Pierceton Town Attorney Tammy Keirn, left, swears in new Town Marshal Jim Bumbaugh at the Pierceton Town Council’s meeting on Monday, Oct. 10, at the Pierceton Community Building. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

PIERCETON — Pierceton’s new town marshal has been sworn in.

Town Attorney Tammy Keirn administered the oath of office to Jim Bumbaugh at the Pierceton Town Council’s regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 10.

Bumbaugh takes the place of Tim Sammons, who retired at the end of July. Bumbaugh previously worked for the Pierceton Police Department before leaving in 2019 to take a job as Whitko Community School Corp.’s transportation director.

He is a U.S. Navy veteran and started his law enforcement career as a Whitley County Sheriff’s Department reserve officer before working for the PPD.

The council also approved an ordinance regarding Bumbaugh’s pay and benefits. He’s to make $2,115.39 biweekly through the end of the year, which would equate to an annual salary of around $55,000. At its discretion, the council can provide a year-end bonus of up to $500. If Bumbaugh opts not to take health insurance from the town, he will get a stipend of $192.31 with each pay period.

Bumbaugh spoke briefly at the meeting.

“I just want to start out by thanking the Pierceton Town Council in their confidence in hiring me as town marshal of Pierceton,” he said. “I appreciate that. I intend to show you that you made a good decision.”

“I have been to the last few council meetings and I hear the community. I’ve been a resident of the community for 22 years. I was on the department for nearly 17 years before. I know what the town wants,” he added.

“I intend to bring a positive, authentic approach to policing in Pierceton, and we want to make you know that you have a police department you can be proud of and that you can rely on. It’s going to be completely transparent. We’ll be out there, and you’ll see us daily,” he said.

In other business, the council:

• Didn’t approve the 2023 town budget as originally planned as it didn’t have a quorum to do so. Two of the council’s three members, Vice President Matt Brubaker and Member Tom Barker, were present at the meeting, giving a quorum for other business. However as Brubaker is involved with Pierceton’s fire department, he had to abstain from voting on the budget. The council is to have a special public meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Pierceton Community Building to vote on the budget.
• Formally approved participating in the Tax Refund Exchange and Compliance System, aimed at recouping funds from former residents who have outstanding bills owed to the town. Through the program for a fee, letters will be sent to people asking them to pay their bills. If they don’t comply with the orders, the money still owed will be added to their income tax. The council initially approved participating in TRECS in July, but needed more formal approval.
• Approved additional appropriations of $4,889.99 to purchase four security cameras and related equipment for the town’s municipal park and $11,799 for a new lawn mower.
• Heard from Town Superintendent Casey Boggs that leaf pickup will “officially” start on Monday, Oct. 17, but town workers may pick up a few piles before then that are already out. He said workers will follow the same schedule as before: On Mondays, they will pick up south of Catholic Street and west of First Street; on Wednesdays, pickup will occur south of Catholic Street and east of First Street; and on Thursdays, they will collect north of Catholic Street. People should have piles out before 8 a.m. and ensure that brush, trash and other items aren’t mixed in with the leaves. Residents should also keep piles away from utility poles, signs and mailboxes.
• Heard from Brubaker that the lighting of the town’s Christmas decorations and parade will be on Saturday, Dec. 3.

The council’s next regular meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, at the community building.