Three New Pierceton Reserve Officers Sworn In
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews
PIERCETON — The Pierceton Police Department has three new reserve officers.
At the Pierceton Town Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 9, at the Pierceton Community Building, Town Attorney Tammy Keirn swore in the officers. They are: Alex Morrison, Victoria Griesmann and Lucas Rhodes.
The three also had someone special to them pin on their badges at the meeting. Town Police Chief Tim Sammons read a short biography on each officer before they were sworn in.
Morrison graduated from Tippecanoe Valley High School. He worked as a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office jail officer before. He has completed the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) Pre-Basic and has a Taser certification.
Griesmann is from Illinois and a graduate of Constantine High School and Elgin Community College. She has finished the ILEA Pre-Basic. She will handle community relations for Pierceton and Pierceton Elementary School and help with domestic violence and sexual abuse cases.
Rhodes graduated from Warsaw Community High School and is attending Butler University, studying economics and marketing. Rhodes serves as Butler student government association chief of staff. He will be a second lieutenant in the Air Force after graduation.
Rate Study
Also at the meeting, the council heard from Ross Hagen of Baker Tilly financial advisors.
He gave the results of a rate study the company did for Pierceton regarding increasing wastewater fees in town. That’s to help with rising costs of chemicals, testing and cleaning.
There is some variation, but the general plan Hagen outlined calls for around an $11 increase on customer bills per month. That’s based on the usage of 4,000 gallons per month.
The council took no action on the issue at Monday’s meeting. It’s required to have a public hearing before voting on an increase.
COVID-19 Leave
The council also extended allowing town employees to get 10 full days of leave if they have COVID-19 or have to quarantine due to exposure.
That was part of an ordinance the council approved at its February meeting. It was set to expire on Tuesday, Aug. 10, the day after the August council meeting.
However, due to rising COVID-19 cases, the council opted to extend it for another month to the day after its next meeting, which is Tuesday, Sept. 14.
In other business, the council:
- Heard from Kim Rose that the cleanup at her parents’ home at 504 E. Keith St. is nearly complete.
The family was required to clean up due to noncompliance with town ordinance. A complaint was brought forward earlier this year by Steve Dicken, who owns property nearby. Sammons is to check soon to see if they are in compliance.
- Heard that Pierceton Days went well.
- Approved a resolution paying part-time employee Kelly Engle $15 per hour for workweek of no more than 24 hours.
- Heard fundraising for the town’s Christmas decoration project is going well.
The council’s next meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, at the community building.