The Town Council of
Winona Lake, Indiana met in a regular session on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 in
the Town Hall at 6:00 p.m.
COUNCIL MEMBERS
PRESENT: Sue Gooding, Jim Lancaster,
Terry Howie, Randy Swanson and Retha Hicks
ABSENT: Joy
Lohse
OTHERS PRESENT: Craig Allebach, Pete
O’Connell, Mitch Titus, Larry Long, James Walmer and Paul Schmitt
Opening - Allebach opened the meeting with prayer and
the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of minutes – Randy Swanson motioned to accept minutes;
motion was seconded by Jim Lancaster. Minutes were approved as written.
October 16 & 17 – Taste &
Trade Expo 2009 at the Orthopaedic Capital Center
October 17 – Symphony of the Lakes
Concert
October 31, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. –
Trick or Treat
Floor
Topics:
Police Department
Inter-Local Agreement for Terminal Services Data. Town Marshal Paul Schmitt said the equipment
will allow officers to bypass central dispatch. Winona Lake will be charged by
the county $100 per year per car for maintenance and upgrade. The police
department also has to purchase air cards for $35 per month each from
Centennial Wireless. Winona Lake has six cars.
Gooding made a motion approve the agreement and Lancaster seconded the motion. The motion was passed.
Tree City - Craig Allebach said
he and Joy Lohse have been looking into the town becoming a Tree City USA for
the last month.
For the town to become a Tree City, Allebach said the council would have to
enact an ordinance, have a tree board and then dedicate $2 per capita based on
their population. The cost dedication can include in-kind services so it
doesn't have to be all cash, he said.
Howie said the arborist has to be certified and there is an expense to
the certification. Allebach said there are arborists they can identify.
Wilcoxson mentioned that Syracuse has a volunteer forester. Allebach will talk more with Syracuse to see
what kind of money they put into it and what all they do to be a Tree City. The matter was tabled for further discussion
later.
2010 Budget Hearing - The budget includes $1,290,672 for General Fund;
$704,281 for Motor Vehicle Highway; $110,000 for Local Roads and Streets;
$35,500 for Park and Recreation; $800,000 for Economic Development Income Tax;
$95,000 for Riverboat Fund; $119,000 for Rainy Day Fund; $4,000 for Local Law Enforcement
Continuing Education fund; $130,000 for Cumulative Capital Development fund;
and $200,000 for Redevelopment District fund. Jim Lancaster made a motion to accept the 2010
Budget and Sue Gooding seconded the motion.
The 2010 Budget was approved.
Clean Wastewater
Treatment Plant Presentation -
Kenneth K. Jones, president, Wightman Petrie, said the total cost of the
treatment plant for Winona Lake would cost $4.9 million. The Aeromod Wastewater
Process Solutions facility would handle half a million gallons per day. It
would service all the town's current customers plus have room for growth.
The treatment plant has a fomenter tank, selector tank, aeration basin,
aeration sequox and ClarAtor Clarifier. "These processes are all computer
controlled. It's an automatic system," Jones said. "... The treatment
capabilities of this facility are so simple to understand for the operators as
well as the non-operators. It's not a complicated process." Sludge waste is minimal for the system, and
it will save the town money over time, Jones said. The sludge waste is stored
in the digester tank.
"One thing we like about the concept is every wall of the tank is sharing
a wall with another tank. So we kind of like the square shape and we recommend
it," Jones said. If it needs to expand, it will be less expensive than a
round system. Other areas with the
Aeromod system include McCordsville, Monrovia, LaGrange, Fortville and Koontz
Lake.
Ken Jones reported that this is a wastewater facility, but what it's making is
clean water. That's what we're going to produce before it's released. Jones said it won't discharge into Cherry
Creek, but will make its way to the Kiefer-Evans Ditch. The discharge will be
"far cleaner" than what's in Cherry Creek and in Winona Lake now.
Sue Haase, certified public accountant with London Witte Group, Indianapolis,
began her presentation but before she could go through her entire presentation,
she was told by one resident that he didn't want to hear the
"demonizing" of Warsaw as that was what her presentation sounded like
to the resident.
There currently is no written agreement between Warsaw and Winona Lake
regarding sewer. The town is working under a 2002 agreement with Warsaw for a
term of 20 years. The rate is for the receipt and treatment of Winona Lake
sewage works effluent. The town currently pays a "negotiated, reduced
commercial rate" per 1,000 gallons treated, Haase said.
Winona Lake agreed to pay capital costs to Warsaw amounting to $1,157,000,
given that Warsaw needed to expand its treatment capacity and that Winona Lake
wanted to assure that future treatment capacity existed for its current needs
and possible future increases. The town paid the city $600,000 ($200,000 from
WW Fund and $400,000 EDIT Fund) by March 1, 2002, and agreed to pay the
remaining $557,000 on a monthly basis over the subsequent 20 years, equal to
$27,850 per year. On a positive note, she said, there is no minimum monthly
bill, so if the town doesn't send any flow for treatment to Warsaw, there is no
monthly treatment billing.
According to the treatment agreement, Haase said, Warsaw has no responsibility
for things like servicing or billing users of Winona Lake's sewage works,
maintaining the town's sewage works, payment of expenses incidental to
operations in the town or providing funds for debt service. Haase provided a treatment rate history.
Prior to July 2005, the Warsaw residential rate was $28. That increased by 10
percent to $30.80 in January 2007. The
Warsaw treatment rate to Winona Lake per 1,000 gallons was $1.82 prior to July
2005. That was raised 14.29 percent to $2.08 in July 2005 and 66.83 percent to
$3.47 in January 2007. The Winona Lake
residential rate prior to July 2005 was $35, increased to $42 in July 2005 and
to $44 in January 2007. That was a total percentage increase of 25.72 percent.
Haase said Warsaw also provides a low-income rate to its residents. It does not
provide a low-income rate to Winona Lake.
With the estimated treatment plant cost being $4.95 million, Haase said the
town has $1 million of cash on hand. That comes from a surplus Winona Lake has
from its sewer rates. The remaining costs of the treatment plant would come
from debt issuance of $3.95 million at an estimated 5 percent interest rate.
John Elliott asked how much of his $44 monthly bill goes to Warsaw and how much
was retained by Winona Lake for current pipes. He was told that 60 percent of
his monthly bill went to Warsaw, while 40 percent went to Winona Lake for its
costs.
Haase stated there have been no negotiations with Warsaw in the aspect that the
city did not negotiate any of the issues that Winona Lake brought before
them. Regardless of what the town does,
Jerry Nelson said the town is obligated to Warsaw for $27,800 per year for the
remainder of the capital expenditure. Haase said they were only obligated if
they couldn't sell it back to Warsaw or to someone else.
Asked where the town was going with the treatment plant, O'Connell said they
can control their own rates. Staying with Warsaw, the city could raise Winona's
rates tomorrow and there would be nothing Winona could do about it.
Another resident stated the sewage issue was another example of why there
should be a referendum of the people to see if Winona Lake should join Warsaw.
If the two boards can't get along, he said maybe they should join as one. Later in the meeting, Kent Adams said some
day there may be a UniGov system between Warsaw and Winona Lake like there is
in Marion County. Hicks stated if there
is a referendum then the wastewater rate comparison (WL $44 and Warsaw $30.80)
would be on the docket but it would also have to include the property tax rates
(WL .56 cents and Warsaw $1.+).
Nelson said the analysis points out that if the town gets its own sewer plant,
it's just going to break even at best. Once the town locks itself into the
plant, they've locked themselves into at least a residential rate of $44 per
month. "With the debt service taken
on for the town, I'm not sure as a citizen we're not better to stick with
Warsaw," Nelson said.
Clerk-Treasurer Retha Hicks said they've tried to talk to Warsaw about the
sewer rates for the past two years. Warsaw has not moved from square one. She
said Winona hasn't been able to negotiate with Warsaw. Jim Lancaster said one of the prevailing
things that came out of the meeting would be for Winona Lake and Warsaw city
council members, and maybe members of the public, to meet in a public forum on
the issue. All the information and both sides of the issue could be hashed out
then before the public.
Report from Town
Engineer - Heard
from town engineer Larry Long that a new salt storage building has been
designed and the drawings have been turned over to street superintendent Pete
O'Connell. They will be soliciting quotes so the town council will have a
recommendation before them Oct. 27.
Designs
for a parking lot on Boys City Drive was presented and tabled for any further
consideration. The Street Department
will level the lot on the south side of Boys City Drive for any overage and the
council will review for any other needs.
Long also said he's working on packaging three projects together that all
involve concrete and curbing. The projects are along Short Street, the west
side of Kings Highway between 15th and 16th streets and along 12th street. He
said they hope to have the request for bids out by the end of the week, and a
recommendation to the town council by Oct. 27.
Meeting was adjourned
_________________________ ___________________________
TERRY HOWIE RETHA S. HICKS
PRESIDENT
CLERK-TREASURER