Mayor Thallemer also announced plans to establish a Community Development Director.

By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews

WARSAW – The city of Warsaw announced intentions to implement a series of fee hikes over the next five years that would raise the monthly residential stormwater fee from $2.95 to $8.The city of Warsaw announced intentions to implement a series of fee hikes over the next five years that would raise the monthly residential fee from $2.95 to $8.

The proposal was unveiled during Monday’s city council meeting held Oct. 5. No action was taken. A more in-depth explanation and discussion are expected when Council meets again on Oct. 19.

Council also heard a proposal to split up the city’s Building and Planning Department next year and establish a new department head who would oversee community development.

Both proposals seemed to quickly gain traction from council members.

As for the rate hike, city officials contend the utility has fallen behind in a long list of capital improvement projects associated with preventing flooding and ensuring water quality.

The current fee is no longer self-sustaining and officials have turned to other funding mechanisms to cover the shortfall.

Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer has been open about the need to make adjustments in the rate for more than two years.

The current residential monthly rate of $2.95 would rise to $3.86 beginning Jan. 1, 2021. The fee would rise each year in the following increments: $4.90 in 2022, $5.93 in 2023, $6.97 in 2024 and $8.00 in 2025.

Non-residential properties would also see stormwater fees rise. Those are calculated differently but would increase more than the residential fee.

Thallemer thanked council members Michael Klondaris, Jerry Frush and Cindy Dobbins, who were part of a rate study committee that reviewed options provided by BakerTilly.

He said the existing rate was probably one of the lowest when it was established.

Klondaris spoke in favor of it.

“We chose the option that we thought is the fairest to our residents, which means we put a little more – 3 percent more – onus on businesses,” Klondaris said.

“By laddering this in over the next five years, it’s not going to hit anybody all at once. It’s going to be gradual and it’s a fair way to do it,” Klondaris said.

Meanwhile, Thallemer proposed changes to the Building and Planning department with a new department head who would become the third highest-paid city employee.

The move comes in the middle of the 2021 budget approval process, but Thallemer expressed a sense of urgency to implement the change.

The need to establish a new department is being driven by the same contributing reasons mentioned in the rate hike rational – continued growth.

The city’s population has grown 10.6 percent since 2010 and its physical footprint expanded significantly two years ago through numerous annexations.

The plan is based on the advice of BakerTilly, a consulting firm that recently assessed the city’s personnel structure in an effort to improve efficiencies.

The city has undertaken numerous longterm economic development projects during Thallemer’s nine years in office and is seeing results in several directions including the Warsaw Technology Park and a new industrial park near the airport where construction of sanitary sewer was just completed.

The position’s annual salary would be $83,000.

Council member Diane Quance, while supporting the proposal, challenged others to justify the salary.

She pointed out that the job would pay more than what Plan Director Jeremy Skinner receives.

“We’re paying a lot to Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation,” Quance said. “What is this person going to be doing that’s different than the organizations that we’re already paying to do this?”

Quance then heard from several council members who appear to support the existing proposal.

Thallemer said they’re viewing it in terms of return on investment when it comes to economic development projects.

Housing efforts have become an important part of economic development in recent years, Thallemer said.

KEDCo has provided some “tremendous benefits” when it comes to working on attracting new business. But the city, Thallemer said, needs somebody specifically focused on development.

Among those supporting the idea were Klondaris and council members Jeff Grose and Josh Finch.

Grose said that given the continued investment in development, it’s “critical that we are looking in this direction.”

Klondaris compared the idea to the hiring of a part-time engineer who now is full-time and has saved the city a large amount of money as a result of his insights.

He called it a great, strategic move.

Klondaris said he thinks it’s a move they will not regret.

While he did not identify anyone in particular as a possible candidate, Thallemer added, “There’s might be an individual in our organization who would probably aspire to do that job.”

In other matters, council:

• Continued to move forward with the 2021 budget plan, but Thallemer again warned that more significant cuts would be made before it is finalized for 2021.
• Applauded three individuals who were recently honored with the Golden Hoosier Award presented earlier by Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. The recipients were Tim Meyer, Linda Ozier and Robert Williams.

“In partnership with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Aging, and with our co-host, AARP Indiana, the Governor and I are so pleased to extend our gratitude and our admiration for all who have received this prestigious award. The Golden Hoosier Award is the highest honor bestowed upon senior citizens by the State of Indiana,” Crouch said in a prepared statement.