Tippecanoe Township Advisory Board Meets In Quick Session
By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews
NORTH WEBSTER — Members of the Tippecanoe Township Advisory Board gathered with Township Trustee Chris Francis on Wednesday evening to conduct its first meeting that didn’t also include the North Webster Fire Department. The newly established Tippecanoe Township Fire Territory met the previous evening prior to the regular meeting of the North Webster Town Council, as previous prescribed. Next month, and in all odd-numbered months, the TTFT will meet prior to the township advisory board’s meeting.
To open last evening’s meeting, Francis presented the board with resolution 2022-1, which would allow the township to continue toward its previously agreed upon purchase of the former North Webster theater building. The building has been deemed unrepairable, and the township intends to tear it down once the purchase is complete.
Before the purchase can be made, however, the township must get two independent and unbiased appraisals of the building’s fair market value within the next 30 days, which is what the resolution allows them to do. The board approved the resolution to move forward with the appraisals. Francis said he hopes the township will be able to close on the purchase in April.
There was some question as to whether the township would be able to use money from the 2021 “Rainy Day Fund” to finance the purchase. Francis said the State Board of Accounts was pushing back against the rollover of last year’s remaining funds to pay for the purchase of the building. He said he would continue to pursue the township’s ability to draw from last year’s leftover funds to complete the transaction.
Continued maintenance of the township’s cemeteries also was approved, utilizing the existing contractors who have been performing the duties. A concern was raised by board member Ed Clayton about snowmobiles traveling through the cemeteries. Francis, who also serves as a deputy with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office, assured Clayton that it is illegal to do so and that the police should and would be called for violators.
Francis presented the board with the trustee’s annual report, which was unanimously approved by the three trustees.