Final approval of unresolved ordinances from last week was the main order of business for Monday’s Warsaw Common Council meeting, which was attended by several students from Warsaw’s Eisenhower Elementary School for an educational field trip. In a meeting that lasted only 29 minutes the council passed the 2015 salary ordinance (2014-10-03), 2015 Fire Territory Salary Ordinance (2014-10-04) and 2015 Elected Official Salary Ordinance (2014-10-05), all by a vote of 6-0.

The only new order of business was the declaratory resolution of ordinance 2014-11-01, setting in place the line 2 budget cuts previously agreed upon. The cuts amount to $404,075 in total, with $254,400 of that coming from the general fund, $11,500 from the aviation fund, $7,400 from the cemetery fund, $64,300 from the parks and recreation fund and $75,475 from the fire territory fund.

Warsaw City Planner Jeremy Skinner gave an update on the progress of the new Warsaw technology park that is currently under construction. Also discussed was the benefits of “TIF,” or tax income financing, on Warsaw’s economy. Tax income financing taxes new businesses in order to put the money back into development of areas such as roads, curbs and stormwater systems, creating infrastructure in the hopes of drawing more businesses to Warsaw in the future, thus creating more jobs and a stronger economy. Councilman Jeff Grose expressed his approval of tax income financing in stating, “It is things like this that we need to give the kids like the ones here tonight the same opportunities I had to live here, work here and play here.”

(Pictures of Warsaw Technology Park, provided by Jeremy Skinner)

In attendance at the meeting were members of the Eisenhower Elementary School student council. Several council members expressed their pleasure in having the students in attendance, with Mayor Thallemer stating, “We want you all to come back. Bring your brothers and sisters,” before humorously adding, “We are going to put everyone’s name in the minutes from today’s meeting so when you come back in a hundred years you can look in the giant book and see your name.” Grose also expressed gratitude, saying, “We appreciate you all not just being here, but your willingness to learn.”