The Mentone Town Council approved hiring Jacob Bill as the town’s new deputy marshal at its meeting on Wednesday, April 6, at Mentone Town Hall. Shown, Mentone Town Marshal Jim Eads, left, shakes Bill’s hand after swearing him in. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

MENTONE — Mentone has a new deputy marshal.

Jacob Bill, who’s from the Warsaw area, was hired at the Mentone Town Council’s meeting on Wednesday, April 6.

Mentone has been on the lookout for a new deputy since its previous one, Sam Bohnke, left in December 2021 to take a job with the Warsaw Police Department.

Bill comes to the Mentone Police Department having worked for six months with the Bourbon Police Department. Prior to that, he worked for the Indiana State Police for about three years. He also served in the military for six years.

In 2019, while serving with the Indiana State Police, he helped rescue a child from a pond near Winona Lake.

The council approved Bill’s hiring, but was unable to come to a decision regarding how much to pay him.

Town Council Member Tim Croy wanted to pay Bill $42,766, the amount that the council had already budgeted for Bohnke for the year, and later consider a salary increase for 2023. Town Council Member Shelly Krueger said she’d like to set Bill’s salary at $46,330, noting that he “comes with a lot more training and experience than what Sam had.”

The council had previously agreed to advertise the starting annual salary from $41,000-$46,330. As the vote was split 1-1 and Town Council President Jill Gross wasn’t present at Wednesday’s meeting to possibly break the tie, council members agreed to table Bill’s pay amount for a later meeting.

They plan to have a special meeting soon when Gross is present to help make the decision.

Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program

The council also heard from Amy Roe, who serves as Kosciusko County community coordinator.

She was hired earlier this year to help county communities improve via utilizing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Roe’s position came about via the county receiving a $1 million grant through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs’ (OCRA) new Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP).

Mentone was one of four towns in Kosciusko County to agree to be a part of the program. Roe explained Wednesday that towns will work toward planning legacy projects to better their communities.

The towns are to decide on projects by examining “pathways” of “advancing e-connectivity,” “enhancing quality of place,” “promoting community wellness” and “strengthening local economies.”

Roe said a special event will take place the first week of May at Bell Memorial Public Library to help Mentone plan for its future using the arts. Spoonful of Imagination Art Studio of Warsaw will be at the event.

More information on the exact date will be announced before then.

In other business, the council:

• Heard a request from resident Hannah Belies regarding possibly allowing people to have chickens in town. The council made no decision Wednesday but will look into it further.
• Heard from Croy that the Mentone Chamber of Commerce’s annual Easter egg hunt is set for Saturday, April 16, at Mentzer Park. It starts at 10 a.m. and the following groups will hunt: ages 2-4, 5-7 and 8-10.
• Heard from Croy that the town’s annual spring cleanup day will be Saturday, May 21. He said that the town’s trash pickup provider, Apex Waste, has asked that people contain their items to a four-by-four-foot space and that items like electronics, concrete and tires aren’t allowed to be put out. People may contact the Mentone Clerk-Treasurer’s office for a full list of items that can’t be collected.
• Heard from Krueger that the first Mentone Community Farmers Market of 2022 is on Saturday, May 14. There will also be a craft and antique fair. The event runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Any vendors, even food vendors, or anyone that wants to do fundraising, they’re all welcome,” said Krueger. There’s no setup fee, and people only need to fill out forms to sell if they’ve never filled out one before, she said. People may contact Krueger at [email protected] or reach out the farmers market Facebook page if they need a form.
• Heard a request from Mentone Youth League President Derek Adamson. He asked if the council would permit using some of the $200,000 that it received from the K21 Health Foundation several years back to put in sidewalks connecting the league’s fields and an asphalt parking lot. League leaders got an estimate of $40,500 to complete the work. The council is to consider the request.
• Heard Krueger read a proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Mentone. Angie Ritchey and Laurie Carlin with Kosciusko County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) were present for the proclamation. To learn more about the organization, people may visit casachildren.com.

The council’s next regular meeting is 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, at Mentone Town Hall.