Childress commented as the council voted unanimously to approve approximately $108,000 in year-end transfers that their numbers have been reduced dramatically. “Our budgeting process has gotten much better.”

The council also unanimously declared a financial emergency citing the late property-tax distribution and extended its repayment deadline for interfund loans from Dec. 31 to June 30. The council had borrowed over $500,000 throughout the year from various funds but Pomeroy said on Wednesday she received Porter’s first tax payment so the loan carryover has been reduced to $337,400 from the Redevelopment Commission and $24,000 from the Rainy Day Fund.

Childress reminded that the Redevelopment Commission has an outstanding $190,000 loan made this year to the Sewer Fund that needs to be addressed. The commission meets Dec. 31 at 3 p.m. Childress urged the next council to address the shortcomings in the Sewer Fund.

In other financial matters the council OK’d writing off $12,250 in delinquent sewer accounts due primarily to deaths, sheriff’s sales and bankruptcies and it adopted the 2008 salary ordinance.

It pays, all annually, the clerk-treasurer $27,123 from the general fund and $14,883 from the Sewage Works; council members each $3,890 from general and $2,460 from sewage; and the Public Works director $51,500 divided evenly between general and sewage funds.

The police chief will be paid $54,672 and the one full-time firefighter $41,248 while the deputy clerk-treasurer will be paid $39,542 annually. The new Town Council likely won’t name department heads until Jan. 8. Most town employees received 3 percent pay increases for 2008. All full-time employees will be paid longevity in the amount of $125 per year of full-time employment.

Stormwater Board members each will be paid $51.50 per meeting, Plan Commission members $105.90 per meeting, and Board of Zoning Appeals members $58.40 per meeting. Porter uses a merit-pay system. The ordinance lists other compensation for town positions but notes the salaries listed are to be deemed the maximum allowable for each position and department heads have the discretion to approve a lower salary for each.

Vote to adopt the ordinance was 4-1 with Childress voting no. The Park Board salaries are not included in the ordinance but Childress restated his objection to that board granting a 22 percent raise to its administrator.

Also Thursday, the council agreed to review the employee handbook regarding apparently conflicting vacation policies, and Police Chief James Spanier was given permission to hire a dispatcher if a resignation occurs.

Fire Truck OK’d

“Alright!” cheered Fire Chief Lewis Craig after the council approved acceptance of the low bid of $179,612 from Alexis Fire Equipment of Alexis, Illinois for a new rescue truck. Delivery will take place in approximately nine months.

The Redevelopment Commission agreed to pay $100,000 and the balance will come from the town’s share of the Porter County income tax. Since the fire-truck money is due in 2008, members said it will be up to the new council to reallocate distributing income-tax funds between departments next year.

Craig also said this spring Indiana American Water Co. plans to bring a water line from Old Porter Road down Mineral Springs Road to Marquette Street including 10 new hydrants.

During department reports Public Works director Brenda Brueckheimer said heavy rains Dec. 12 resulted in an overflow at the Porter Avenue lift station but modifications made should help avert future instances. She also asked residents of side streets and subdivisions to be patient following a snowfall because main routes have to be cleared first.

Power outages Dec. 23 of almost 19 hours prompted Brueckheimer to say she’ll ask the new Town Council for permission to install a back-up generator system at the municipal building on Beam Street for Street and Fire department use. The portable generator is needed for the lift stations, she noted. The town will be taking used Christmas trees this week; residents may call for pick-up or bring them to the Beam Street building.

Park Superintendent Jim Miller reported over 200 adults and children attended this month’s Park Department Christmas party; he thanked those who donated and attended. Miller also said 2007 rental income from park properties, primarily the Hawthorne Park community center, was $33,345 or up $15,000 over the last three years.

Contract discontent grows

The council asked that a representative of LGS Plumbing attend the Jan. 8 meeting after discussing a request for payment and a changeorder related to its upgrading of the Oak Hill lift station and sewer lines. Town engineer Hesham Khalil said the project completion date is well past due.

The council approved a portion of the LGS request with Childress and Granat dissenting; he questioned why a trench has been left open at the station for more than a month while awaiting NIPSCO to connect a gas line. Sexton agreed if a conduit for NIPSCO was installed, why wasn’t the trench backfilled?

On another matter, the council readopted on three 5-0 votes its prior amendment of the ordinance that increases penalties for violation of hunting regulations to $250 for the first offense; $1,000 for the second offense; and $2,500 for each additional offense. The Nov. 27 amendment was not on the agenda and a written ordinance was not before the council at the time.

Posted 12/28/2007