By SIDNEY KENT
The Ossian Town Council heard a report from its engineering consultant Monday night on the town’s efforts to upgrade its wastewater collection system.
Jim Breckler of Engineering Resources submitted what was termed a “rather lengthy” proposal to the council in response to the application submitted in March to the Indiana Finance Authority. The application was for potential funding through the State Revolving Fund for approximately $2.4 million. The proposal, outlining three projects, would bring significant improvement to the system.
Breckler reported that based on discussions with the IFA, septic relief is a high priority focus for the state and funding is probable.
“If this does fall in the range for SRF financing, we will want to see this closed in the first half of 2024,” Breckler said. “That will put us under an aggressive time frame for design, especially if we’re waiting until July or August for consideration.”
Council member Dennis Ealing made a motion to move forward with the proposal contingent upon the approval of funding from the SRF. The council approved the measure unanimously.
Also Monday, the conversation surrounding pay increases for members of the Ossian Police Department continued at the meeting. Ealing presented a proposal for a new payment matrix that would offer new officers an annual salary of $60,000, a $6,000 increase, with additional pay increases varying depending on ranking.
The proposal was approved by the council and will move forward at the next meeting with the goal of salary increases becoming effective immediately.
In other business:
• A rezoning request for land at 1326 E. Lafever St. in Ossian, brought forward by Barkley Properties LLC, was approved by the Wells County Area Plan Commission in a meeting earlier this month. The property, a vacant lot, is currently zoned for business and the request was to rezone it as residential in order to allow the construction of new apartments. The council approved the motion.
• Chad Kline, representing the Wells County Revitalization Committee, requested funding from the town towards the purchase of a downtown property, 101 Jefferson St., for $50,000. The funding was approved contingent upon an agreement that will guarantee the money is repaid to the town.
• The Ossian Fire Department requested approval to purchase a replace a seven-year-old meter for $1,179. The council approved the request.
• Mendy Love, representing The Poka-Bache Connector, a trail that will eventually run from to Pokagon State Park in Angola to Ouabache State Park in Bluffton, requested funds for Ossian’s portion of the trail in the amount of $400. The council approved the funding.
• Jay Esparza, a member of the Ossian Board of Metropolitan Police Commissioners, received permission to continue to the process of donating the unused Drugs and Alcohol Resistance Education van to a department that would like to use it.
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