By JONATHAN SNYDER
Water was the main topic of discussion as the Board of Public Works and Safety heard two issues surrounding water bills Tuesday.
The first water discussion involved mysterious spikes in water usage for Jerry Ripple. The Board of Works opened the discussion at their Dec. 5 meeting, and a new test spanning the past month showed that the water meter detecting the jumps was functioning correctly. Since Dec. 5, Utility Director Jon Oman put a new meter onto Ripple’s residence, and his rates have returned to normal.
It is a strange case for the board members — Mayor John Whicker, Josh Hunt and the absent Scott Mentzer — who do not have a leak they can identify but recognized the spikes made no sense. The sudden influx of water is detected in the middle of the night, when Ripple is sleeping and is recording to use significantly more water than a two-person household would need.
“(Ripple) You’re not trying to hide anything,” said Whicker.
The board will decide whether to take on the water cost in next week’s meeting. Since multiple monthly bills are involved, the board must get the documents in order before making an official decision.
The second water discussion was a more straightforward decision for the board. A resident identified a leak outside their residence on West Central Ave, believed to be from an old pipe. A new pipe is in the ground, and the board will adjust the homeowner’s sewer rate and take on half of the water cost.
The board also approved the 911 Dispatch Center’s request to hire a new dispatcher, Nicholas Fields. Fields worked in private security before his hiring and is originally from Bluffton. The hiring will take the 911 Dispatch Center to 10 employees, with nine fully trained.
Additionally, the board approved raises for four people from two departments. Erin Pezo of the wastewater treatment plant has been reclassified from a plant operator to a lab technician. She is a class II wastewater operator and has passed multiple wastewater license tests from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in the past eight months. Pezo will receive a $1.50 per hour raise for her services.
There were raises aplenty for the Fire Department, as two 10-year veterans received raises for longevity. Paid on-call Lts. Kyle Morphew and Jordan Ehrman celebrated 10 years of service in December and October last year, respectively. They both will receive a $1.63 per hour raise. Adam Hannie will also receive a $38.00 raise bi-weekly for his services as an engineer for the fire department as he enters his third year.
A raise for Jonathan Templin has been tabled until further notice. Templin’s situation is an odd case for the board, as he entered the role as a part-time firefighter in 2022, already trained. Because Templin now lives in the area, he is moving to a paid on-call position. The salary ordinance says paid-on-call firefighters are given raises after one year of service. Templin was moved to a paid on-call position in July of 2023, so Templin’s total time in the department is over one year, but his status as a paid on-call firefighter is less than one year. While the board is willing to grant the raise, they need time to ensure they progress through legal channels.
“When we start making exceptions to ordinances, we need our ducks in a row,” said Whicker.
Furthermore, the board approved payment for two SRF claims, one for the James S. Jackson construction company and one for DLZ. Both these claims total out to $1,744,974.
jonathan@news-banner.com
