Pictured, from left, are Silver Lake Town Attorney Austin Rovenstine, Council Member Gloria Jean Weller, Council President Nichole Taylor, Council Member Medard “Hugh” Murfin, and Clerk-Treasurer Tonya Conley. InkFreeNews photo by Brianna White.

By Brianna White
InkFreeNews

SILVER LAKE — Ten ordinances were presented by the council to the public at the Silver Lake Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

They will take effect 30 days after the Nov. 12 Silver Lake Town Council meeting unless tabled for amendments.

Ordinance 11-01-25 addresses property standards, taking the place of ordinance 96-11, ordinance 07-02-07, and ordinance 06-01-13. The new ordinance condenses the previous ordinances that all relate to regulating property standards. The new standards will be stricter and addresses any property concerns that affect the community’s appearance and public health and safety. The ordinance also outlines how the town marshal can enforce the ordinance using fines.

Ordinance 11-02-25 addresses discharge of firearms within town limits and takes the place of ordinance 30-10-13-18-83. Town Marshal Jason McGlennen disagreed with the following definition of firearm given in the new ordinance: “any weapon whether loaded or unloaded from which a shot, projectile, or bullet may be discharged by gunpowder, black powder, or other means.” Town Attorney Austin Rovenstine looked up the definition of firearm within Indiana codes and presented it as an option. McGlennen and the council agreed to the following definition for firearm: “any weapon that is capable of expelling or designed to expel or may be readily converted to expel a projectile by means of an explosion.” The ordinance was re-read with the new definition and approved.

Ordinance 11-03-25 addresses pets running at large and is an amendment to 89-2. The ordinance covers the requirements for pets to be under the control of a competent person whenever they are not on private property and discusses the use of live traps, rabies vaccine requirements, and vicious/ferocious pets. Live traps will be available through the town for a $25 deposit. It gives the town marshal authorization to remove any vicious animals at his discretion at any time.

Ordinance 11-04-25 addresses salvage yards and is an amendment to ordinance 69-3. It prohibits the establishment or maintenance of a salvage yard, junkyard, vehicle graveyard, or scrapyard within the town limits of Silver Lake. It gives the town marshal authorization to give the owners or operators a fine of $100 per day after seven days until the materials have been removed.

Ordinance 11-05-25 addresses junked/abandoned/nuisance vehicles and is an amendment to ordinance 89-7. This focuses on any eyesore vehicle that is three or more model years old that is inoperable or not appropriately registered that is visible from either public or private property. It also addresses vehicles that are parked in public property. McGlennen took issue with nuisance vehicles being visible only from private property being included, but town Council Member Jean Weller took issue with this and insisted that it be kept in. McGlennen argued that it was “opening a hornet’s nest… for any neighbor that has grudges or grievances with another neighbor.”

McGlennen also wanted the authority to tow vehicles if needed. The council agreed to this amendment. Town Council Member Hugh Murfin volunteered to add the amendment. It will be tabled until it is re-read at the next town council meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 10. If approved at the December council meeting, it will take effect Jan. 9.

Ordinance 11-06-25 addresses obstruction of public ways. All residents and visitors have the right to use all public ways without any obstructions or impediments that limit the use or safe travel on the public way. If the obstruction is a vehicle, the ordinance gives the town marshal authority to impose a fine upon the owner of the vehicle after seven days. McGlennen took issue with not having the authority to remove vehicles parked in inherently nuisance ways, such as on the sidewalk or in the road. As written, the ordinance gives emergency service workers permission to have a nuisance moved if it is risking public safety or emergency services.

A provision will be added based on previous ordinance. It will be tabled until it is re-read at the next town council meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 10. If approved at the December council meeting, it will take effect Jan. 9.

Ordinance 11-07-25 addresses address numbers and is an amendment to ordinance 85-7. This ordinance will require address numbers to be clearly legible and visible on homes both day and night. Silver Lake Fire Chief John Conley asked, specifying that he was doing so as a resident of Silver Lake, whether the new ordinance required the address number be reflective, backlit, or simply visible when emergency services are using a flashlight. The council told Conley and McGlennen that they would leave it up to them, and Conley and McGlennen said that they think it just needs to be visible with a flashlight at night.

Ordinance 11-08-25 addresses mobile homes and replaces ordinance 106-93-2, ordinance 96-12, ordinance 03-01, and ordinance 10-01-10. It details the process of installing mobile homes and mobile home parks, and the standards they would be held to within town limits. It will ban living in recreational vehicles, such as RVs, full-time.

Ordinance 11-09-25 addresses open burning of leaves and trash within town limits. This ordinance will ban the burning of trash, yard waste that is not contained, and bonfires. McGlennen brought up that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management recently took away the state statute that allows local officers to enforce fire issues and requires them to have the issue taken care of by the fire department. There is also an existing state statute that covers fires within town limits. This state statute would take precedence over a local ordinance.

Rovenstine will do additional research into this. The ordinance will be tabled until it is re-read at the next town council meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 10. If approved at the December council meeting, it will take effect Jan. 9.

Ordinance 11-10-25 addresses establishing ordinance violation bureau and appeals process and is an amendment to ordinance 98-12-02 and removes the outdated penalties from ordinance 98-12-02. This ordinance outlines the manner that ordinance violations will be handled moving forward.

South Street Vacation

In October, David Basham requested a vacation of South Street because, due to zoning done prior to the 1970s, his property does not sit on his parcel and goes into the space designated as the public way, South Street. When this was presented to the Silver Lake Town Council in October, they tentatively approved it because the Basham property is the only home on that road.

The Bashams were represented by attorney Rama Sobhani, who provided the council members with a copy of a survey that showed that nearly two thirds of the house, as well as the shed and fence of the Basham property, is in the public way, and that Basham wants to move the property line to lie with the existing fence that has been present since prior to Basham purchasing the property over 30 years ago. Sobhani pointed out that there is no reasonable way for Basham to pick up and move the house into the existing property lines, and that while designated a public way, South Street is not currently being used as a road and has been treated as part of the Basham property for at least since Basham purchased the property.

Jeffrey and Brenda Dotson, and Jeffrey and Teresa Gable, were represented by attorney Matt Mize. The Gables are not against the rezoning, but their only concern is whether their farm field that borders the public way from the south would be affected and did not attend the council meeting. The Dotsons own 10 acres of undeveloped property which Mize stressed has South Street as the only primary means of entry. The undeveloped, wooded property is accessible through the Dotsons’ primary property and through an alleyway, but neither of these meet the legal definition for primary means of access.

Mize argues that the undeveloped property could be developed and turned into homes, and the loss of the public way would leave those homes land locked. Mize also presented the new ordinances that were to be presented at the council meeting that night and pointed out that under the new town ordinances blocking any public way was explicitly banned.

Council tabled the issue and encouraged the parties and their attorneys to discuss the issue with one another as both parties seemed willing to consider a partial vacation of the road. The partial vacation idea was suggested by Council Member Nichole Taylor. This would require the Bashams moving their shed and fence but would have the property lines redrawn, so the home would be within the boundaries of the parcel. The council members and town attorney also said that they would do additional research into the issue.

Other

• Naloxbox was presented by Terra Trytko from LITE. Taylor and Weller recommended the Elm Street Lions Club Building as a location, and Trytko agreed that it would be a good location.
• 502 W. Coy Ave. has a new owner. The property was purchased by a neighbor who is going to tear it down to “remove the eyesore.” The new owner is waiting for NIPSCO to disconnect electricity to proceed with the tear down. The council voted to give him until March 2026 to tear it down; if not torn down by that point, he can apply for an extension. The council also voted to rescind the $500 fine they gave at the last town council meeting.
• The council voted on raises for 2026. Weller was in favor of freezing raises for the upcoming year out of fear for the changing tax structure in 2026. Taylor and Murfin were both against this. The council voted in favor of a 50-cent raise. Kole Williams, chief deputy marshal, was given an additional raise of 25 cents that will be backdated to Saturday, Nov. 8, as his six-month bonus.
• Clerk-Treasurer Tonya Conley reported that the town of Silver Lake has received $1.95 million so far from grants for the community center. They still require $1 million for the project to be fully funded. They are still waiting on responses from other grant organizations and are discussing loan options with Baker Tilly.
• The council voted to accept an agreement with Parkview EMS.