The Town of Porter
Public Works Department will be adding a Kubota mid-size utility tractor and
a Land Pride boom mower to its fleet.
The Town Council
voted 3-0 on Tuesday in favor of the tractor purchase. The tractor can be
used year-round for a variety of purposes, not just mowing.
Public Works
Director Brenda Brueckheimer said she followed the Council’s charge from
last month and researched ways to pay for a purchase or lease of the tractor
and mower. She looked at three-year and a five-year lease and also three and
five-year rates for loans at Verizon Bank.
The five-year loan
rate was 2.3 percent and would total $18,484 each year.
Council President
Greg Stinson asked Brueckheimer how long she anticipates the tractor will
last before it needs replacing. She replied 20 to 30 years.
“It should out
service me,” Brueckheimer joked. “A good tractor should last a long time as
long as you have a good maintenance plan.”
The funds would
come from the Town’s Motor Vehicle Highway fund and Brueckheimer advised
that the budget could sustain it.
Stinson voted to go
with the five-year rate with Verizon Bank, as did Council members Erik
Wagner and Ross LeBleu. Bill Lopez and Tim Conroy were absent.
Meanwhile, the
Council tabled until its July 26 meeting a quote received for a 2017
Freightliner dump truck recommended by Brueckheimer from Truck City of Gary
in the amount of $165,044.
Stinson said he
wasn’t ready to vote on it Tuesday as he wanted to check with
Clerk-Treasurer Carol Pomeroy and financial advisor Umbaugh & Associates on
the amount of county economic development income tax that could be used,
along with other funds.
“We should have
money to dedicate moving forward,” he said.
Wagner concurred
with Stinson, commenting “it’s a lot of money.”
U.S. 20 improvement
project
In other reports,
Town Attorney Greg Sobkowski said the Indiana Department of Transportation’s
widening project of U.S. 20 includes a parcel the department wishes to
acquire from the Town for approximately $10,700.
INDOT is adding
turn lanes at the intersection of U.S. 20 and Waverly Rd. and has been
purchasing portions of property for their right-of-way.
Sobkowski said the
parcel is near Hokanson Dr. and U.S. 20 just west of the intersection. The
issue however is INDOT had the parcel belonging to Porter County Parks
Department when it should have been Porter Parks Department.
Stinson said the
land had been donated years ago and is currently not being used.
A correction is
being made, Sobkowski said, and the contract should be ready by the next
Council meeting.
The $10,700 would
be paid to the Town, Stinson said, but it hasn’t been decided what fund it
would go into.
Meanwhile, Pomeroy
said she has deposited the special local option income tax distribution from
the state, of $125,919, into the appropriate account to be used for road
paving. She was also able to purchase the Laserfiche software for documents
in her office and the police department, which the Council approved last
month, in an amount not to exceed $8,000.
Family 4th Fest
kudos
Parks Director
Brian Bugajski expressed his gratitude to the police, fire and public works
employees for all their helping hands at last week’s Family 4th Festival
held in Hawthorne Park.
Stinson echoed the
comments saying he was pleased with how the even turned out.
“It kind of makes
you proud to be a member of the town and a member of this body to see all
the employees working hard on a holiday,” he said.