Mentone town attorney Andrew Grossnickle, left, gives Keaton Schopf the oath of office for town marshal Wednesday. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union.

By Jackie Gorski
Times Union

MENTONE – Mentone Town Council approved paying Baker Tilly $10,000 to do a sewer rate study Wednesday, Dec. 6.

Clerk-Treasurer Amanda Yaprak received an email from the bondholder for the town’s 2017 sewer bond. She said she was told revenues were not sufficient to meet bond. Yaprak spoke with a representative from Baker Tilly who confirmed the information and recommended the town do an across-the-board sewer rate study.

Yaprak said the town could hopefully have the study done by January.

Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd said he didn’t know when the last time the sewer rate was raised. Yaprak said she’d look into that.

Earlier in the meeting, a crowded room saw Mentone’s new marshal, Keaton Schopf, take his oath of office.

He has worked as a correctional officer at the Kosciusko County Jail and also was a reserve officer for the Winona Lake Police Department.

Schopf replaces Jim Eads, who retired Oct. 30.

In other business, the council:

• Heard from Yaprak about a meter reading issue.

She said recently her computer had an issue and she ended up getting a temporary computer and is 90% up and running. However, the software on the temporary computer does not support the meter reading system.

Options will have to be looked into about either getting an older computer in order to read the current meters or to upgrade the town’s meters.

• Received a $2,240 bill from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office for patrol work in November.

Council President Jill Gross said KCSO patrolled for 56 hours in November and it was agreed KCSO will also patrol in December.
Schopf said he will coordinate patrol hours with KCSO.

• Learned from Shepherd leaf pick-up was finished Friday. Shepherd believes 38-1/2 loads of leaves were picked up.

• Approved the meeting schedule for 2024 as 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month.

• Heard from town attorney Andrew Grossnickle about the town putting together zoning, park and cemetery boards.

He said everything he’s come across states the council would hand over decision-making to the boards. Gross said the council didn’t want the boards to be able to do that, instead to bring recommendations to the council.

Grossnickle said he’d look into the town being able to create committees instead of boards.