Winona Lake Passes 2016 Budget
WINONA LAKE — Following a series of public hearings over the last few months, the Winona Lake Town Council passed the 2016 budget during the regular meeting Tuesday evening, Oct. 20.
There were few changes from the 2015 budget. These included a 5.2 percent increase to the general fund from $1,320,675 to $1,389,772. The increase is for the park, with the park and recreation fund increasing by 20.1 percent, from $49,300 to $59,600 for expenses pertaining to Limitless Park.
The general fund also includes increases for police and a 1.8 percent increase for retirement benefits and a new car purchase that had been deleted in the 2015 budget. Overall, the budget includes a 3 percent salary increase for all town employees except the clerk treasurer. This increase amounts to $16,900 total.
There was also a 2 percent increase to the motor vehicle highway fund, from $736,800 to $751,650. Funds that will remain the same include the rainy day fund, the local road and street fund, the cumulative capital development fund and the redevelopment general fund.
Revenue changes include a .009 increase in wastewater from $1,530,600 to $1,544,150. Funds expected to remain the same include EDIT, TIF, LECE continuing eduction and the casino/riverboat fund.
Overall, Winona Lake’s budget for 2016 will be $5,200,672, a 2.1 percent increase from the previous year’s. The budget is expected to be submitted to the state today, Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Following the budget hearing, the street department requested approval to purchase a new plow truck with a salt spreader. The department worked with the State Bond Bank to find out what the best price would be for the town.
The vehicle will replace one the town is using that belongs to Severn. The council approved purchase of the vehicle, to be paid over a three-year period at 1.78 percent annual interest.
On the wastewater side, lift stations at Stonecamp and Barker are in need of upgrades, with the one at Barker being priority. A wet well, which contains sewage, has water leaking into it, though nothing leaking out. The project will also include replacing all valves, guide rails which are rusted, and fasteners.
The interior of the wet well will be sand blasted and a heavy-duty coating applied, which is expected to extend its life to 15-20 years. A new well would cost around $200,000 and would last for about the same amount of time.
Town Engineer Larry Long outlined problems workers ran into after starting the Chestnut Street parking lot upgrade. Long noted that there are two manholes, one on either side of the parking lot, but that the sewer line between them forms a loop and is not aligned vertically.
The line is also only 6 inches below the ground but carries a large amount of flow. The line is also clay, he said, and shows signs of having failed and been repaired some time in the past. He recommended replacing the line to bring it up to Indiana Department of Environmental Management standards.
When council members asked whether the replacement would have been necessary without the parking lot project, Long responded that yes, it would have and the only thing keeping the line from freezing in the winter time, he added, is the volume of flow moving through it at all times.
The council also awarded a project to Niblock Excavating, which submitted the lowest bid for drainage work along Robson Road.